The Elements of Equestria

Chapters

Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 1
Chapter 5
Chapter 20

Chapter 2

Part 2

Caramel bucked away against tree after tree, sweat pouring off him like a waterfall. He didn't mind it in the least, it gave him a chance to think, 'I wonder if Big Macintosh will dismiss me when he gets back? I sure hope not. I like the farm,' he chuckled to himself, 'Who am I kidding; I love the farm,' his thoughts drifted, 'that’s not the only thing I love out here either. It's too soon though; I can't let her know yet. I'll have to work for a long time to be able to afford to pay for a . . . Would she want a house of her own or would she want to live in her family’s generational home?' he shook his head to clear it, 'I never thought I'd be considering anything like this. I've watched her for years, but I've never worked up the courage to say anything. When Big Mac came to me and asked me to help out on the farm I thought I was going to die. I wonder if he knows? He's smart, real smart; I wouldn't put it past him. Why would he be alright with me courting Applejack though? What do I have to give her? I'm clumsy, forgetful, and my job at the post office isn't the most lucrative thing in the world, besides I'm sure she wouldn't want to even think about my medical bills.' he stopped bucking the tree, having noticed that baskets were full.

He picked one up with his teeth and carefully carried it over to the old cart. His coordination had improved significantly since Big Macintosh had left. He had asked Applejack about it, but all she had said was that it was because of all the hard work. Caramel had secretly noticed that his bad luck seemed to be at its height when Applejack was around.He had turned back to go get the other one, when he heard voices coming from the direction of the path which led up to the farmhouse, 'Is he back already?'

Caramel took off at a trot toward the path, hearing the voices coming closer. Caramel listened as closely as he could. His hooves made hearing difficult. He detected Applejack's voice and his heart fell as he picked up her older brother's distinctive drawl. Caramel stopped and listened as the two farm ponies approached.

Applejack's voice was the first one Caramel picked up on,
"Ah know he needs our help, Ah ain't arguin' that. Ah am sayin' that we ain't got no ponies who can run the farm while we're both gone. Havin' you away was manageable, Caramel's been workin' his hooves to the bone out here, but between the two of us it was doable. If both you and Ah left there's no way he could manage it on his own. Besides we ain't got no idea how long we'd be gone for anyhow. There's just nopony else we can ask to help out. Ah mean who'd run the finances? Who knows our rotation ratio? And Heaven forbid there's another stampede, Ponyville would be doomed! Unless we manage to find somepony who is knowledgeable 'bout stuff like that we're stuck here and there's just no way around it. End of story."

"Ah ain't arguin' with you sis. It's one humdinger of a problem and no mistake. Ah'll take a gander around town and see what Ah can come up with. You did forget one thing though. If we do get somepony out here to run things, they'd have to be able to get along with Granny Smith and Applebloom would have to respect 'em enough to listen to 'em." Big Macintosh responded.

Caramel's mind spun, 'Now they're BOTH leaving? I guess I could try running the farm, but Applejack's right, one pony isn't enough, not by any stretch of the imagination. One of the few things I am pretty good with is numbers so I might be able to handle the money side of things. As far as crop rotation goes, I've got nothing; beside Applebloom thinks of me as a friend, not an authority figure. I wonder who could possibly do this with me?"

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

"So tell me, why is it that we need guardians in the first place? We seem to do well enough on our own." Twilight asked as she hooked yet another electrode to Lemon Lime's body.

The poor yellow unicorn was still nervous being around Twilight,
"As f . . . far as I know, t . . . the Elements of Harmony and the Elements of Peace a . . . are supposed to c . . . complement each other. The Elements of Harmony are the more powerful of the pair b . . . but they have to be protected w. . . while they focus their power. The example I saw used the example of a family as a good point of reference. The Elements of Peace are the husband side of the equation and the Elements of Harmony are the wife side. According to the book, both sets were created by the Princesses long ago. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna made the Elements of Equestria because the alicorns were incapable of harming any living thing and apparently that was what was needed."

Lemon Lime noticed that as he continued to speak he stuttered less and less,
"I have to admit that I'm glad I ended up being paired with you Twilight. At least you're somepony I know."

Twilight's head snapped up sharply,
"I thought I recognized you from somewhere. I just can't place it."

"You were the Librarian when I was attending the University. I was in there all the time. I just never caught your name until now." Lemon Lime admitted softly.

Twilight shrugged,
"If you say so. I sure don't remember you. What were you studying?"

Lemon Lime was crestfallen at hearing Twilight dismiss the memory so casually,
"I'm a physical therapist."

Twilight stopped and took a step back looking the little unicorn over carefully,
"You're not exactly built for it. How did you help your patients?"

"I use my magic. I can keep the weight of a full grown pony levitated for up to four hours at a time without any real strain. The longest I've ever gone is seven hours but that was kind of tough and she was a special case." Lemon Lime admitted.

Twilight's eyebrows furrowed together as she cocked her head to the left,
"Four hours? That's not easy. I'm not sure I could do that."

Lemon Lime rubbed the back of his neck nervously,
"From what I heard you're no slouch in the magic department either. You subdued an Ursa Minor all by yourself. If I had that much raw potential the chimera wouldn't have been any kind of real problem at all. Believe me that was no picnic."

Twilight pulled the toggle on her machine. The contraption began beeping and spewing out a long line of readout paper. Lemon Lime had no idea what the thing was for but he was willing to cooperate. Twilight seemed interested and that was enough for him.

The purple unicorn turned her attention back to her subject,
"Alright, try to manifest your Element again."

Lemon Lime swallowed,
"I'll try."

He closed his eyes and began concentrating. He focused on memories of when he had to be patient. They seemed more slippery this time, like they were intentionally trying to be elusive. The yellow physical therapist chased after the memories; one-by-one snaring them into the forefront of his mind. The task was difficult to say the least. Several minutes passed and Lemon Lime began to glow dimly.

A loud explosion and the clank of flying pieces of machinery brought Lemon Lime's concentration to a screeching halt. Upon coming back to himself, his nose filled with smoke and his eyes burned. Lemon Lime couldn't see a thing except the machine in front of him burning brightly, 'What is there to burn inside a machine?' he wondered.

Lemon Lime dropped to the floor and looked around for Twilight. His vision was blurry from tears caused by the smoke. He saw a purple blur backed into the corner of the basement, horn glowing. Out of habit, Lemon Lime analyzed the spell Twilight was casting. The spell had the components of Fire and Destruction, 'She's trying to put out the fire.' he thought. The fire went out almost immediately, but there was still smoke everywhere.

Lemon Lime crawled over to Twilight, who was coughing and hacking from the smoke. He focused his magic into a spell containing the components of Air, Earth, Healing, Controlling, and Sustaining. It was a spontaneous spell he developed on the spot from his imagination. The spell's purpose was to filter out the air around he and Twilight which would stay active for a long duration without him having to concentrate to maintain it. The spell fell into place and Twilight ceased coughing almost immediately.

Twilight looked around at the small sphere of clean air around her and Lemon Lime, analyzing the other unicorn's spell. She closed her eyes and cast another spell of her own. Lemon Lime analyzed it and realized Twilight was effectively casting the spell he had, just on a much larger scale. She was casting it on the whole basement.

The smoke cleared out in a matter of seconds. Lemon Lime was impressed. Twilight's spell would have been a fair bit outside his own power limitations, 'She didn't use Sustaining in the spell so she had to maintain it. The lack of Sustaining made it easier to cast, she just had to keep using her magic to maintain it. Very clever.'

Twilight rose to her hooves and walked over to the eviscerated machine,
"Well this thing's a complete loss. The data readout is just ash now."

Lemon Lime walked up next to the disappointed unicorn,
"Maybe some things aren't meant to be analyzed and understood."

Twilight just rolled her eyes,
"Yeah," she sighed, "I guess I should have learned that when I tried to analyze Pinkie Pie's 'Pinkie Sense'.

"Pinkie Sense?" Lemon Lime asked.

"It's a long story." Twilight replied.

Lemon Lime shrugged,
"I don't exactly have a whole lot else to do right now. We can't leave until Applejack and Big Mac figure out what to do about the farm."

Lemon Lime felt distinctly disappointed, 'I'd been hoping she would be glad to see me. She doesn't even seem to care.'

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

Fluttershy and Rarity watched Patch in the Mayor's reception area while Sea Blue was discussing buying one of the houses for sale in town with the Mayor herself. Rarity was still trying to cope with the fact that Sea Blue was supposed to be her 'guardian', 'The last thing I need is some strange stallion following me around all the time. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. It's not as if we go gallivanting off into danger all the time. The dragon was a single isolated incident. I'm sure if the stallions had been there they would have done like Rainbow Dash and tried to attack him instead of trying to reason with him. What was Princess Celestia thinking? He seems like a prankster like Pinkie Pie or Rainbow Dash. He doesn't seem to have a single bit of refinement to him, unlike that Trooper. If only Trooper were a unicorn, we would be a perfect match. With Sea Blue . . . What kind of a name is that for a unicorn who is obviously turquoise anyway? We have not a single interest in common. What would a fabulous fashion designed have in common with a psychologist? Oh I hope he finds a house for he and Patch. Patch, now there's a filly with some spirit, and I have to admit, a fair eye for fashion too. Missing eye or no, she definitely has good taste in color matching. I wonder what the story behind her and Sea Blue is?'

Fluttershy had been getting to know Patch while Rarity was thinking,
"So what do you like to do, Patch? What's your favorite thing in the world?" the custard colored pegasus asked softly.

Patch sat next to Fluttershy explaining sadly,
"My most favorite thing is playing with my friends, but I don't have any here. I had to leave them all behind in Canterlot. I don't even know why we had to come here. Daddy and the other stallions talked about it a lot. They said they had ‘an obliteration’, whatever that means. Daddy says I'll be safe here so I don't get foalnapped again. That unicorn lady was scary."

Fluttershy covered her heart with her hoof at hearing the little pink unicorn's statement,
"Oh my! That must have been really scary! How did that happen?"

Rarity's attention was piqued; she listened as Patch explained,
"Daddy and I were walking home from the park. It was really dark but we know all the alleys between our house and the park. Daddy had me memorize them so I could find my way home if I ever got lost. Anyway I guess Daddy heard something behind us. He stopped and told me to stay quiet. He kept staring into the shadows for a long time. He cast a really bright spell and we saw the unicorn lady standing just a couple of paces away. She was scary looking. She had this cape thing that covered her head. Daddy told me to run, but I couldn't leave him. The unicorn lady used her horn to hurt Daddy and he couldn't move. She came up to me and looked at my eye then she yelled some mean things to Daddy. Her horn glowed and she teleported us somewhere really dark. She kept me there for a long time. Eventually Daddy and the other nice stallions came to rescue me. Daddy had to help Live Wire and Trooper and Dr. Mend and Big Macintosh and Valiant fight the scary unicorn lady so he had miss Evening Star fly me to see Dr. Mend's friend Dr. Avalon. Daddy came and got me later."

Fluttershy gave Patch a big hug,
"Poor thing. You were really brave. I'll bet your Father's really proud of you."

"Um Patch," Rarity addressed, "Are you comfortable talking about your eye darling?"

"Sure." Patch responded seemingly not bothered in the least, "Some of the fillies and colts at school used to tease me about it. They stopped after I bucked one colt's teeth out. I got in a lot of trouble for that. Daddy was upset but he understood. He talked with the teacher about it. After that it never happened again."

"Well, I think you should have dealt with it differently darling. Words are one thing but that poor colt lost his teeth." Rarity said.

Patch shook her head,
"Daddy says words are really powerful miss Rarity. He says that we carry life and death in our words, so we should be careful about what we say. He has this saying, 'Stick and stones may break your bones, but words can hurt you even more'. Daddy says that if more ponies were careful with their words there would be less misunderstandings and less fighting. Well, that and he thinks everypony should have more fun and be less serious."

"I'm sorry darling. What I meant to ask, if you're comfortable with it, is what happened to your other eye? Did you have an accident?" Rarity asked more bluntly than she intended.

Patch shook her head once again,
"I was born this way. I only have one eye. Miss Morning Glory at the orphanage said I had to have surgery otherwise I would have to wear an eye patch all the time. That's how I got my name."

Fluttershy and Rarity exchanged a surprised look, Rarity spoke first,
"You mean Sea Blue adopted you darling? I thought he had been married."

"Nope, it's just him and me. Daddy talks about getting me a Mommy someday though. I hope she's nice like you miss Fluttershy." Patch said.

The sound of a door closing, caught the attention of the two mares and filly. The Mayor walked out first followed by Sea Blue. Sea Blue was levitating a piece of parchment in the air in front of him. The two ponies shook hooves smiling. Sea Blue turned toward his daughter and winked with his left eye. Patch scrunched the skin of her missing eye, seemingly winking back at him.

Sea Blue motioned for Patch to join him in front of the Mayor,
"Patch, I would like you to meet the Mayor of Ponyville. She just sold us our new home and for a very reasonable price."

Patch looked up at the older mare in eye large,
"Thank you for our new house. Are you like the Princess for Ponyville?"

The Mayor laughed at the silly question,
"No dear, I just make sure things in Ponyville run smoothly so the Princess doesn't have to worry about us down here. Now go on and see your new home."

Sea Blue inclined his head to the Mayor once more,
"I can't tell you how much I appreciate this, thank you."

The Mayor waved a hoof in his direction,
"Think nothing of it. That house has been empty for absolute ages. It needed to go to a good family. Your neighbors are our mail-mare Ditzy Doo, and the school teacher Cheerilee. The house may need a little bit of work but I'm sure you'll love it. I hope I don't seem rude but with winter coming there's a lot to plan for. Have a good day Sea Blue. You too Patch."

The Mayor headed back into her office, closing the door behind her. Fluttershy and Rarity rose to their hooves expectantly. Sea Blue ushered Patch out of the reception area and out the front doors with Fluttershy and Rarity in their wake.

Once outside, Sea Blue turned to the two mares,
"Thank you for keeping an eye on Patch for me. I don't want to keep you from whatever you need to be doing, but you can come with us if you want. I wouldn't mind the company, and I'm sure Patch wouldn't mind either."

"I'll come with you." Fluttershy volunteered, "I've already fed all the animals so they should be fine until tonight."

Sea Blue hitched himself up to the cart as Patch peppered Fluttershy with questions,
"What kind of animals do you take care of? Do you have any opossums?"

Patch and Fluttershy discussed the pegasus' animals while they walked alongside the cart. Sea Blue noticed that Rarity was being very quiet. As was his nature, he began noting every little detail about her, trying to piece together a solid mental image of what she might be thinking, 'Hmm, she's being quiet; that means she's obviously deep in thought. Her ears and drooping just a little bit, she feels bad for something, maybe guilty? She keeps stealing glances at Patch and occasionally at me when she thinks I'm not looking. So she feels a little bad about something that has to do with Patch and I and she's giving it a lot of thought. Her interest in Patch could be an indicator that she feels for her because of her eyes, except she's not focusing on her eye. The two of them don't seem to have hit it off unusually well . . . Maybe Rarity has a daughter she's thinking about, perhaps a little brother or sister. Alright then, time to do some subtle probing.'

Sea Blue cleared his throat,
"Hey Rarity, do you think Patch will have any trouble making friends and fitting in at school? I'm asking your opinion because you seem to be a pony who would have a solid knowledge of how things go around here."

Rarity looked up, startled,
"Oh um, no I don't think she'll have any trouble at all. Unless of course somepony is mean enough to tease her about her eye. She mentioned what happened the last time that occurred. Did that colt need surgery?"

Sea Blue laughed,
"Hehehehehehe, no he didn't. He sure learned his lesson though. I had a little talk with Patch's teacher. She assured me, there would not be a repeat performance. The colt's parents wanted to press charges but, I managed to talk them out of it. Words are a powerful thing in their own right, if used correctly."

Rarity nodded,
"I whole-heartedly agree. Violence is never the answer."

Sea Blue pursed his lips,
"I mostly agree with you. I would say that violence is rarely the answer. There are some, and thankfully rare, occurrences where you have no other option except to get physical. Sometimes a pony just won't listen to reason, like what happened with Trixie. She wasn't thinking clearly, she had an excuse. Some ponies however won't listen to any other voice than their own, those are the dangerous ones. I find that sometimes a good solid poke in the nose is just what the doctor ordered, maybe knock some sense into them."

Sea Blue noticed that Rarity was not smiling at his joke,
"I was only kidding, by the way. I don't actually make it a regular practice of mine to go around striking other ponies who are being bull-headed." a thought suddenly struck Sea Blue, 'I wonder why I feel the need to have her accept me? Is it because I have to protect both her and Patch now, or is it something more? Good grief, I REALLY hope I'm not attracted to HER! Erg, what a thought! She's way to shallow for me to even be thinking THAT! Besides she's probably way too young for me. She looks like she's only in her mid teens.'

"I have to admit, Rarity, I'm impressed that you own your own business. You must have a real talent for what you do. By the way, you wouldn't happen to be the same Rarity that Hoity-Toity has featured in all his shows recently would you?" Sea Blue asked.

Rarity batted her long eyelashes at Sea Blue,
"Why yes I am. I just happen to be the next up-and-coming fashion designer. I would never have guessed you had an interest in fashion. Most stallions don't go for things like that."

"The designs seem to indicate a mature sense of style as opposed to a filly's love of short-term fads and flashy nonsense, yet you still look to be a filly yourself. How can such a young pony have the kind of fashion sense you seem to have cultured?" Sea Blue asked, 'Little does she know, I used to be Hoity-Toity’s psychologist. Heh, I must have shocked the snot out of her with that one. That poor stallion. I never would have guessed the fashion world was so high-stress and such a cut-throat business.'

Rarity blushed with pleasure at the compliment,
"I'm not as young as I look. This beauty comes from weekly sessions at the local spa and hours upon hours of delicate work every morning plus a strict diet and a rigorous exercise regimen. I certainly don't look twenty-two now do I?"

Sea Blue smiled,
"Not a day over sixteen."

'Hook, line, and sinker. Zing!' Sea Blue laughed to himself, 'She's so self-absorbed! That was too easy! How in the world can SHE of all ponies be the Element of Generosity? I hope Patch never becomes that vain. A little bit of humility now and again wouldn't hurt you know RARITY. Oh well, I have my responsibility. If she needs to be protected then I'll do it. I don't like it, but I'll do it.'

Sea Blue used his magic to unroll the parchment he still levitated in front of him, which was also the deed the house,
"Let's see here. 67 Baker Street . . . " he paused as he looked around and realized they had almost reached it, "Next house on the right!" he shouted over his shoulder.

Patch ran up next to him looking where her father pointed, her face fell,
"Eew! What kind of a pony paints their house candy apple red? And with lime green shutters too! Blech!"

The house was a spacious two story affair with, unfortunately, candy apple red siding and lime green shutters.

Sea Blue chuckled at the cute statement,
"Well then we'll just have to paint over it. It'll be good practice. You can 'brush up' on your magic."

Patch pursed her lips and turned to face her father,
"Bad pun Daddy." she said flatly.

Sea Blue smiled sheepishly,
"Sorry sweetie. I thought it was funny." Sea Blue turned toward Rarity and Fluttershy probing yet again, "Didn't you two think it was funny? Or am I really that bad with jokes?"

Fluttershy hid partially behind her mane,
"It was . . . nice." she responded vaguely.

Rarity, on the other hoof, seemed to put some real thought into her answer,
"It wasn't too bad. At least Patch didn't give you the old 'brush off' so to speak."

Sea Blue chuckled at Rarity's counter pun,
"It's a good thing I have two fashionable ponies with me. I'm terrible with colors . . . "

"Is that a family trait?" Rarity interrupted playfully.

The joke on his coloring as opposed to his name was not lost on Sea Blue,
"If it is, then I'm sure glad that it seems to have missed my daughter." Sea Blue said smiling.

Sea Blue still didn’t particularly like Rarity but he had to admit, at least she had a sense of humor and a sharp whit.

He pulled the cart up to the curb in front of the house and noticed the lawn was in dire need of maintenance,
"Stay out of the grass Patch. I don't want you to get lost in there. This stuff is nearly as tall as I am!"

Sea Blue slipped the front door key from its place, taped the back of the deed and headed toward the invisible front door,
"Patch, stay with Rarity and Fluttershy. I'll be right back."

Sea Blue made his way through the tall grass until he bumped, literally, into the front door. He levitated the key into the hole and turned it. The door swung open smoothly and Sea Blue was greeted with the first glance at the inside of his new house. Sea Blue walked around inside, inspecting every little detail his eyes found. There was plenty of dust and more than a few cob webs, but no signs of vermin habitation, insect or mammal. The walls, doors and counters all looked to be in good condition and thankfully absent of rust. It had three regular bedrooms upstairs which all shared a bathroom plus a master bedroom with its own private bathroom. Sea Blue specifically looked for any signs of water damage on the ceiling. There were none. All-in-all a sturdy and functional, if ugly, house.

"Well," Sea Blue said to himself, "Time to move in."

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

Trooper was not having a good day. Having discovered that Rainbow Dash was the Element of Loyalty, and thereby under his protection, set his teeth on edge. She did not like him in the least, and the sentiment was more than returned in kind. Trooper, being a pegasus, had very few personal possessions, a family trait that had been passed on to him by his mother. Being effectively poor and having no vocation either, he had no way of affording a home on the ground so he opted to build himself a simple cloud house like Rainbow Dash had done.

Unfortunately Trooper had no idea where to begin. He had never learned how to mold clouds into a permanent, cohesive shape. His first attempt ended with an accidental downpour over Ponyville Park. His second attempt ended with the clouds being blown away by an errant breeze. He finally managed to get a solid, if only just, floor for a foundation on his third attempt. He walked around on it several times and even braved a couple of jumps. The cloud was flimsy as a green twig but it held all the same.

Trooper was feeling pretty good about himself until a brash voice called to him from above,
"What, are you kidding? THAT's what you call a floor? That thing's going to evaporate the second the sunlight hits it directly."

As if on cue, the clouds above Trooper cleared, letting the sunlight through
"I would have shown you sooner but this is just too much fun to watch, plus we're scheduled for a storm later today." Rainbow Dash laughed.

The cloud beneath his hooves began evaporating slowly in the sunlight. Trooper drew in a deep breath to calm his rising ire, 'Mom always said I had too much of a temper for my own good. Just ignore her and hopefully she will become bored and go away.' he thought. Trooper was beginning to feel fatigued. He still carried his saddle-bags on his sides. He didn't want to leave them on the ground where somepony might go rummaging through them. They were heavy and hovering in place was not as easy as soaring through the air a high speeds with updrafts to help keep you aloft. Trooper was perspiring from the effort. The basics of how to make a cloud house, he knew, the actual execution of such he didn't. There seemed to be quite a number of little details he was missing and Rainbow dash's heckling was not helping matters any.

Trooper tried again, 'Alright now, gather the clouds carefully. Now weave the wisps together like a braid. Not too thick, you do not want another downpour and not too thin or else it will just blow away. Hmm, what if I added a second layer of clouds to the first and interweaved them all to each other like a multi-layered quilt, just like the tailor showed me when I worked there.' Trooper brought in a second layer of clouds and weaved them together carefully. It was tedious work, but the result seemed solid enough, even if it took him an additional hour.

By the time Trooper had finished weaving the second layer with the first, Rainbow Dash had another comment for him,
"You know, you could have saved yourself some time by tripling the weave and just made the clouds thicker. Then you wouldn't have a floor that's SO thick. I mean, look at that thing! It looks like one of Pinkie Pie's triple-decker cakes!" she chortled.

Trooper's anger flashed, but he held it at bay, barely, 'She could have told me sooner and saved me the time in the first place! It may not look pretty but I need someplace to sleep tonight. This will have to do for now. All I need are walls and a roof and I can call it quits for the day, it is getting late anyway. I wonder how long ago it was that I last ate something.' he wondered.

Trooper ignored his empty stomach and decided to take Rainbow Dash's belated advice and put it to use on the walls and roof. The work was exhausting but Trooper had to admit the walls and roof were just as sturdy as the floor, if not more so. He put the finishing touches on and attached the roof to the rest of the house. He flew back several dozen paces and admired his work. It wasn't pretty but it was functional. Trooper smiled to himself and lazily flew up to the door of his new house, just as a flight of pegasi blasted through his house demolishing it completely.

Rainbow Dash laughed so hard she almost fell off her cloud,
"You know," she said as soon as she could form a coherent sentence, "It's generally a good idea to build your house somewhere other than the very middle of the 'Open Air Colt and Filly Practicing Zone'. It tends to have a more staying power anyway!"

Trooper was absolutely furious; he couldn't take any more,
"You venomous wretch!" Trooper was so angry he actually trilled the 'r' sound in wretch, "Would it have been so terribly difficult to warn me BEFORE my house was demolished? Nine hours of work for NOTHING! Now it is far too late in the day to attempt to build a second one. I shall have to go door-to-door begging for a place to stay! Good day to you!"

Rainbow Dash called out after Trooper's descending form,
"Hey! Don't be like that! If you wanted help you should have asked for it!"

Trooper spun in mid air, his face was a thunderhead,
"Were you so inclined to assist, one would imagine you would have had the decency to offer it as such instead of laughing at me for my ignorance! So for the last time today, I say to you: GOOD DAY!"

Rainbow Dash called after him again, but Trooper wasn't interested in hearing it. He had other things on his mind, 'I do so hope Rarity has some room in her home. I hate to be a burden, but my options, at the moment' are limited.'

Trooper flew off muttering darkly to himself,
“How in Equestria am I ever supposed to be able to respect somepony like Rainbow Dash. Guardian? Bah! What she needs is a good sound spanking and one heaping portion of humility!”

Chapter 3

The Elements of Equestria

Part 3

Valiant leapt high into the air, front end high, spinning counter-clockwise in a pirouette motion. He tucked both of his left legs tightly against his body and struck out with his right ones. The two limbs slammed against his target solidly. Whipping his left legs out, he pushed off his target and set himself into a roll as his body hit the ground. Rising, already on the move, he spun around and struck out thrice with his hind legs in rapid succession. Each blow landed solidly against his target. Valiant planted his hind legs against the seemingly solid target and pushed off. He ducked his head in an awkward front roll and came back up charging his target. He reared back on his hind legs and lashed out with his front hooves raining down a hail of blows against the object of his attack.

Tree bark flew off in every imaginable direction as Valiant continued the practice session that had become his morning and evening ritual. Today he had decided to focus on rolling and dodging, though with an inanimate partner it was a tricky proposition at best. His daily warm-ups consisted of a long series of stretches he had learned in school, one hundred full crouches and rises, five full counts of twenty seconds of holding each of his legs straight out (he really felt the burn when he did those) and as much yoga as he could remember (which was admittingly pretty minimalistic).

Every morning when he woke up and every evening before he went to sleep he practiced until he could hardly move. He finished with his practice and plopped down on the forest floor, 'It's not like I'm pressed for time too much.' he thought to himself, 'I've got several months before the semester starts up again. If need be, I'll just work at Mrs. Soothe's apothecary again. I really wish I could have given her more notice before I left.' he sighed heavily and continued his thought, 'Oh well, there was nothing for it. I had to get out of Canterlot as soon as possible.'

Valiant had the sense to set up camp next to a stream. He crawled over to the bank and lowered his head into the icy water drinking deeply as the current cooled him. There had been a hint of frost on the ground when he had awoken that morning and the temperature of the stream confirmed what he had noticed. The royal blue wingless pegasus was extremely grateful for the suit Princess Luna had given him, back when she had been in disguise. The material was warm yet breathy; he slept in it, practiced in it, and walked in it every day. As much as he didn't want to admit it, it was great stuff. The rubber pads in the bottom of the leggings were a lifesaver. He knew from experience that his poor hooves would have been cracked and swollen after the first day of solid walking.

He stripped the outfit off and dunked it into the running water to rinse off the sweat and grime. He used his hooves and vigorously rubbed the material to get any remaining dirt and dead skin and loose hairs from his coat off. He pulled the garment out of the water and hung it out to dry. The material was freezing cold and dripping wet. Valiant went back to his tent and retrieved the small bottle of camp-soap then dunked himself in the stream and bathed. The frigid water shocked him so badly he almost became dizzy. He knew to be careful, lest he put himself into shock. Valiant finished bathing and walked up out of the stream. He shook himself off to dry and get warmed up then headed back to his little camp to pack up and move on.

Before he left Canterlot he had taken a trip to a nearby outdoors sporting store. He had purchased two canteens, a compass, a bedroll, a small tent, flint and steel, dried fruit and nuts, one small cast iron cooking pot, environmentally safe soap, and, for those times he needed to drink brackish water, a pouch full of iodine tabs. Camping like he had been doing, brought back sour memories of when he had been a Vagabond, 'Life is so much better with proper equipment.' he thought.

Valiant folded his blanket, rolled up his bedroll, then collapsed the tent down into its pouch, ready for that night. He turned to the smoldering remains of his campfire and kicked up a mound of dirt on top of it then stomped it down several times for good measure, 'Never leave any signs you were here. It's the only way to keep the forest beautiful for everypony.'

Valiant double checked his saddle-bags then headed back over to the stream to refill his canteens. That done, he reached into the left side bag and removed his compass. He had been traveling due south, through the Everfree Forrest. He knew he had already bypassed Ponyville several days earlier. At one point he was actually able to make out the top of the clock-tower in the center of town. He had ignored it though and continued on his way. That had been four days ago. He knew that if he kept going south he would eventually come to the ocean. From there he would turn to the East and keep going until he reached the port city of New Yoke and then north to Haysburg. He had never been to New Yoke, but by all accounts it was a thriving metropolis. Valiant figured he could resupply there and head on to Haysburg within a day. By his calculations, he would reach Haysburg in just under two months. Valiant had decided to go this particular route so he wouldn't have to deal with the constant dangers of the plains that lay to the west of Haysburg, and the tornados which were ever-prevalent there, not to mention he could avoid most of the swamps too. Once winter was in full swing, he could make his way across the plains without needing to worry about any tornados, but until winter hit in full it was still a danger.

Valiant checked the compass once more and headed off toward the ocean.

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

Dr. Mend previously had no idea just how much the citizens of Ponyville relied on him to tend to their needs. Upon stepping back into his clinic, after sleeping back in his house the previous night, nurse Redheart had pleaded with him to examine a mare who might have been having complications with her pregnancy. The mare had refused to allow anypony except Dr. Mend to see her. Mend squared his shoulders and set off toward the wash basin to scrub.

Three hours and a lot of examining later Dr. Mend was glad to tell the poor mare that her pregnancy was going well and there was nothing to worry about. She had been overjoyed when he had told her she only had a minor urinary tract infection and gave her a prescription that would take care of it.

He made his way back to his old office and frowned immediately upon seeing the stack of papers on his desk. He sighed heavily and plopped himself down to read. The papers were notes of all kinds of minor medical problems the nurses had treated in his absence: Caramel had come down with Conjunctivitis due to swine manure in his face but had made a swift recovery, Pinkie Pie had come in with to a stomach ache due to a new recipe that involved potatoes and persimmons in a pie, Scootaloo had come in with a sprained wing due to trying to fly by leaping off the second story of a house . . . the list went on.

Dr. Mend didn't let himself get too comfortable, they had to leave as soon as possible to find Valiant and bring him back, 'He told me we would be each other’s support! Why didn't he come to me? I would have been there for you Valiant, you know that!' Dr. Mend rose and began pacing in his office, 'This waiting is killing me! Valiant's out there right now! He could be in danger! None of us know how the ponies of Haysburg might respond to seeing him again! We need to convince the girls and leave right now!'

Dr. Mend closed the door of his office behind him and headed over to Sugar Cube Corner.

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

Pinkie Pie was trying out a new recipe 'Turnip and Tater and Beet Root Pie'. It didn't call for any type of sugar or sweet filling; apparently it was meant to be savory, like a quiche, instead of sweet. She had washed and cut up the various vegetables then dumped the whole amalgamation into a ten gallon stock-pot of boiling water. She was working on the crusts, having already greased the five pie pans she would need for the filling. She rolled the dough in a scattering of flour, kneading it with her hooves until it obtained a 'springy' consistency.

The front door jingled open then closed. Pinkie could hear Mr. Cake talking to somepony who had a deep voice. Pinkie recognized the voice as belonging to Dr. Mend, 'I never realized it before, but Dr. Mend has a voice much younger than he looks. I bet he could really belt out a good song if he ever decided to try it. I'll bet he'd be super-duper popular with the older mares if he did. Maybe I should see if I can get him to try it?' Pinkie wondered.

"Hey uh, Pinkie Pie. Can I talk to you for a minute?" Mend asked as he entered the kitchen.

Pinkie turned her head so she could see the older stallion,
"Sure thing Dr. Mendie!" she gushed, knowing full well just how much he hated her name for him, 'He really needs to learn to have some fun! He sure was acting funny when he first saw me after he came back from Canterlot. Maybe if I keep calling him that, he'll lighten up some more.'

To Pinkie Pie's surprise, the older black stallion just chuckled and shook his head,
"I don't much care for that name, but I can't expect you to change. I wouldn't want you to either." Dr. Mend took a deep breath and continued, "You remember Valiant don't you Pinkie Pie?"

Pinkie bounced in place excitedly,
"Of course I do! He was all doomy and gloomy when he first got here, but he lightened up and turned out to be a really nice pony! I remember when Applejack's house burned down. I was really sad to see him die like that, but it all turned out alright because he came back to life! I remember Twilight saying something about how you guys were here because of him but we kind of skipped over that yesterday. I thought I heard Applejack talking to her brother about it but I didn't want to be a rude nosy-pants and listen in on their conversation."

"That's what I want to talk to you about Pinkie Pie." Dr. Mend explained, "Valiant's gone. Sea Blue thinks he went back to his hometown in Haysburg . . . "

Pinkie's eyes bulged, her jaw going slack,
"Haysburg! He never said he was from Haysburg! That is the most awesomest, excitingest . . . Do you know what the ponies in Haysburg grow Dr. Mendie? They grow rice and soy beans and sesame! Do you have any idea how many wonderful, delicious, spectacular things you can make from just rice?! Rice cakes, rice balls, rice pudding, rice flour . . . I love rice flour! You don't have to add sugar or anything; it's sweet all on its own!"

Dr. Mend was dumbfounded,
"Wait, how do you know about rice? I'd never even heard of it until Valiant told me about it."

"Mr. and Mrs. Cake took a trip to Haysburg a couple of years ago. They brought back three whole big bags of rice plus two big bags of rice flour! We only use it for REALLY special occasions, like when Princess Celestia came to have lunch with us that one time. That's why I was so super-duper, ultrarifickly excited that day! Mr. and Mrs. Cake used the rice flour to make almost all the food that day! I mean I feel bad for eating right off Princess Celestia's plate but all of Sugar Cube Corner was filled with rice-treats! I'd ask Mr. and Mrs. Cake if I could make a batch of cupcakes for everypony using the rice flour but I'm not allowed to touch it since they hid it from me . . . Wait. You said Valiant's gone! Why did he go?" Pinkie asked.

Dr. Mend shook his head to uncross his eyes and continued soberly,
"I'll explain soon. For now, would you be willing to round up Applejack and Big Macintosh and bring them to the Library?"

Pinkie Pie's face fell,
"But I'm in the middle of baking something. Can I do it right afterwards?"

Dr. Mend could no more disappoint Pinkie than he could keep the sun from rising,
"Alright, I'll go and get them. Come to the Library as soon as you're done. Alright?"

"Super trendy doctor Mendie! I'll be there!" Pinkie rhymed.

Dr. Mend couldn't help but to smile,
"Thanks Pinkie Pie. I'll see you there."

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

Trooper blinked drearily as he slowly came awake. Rarity had been generous enough to let him sleep in the den which was situated in the rear of Carousel Boutique. Trooper had fallen asleep on the white unicorn's sofa almost immediately. He had been exhausted. He raised his head and looked around. The sunlight streaming in from the windows around him shone at a steep angle and Trooper realized the time was probably approaching noon.

He slipped off the couch and stretched, yawning loudly. He decided to leave his saddle-bags behind the sofa, 'Hopefully I can actually finish my cloud house today. Then we can discuss what to do about Valiant. I really hope Rainbow Dash does not decide to watch me again today. I sure could use her expertise but she seems to enjoy watching me fail and laughing about it rather than actually helping me not look like a complete moron. If we are to work together I need her to respect me, in some way at least. I already respect her. She is athletic, attractive, and highly skilled at what she does. I on the other hoof have nothing to be proud of. This would be so much more simple if I only had my cutie-mark. I must admit, I am certainly surprised she has yet to mention its absence. Perhaps she failed to notice it?' he wondered, 'That must be it. Had she noticed it, she would have been teasing me mercilessly all day about it.' Trooper retrieved his saddle-bags from behind the sofa and buckled them back on to hide his blank flank, 'I shall finish my cloud house without any foalish teasing from an immature pegasus regarding my personal shortcomings in life.'

Trooper trotted quietly out into the fitting area of the boutique but didn't see Rarity. He shrugged and headed outside then took to the air in hopes of finishing his new home.

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

Big Macintosh was wracking his brain trying to figure out who could possibly run the farm in he and his sister's absence. Try as he might, he couldn't come up with a single pony who fit the bill. Daisy, Rose, and Lilly had their flower shop to run so they were out. Mr. and Mrs. Cake had their bakery to run and with Pinkie Pie gone things would be tight enough already plus Big Mac was quite sure they didn't know a whole lot, if anything about farming. Caramel had already volunteered to stay on for as long as he was needed but he just didn't have the necessary experience to run the place by himself. Big Macintosh groaned and rolled his eyes at the problem. He let his neck go limp and flattened his face squarely against the rippled grain of the dining room table. He stayed like that for several full minutes until he heard a knock at the front door.

The huge work pony rose from his slumped posture and headed for the offending noisy portal. Big Macintosh opened the door and was somewhat surprised to see Dr. Mend standing on the porch. The large red stallion pushed the door open all the way and stood aside to let his friend in.

Dr. Mend only shook his head,
"Thank you for the invitation, but I'm just here to ask you and Applejack to meet everypony at the Library as soon as possible." the older stallion quirked his right eyebrow in puzzlement, "Did I wake you Big Mac?"

"Nope. Why do ya' ask?" Big Macintosh responded.

"I couldn't help but notice your face is all lined, like you fell asleep on a really grainy piece of wood. I thought maybe you had slept oddly up against your bed post. To be truthful your face kind of reminds me of Zecora with all those lines and such." Dr. Mend said.

Big Mac's pupils dilated as his older friend mentioned the zebra,
"Ah'll tell Applejack, but Ah'm goin' to be a bit late gettin' there."

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

Lemon Lime felt as out of place as a pork chop at a kosher wedding. He had decided to visit to local gym and see what kind of equipment was widely available for when he finally settled down in Ponyville. The only place that seemed to fit the bill was a place named 'Buck No-Horse's Dojo'. The proprietor, assumingly Buck No-horse, was a well built middle to late 40's Earth pony who wore a thick, if short, beard and a Gi with a black belt tied around his middle, plus one totally out of place article of clothing, a cowpony hat. He was a bark brown pony with a grey mane and tail, his eyes were penetratingly brown and his cutie-mark was of a pony lying on the ground with Xs over its eyes.

Lemon Lime walked in and noticed the place was empty save for the one bearded pony,
"Uh, hello?" he called, "I'm looking for information on where to buy exercise equipment."

In the blink of an eye, literally, the bearded pony stood in front of one very startled yellow unicorn,
"Well you certainly came to the right place. I have an invention of my very own that does it all. I call it the 'Total Gym'. The 'Total Gym' does it all." (The redundancy council of redundancy will now see you now, they will.)

Lemon Lime was skeptical,
"Could I see it please? I'm a physical therapist and my patients often have need of very specialized equipment."

Buck scratched his bearded chin for a few moments,
"I see what you mean. Let's go take a look, then you can tell me if you need me to build you some of this specialized equipment. You'll have to give me the specifics though."

Lemon Lime followed Buck into the back room of the 'dojo'. Buck pulled back a curtain, revealing the so-called 'Total Gym'. Lemon Lime had to admit it did look pretty versatile. The little physical therapist circled around the contraption examining each weld and bar carefully. It looked alright but Lemon Lime wanted to be certain. He lowered his head and focused his magic into a probing spell, searching for any sign of even the slightest weakness.

To Lemon Lime's slight surprise, Buck's confidence in the device seemed to be well founded. The 'Total Gym' looked to be sturdy and solid piece of equipment. Lemon Lime knew he would need more equipment but the 'Total Gym' would clearly fit the bill of a great number of uses.

Lemon Lime walked back up to the taller stallion,
"Looks alright. You said you made this yourself?"

Buck nodded,
"I sure did. Forged the metal, triple welded the joints, the whole she-bang. Will it be enough or do you need me to make you some different things?"

"It's a good solid start, but what if it breaks? My patients need all their equipment to be fully functional all the time. Do you have any kind of a warranty?" Lemon Lime asked.

Buck smiled and tipped back his hat,
"Lifetime warranty. If any of it breaks, I'll fix it myself at no extra charge."

"What kind of price are we talking about here?" Lemon Lime asked.

Buck put his right fore hoof to his chin,
"How about you make me an offer then we can haggle it from there?"

"I'll start with two hundred bits for the 'Total Gym' and between forty and eighty for each additional piece I may need. Throw in the warranties and you’ve got yourself a deal." Lemon Lime said openly.

Buck gave the price quote earnest thought before replying,
"I can't argue that. Deal. I didn't catch your name." he said extending his hoof.

Lemon Lime shook the offered hoof,
"My name is Lemon Lime but my friends call me Live Wire."

"Tell me Live Wire, did you ever get picked on as a colt?" Buck asked.

"Without end. I've always been small. Most ponies don't mess with me anymore. Why do you ask?" Lemon Lime inquired.

"How would you like to learn martial arts? The next time some brute tries flirting with your colt friend you can show him what-for." Buck said.

Lemon Lime arched an eyebrow,
"I don't tend to fight. I just use my magic. I prefer mares by the way."

Buck held up a hoof,
"My apologies. But wouldn't it be nice to be able to be on even ground with a larger pony without having to rely on your magic? The mares like a buff stallion, trust me."

"I might be interested. Tell me more." Lemon Lime said smiling.

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

Sea Blue looked out over his front lawn with satisfaction. It had taken half the day and he had worked up a thick lather of sweat, but it was worth it. He had stumbled upon a small bird bath while he had been clearing the loads and loads of grass. The front lawn was neat and clean at long last. The absence of trees bugged him greatly and he silently vowed to have some planted as soon as possible.

The turquoise stallion decided to head inside and see what improvements had been made with the interior of the house. The counselor had been surprised that Rarity had shown up first thing in the morning, saddle-bags filled to bursting with who knew what. She had offered to help Patch organize and decorate the inside of the house. Sea Blue had tried to decline but Rarity had been politely insistent and he couldn't turn her down without being rude so he let her come in and do her thing. Sea Blue fervently hoped he hadn't made a huge mistake by giving the white unicorn free reign of the interior decorating.

He opened the door and his jaw immediately hit the floor. He had been afraid of poufy, girly decorations all over the place. What he saw was the perfect picture of an idyllic family home. The perfection was mind boggling. The front room of his old house had been perfectly replicated, every piece of furniture situated in exacting detail with the exception of a vase of brightly colored flowers sitting on the coffee table. Sea Blue wandered into the kitchen. It had been rearranged but rearranged well. The small dining room table sat off to the right side of the room, still leaving ample room for four chairs. On the far side of the kitchen sat the counter tops, oven, and electric range. Each burner on the range had a neat little stainless-steel cover and a small white timer sat on the back, above the range knobs. The refrigerator sat to the left of the counters and already had Patch's drawings stuck to it with colorful letter magnets. Sea Blue's antique wooden bread box sat to the right of the range with paper towels on a vertical roll on the right side and pot holders arranged neatly on the left side; within easy reach of the range and oven. To the right of that was the back door.

Sea Blue walked up to the back door and looked outside, stunned. Arranged on the covered back porch were the wicker chairs and glass-topped table he had bought the same year he had adopted Patch. The entire porch had been lined with a bug-screen, tacked up in such a way so as to be easy for ponies to pull back and step through yet inaccessible to irritating insects. Seated on the two wicker chairs were Rarity and Patch, both sipping from glasses filled with what looked like iced tea. A third glass had been set out, apparently meant for Sea Blue. Rarity and Patch were talking and laughing just like old friends.

The amazed counselor was already reaching for the door handle when he heard a knock on the front door. Sea Blue reluctantly turned away from the scene of perfection on his back porch and headed for the front door. An incredible surge of emotion tore through Sea Blue's chest, threatening to leak a tear from his eye, 'She turned a dusty old house into a home. Our home. She did it of her own volition and didn't ask for a thing in return. This is what we've been missing. This feels more like home than Canterlot did.' Sea Blue thought. The word in his mind left him with a pleasant warm feeling. A contented smile spread itself across his face, 'Yes,' he thought, 'We're home.' his smile faded for a moment, 'I misjudged you Rarity. I misjudged you badly.'

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

Trooper was having an even harder time than he had the previous day. Rainbow Dash had cleared out all the remaining clouds from the previous night's rain and the sky was as clear as fresh water for miles around. To Trooper's chagrin, the only clouds he could see nearby were those that composed the home of a certain rainbow-maned pegasus mare. Trooper had to fly all the way to the Everfree Forrest to locate any clouds at all. The clouds over the eerie wild forest were wild and seemed almost as if they were actively trying to resist his intervention. Undaunted, he took his time and triple weaved them together, just like Dash had said, then pushed the mass to a point that was roughly halfway between a small cottage on top of a little hill and the main body of Ponyville.

Trooper remembered how his house had been demolished the previous day and decided to fly down and ask whoever it was who lived in the little cottage, where safe airspace was around Ponyville. He didn't want to ask Rainbow Dash, 'For all I know, she might just tell me somewhere else that is not safe.' As Trooper came in for a landing, he noticed the large number of animals that seemed to make their homes around the cozy little dwelling, 'Wait a second.' he thought, 'Valiant mentioned that Fluttershy took care of animals and her place was outside of Ponyville. This is probably where she lives then. I shall have to be careful since she is so meek. I would hate to frighten her.' Trooper raised his right fore hoof and knocked gently on the front door then took several steps back so as not to seem to imposing.

The door opened a few seconds later, revealing not the shy custard colored pegasus but a small white rabbit with the meanest, most suspicious glare in his eyes Trooper had ever seen. Trooper couldn't help but wonder, 'How in the world does he reach the handle?' Trooper took a single step forward. The rabbit suddenly held a long metal tube with a wide wooden back in his paws. He held the mysterious device with both paws and slid a small wooden grip down the tube then back up with an ominous chucking noise.

Trooper cleared his throat and addressed the rabbit,
"I am looking for Fluttershy. Is she available?"

The rabbit peered suspiciously at Trooper for a long minute then abruptly slammed the door shut. Trooper didn't know what to think. He began debating whether or not he should leave. The door opened again, a few seconds later, revealing Fluttershy standing in the doorway.

"I am sorry to bother you Fluttershy, but I was wondering if you would happen to know if the foundation of my cloud house is in a safe area of airspace. Apparently I built my previous one in a section above Ponyville that was reserved for colts and fillies to practice their flying in." Trooper explained.

Fluttershy looked all around in the air but couldn't seem to locate the cloud formation Trooper was referring to. Trooper turned his head and raised his hoof to point it out for her. His eyes met only open, clear sky. His cloud was nowhere to be seen. Trooper slowly lowered his hoof and gritted his teeth.

"Um, I'm sorry but I don't see any clouds." Fluttershy said softly.

Trooper turned back toward the shy pegasus,
"Hmm, neither do I. It seems to have blown away. I apologize for disturbing you."

"Oh, it's no trouble at all. I can tell you where the colts and fillies practice, if you still want to know that is." Fluttershy said quietly.

"I would very much appreciate it, if you would." Trooper replied.

"It's right above the park so they can try to land in the trees instead of on the ground when they fall." Fluttershy explained.

Trooper bowed to the soft spoken pegasus,
"Thank you very much Fluttershy. Is there, by chance anywhere else where it would be unwise to build a cloud house?"

"Not that I can think of. Ponyville airspace is pretty much free for all pegasi." Fluttershy said.

"Then I shall trouble you no more. Thanks again for the information." Trooper said politely.

He took to the air and scanned in every direction, looking for the foundation he had built. Trooper spotted it way out over the tree top canopy of the Everfree Forrest. Trooper grumbled and flew off toward the mass. A cyan blur suddenly blocked his path. Trooper reversed his direction and stared, unsurprised, at the rainbow-maned pegasus mare who blocked his way.

Rainbow Dash had her fore hooves crossed over her chest in an authoritative manner,
"What do you think you're doing?" she asked bluntly.

Trooper was in no mood to deal with being picked on,
"Mind you, I do not make a habit out of ordering ponies around, but I am presently in no mood for this. Out of courtesy, I shall say this once. Get. Out. Of. My. Way. Rainbow Dash." without bothering to wait for her to think it over, Trooper charged right toward her.

Rainbow Dash dodged out of the way yelling,
"Hey! Come back here!" and flew off after him.

Trooper looked back and saw Dash gaining on him at an alarming rate. He turned his eyes forward and pumped his wings as fast and hard as he could, 'At high speed, I have only a single advantage over her. She is faster than I by . . . well there is no comparison. There is no comparison in THAT regard, but I am willing to bet she does not have my maneuverability. I would have thought she had more character than to pick on the new pegasus. I suppose I should not have been so blunt when we first met, but she is taking this way too far now. I have never allowed myself to be bullied and I refuse to start now.'

Just as Trooper guessed, Rainbow Dash shot past him and stopped in his path barring him from his destination. Trooper twitched his wings and dodged nimbly around to her left. Rainbow Dash was fast, so fast she almost blocked him completely. They came so close to one another he could feel his wingtips brush by hers. Trooper grinned, but his reprieve was short lived.

Rainbow Dash flew up beside Trooper in a matter of moments,
"Would you give it up already?" she yelled.

Trooper turned his head and decided to stop holding his tongue,
"Madam, with all due respect, shut up! I have had it up to here," he indicated above his head with a hoof, "With you! Leave! Me! Alone! I shall fail quite enough on my own without you there to sabotage my efforts! Now let me get to my cloud foundation and leave me be!"

Trooper immediately spun off to his right and flew low, just over the tree tops. Rainbow Dash made to block his way again and Trooper made to dodge. Rainbow Dash anticipated a dodge and moved with him. Trooper feigned to the right and dodged under her instead, albeit just barely, but then again it's difficult to dodge when you're hovering upright. Trooper heard Rainbow Dash grunt in frustration behind him, 'Good.' he thought, 'Maybe you will give up now.' It was too much to hope for.

Rainbow Dash flew up alongside Trooper again,
"Would you stop? I'm trying to . . . "

Trooper interrupted her,
"I already know what it is you are trying to do! I have dealt with it all my life! I have never let myself be cowed by bullies and I absolutely will not start now! They could not stop me and neither will you!"

Trooper ducked down into the trees of the Everfree Forrest and heard Rainbow Dash call after him,
"Are you crazy? Get out of there!"

Trooper ignored her, he had to use all his concentration to safely navigate between the trees. Rainbow Dash grew silent and he lost sight of her. He flew under the canopy for a few seconds, which seemed like hours at that speed, then rose back up above the tree tops. Rainbow Dash hit him from the left side in a tackle. The two pegasi grappled in the air for a few seconds before Trooper managed to extricate himself from the wiry mare. He had to be careful not to strike her. He would never be able to live with himself if he ever hit a mare, bully or no.

Trooper wheeled away from Rainbow Dash and just barely managed to gain control of himself before he took what would surely be a deadly plunge into the trees below,
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" he bellowed, "LEAVE ME THE HELL AL . . . "Trooper trailed off as his eyes caught sight of something.

Rainbow Dash was holding Trooper's saddle-bags in her hooves. The strap had broken. Trooper realized he was perpendicular to Rainbow Dash, she had an unobstructed view of his blank flank and was steadily staring at it, fixated. Trooper let out a bellowing roar and charged her.

He pulled around at the last second and grabbed the saddle-bags with his hooves,
"Give me those!" he snarled.

Rainbow Dash held the saddle-bags tightly, even as he pulled. The jarring motion caused both pegasi to lose their grip. The saddle-bags tumbled down into the Everfree Forrest below. Trooper had to fight the urge to spit in Rainbow Dash's face.

Instead he flew off after his belongings with her calling after him,
"Hey wait!"

Trooper lost control of his tongue for the first time in a very, very long time and said something he never thought he would ever say to any pony, much less a mare,
"FUCK OFF!"

He managed to catch his possessions before they hit the ground. Rainbow Dash didn't follow him. Trooper landed on the forest floor panting heavily, 'I shall stay in here the rest of the day if I have to!' Trooper thought furiously, 'I. Will. Not. Be. A. Victim.' he looked up at the forest canopy and sneered, 'I will protect you because I have to, but do not even THINK for a MOMENT that I want to! I shall keep you alive, nothing more! I never shirk my responsibilities, but I am sorely tempted to do so now. You want to be enemies Rainbow Dash? Fine! Your wish is granted! I will have my cloud house out where you shall never find it. I never give up! You will not stop me!'

Chapter 4

The Elements of Equestria

Part 4

Trooper carried his saddle-bags in his mouth as he attempted to navigate his way through the dreaded Everfree Forrest. He was still fuming over his confrontation with Rainbow Dash, 'What is her problem with me?' he wondered angrily, 'All I wish to do is have a home away from home. Is that so much of a crime? She is the bearer of the Element of Loyalty. How is such a dissenting and rude pony possibly one of the Elements of Harmony? She is far from harmonious. If anything, she is quite probably the most un-harmonious pony I have ever met. Still, I should not have used such coarse language with her. There was no excuse for that. I know better than that, and no excuse I make can change that fact, but I refuse to be picked on. I will guard her from death but I will not submit to her abusing me. I suppose I cannot be on good terms with every pony I meet. I will simply stay away from her. If she tries speaking to me, I will turn a deaf ear to her. I will take any necessary steps to let her know I refuse to be around her until she apologizes to me for what she did. If that means never, then so be it.' Trooper looked around trying to gauge his direction. He could make out the sun through the canopy of trees and chose to head due West, 'This should lead me back to Ponyville . . . I hope.'

The greenery was closely packed; Trooper could barely see ten paces. The royal blue pegasus eventually stumbled onto a well-worn path that led in the general direction of Ponyville and decided to follow it. He kept to the path nervously; the Everfree Forrest was a spooky place. Trooper kept looking over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't being followed. Up ahead he saw a split in the path and the brighter light that seemed to hint that he was leaving the Everfree Forrest at last. The path split to the right and left. To the left was the brighter light, to the right, led deeper into the forest. Spurred by the sight of the light, Trooper began trotting faster. As his speed increased, he heard a new sound. Something else was nearby and it sounded close. Trooper swallowed hard and sped up to a gallop. The other sound sped up as well, it sounded like it was getting closer. It sounded like something was hunting him. Trooper upped the ante and ran as fast as his legs could go. The sound was so close now; and it was getting closer. Trooper looked over his shoulder but saw nothing, which was even spookier.

His blood pumped, he was close to the edge of the forest. Just a little farther and he would be safe. He reached the split in the path and reared back as something huge suddenly blocked his way. In a reflexive action, he swung his right hoof at his perceived assailant. His hoof felt like it struck solid steel, his whole leg throbbed terribly. Trooper looked up and found Big Macintosh's wide-eyed face looking back at him, hoof connected with Trooper's own.

The two stallions stared at each other for a few moments before they regained their senses and lowered their hooves,

"My most sincere apologies, Big Macintosh. I heard something in the forest and believed it to be after me. I suppose you heard the same thing and reacted in a similar manner?"

Big Mac's face betrayed nothing,

"Ayup."

"Then let us rejoin the rest of Ponyville shall we? What were you doing all the way out here anyway?" Trooper inquired.

"Ah was meetin' with Zecora." Big Mac replied.

"Ah yes, the zebra. Valiant mentioned she lived out here. He said he was sad to have never had the chance to meet her. What is she like?" Trooper asked.

Big Macintosh shrugged,

"She's a good soul. She sure knows a whole lot about plants and the like. Ah was askin' her if she'd be willin' to watch the farm while Applejack and Ah were away."

Trooper cocked his head to the left as the two stallions turned toward the light of day shining through the Forrest ahead of them,

"An odd choice." Trooper mused, "Were there no other ponies with the viable know-how available? Perhaps one who lives a touch closer to Ponyville? Seems to me she shall have to travel for quite a while each and every day just to reach the old farmstead, not to mention the return trip."

"Ah done offered for her to stay at the farm while we're gone." Big Mac replied.

Trooper shrugged his shoulders,

"Well, if it works, don't knock it. I suppose she agreed to keep an eye on the farm for you?"

"Ayup. In so many confusin' words, anyway." Big Macintosh admitted.

Trooper quirked an eyebrow and an ear,

"Confusing words?" he asked, "Does she speak in riddles?"

"Eeyup."

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The Elements of Equestria gathered in the Ponyville Library. Everypony sat on the floor; mares on the left, stallions on the right, except for Trooper who sat perched on the top of one of the bookshelves. Trooper specifically kept from looking at Rainbow Dash. She had tried to approach him when he first arrived with Big Macintosh, but Trooper had ignored her completely. The two groups were having no small amount of difficulty integrating. The only true common ground they all shared was one royal blue wingless pegasus, who was presently missing. Sea Blue had Patch come with him since he couldn't very well leave her alone by herself. She played happily with Angel, who had decided to join Fluttershy. For once Angel had found a pony he could actually stand and played with Patch, as happy as anything.

Dr. Mend, being the one to have called the meeting, began speaking,

"We need to address the issue which brought us all here. Valiant is still missing and we need to find him. The sooner the better."

"See that's all well an' good, for ponies that can spare the time. Not all of us can just pick up an' go galavantin' off into the sunset any time we want. Some of us got responsibilities." Applejack expressed.

Dr. Mend nodded politely,

"I understand Applejack. I know your family situation, and I'm well aware of your responsibilities. I'm just saying that we need to get going on a solution to the problems with taking an extended leave to look for Valiant."

"Why do we need to look for him anyway?" Rainbow Dash asked, "He's a big-colt, he can take care of himself. I'm not saying we shouldn't go help him if he needs it, but how do we know he even needs it and we wouldn't be wasting our time? He's not a Vagabond anymore and even when he was, he took care of himself. Well, most of the time anyway. The bear incident happened after five years, that means he went four-plus years safely. He should be good to go."

Twilight was surprised to find that she could find no significant faults with Dash's logic,

"Rainbow Dash has a point. Let's go over what we know and decide from there."

Dr. Mend removed Valiant's note from his saddle-bags and set it on the ground in front of him. He proceeded to read the note, out loud, to the assembled ponies. The older medical pony finished reading and looked up, only to be met with several skeptical-looking faces.

"Please tell me there is more than one dumb old note." Rainbow Dash said rubbing her eyes.

Dr. Mend nodded to Sea Blue,

"Sea Blue has a theory about where Valiant's headed . . .”

"A theory?" Twilight interrupted, "Excuse me for interrupting you Dr. Mend, but we need more than vague notes and theories to go on. We need facts . . .”

Twilight was interrupted by Rarity rising to her hooves,

"Excuse me darling but, something in that note . . . seems off to me. I for one, would like to hear the theory."

"Why's that Rarity?" Applejack asked.

"I have more than just an eye for details, Applejack. I think there's more to this than meets the ear. Besides Sea Blue's talent is psychology. We trust your talent pertaining to farming the same way we trust Fluttershy's talent with animals, and Twilight's talent for all things magical. It would be the very height of foolishness to make a decision without having all the . . . information available. Solid facts or no, everypony's opinion matters and they deserve to be heard-out even if we don't agree with them. All I'm asking is for you to have an open mind."

"Um," squeaked a quiet voice from the corner of the room, "I'd like to hear it too. If there's even the possibility of Valiant being in trouble, we should be willing to help him. Even if it is inconvenient." Fluttershy said meekly.

"Boy, that's an understatement." Spike groused from his spot on the stairs, "Princess Celestia told Twilight and me to stay here to learn about friendship. We'd need her permission before we went anywhere. Besides, who'd run the Library while we're gone? I can't do it alone even if I did stay here."

Twilight raised her voice,

"Alright everypony, settle down." she said turning to Sea Blue, "Let's hear your theory."

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Valiant began looking for a suitable place to make camp for the night, 'I think I made some good progress today.' he thought as he looked around, 'I wonder why it took me five years to get to Ponyville from Haysburg? I ran into other cities but I don't know the names, or even where they are on the map. Could I have traveled up as far as Manehatten or Fillydelphia? Perhaps as far west as Trottingham?' he shrugged to himself, 'Oh well, it doesn't matter now.'

Valiant spent the next half hour contemplating, before he spotted what he judged to be a suitable place to set up camp for the night. Up ahead of him, he saw a small clearing and heard the soft sounds of a gurgling stream. It was about as ideal as he could have hoped for out there. The Everfree Forrest held only a minimal amount of uncertainty for him. He was used to dealing with strange animals and spooky surroundings. He had survived an encounter with a bear and survived, even if it had been with a heavy loss.

Valiant arrived at the bank of the stream and looked carefully at the water, 'You can't afford to be so relaxed when it comes to the water you're going to drink. Dysentery is the last thing you want to have to worry about on a hike like this. You drink brackish water and before you know it you're going to the bathroom so much you're dehydrated. So then you drink more and it messes up your stomach even more. Eventually you can end up dead from dehydration. Not fun.' Valiant reached into his saddle-bags and pulled out his mortar and pestle. He set them down on the river bank and reached back unbuckling the bags.

Valiant set the bags down and looked around for three specific plants. He spotted one of them almost immediately. Walking over, he carefully plucked off six leaves from the small plant and set them aside to dry on a small rock. He began searching the surrounding area for the two other plants he would need for a specific formula; a formula which would be able to tell him whether or not the water was drinkable. After a few minutes of searching, he found the second plant. He used his hooves to dig up the roots then carried them, in his muzzle, over to the stream to wash them off. The water flowed gently around the earthen stems, cleaning them beautifully. Valiant was careful not to get any of the water in his mouth.

He carried the roots over and set them on the same rock the leaves were drying on, and then went in search of the final plant. The sun was beginning to set by the time he found the last plant. He plucked off two of the bright blue flowers and set them next to the leaves and roots to dry, 'I'll use the old ones while the new ones dry out.' Valiant turned and walked back to the stream bank, where his saddle-bags still lay. Nosing around in the bags he came out with a small pouch of finely ground plant matter. He set the pouch down on the forest floor and went back and removed a small, thickly walled, glass vial and wedged it between two small rocks. Valiant then removed a small piece of parchment and shaped it into a funnel. Placing the funnel into the mouth of the vial, he opened the pouch and carefully poured a small amount of the finely ground plant material into the vial. He closed the bag, removed the funnel, and put them back into his saddle-bags.

Valiant removed a small ladle from his bag and dipped it into the stream then poured a tiny amount of the water into the vial. The method was a bit 'hard-and-fast' but it worked. Valiant set the ladle back inside his bag and watched the vial. The contents of the vial mixed easily and began changing color to a light brown. Valiant smiled, light brown meant the water was safe to drink while really dark brown was not safe to drink. The difference was easy to tell, Valiant knew he was safe.

He rinsed out the vial and placed it carefully back into his saddle-bags. Turning back to the little clearing, he began scraping away a clear spot from the leaves and the typical forest debris. He scouted around and found a fair amount of dried sticks and, better yet, dried moss. He nosed the nearby rocks into a small circle which saw only darkening sky above, 'Have to be careful of what's above. Leaves can catch fire from hot enough smoke. Now the question is what the hay am I going to eat tonight?' he wondered.

Valiant took some of the smallest sticks and moss, and dropped them into the mortar bowl. He held the bowl between his back hooves and used his fore-hooves and mouth to manipulate the pestle and grind the pieces inside. The sticks were tough but the moss was simple to grind. When he had an acceptably fine grind, he took and poured the mess into the small fire pit and set some slightly larger sticks in it as well. Satisfied, he pulled out his flint and steel and proceeded to build his fire.

A short time later, Valiant sighed happily and settled back onto his haunches, admiring his work. The fire burned merrily and his dinner, mushroom, carrot, and leek soup was cooking away in his tiny cast iron cook pot. Valiant figured he had a fair while before the food was ready, so he decided to practice, 'What to focus on this evening? Maybe mobility again?'

Valiant rose to his hooves and began pacing around the fire while he thought. A glint of reflected light caught his eye from the far side of the stream. Valiant's head snapped up, alert for danger, for he of all ponies knew that animals’ eyes often reflected light in the dark. He searched the shadows for any sign of life, and saw the glint of light again. Zeroing in on it, he saw the reflection was not coming from any animal's eyes, but an object lying on the ground.

Valiant couldn't make out the object, but he locked his eyes on it and carefully made his way over to it across the stream. There was a large mound of leaves covering the object. He lowered his head and nosed several leaves away from it. He pulled his muzzle back suddenly and nearly tripped over his own hooves.

"Sweet Goddess!" he yelled.

Lying in front of him on the ground was a disturbingly lifelike statue. The reflection Valiant had seen was coming from a jewel encrusted helmet the statue wore. What had startled him was the statue's face. The statue depicted a canine face, like Wynona's, except the head was larger than a pony's. The statue's teeth were bared in a vicious looking snarl. The entire face was terrifying in how lifelike it was.

Valiant caught his breath and walked back over to the statue curiously,

"Why is there a statue out here? Who would even carve such a hideous thing in the first place?"

Valiant continued clearing off the statue and eventually uncovered the entire thing, 'Odd, it doesn't have a base, yet it's completely intact.' he looked around, feeling for its base, probing into the leaves with his hooves. His left fore hoof impacted something solid and he proceeded to dig it out. It was another statue, carved almost identical to the first one, 'Two statues toppled and without bases?' he thought, 'Alright then I'll just mosey around a bit and see if I can find either one.'

An hour and a half later, Valiant stood back and surveyed what he had discovered, 'Am entire garden of statues, all toppled and hideous. Why are they out here? There are no pony settlements in the area.' he counted the statues one-by-one and came up with a final number, 'Thirty seven? The work involved in making thirty-seven statues would be incredible. So why are they out here?'

Valiant wondered around each one, noting the comparisons and contrasts of each as compared to the other pieces of the set, 'Each one is snarling, like it's angry, each is wearing armor and carrying weapons, like they were going off to war and they were all carved to look as if they were in motion. Aside from that, they each have a unique facial and body structure plus their armor seems unique to each individual as well as their weaponry. The statues and both male and female, yet I have never seen or even heard of a species that has this kind of appearance. The only truly strange thing is that the jewels and gems adorning each piece of armor are real, whereas everything else is solid stone. Who would spend so many bits to buy these kinds of materials and put in the effort to carve the statues, yet not bother to use them in a place where they could be seen?' as much as Valiant puzzled over the fact he couldn't figure out a single answer.

Valiant finally gave up and decided to go eat his dinner back at camp, 'I'll figure it out tomorrow.'

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Sea Blue finally finished his exhaustive explanation of his theory about Valiant's motivations and destination, and waited for one of the mares to comment. Patch had eventually played herself out and had fallen asleep with Angel Bunny sleeping next to her peacefully. The two were adorable, sleeping as though they had always been the best of friends.

Twilight cleared her throat,

"Your theory is plausible, Sea Blue. However, psychology is still in its infant stages by all accounts in the scientific community. I'm not trying to be rude but your theory seems weak at best."

Sea Blue wasn't fazed in the least,

"Alright, let's say I'm wrong. What's the worst that can happen?"

"That's a very pessimistic attitude, Sea Blue." Rarity said curtly.

Sea Blue smiled at the perfectly groomed unicorn,

"I plan for the worst and hope for the best, that way, every surprise is a pleasant one. My mindset is like my theory, it's not perfect, but then again nothing is. It's simply the best I can do. Believe me, we wouldn't have wasted our time or yours, if we didn't believe Valiant was in danger. We haven't done all this lightly. I had a solid practice back in Canterlot and my daughter had plenty of friends there. We had two reasons for coming to Ponyville: one, we are the bearers of the Elements of Peace and as such we have an obligation to protect the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, two, we are worried about our friend and we came to you six for help. You know him better than the rest of us so we figured maybe you would have a better idea of how to help him."

Twilight shook her head,

"Honestly, I think you're blowing this whole thing out of proportion. Maybe Valiant just needed some space to clear his head."

Sea Blue nodded,

"It's a possibility, but I think it's a slim one. I've spent my entire life learning how to read ponies and I'm pretty good at it. Test me if you want. You'll find that I'm not often wrong." his eyes wandered to Rarity briefly, then back to Twilight, "It’s true, no system is flawless, but my ratio of correct vs. incorrect is very sound. I'm as certain as I can be that Valiant is headed to Haysburg, as I am likewise certain he'll be in trouble when he gets there if not in actual danger. Let me put it like this: wouldn't you rather have me be wrong and we go off and find him for nothing, than find out later on that Valiant has been killed when there was something we could have done about it? Which mistake would be easier to live with?"

Rainbow Dash flopped her head down on her hooves and rolled her eyes,

"He's right Twilight. It's definitely not my idea of a good time, but there's too many 'ifs' here for us not to go."

Fluttershy's voice was barely discernable, even in the quiet of the Library,

"Um Twilight, if there's even a little chance that Valiant needs our help, he deserves it. We wouldn't be very good friends if we didn't at least try."

"Ah'm in, hooves down." Applejack said loudly, "Valiant's done saved two members of our family and that pretty much makes him family right there. We Apples stick together. If he needs me Ah'm there, no questions asked. It ain't ideal for Big Macintosh and me, but ifn' it needs to be done we'll do it."

"Twilight," Rarity addressed rising to her hooves, "May I have a word with you in private please darling?"

"Sure Rarity." Twilight said, likewise rising to her hooves.

The two mares walked into the Library's kitchen and Rarity closed the door,

"What is ever wrong with you darling?" she asked the purple unicorn quietly, "Sea Blue has a good point and you know it. Why are you resisting what the rest of us have already agreed on? If I didn't know any better, I would think you had something against him?"

"It's not that Rarity." Twilight responded also whispering, "It's just that this is too much to take in. I haven't had time to process it all in my head yet."

Rarity crossed her fore hooves sternly,

"That's a weak excuse Twilight Sparkle. You had one tenth the time to process the events around Nightmare Moon and you coped with it just fine. What is the real reason you don't want to go, and don't tell me it's because they're new either. We were new to you and you dealt with that just as well. No more excuses."

Twilight's ears lowered,

"The truth is," Twilight began hesitantly, "The truth is, I feel cheated. We're the Elements of Harmony. We are supposed to be the ones who protect Equestria, the only ones, not one half of a group. I feel like I've been insulted. I feel, I don't know, useless I guess."

Rarity's expression softened upon hearing her friend's feelings,

"Twilight, have you even taken the time to talk to Lemon Lime?" she asked, "From what I've gathered from Patch, darling they practically worship us. They think of themselves like Princess Celestia's Royal Guards and we're the Princesses. They're only here to protect us; they came to us for help and to help. We are the ones who protect Equestria, but we do it with them. I've spoken to Sea Blue about all this. He told me the way it all works. The Elements of Peace keep the Elements of Harmony safe while we build up our power. They're the front-line muscle, we're still the precise, powerful, magic. And even if that wasn't the case, why should it matter? They've come to us for help. Why would you deny anypony help just because you may feel a little cheated? It's a poor reason and I know you well enough to know you're not that shallow; you'll eventually say yes. Let's save ourselves, and them, some time and just help them now.”

Rarity nudged twilight playfully:

“Besides, I think Lemon Lime looks rather dashing in his armor, wouldn't you agree?"

Twilight raised her head, a smile floating around the corners of her mouth,

"You're right, thanks Rarity."

Twilight and Rarity emerged from the kitchen,

"Let's figure out what needs to be set in motion before we go." Twilight said to the gathered ponies.

Pinkie Pie leapt up into a standing position, bobbing her head left and right as she broke out into song,

"Saddle up you poni-ies, we've got a trail to blaze, oh-oh-oh-oh, through the wild blue yonder under the sun's brilliant ray-ays, lets follow Twilight into the glorious unknown, this is a life like no other, oh-oh, this is the great adventure . . . " she sang it at decibels not meant to be reached by pony vocal chords, but then again, it was Pinkie Pie.

______________________________________________________________________________

Everyone wish Truthseeker a happy honeymoon with his new wife! Truthseeker’s gonna kill me for doing this but hopefully he won’t know ‘til thursday! :D

Chapter 6

The Elements of Equestria

Part 6

Twilight was awakened by a loud knocking on the Library's front door. The formerly slumbering unicorn cracked open her eyes and blearily looked out the window close to her bed in the loft. She had been surprised when she had received a box containing the Elements of Harmony from Princess Celestia the previous day. The studious unicorn had spent the remainder of the day writing frantic letters back and forth to the Princess asking why she had sent the Elements to the Library. Princess Celestia had responded with a statement of ownership, 'Since you six are the ones most suited currently to use them, you need to be used to having them in case they are needed again.' Twilight had been certain that her mentor had a greater meaning in the message and had spent almost all night trying to puzzle it out, which led to her current state. The sun hadn't even risen yet. Spike mumbled incoherently at the base of her bed then turned over and went back to sleep. Twilight grumbled quietly to herself and pulled back her blanket, 'Who would be visiting this early?' The studious unicorn blinked owlishly several times and tried to slip out of her bed. Her hooves betrayed her and she flopped out of bed onto the floor with a resounding thump. She vaguely heard somepony open the front door quietly.

"May I help you?" said a quiet stallion's voice.

Twilight recognized the voice,
"Lemon Lime?" she asked, voice sounding like a croak.

Another voice responded, it was a mare who sounded happy, jovial, and loud,
"Good morning! I'm here at the request of Princess Celestia. I'm supposed to meet with Twilight Sparkle in regard to taking care of some local animals."

"Please, keep your voice down. Twilight's still asleep, she had a long night. We weren't expecting you until morning, as in, after the sun comes up." Lemon Lime replied.

"Well the light was on, so I figured it would be alright. I'm sorry for disturbing you so early. Would you like me to come back later?" the mare asked.

"Yes please. Around nine-thirty would probably be good." Lemon Lime said.

"Alrighty then! I'll be back! See you later!" the mare responded.

Twilight heard the door close, and heard Lemon Lime quietly say,
"Hopefully I'll be done with breakfast by then."

Twilight crawled back into her bed, 'Breakfast? He's making breakfast this early? Oh forget it. I'm going back to sleep.'

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Sea Blue stirred in his bed and rolled over,
"Ouch! Daddy watch out!"

Sea Blue's eyes popped open, he sat up startled,
"Patch?" he asked, "Sweetie, what are you doing in my room? You know the rule, always knock and wait to be acknowledged. I thought we were past this."

Patch sat up, head drooping,
"I'm sorry," she mumbled sadly, "But I just wanted to spend as much time with you as I could, before you left. You already said you didn't know how long you would be gone."

Sea Blue felt bad, he nuzzled his daughter affectionately,
"Believe me Patch, I wish I didn't have to go, but I do. I don't want to be away from you either." he hugged his daughter closely; "You know I'll be thinking about you the whole time. Come on, let's make a big breakfast, then we can spend the whole day together. Wouldn't you like to see your new school? I heard your teacher is our next door neighbor. Would you like to meet her?"

"I guess so." Patch responded, still saddened.

"Come on, kiddo." Sea Blue said lifting Patch off his tall bed, "Whatever you want for breakfast, just name it."

Patch deeply contemplated the question while her father carried her downstairs,
"I liked Live Wire's cooking while we were on our way here. Can we go have breakfast with him and Twilight and Spike?"

Sea Blue smiled as he set his little daughter down at the base of the stairs,
"I don't know for sure, but it can't hurt to ask. I didn't realize you liked his cooking so much."

"Well, it sure beats yours Daddy. You always over spice everything and you put too much sugar in and you always leave it in the oven too long and . . .”

"Alright Patch," Sea Blue said laughing lightly, "I get the idea. Live Wire it is then."

Sea Blue pushed open the front door for his daughter and locked it behind himself,
"You know Patch; I'm really surprised you don't feel awkward around Live Wire, Dr. Mend, Big Macintosh, and Trooper."

Patch turned her head and looked at her father strangely,
"Why would I feel awkward? I love being the center of attention. Here I am, one little filly around all these grown-ups; everypony spoils me."

Sea Blue nearly tripped,
"Did I ever tell you; maybe you're a little too honest sweetie?"

"Daddy, you always say 'honesty is the best policy'. I'm just being honest. Isn't it a good thing to be honest?" Patch asked innocently.

"Well, of course it is. Don't get too used to the constant attention though." Sea Blue replied.

"I won't." Patch quipped, "I figured I was getting special treatment because we were moving. I didn't want to go, but I didn't have a choice, so I'm just enjoying it while it lasts."

Sea Blue shook his head,
"When did you get so grown up? What happened to the little filly I'm raising? I want my carefree, playful daughter back!" he whined playfully, stomping his hooves on the ground, throwing a mock temper tantrum.

Patch giggled,
"I'm right here Daddy. I'm just using my head like you taught me."

"So, what did you think of Sweetie Belle?" Sea Blue asked, changing the subject and suddenlt acting perfectly normal once again.

Patch perked up,
"I like her! She says there are two more fillies that don't have their cutie-marks either! They call themselves the Cutie-Mark Crusaders! Sweetie Belle said she'd ask the other two fillies if I can be a Cutie-Mark Crusader too!"

Sea Blue rolled the phrase around on his tongue for a moment,
"The Cutie-Mark Crusaders, huh? I don't know Patch; the name makes them sound a little rambunctious. I don't want you doing anything dangerous."

Patch hid a mischievous grin away from her father and batted her eyelashes innocently,
"Aww, come on Dad, please? How much trouble can four little fillies get into?"

"Well, I guess you're right. Sure, go for it."

Sea Blue had no idea exactly how much he would come to regret those words.

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Fluttershy was up with the sun, like always, feeding her animals. Her chickens were her only true source of income since she rarely charged for her veterinary skills. She quietly gathered the eggs from under her hens and held each one up to the light of the sun, looking carefully for any sign of fertilization. She had made that mistake once and only once, she had cried for over a week afterward. After examining each egg, she gently placed them in a linen lined wicker basket. The Cakes paid well for the hen-fruit and she needed the bits. She grew most of her own food, but having the bits was helpful for emergencies, which seemed to occur with disturbing frequency as of late. She had saved all the bits she earned as a model, and it was quite a substantial sum, but she knew every little bit helped. (Bad joke, I know.)

Most of the ponies in Ponyville thought she was poor, she certainly lived like it. What they didn't realize was that Fluttershy had all she needed and wasn't greedy. She was a simple mare with simple needs. She had her animals and her friends. The only thing she occasionally yearned for was companionship. Her animals were great company and Angel Bunny was as protective as anything she could ever need or even imagine for that matter, but she wanted somepony to talk to every day. Her friends were wonderful and she was grateful for them on a daily basis, but she had to travel for a fair distance to visit them.

She picked up the basket of eggs and headed off toward Ponyville to sell them to the Cakes, 'I wonder if Princess Celestia sent the veterinarian yet?' Fluttershy continued walking to Sugar Cube Corner, humming to herself all the way.

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Pinkie Pie's alarm clock rang out loudly in the upper room of Sugar Cube Corner. A bright pink hoof slowly snaked its way out from under the covers of a neon pink canopy bed and smashed the nightstand on either side of the offending noise-maker before slamming down against the top of the badly dented alarm bells. The clock stopped ringing and the hoof stretched out to grab vaguely at the drawer of the nightstand. The hoof pulled the drawer open and slunk inside, retrieving a hoof-full of multicolored marshmallows. The hoof ominously retracted back under the covers, to the sound of loud munching.

Were anypony standing in the room, here is how the next few seconds would play out. You would hear the ominous sound of a disembodied heartbeat. It would start off softly and gradually grow louder. The camera would zoom in to the canopy bed slowly while the heart beat grew louder and louder. You would see the pink hoof reach out a second time and procure a second hoof-full of marshmallows then drag them back under the covers, once again to the sound of loud munching. Suddenly the covers would explode upward, as a high-pitched squeal rang out loudly. A bright pink blur would shoot out from under the covers and streak down the stairs leaving a pink ribbon-trail behind it. The bed covers would land perfectly, already flat and straight, while a pair of pink hooves trailed back up the stairs and grabbed a toothless baby alligator from where it slumbered next to the bed, unseen until this moment. That is, if anypony had been in the room watching.

Pinkie Pie had a new treat waiting for her this morning. She had gone shopping and had discovered something new the previous day. She had been so excited she had bought a full bag of the 'mix' and the machine to go with it. She had read the instructions the previous night, after Mr. and Mrs. Cake had left for the day, so they had no idea what the pink pony had acquired.

Pinkie Pie carried Gummy around on her back talking to the little reptile,
"As soon as the espresso’s done, we'll go see Twilight and Spike and Live Wire and Dashie and Trooper and Rarity and Sea Blue and Patch and Big Mac and Applejack and Fluttershy and Dr. Mendie so we can get ready for our next adventure! Aren't you excited Gummy! . . . "

May Celestia curse the fool who sold Pinkie Pie an espresso machine.
*********************************************************************************

Dr. Mend always kept his windows open so the sun could wake him. It was an old habit and it always worked for him. His house was a very modest little thing, barely big enough for a bachelor stallion living by himself. He had a ten-pace by ten-pace bedroom with a tiny closet, one mirror, and not a single decoration on any of the walls. He had a tiny kitchenette with a mini-fridge, a sink, and a single range burner for cooking. His bathroom was likewise miniscule with barely enough room to turn around. He had a front room, of sorts. It was, like his bedroom, ten-paces by ten-paces with a single couch and coffee table. The entire house was sterile white and utterly devoid of any sort of decorations whatsoever. Mend had always hated his house; even though he could never admit it to himself until he came back from Canterlot.

"How did I ever live here?" he asked himself out loud.

The stirrings of a voice from the deep, dark recesses of his mind prompted Mend to race to the kitchenette and nearly lunge for a small orange pill bottle he purposely left on the counter. He washed the pill down with a long series of gulps of water, straight from the faucet of his sink. He pulled his head out of the sink and turned off the faucet.

"Whew," he said greatly relieved, "Can't let that happen. Your mistake Mother, not mine. Now breakfast."

The older medical pony opened the door of his mini-fridge and his face fell,
"Drat. I need to go shopping. I wonder if Live Wire is making breakfast yet? I'm sure he'll have some leftovers, if not, I'll just grab something from Sugar Cube Corner."

The notion that he spoke to himself had bothered him at first, but Sea Blue had assured him it was perfectly alright. Dr. Mend replayed his psychologist’s answer in his mind, 'It's O.K. to talk to yourself, it's even O.K. to answer yourself. The problems begin when you get into an argument with yourself over an answer and have to buy yourself dinner to make peace with yourself at a fast-food joint because you know you're a cheap date.' Dr. Mend chuckled at his friend's explanation and decided to head on over to the Library.

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

Applejack and Big Macintosh were up and about as the first rays of the sun peeked up over the horizon. To their surprise, Caramel was already awake and had done almost half the chores before they even managed to get out the front door. They joined him and together they finished the chores in half the normal time. They headed inside for the morning meeting and breakfast and sat around the table.

Big Macintosh set a pot of oatmeal on the range then made the three some hot chocolate and distributed the steaming mugs as he sat down,
"What do we have to do today?"

Applejack spoke up first,
"What time is Zecora supposed to get here?"

Caramel almost choked on his cocoa,
"Zecora?" he asked.

"Ayup." Big Macintosh replied.

Applejack eyed Caramel suspiciously,
"Is that goin' to be a problem Caramel?"

The unlucky Earth pony waved his hooves in front of himself,
"No! No not at all. I'm just surprised is all. I wouldn't have expected her to be willing to do this. I don't know her very well, but she seems to like her solitude. What did you say to make her agree to help?"

"Alls Ah did was ask her nicely and offer her a place to stay while we're gone." Big Macintosh explained.

"Um, Big Mac?" Applejack prodded, "Does Granny Smith know Zecora's commin' to stay at the farm?"

"Ayup." her brother responded.

"When did ya tell her?" Applejack was not convinced.

"When we got home from Twilight's last night." Big Mac informed his inquisitive sister.

"And she was okay with that?" Applejack asked.

"Ayup. Said she knew a Zebra family once a long time ago. Said they was some o' the nicest folks a pony could meet, even if they did talk awful funny." Big Macintosh said.

The tell-tale sound of bubbling oatmeal alerted the three Earth ponies that breakfast was ready. They ate their breakfast in silence, as farmers are apt to do. Caramel collected the bowls and began the dishes while Applejack and Big Macintosh finished their cocoa.

"Well then, Ah guess we should be headin' over to Twilight's here soon. If Zecora gets here before we get back, Ah want you to be real nice to her Caramel. She's benden' over backwards for us here. Get to know her some and give her a tour of the farm so she knows her way 'round. Yall two are goin' to be runnin' Sweet Apple Acres while Big Mac and Ah are gone. Ya hear?" Applejack said authoritatively.

Caramel turned his head away from the sink and nodded,
"Sure thing Applejack."

"We'd best get goin' now Big Macintosh." Applejack said rising from her seat.

"Ayup."

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

Rarity sat quietly with Sweetie Belle at their kitchen table sipping tea,
"I have to go to the Library for a meeting today. I have to go away for a little while here soon and I want you be on your best behavior for Cheerilee while I'm gone. Do you have your things packed yet?" she asked.

Sweetie Belle didn't answer her,
"Sweetie Belle, did you hear me?"

Sweetie Belle looked up slowly from her tea, her little face was sad,
"I'm going to miss you Rarity." she said, voice cracking.

"Sweetie Belle darling, it's not as if I'm never coming back. I'll just be gone for a little while. I have to go make sure Valiant's going to be alright. We owe him a great deal. He did save your life. I don’t know what I would have done had I lost you in that fire.” Rarity stated. “Valiant is a friend and you do what you can to make sure a friend is alright, you would do the same for Applebloom or Scootaloo wouldn’t you?” She asked.

“Of course I would, they’re my best friends!” Sweetie Belle gushed.

“Speaking of friends did you talk to them about Patch?”

“No not yet,” she said innocently shuffling her hooves, ”I want them to meet her first. Scootaloo will probably think her missing eye is cool. I like Patch and I think the others will too. Though I hope her eye freaks out Silverspoon and Diamond Tiara.” said Sweetie Belle with a hint of a mischievous smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.

“Sweetie Belle! As funny as you might think it is, do you think it right to use Patch like that? It’s not a very polite thing to do to a new friend darling.” Rarity chastened.

“I know.” Sweetie Belle replied bowing her head. “I still think it will be funny.” Sweetie thought.

“Well let’s go Sweetie Belle, come along, we both have things to do.” Rarity said as she got up from her seat and washed their tea cups.

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

In the skies above Ponyville:
“Ah me, I never would have gotten to used to the blasted cloud house anyway, we are just leaving again.” Trooper started looking around the sky, "Hmm, where to get breakfast?"

The sight of a thin trail of smoke emanating from the chimney of the Library gave him an idea. Trooper licked his lips remembering Lemon Lime's cooking, 'Not much to debate there. Live Wire makes a mean spot of breakers. Looks like the Library is where I shall find my morning repast.' Trooper flew off toward the Library thinking, 'I do so hate to mooch off everypony like this. I will have to look into finding some manner of employment. I certainly cannot spend the rest of my life asking a friend whenever I need to find a place to tuck in.'

Trooper flew in low over the various homes in Ponyville and caught sight of a rooster-trail of dust heading off toward Canterlot, 'Huh? Is that Rainbow Dash?' he pondered, 'No she would be flying. I wonder who that is?' He flew up high and used his right fore hoof to shield his eyes, squinting, 'Odd. For a moment there I thought I saw a flash of pink. Oh well, breakfast waits for nopony.' he thought as he swooped down for a landing in front of the Library.

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

Rainbow Dash snorted loudly and turned over in her bed. She opened her eyes and squinted out her window. The sun had just risen. While the multi-hued pegasus was definitively not an early riser, she knew there was much that had to be done and subsequently decided to try to force her still sleepy body out of bed. She grunted and groaned and fussed around under the cloud blanket then finally managed to slip her left hind hoof out from under the covers. Her hoof met the soft and fluffy but solid cloud which made up her floor. She eased her other hind hoof out and slowly rocked her weight off the bed and onto her floor with a plush whomping sound. The floor being made of cloud, like her bed, was just as comfortable. Rainbow Dash had to fight to keep from falling back to sleep on her floor.

She shakily rose to her hooves and head-butted the door of her room open. She attempted to descend the stairs but in her groggy state she overbalanced and rolled down the stairs. Rainbow Dash lay at the base of the stairs for a few moments before righting herself, it took a couple of attempts. She plodded over to her front door and managed to find the handle after four failed attempts. She walked out over her porch and simply stepped off the edge.

The feeling of freefall brought her instantly awake. She opened her wings and glided for a minute before shaking her head and dashing off toward Ponyville. Rainbow Dash saw Applejack and Big Macintosh on the road to Ponyville and swooped in over them.

"Applejack, Big Mac, can I talk to you guys for a minute?" Rainbow called from the air above the two Earth ponies.

“You get another speedin’ ticket sugar cube?” Apple Jack said playfully.
“Are you ever going to leave me alone about that AJ?” Rainbow Dash asked the farm pony.
“Nah, it's too much fun messin’ with ya about it” Applejack replied still smiling.

"I've never been traveling before and um . . . Well, I kind of don't know what I should bring. I don't even own a pair of saddle bags." Rainbow Dash admitted.

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

Valiant woke up as soon as the first rays of Celestia's sun crept through the foliage of the trees. The mystery of the statues had haunted his dreams. He crawled out of the tent and looked the macabre display across the stream. The statues hadn't moved, but their life-like appearance was accentuated in the early morning light, even if they were still lying down on the ground. Valiant was still full from his dinner the previous night, so he decided to get going on the mystery of the statues.

He hopped across the stream and took another look at the lost art. In the brighter light he could make out even more details. Every follicle of fur was clearly identifiable, the detail was positively mind-boggling. One thing he hadn't realized was that the statues hadn't worn with age. The stone looked like it had only just been carved. He walked around the statues and carefully examined each one in turn. One particular depiction caught his eye. A single statue lay on the ground, but it looked like it was meant to be there. The creature depicted was lying on its back, the contents of its strange saddle bags seeming to have been in the process of falling out as if it had been frozen in the middle of landing on the ground. Valiant stepped toward this statue for a better look.

His right fore hoof caught against something next to the statue. Valiant lowered his head and nosed away the dirt revealing a badly worn, but thickly rimmed, small porcelain bowl. Valiant picked up the bowl with his teeth and set it on top of the statue. He nosed away the remainder of the dirt and took a good long look at the bowl, 'Maybe this belonged to the artist who carved the statues. I wonder if the artist's signature is on it somewhere?'

Valiant turned the bowl over and examined the bottom. He could just barely make out some letters on the bottom. The words were in Ancient Equestrian, but Valiant could understand a little of the archaic language, 'To punish and enslave.' Valiant raised a hoof and scratched his head, 'That doesn't make any sense. What pony would write that? Wait a minute. To punish and enslave, to punish and enslave. I know I've heard that before.' Valiant wracked his brain, repeating the phrase over and over until it clicked, 'To punish and enslave! That was on one of the old tablets the archeologists in Haysburg uncovered. There was more to the quote, 'To punish and enslave, the strong will rule the weak. From the cradle to the grave, their lives are ours to keep.' The archeologists said it was even older than our earliest histories. I'll admit the rhyme isn't particularly good and it's dark, but if these statues are that o . . .' Valiant trailed off as something on the statue before him caught his eye.

The contents of the statue's strange bags held a second, identical bowl. The bottom was clearly visible in the light. The words, 'To punish and enslave.' were clearly visible on the bottom, even more visible than on the bowl Valiant had found. He realized the two bowls were utterly identical, 'Why would this creature have an identical bowl? The writing is in Ancient Equestrian . . . unless . . . ' Valiant quickly began searching the other statues for any sign of more writing. A second statue had an inscription etched into the side of its shield. The words were in Ancient Equestrian, 'For the glory of the Diamond Dog Empire.'

Valiant couldn't understand it, the inscriptions made no sense. He wandered back to the first statue he uncovered and examined it again, specifically the kopesh. The blade had chips in it almost as if it had been struck against something else metallic. Valiant just couldn't figure out the purpose of the statues. He scuffed his right hind hoof against the ground. Instead of striking soft dirt and loam, his hoof clunked against something else solid.

Valiant turned around and used his hooves to dig around the new object and clear off the top. He uncovered a stone plaque written in Ancient Equestrian, 'Here on this patch of ground, lay the first enemies to fall to the Elements of Harmony and the Elements of Peace. These are the petrified remains of the 'DirgeHounds' a military force of the Diamond Dog Empire. These cruel beings are forever encased in stone as a reminder to all to respect the ponies of Equestria. For their vile massacre of two-hundred helpless ponies, may they never know their final rest.'

Valiant's mouth went dry,
"Dear Goddesses." he whispered.

Valiant looked out over the gathering of frozen 'Diamond Dogs' and felt his legs turn to jelly, 'I'm not staying here another minute!' he turned tail and leapt back across the stream. Valiant had never broken camp so quickly, but he was loathe to stay around what was, effectively, the dead bodies of a band of murderers. He was on the move again in less than an hour.

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

Lemon Lime was overwhelmed. Instead of two ponies and a baby dragon to feed, he suddenly had nine ponies and a baby dragon. Fortunately Applejack and Big Macintosh had already had breakfast and nopony had seen Pinkie Pie all morning. The poor yellow unicorn had cooked himself into a state of exhaustion. Lemon Lime lay on the floor of the kitchen listening to the sounds of chewing emanating from the main room. Lemon Lime smiled weakly and groaned, trying to push himself into a standing position.

A pink blur suddenly burst through the door of the Library and made a complete circuit of the ponies enjoying their breakfasts. Each surprised face received a millisecond’s long 'good morning' then the blur left back out the door, the door slamming closed behind it. The entire scene took less than half a second to play out.

"Ah smell coffee. Hey Live Wire, did you make coffee?" Applejack asked sniffing the air.

"No, sorry. I didn't." Lemon Lime panted on the kitchen floor, "I think that was Pinkie. She's the one that smelled like . . . " Lemon Lime's voice trailed off and his pupils shrunk to pinpoints as he slowly said, "Like coffee."

The statement lingered in the air, causing the entire Library to lapse into silence while the implications set in. As one, the entire group surged to their hooves and stampeded toward the front door yelling, "PINKIE!"

Twilight took charge,
"Applejack, Big Macintosh, get your lassos! Rarity, Sea Blue, Lemon Lime, and I can contain her with our magic . . . I hope! Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Trooper you fly up and tell us where she is!"

Dr. Mend broke in,
"I'll have a sedative ready when you bring her in!"

LONG AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I know the previous chapter was quite badly done, but I make no apologies. I was busy preparing for my wedding when I wrote that. I am back now and I will continue writing the story that most of you seem to like so much. Special thanks to the real life Trooper (you know who you are) for writing Trooper's part in this chapter. To his sister, Kyra, for writing the scene with Rarity and Sweetie Belle. To 'Warmaster99' for taking care of editing the chapters. And finally to Double Mallow for posting the two previous chapters on E.Q.D. while I was on my Honeymoon in Disney World with my new (beautiful, sweet, loving, caring, sexy . . . ect.) wife. A particularly special thanks goes out to the brony known as Kroqgar for mentioning my story in the author's notes of his own story (who I will freely admit is a writer who is obviously very skilled at descriptions). Dude, call me. Seriously, we need to talk.

I have had several people ask about art for the story. I am a HORRIBLE artist. I can only hope that some wonderful and generous person is willing to contribute for free (Applebloom, I’m looking hopefully in your direction). The other question has been 'What do Valiant, Dr. Mend, Live Wire, Sea Blue and Trooper's voices sound like?' Some have even asked for character bios and personality diagrams . . . O.K. I'll do my best.

If I had to go with actors for the voices, I would say:
Trooper sounds like Andy Milder. (Mild British accent, never uses words like 'can't' or 'won't')
Valiant sounds like Jude Law. (No accent, generally soft-spoken)
Dr. Mend sounds like Topher Grace. (Very intense and serious)
Sea Blue sounds like Dane Cook. (With less foul language and not nearly so loud)
Live Wire sounds like Russell Brand. (No accent and speaks nearly as quickly as John Moschitta Jr.)

For bio/personality diagrams:
Trooper: A 25 year old pegasus pony. He is well mannered and well spoken. He is also outgoing and friendly if excitable and often very dramatic. He has a habit of putting his hoof in his mouth (sometimes all four) but generally has a good sense of humor. He is somewhat difficulty to offend except about certain topics, the foremost being his lack of a cutie-mark, which grates him constantly. Trooper is the bearer of the Element of Perseverance.

Valiant: A 25 year old pegasus pony who lost his wings helping a bear. He is a passionate pony who is willing to sacrifice anything to help others. His passionate nature, which he still has very little control over, has caused him to make some poor (if extremely brave) decisions. He is friendly but has a tendency toward depression and self-loathing, which he is constantly battling. His special talent is for creating potions and salves of all kinds. He is the bearer of the Element of Hope.

Dr. Mend: A 35-ish Earth pony who looks like he is in his mid 50s. He is a very serious stallion with a no-nonsense attitude and a bit of a short temper. He is both protective and caring, but that side of him generally remains hidden behind his taciturn exterior. He is often seen as being aloof and coldly professional, but those who take the time to get to know him realize he is simply a contemplative, blunt, introvert a.k.a. 'an asshole with a heart of gold'. His special talent is in the field of medicine. He is the bearer of the Element of Forgiveness.

Sea Blue: A 22 year old unicorn pony. He is a playful and good-natured stallion who is very nearly impossible to offend. He is a counselor and is a veritable rock of good sense. He is extremely well attuned to the way others act and is one of those few who can utilize both logic and intuition. He can almost tell what another pony is thinking simply by observing the way they act and carry themselves. His one weakness is his daughter Patch, whom he loves with all his soul and can never seem to say 'no' to. His special talent is for psychology. He is the bearer of the Element of Discernment.

Lemon Lime (Live Wire): A 20 year old unicorn pony. He is afflicted with a mental condition which causes his mind to work four times faster than that of an ordinary pony. He is generally thought to be a skilled cook and has a particular penchant for making somewhat extravagant breakfasts. He is friendly and exuberant but speaks nearly as quickly as an auctioneer, a fact that has caused him to be a social pariah and until recently, he literally had no friends. Despite his seemingly hyperactive exterior he is a very patient pony and also has a keen, calculating mind which in a way (due to his condition) rivals that of Twilight Sparkle. He is also somewhat sensitive but is likewise forgiving. His special talent is for physical therapy. He is the bearer of the Element of Patience.

Author's Note

LONG AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I have had several people ask about art for the story. I am a HORRIBLE artist. I can only hope that some wonderful and generous person is willing to contribute for free (Applebloom, I'm looking hopefully in your direction). The other question has been 'What do Valiant, Dr. Mend, Live Wire, Sea Blue and Trooper's voices sound like?' Some have even asked for character bios and personality diagrams . . . O.K. I'll do my best.

If I had to go with actors for the voices, I would say:

Trooper sounds like Andy Milder. (Mild British accent, never uses words like 'can't' or 'won't')

Valiant sounds like Jude Law. (No accent, generally soft-spoken)

Dr. Mend sounds like Topher Grace. (Very intense and serious)

Sea Blue sounds like Dane Cook. (With less foul language and not nearly so loud)

Live Wire sounds like Russell Brand. (No accent and speaks nearly as quickly as John Moschitta Jr.)

For bio/personality diagrams:

Trooper: A 25 year old pegasus pony. He is well mannered and well spoken. He is also outgoing and friendly if excitable and often very dramatic. He has a habit of putting his hoof in his mouth (sometimes all four) but generally has a good sense of humor. He is somewhat difficulty to offend except about certain topics, the foremost being his lack of a cutie-mark, which grates him constantly. Trooper is the bearer of the Element of Perseverance.

Valiant: A 25 year old pegasus pony who lost his wings helping a bear. He is a passionate pony who is willing to sacrifice anything to help others. His passionate nature, which he still has very little control over, has caused him to make some poor (if extremely brave) decisions. He is friendly but has a tendency toward depression and self-loathing, which he is constantly battling. His special talent is for creating potions and salves of all kinds. He is the bearer of the Element of Hope.

Dr. Mend: A 35-ish Earth pony who looks like he is in his mid 50s. He is a very serious stallion with a no-nonsense attitude and a bit of a short temper. He is both protective and caring, but that side of him generally remains hidden behind his taciturn exterior. He is often seen as being aloof and coldly professional, but those who take the time to get to know him realize he is simply a contemplative, blunt, introvert a.k.a. 'an asshole with a heart of gold'. His special talent is in the field of medicine. He is the bearer of the Element of Forgiveness.

Sea Blue: A 22 year old unicorn pony. He is a playful and good-natured stallion who is very nearly impossible to offend. He is a counselor and is a veritable rock of good sense. He is extremely well attuned to the way others act and is one of those few who can utilize both logic and intuition. He can almost tell what another pony is thinking simply by observing the way they act and carry themselves. His one weakness is his daughter Patch, whom he loves with all his soul and can never seem to say 'no' to. His special talent is for psychology. He is the bearer of the Element of Discernment.

Lemon Lime (Live Wire): A 20 year old unicorn pony. He is afflicted with a mental condition which causes his mind to work four times faster than that of an ordinary pony. He is generally thought to be a skilled cook and has a particular penchant for making somewhat extravagant breakfasts. He is friendly and exuberant but speaks nearly as quickly as an auctioneer, a fact that has caused him to be a social pariah and until recently, he literally had no friends. Despite his seemingly hyperactive exterior he is a very patient pony and also has a keen, calculating mind which in a way (due to his condition) rivals that of Twilight Sparkle. He is also somewhat sensitive but is likewise forgiving. His special talent is for physical therapy. He is the bearer of the Element of Patience.

Chapter 7

The Elements of Equestria

Part 7

The Elements of Equestria re-gathered in the main room of the Library after heavily dosing Pinkie Pie with a strong sedative and muscle relaxant; even so she still shook in place like a pink earthquake, but could sit still (figuratively speaking of course). Lemon Lime had cleaned up the remains of breakfast and the gathering could finally sit down to discuss business.

Twilight took the lead,
"Everything's set for us to go, we just have to pack and solidify our route. I've pulled a map of Equestria and charted out the most direct path." she said obviously pleased with herself, "I don't have the most experience with outdoor-type . . . stuff. What should we all bring with us? The floor is open for any and all input. I'll make a list of each item everypony names. We should start off by listing anything we might need; all ideas are acceptable for this part. Next we discuss the usefulness of each item, cross referencing its usefulness with our weight capacities." Twilight looked up to see how her idea was accepted.

A small ocean of confused looks was her only response from the others; Applejack spoke up,
"Ah thinks it's a good idea. Twilight's the one who organized the last Winter Wrap Up and saved us a whole mess of time. Let's give it a try."

The idea was met with reluctant approval. Three hours later, Twilight had, what every pony could only hope was, an acceptable list of items to bring for a prolonged trip. Rarity had initially opted to bring along plenty of bits and gems to buy food with or to trade. Applejack countered that everypony should keep their saddle bags as light as possible so they wouldn't be too weighed down. Rarity conceded to only bring bank notes instead. Pinkie Pie wanted to bring as much food as she could carry. Twilight countered that food would go bad quickly and said they should bring a field guide and rely on Applejack and Big Macintosh to find adequate and safe sources of food, since they would know what to look for better than most. Sea Blue brought up a sound point that Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Trooper all being pegasi, would not be able to carry nearly as much and wouldn't need to use a tent either. Rainbow Dash was willing to go with the idea except that clouds over the Everfree Forrest tended to dissipate almost at random, so they would need to sleep on the ground occasionally at least. Trooper brought up the idea of the three pegasi using hammocks to sleep in at night. Fluttershy brought up the point that if it rains they would still be exposed to the elements, so they should bring tarps to cover the hammocks and have them all lined up above each other so as to minimize the load.

Eventually they settled on each pony bringing certain items then the group using them collectively. Applejack and Big Macintosh elected to tote the cookware and tents respectively. Dr. Mend was the obvious choice for carrying the first aid equipment and other such items. Pinkie Pie was chosen to carry nonperishables (and subsequently unbreakables) and sanitary goods. Twilight was to gather and bring along the maps, compass, and any field guides she deemed 'necessary' (the notion of which caused a great number of rolled eyes). Sea Blue was selected to carry essentials for dealing with a camp fire and plenty of blankets. Lemon Lime was to carry the appropriate food as they found it as well as the initial amount of food they were bringing with them. Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Trooper simply brought the hammocks they would need and a blanket for each. Everypony carried a single canteen and some snacks, which Lemon Lime insisted be made up of only nuts and dried fruit.

The group dispersed to gather the proposed items and was to meet back at the Library the following morning to depart. Fluttershy met and showed around the vet from Canterlot. Angel was not very pleased but went along with it. Sea Blue met with Cheerilee and they came to an agreement about Patch, and Sweetie Belle both of whom the teacher was going to take care of in the absence of their normal parental figures. Applejack, Big Macintosh, Granny Smith, Applebloom, Caramel, and Zecora sat down to a lively discussion about how the farm was to be run. Twilight gave Spike instructions on how to run the Library in her absence and even left written instructions (in triplicate). Dr. Mend gave the nurses the news and promised to pay them extra for taking care of the clinic in his absence. Rainbow Dash went with Lemon Lime to buy a pair of saddle bags and other such things (in truth, the little yellow unicorn stallion fronted the funds for the entire trip almost by himself). As the day came to a close, each pony sat down to a quiet dinner with their available loved ones and prepared to set off the following morning.

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

Valiant had discarded the route he had intended to follow and simply made a bee line for New Yoke through the middle of the Everfree Forrest. Since leaving the site of the petrified Diamond Dogs he had felt like he was being followed. He constantly looked over his shoulder but never saw any sign of pursuit. He had narrowly avoided having a run-in with a bobcat but had not stopped for anything since that morning. His fear had caused him to travel the whole day at a brisk trot instead of the casual walk he had been maintaining before. It was well after dark when he finally stopped to make camp. The area was not ideal but it was in the middle of a thirty pace diameter clearing. There was no stream nearby for him to refill his first canteen but his second canteen remained untouched. He hastily made camp and had his dinner cooking in a matter of minutes. The sky was unlit by the moon, the heavy cloud cover keeping the reflected light of Luna's celestial body at bay (no unnecessary comments about 'Luna's body' thank you very much).

Valiant plopped himself down in front of his tent and idly watched the fire as it softened the cauliflower he had been fortunate enough to run across. He sat thinking about what he had seen, 'I can't believe there was a whole garden of creatures that had been turned to stone. The stone marker said the Diamond Dogs were murderers. What kind of world was Equestria back then? Massacres, battles, weapons, and if the inscriptions on the bowls was true, slavery. It's crazy, I can't imagine living in a world like that. I shudder to think what it would be like being turned to stone forever...' Valiant's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a snapping twig behind his tent.

The wingless pegasus stood up quickly and turned to face the darkness,
"Show yourself!" he shouted.

A loud growl met his challenge. Valiant stepped back and put the fire between himself and the creature that made the noise. He watched as a single maned-wolf crept out from behind his tent. The wolf was auburn colored and extremely thin. The creature looked as if it had run afoul of a much larger predator. It had dried blood covering the vast majority of its left side, the blood matting its fur plastered against its body. Valiant could see its ribs poking out through its side and its eyes were sunken and haunted. The wolf was a huge specimen; it stood just a bit taller than Valiant himself did.

Valiant only knew enough about the wolf to identify it, but he figured it was the smell of the cauliflower that had drawn it close to the fire since most wild animals were instinctively afraid of the bright flames. He also knew wolves were omnivorous and sincerely hoped that it was not inclined to make a meal of pony since the cauliflower was not available. Considering the wolf's appearance, Valiant guessed that he was probably in mortal danger. His mind raced as he and the wolf circled each other and was very glad the fire was interposed between them.

Valiant considered picking up a stick from the fire and trying to use it to frighten off the wolf, but the fire had already begun doing its little dance on every piece of wood. In the light of the fire, Valiant noticed the wolf was foaming at the mouth. His mouth went dry, 'It's rabid! Not good, I won't be able to chase it away at all now. There's no cure for rabies either. You just have to let the animal die or . . . ' Valiant swallowed hard, 'Kill it.'

The thought of taking another creature's life was positively repulsive to Valiant, especially after his ordeal being a Vagabond and the cause of it. The wolf began pacing around the fire faster and faster, Valiant had to match the wolf's speed, his mind whirled, 'I can't just kill it, but if it bites me, I'm doomed! What do I do? Rabid animals don't feel pain or fear . . . ' Valiant's time for debate came to an abrupt end as the wolf sped up to a full run, chasing him around the fire. Valiant knew he couldn't out run an adult wolf and indeed the creature was gaining on him. The wingless pegasus knew he had a matter of seconds before the wolf caught him. He had run out of time and options.

In as quick a motion as he could, Valiant reared forward, planted his fore hooves on the ground, and bucked, straining every muscle in his body into the effort. His hooves connected with the tip of the wolf's muzzle to the sound of a sickening crunch. Valiant felt the pressure on his legs and pushed off using the momentum to roll forward awkwardly. He came up facing the wolf with his right fore hoof raised and struck out instinctively, swinging from right to left across the front of his body. The wolf's head came within a hair's breadth of Valiant's face as the stallion struck it aside. The wolf's entire body followed the course of its head, revealing an opening which Valiant exploited.

He spun quickly, muscles burning, and bucked the wolf's ribs. A second crunch echoed through Valiant's ears and he realized there were already tears streaming down his face. This wasn't like fighting the chimera, this creature was flesh and blood. Valiant stopped for a moment and gazed at the wolf, heart aching. The creature's lower jaw was dripping its diseased blood onto the ground; broken teeth lay in its mouth hanging on loosely by their roots. The ribs Valiant had bucked were concave against the wolf's body and shifted under the creature's skin. Valiant felt sick, 'I did this!' his mind screamed, 'This isn't right, this isn't natural! Ponies aren't meant to kill!' his mind coalesced for a brief moment, 'How is it still standing? It should be on the ground! It should be incapacitated shouldn't it? What is going on?'

As if to answer him, the light of the moon suddenly shown through the clearing as the clouds above opened for a few moments. The wolf's body took on a state of semi-transparency, the images of stars glowing dimly from its form, its coat changing to a night sky blue. Valiant took several steps back realizing what the wolf actually was, 'Dear Luna! It's a Lupus! How do you defeat a celestial creature?' he wondered in a panic. The answer came to him and he hated himself for it, 'The armor. That's the only thing powerful enough to stop it.' he thought bitterly. Valiant hated the idea of using the power of his element to kill another creature but he had no other option.

With tears filling his eyes, Valiant began concentrating on his memories while dodging the rabid celestial beast. Valiant's mind was distracted by the sight of the Lupus and the intensity of the engagement. As a result he found his concentration slipping away time and time again. The Lupus lunged for him. He barely avoided it, dancing out of the way as he carefully maneuvered himself directly in front of a stout tree. The Lupus lunged again and Valiant dodged low and to the left. The celestial beast's powerful lunge sent it head first into the tree, knocking it senseless for a few moments.

Valiant didn't let the reprieve go to waste, he refocused his mind and sought out his memories of hope. He felt a stirring from deep down in his body and grasped at it prematurely. He held onto it like a lifeline, struggling to control it, to guide it to his bidding. It was like trying to wrestle a writhing snake that was covered in slick oil. His vision blurred under the stress and the power slipped away again. Valiant panicked, he knew that if he couldn't manifest his armor, he didn't have a prayer against such a powerful creature.

Valiant's vision returned just in time to see the jaws of the Lupus closing around his head. He ducked and heard the beast's jaws snap shut just above his head. His relief was short lived though. The Lupus began to thrash its head back and forth, worrying Valiant like a ragdoll. Valiant realized in a panic that the Lupus had his mane in its mouth. The battered pegasus tightened the muscles in his neck and immediately realized it was a mistake. The tensed muscles couldn't take the force of the motion and Valiant heard a snapping sound as several of the muscles tore. His neck suddenly lit up in an inferno of agony. Valiant cried out as the Lupus continued worrying him.

Valiant struggled to relax the muscles in his neck to prevent further injury. It was hard, by the Goddesses it was hard. He couldn't do it. The muscles had seized. Valiant feared that the Lupus would break his neck before long. His mind began to cloud as his body released natural endorphins to ease his suffering from the trauma. Valiant knew he couldn't hold on for much longer. He closed his eyes and focused his mind, his very being, into a tight little ball of concentration and sought out his memories yet again.

Valiant remembered his hope that Arabesque would come to love him, his hope that he would eventually be forgiven, his hope that he could save the bear, his hope that his pain would end as he lay on Fluttershy's couch, his hope that he could save Applebloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Granny Smith, his hope that Granny Smith would live . . . On and on the memories flowed, like the breaking of a dam. Power surged through Valiant's body and he felt the armor, his armor form around him. He felt the strength of all of Equestria flow into him, filling him with raw, primal might. He felt the endurance of the land flow up through his hooves, rejuvenating him.

Valiant's eyes snapped open with renewed hope, a fire behind his pupils lighting its way through to his very soul. Valiant felt his wings form on his back and flexed them up and around like a pair of hammers, dealing the Lupus a solid blow to either side of its head with the edges of each. The celestial beast released the armored pegasus and shook its head, throwing loose teeth around in the process. Valiant took a single step back and turned revealing his armored flank to the rabid creature. In a lightning quick motion his hooves connected with the great beast's head snapping it back in a shower of broken teeth.

The Lupus swung its head back down and snapped its jaws at Valiant's backside. Valiant hoped forward and swung his left rear hoof in a circular arch hitting the Lupus in the lower jaw with a solid thump. Continuing his motion, Valiant swung out his left wing and his left fore hoof, both striking the beast in the jaw again with each. The wingless pegasus reared back, leapt into the air, brought his hooves together above his head, and swung both together in a downward arch. His hooves slammed down onto the great creature's head with a loud crunch. The Lupus' eyes rolled up into its head, it let out a shuddering breath, and collapsed onto the ground.

Valiant stopped moving and blinked away the salty liquid obscuring his vision. The Lupus breathed out a death rattle and was still. As Valiant watched, the Lupus' body dissolved into bright yellow glowing motes and blew away on a non-existent breeze, leaving behind only a single panting wingless pegasus stallion. Valiant panted heavily and breathed out a shuddering sigh of relief. His armor vanished from his body leaving him exhausted and drained both physically and emotionally.

Valiant sorrowfully tromped back to his dinner, which was a soggy mess, and pulled the pot off the fire to let it cool. He sat down in front of his fire and hung his head, 'I killed it.' he thought, tears streaming down his face, 'What have I done?' As the night wore on, Valiant cried himself to sleep without even touching his dinner.

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

Celestia's sun rose, breaking over Ponyville with resplendent glory as the citizens began their day.
Unsurprisingly Applejack and Big Macintosh were the first to arrive at the Library. Applejack knocked on the door and Lemon Lime let the two Earth ponies in. The small physical therapist was up and about having already started breakfast.

Lemon Lime gestured for the two farmers to set their packs down in the middle of the common room,
"Come on in and take a load off. I'll have breakfast done in a few minutes. I want to let Twilight sleep for as long as possible. I went out yesterday and bought a ton of food for Spike to eat while we're gone. I also left him some money; do you think ten-thousand bits will be enough? I sure hope it's enough. Should I leave him more or do you think it's enough?"

Applejack's eyes had gone crossed from Lemon Lime's machine-gunning, she shook her head clearing them,
"Ah think it'll be more than enough, Live Wire. Ah take it we're the first ones here?"

"Huh?" Lemon Lime asked pulling his head out of the kitchen pantry, "Oh yeah. You two are the first ones, except for Twilight, Spike, and I of course. I don't want to make too much of a mess for Spike to clean up, so are cinnamon rolls alright? If not then I can make something else it's really no problem at all. So if you want something else just tell me and I'll fix it . . . "

"Live Wire." Big Macintosh said.

"But then I'd be leaving an even bigger mess for . . . " Lemon Lime continued obliviously.

"Live Wire." Applejack said.

"And that just wouldn't be fair to him, so now that I think about . . . " Lemon Lime continued, still oblivious.

"Live Wire." Dr. Mend addressed walking in.

"I figure just because one pony doesn't like . . . " Lemon Lime continued.

"LEMON LIME!" Twilight yelled from her bedroom loft.

Silence reigned in the Library following the unicorn's outburst. The librarian groggily made her way down the stairs. Her mane was a mess, her tail was in a thick tangle, and her eyes were baggy and bloodshot. She stumbled as she reached the base of the stairs but caught herself before she fell onto her face. She peered around the common room and pinpointed Lemon Lime, fixing him with a fierce glare. The small unicorn stallion laid his ears back and lowered his head submissively, backing into the kitchen silently.

"Thank you." Twilight said simply.

A thunderous crash into the wall of the Library ominously foretold of the arrival of a certain rainbow maned pegasus who was definitely not a morning pony. A rapid series of knocks assailed the door followed by a bright pink load of energy dragging Rainbow Dash who still had stars circling her head. Before anypony could move to close the door, Rarity and Trooper trotted in, the latter sporting newly mended saddle bags which bulged suspiciously. The sounds of furious clanging in the kitchen alluded to a subdued, "Ouch." from within that followed shortly thereafter.

Twilight headed back up the stairs to her loft and began brushing out her mane and tail, still trying to wake up completely. Spike stirred in his bed and turned over mumbling something about 'three diamonds on a canvas of the purest white' and went back to sleep. Twilight smiled down at her assistant and began planning, 'Alright then. Lemon Lime will finish breakfast and we can set off right after that. The shortest route to Haysburg is straight through the Everfree Forrest. We can handle that; we already have a couple of times. I calculated out the time it will take to make it through there . . . what was it . . . two weeks, that's right. After we make it through there, we have simple flatlands after that for one week and two days if we push it, better make it three. Then the swamp that runs along the river until we reach Haysburg. The swamp might give us some trouble but I figure three days should do it. Let’s see that's twenty-seven days total there and probably twenty-six for the way back since we'll know the terrain a bit better. Woo, that's more than fifty days, fifty-three to be exact. I sure hope Spike will be alright while I'm gone.'

Twilight decided to rouse her assistant so he could join everypony else for breakfast before they left,
"Spike." she said prodding the young reptile with her hoof, "Spike, wake up."

Spike responded by waving her hoof away with a small claw and rolling over again,
"It's too early, Twilight." he whined.

Twilight leaned her head down and bit the end of Spike's blanket, pulling it off him and tossing it onto the floor,
"Come on, Spike. We're going to be leaving soon, don't you want to say goodbye to everypony?"

Spike waved his claw once more, sleepily saying,
"Goodbye to everypony."

Twilight pursed her lips and nudged the baby dragon from his bed with a gentle push of her muzzle,
"Oh no, you're not getting off that easy. Come on get up." she leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Lemon Lime is making breakfast."

Spike finally raised his head,
"Don't you mean 'Live Wire'?" he asked.

Twilight sighed heavily,
"His name is Lemon Lime. When have you ever heard me call any pony by a nick name?"

"You call me your 'number one assistant'." Spike pointed out.

Twilight shook her head,
"That's a title, Spike. I've never called Applejack 'A.J.' have I?"

Spike blew out an exasperated breath,
"Yeah I guess so, but he likes being called Live Wire. He said it's what his friends call him right?"

"True," Twilight admitted, "But it's not proper. If I called him Live Wire, it would sound like I'm too familiar with him."

"Since when did you care so much about being proper? I thought that was Rarity's department. Everypony else calls him Live Wire." Spike said coming more awake, "Do you not like him or something, Twilight?"

"I 'like' him just fine, Spike, but I wouldn't say he's my favorite pony. Maybe it'll just take time for me to warm up to him. You have to admit he does talk a lot." Twilight said neutrally.

"Well yeah, but he's got that mental condition. Actually he kind of reminds me of Pinkie Pie, besides he's a great cook. I've never had food as good as his that wasn't gems. Is it because he's got a crush on you?" Spike asked.

"Why does everypony keep saying that?" Twilight asked rhetorically, "Even if he does have a crush on me, I don't like him like that. It's like with you and Rarity."

"There IS a difference there, Twilight. Rarity doesn't know I have a crush on her. Why not give him a chance?" Spike pointed out.

Twilight stomped a hoof on the floor, somewhat overdramatic for her,
"I just don't like him like that! I'm not a romantically minded mare! I have my studies and my obligations to Princess Celestia!" once she began speaking, she couldn't stop, the floodgates had opened so to speak, "When am I supposed to have time for some brain-damaged, vertically challenged, underweight, love sick stallion whose only redeeming quality is that he can cook!" Twilight regretted the words even as they left her muzzle, 'I didn't mean that.' she thought, 'Why did I say that?'

Spike waved his claws in front of her,
"Shh! They'll hear you. This IS a loft after all."

Twilight suddenly realized just how quiet the Library had gone,
"Oops." she said quietly, then sighed heavily, "Looks like I need to go on down and do some damage control."

Spike peeked his head over the rails and looked down. Everypony had been staring up at the loft, but suddenly noticed a variety of other things that seemed to require their immediate attention. Spike looked around but fortunately didn't see Lemon Lime anywhere. He leaned back over the rails and wiped a claw over his forehead.

Spike turned a confused eye to Twilight,
"I've never heard you say anything like that before, Twilight. Are you feeling alright? This doesn't seem like you to be so . . . I don't know, fussy I guess."

Twilight hated to admit it but, Spike was right,
"I . . . I don't know, Spike."

"You know," Spike said scratching his chin, "You've been acting kind of weird ever since the guys showed up, come to think of it."

Twilight gave the observation some thought, but came up with nothing solid,
"That's true, I was the most objective one when we dealt with Zecora for the first time, but what does it mean?"

Spike shrugged,
"You got me. All I know is that you need to be more careful of what you say. Maybe you're worried about Valiant?"

"I am worried about him a little, but I'm certain that's not the problem. I never acted like this when I was worried about Applejack. It has to be something else." Twilight said thoughtfully.

Spike cradled his chin in his right claw,
"Hmm," he grunted in thought, an idea popped into his head, "Let's try something here. What do you think of Sea Blue?"

Twilight shrugged,
"He seems nice enough but, I don't agree with most his ideas. He seems like a bit of a snobby 'know it all'."

"What about Trooper?" Spike asked.

"He's as dramatic as Rarity, if not more so, and his problem with Rainbow Dash is nothing short of ridiculous. He seems to be balanced on a razor's edge with fury on one side and dramatic exuberance on the other. Honestly I'm not very fond of him." Twilight said sourly.

"What about Dr. Mend?" Spike asked.

"He has his quirks, but he knows his business and he's smart. I trust him." Twilight answered.

"O.K. how about Big Macintosh?" Spike inquired.

"He's quiet but from what I've seen, he works as hard as three ponies. He cares about his family and he went out on a limb to help Valiant. He seems as reliable as Applejack." Twilight said.

"What do you think of Live Wire?" Spike asked and quickly added, "Objectively."

Twilight rolled her eyes but answered,
"He doesn't seem to be a total idiot, but I wouldn't call him brilliant either. He's almost as random as Pinkie Pie and talks even faster. He does cook a good breakfast, I'll give him that. He's moved into the Library like he owns it and besides his cooking, he hasn't contributed anything to Ponyville; Dr. Mend and Big Macintosh at least have jobs that are necessary. I can't think of anypony who needs physical therapy. He seems, I don't know, superfluous I guess."

Spike arched an eyebrow,
"Super . . . what?"

"Unnecessary." Twilight said in simple terms.

Spike lowered his claw and nodded his head as if coming to a conclusion,
"I HAVE seen you act like this once before; and I have an idea about why you're so touchy right now. Remember the first night we came to Ponyville? You said 'all the ponies in this town are crazy' but then after you spent a whole night with them, you were best friends. I think you were overwhelmed and that's what's wrong now. You don't always adjust to change very well, Twilight. Did you notice, you didn't say anything negative about Dr. Mend or Big Macintosh, but you found reasons not to like Sea Blue, Trooper, and Live Wire? If you think about it, it does kind of make sense. You're alright with ponies you already know but you don't like the new ones."

Twilight nodded her head reluctantly,
"It's possible." she admitted quietly, "You know me better than anypony. So what do I do? I don't want to seem like I have P.M.S. all the time."

"P.M.S.?" Spike asked.

"Don't worry about it Spike, it just means Prickly Mare Syndrome." Twilight fibbed, thinking quickly.

"That's easy, just give them the benefit of the doubt until you get to know them better. Don't try to analyze everything all the time, try trusting them. Live Wire, Trooper, and Sea Blue haven't done anything wrong so don't treat them like it. Think of them in different terms." Spike peered over the railing, gently dragging Twilight's head with him, "Look at Trooper," he said pointing with a claw, "Think of him like an actor who’s out of work." Spike shifted his pointing claw to Lemon Lime who had just emerged from the kitchen, "Think of Live Wire as a guy version of Pinkie Pie. Do think you can do that, Twilight?"

Twilight rested her head on the railing,
"That might work, Spike. I'll try." she looked down and sighed, "We need to go down there. We'll be leaving soon."

Down below, a short yellow unicorn gazed up at the loft,
"I'm not brain-damaged." he choked out, blinking back a forming mist from his eyes.

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

Everypony ate a group breakfast, chatting amiably while they ate. Nopony seemed to notice that there was zero conversation coming from the little cook. Cheerilee had shown up with Sea Blue so she could take the two fillies with her when their guardians left. Patch and Sweetie Belle stuck to Sea Blue and Rarity (respectively) like glue. The combined groups of Elements finished their meal and began assisting each other with strapping on their saddle-bags.

They readied themselves and grouped together just outside the Library for a final rundown of one of Twilight's famous check lists,
"Applejack," she began, "Pots, pans, plates, cups, and bowls."

"Check." Applejack said.

"Big Macintosh," Twilight continued, "Four large tents, capable of sleeping three ponies each."

"Ayup." Big Macintosh replied with his most common comment.

"Dr. Mend, medical supplies; as much as you can carry." Twilight said.

"Got it, Twilight." Dr. Mend said.

"Pinkie Pie, did you follow the list I gave you?" Twilight asked.

"Yup!" Pinkie said pulling the list out of her saddle-bags, "Ith righ her!"

Twilight levitated the list out of Pinkie's mouth,
"Did you put the things I wrote on the list, in your bags?"

"Yep! I can show you if you want." Pinkie offered.

"Applejack, would you please?" Twilight asked.

"Sure thing, Twilight." the farm pony agreed.

Twilight moved on to the next pony,
"Sea Blue, what did you bring?"

"I've got plenty of napalm and c-4. Good to go." the counselor said smiling.

Twilight's eye twitched several times in rapid succession, Sea Blue dismissed the facade,
"I've got two dozen magnesium sticks, fire-starter logs, matches, a bucket for dirt and sand, a shovel, and nearly a dozen blankets."

Twilight grimaced,
"Thank you." she said curtly.

"Lemon Lime," Twilight sighed, "Do you have the food?"

"Yeah, I have it." Lemon Lime said quietly.

"Good." Twilight said.

"Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Trooper, do you have your hammocks and blankets?"

"Um, yes." Fluttershy said almost whispering.

"Sure do." Rainbow Dash said.

"But of course." Trooper said.

"Does everypony have their canteens and snacks?" Twilight asked universally.

The purple unicorn's question was met with a chorus of affirmative type answers, she nodded,
"Alright everypony, say your goodbyes and let's get moving."

Spike, Patch, and Sweetie Belle said their goodbyes, mostly without tears . . . mostly. There were a few tears but Sea Blue and Rarity finally extricated themselves when Cheerilee came over and rounded up the distressed fillies. Twilight pulled out her map and read over it one more time, then pointed toward the Everfree Forrest and set out levitating the map in front of her. Everypony followed her into the ominous forest and toward unknown danger.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: I thought I was being perfectly clear but apparently I’m not. Twilight IS NOT BEING JUDGEMENTAL. Is that clear enough? Why is everyone calling O.O.C. especially after episode 3? If any writer had written out what happened in episode 3 people would be screaming O.O.C. The way I see it is that there is still quite a bit that we don’t know about the characters. I for one was not expecting Twilight to become so . . . Invader Zim-ish. Let me reiterate, Twilight is not being judgemental! In real life, when a person becomes overwhelmed, they become irritable, irrational, and touchy. Twilight has been saying things she doesn’t mean, SHE’S NOT BEING JUDGEMENTAL! Seriously, if all you got out of this last chapter was ‘Twilights being O.O.C.’ then why do I freaking bother writing at all? For anyone who doesn’t get it, IT’S CALLED CHARACTER AND PLOT DEVELOPMENT. If for some reason this is not clear enough, bring it to my cell phone.

Chapter 8

The Elements of Equestria

Part 8

Caramel was not overly fond of milking cows. Doing so with his mouth, being the only option, he had no choice. It didn't help matters that the cows kept continuously commenting about his technique, 'Believe me ladies, this isn't the most fun thing in the world for me either.' he thought. While Big Macintosh had been away, Applejack had always milked the cows to save Caramel the embarrassment. With her gone, he was the only experienced, working-age pony available, there was no clear alternative since the cows didn't know Zecora. The cows were endlessly heckling him about the fact that he was a stallion and plenty of them seemed to enjoy the many possible connotations and likewise saying so, much to the blushing stallion's chagrin. He couldn't help but feel like he was cheating on Applejack somehow. Having his lips wrapped around a female creature's teat was not a common experience for him, to say the least.

Zecora, however didn't seem to be having any problems adjusting to life on the farm. She already had a solid background with plants and herbs, so she just fit right in, like she had always been there. She sang songs in her native language continuously while she worked, providing an atmosphere of ease and casuality. Winter was fast approaching, with the first snowfall scheduled to be in just a few days. The pony and zebra had their work cut out for them. The cows bedding needed to be insulated, the overhang for the pigs needed to be checked for structural integrity, the barn needed to be cleaned up, and the cellar needed to be organized, not to mention emptying out all the water pipes to keep them from bursting, cleaning the gutters of the house and barn . . . the list went on.

The morning routine was the easy part; it was the afternoon tasks which loomed ominously. Zecora and Caramel finished with the morning chores, which took till 2:00 to complete, then met together on the front porch to eat lunch and discuss what to tackle in the afternoon. The day was surprisingly warm, for being so close to winter, even so 67 degrees while sweating isn't the healthiest thing in the world. Granny Smith ordered the two impromptu farm workers to towel off before starting lunch. Zecora was surprisingly dry even before toweling off; Caramel by comparison was lathered in a sheen of sweat and took several minutes to dry. Granny Smith had left a pair of steaming bowls of apple-dumplings on the front porch for them.

Zecora and Caramel dug in happily and planned while they ate,
"I think insulating the cow's bedding would be a good place to start." Caramel began, "We could be done quickly if we work together and still have enough time to take care of checking the overhang for the pigs. What do you think, Zecora?"

The zebra raised her head from her bowl and swallowed her mouthful of dumpling,
"I believe cleaning the barn should be first, if we don't know the location of the tools we need, a situation could go from rough to worst."

Caramel nodded,
"True, the barn does need to be cleaned and organized and I certainly agree with you that we need to know where the tools are if and when we need them. I think this comes down to priorities and logic. We need tools to do most of the other tasks, right?"

Zecora nodded so Caramel continued,
"What say, we organize the barn as quickly as we can then see if we have enough time to insulate the cow's bedding. Sound good?"

"This compromise you suggest leaves me pleased; with teamwork each of the tasks for us will be greatly eased." Zecora said.

"Alright then. How about I take care of moving things and you just tell me where to put them? Then we can both work on clearing out any unnecessary debris. Besides, we need the barn floor cleaned if we're going to get to the bedding in the loft. Good idea Zecora." Caramel said smiling.

Zecora beamed,
"With experience on a farm I don't have a lot, but we have to work with what we've got. I'm surprised you didn't consider the barn a higher priority, then I could have saved myself this entire oratory. We must hurry, we waste time on this porch, daylight doesn't wait, we'll soon need a torch."

Caramel looked up. The sun was already well past its zenith. Night would be falling before too long, 'She's got a point, we do need to hurry.' Caramel thought. The two new farmers left their unfinished lunches on the porch and got right to work on the barn.

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

"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight called up into the sky for her friend.

The multihued pegasus came swooping in a few moments later and stopped, hovering in front of the purple unicorn,
"What's up, Twilight?"

"It's getting dark. Take Fluttershy and Trooper and see if you can spot anyplace for us to make camp. A clearing would be ideal, but we need a source of water for sure. Most of our canteens have been empty for a while now. How are you three doing up there?" Twilight asked.

"We're fine. Flying is easy as pie. If we need a break, we just stop and rest on a cloud for a minute or two. I made sure to mention how the clouds over the Everfree Forrest tend to dissipate and drop you, so we never stop for very long. We could have made it a lot farther but we didn't want to lose you." Dash responded.

Twilight almost hated to ask her next question,
"Has Trooper given you any more trouble?"

Dash shrugged,
"He hasn't said much, but he's constantly flying. I don't think I've seen him stop for more than a few seconds since we set out. I think he's keeping watch or patrolling or something. I mean, it's not like me or Fluttershy are going to be hurt by a breeze. What about you? Has Live Wire been giving you trouble?"

Twilight put her left hoof to her chin in thought,
"Now that you mention it, I haven't heard him say much all day."

"Maybe you hurt his feelings. You did call him brain-damaged." Rainbow Dash pointed out.

Twilight adopted an embarrassed expression,
"I was hoping nopony heard me this morning."

"It's kind of hard not to hear, the Library has great acoustics for a tree." Dash said.

Twilight quirked an eyebrow,
"No offense Rainbow Dash, but I didn't think you even knew that word."

Dash waved a hoof in the air in front of her,
"Come on Twilight, there's not much I don't know; especially if it has to do with anything involving the air. Sound travels in the air and the tree bounces it off, kind of like a rubber ball."

Twilight put a hoof to her mouth to keep from chuckling,
"Sound waves do travel in the air and they do reverberate off of solid objects, but sound itself is just vibrations that our ears translate into a recognizable format for our brains to process. You've got the right concept though."

Rainbow Dash shrugged and ascended back into the sky, singing something about 'good vibrations'. Twilight heard a rustle in the bushes behind her and turned to see Rarity trotting back out onto the path they were following. The white unicorn had excused herself for a 'nature call' and Twilight had volunteered to stay on the path facing the correct direction so she wouldn't get lost when she came back.

The two picked up the pace so they could catch up to the rest of the group,
"I must admit, Twilight, it's positively ghastly trying to relieve one's self in the woods like a common animal. I have never wished for a bidet more in my life, and my hooves are positively filthy. How long did you say we would be traveling like this?" Rarity asked.

"At least twenty-two more days. You'll just have to get used to it, Rarity." Twilight said.

Rarity hung her head,
"Oh dear, I may have gone in over my head with this trip." turning to Twilight she said, "Oh Twilight, how will I ever survive out here in this wilderness? I've seen bugs; actual insects, Twilight! What do I do if they attack me? I'm no fighting mare, what if the repellent I packed isn't enough?"

Twilight rolled her eyes at her dramatic friend and spoke over her shoulder,
"I don't know," she said sarcastically, "Step on them? You're twenty times bigger than any bug, Rarity. What are they going to do to you?" Twilight stopped and turned back to Rarity, who had also stopped, "Rarity it's not such a big deal. Didn't you have spiders back in your boutique?"

Raising her right fore hoof shakily, Rarity pointed behind Twilight,
"None THAT big!"

Twilight got that oh so familiar feeling of a huge presence behind her and turned around slowly. Behind her stood a monstrous spider, nearly six paces tall. It was pitch black and covered in thousands of long, stiff, creepy hairs. Its chelicerae dripped venom, each nearly half the size of a unicorn's horn. The creature rubbed its front legs together, dislodging dozens of hairs and began to stalk toward the two terrified mares.

Rarity shrieked in an ear piercing volume and turned to flee, but stopped as she heard somepony bellow,
"Blood and vinegar!"

Trooper appeared from the tree tops and collided with the spider with reckless abandon. The two toppled and rolled for several paces in a writhing tangle of limbs and hooves. Trooper dislodged himself and sped off to the spider's left as it leaned down to bite. Its fangs encountered only soil. The spider had an almost surprised look on its face as it met dirt. Trooper appeared from the left and bucked with both hind legs. The spider's head snapped to the right and Trooper was gone again in a flash. The spider shook its head as if to clear its senses and looked to its left. It should have looked behind. With a loud thump, Trooper bucked upwards from below its backside, sending its face into the dirt once more. The spider rose and began to turn only to have its body enveloped by a lavender glow. The arachnid flailed wildly as Twilight levitated it up against its will.

The powerful unicorn brought its hideous face up to her own; her eyes were narrowed angrily,
"Go away." she said simply.

The spider made a whimpering noise, then was violently thrown up through the forest canopy, disappearing into the distance. Twilight let the glow of her horn subside and turned back to Rarity. Rarity, for her part was simply standing behind Twilight with an unbelieving look plastered on her face.

Twilight smirked and trotted back to her friend proudly,
"You also have magic. If something is particularly large, it tends to be slower too. It's like a trade: size and strength for mobility and agility. Come on Rarity . . . " she stopped as Trooper limped back to the two mares.

"Spiders also have hairs. Rather nasty hairs that work like porcupine quills and break off easily so they stay in your skin. Ouch." Trooper said quietly.

Twilight looked at the pegasus with pity. He had the needle like hairs sticking out of nearly every inch of his body save for his eyes and mouth, everything else was punctured. As Trooper limped, he left behind small spots of blood on the leaves wherever he stepped. He was obviously in a great deal of pain. The sound of rustling leaves brought the three ponies to attention. Twilight took a ready stance with Rarity behind her, while Trooper stood in front of them bracing himself, his head held low. He shook from the pain but he was determined to keep the mares safe.

Lemon Lime appeared, jumping from the foliage and landing in a crouch. The little yellow therapist looked around swiftly, eyes sharp for any signs of danger. Seeing nothing, he looked to the other ponies. His eyes fell on Trooper and the state the pegasus was in.

His face immediately fell,
"What happened?" he asked curtly

"We were attacked by a huge spider. Trooper distracted it and I flung it off over the forest." Twilight said, unsure as to why Lemon Lime was acting so aggressive suddenly.

Lemon Lime walked up to Trooper and examined the hairs, then widened his stance and said,
"Hold still."

The yellow unicorn's horn began glowing and Twilight analyzed the spell out of habit. The components were of Controlling and Flesh. With an uneasy feeling, Twilight realized, 'He's going to try to pull the hairs out. We should let Dr. Mend tend to Trooper.' Twilight's horn erupted in its own glow as she countered Lemon Lime's magic, blocking him. The short unicorn stallion shifted his gaze to Twilight and narrowed his eyes.

Maintaining his concentration, Lemon Lime spoke to Twilight,
"These things are hurting him. They need to come out."

"No, we need to wait for Dr. Mend. Trooper needs real medical help." Twilight didn't like how Lemon Lime's expression shifted.

"I’ve got this, Twilight Sparkle. Stop blocking me or I'll break your block." Lemon Lime said, "I've got plenty of reserves and stamina from practice. Let me handle this. We might need Dr. Mend's help later on for something more serious."

Twilight wasn't about to back down,
"I said let Dr. Mend handle this. We've got plenty of supplies for later and . . . "

"You're not the one who’s in pain, Twilight!" Lemon Lime spat, "I've seen ponies in pain before, and Trooper is dealing with a lot of it right now. Let. Me. Do. This."

Twilight didn't release her magic block,
"Listen to me! You might hurt him even more!"

"Let me try just one, then decide. I'm not clumsy when it comes to magic." Lemon Lime said sharply.

"No! It could get infected!" Twilight said growing angry, "Would you just listen to me! I'm trying to help him!"

"STOP IT, BOTH OF YOU!" Rarity cried, "Twilight, let him try one and see what happens! Live Wire, she's only trying to look out for him! If it doesn't work, then let it be. If it does work then only do one at a time. Please."

Both unicorns looked ashamed and let their magic fade. Rarity was right, arguing wasn't helping Trooper.

Twilight spoke first,
"Just work on one, alright?"

"Fine, then let me concentrate." Lemon Lime responded tersely.

The yellow therapist focused his magic, his horn lit up dimly. One hair on Trooper's face became enveloped by a yellow glow and began slowly sliding out of the pegasus skin. The pain was excruciating but Trooper didn't dare move. The hair was about an inch inside Trooper's skin. It slid out, and Lemon Lime levitated it over to his face to examine it, 'Let's see. No poison or venom, just a lot of barbs and a sharp tip. I'll have to be careful. The molecular structure looks like it would break off easily. From the angle of the barbs, it looks like it's made to work its way in deeper as the victim moves. We need to keep Trooper still to keep the hairs from going deeper.'

"Twilight, can you immobilize Trooper? The hairs have barbs to inch their way in when he moves. We have to keep him still." Lemon Lime said levitating the hair off the path and dropping it into the surrounding bushes.

Twilight did not look pleased,
"I still don't think this is a good idea." she said sourly.

Her horn lit up as she concentrated. Trooper became stiff as a board. Lemon Lime began pulling hairs out of the tormented pegasus carefully. He struggled to maintain his concentration as the bushes behind him rustled. Big Macintosh, Applejack, Sea Blue, Pinkie Pie, and Dr. Mend burst through the shrubbery behind him. Rarity immediately shushed them and gestured toward Lemon Lime and Twilight. The gathering became quiet as the two unicorns worked. Rarity noticed Trooper was starting to turn blue, even more blue than normal, especially in the lips.

"Um Twilight, darling, Trooper does need to breathe." Rarity said, "Twilight? Twilight! Twilight, Trooper is suffocating! Let him go!"

Twilight blinked and let her horn's glow go out. Trooper gasped for air, panting heavily. Twilight re-engaged her horn and simply held Trooper still, not immobile, just still. Lemon Lime continued working on removing the hairs from Trooper. Dr. Mend set down his saddle-bags and began removing different objects with which to see to the injured pegasus. Lemon Lime continued working steadily. Hair after hair emerged from Trooper's body leaving behind a small hole, each of which oozed blood slowly. Dr. Mend laid a clean sheet of thick fabric on the ground and placed a series of prepared bandages out on it, ready for when Lemon Lime finished with his friend. Trooper held his eyes clenched tightly closed, the pain was nearly unbearable. He felt a mixture of agony as each hair pulled at his flesh, and relief that they were being removed. He began sweating; the physical trauma was getting to him.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy descended through the forest canopy a few minutes later and landed quietly, seemingly somewhat aware of the need for silence. Rarity walked over and filled them in on what had occurred. Fluttershy looked stricken while Rainbow Dash looked pensive.

Dash leaned over to Rarity,
"Twilight asked us to see if we could find a good place to camp tonight. We've got a big field to the," Dash looked up at the setting sun, "South-West and it’s got a river running right through the middle of it. I'll take everypony there and we'll set up camp for the night and leave Fluttershy here since she knows the way. If we get done soon enough, I'll come back for you guys."

Rarity nodded,
"Ask around and see who's willing to go set up, but please darling be quiet about it. Live Wire needs to concentrate."

Rainbow Dash quietly trotted over to the rest of the group and spread the word, while Rarity spoke to Fluttershy. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Big Macintosh, Sea Blue, and Rainbow Dash left a few short minutes later to go set up camp, while everypony else stayed. Time seemed to fade out of existence for Lemon Lime as he continued to work. Twilight had a much easier time of it since she only had to keep Trooper from moving while the hairs were extracted. Fluttershy and Dr. Mend kept watch quietly.

Finally after three solid hours, Lemon Lime extinguished the glow from his horn,
"That's as many as I can get," he said relaxing his stance, "There's a few more, but they broke off inside his body. Dr. Mend, you'll have to get them out. I'm not steady enough right now to take care of the kind of fine movements it would require."

Dr. Mend stepped up to Trooper and began inspecting the hundreds of oozing holes,
"Where are they?"

Lemon Lime illuminated each one with his magic,
"I can keep them lit up if you can get them out. Careful, they break off really easily."

Dr. Mend reached his head back and fished around inside his saddle-bags for a moment, then came out with a long, thin-pointed pair of tweezers held between his teeth. Once again, Trooper was subjected to torturous pain as the cold tweezers slipped into his skin, and in some cases muscle, to pull out sharp, thin hairs which felt as though they were spreading fire throughout his body. The barbs on every hair pulled and scraped his tender, agitated flesh as they were removed. The process had to be done slowly to ensure no more hairs broke off. Trooper couldn't sweat any more; he had dehydrated himself already from perspiring so much. His mouth was dry and his body hurt like nothing else, but he kept still, willing his muscles to stay relaxed so they wouldn't pinch against the barbs as they slid out.

After more than twenty minutes, Dr. Mend finished removing the final hair. He dropped it off to his side and slid the pile away from himself, off into the shrubbery. Twilight let the glow of her horn go and relaxed. Trooper wordlessly limped over to the blanket Dr. Mend had set out and flopped down on it moaning piteously. The sky had gone completely dark by this time, so Lemon Lime lit up his horn for illumination and walked over to Trooper.

The little yellow unicorn stallion examined Trooper carefully while Dr. Mend began cleaning his wounds,
"Problem." Lemon Lime said simply.

Twilight and Fluttershy trotted over to see what he had discovered. Looking down at Trooper, the issue was obvious. There were dozens of broken off hairs sticking out of the bottoms of his hooves, 'He got those from bucking the spider.' Twilight realized, 'That's how he knew they broke off. I can't imagine how much it must have hurt standing on them for hours.'

"Twilight, can you keep a light going while I take care of these?" Lemon Lime asked, "Dr. Mend is busy."

"Those are inside his body." Twilight said, exasperated, "I thought you said you couldn't get to them."

"I don't have much of a choice right now. It's dark and getting colder. Trooper has lost a fair bit of blood and he is dehydrated and exhausted. Dr. Mend is patching him up so somepony has to do this." Lemon Lime turned to the purple unicorn, "Do you think you can do it? I can keep up a light for you."

Twilight squared her shoulders,
"I'll try."

"Fluttershy, you have to hold him down while Twilight pulls the hairs out." Dr. Mend chimed in, "The bottoms of a pony's hooves are very tender and there are a lot of muscles and tendons. Put your full weight on him and hold him still. I can't give him anything to numb the pain right now so it's going to hurt. Talk to him and try to keep him calm." the older Earth pony stroked a hoof against Trooper's mane, "I'm sorry Trooper, but this is going to hurt a lot. Try to stay as still as you can. The more you move, the longer it will take and the more it will hurt."

Trooper grunted as Fluttershy leaned on him and put her hooves around his face,
"Just hold still now alright?"

Trooper nodded his head and closed his eyes, dreading what was to come. Lemon Lime's horn lit up brightly and Twilight used her magic to latch onto the first hair. Fluttershy heard Trooper's sharp intake of breath and felt his muscles tense. The pegasus stallion whimpered and bit his lower lip, clenching his eyes as tears began seeping down from them. Fluttershy leaned over and began whispering soothingly to him trying to hold him still.

Nearly ten minutes of pure, fiery agony later, Twilight pulled the final hair from Trooper and let the glow of her horn fade. Trooper relaxed and let out a shuddering breath. Fluttershy stayed put while Dr. Mend saw to his hooves. The older medical pony wrapped Trooper's hooves in thick bandages then set to work on turning him over and cleaning the other side, the side that had congealed with the blanket. Trooper didn't move an inch, he just lay there breathing. Dr. Mend leaned over and pulled back one of the stallion's eyelids. Trooper had passed out.

Twilight spoke up, whispering quietly to the older, black stallion,
"Will he be able to walk to the camp?"

Dr. Mend shook his head,
"I don't want to wake him. How far away is it?"

Twilight turned to Fluttershy,
"Fluttershy, how far away is the camp site you and Rainbow Dash found?"

"Um, about nine-hundred flaps." Fluttershy said timidly.

"So roughly two-thousand, seven-hundred paces. That's a long way." Twilight said.

"Too long. He needs to stay off his hooves until they've had time to heal. He should be able to fly well enough, but his injuries will heal quickly. They're numerous but small. I'd say if we use some of Valiant's healing potion, we're looking at a day and a half." Dr. Mend said then turned to Fluttershy, "Would you please administer a dose of the healing potion to Trooper please, Fluttershy? I have some in my saddle-bags."

While Fluttershy saw to Trooper, Twilight continued talking,
"Well then how are we going to get him to the camp? Maybe I could levitate him up to Rainbow Dash and she could carry him."

Dr. Mend nodded,
"That sounds good but what about tomorrow? Are we going to keep moving or wait here for a day?" he asked openly.

"I'll carry him." Lemon Lime volunteered.

"You're already loaded down with food, how can you carry him?" Twilight asked.

"I'll levitate him. I've held up the weight of a pony for hours before and I can do it again." Lemon Lime looked like he wanted to say more, but with a force of will, he clamped his teeth shut.

"I'm not sure anypony could do what you're talking about, Lemon Lime . . . " Twilight was cut off by the yellow unicorn.

"Much less me." he finished bluntly, "That's what you were going to say, wasn't it."

Twilight's ears flattened back against her head,
"No, I was going to say that even if it were possible, the unicorn who did it would be exhausted by night fall. You might even be suffering from 'Caster's Stroke' by that time."

"I know my limits, Twilight Sparkle." Lemon Lime said tersely, "I'm not as brain-damaged as you might think."

"I didn't mean that!" Twilight defended.

"Yet you said it." Lemon said slowly.

"And why are you talking so weird? You've been talking weird all day." Twilight asked.

"I'm trying to be less annoying for you." he clarified crossly, "Less words, less annoyance. This conversation is over."

"You can't just end a conversation whenever you feel like it!" Twilight yelled.

"I'm stopping before I say something I don't mean. Some ponies have that kind of restraint." Lemon said.

"How many times do I have to say I'm sorry?" Twilight asked.

"You haven't said it once yet, actually." Lemon said quietly.

Twilight blinked several times, then spoke calmly, from her heart,
"Well then, I'm sorry. I apologize for saying all those things. I honestly didn't mean what I said. I never meant to hurt your feelings. I don't think you're brain-damaged or anything like that."

Lemon Lime stood still, absorbing Twilight's words,
"I forgive you, Twilight," he said slowly, "But you really do need to have faith in me. If I say I can do something, that means I'm sure I can. If I say I'll try, that means I'm not certain. It's a thing I picked up while attending The University." he stepped up to Twilight, "I'm sorry too. I'm not trying to be annoying all the time, but it's really hard to speak at a normal rate when my mind is constantly processing and calculating. I guess I'm just trying to impress you. You're powerful and smart. You're Princess Celestia's personal student, that means something. I'm just trying to get you to treat me like an equal." he hung his head, "I'm sorry for pestering you."

Twilight lowered her head so she could look the yellow stallion in the eyes,
"But we are equals, just in different ways. Tossing that giant spider was easy. I didn't have to worry about keeping it particularly safe. Pulling the hairs out of Trooper's hooves was nearly impossible compared to tossing the spider. It took a lot of care and finesse not to break them. You had no trouble with them at all." Twilight smiled, "I'm still not so sure you could have broken through my block though. I've been told it's like trying to peg down a cloud in a wind storm."

Twilight blushed as Lemon Lime nuzzled her once,
"Let's just call it even, alright?" he said.

The purple unicorn stepped back and cleared her throat,
"Don't get too friendly there. I respect you enough, but don't push your luck."

Lemon Lime had to hide a pleased smile,
"Deal." he said out loud, but as Twilight turned away from him, he whispered, "For now."

Rainbow Dash landed abruptly on the pathway from above,
"Hey, are you guys going to come to camp or what?"

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

Valiant munched on wild onion and rhubarb soup, thinking about how sour it was. He shifted his weight to get closer to the fire. The night was a cool one and getting progressively colder. His fight with the Lupus had been replaying through his mind the entire day. In retrospect he decided it had been a necessary evil and self preservation besides. The fact that he killed something still hung heavily in his mind but he was starting to come to terms with it. The Lupus was effectively dying in the first place, 'I suppose it could be considered an act of mercy. From what I know about rabies, the creature's mind and whatever personality it had were essentially gone, like it was already dead, just going through very prolonged death-throws.' he thought.

Feeling better about his deed, Valiant finished off the rest of the soup and set his bowl down. He ran through the day's events and made a small mental checklist, 'Woke up, exercised, ate breakfast, broke camp, and walked. Then in the evening, I set up camp, refilled my canteens, started dinner, exercised, and ate dinner. I guess its bedtime now, right after I clean out the pot and bowl.'

The pegasus stallion took the pot and bowl to the nearby stream and rinsed them out thoroughly. He set the pair down on the stream bank and lowered his head to take a drink. As his nose neared the gently rippling water, he smelled a scent which startled him, 'Huh?' he thought. He inched his nose closer to the stream and sniffed again, more carefully. The scent was unmistakable, 'That's the smell of pony. I'm still days from New Yoke. What's another pony doing out here?' Valiant looked upstream and saw the flicker of a campfire off a distance through the trees. He gauged the distance to be maybe three-hundred paces and decided to follow the stream and perhaps say 'hi' to the other pony, 'I haven't spoken with another pony in a while.' he thought

Valiant followed up the stream, creeping quietly so as not to disturb the other pony if they were sleeping. He counted the paces and much to his surprise, the distance was not three-hundred paces, but a mere two-hundred and thirty-three instead. He kept his eyes peeled as he crossed the stream in a leap, landing on the opposite side of the bank, where the other camp was.

The camp looked rather like his own. One lone tent stood seven paces back from a merry campfire that had a cook pot suspended over it. The pot was steaming, but Valiant saw no sign of the inhabitant, 'It's dangerous to leave a pot over a fire if you're not watching it.'

Valiant's thoughts were interrupted as a brash voice echoed over to him from the far side of the campfire, close to the tree line,
"Yo stallion, what's up? I wasn't expecting to see another pony way out here. What gives Earth-bro? You out camping too? Dumb question huh?"

Valiant searched the edge of the forest for any sign of the other pony, who was obviously a stallion,
"Where are you? I can't see you." he called.

The other stallion's laugh sounded like a bark,
"Dude, I'm up here! The trees bro, the trees!"

Valiant adjusted his gaze and spotted the other stallion. He was suspended from a tree branch that had to be no less than twenty paces from the ground. He was hanging from a quartet of hooks that were linked to a shoulder and flank harness. From the distance and with poor lighting, Valiant couldn't make out the other pony's coloration or cutie-mark. As the surprised wingless pegasus watched, the other stallion swung himself from one branch to another, using the hooks to hold on. He swung, flipping from branch to branch, lowering himself slowly and finally landed on the ground in a proud pose.

"Ha, ha!" he laughed, "Bet you've never seen anything like that before have you bro?" he approached Valiant, "My name is Dare Devil!" he spouted in a fake accent, bowing deeply.

Valiant was about to speak when the other stallion spoke up again,
"If you believe that one, I'll tell you another! Sorry, my actual name is Surf & Turf." he said smiling, "I was totally not expecting to run into another pony out here though dude. Are you an extreme sports enthusiast too?"

"Uh, no sorry. I'm Valiant. I saw your fire from downstream and, well, I haven't had any other pony to talk to for a while." he admitted sheepishly.

"It's all cool bro. Conversation withdrawal sucks. I was getting wicked lonely out here too. I'm heading back to New Yoke first thing tomorrow. The wilderness is nice and all but, there's less dangers in the city and a lot more ponies. No offense bro, but when I first spotted you way on the other side of the stream, I was totally hoping you were a hot filly or something. I so miss all the pretty girls at the beach."

Surf & Turf was finally close enough to the fire for Valiant to make out his appearance. The royal blue pegasus stallion wondered how he EVER missed Surf & Turf. He was an Earth pony with all neon colors. His coat was bright neon orange and his mane and tail were bright neon green with bright neon pink highlights that looked natural. Everything about him was BRIGHT. His cutie-mark was of a hang glider crossing paths with a quartet of roller blades and a climbing rope suspended in the center between the two with a cliff-side as the background. It took Valiant a moment to make out Surf & Turf's eye color. His eyes were white with only the very center being black, giving him the look of a pony who was perpetually fascinated or amazed. By contrast, his eyelids seemed to be stuck only half open making him look sleepy at the same time.

"New Yoke?" Valiant asked, "I'm headed that way too. I won't be staying long though; I'm just going to buy a few things from there. As soon as I'm done, I'm heading to my hometown, Haysburg."

“Haysburg!" Surf & Turf exclaimed, "Dude that's awesome! You must have traveled for, like months to get way out here! That's some serious extreme camping right there! I've always wanted to go to Haysburg! I heard there’s some wickedly hot Earth fillies there! Aw dude, I am so down with that! Oh dude! I want to see some Griffons, and hike some swamps, and check out some of the ruins, and oh SO totally check out some fillies! This is going to be just righteous!"

Valiant had to hide a smile,
"Well, it's not all smiles and pretty girls you know. Haysburg gets a ton of tornados and the Griffons aren't always friendly."

"Dude, like I care?" Surf & Turf said, "It's an adventure! I'm psyching myself up for it! I mean, dude, it's not like New Yoke is my home or anything. I'm just hanging there till something else catches my interest." the boisterous stallion's tone shifted to a serious one, "See the thing is dude, I don't have a home. I've been looking around all over the place for somewhere to settle down and everything, but not many places have what I need. New Yoke is nice, but there’s no mountains or anything. I need to live somewhere that I can climb mountains, go camping, go rafting, hang glide, and all that stuff. So far no place has what I need. I've been to Stalliongrad. It's got the mountains, and forests, but it's way too cold and the winds are all crazy and stuff."

Valiant shrugged,
"You can come with me; I'm not going to stop you. I'm just giving you a warning. I would be glad of the company though."

Surf & Turf perked right up,
"Dude, it's settled then! We hike our flaks back to New Yoke, then make our way to Haysburg! I know the fastest path to New Yoke! We can make it in just three days!"

Valiant's jaw dropped,
"Three days?" he asked, "I thought I was more than a week away, closer to two weeks."

"Naw bro," Surf & Turf said waving a hoof, "Just three days. I set up this wicked series of zip lines on the way here. See you would normally have to hike valleys and gorges to get to New Yoke, but with the zip lines, dude, it takes days off the trip. You aren't afraid of heights are you? Some Earth ponies are."

"I'm a pegasus actually."Valiant said smoothly.

Surf & Turf looked at Valiant's back for a moment before the truth hit him,
"Aw dude," he said sympathetically, "I am SO sorry! That sucks Ursa toes! I TOTALLY understand if you don't want to talk about it!"

"That's alright, don't worry about it. To answer your question, no I'm not afraid of heights." Valiant said.

"Alright then dude. Do you want to meet up here at my camp or should I come to you?" Surf asked.

"I'll come to you in the morning, if that's alright." Valiant offered.

"It's all good bro. Whatever works. I got to get some shut eye if we're going to do this tomorrow though. Not trying to be rude or anything dude, but I'm sure you do too." Surf said.

"Good idea. I'll see you tomorrow morning the Surf & Turf." Valiant said turning to leave.

"Dude, just call me Surf -or- Turf. There's no need for both." the other stallion said pulling the pot off the fire.

"Well then, good night Surf." Valiant called over his shoulder.

He headed back to his camp and snuggled down into his blanket. The night had just warmed up a bit.

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

Rainbow Dash called to the camp below,
"Hey, I need somepony to set out a blanket for Trooper. Dr. Mend says I can't put him on the bare ground."

Sea Blue dashed into his tent and brought out a thin white sheet then proceeded to throw it out, spreading it out on the ground,
"Put him down here."

Rainbow Dash set Trooper down on the ground gently. Pinkie Pie and Sea Blue sat on their haunches on either side of the wounded pegasus to keep his warm. He was much cooler than he should have been and the night's temperature had been continuously dropping since nightfall.

Every pony had been busy. Big Mac had unloaded the tents while Rarity organized in Twilight's stead. The white unicorn had asked Sea Blue to help her set up the tents while Big Macintosh and Applejack went looking for something to eat and Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash refilled everypony's canteens. They had all accomplished their tasks without much quarreling and soon the campsite had a fire dancing happily inside a ring of stones with a large cook pot on top of a metal grill. The two farm ponies had found a patch of carrots and potatoes for dinner, a lucky find. Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rarity set to peeling the vegetables while Rainbow Dash flew the cook pot over to the stream, not river like she had claimed, and filled it with water to boil out. She had left shortly thereafter to find the others. By the time she returned, there was a delicious smell of cooking vegetables coming from the pot, which was boiling animatedly.

Dr. Mend, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Lemon Lime trotted into camp several minutes after Dash set Trooper down. Twilight was pleasantly surprised to see that the camp was arranged almost exactly as she would have done. The four tents were set with their backs facing the four cardinal directions, like a compass, with the fire in the middle, and yet still a safe distance away from each tent. Each pony's saddle-bags were set up on one side of each tent and covered with a tarp.

Twilight broke away from the others and trotted up the fire,
"Who organized this? It's fantastic!" she gushed.

"Yours truly!" Rarity chimed musically, raising her right hoof into the air.

"Ah was afraid A'd have to get her to ignore the small stuff and deal with what's important again, but she did plum well for herself. Ah got to say Ah'm impressed with ya Rarity." Applejack praised.

Rarity fluttered her eyelashes at the compliment,
"But of course, darling. Did you expect anything else? I can learn my lessons just as much as any other pony can. Why, by the time this little outing is over I'm quite sure I'll be a regular old Damsel Boon.” she said haughtily.

The gathered ponies all rolled their eyes, but decided not to say anything. In his unconscious state, Trooper suddenly yelled,
"Look out for the spider!"

Rarity screeched and leapt into Big Macintosh's hooves trembling,
"Spider! Where?! Oh save me Big Mac!"

"Ain't no spider Rarity. Just Trooper talkin' in his sleep." Big Macintosh said with a bored expression.

The gathered ponies all burst into fits of laughter.

Dr. Mend, being arguably the most pragmatic pony present voiced a concern,
"For tonight, I think it would be best for everypony to sleep in a tent. Trooper needs to be kept warm. Somepony will have to sleep on either side of him, use your body heat. Pegasi have the highest body temperature because of their metabolism. Rainbow Dash, you and Fluttershy keep him warm tonight. Lay facing him. The underside of your body is the warmest, especially the inside of the legs where the blood-vessels flow close to the surface of the skin. Reach over him and press your legs over him, both front and back, also try to keep your bellies pressed to him. There's a lot of warmth there too. If anypony gets cold, snuggle up to your tent-mates to conserve heat. We'll probably have to do this more and more as winter progresses. Remember to be mature, we're all adults here. It's nothing personal or private, so don't go groping or doing anything immature."

Twilight nodded in agreement,
"Let's discuss sleeping arrangements."

Pinkie Pie bounced up and down waving her left hoof,
"Ooh pick me, pick me!"

"Sure Pinkie," Twilight acknowledged, "Go ahead."

"I think we should all sleep as close to our 'co-Elements'," she somehow managed to use her hooves to air quote, "As we can. Obviously we can't all do that, there isn't enough room, so let's divide up. Every tent, other than the 'pegasi tent'," she air quoted again, "Should have two matched Elements in it. Let's put Dr. Mendie, Applejack and me in one, Rarity, Sea Blue, and Big Macintosh in another then Twilight and Live Wire in the third."

Twilight face instantly heated up in flames at the thought of sleeping in a tent with only Lemon Lime,
"That's an odd arrangement Pinkie Pie. Don't you think a different arrangement would work better?"

Pinkie Pie just shook her head smiling,
"Nope! See, this way if any tent is attacked by some monster," Pinkie held up her hooves in what she assumed was an imposing fashion to illustrate the point, "Or something, there's a fighting pony already there, who can protect the others. Rainbow Dash for the first tent, since Trooper's out of it, Applejack is really strong, so is Big Macintosh, and you and Live Wire wield enough power to toss around just about anything that comes your way. It's perfect!"

Twilight HATED to admit it, but Pinkie Pie had a point. The chance of a creature of some sort was not particularly likely, but she didn't want to take the chance, especially in the Everfree Forrest.

Twilight conceded to Pinkie's suggestion,
"Very well. Is the arrangement acceptable to everypony?" she asked hoping for some point of contention.

"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash bellowed, "I'm not comfortable sleeping so close to a stallion. What if he gets that morning thing that stallions get in the morning?"

"I can sleep in front of him if that makes you feel better." Fluttershy said quietly, "Remember it's nothing personal."

Rainbow Dash put a hoof to her forehead,
"Fluttershy, how much more personal can you get than that?"

"Oh just deal with it Dashie." Pinkie chirped merrily, "It's no big deal. Gee whiz, I never thought I'd see the day when I was more mature than you." she giggled.

"Oh fine." Rainbow Dash huffed, crossing her fore-hooves.

"Now then," Lemon Lime said, "Let's eat. I'm starving."

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

Back in Ponyville, Patch and Sweetie Belle snuggled down next to each other, already good friends. Each needed the other, having had to part with their parental figures. Cheerilee was a wonderful sitter and teacher, but there was no true substitute for family, so the two fillies made do with each other.

"Good night Sweetie Belle. Good night Patch. Remember you have school in the morning. I'll come wake you up for breakfast. Sleep well." Cheerilee said closing the door most of the way, but leaving a crack so the hallway light could filter in without becoming overbearing.

Patch turned to Sweetie Belle,
"What's school here like?"

Sweetie Belle shrugged,
"It's okay, I guess. The best part is having Applebloom and Scootaloo around. Just watch out for Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. They're mean to every new pony. If they act like they want to be your friends, don't believe it. Trust me, if they're nice to you, they have something planned, and I guarantee it'll be something mean. All the other colts and fillies are nice though. You'll like it. Come on, Patch. Let's get some sleep."

Patch pulled the warm blanket up to her chin, whispering,
"Good night Daddy. I miss you."

Next to her, Sweetie Belle clenched her eyes shut and sniffled quietly,
"Good night big sis. I miss you too."

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

Out at Sweet Apple Acres, Caramel collapsed onto Big Macintosh's bed, asleep almost instantly. He and Zecora had just finished insulating the cow's bedding. Both were weary to the bone. Zecora settled down on Applejack's bed, still uneasy about the notion, 'Do not ever sleep in another's bed, it is an insult to them unless they are dead.' she thought remembering what her mother had taught her. Equestrian pony traditions were very different than that of her own people, but Applejack had seemed insulted that she had suggested NOT sleeping in the Earth pony's own bed. Zecora put the issue out of her mind and settled down to try to get some sleep.

The door to the bedroom cracked open, revealing the small frame of a young Earth pony filly,
"I had a bad dream. Can I sleep with you tonight Zecora?" Applebloom asked.

Zecora smiled,
"Of course you can Applebloom, in this bed there is too much room."

As Applebloom crawled into bed with the zebra, Zecora smirked knowingly,
"Was it really a scary nightmare my little friend? Or was it perhaps an excuse, something that's just pretend?"

Applebloom snuggled up against Zecora,
"I miss Applejack and Big Macintosh." she whispered.

"It is completely natural to miss one's family young filly. If you did not, I would think your head is quite silly. I too miss my family often, but time allows the hurt to soften. For now, this is simply what must be, you will be reunited with them soon, you'll see."

Applebloom yawned hugely,
"Thanks Zecora. You're a good friend."

"Remember little Applebloom, you and your family are all sleeping under the same moon." Zecora said softly, "Just I am with my own, although they are all back home."

The pony and zebra fell asleep, both missing their families, but both united by the absence as well.

The night passed, growing colder and colder, heralding the quick approach of winter. Ponies all over Equestria slept peacefully throughout the land. All watched over by the ever-present orb in the night sky, and a certain dark blue alicorn princess, who loved them all, standing as a silent sentinel against various dangers beyond comprehension. She knew she could not hold back the storm forever, but for now she did her best. When the time came, it would all be up to them.

"Rest now, my little ponies. The coming storm will test you beyond anything before. Your ancestors will be proud once all is said and done. Sleep is a precious gift. In time you will long for it as you do the very breath in your lungs. A great many lives rest on your decisions. We have faith in you, prove us right." he voice dropped to a whisper, "I pray, by all that is Equestria, prove us right."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This was a tough chapter to write. Many thanks to all my readers for bearing with me. I'll try to update more often from now on. I sincerely hope this chapter lives up to your expectations. As always, all comments are most welcome. A special thanks goes out to Earthroot for having enough faith to trust people he never met. I truly hope they don't let you down, my friend. One last special thanks goes out to my lovely wife: Thank you for putting up with me! I love you more and more every day. :)

Author's Note

Chapter 9

The Elements of Equestria

Part 9

Twilight was warm and comfortable. The heavy blanket over her was pleasantly heated by the warmth of her own body. She shifted and was suddenly wide awake. Some pony was spooning her intimately. The lavender unicorn looked down. A yellow hoof was draped over her chest as she lay on her left side. Twilight turned her head and beheld Lemon Lime sleeping peacefully behind her. As she raised her head she felt a cold wetness on her cheek. Looking down she saw a small puddle of drool on the inflatable pillow underneath her head. She was contemplating how to rid herself of the offending puddle when she heard Rarity's voice ring out in the early dawn light.

"My goodness darling! You should have been named Huge Macintosh! I never knew you cared so much!" Rarity's comment was followed by a loud rustling and the sound of a tent being unzipped hurriedly, and somepony galloping away, followed by the sound of two ponies laughing quietly.

Twilight rolled her eyes, 'Oh good grief!Poor Big Mac.' she thought. She levitated the heavy blanket off herself and slipped out from under Lemon Lime's hoof. Awkward though it was, Twilight had to admit, having somepony snuggling up to her was assuredly much warmer than the alternative. Twilight covered Lemon Lime back up with the blanket and unzipped their tent. The ground was covered in frost and the air had a stout chill to it. The fire had died down in the night, so she used a stick to rekindle the flames to life and added a little more wood.

Rarity and Sea Blue emerged from their tent, both carrying small shower-kits in their mouths and headed toward the stream in the meadow. Twilight had to strain to keep from snickering, but was surprised her white-coated friend was not more self-conscious. Rarity looked like she had French kissed a light socket. Her mane and tail were in a state of disarray that Twilight was definitely not envious of. Realizing her own state must have been close to matching Rarity's, Twilight dashed back into her tent and retrieved her brush. A distant squeal, told her that Rarity had seen her reflection in the stream.

By the time she re-emerged from the tent, Applejack was already up and sitting by the fire warming her hooves,
"Mornin' Twilight." she greeted cheerfully, "Did ya sleep well? Ah just put on a pot of coffee. The grounds were in Live Wire's saddle-bags," looking around, Applejack whispered, "Just don't tell Pinkie."

"Don't tell me what?" Pinkie Pie asked suddenly appearing next to Applejack, "Ooh, is that coffee?"

"Ya can't have none Pinkie, sorry." Applejack said firmly.

"That's O.K. Applejack. I packed some hot cocoa." Pinkie said pulling out several packets from nowhere.

Dr. Mend slowly crawled out of the tent,
"Did somepony mention the great elixir of life?"

"Huh?" Applejack asked.

"He means the coffee." Twilight supplied.

Pinkie Pie went down into a crouch, tail straight up in the air behind her, and inched her way toward what she had dubbed 'the pegasi tent'. She slowly unzipped the tent flap with her teeth and peeked inside. Unable to resist a look, the others crept up and peered over Pinkie's shoulder. From what they could tell from the shapes under the blankets, Fluttershy was laying on her left side, legs wrapped tightly around Trooper holding him close. Trooper lay on his right, facing the custard colored pegasus. Rainbow Dash took the cake. She not only had both her left hooves draped over Trooper, but had rolled almost completely onto him during the night. She had her head lying on his shoulder and was chewing on his left ear, while mumbling softly to herself in her sleep. She clutched him like he was a cherished stuffed toy. The gathering of ponies looking over Pinkie's shoulder took several steps back, hooves to mouths to keep from laughing out loud.

Pinkie, on the other hoof, sighed and let out a loud,
"Aww, that's so sweet!"

Fluttershy stirred and cracked open her eyes. She looked around and saw Rainbow Dash. Smiling warmly, she carefully pulled her hooves out from under Rainbow Dash and inched her way out from under the covers then crept out of the tent. She shook herself out and stretched her wings daintily, then headed over to the fire. The other ponies gathered around the fire once more. Applejack picked up the cook pot and carried it off toward the stream.

Dr. Mend shook his head as if clearing something from his mind, then dashed over to the side of the tent where his saddle-bags were. Removing a small bottle, he headed down to the stream leaving Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Twilight alone by the fire. A shuffle from behind her made Twilight look back. Lemon Lime staggered out of the tent and shook himself off, then began stretching in all sorts of odd directions. He finished stretching and lay down on the ground and curled his hind legs up and over his head. Keeping his legs in the same position, he used his front hooves to push himself off the ground, up and down in a repetitive motion. He slowly lowered himself and lay flat on his stomach arching his back down toward the ground as he pushed up with his front hooves with his hind legs stretched out straight behind himself. Straightening his posture he began doing push-ups.

Pinkie Pie suddenly appeared beside him wearing a sports head band and had a whistle around her neck suspended by a red lanyard,
"1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . 4 . . . 5 . . . 6 . . . "

After Pinkie counted to fifty, Lemon Lime got back up on all four legs and walked around to his saddle-bags.

He returned levitating a small canister and plopped himself down next to the fire,
"Good morning everypony. I've got oatmeal here. We can flavor it however you want. Honey, berries, raisins, cinnamon, sugar, saccharin, butter, or plain. Whatever you like. I think we should try to hurry up so we can get moving soon. I figure we should stick to something simple for now, until we get the hang of having breakfast and cleaning up quickly. I mean we could . . . "

"Um, Live Wire." Fluttershy addressed softly.

"If we wanted to, but then . . . " he continued obliviously.

"Hey, Live Wire!" Pinkie Pie chimed in.

"I suppose we could . . . " he continued on.

"Lemon Lime." Twilight addressed softly, placing a hoof on the exuberant unicorn's shoulder.

Lemon Lime clammed up instantly and turned to the purple unicorn,
"Yes?"

"It's alright, we get it." Twilight said.

"Oh, okay." he said cheerfully.

Applejack and Dr. Mend returned shortly. The former placed the cook pot on the grill over the fire and let the water heat. Dr. Mend put his bottle back and removed a long-handled, curved brush from his saddle-bags. He clamped his teeth onto the handle, which caused the brush to curl up over his head, and worked his jaw back and forth, brushing out his lengthy mane. Sea Blue returned, looking decidedly more together and put away his shower kit. Rarity was still absent but Big Macintosh returned and sat down next to the fire as the ponies prepared to have breakfast.

Trooper awoke with a start and saw Rainbow Dash lying on top of him.

Keeping his voice quiet, he addressed his multicolored bedmate,
"Do get off Rainbow Dash! You look like a foal!" he hissed in a low voice.

Dash stirred and blinked. Seeing Trooper starring at her, with his ear in her mouth, she spit it out, leaving it dripping with gooey spittle. The ear flopped down and hit Trooper's face with a wet splat. Trooper grimaced and whipped his head to the side, dislodging the ear for a moment before gravity took over and it flopped back onto his face once more.

He blew out a breath and looked up at Rainbow Dash with raised eyebrows,
"What exactly are you waiting for, may I ask?"

Rainbow Dash drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, she spoke quietly,
"What were you thinking yesterday? You could have been killed!"

Trooper quietly harrumphed,
"As if you care?"

Rainbow Dash didn't budge an inch so Trooper figured she wanted a real answer,
"If you must know, I was not thinking at all! I reacted, nothing more! In retrospect, I am partly ashamed of myself! I am supposed to guard you and Fluttershy, but I was there and I saw it so I reacted! Are you satisfied?"

Rainbow Dash pursed her lips, but nodded and shifted her weight off the pegasus stallion beneath her. She exited the tent and instantly took to the air, flying around and performing some aerial stunts and tricks to loosen up. Trooper grunted and tried to rise, but he was too weak and the bandages were stiff.

He exhaled heavily and addressed the open air,
"I could really use some assistance here, anypony?"

"Coming!" yelled Sea Blue.

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

Sweetie Belle had never before fully appreciated just how much work Cheerilee did before school even started. She, Patch, and their teacher had arrived at the school house more than an hour early. Cheerilee had opened up the classroom and let the fillies in. Sweetie Belle had never seen the classroom before school. The place was empty and lifeless, with walls blank and lights dim in the early morning. Cheerilee set right to work and had Sweetie Belle and Patch help her set up for the day. They put up posters, changed events on the class calendar, wiped down each desk, and clapped erasers. They finished with ten minutes to spare before the first bell so Cheerilee had Sweetie Belle gather Patch's new books.

Sweetie Belle walked around the classroom pointing out each filly or colt's seat, starting at the back and working her way forward,
"And in the first row is Archer, Twist, and . . . "

"Hey Sweetie Belle, who’s your new friend?" Scootaloo asked walking in.

The little orange pegasus walked up to her desk in the rear of the classroom and began pulling her books out of her saddle-bags and onto the desk top,
"Come on, what's her name?"

"Scootaloo, this is Patch. Patch, this is my friend Scootaloo. She's one of the Cutie Mark Crusaders." Sweetie Belle introduced, gesturing to the pegasus filly with her left hoof.

Patch smiled mischievously, Scootaloo had not yet seen her 'blank eye' due to the angle she was standing, she walked behind the other filly and stuck out her right hoof,
"Hi Scootaloo."

Scootaloo turned around and began to shake Patch's hoof, then stopped dead,
"Whoa," she said surprised, "What happened to your eye?"

"It's a mutation!" Patch said, "I can see right through my eye lid."

Sweetie Belle face-hoofed,
"Come on, Patch. Tell her the truth."

"Aww, you're no fun Sweetie Belle." Patch said giggling, "It's just the way I was born. How did you like the line though? I've been practicing it for Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Sweetie Belle said they were bullies."

Scootaloo's face contorted into the single most mischievous, most devious, most cutely evil expression you could ever imagine,
"It's perfect." she purred.

"Thath's tho cool!" Twist said entering the class room.

"What is Twist?" Applebloom asked following the lisping filly.

Patch turned toward the newest filly to enter the room,
"My missing eye." she said casually.

"Oh, wow!" Applebloom exclaimed, "That really is cool!"

"I've got an idea!" Sweetie Belle said eyes growing wide, "Quick! Does anypony have a small ball, about the same size as an eye?"

"Ah do!" Applebloom said, reaching into her saddle-bags she removed a baseball.

"Perfect! Does anypony have any markers?" Sweetie Belle continued.

"Yeth, right here." Twist added.

"Perfect!" Sweetie Belle said rubbing her hooves together.

The four other fillies got the idea then got right to work, all giggling conspiratorially.

Class was due to start in two minutes. Everypony had arrived except for the two bullies who always waited till the last second to come in. Patch had pulled her mane in front of her blank eye and covered up her horn so her magic couldn't be seen, and then had levitated the fake eye underneath Diamond Tiara's seat before class. Only Patch, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Twist, and Applebloom knew about the plan, the rest of the class was utterly unprepared. Finally the two bullies made their appearance and took their seats. Cheerilee closed the door and began taking roll call.

She cycled through each name, then proceeded with other matters,
"Come on up here, Patch." she said.

Patch, acting shy and nervous, slowly walked up to the front of the class room and turned beside Cheerilee, the teacher continued,
"Class, this is Patch. She's a new student here and I want you all to treat her like you treat each other."

Silver Spoon blew some quiet raspberries and sighed,
"Look, another blank flank." she said out loud.

The whole class heard the comment, but chose to ignore it. Patch smiled when Cheerilee asked her to go around and introduce herself to everypony. She began with the front row, then moved to the second row.

She stopped in front of Silver Spoon and extended her hoof,
"Hi, I'm Patch."

Silver Spoon sighed and rolled her eyes,
"I heard Cheerilee the first time, you know blank flank."

"And I heard her tell me to introduce myself to everypony, rich witch." Patch said smiling.

The students giggled at the witty jab; Cheerilee's voice rang out softly from the front,
"That wasn't very nice Patch. Nor was what you said Silver Spoon. Please behave girls."

Patch continued on to Applebloom then to Diamond Tiara,
"Hi . . . " she began extending her hoof.

"You're Patch, yeah I know. I'm not deaf." Diamond Tiara said in a bored tone.

"Diamond Tiara, be nice to Patch." Cheerilee said.

Patch turned to the teacher,
"That's alright Miss Cheerilee. I've got this."

"That's good . . . What?" Cheerilee caught what Patch said just as Diamond Tiara spoke again.

"Why are you hiding half your face? Are you really that ugly?" she asked maliciously.

"Nope," Patch said pulling her mane out of here face with a hoof, "I'm just hiding this."

Diamond Tiara's face went pure white, she looked horrified,
"W . . . what happened to you? Where's your eye?"

"Right here." Patch said levitating the fake eye out from Diamond Tiara's desk and right in front of her face.

Diamond Tiara's eyes focused on the object in front of her in utter disbelief, lips trembling like Jell-O.

Back in the Library, far from the school house, Spike was startled awake by the loudest, most terrified, blood-curdling scream he had ever heard.

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

Valiant was convinced that Surf & Turf had an ongoing death wish. He looked up at the line strung across the gorge in front of him and swallowed hard. The line looked too thin and the gorge looked too deep. He wasn't afraid of heights, but he was definitely afraid of being terribly mangled by a long fall onto razor sharp rocks.

Surf & Turf removed a pair of odd looking devices from his saddle bags and passed one to Valiant,
"It's like destiny was watching out for you or something dude. I have this second roller in case the first one breaks. Just got it made right before I came out here."

Valiant couldn't help but wonder about the intelligence of his companion, 'What use would he have for a second if the first broke?' he looked over the edge of the gorge, 'He'd be too dead to use it.'

His thoughts were interrupted by Surf & Turf talking again,
"Now, I know what you're thinking dude, 'How could I use the second if the first one broke?' right?" he asked before answering his own question, "My hang glider is telescopic. It's this weird looking contraption on my back here. I just press a button and it folds right out, so even if the first roller breaks, in mid line, I'll still be alive enough to use the second one. Well, once I climb all the way back up anyway."

Valiant shook his head, 'Was he reading my mind?' he wondered.

"Naw dude, I just get impressions sometimes; almost like there's this weirdo bubble above your head that displays your inner monologue. It's just something I do." Surf & Turf said shrugging.

"Ooooookkkkkkaaaaaayyyyyy." Valiant said, feeling a little like his personal space had just somehow been violated.

"Here dude, let me show you how to use this thing." Surf said, "You put one hoof through each one of these holes here and make sure the roller is above your back. Then you take the roller in your mouth and latch it to the line. Like this bro."

Surf & Turf slipped the first one on and took the roller in his mouth then proceeded to lean up against the tree the zip-line was attached to. He reached his neck up and placed the roller onto the line, then flipped closed a tight-fitting metal panel on a hinge and pulled down on a pivot, securing it.

"See dude, this way, if you get stuck, you just pump your legs up and down, to get you going again. The up and down motion should dislodge the rope and rollers and get you moving. The panel keeps you from knocking yourself off, heh, no pun intended bro. Get it, 'knock yourself off' like suicide and 'knock yourself off' like falling." the neon pony laughed.

Valiant couldn't help but comment,
"Are you alright in the head? Are you sure your name shouldn't be Death Wish?"

Surf turned to face his new friend and scratched his chin,
"You know dude, it's amazing how many ponies ask me that." he shrugged, "Oh well," and with that he kicked off and began sliding down the zip-line, screaming, "Cowabunga!"

Valiant watched in amazement, 'That nut actually seems to be enjoying it!' he thought.

Surf & Turf splayed out his legs and began to spin wildly,
"Dude! You gotta try this!"

"You're insane." Valiant said under his breath, "And yet I'm following you."

Valiant leaned up on the tree the zip-line was attached to, and connected the roller just like Surf & Turf showed him. He looked back and watched as the neon Earth pony speedily approached the tree which held the other end of the line, rotating all the while like a helicopter blade. Surf & Turf whooped once more just before he hit the tree. Valiant could hear the impact from across the gorge. The neon colored pony's body went slack and he just hung there, like a limp rag-doll.

Valiant waited for any signs of life, but saw none; acting quickly, he kicked off hoping to get to his new friend and help him, if he was still alive,
"Hold on Surf!" he called hoarsely, "I'm coming!"

As Valiant swung out over the gorge, he forced his mind to empty, focusing on his friend. After a brief moment more, the brightly-colored Earth pony raised his head and looked up. Surf's face registered shock and disbelief as he watched Valiant come zipping toward him. The earth pony rotated and planted his back legs on the ground, then reached up and pulled the roller off the line as quickly as he could.

Valiant slid right up and smacked into the tree with a resounding thump. The royal blue pegasus was pleasantly surprised to discover that Surf & Turf had attached a thick cushion to the tree trunk. The thing was almost the same color as the bark of the tree and so had been all but invisible from the far side. He squirmed for a minute then planted his hooves and detached himself from the line.

Surf & Turf walked up to Valiant shaking his head,
"Dude, that was seriously un-cool. You could have hit me. I'm an adrenaline junky and all but, dang! We could have totally broken some serious boneage there bro."

Valiant lowered his front end and eyed his friend oddly,
"You went all limp when you hit the tree. I thought you had hurt yourself."

"Naw dude, I was just dizzy from all the spinning, which was, by the way, totally wicked. I've had way more than my fair share of busted bones and everything before. I try to play it as safe as possible while still enjoying the rush." Surf said.

"So should I take this harness off or leave it on?" Valiant asked.

Surf & Turf smiled hugely,
"You should totally leave it on bro; we've got several more lines to zip before the day is done. We're actually making much better time than I had anticipated. At this rate, we should reach New Yoke by sundown tomorrow. Come on dude, we're burning sunlight here."

"What about lunch?" Valiant asked.

Surf began walking and spoke over his shoulder,
"I generally just skip it dude. You eat more in the evening and sleep better too."

Valiant caught up to the neon colored pony and decided to try to get to know him better,
"So Surf," he began, "Where did you grow up?"

"On the road dude. My folks were always traveling. I've probably seen more of Equestria at my age than most ponies see their entire lives. We never stayed in one place for long. See, my pops was a traveling minstrel, my moms too. I grew up as poor as dirt, but that gave me a serious appreciation for conveniences and everything. My folks were always trying to find a new or better way to hone their musical talents so they spent the bits they made on their instruments and paying for food and stuff. Since I grew up on the road I got used to living off the land really early on. I didn't really have any toys so I just used my imagination all the time."

"If your parents were so poor, how do you afford to have all these . . . things made? A telescoping hang glider, the hooks, the zip line, where do the bits come from?" Valiant asked.

"I'm an inventor dude. I patent all my inventions and ponies buy them so I make my bits that way. The telescopic glider, my invention, the hooks, my invention, even the zip line harnesses are from my brain. At first I didn't make much, but sure enough, ponies started buying my stuff and eventually extreme sports caught on. Don't get me wrong bro, some of my inventions have been serious flops. Like this one thing I invented, a leg-powered gyrocopter, dude as far as I know, only one pony ever bought one. I'm not rich or anything, but I've been working on an idea that should catch on like wild fire." Surf gushed.

"And what would that be?" Valiant asked.

"O.K. dude. Have you ever wanted to just jump off a bridge but not, you know, hit the rocks or river or whatever at the bottom?" Surf asked.

"Can't say that I have, no." Valiant admitted.

"Well, say you do one day. My invention is a type of harness that attaches to a flexible, springy rope. You jump and get the free fall but the rope catches you slowly and stretches out and pulls you right back up, not all the way but part of the way. That way you don't have to deal with whiplash or any of those nasty side effects like if you had used a regular rope, then you just have a friend pull you back up and you can do it again. There was this other invention I had in mind, but I don't know if it would catch on. Picture a long board that floats. You stand on top of it and ride waves as they come crashing into the shore, you know, pick up some speed and everything, then you could learn to do tricks on it. The only problem is that most ponies just like to swim. Anyway, I commissioned one to be made just before I came out here. It should be done by the time we get back. You can try it out if you want." Surf offered.

Valiant hid a cringe,
"I think I'll pass, but thanks. So, getting back to your parents, what happened with them?"

"They're still out travelling around somewhere bro. Last I heard they were heading off into the country to try their luck with some buffalo. They heard that some ponies made peace with a local tribe and wanted to see if they had any neat or unique musical instruments or anything. What about you dude? I've totally been monopolizing the conversation here, I don't want to seem shallow. Besides I'm sure you've got some seriously gnarly stories yourself." Surf said.

Valiant shrugged,
"I've had some . . . interesting experiences, I guess. Well, I started life in Haysburg . . . "

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

Trooper was feeling rather put out and it showed,
"I assure you, my friend, I am most capable of shifting my own weight. Dr. Mend, please, let me fly." he begged, "I am quite sound of body and I loathe being a burden to anypony."

The older medical pony looked back at the pegasus stallion floating in the air behind him. Trooper was levitated directly above Lemon Lime's head where he stayed, hooves crossed underneath his chin in a prone posture, as if he were laying on his belly. The boisterous pegasus stallion had not ceased complaining since the party had broken camp, whereupon he had been informed of the arrangements of his . . . transportation.

"You need to rest and recover your strength, if nothing else, give your body a chance to heal. Stop whining and be appreciative." Dr. Mend said curtly.

Trooper adopted a look of injured honor,
"I am certainly appreciative, my good sir! How many ponies can honestly claim to have such good friends? I appreciate the notion to my very soul, but I cannot fathom the enormity of burden I am being right now! Besides, how exactly am I supposed to protect our two pegasi friends, who are flying aloft, if I am unable to be there with them? I am being about as useful as a cancer at the moment!"

"As painful as one too." Sea Blue muttered under his breath, "Look Trooper, just deal with it. You did something really brave and noble. Just think of this as your reward."

"Oh yes," Trooper said indignantly, "My reward is being hoisted around like some kind of invalid! I need to be useful! I finally have a use and now I cannot perform the sacred task! I need to be protecting, guarding the sacred essence of life!"

"Trooper," Lemon Lime addressed from below, "You're being foalish now. I can easily clamp your muzzle shut if I want to. We're doing this for your own good, call it tough love or whatever you want, but this is the way it's going to be. End of story. So either clam up or I'll do it for you. You could try figuring out what your special talent is or something, just stop complaining."

"Maybe his special talent is being a whiney Mc whynerson!" Pinkie Pie chirped.

Applejack snickered quietly to herself,
"Ah don't rightly think that's his talent Pinkie. Have you ever tried farmin' Trooper?"

"As a matter of fact I have, Applejack, for the better part of a year actually. I did alright at it, but it was clearly not my special talent." Trooper said.

"Don't you have any idea what it might be?" Twilight asked from behind, "I do find it very strange that a full grown stallion doesn't have anything he's good at."

"That, my dear Twilight, is precisely the point. I am 'good' at everything, but 'exceptional' at nothing. I have no identifiable calling except for guarding other ponies, which is exactly why I am being so stubborn about the issue. I need to feel useful. I have felt like a burden all my life. I hate that feeling. In life, I have always felt out of place, like sun-screen on top of a snowy mountain, or an ice-pick in the desert." Trooper said dramatically.

"Well then darling," Rarity offered, "What kinds of things capture your interest? Surely there must be something."

"Everything captures my interest. Which only adds to the problem. I have spent countless hours learning about every single subject I could get my hooves on, from acting and singing, to simple plumbing. Furthermore, I have attempted each one in turn. I formulated a list and worked my way down from the top." Trooper admitted sourly, "Perhaps when this mess is done with, I shall pay a visit to our dear Princesses and inquire to them about the dilemma. I am not giving up, mind you. I am simply furthering my options. Perhaps there are new possibilities waiting for me in Haysburg."

"We need to stop soon, so I can change out your bandages, Trooper." Dr. Mend said.

"Ayup." Big Macintosh said, "Maybe some food'll make him less cranky."

Twilight raised her head toward the treetops,
"Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash." she called.

Within moments, the two pegasi drifted down from above and landed, falling in step with the rest of the ponies,
"What's up gang?" Dash asked.

"We're going to be stopping soon for lunch." Twilight explained, "Why don't we all just stop here, so Dr. Mend can change out Trooper's bandages. I've got a question I wanted to ask everypony before we make camp tonight."

"Do ya want me and Big Mac to scout on ahead for a small clearin' Twilight?" Applejack asked.

"All we need is space enough for everypony to be seated. If you don't find something within one hundred paces, come on back and we'll just stop where we are. Is everypony okay with that?"

None of her comrades argued the notion. Within minutes, Applejack and her brother returned with no sign of an ideal clearing. The group settled down on the rough path and began eating dried fruit as Lemon Lime dished it out while Dr. Mend saw to Trooper. A rustle from behind him and Pinkie Pie emerged from the surrounding foliage humming to herself. Dr. Mend mentally kicked himself for not paying more attention to the younger pink pony’s movements, ‘I have to be more careful with Pinkie. She’s random enough, she might wander off on her own and get lost, if I’m not more alert.’

Twilight decided the time had come to pose her question to her companions,
"Alright everypony, do we have any idea what to say to Valiant once we find him?"

"Ooh, ooh!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, "I know! How about 'Why did you leave?'"

"Well that's a start Pinkie, but what do we say to get him to come back and finish his time at the university?" Dr. Mend asked, "He's throwing away a golden opportunity."

"Why do we need to say anything?" Fluttershy asked softly.

All eyes turned to the quiet pegasus, making her feel self conscious while meekly hiding behind her flowing mane,
"What do you mean, darling?" Rarity asked.

Fluttershy lowered her eyes, but continued, in a barely audible voice,
"Maybe just seeing us will make him come back. Maybe all he needs is some support."

Dr. Mend tossed his mane, turning his head,
"I wish. When Valiant and I were in Canterlot, he promised me we would be each other's support. I doubt that support will be all it takes to bring him back."

Sea Blue rubbed his chin with a hoof,
"Hmm."

"I see wheels turning!" Pinkie Pie said, bouncing around the counselor, “Twirling, whirling, round we go . . .”

Sea Blue looked up,
"Hmm? Oh, I was just thinking."

The other ponies leaned toward the counselor, so he elaborated on his thoughts,
"Let’s go over what we know. I think he's looking for something, but we’ll come back to that. The discovery that Evening Star was actually Princess Luna is what started this and I think Trixie's attitude sealed the deal, so to speak. Let's think here, 'What do these two events have in common?'" he asked.

Rainbow Dash spoke up first,
"You did mention before that he seemed romantically interested in 'Evening Star' right?"

"I believe he was, yes." Sea Blue said nodding.

"Could he be trying to find a marefriend?" Dash offered.

"Possible, I suppose." Sea Blue said.

"Princess Luna and Trixie both did some things that made them outcasts!" Pinkie Pie spouted.

Sea Blue pointed to the pink party pony with his right hoof,
"Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner! That's my guess too Pinkie. Seeing the results of their actions as well as their respective punishments, may have triggered a response in Valiant. It's the most solid connection between the two. Now, take his note, which strongly hinted at a need for self-discovery and cross reference that with what I just mentioned. What do we have?"

"An infuriating stallion who wanders off at bad times?" Dr. Mend offered grumpily.

Sea Blue smirked,
"Aside from that."

Applejack cocked her head,
"Well, he sure is lookin' for somethin' right?"

"Yes, but what is it?" Sea Blue asked.

Rainbow Dash raised her head from munching on dried fruit,
"The two pieces are crime and self discovery, right? Crime to remind him of where he came from and what he did, and self discovery to motivate him to seek it out . . . "

Twilight caught on to the direction of her friend's thought,
"Family, or at least something along those lines. He's an orphan pegasus from an area where there are normally no pegasi right? He and Arabesque were the only pegasi in Haysburg. Maybe he's looking for some kind of connection with somepony aside from friendship."

"Closer." Sea Blue hinted.

"Love?" Fluttershy ventured.

"You nailed it, Fluttershy. At least, that's my best guess. His connection with each of us was plenty strong for friendship, but he needs to feel loved, everypony does. The love of friends is very different than the love of family. It can sometimes be a substitute for a while, but in the end, we all need it. It's part of who we are. Each of us has the love of family in some form or another." Sea Blue paused to let the statement sink in.

The gathering of various ponies all stopped to consider their families.

Sea Blue continued,
"Without the love of family, without knowing we all belong somewhere, we would feel lost. Part of everypony's identity is their family. Rarity, when you gave him his cutie-mark back, it started the process of him re-discovering who he was. When somepony cut it off him, it was like losing the little bit of his identity he had left. Being declared a Vagabond was a two-hit blow. One, the ponies of Haysburg rejected him, so he lost what family he knew, part of his identity. Two, when he lost his cutie-mark, he lost his identity almost completely. You restored his cutie-mark and thereby half his identity, but he still wasn't whole. He needs the other half of that puzzle to fall into place in order to continue with his life. He needs his 'family' to welcome him back so he feels whole again. If the ponies of Haysburg reject him a second time, it could destroy him without anypony needing to do anything else. I think we have an answer to his problem, and that answer is being re-bandaged as we speak."

Everypony's eyes instantly gravitated toward Trooper,
"Me? I will admit we do look somewhat similar, but I already had this very discussion with Valiant back in Canterlot. I have almost no living family. Most of them perished in a terrible accident when I was but a foal."

Sea Blue nodded,
"Which brings me to my idea. Let's get moving again and we'll talk about it while we walk. Dr. Mend, is he good to go?"

"Yes, his injuries are healing quickly. He should be fine by this evening." Dr. Mend said as he packed up his medical effects.

Everypony was eager to hear about Sea Blue's idea. They packed back up and got moving as quickly as possible.

Once everypony was back and walking again, Sea Blue continued his idea,
"Dr. Mend, what are the chances of two ponies having such similar appearances as Trooper and Valiant do, if they are not related?"

"It's certainly possible. With such a variety of ponies all over Equestria, there's bound to be some occasional matches." Dr. Mend admitted.

"No argument, but what are the chances of the two look-alikes being almost exactly the same age and being the same breed, say pegasi for example?" Sea Blue asked.

Dr. Mend shrugged,
"It's still possible, a little unlikely, but possible."

Sea Blue nodded,
"Alright, let's venture a little bit deeper. Some of a pony's personality is a product of their environment. Twilight, can you back me up on this one?"

Twilight cocked her head in thought,
"That's the generally accepted consensus. That's the theory, but not all of a pony's personality comes from their environment. Some of it is just ingrained, portions of it are genetic, or so I've read.” Twilight realized she was suddenly the center of attention, “Just because I don’t care too much for psychology doesn’t mean I don’t know anything about it." she defended.

"Right," Sea Blue said, "I agree with that. True, Trooper and Valiant have their differences to be sure. However, there are several underlying factors I've noticed they have in common. It occurred to me last night when I heard about how Trooper acted to defend Twilight and Rarity." he said turning to the levitating stallion, "Trooper, what was going through your head when you saw the spider?"

"I saw a threat to somepony and I had to act. The same thing happened back in Canterlot, when my legs got broken. It was simply a reaction. I rather could not help myself. I can assure you, it had next to nothing to do with bravery. It was simply in my nature to do so. Do not get me wrong, I am glad the situation was dealt with but I would have much rather not have been injured in the process. I am no hero. I was there and I was able to do something about it, so I did." Trooper admitted.

"Even so," Sea Blue said, "You put yourself in harm's way to protect others, with no thought to your own safety, furthermore, if I remember correctly, even while injured you stood to protect Twilight and Rarity when you thought there might have been a danger."

"When Lemon Lime came through the bushes, you're right!" Applejack said.

Sea Blue smiled,
"Sound familiar?"

"Yes!" Twilight exclaimed, "When Valiant . . . " her eyes grew slightly wide, "It's almost identical! They both did something to save others. Valiant rescued ponies from the fire, Trooper fought off the spider. Both were badly injured . . . " Twilight turned to the black stallion walking in front of her, "Dr. Mend, would you say Trooper's injuries were life-threatening?"

"Had he been alone? Without a doubt. The hairs would probably have become infected and he would almost certainly have died." Dr. Mend admitted.

Twilight continued,
"Both were critically injured yet kept going. Valiant performed his technique and Trooper turned to defend Rarity and I, both despite being in terrible pain; and I think they both declined being named a hero for it."

"I think it's a family trait. I spent the better portion of last night making comparisons, which is why I was so quiet. There are differences, yes, but the similarities far outweigh them. I'll spare you-all the list, but needless to say, I think Trooper and Valiant are related somehow, the only questions are 'How?' and 'How do we prove it?'." Sea Blue said.

"I have no siblings, though." Trooper said.

"Did you ever ask your mother about that?" Sea Blue asked.

"It did come up once, and she assured me that I do not. My father had a brother, but not I." Trooper said.

"An uncle then?" Lemon Lime asked.

"Yes, I do not remember much beyond that though. It was a long time ago. I have not spoken with her about it in years." Trooper said.

"Did she say anything else? Maybe show you a picture or anything like that?" Sea Blue asked.

"I believe she did, but it has been so long, I have forgotten. I do remember her saying that I was there when my father died, but I was only a little foal. I do not remember anything about my father. All I know about that day was that it was a family reunion in a huge field, one day many years ago." Trooper said, "I am sorry, but that is all I have."

"It's a good place to start, Trooper." Sea Blue said, "As we continue, I want you to try to remember anything you can about your family. Anything will help at this point. I am trained in how to put a pony under hypnosis, but I don't like to do it except as a last resort. Take your time and try your very best to remember anything. We have more than two weeks to go, so you should have plenty of time to try. I think this our best bet to help Valiant."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I hope I didn't confuse anyone with all the navel-gazing in this chapter, but it was necessary to move the plot along. As always, I appreciate any and all comments you are willing to provide, even if I don't always understand the critique. Rest assured, I still appreciate you all and I hope you enjoy the chapter. Of note, I will be doing some small time jumps to keep the story from becoming bogged down by repetition and redundancy. The most difficult part of the story for me is quickly approaching. I will have to introduce several new characters and try not to confuse you all. Unfortunately, the new O.C.s are necessary, so please try to bear with me. For those of you who asked about Griffons, keep reading and find out. Some of the upcoming chapters will be action-less by necessity, don't worry there will eventually be more action than you can shake a stick at. For the two readers who asked, 'No, I did not copy Crush from 'Finding Nemo' for Surf & Turf's personality and mannerisms.' I can see why you might think that, but believe me, I did not. Finally, for the seven readers who asked about romantic involvements between the different Elements: yes there will be some, no I will not say who, and no there will be none between Applejack and Big Macintosh or between Pinkie Pie and Dr. Mend! I would think I made that perfectly clear by now.

Author's Note

Chapter 10

The Elements of Equestria

Part 10

“There she is dude, New Yoke. She’s the brightest lady in Equestria, outside of Canterlot, and a fine looking one too.” Surf & Turf said gesturing down toward the mass of tall buildings in the distance.

Valiant gazed down from their spot on top of the hill and couldn’t help but be a little bit intimidated by the sight of the massive city. It had to be the better part of an hour away, by hoof, but the sight was not diminished in the slightest even at so great a distance. Steel, stone, and glass rose for hundreds of paces into the air, overshadowing smaller buildings nestled deep into the recessed streets flowing between their colossal brethren on all sides. Each behemoth stood as a solid representation and testament to the industrial nature of the residents. From his vantage point, Valiant could make out the mind-boggling number of ponies walking together in the streets, masses flowing like blood in the veins of the city. The vast ocean sat, framing the port city, a backdrop of the bluest blue. Ships meandered around a huge dock section which bordered on and extended out over the water, while crews of ponies scrambled around on board each vessel, trying to offload their freight and make room for the next ship in line. The pegasus stallion marveled at the intimate proximity the city shared with the surrounding forest. The forest came up to within a mere one hundred paces of the city’s outermost buildings.

There seemed to be a distinctive lack of farms around the city itself, which puzzled Valiant,
“Where are all the farms? Where does the food for the city come from?” he asked his neon colored friend.

“It’s all imported bro. The city gets all its food from other towns, like Ponyville, Trottingham, and Haysburg. The food gets imported by ships and offloaded at the docks, then distributed through the city. Come on dude, we need to get moving.” Surf said adjusting his saddle-bags, “I have to empty out my bank account and tell my inventor friend what percent of the profits she gets to keep for herself while I’m static.”

Surf & Turf broke into a trot, setting a brisk pace toward New Yoke; Valiant followed behind.

Within an hour, they had reached the city proper. Valiant noticed right away that there was no wall surrounding the city. There were, by contrast, a large number of armored guards patrolling the streets. Surf & Turf wound his way through the tightly packed crowds of ponies like a snake could wind through tall grass, Valiant could barely keep up. He had never seen so many ponies in one place before, even Canterlot didn’t boast the population New Yoke apparently had. The brightly colored Earth pony, however was not blind to his companion’s difficulty and politely slowed down whenever he saw Valiant begin lagging behind. They squeezed their way through crowds and crowds, Valiant was completely lost.

Eventually Surf & Turf veered off to one side of the street and waved to Valiant over the heads of the crowd. Valiant slowly made his way to the neon pony. Surf was standing in front of an old brick building which sported a sign that read, ‘Tinker’s Emporium’. The sign looked to be as old as the building itself, decrepit and saggy with faded paint.

Surf & Turf waited until Valiant was next to him,
“Alright dude, this is the place. My friend Tinker is the owner. She’s uh, well she’s kind of flirty with me,” he laughed nervously, “Me and every other stallion in the city. She may come on kind of strong at first but she’s a really sweet mare. You just have to take everything she says in stride bro, fair warning and all. I’ll go in first, you know, soften the blow and everything. If she flirts with you just flirt back, she doesn’t mean anything by it, it’s just her own special way of being friendly.”

Surf turned and pushed open the wooden door to the small business calling,
“Yo Tinker! Are you in here, or do I need to find some other pretty girl to hang out with?”

Valiant took a moment to look around the dim shop. The ‘Emporium’ had to be at least sixty paces from front to back and probably eighty paces from left to right, but walking space was apparently at a premium. Metallic contraptions of every imaginable variety littered the entire shop, sometimes from floor to ceiling. There were tables filled with half-finished gadgets and tools all over the place. The air smelled strongly of hot metal and acrid smoke filled the shop, making Valiant want to sneeze. At the far end of the room, opposite the door, stood a stout wooden counter with an open door behind it leading into the back of the shop. The sound of clanging metal echoed from beyond.

The ringing of metal on metal ceased and Surf’s challenge was answered by a voice that could only have belonged to some kind of angel, even if the words were less than angelic,
“Is that my little sweet-flank calling to me? I wasn’t expecting you for another couple of days, stud.”

Valiant’s jaw dropped. The voice was followed by one of the prettiest unicorn mares he had ever seen, doing something that was arguably the most unattractive thing any mare could do. Tinker was smoking a cigar. Valiant found it impossible to make out most of Tinker’s features. She was liberally covered in black grease and had her mane and tail pulled up into a mass on top of her head and flank, both clumps were covered with dirty rags and tied tightly in place. Tinker’s face though was a wonder to behold. Her cheek bones were slim and petite, her lips full and bright red, like she was wearing lipstick, and her eyes were like two glowing amber almonds shielded behind long full lashes. Her cutie-mark was of a ballpeen hammer smashing against a lump of metal.

Tinker sauntered up to the counter and batted her long lashes at the two stallions,
“Sweet Celestia! Two handsome stallions in my little shop, what IS a girl to do?” she levitated the smoldering cigar out of her mouth and blew out a cloud of smoke, “Are you boys here to show a girl a nice night out on the town? I know plenty of clubs we could hit, then find a nice cozy little booth all to ourselves.”

Valiant felt himself blushing at Tinker’s provocative words, fortunately, Surf stepped in quickly,
“You know full well, I don’t like sharing you, babe. Besides, I’m here for business. Tinker, this is Valiant; Valiant meet Tinker.”

Surf & Turf led Valiant up toward the counter, while Tinker took another hit from her cigar, watching the two stallions with keen interest.

Valiant walked up to the counter and extended his right hoof,
“A pleasure to meet you Tinker.”

Tinker levitated the cigar away and blew out more smoke,
“The pleasure’s all mine, and sometimes Surf’s too.” she purred, shaking Valiant’s hoof, “If you hang around here long enough, maybe you’ll get to find out exactly what I mean, big guy.”

“I’m off to Haysburg here soon babe; got mountains to climb and thermals to glide. You can keep selling the inventions while I’m gone. Feel free to keep eighty-nine percent of the profits for yourself. As for the rest, if you could deposit the bits in the bank for me, I’d really appreciate it. You know the drill.” Surf said.

Tinker’s mouth fell to an incredibly sultry pout,
“Aww, Surf!” she whined, “You still owe me that date, remember? That was the deal for the first run of your inventions.”

Surf rubbed the back of his head with his left hoof,
“I know babe, but when the wind calls, I have to answer. Tell you what, we’ll go out tonight, before I leave in the morning. Your call, anywhere you want.”

Tinker’s eyes sparkled,
“Anywhere?” she said quietly, “How about ‘Crash-Course’?

Surf’s eyes popped open wide,
“Uh, I don’t know about that babe. Isn’t there somewhere nicer you want to chill at?”

Tinker leaned over the counter once more,
“Tell you what stud.” she said seductively, “Bring your friend and I’ll go anywhere you want, uptown or downtown.”

Valiant’s ears felt as if they were about to burst into flames at the insinuation,
“Wouldn’t you be more comfortable just going with Surf & Turf?” he asked nervously.

Tinker looked Valiant up and down as if appraising him,
“Oh, I’m quite sure. Perhaps I could convince you to part with your namesake for a night, huh?” turning back to Surf, she said, “Pick me up here at seven. I’ll show you boys a night you’ll never forget.”

Valiant politely bowed his head and excused himself from the shop, walking as quickly as proper etiquette allowed. Outside the door, he leaned against the wall trying to force himself to be calm. Surf & Turf stayed inside a little while longer then joined Valiant outside.

The neon pony shook himself out vigorously,
“Sorry about that dude. She was really laying it on thick.”

“What’s with her?” Valiant asked, “Is she really . . . like that?”

Surf shrugged,
“It’s just the way she is bro. She talks like that all the time, but she doesn’t mean a word of it. “

The two stallions stepped away from the ‘Emporium’, heading down the street.

“Then why does she act like that?” Valiant asked.

Surf shrugged again,
“Don’t know, Valiant. I think maybe she just wants to feel pretty.”

Valiant’s eyebrows shot up nearly merging with his mane,
“Pretty?” he asked, “She’s gorgeous! The cigars don’t help, but she really is beautiful.”

“Not my call bro; anyway the bank isn’t far. What say we go hit the beach for a while, soak up some sun, munch on some caramel-corn, watch the girls . . . “ Surf was cut by his companion.

“Why are you so obsessed with mares anyway?” Valiant asked curiously.

“What’s not to like dude? I like to look at beauty in all its forms. Watching girls is like standing in a room filled with gem-stones, or watching every sunrise and sunset that ever happened. No two are alike, and all have their own kind of beauty. Each one is precious and unique and deserves to be cared for like the works of art they are. I marvel at the kaleidoscope of colors and variety and just think how lucky I am to be able to be here to see it, even if nopony else does. I take it all in and thank Celestia for every second of it. I know it probably sounds all creepy and stuff, but it’s not like I go and hit on every mare I see.” Surf swallowed and continued, “Honestly, bro, I’m kind of nervous about tonight. I’ve never been out on a date before.”

Valiant didn’t know what to say, ‘I guess there’s more to this guy than I thought.’

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

Valiant and Surf & Turf arrived back at ‘Tinker’s Emporium’ at seven o’clock sharp. Tinker met them outside, ready to go. Valiant didn’t know about Surf, but he had trouble not starring at the unicorn mare. Gone were the rags that held her mane and tail and gone was the grease on her coat in fact, gone was the rough looking mare he had met earlier. In her place, stood a divinely beautiful female specimen of the unicorn persuasion. Her mane and tail were charcoal grey with pitch black highlights and her cobalt coat shone with a type of gloss that could only have come from hours and hours of delicate care. Her mane cascaded down her shoulders, partly obscuring her lovely face and giving her a mysterious air, while her tail draped down behind her back legs flowing like a waterfall. Lacy stockings sheathed her well-defined legs from hoof to shoulder and flank. The dark mascara around her eyes made her formerly pronounced orbs of amber, now seem to leap out boldly in the dim light. Valiant snapped out of his trance when he saw her pull a cigar out from its hiding spot, carefully concealed behind her right ear.

Tinker eyed the two stallions coyly,
“Punctual, I see boys. I like that. Lead on sugar, momma’s got a sweet-tooth.”

Valiant had to strain to keep from rolling his eyes, ‘Doesn’t she ever quit?’ he wondered.

Tinker turned her backside to the two stallions and sauntered seductively down the road, looking over her shoulder,
“Come on boys. It’s time to party. Show a girl how to have a good time.” she said, tail swishing behind her.

Valiant heard Surf & Turf gulp audibly,
“Coming babe!” he called trotting up next to her.

Valiant fell into step beside the two, on the other side of Tinker, thinking about the day he had shared with his new friend, ‘Surf said he wasn’t rich, boy he meant it! He only has just over three hundred bits to his name. I hope the hotel room we rented for the night didn’t set him back too much. He didn’t let me pay for part of it either. I wonder why. I do have to admit though, he’s a lot deeper than I originally thought. He comes off like an adrenaline-crazed air-head, but in reality he’s an adventurous poet more than anything else.’

Valiant’s thoughts were interrupted by Surf & Turf speaking,
“This is it babe, we’re here.”

Valiant looked around. The building they stood in front of was average and boring in every sense of the word. It looked like an old rusty tin warehouse, except there was a line of ponies waiting outside a single door which was being guarded by a pair of well-built pegasi. Valiant became aware of a deep bass rhythm vibrating the walls of the old building from within. The beat sounded fast-paced energetic. It was obviously a club of some kind. The other ponies in line were about as under-dressed as Valiant could have ever imagined. Most looked rough and dirty, like they had just finished with the day’s work and come straight there without venturing home to freshen up. Not one sported any type of apparel save for the occasional neckerchief or bandana.

As they stood there waiting for the line to move, a pair of older unicorn stallions walked up behind them and joined in line behind Valiant, Surf, and Tinker, also waiting. Surf and Tinker were absorbed in their own conversation, but Valiant couldn’t help to hear the conversation of the two unicorns behind them.

“Ouch! Look at that pretty little thing!” one said, “Hey beautiful, why don’t you ditch these two and come party with some real stallions?”

Valiant took in the sight of the two unicorns out of the corner of his eye. They were a quite bit more muscular than average, but not particularly tall. Their manes and tails were cut short and identical in their upkeep. Valiant guessed they were two city guards who were off duty. The one who had spoken, had a cream-colored coat and dark red mane and tail; his cutie-mark was of a hoof stomping the ground with cracks spreading out from the point of impact. The other one had a coffee colored coat and yellow mane and tail with a cutie-mark of a pony with a black eye and swollen lip.

Tinker ignored the comment and continued chatting with Surf, apparently much to the displeasure of the second unicorn behind them,
“What’s so cool about these guys anyway? You know what they say, ‘No horn, no fun.’ Come on, what do you say, legs?”

Tinker turned around and batted her extraordinarily long eyelashes at the two,
“If it’s all the same boys, I think I’ll just stay here with my friends. They’re plenty of fun. Why don’t you two big stallions just enjoy the evening without me. Everypony’s here to have a good time, let’s not ruin it, okay?”

The unicorns didn’t seem to take the rejection with even an ounce of grace,
“What makes these two bums better than us?” the cream colored one asked.

“I didn’t say they were, stud. I’m just not interested.” Tinker said over her shoulder.

Another unicorn mare had come up to stand in line behind the two off-duty guards,
“Hey guys, she said she’s not interested. I think you should leave her alone.”

The coffee colored one turned to the newcomer and shoved her against the wall with a hoof,
“I don’t care what you think, tiny. I think you should butt out and mind your own business.”

Valiant looked the newcomer over. She was a young unicorn with an egg shell colored coat and dark green mane and tail. Her cutie-mark was of a compass star in front of a large body of water. She wasn’t outstandingly lovely, but she had a sturdy look to her, like a pony who exercised regularly.

The coffee colored unicorn stallion leaned in close and sniffed her mane rudely,
“Hey, she smells nice. Like a morning breeze . . . “

“Which just so happens to be my name, you oaf! Let go of me!” the mare said boldly.

“Hey, we’re just trying to have a good night here. Why don’t you come with us and show us how you have fun? There’s plenty of other clubs around.” the cream colored one suggested.

Valiant had heard enough, he turned around and confronted the two unicorns,
“You know, you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar. Why not try being nice and having some character? You can make a good start by letting her go. I doubt your superiors would appreciate hearing about you harassing a mare, now would they?”

Valiant’s words didn’t have the desired effect, both unicorns turned on him,
“You looking to make something out of it?” the coffee colored one asked.

Valiant didn’t back down,
“No, I was saying that you should try being polite to the ladies if you want a positive response. Why be rude? It doesn’t make anypony like you better, it just makes you look like jerks. It’s called karma guys, you get back what you put out.”

“You’re awfully preachy there, bub. Maybe you need a lesson about being polite yourself?” the cream colored one said raising a hoof.

Valiant subtly shifted his stance,
“If I came off as rude, I apologize, but there’s no need for things to get nasty.”

“I’ll show you rude! Come on, put em up!” the cream colored one said, swinging his hoof at Valiant’s head.

The royal blue pegasus danced aside, away from the wall, the swing missing him easily,
“No need for violence guys. Why don’t we just call it a night?”

“Fancy hoof-work there, you a fighter?” the coffee colored one asked, turning to face Valiant.

Valiant lowered his head slightly, preparing for a fight if it came to it,
“I’d rather not fight you, if it’s all the same. Why don’t you just calm down and go home? You look like you’ve had a long day and I’m sure you don’t want to do anything you might regret in the morning.”

“The only thing I’ll regret is letting an insect like you snark away at us!” the cream colored one said as the two unicorns began advancing on Valiant together.

The sound of concerned murmurs caught Valiant’s attention. He turned his head and looked at the crowd of ponies waiting to go into the club. He came to the conclusion that he had the attention of every pony waiting in line. The two pegasi by the door looked like they were more than willing to step in, except they had a job to do.

“Look out dude!” Surf & Turf called from the line.

Valiant turned back toward the two unicorns just in time to catch a hoof to the side of his head. He saw stars and suddenly gravity lost its hold of the world, turning sideways. He felt weightless for a brief moment, then came a heavy impact as he hit the dirt. Valiant opened his eyes and shook his head. He was lying on his left side in the middle of the street and his head was throbbing. He had no idea which of the two unicorns had hit him, but he did know they were now both laughing at him.

“Was that polite enough for you? Come on, show us what you’ve got!” the coffee colored one jeered.

Valiant slowly regained his hooves and stared down the two bullies fearlessly,
“As a matter of fact, I believe, that was the rudest thing anypony has ever done to me. I can demonstrate polite for you if you wish.”

The two unicorn stallions charged the lone pegasus with reckless abandon. Valiant smiled as they approached him, ready to swing at him again. He waited until the last possible second then, in a blur of motion, he rolled forward, right between them. Caught by surprise, the two unicorn stallions tried to correct their swings, only to discover the other’s hoof in their face. They fell, sprawling onto the ground and came up rubbing their faces ruefully.

Valiant came up from his roll and spun like a top, facing the two stunned brutes,
“See I was polite enough not to hit you. I’m afraid I can’t say the same for either of you. That was very rude to hit your friend like that. Now, if you’ve had enough, let’s go our separate ways and try to have a pleasant night, shall we?”

The two unicorns stood up and Surf called to them from the line,
“Trust me dudes, you don’t want to make him fight for real. He’ll re-arrange your faces. He’s tougher than he looks. He’s not an Earth pony; he’s a pegasus who lost his wings. You seriously don’t want to fight him.”

Surf’s statement caused the two unicorns to stop in their tracks, the coffee colored one turned his head to the neon colored Earth pony,
“Say what?”

The other unicorn shook his head,
“Crud!” he said angrily, turning to Valiant, “You lucked out. We don’t fight cripples.”

“Yet, you were willing to gang up on me when you thought I was an Earth pony. Lots of honor there, oh yeah.” Valiant retorted sarcastically.

“Hey,” the coffee colored one said, “Earth ponies are strong. That’s why we didn’t use our magic on you. Two unicorns against one Earth pony is a fair fight as long as no magic is involved.”

“Bring it on, hot-shot.” Valiant said, briefly losing control his temper, “I’ll put you both in the hospital.”

“No way.” the coffee colored one said shaking his head, “Don’t bother, this fight’s over.”

“Yeah,” the cream colored one said, “We’re done here. We’ll pick on an equal, but even we have standards. Have fun, wingless.”

Valiant watched in confusion as the two unicorns walked away down the street. He didn’t want special treatment, and their actions aggravated him to no end, ‘Still,’ he thought, ‘That could have turned out much worse. I’ll have to thank Surf for stepping in.’ He walked back over to Surf and Tinker and resumed his place in line next to them. The feeling of a gentle hoof on his shoulder made Valiant turn around.

The egg shell colored unicorn mare stood behind him,
“Thanks for the help.” she said softly.

Valiant inclined his head towards the mare,
“Always a stallion’s prerogative, miss.”

“If you want some company, my friends couldn’t make it tonight.” Morning Breeze offered.

“I’d be honored.” Valiant said nodding.

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

Surf & Turf collapsed onto the rented bed. He was exhausted. He, Tinker, Morning Breeze, and Valiant had stayed out quite late. Surf didn’t see a clock in the room but his guess put the time close on to two in the morning. Valiant lay on the one other bed in the room, remembering the fun night. He had never danced or drank before and the resulting combination of both left him feeling giddy. The impromptu double-date had ended on a high note with both he and Surf receiving a kiss on the cheek from their respective mares while their dates thanked them for a wonderful evening. It was, Valiant decided, a good night after all, even if there was no chance for long-term romance between either of the couples. As the two stallions drifted off to sleep, Valiant couldn’t help but to think of another mare, one that was particularly dear to his heart. Little did he know she was likewise thinking of him at precisely the same time, far away in the Everfree Forest where she and her friends had stopped to sleep for the night.

Valiant and Surf woke up late in the day, but never the less headed out, going north along the road toward Haysburg. The road leading north was fairly wide so they could walk side by side. The river was on their right, running alongside the road and providing a source of fairly fresh water for them on a daily basis. The forest bordered in on the left side of the road providing ample possibilities to forage for food if the need arose. The day passed without any incidents of note; they passed few other travelers on the road. They made camp for the night then continued on the next morning.

The farther from New Yoke they travelled, the fewer ponies they encountered. Valiant kept up his morning routine of practice and exercise and was pleased to discover Surf & Turf showing an interest in joining him. Valiant hadn’t told his companion about his experience being a Vagabond or how he was one of the Elements of Peace, but Surf seemed content not to pry. The two friends began practicing every morning and evening, using each other to help with their own routines. Valiant tended to focus on combat-oriented exercises while Surf concentrated on his strength and agility. The Earth pony had a knack for climbing trees with the strange hooks he generally had attached to his legs, and was also surprisingly good at using the height from the trees he climbed to assist with his hang gliding launches.

The monotonous days began to merge together as the two friends continued their journey. Valiant lost count after day five, the two friends simply content to travel without any particular time restraint. Slowly but surely Valiant began to recognize a change in the atmosphere as they progressed. The air became steadily more humid as they continued northward. The ground began to turn soggy and puddles dotted the road. The nights became all the more cold from the introduction of humidity, as the two stallions ventured farther and farther toward their destination.

Valiant knew they were getting close to Haysburg, he could feel it. The familiar climate called to his memory in a way that set him on edge. His most recent memories of Haysburg were nothing short of nightmare material and his temperament began to adjust to the change. It began slowly, nothing notable except a tiny bit of crankiness here and a little bit more exhaustion there. Eventually he began having trouble sleeping, his appetite dwindled down to one single meal a day, and he started to become morose.

Surf & Turf stayed silent for a while, but eventually he felt he needed to say something. One night after their practice, Surf decided the time had come to vocalize his concerns. They were sitting by their camp fire enjoying the warmth from the flames. Valiant had found a dry patch of ground for them to set up their tents and dinner was almost done. The day had been chilly, but bearable. The night was quickly growing bitterly cold.

Surf sat across the fire from his wingless friend,
“Hey Valiant, dude.” he addressed, “I’m seriously not trying to upset you or anything, but you’ve been acting kind of weird recently. You barely eat, except for dinner and I’ve hard you talking in your sleep. Look bro, if there’s something wrong, you should tell me. Maybe I can help. I’m getting, like, wicked concerned over here.”

Valiant raised his head from the spot he had been starring at in the fire,
“I’m acting weird?” he asked, “I hadn’t noticed anything.”

Surf hid a chortle,
“No offense or anything dude, but duh. If you had noticed something you would have corrected it by now. I’m just saying.”

Valiant smiled at his friend,
“Yeah, I would have; you’re right.” he ran his right hoof through his mane, “I guess I’m just nervous about seeing Haysburg again. I don’t mean to be taking anything out on you Surf.”

Surf waved his left hoof,
“No biggie, dude, but I have to ask, why would you be nervous about seeing your home again? Did your friends do you wrong or something? I know you said you were an orphan, but you never told me why you left.”

Valiant sighed heavily,
“It’s hard to talk about sometimes. My past isn’t very pretty, but I’ll tell you if you really want to know . . . “ Valiant trailed off as his ears picked up a sound from the nearby forest.

Surf swiveled his ears in time with Valiant, both alert to the sound that had startled them. Both ponies stood up and looked toward the forest. The night was deeply dark and, up until that point, had been eerily quiet. The two friends stood on either side of the fire, listening intently for the sound to repeat itself, ears turning this way and that, searching for any possible direction of origin. Their muscles were tense, ready for anything that presented itself. Valiant’s ears picked up the sound again. It was faint and far off, but distinguishable. Surf & Turf turned his head toward his companion questioningly. Without a word, Valiant suddenly sprung forward into the forest, at an all-out run. Surf shot off after Valiant, the other stallion’s trail easy to follow even in the nearly absent light of Luna’s waxing, crescent moon.

Valiant galloped through the trees as fast as he could, heart pumping, ‘That was the sound of somepony crying.’ he thought. The trees and thick bushes surrounding him made his balance precarious to say the least. He stumbled several times, but kept going, spurred on by the distinctive sounds of sorrow. Valiant realized passively that his running made almost no sound at all, ‘Must be from all the years of keeping quiet and avoiding animals.’ he figured.

The wingless pegasus saw a clearing up ahead of him, he could hear Surf close behind in case he needed help. Valiant reached the clearing first, by a matter of seconds. The area was small, but blessedly devoid of trees, giving him a clear view of the cause of the crying. A hugely thick mass of a dark color was bent over the prone form of an absolutely ancient Earth pony mare. At first, Valiant thought the mass was an animal which had attacked the oldster, but as he watched, the mass reached out a ridiculously thick limb and stroked the mare’s mane, caressing it tenderly before it broke down once more into a fit of deep sobs.

Surf & Turf arrived loudly and stopped next to Valiant, panting lightly. The huge mass raised its head and turned, facing the two friends, regarding them with huge sorrowful brown eyes. The mass was a pony. Valiant had to take a moment to recognize the fact. The pony was an older colt, just shy of being a stallion, by the sound of his voice, but he was far, far more massive than any pony Valiant had ever seen before. Most of the colt’s mass was not muscle either.

The colt rose to his hooves slowly and turned his whole body toward Valiant and Surf. He was of average height, but he was bigger around than most four ponies Valiant had ever seen, combined. He braced himself as if ready to fight, standing over the ancient mare.

Valiant took a tentative step out from the cover of the forest speaking quietly,
“Hey there, young fella, is something wrong with your friend?”

The colt didn’t respond except to look back to the mare on the ground behind him then back at Valiant. The colt’s face was thick and flabby, with a soft layer of marshmallow padding every inch, partially obscuring his features. Valiant guessed his coat was a chocolate color or maybe a touch darker and his mane and tail were cut short, both an auburn color. If the colt had a cutie-mark, it was completely obscured by the darkness. He didn’t say a word. The dim light of the moon caught his face, reflecting off a steady stream of tears flowing down his pudgy cheeks.

The colt seemed familiar. Valiant remembered seeing him around the orphanage when he was younger. He was really quiet and always followed around an older mare who liked to stop in and visit with Miss Heartfelt, the mare who ran the orphanage. He wracked his memory, but just couldn’t remember the colt’s name.

Without any other options, Valiant took another step toward the colt,
“I’m not going to hurt you, but I need to make sure the mare is alright.”

The colt seemed to consider Valiant’s words for a moment, then stepped aside, allowing the pegasus access to the ancient mare. He moved up to the mare slowly, careful not to startle the huge colt. The mare was older than old, Valiant guessed her to be nearly twice Granny Smith’s age. She had a forest green coat and her mane and tail were pure white. Her cutie-mark was of a ladle dipped into a wooden bucket. Valiant reached her and put his ear to her chest, listening for a heartbeat. There was none, and her body was already cold and stiff.

Surf & Turf slowly padded up next to his friend,
“How is she, dude?”

Valiant hung his head slightly and touched his forehead to the old mare’s,
“She’s gone, Surf. There’s nothing we can do for her.”

Behind them, the colt began crying once more. Valiant and Surf had no idea what to do. They were unprepared for dealing with a deceased pony. They stood back up and Valiant opened his mouth to ask the colt a question, but stopped short. The colt strode past the two friends and picked up the mare’s body, maneuvering her onto his hugely wide shoulders and started off, deeper into the forest. Valiant and Surf followed the colt, keeping a respectful distance.

The colt followed a well-worn trail, eventually coming to an tiny, old, rundown log cabin. The cabin had a light coming from inside and Valiant’s ears picked up the crackle of a fire from within. The colt pushed open the door and made his way inside, he still had not spoken a single syllable. Valiant and Surf looked at each other then followed the colt to see what he would do.

As they stepped through the door, Valiant’s nose was suddenly flooded with an intense sweet smell. The cabin was barely large enough to hold the ponies, even just standing as they were. A pair of beds took up the walls both ahead and to the right of the front door, which was the only door. A small square table with a chess board on top, took up most of the rest of the room. Two chairs sat on either side of the table, both thick and sturdy. Set into the left wall was a fireplace which burned merrily despite the sad events of the evening. A small pot hung over the top of the fire, the source of the smell.

The colt lay the ancient mare’s body down on one of the two beds then simply knelt down next to her. He lay his head next to hers and closed his eyes, tears still flowing freely. Valiant felt sorry for the poor colt, massive as he was. He slowly walked over and placed a gentle hoof on the back colt’s head, stroking his mane. Surf walked over as well and mimicked Valiant’s gesture, both trying to comfort the young fellow.

The two friends had no idea how long they stood there, but eventually, the colt raised his head to look at the two stallions. Saying nothing, he reached his colossal head underneath the mare’s mattress and produced a folded piece of parchment, which he presented to Valiant.

“Is that for me?” he asked the colt.

The colt nodded his head, so Valiant took the parchment over to the table,
“May I sit down?” he asked the colt.

“Yes sir.” the colt responded quietly.

Valiant unfolded the piece and began reading out loud,
“To whoever receives this paper, this the last will and testament of Mable Maple. I’m an old mare who looks like she has more wrinkles than this piece of paper, if there’s any confusion. Hopefully my little guy, Molasses, gave you this thing. If he didn’t then either you’re here to rob us or we both keeled over for some reason and you found this. Poor Molasses has less brain power than lean muscle, if you know what I mean. He’s a really sweet little guy though, I call him little because he’s younger than me, not because he’s small. He’s sweet but about as smart as a pinecone, he works hard though. He knows how to do the kind of work we do out here. We’re both sweet-sauce makers of a sort. I make the maple syrup and he makes, guess what, molasses. He knows his business and he’s darn good at it, but he needs somepony to take care of him. I already told him that when my time comes, he’s to go find somepony and show them this letter, hopefully that’s you. It’s my last wish that you take care of Molasses now that I’m gone. He can more than pay for himself if he gets the chance to work. If you can’t take care of him, I ask that you take him to an old friend of mine so he can live there with her and her family. She lives in Haysburg and will recognize Molasses on sight. To cover the cost of taking him, or as thanks for taking him in, there’s a couple hundred bits worth of bank notes inside my mattress. If you’re a robber, don’t you dare take that money! You’ll be stealing from a wrinkly old mare and a sweet, fat retard, what’s wrong with you! If I’m dead, just leave me here in this old cabin so I can decompose with it. Tell Molasses that I love him, since I may not get the chance. He calls me Momma, but he’s not mine. He might as well be though. He knows the story if you can get him to tell you. Please take good care of him.

With thanks and plenty of money
Mable Maple”

Valiant refolded the letter and regarded the colt seriously,
“Is that your name, Molasses?” he asked.

The colt turned to face Valiant,
“Slow but sweet. Yes sir.” he said quietly.

“She asked to be left here and that you come with us. We happen to be heading to Haysburg so we’ll take you along. Do you have anything you want to bring with you?” Valiant asked.

“Did Momma go away?” Molasses asked quietly.

Valiant mentally kicked himself for being so insensitive to the slow colt,
“Yes she did, I’m sorry. Do you want to take some time to say goodbye?”

Molasses nuzzled the old mare for a moment then raised his head,
“Say goodbye, every day, because you might not wake up in the morning.” Molasses said blinking back tears once more, turning back to the old mare, he nuzzled her one last time, “I miss you Momma.”

Surf wiped a hoof under his nose and turned away, feigning a cough and sniffling,
“Hey bro,” he addressed Valiant, “I don’t mean to be pushy or anything, but we need to head back to camp before somepony decides we abandoned our stuff.”

“I know Surf.” Valiant replied, “Molasses, do you know how far away Haysburg is?”

“One full day, with the sun on your right in the morning and left in the evening. Turn right when you reach the swamps and go until you hear the bells.” Molasses sounded like he was reciting something he had been forced to memorize, “Follow the bells to Haysburg. When you reach the town, don’t talk to strangers. Just follow Momma to the sweet shop and wait like a good colt, and maybe the nice mare with the brown mane will give you a cup of hot cocoa. When Momma’s done, follow her to Miss Heartfelt’s Orphanage. You can play with the foals, but be gentle, they are still small. If any fillies or colts try to talk to you, be polite but go find Momma and ask her if you can play with them. Follow Momma back home, only she knows the way. If you get lost, sit down and call for help and Momma will find you.”

Valiant now had an idea of exactly how handicapped the colt was, he adjusted his tone accordingly,
“Molasses,” he addressed softly, “Your Momma said it was alright for you to come with us. We’re taking you to Haysburg, alright?”

“Yes sir. I heard Momma say so. If I stop moving for a long time and get really cold Molasses, go find somepony and give them the note under my mattress. It’s alright to cry, when that happens. Momma has to go away someday, but I’ll always love you. When I go away, it’s alright to go with the pony you gave the note to. They’ll take care of you or take you to live with Miss Heartfelt. If they do take you to Miss Heartfelt, listen to her and help her out as much as you can. Remember to always be gentle with foals, you’re bigger than they are, you don’t want to hurt them. If the pony takes you with them, be sure to listen to them very carefully and be polite. Make your molasses for them and help them whenever they ask you to. If it’s a mare, always say, ‘yes ma’am’ if it’s a stallion, always say ‘yes sir’. If you can’t find a pony, go to Haysburg and tell Miss Heartfelt that I stopped moving and got cold.” Molasses may have been slow, but his memory seemed as sharp as a tack.

The two stallions watch as Molasses rose to his hooves and shambled over to the only other bed in the cabin. The huge colt reached his head underneath his mattress and removed a pair of saddlebags then proceeded to fill them while reciting something else to himself.

“When Momma goes away, take your blanket, so you’ll be warm. Take your canteen, remember to boil the water first. Take the cauldron so you can make your molasses. Put them all in your saddlebags. Take anything else you want, then tell the pony you are ready to go.” Molasses recited, from memory.

He gathered his blanket, canteen, and cauldron, then looked around as if deciding what else to bring. He stuffed his pillow into his saddlebags, followed by the chessboard from the table. Valiant found the last addition odd, but didn’t say anything.

Molasses looked around once more then turned to Valiant,
“I’m ready to go sir.”

Valiant debated to himself, whether or not to take the offered banknotes and decided he would, but that they belonged to Molasses. The process of finding the opening in Maple’s mattress while the deceased mare lay on top of it was disquieting. He finally managed to open the mattress and beheld a wad of rolled banknotes. He pulled the wad out and saw a second behind the first, so he removed that one too. The banknotes went into Molasses’ saddlebags. Valiant estimated the wads to be around one hundred bits worth each, more than enough to keep Molasses for a while.

Valiant addressed the slow colt softly,
“Do you need anything else before we go, Molasses?”

“Yes sir. Fires burn, never leave the fire going if you’re not here to keep an eye on it. Use the bucket of water next to the fireplace to put it out. Make sure it stops smoking.” Molasses recited.

Valiant and Surf wondered why the slow colt had left the fire going when they had found him earlier. Molasses picked up the bucket with his mouth and doused the fire, emptying the whole thing in one go. He sat the bucket down and watched until the ashes stopped smoking. Molasses sat in front of the fire as if deep in thought.

Valiant quietly cleared his throat,
“Molasses, are you ready to go now?”

The colt looked toward Valiant with a sad face,
“Momma’s never coming back is she?”

“I’m sorry, Molasses, but no she isn’t.” Surf said quietly.

The slow colt turned to the two stallions,
“Momma told me, I need to tell other ponies my name and get theirs whenever I meet them. I’m Molasses, what are your names?”

“I’m Surf & Turf, but you don’t have to call me ‘sir’, just call me ‘Surf’.” the neon Earth pony said.

“I’m Valiant . . . “ he began.

“No you’re not, sir.” Molasses said quietly, “Valiant was a mean pony who killed Miss Arabesque, the ballet dancer. He was a pegasus and they have wings. You aren’t him, sir.”

Valiant heard Surf gasp loudly beside him,
“Dude, seriously, tell me he’s just confused.” the neon pony said.

“I can’t, Surf. He’s right.” Valiant sighed heavily, “He’s right on both accounts.”

“Dude, we seriously need to talk. As in, right now.” Surf said.

“Do you trust me, Surf?” Valiant asked.

“I . . . I don’t know if I can bro. I did before, but now . . . I don’t know.” Surf & Turf said honestly.

Valiant lowered his gaze,
“I don’t blame you, Surf. I should have told you before . . . “

He was interrupted by Molasses,
“But you’re not that Valiant. Momma always said I could tell good ponies from bad ones. Trust your feelings, Molasses. If you think a pony’s nice, they’re nice and if you think a pony’s mean, they’re mean. I think you’re nice, so you’re nice.”

Valiant couldn’t help but to smile at the slow colt’s words,
“I like his answer better.”

Surf snorted,
“How about you use some of your own words bro? I need some serious reasons and clarification here.”

Turning to his friend and becoming serious once more, Valiant tried to explain,
“I’m sorry, Surf. I should have told you. It was an accident, but yes, my actions led to the death of another pony. That’s why I was acting all weird. I’m going back to Haysburg to . . . to see if they’ll forgive me for what I did. I swear to you, I’m not that pony anymore. Do you know what a Vagabond is?”

Surf shook his head,
“No dude, never heard it before.”

“Then I guess I have a lot of explaining to do. Think about it Surf. If I’m going back to Haysburg to face them, doesn’t that mean anything?” Valiant asked.

“Only that you have a death wish, dude.” Surf said.

“When I . . . when Arabesque died, I became a Vagabond. A Vagabond is a pony who’s done something really terrible. The spirit of the victim haunts the Vagabond, until either the Vagabond dies, or they do enough so that the victim’s spirit forgives them. A Vagabond loses their home and their name. They can’t answer to any other name than Vagabond until they’re forgiven. I’ve been forgiven, Surf. I’m trying to make everything right again. I never meant to hurt Arabesque, we were best friends. You have to believe me.” Valiant explained.

Surf turned to Molasses,
“You said he was nice, big dude?”

Molasses smiled in his simple way,
“He’s the good Valiant, not the bad Valiant, sir.”

Surf & Turf shook his head,
“Alright dude, I believe you. You need to be straight with me from now on, though. Is there anything else I should know about you?”

Valiant bit his lower lip and chuckled nervously,
“There might be a thing or two, I could tell you about. Let’s walk and talk, it’s getting late.”

“Sounds good to me, dude. Come on Molasses.” Surf said walking out of the quickly cooling cabin.

Valiant waited until Molasses had caught up to them before beginning his explanation,
“Hey surf?” he asked his friend, “Have you ever heard of the Elements of Harmony?”

“Oh, dude! You mean those mares who knocked the socks off Nightmare Moon and brought Princess Luna back? They’re awesome, bro! I’ve heard that Princess Celestia herself trained them to be, like, the most wicked bunch of fighting ponies ever to set hoof on Equestrian soil, dude! I’ve heard they’re all, like, the most beautiful and fearless ponies ever born!” Surf gushed, eyes widening, “Don’t tell me you’ve actually met them! Oh, dude, that would be so awesome! Hey, what do they look like?”

Valiant smiled as he recalled something he had heard Fluttershy and Rarity talking about once,
“Do you ever read fashion magazines, Surf?”

“Of course I have, dude. I have an eye for the girls remember?” Surf said.

“Do you remember one model named Fluttershy? She was a yellow pegasus . . . “ Valiant began.

“Her mane and tail were soft pink, and she had a trio of butterflies as her cutie-mark. Of course I remember her dude! She was one of the hottest models I’ve ever seen! She was all, like, shy and demure and everything! Totally gorgeous mare, dude; she was a complete knockout!” Surf said excitedly.

“She’s the Element of Kindness.” Valiant said bluntly.

Surf & Turf fell right onto his face in midstride, mumbling from the dirt,
“Dude, I think I’m in love.”

AUTHOR’S NOTE: I would like to hear honest feedback about this chapter, especially in regard to Tinker, Valiant’s revelation about Surf and Molasses. I did my level best not to jump too far ahead with Valiant and Surf traveling, but I had to do so to keep from being redundant and slowing the story to a crawl with meaningless filler. I would like to give a shout out to FoxMane. A couple of fellow bronies were out walking around on Halloween night and saw an awesome pumpkin carved to look exactly like Nightmare Moon. To FoxMane, who lives on my block, for a terrifically carved pumpkin on Nightmare Night! Bro-hoof to you, sir.

Author's Note

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I would like to hear honest feedback about this chapter, especially in regard to Tinker, Valiant's revelation about Surf and Molasses. I did my level best not to jump too far ahead with Valiant and Surf traveling, but I had to do so to keep from being redundant and slowing the story to a crawl with meaningless filler. I would like to give a shout out to FoxMane. A couple of fellow bronies were out walking around on Halloween night and saw an awesome pumpkin carved to look exactly like Nightmare Moon. To FoxMane, who lives on my block, for a terrifically carved pumpkin on Nightmare Night! Bro-hoof to you, sir.

Chapter 11

The Elements of Equestria

Part 11

Twilight figured she and the rest of the group were only three days away from the edge of the Everfree Forest. Trooper had made a full and easy recovery, save for all the complaining. Everypony had been calling it ‘whining’ for a while but Rarity assured them, with no small amount of certainty, he had only been complaining. The offer of an illustration on her part had been politely turned down, albeit in a great many decibels and in the form of many voices responding simultaneously.

Try as he might, Trooper had thus far been unable to recall any more information regarding his family. The issue had been weighing on his mind since Sea Blue had brought it to his attention. Every night Trooper would go to sleep thinking about what his mother had told him, and wake up in the morning only that much more frustrated for his inability. The only thing that kept him from becoming a, as Pinkie Pie called it, ‘whiney Mcwhinerson’ was the fact that every night he had the rather distinguished privilege of sleeping in a tent with two pretty mares, even if he wasn’t on particularly good terms with one of them. Dr. Mend had been absolutely insistent that the sleeping arrangement was for everypony’s good because the weather was too cold for the hammocks. After the third night the weather became so cold that any further complaints were swallowed in very short order.

Fortunately there had been no further encounters with the less friendly denizens of the Everfree. Pinkie Pie claimed it was because the giant spider had spread the word, once it had landed. The group had initially dismissed the notion, but Fluttershy assured them that indeed the creatures could communicate with each other in a limited way, so they conceded to her expertise.

Applejack and Big Macintosh had begun a routine for the group’s food. Every day as they walked, the two Earth ponies would keep their eyes peeled for any signs of edible food and dig it up, or pick it as soon as they spotted it. Being that they were the ‘trail masters’ as Applejack called it, the responsibility didn’t hamper the group’s travel time or progress at all.

They had gathered a rather odd assembly of edibles that day which Lemon Lime commented that evening as they gathered around the fire,
“Wild onions, fennel, turnips, a small basket of . . . plumbs, I think, and a large pumpkin?” the small therapist scratched his head, “I’m going to have to get REALLY creative with all this. Do you still have your knife Pinkie? . . . Pinkie?” he asked looking around.

Without any preamble, Pinkie Pie appeared behind Lemon Lime with her large knife already in her mouth. Lemon Lime suddenly looked over his shoulder and fell over onto his back turning to face the pink ninja in stark terror. Pinkie giggled and set the knife down on a rock next to the small yellow unicorn stallion.

“Where do you even keep that thing?” Lemon Lime asked regaining his hooves.

Pinkie Pie pulled her mane out of the way with her right hoof and gestured to a small hard plastic sheath hanging from her shoulder on a series of fabric straps in easy reach of her mouth,
“I keep it right here silly.” she said, “You never know when you might need it to cut a vine or something.”

“Where did you get a customized, hard plastic sheath for a cooking knife on a shoulder rig?” Dr. Mend asked curiously.

Pinkie giggled,
“I made it. It just seemed like a good idea.”

“How did you . . .” Sea Blue began.

Rarity raised a hoof in front of his muzzle,
“Trust me darling, don’t ask. We all just say ‘it’s Pinkie’ and move on. You’ll go crazy trying to figure it out.”

“Figure out what?” Pinkie asked popping up between the two unicorns.

Dr. Mend cleared his throat, drawing the attention of the gathered ponies,
“I think it would be a good idea for most of us to start getting some exercise.”

The statement caused instant silence from the camp.

“Exercise?” Rarity asked, “Darling, what do you think we’ve been doing for the past few weeks; lounging and sunbathing perhaps?”

Dr. Mend actually laughed lightly, a rare sight,
“I suppose I do need to be more specific.” he said walking away from the fire a few paces into the cold night so he could face everypony, “The Elements of Peace are meant to be physical guardians for the Elements of Harmony, right?”

The rest of the group nodded while Lemon Lime began carving out the pumpkin, so Dr. Mend continued,
“When we fought the chimera, we had our flanks kicked, before Big Mac called out our armor. I don’t know about the rest of you guys, but I pulled several muscles in that fight. I didn’t feel it at the time, but I sure felt it the next day. We had some time to react when fighting the chimera and I think we were lucky. We can’t just assume every opponent is going to fight honorably. Look at what happened with the spider. If Trooper hadn’t already been on his way back to talk to Rarity, things could have gone south real quick. Twilight, you were shocked by the spider’s appearance right? You were still trying to process what was going on?” he asked.

Twilight was loathe to admit it but Dr. Mend was right, kind of,
“I was surprised, yes, but I think I could have handled it by myself.”

“I’m sure you could have, Twilight. Please don’t think I’m disputing your skill with magic. I’m simply pointing out that we, as guardians, had an oversight that could have cost Everypony dearly. We didn’t leave any of the Elements of Peace with you. All of us share the blame for that mistake, myself included. I’ve been thinking that from now on, each stallion and mare in each set of Elements, should try to stick together as much as possible. That way if something else does happen we can all be ready. I’m not saying that you girls are helpless, far from it, the fact is that we have a responsibility to you to keep you safe. When we fought the chimera we didn’t have to worry about protecting you. If we ever get into another fight we should focus on keeping you safe in case a second or, Celestia forbid, a third threat rears its ugly head, or heads in some cases. With that in mind, I bring up my second observation. We, as guardians, aren’t used to the confusion that seems to happen in a fight. We think on our hooves, yes, but we’re reckless; case in point, Trooper’s fight with the spider.”

Dr. Mend paused for a breath and continued,
“He really didn’t have to even make any physical contact with it. All he actually needed to do was to distract it long enough for Twilight to deal with it. He could have saved himself quite a lot of discomfort and pain if he had.”

“That would have been nice.” Trooper interjected.

“My point is this, we’ve been slacking. We can’t just go along our merry way and hope everything turns out alright in the end. We need to be smart about this. It’s a serious situation and we need to treat it as such. While the encounter with the spider ended with no deaths, it could have just as easily gone the other way too. That spider wasn’t going to play nice and just take hostages, it was out to eat, it meant to kill.” Dr. Mend said seriously.

“Well what do ya propose to do about it there Doc?” Applejack asked.

“Exactly as I said, exercise. We need to exercise our minds and bodies so we’re prepared when a fight comes to us. I don’t have any experience in martial combat though, so we need to figure it out on our own.” Dr. Mend said.

“I’ve got a book about fighting.” Lemon Lime offered, “I picked it up just before we left from Ponyville. I bought it from this stallion named Buck Nohorse . . . “

“I used to train with him a little bit,” Rainbow Dash interjected, “That’s where I took Applebloom when I was trying to help her get her cutie mark. He’s one of Princess Celestia’s retired guards, so he knows how to fight.”

“I took a unicorn’s self-defense class back in Canterlot.” Sea Blue added, “It focuses on using your magic to disorient your attacker so you can get away, but I think it should still be applicable here too.”

“When would we have time to do all this, Dr. Mend?” Twilight asked, “All our time, right now, is being spent walking.”

“Point,” Dr. Mend said gesturing to Twilight, “We don’t have an abundance of time on our hooves right now, so we make time for it. We already know that the ponies in Haysburg might react badly, even violently, to Valiant’s appearance so we need to be ready in case we have to pull off a rescue. I would like to recommend that we practice for a little while every morning. The moving around should help to wake everypony up and help keep you active during the day. Live Wire already knows how to stretch, so he can lead us for that. Twilight, you’re probably the fastest reader by far, so why don’t you take a look at the book tonight then teach us what it says to do and Rainbow Dash has already trained so she can help you. Sea Blue can instruct the unicorns on how to use their magic in a fight and Big Macintosh and Applejack are already well-versed in how to wrangle cattle, that should prove at least somewhat seful. Rainbow Dash and Trooper can tutor Fluttershy on speed and maneuverability. No offense Fluttershy but you’re probably the least combative pony here. How does that sound to everypony?”

“Eureka!” Lemon Lime yelled, “A pumpkin stew with onions, fennel, and turnips mixed in with candied plumbs for desert! Haha! I am good!” the little therapist began dancing merrily at his ingenious culinary contrivance which was already beginning to cook.

“Woo! Break it down Live Wire!” Pinkie Pie cheered dancing next to him.

“Ah think it’s a right fine idea Doc!” Applejack enthused, “Shoot, when Big Macintosh and Ah work during the winter, we’re never bothered by the cold after about the first ten minutes or so. Yer body makes its own heat when you’re movin’ your muscles and strainin’ hard. Besides, Ah’ve got a thing or two to settle with mah brother over a wrestlin’ bet we made a while back. He says he won, but Ah say it were a draw.”

“Nope.” Big Mac said smiling, “You just let your pride get in the way sis. Ah won fair and square.”

“Well Ah never . . . “ Applejack sputtered.

Trooper leaned over to Sea Blue whispering,
“You said you knew how to use hypnosis?”

Sea Blue kept his eyes straight ahead,
“Yes I do, but I don’t really like to use it except as a last resort.”

“I dare say, I believe I am at that point right now. I simply cannot remember anything else. When can we get going on that?” Trooper asked.

Sea Blue sighed lightly,
“Very well, we can begin tonight. I’ll hypnotize you just before you go to sleep. You’ll start remembering things as dreams. It’s a special type of hypnosis used by unicorns.”

“Sounds good old chap.” Trooper said.

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

The pumpkin stew was an unequaled success, everypony ate their fill with thankfully very little in the way of leftovers. As per the norm, Trooper flew the leftovers far away from the campsite so as not to attract any dangerous wild animals. The ponies all began heading towards their tents to sleep. It had taken multiple apologies on Rarity’s part to convince Big Macintosh to be willing to sleep in the same tent as the gregarious unicorn after the embarrassing morning comment on her part several weeks prior.

Sea Blue excused himself from Rarity and Big Macintosh and headed over to the ‘pegasi tent’ as it was now officially named. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were already curled up and laying down on the left side of the tent while Trooper sat up waiting for his friend to hypnotize him.

“I’m not sure I could ever hurt any creature no matter what the reason,” Fluttershy said softly, “Just the thought of causing pain makes me feel sick.”

“The idea isn’t to cause pain . . . “ Rainbow Dash began, but thought about her statement and corrected herself, “Oh, alright it is. But you can learn to defend yourself without causing an injury. You can just learn to dodge and wear your attacker out that way. As long as you can keep yourself from being hurt you’ve done it right. The idea for dodging is to use as little energy as possible while making your opponent use as much as possible. When they collapse from fatigue you can get away.”

Fluttershy seemed to brighten at the idea,
“That sounds like something I can do, but I’m such a weak flier and I’m not very strong . . . “

Trooper piped up,
“You do not have to be quick, Fluttershy. I did not want to mention it before but I too have taken a self-defense course; it was one that focused more on, blocking, dodging, and evading than fighting back. Speed helps, but timing counts for far more than speed. You can be as quick as Rainbow Dash but if your timing is off then it will not matter at all.”

“For once, I agree with you Troops.” Dash said shortening Trooper’s name; the stallion grimaced, but Dash ignored it and continued, “When I first started training with Buck, I thought my speed was all I needed. He showed me how to fight conservatively. The first thing he taught me is that fighting wears you out quick. Within a couple of minutes I was completely out of breath while he hadn’t even broken a sweat. He had barely moved at all while I was flying around like a hummingbird.”

A stomped hoof outside their tent alerted the three pegasi to another pony’s presence,
“May I come in?” Sea Blue asked politely.

Trooper unzipped the tent with his mouth and stepped back to let the unicorn in,
“What do I need to do?” he asked eagerly.

Sea Blue looked unusually serious as he sat down in the cramped tent,
“I want to make myself very clear here Trooper. I don’t much care for using hypnosis, but I can’t stop you. Are you sure you want to go through with this?”

“Yes.” Trooper said nodding, “I need to remember everything I can. Are there any dangers?”

“Very few,” Sea Blue said, “I don’t like using it because I believe in doing things for one’s self. To me hypnosis is like a short cut. I wouldn’t have even suggested it but we may not have the time for you to do it the hard way. Hypnosis is sure to work, but it may end up being vary startling. You will remember things in your dreams as if you were living them at the time. It’s been known to cause some side effects like occasional instances where you might end up waking up in a sweat or talking in your sleep if the memories are intense or traumatic. In some very rare cases you might suffer from night terrors. I’ve heard of some ponies waking up screaming. Do you still want to go through with this?”

“Yes, I feel that I have to. I am ready when you are Sea Blue.” Trooper said.

Sea Blue nodded,
“Alright then, lay down, get comfortable, and look up at me.”

Trooper did as indicated with Fluttershy on his right and Rainbow Dash on the far side, all facing the front of the tent, Sea Blue began,
“You are feeling very relaxed. The muscles in your legs are going numb with the relaxation of sleep . . .”

Within minutes Sea Blue left the tent, leaving three sleeping pegasi inside; he zipped the tent closed and walked back to his own tent,
“Good luck Trooper.” he said quietly to himself.

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

Trooper was aware of himself being carried around in a small papoose and seeing the world around him whizzing by at high speed as he clung to his mother’s chest. He felt the rush of air, the feeling of speed against his tiny body; he was flying, or more specifically being flown.

“It’s perfect!” a stallion’s voice called from somewhere to his right, “It’s a perfect day! I can’t wait to see Vector again! I heard he got married and has a foal, a little colt almost the same age as our little guy.” Trooper looked toward the voice.

He felt his breath catch in his throat, the stallion speaking was his father. He had never known his father and now here he was flying right next to him. Trooper could almost reach out and touch him. He was a solid looking pegasus stallion with a storm cloud with lightning through it as his cutie mark. He was dark blue almost black in his coat and his mane and tail were an almost yellow shade of light brown. He flew along zipping all over the place like a hyper wasp. The sheer amount of joy he exuded was nearly palpable; he was excited to see his brother again. The older stallion was wearing a pair of saddlebags that looked to be stuffed full to bursting.

Trooper looked up his mother in awe. He had only known her as a mare who looked older than she actually was, worn and tired all the time. This new version of his mother was a wonder to behold. Her coloration was a perfect opposite of Dr. Mend. Her coat was ice white and her mane and tail were jet black, her cutie mark was the same though, a circular piece of pink candy known by her own name since she invented it, Sugar Tart. She was smiling as they flew toward their unknown destination.

“I cannot wait to meet them!” Sugar Tart said enthusiastically, “You said he looks just like you; right Storm Bolt? You two are identical.”

“He’s the spitting image of yours truly, Sugar. From the way he described his wife, I’d say she looks quite a bit like you too. Ha! Wouldn’t that be great! When we all get our pictures taken it will look like there’s a double exposure! What a conversation piece!” Storm Bolt said.

“Where is this special place you found?” Sugar Tart asked.

“I didn’t find it, sorry to disappoint you Sugar. I heard about it from a friend on the weather patrol. She said it was the best place to have a party. She said she’d never seen anything like it before.” Storm boasted.

“Does it have to be so far away? We have been flying for hours now. I am growing tired carrying Trooper around, and it does not help that it is almost his lunch time.” Sugar complained good naturedly.

“I told you before we left, it takes a full day and a half of flying to get there, but it’s supposed to be worth it. We have to meet Vector half way. He and his wife live in New Yoke. If you need to stop, just say so, love.” Storm said flying over and nuzzling his wife.

Trooper reached out and bit his father’s mane in his little muzzle. Trooper had not meant to do that but he knew these were just memories and he had no control, he was just along for the ride, in more ways than one.

Storm Bolt tried to pull away, but his head caught, he looked down at his tiny son fondly,
“You want some love too, little guy?” he asked as he nuzzled Trooper gently, “Come on now, you have to let go of Daddy’s mane.” he tried to pull away but Trooper hung on gamely, “I think he’s got your jaws Sugar.” Storm said causing his wife to blush.

“You said you would not bring that up again. It was only one time and it was an accident. I was caught up in the moment.” she defended.

Trooper tried not to gag at the insinuation.

Storm Bolt smiled mischievously and turned upside down looking at his wife,
“Am I really that good, Sugar?”

Sugar Tart pointed down to Trooper,
“Does this answer your question, husband?” she asked with mock seriousness.

Storm let out a hearty laugh and finally pulled away from his son’s vice like jaws,
“Intentional or not, I wouldn’t trade either of you for all the bits in Equestria. I’m the luckiest stallion alive and we both know it. I’m willing to bet that you wouldn’t either, would you?”

Sugar reached her head down and nuzzled Trooper,
“Not you, that is for certain. As for your father, sometimes I do not know.” she said it loud so Storm was sure to hear.

“Hey! I’m right here, you know!” Storm said.

Sugar Tart smiled, tilted her body, and began to descend towards the ground,
“We are breaking for lunch. Are you coming Storm Bolt?”

“I couldn’t leave my two most valuable gems by themselves now could I?” Storm said following his wife.

Fluttershy wondered what Trooper was dreaming about. He had bit onto her mane for a minute before and had just turned onto his back. All four of his hooves here up in the air like he was holding something while he pursed his lips and looked to be trying to kiss the air. The demure pegasus shook her head and went back to sleep.

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

The next morning was quite a change for Fluttershy. She had no trouble following along with Lemon Lime as he showed the group how to stretch as a warm up exercise. The day dawned with frost covering the ground. The air was cold enough for Fluttershy to see her breath in front of her face. The only pony who seemed to have trouble with the stretching was Dr. Mend. Fluttershy had figured that Big Macintosh would have had difficulty with the exercises due to his huge size, but the farm pony seemed as limber as any of them. The hard part for the shy pegasus came when she had to listen to Twilight describe the maneuvers for fighting and the kinds of injuries they could cause.

“Strike out hard with your left fore hoof and aim for the jaw where it connects with the rest of the head, right at the hinge-point where it joins with the upper mandible. This can disorient your opponent and possibly break their jaw. Most creatures and ponies are right hooved and won’t be expecting a swing from the left the first time you use it. Be careful not to use it too much or your opponent will learn to anticipate it and use it against you . . . “ Twilight read from the book while Rainbow Dash demonstrated on Lemon Lime in slow motion.

Twilight closed the book and addressed the group,
“Let’s break up into teams and practice what we’ve learned. The book says that you should try not to injure your sparring partner, but make the blows hurt a little bit, so that pain becomes an incentive to get better. Sea Blue, can you show Lemon Lime, Rarity, and I what spells you were taught in your self-defense course?”

“Sure thing Twilight,” Sea Blue said as the groups broke off according to breed, leaving the unicorns alone, “The first one I learned was the easiest one. It’s the one I used when I tried to fight off Trixie. The spell is called ‘Solar Flare’. It was invented by Princess Celestia in case she had to ever defend herself. It’s designed to blind your opponent for about twenty seconds, but cause no permanent damage. Watch and analyze the components of the spell so you can replicate it.”

Sea Blue lowered his head and began casting the spell slowly. After a few seconds of allowing the spell to build, he finished and cast it out. Rarity, Twilight, and Lemon Lime all cried out as the light struck their eyes, overloading their optic nerves for a few seconds. Sea Blue waited patiently until their vision returned.

“I think I’ve got it, darling.” Rarity said rubbing her eyes with her left hoof.

“Go ahead, as soon as you can see.” Sea Blue said.

Rarity lowered her hoof after a few more seconds, then lowered her head, focusing on her magic; the other unicorns analyzed the spell as she did so. Sea Blue nodded, ‘She caught right on to it. Not bad. I’m a bit surprised.’ Rarity finished with the spell in a matter of milliseconds. A blinding flash of light erupted from her horn. Cries were heard from all directions, even beyond the unicorns.

“Land sakes!” Applejack yelled, “Ah can’t see nothin’! What did yall do over there? Yall need to turn it down a bit!”

“Ooh!” Pinkie Pie said, “Is this what it’s like being blind?” she asked, “We should use this in case we ever get blinded in a fight.”

If anypony could have seen, they would have witnessed Pinkie lean down on her fore hooves with her flank and tail sticking straight up. Her Ears were facing forward and erect, waiting for any sound.

“Uh, Pinkie,” Big Macintosh said, “Ah’m not sure that’s such a . . . “ he was cut off as Pinkie glomped onto him in a pink tackle.

She hung onto him, pulling for everything she was worth, trying to dislodge or unbalance him,
“Grr,” she grunted, “Come on Big Macie. You’re supposed to fall over.”

“Ayup.” he said, “Ah will if’n you can do it. Ah don’t let nopony win just for the effort.”

Using his hoof to feel his pink attacker out, the massive Earth pony reached his mouth around and bit onto Pinkie’s mane. The pink ball of energy squeaked and flew through the air, landing softly on the ground nearby, on her bottom. In the blink of an eye she was up on her hooves once more, ready to go. Fortunately, everypony’s sight was finally coming back to them.

Twilight rubbed her eyes with her right hoof,
“I think you over did it a little bit Rarity.”

“I’d say she did it perfectly.” Sea Blue said, “The idea is to disorient your opponent after all. I was pretty disoriented. How about you try it next Twilight. I’ll keep my eyes open, everypony else close your eyes.” Sea Blue said it loudly so everypony would hear the warning.

Every pair of eyes in the whole field was closed, save for Sea Blue’s. Twilight lowered her head and focused on her magic. Trooper, who was the farthest away from the purple unicorn, saw the flash of light through his closed eyelids. The flash was followed almost imediately by a deafening boom.

Sea Blue cried out in pain,
“Gah!”

Lemon Lime rushed over to the counselor, his ears were ringing,
“What?”

“I modified it.” Twilight yelled over her own ringing ears, “I think it works. I’ll call it the ‘Flash Bang’. It’s supposed to both blind and deafen.”

“I think it works.” Dr. Mend yelled in her ear.

“What?” Twilight asked waggling a hoof in her ear.

High above the unicorns and Earth ponies, the pegasi were having troubles of their own,
“Fluttershy, how are you supposed to get better? We’re not going to injure you, but we need it to hurt a little. I barely touched you.”

Fluttershy rubbed he shoulder ruefully,
“But it still hurts.” she said wincing as she continued to rub the spot.

“There’s not even a mark!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

“Perhaps if we give her a demonstration?” Trooper suggested.

“Oh, alright fine!” Rainbow Dash sighed.

“I will defend and you attack.” Trooper said.

Rainbow Dash smiled an evil grin,
“Fine by me.” she had secretly been hoping to have a go at Trooper for a while, to gauge how good he was.

Rainbow Dash flew several flaps away and righted herself,
“Ready?”

Trooper righted himself in the air and held his hooves in front of his body joints bent, looking over the tops of each,
“Ready.”

In a flash of movement, Rainbow Dash was to and past Trooper. Trooper grunted and held his left side, but kept upright. Rainbow Dash turned in the air and faced him, looking smug. Trooper released his side and squared off again. Rainbow Dash smiled and licked her lips, head down. In a second flash of movement the two pegasi collided again. This time it was Rainbow Dash who grunted. She spun out of control, flapping wildly. Trooper flew over and reached her in a quick second. He reached out and stabilized the spinning, twisting pegasus mare.

“What’s the big idea?” Rainbow Dash yelled regaining her balance.

“What are you talking about?” Trooper asked, “I blocked. You tried to hit me with your wing and I blocked it.”

“We’re supposed to be teaching Fluttershy how to dodge, not block, you blockhead!” Rainbow Dash snorted.

Trooper was the perfect picture of innocence,
“Sorry, I forgot. I shall dodge this time.”

“Yeah I’ll bet.” Dash mumbled moodily.

The boisterous pegasus mare flew off again then turned, waiting for Trooper,
“Come on already!” she groaned quietly to herself.

“Watch carefully, Fluttershy. Watch the way your opponent moves and try to guess how they will attack. Keep an eye out for small muscle movements that might indicate a precursor to an attack, it is called ‘broadcasting’.” Trooper said.

Fluttershy nodded and stayed close so she could watch Rainbow Dash. The two blue colored pegasi squared off once more. Rainbow Dash charged again a little more slowly. Even so, she was still almost a blur. As she neared, Fluttershy caught sight of a slight twitch from Rainbow Dash’s right fore leg. In her peripheral vision, she noticed Trooper tense up, ‘Is that what he was talking about?’ she wondered.

Rainbow Dash came closer and closer. Fluttershy wanted to move, but Trooper stayed put. When Dash was a mere flap away from him, Trooper flapped his wings once and simply glided out of the way. Dash missed him completely.

Trooper turned to Fluttershy,
“Your knowledge of how the body works should give you an edge. Look for muscle movements. It is as simple as that. Wait until the last possible second and use only as much energy as you need to, to dodge. If your opponent is close enough, they will not be able to correct their course. Above all, try to remain calm. It will be hard, but if you stay calm, you can think better and make more sound judgments. I made that mistake when I fought the spider. I was not calm and I ended up far more injured that was strictly necessary.”

“Give it a try Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash called from behind Trooper, “You’ve seen it done, now it’s time to do it yourself.”

“Alright.” The custard pegasus responded.

Trooper moved out of the way and hovered behind Fluttershy so he could position her hooves the right way,
“Are you left or right hooved?” he asked.

Fluttershy held up her right hoof demurely. Trooper glided in close and began positioning her fore hooves. He put her left one out in front, joint bent so she could look over the top of her shoe. Her right one followed behind the left, both aligned in front of her body. Trooper flew back several flaps and examined Fluttershy’s stance.

“Why are you having me put my hooves up?” she asked.

“This is for when you learn to block. It is called putting up your guard. You need to get used to it, trust me.” Trooper said, then looked over to Dash, “She is ready.” he called.

“I’m scared.” Fluttershy whimpered.

Trooper noticed she was starting to shake; he flew up above her and lowered his head to whisper in her ear,
“You have to learn to ignore it. Focus on your opponent as a whole, watch for any sign of a broadcast.”

Fluttershy gulped audibly, but maintained her pose. Rainbow Dash waited for a brief moment then, in a burst of speed, charged her shy friend. Everything happened in slow motion for the learning pegasus. She watched every flap of Dash’s wings and noted every muscle that moved when she did so, dedicating every movement to memory. As Dash approached, Fluttershy noticed the rainbow hued pegasus twitch ever so slightly in her right fore leg. Her instincts screamed for her to get away, now that she had seen the warning sign of the attack, but she held her ground (figuratively of course) and waited. Dash flew closer and closer with every breath. Fluttershy cold feel her heart speeding up as she approached and time slowed down even more. To Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash looked like she was moving as slowly as a slug. She waited until she was sure Dash was too close, then flapped her wings once and glided off to the left.
Rainbow Dash sped by Fluttershy and stopped on the far side of the demure pegasus. Fluttershy blinked and looked around, ‘Where is she?’ she wondered.

Trooper cheered loudly, yelling encouragement to the shy pegasus,
“Nicely done! Nicely done indeed, Fluttershy!”

Fluttershy looked around and spotted Rainbow Dash a ways away. Dash had her fore legs crossed in front of her smiling broadly and nodding her head, ‘Not bad Fluttershy. We’ll make a fighter out of you yet.’ she thought.

Trooper flew over and patted the, still shaking, pegasus gently on her back,
“Well done Fluttershy! I could not have done it any better myself! By all that is magic, I dare say you are a natural! What say we give it another go?”

“Um, that’s alright. I think I’ll just watch you two for now.” Fluttershy said trying to steady her breathing.

“As you wish, my lovely compatriot.” Trooper said turning to Rainbow Dash, “How about it there old Rain-a-thingy? Feel like taking on a more seasoned opponent?”

“I hope you don’t expect me to hold back as much as I did with Fluttershy, Trooper.” Dash said lowering her head.

Trooper raised his snout to the sky,
“Perish the thought!” he said haughtily, “Indeed, I expect you to, as the saying goes, hit me with your best shot, as it were!”

Rainbow Dash flew in but didn’t bypass Trooper. Instead she barrelled into him with her shoulder. Trooper quickly realized that for once, the multi-hued pegasus mare had been understating her skills. Rainbow Dash was preternaturally fast. She threw out strikes almost faster than Trooper could see. He dodged the ones he could, but after dodging thirty-something hits and taking close to the tenth one, he began both blocking and dodging. The two of them were moving like a blur, hooves flying away at every angle and direction, ‘Just how long did she train for?’ Trooper wondered. He could see that Rainbow’s technique was sloppy but she made up for it with her ludicrous speed.

Rainbow Dash smiled, feeling cocky, and lashed out with another fore hoof,
“What say we take this up a notch. Full-contact sparring.”

Trooper didn’t get the chance to answer. She attacked him with everything she had. Trooper was pressed to simply defend himself, much less land a blow of his own with any frequency. Trooper struck out with a hind leg only to have it intercepted by Rainbow Dash’s own leg in a block while she counter-attacked with a swift uppercut which Trooper dodged nimbly. The two pegasi continued on like that for several solid minutes, sweat dripping off them as they fought. Rainbow Dash rained down blow after blow onto Trooper, who bore them with as much grace as he could muster. Trooper pulled his punches (so to speak), on the rare occasions they landed, he wasn’t so sure about his sparring partner. His ribs and belly were hurting terribly, still he couldn’t bring himself to hit Rainbow Dash with all his strength. He’d had mares as sparring partners before, but none of them ever hit like Dash did. She was brutal. In a lightning quick move, Dash stopped flapping her wings, for a brief moment, and brought them up. She boxed Trooper’s ears with the edges of her wings, surprising him and knocking him silly for a moment. She saw her opening and went for it. She lowered her head and charged in, under his raised fore hooves and began pummeling his ribs with reckless abandon.

Trooper grunted and tried to block the blows, but he was beginning to weaken, his movements becoming sluggish,
“Dash stop! Break! Break!” he yelled.

Rainbow Dash didn’t seem to hear him. She just kept up her attack. Trooper had no choice. He flapped once, hard, and pushed his attacker back with his burning chest, then swatted the aggressive mare between the shoulder blades with his left hoof, his weak one. Trooper hadn’t struck with all his strength, he knew the move well and didn’t want to hurt Dash too badly. The move was one of the few attacks he had learned and it worked perfectly. Dash’s wings instantly froze up and she began to fall. In a split second Trooper grabbed her and held her aloft. He hurt everywhere, his ribcage felt like an inferno, and his left hind leg was numb from one particularly solid blow from his opponent. He was honestly having trouble holding Rainbow Dash up.

“Let us get back to the ground.” Trooper grunted to Fluttershy.

The pegasi fluttered downward to their waiting friends. Trooper set Rainbow Dash down on her hooves. She wobbled for a moment then regained her balance and shook herself.

The braggadocios pegasus starred at the stallion with a curious gaze,
“How,” she panted, “How did you do that?”

“I struck the tendon between your wings and caused it to seize, like a muscle spasm.” Trooper said.

Dr. Mend went right to work, examining Rainbow Dash,
“Nothing broken, nothing sprained, you’ll have plenty of bruises though, Rainbow Dash. You said you had trained, but I never expected to see anything like that.”

“Boy howdy!” Applejack exclaimed, “How about we go a round tomorrow Dash? You look like you’d be a good challenge for me.”

“Good grief,” Dr. Mend said sourly, “Trooper, you’ve got five bruised ribs and I think your left hind leg is sprained.”

“I would say,” Trooper grunted, “My partner decided not to hold back. It is nowhere near as bad as the spider hairs though.”

“You sprained his leg?” Twilight asked, “We’re supposed to be exercising, not tenderizing!”

Dash shrugged,
“He blocked it.”

“Yes, but you sprained his leg!” Twilight repeated.

“Pain is weakness leaving the body.” Trooper grunted, “Like the book said, it is an incentive to get better. I would say it is a rather convincing incentive.”

Dr. Mend sighed,
“The sprain isn’t too bad, but you should probably stay off it for a while. Can you fly the rest of the day?”

“Not an issue doctor.” Trooper said.

“Breakfast is ready!” Lemon Lime called to the group of friends.

As everypony trotted, or limped in some cases, over to the fire for breakfast, Rainbow Dash stopped in front of Trooper,
“That wasn’t bad.” she said as if she were talking to a student, “With my help, you’ll be the best fighter in Equestria. Be ready, tomorrow I’m REALLY going to go all out. Just stop hitting like a filly alright?”

Trooper watched the flaunting mare walk away and narrowed his eyes,
“You will never know how hard I can hit, Rainbow Dash. Taunt me all you wish, I shall never put my full strength into any swing against you. I will protect you till my dying breath, but I shall NEVER hurt you.” he whispered.

Chapter 12

The Elements of Equestria

Part 12

Molasses had slept fitfully in Valiant’s tent while he and Surf had shared the other. Surf seemed slightly ill at ease being around Valiant, but the royal blue, wingless pegasus had expected as much and didn’t mention anything. At breakfast, the two friends had been expecting the chocolate colored colt to eat according to his size. To their surprise, Molasses took no more food than either of them did. They had broken camp early and started on the road as soon as their practice was complete. Molasses had watched with seeming fascination as the two ponies had run, jumped, spun, and twisted in various acrobatic maneuvers. Valiant and Surf had expected Molasses to slow them down because of his girth, again to their surprise, the slow colt had no difficulty keeping up with the two much more trim ponies.

As soon as the three were traveling again, Valiant began asking Molasses about Haysburg,
“How long has it been since you’ve been to Haysburg, Molasses?”

The colt looked up to the sky and scrunched his face, sticking out his tongue at a comical angle as he tried to articulate his thoughts,
“We go sell the sweet-sauces when the seasons change sir.”

“So it’s been a while then?” Valiant prodded gently.

Molasses didn’t respond, ‘Maybe he doesn’t know what to say.’ Valiant thought, ‘Poor guy. Being around him makes me grateful that I’m not handicapped.’ Following the colt’s lead, the three continued on in silence until the sun was directly overhead. Molasses was the one to instigate their break for lunch. He simply stopped in the middle of the road and sat down on his haunches as if waiting for something.

Valiant and Surf stopped as soon as they saw the younger colt stop,
“What’s up dude? Are you hungry?”

Molasses nodded, still saying nothing. Valiant and Surf walked the few paces back to the chocolate colt and sat down on either side of him. Surf & Turf opened his saddlebags and removed a small sack of dried fruit he had bought in New Yoke, while Valiant headed off into the nearby trees to forage for other things to eat.

“Is there some reason you’ve been so quiet today dude? You seemed happy to talk away last night.” Surf asked.

Molasses chewed on his mouthful of dried fruit in silence, swallowing before he responded,
“Don’t repeat yourself Molasses, it makes you sound silly. It’s better to stay quiet and be thought a foal, than open your mouth and remove all doubt.”

“Whoa, heavy stuff there dude.” Surf said, surprised with the depth of the colt’s response, “Did your Momma tell you that?”

Molasses nodded as he dug his head back into the bag of fruit, his voice came muffled from the intervening fabric,
“Momma said it was a smart thing to do. I want you to be smart, Molasses.” he said as he pulled his head from the bag, mouth empty, “Don’t let anypony tell you you’re stupid. You’re smart in your own special way.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, why did you bring the chess board with you bro? Do you know how to play?” Surf asked.

Molasses nodded and dug into his saddlebags, assumingly looking for the board and pieces. Surf was amazed that he could reach them at all. His head re-emerged from the pouches holding the chess board in his mouth. Molasses set the board down then laid out all the pieces in their proper order. Surf decided to humor the colt and the two began playing, Surf & Turf was white and Molasses was red.

Valiant re-emerged from the trees just in time to heard his neon colored friend say,
“Checkmate, good game dude.”

Valiant walked over and examined the scene. Surf & Turf was playing against Molasses in chess and the colt had unfortunately lost. Even though he lost, Molasses didn’t seem fazed at all by the outcome, almost as if he were used to it. As the wingless pegasus walked over, the two opponents shook hooves. Valiant sat down and distributed out his find; a pouch full of raspberries, among himself and the other two ponies. They ate then waited for molasses to put the chess board and pieces away then continued on toward Haysburg.

The sun began to cast long shadows on the ground, but they still hadn’t reached Haysburg. The anticipation was wearing on Valiant’s nerves, he was becoming anxious. The smell of swamps told him they were very close. He had spotted several wide watery fields of rice but he still couldn’t make out any buildings from the village. The sun sank behind the tree line and the night began to grow cold. Valiant looked to his right and saw the Razor Wing mountain range that signaled the border between Equestria and Gryphonvale.

He kept his eyes trained on the mountains, almost hypnotized by the sight. The Razor Wings ran from South to North along the far side of the Eldritch Basin that the White River flowed both into and out of. Valiant took a good long look at the forever snowcapped mountains, remembering the particular, unique patterns of the peaks that he could recall from the village square of Haysburg. His gaze lingered on the sight for longer than was necessary, but eventually movement caught his eye and he stopped cold. A number of shapes rose up from the mountains, flying fast in their general direction. Valiant squinted his eyes, trying to make out any details.

“What’s up bro? Is something wrong?” Surf asked beside him.

Valiant kept his gaze fixed on the mountains as he responded,
“I thought I saw gryphons up there, but maybe it’s just the light playing tricks on me . . . wait . . . look!” he pointed with his hoof, “There! Flying just above the tallest peak! Do you see them?”

“Be careful with the lion-birds, Molasses. They can be nice, but some only want to pick on you.” the colt mumbled from beside Valiant.

“Are they dangerous dude?” Surf asked.

“Generally, no. I’ve seen a few scuffles between gryphons and ponies though. They have to be careful not to use their claws because they can open you up like an over ripe melon. Normally gryphons don’t bring their chicks anywhere near Haysburg due to the tornadoes, but one family did and there was trouble. The youngest gryphon chick got into a play-fight with a filly and ended up putting her in the hospital. She had to have ninety-odd stitches. The chick’s parents volunteered to pay for the filly’s surgery and then some, but relations were strained for a while after that anyway. When I last left, the relations between ponies and gryphons were fine. Somehow, I don’t think that’s the case now though.” Valiant explained.

Surf & Turf turned to watch Valiant. The royal blue stallion’s lips were moving. Surf guessed he was counting. After a moment, Valiant’s words hit home. Surf’s eyes widened at the hint.

“Huh?” Surf asked, “Why are you counting dude? What’s wrong?”

Valiant swallowed hard and kept counting as he answered,
“Gryphons are nocturnal hunters. They never stay around after dark because they have to eat. They’re omnivores but they do need their meat. Their hunting parties generally consist of three to five adults. They have a lot of trouble with wild creatures attacking their settlements so they’ve learned to fight in groups. They call the fighting groups ‘war-parties’. A war-party generally consists of fifteen to twenty-five adults.” he turned to his two companions, “There are twenty up there.”

“And that group of gryphons is heading right for Haysburg isn’t it?” Surf said, voice cracking.

Valiant broke into an all-out run as he called over his shoulder,
“A group of gryphons on the wing is called a ‘flight of gryphons’ and yes they are. Come on! We have to warn Haysburg!”

Molasses shambled behind Valiant, fairly light on his hooves despite his size. He was lagging behind, but was obviously trying his best to keep up.

Surf & Turf stopped and slipped on his climbing hooks then checked his hang glider and took off after Valiant and Molasses,
“Please tell me this isn’t the start of another Gryphon War.” he panted.

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

The three friends galloped as fast as their legs would carry them. Valiant tried manifesting his wings so he could fly, but he was too distracted by the thoughts of what might have been happening to his village, his first home. He pushed himself as hard as he could, summoning every ounce of strength and speed to lend might to his body. He could hear the ring of Haysbrg’s bells as the flight of gryphons came closer. Over the beating of his heart and the pounding of his hooves Valiant could hear the cries of the ponies as they scurried around trying to get to safety.

One voice, a stallion, rose above the others,
“The beasts are attacking again! Guard the orphanage! Hurry, protect the foals!”

The words rang in Valiant’s ears, ‘They’re targeting foals!’,
“Surf, Molasses,” he called behind him, “Get to the orphanage! The gryphons are attacking the orphanage!”

Valiant ran with a speed he never knew he had, ‘Not my village! YOU WILL NOT HAVE MY VILLAGE!’ the blood pumped in his ears as he ran. Valiant heard the cries of the gryphons and the sound of splintering wood followed by the screams and cries of colts and fillies intermingled with the distinctive sounds of hooves striking flesh. His vision narrowed and time seemed to slow. He rounded a bend in the road and took his first step into Haysburg in more than five years.

Valiant saw the outlying homes of the ponies he had grown up with. The road carved a straight path through to the center of the village. Ponies he recognized were running everywhere in a blind panic. He saw the bakery, where Glaze and his daughter Sprinkle lived and worked. He saw the Mayor’s office building where town-meetings were held. He saw the tailor shop, the apothecary, the blacksmith, and all the places he remembered, right where they ought to be. With his memories driving him, Valiant instantly headed toward where he remembered Miss Heartfelt’s orphanage to be.

He took the corner that led to the orphanage and stopped in his tracks, eyes widening, pupils shrinking to pinpoints. Earth ponies fought with gryphons that had been brought down in nets in front of the door of the orphanage, while still more gryphons crawled through a massive hole in the roof of the two story building. The orphanage was the only place that was under attack strangely enough. One gryphon emerged from the hole in the roof of the orphanage gripping a sobbing mauve coated filly with a bright blue mane and tail in its claws and launched into the sky, or more accurately, it tried to. The gryphon, for all its strength, was having trouble carrying the filly. The truth of the situation hit Valiant like a ray of light, ‘She’s an Earth pony. She’s too heavy for it to fly correctly!’

The filly, fearful for her life, was putting up a mighty struggle for something so small. She wiggled and bit and screamed and cried and bit some more, determined not to be taken by the much larger gryphon. The gryphon couldn’t seem to gain the altitude it needed and so had to soar between the houses, down the road in the middle of the street heading for the village square. The gryphon was well out of reach for the stouter and heavier Earth ponies to jump and grab, but it was still below the rooftops.

Valiant took off running towards the village square ahead of the gryphon. He spotted a narrow alleyway between two single story buildings and gritted his teeth heading toward it, ‘Goddesses give me strength!’ He leapt up as high as his legs would carry him and planted his hooves against one wall then tensed his muscles and launched off as hard as he could in the opposite direction, twisting in the air as much as his body allowed. His lower stomach hit the wall of the opposite building but his top half made it onto the rooftop. He pulled himself up onto the roof, fore hooves scrabbling on the tiles lining the surface, and broke into another run. Valiant chanced a sideways look and saw the gryphon flying almost even with him. He picked up speed and leapt out over the road, ‘There is always hope!’

Valiant flew through the air, heading straight for the gryphon’s head. He collided with the great predator in the air in a tangle of blunt hooves and wickedly sharp talons. The gryphon screeched and tried to fight off its assailant while still holding onto the filly. Valiant grappled with the gryphon, his fore hooves wrapped around its neck, kicking at its belly. The filly was clutched firmly in its front talons and Valiant curled his body up and around her as best he could, hoping the gryphon wouldn’t decide to let go of her and attack his exposed underbelly. In a matter of seconds Valiant felt the road scrape painfully against his back, shredding off layer upon layer of skin. His added weight was too much for the gryphon to hold aloft.

Valiant grunted, his world going white from the pain, he heard a gravelly voice speak next to his ear,
“Idiot pony! You’ll be killed!”

The gryphon suddenly dipped its right wing and turned over, trying to push Valiant away as the gryphon himself began sliding on his back on the road. Valiant’s world was going dark and his ears roared like a waterfall, he had just enough of his mind left to curl his whole body around the filly. The gryphon tried to maintain his grip, but finally let go. Valiant, still holding the filly, rolled away, his momentum and curled body making him roll like a wheel right into the wall of a nearby building. Valiant felt more that heard a loud thump and his world became blackness.

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

Surf & Turf had never seen a battle before, but he knew right away that he never wanted to see another. He and Molasses followed Valiant through Haysburg until they saw him stop. Ponies and gryphons were fighting all around the door to a two story building. The gryphons had consolidated their efforts and were working in teams, some to keep the ponies at bay, while others freed their grounded brethren from their entangling nets.

Surf saw a gryphon carrying a filly, heading toward what seemed to be the center of the village. Valiant took off running in front of the thing. Surf & Turf saw Valiant veer into an alley and emerge on the roof of a building then take a flying leap and tackle the gryphon in mid-air. The fight didn’t last long, the gryphon was obviously weighed down by the extra weight. In a flash of movement, the gryphon turned onto its back and sent Valiant and the filly rolling away before righting itself and launching into the air, flying away over the rooftops. Valiant slammed into a brick building, hitting his head. Surf shrugged out of his glider-pack and started heading toward Valiant, but a terrified scream caught his attention.

Surf turned his head and watched as another gryphon took to the air holding another filly in its claws, it looked much more weighed down; the filly was older and the gryphon was smaller. Surf narrowed his eyes and made his decision. The lithe and limber neon colored Earth pony turned and galloped along the road heading the same direction as the gryphon, waiting for it to get over his head. He looked over his shoulder and saw the gryphon coming up on him fast. With a twist of his body and a mighty leap, Surf turned toward the gryphon and raised his fore hooves, extending his climbing hooks in the motion. His judgment proved to be accurate. The blunt hooks slid over the gryphon’s wings where they attached to its torso and it came tumbling down, grounded by the combined weight of two Earth ponies. Surf & Turf, like Valiant, scraped his back against the road, but had the presence of mind to kick the gryphon’s talons where the limbs attacked to its body.

The gryphon screeched in shock and pain and released its grip, the filly spilling down onto Surf’s stomach with a startled cry. The combined weight of the two ponies combined with the friction from that pressure on the street below brought the gryphon to a halt in mid-air and it slammed face-first onto the road. Surf felt the wind knocked out of him and his fore legs shuddered as the gryphon escaped from the hooks and took off.

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

Molasses watched as the two big colts did things that made his tummy twist. They did some running and some jumping and some tumbling, it all looked very dangerous. The loud noises and the panicked confusion scared the simple-minded colt. The sound of yelling caught his ear, breaking through his haze, and Molasses turned toward Miss Heartfelt’s orphanage, ‘I bet Momma would want me to see if Miss Heartfelt needs help with the foals. Remember to always be gentle with foals, you’re bigger than they are, you don’t want to hurt them.’

Molasses trotted up to the battle on the ground and pushed bodily past the Earth ponies, who were too busy to notice the upper levels of the orphanage had been breached. Molasses pushed open the front door, ‘Miss Heartfelt always said Momma and me were like family and I don’t knock on the door at home.’ Molasses recognized the figure of Miss Heartfelt immediately. The older Earth pony mare was trying to go up the stairs to her orphans, but a gryphon blocked her way, swiping its claws and clacking its beak menacingly, ‘That’s not nice. Miss Heartfelt always says to hug the foals when they’re scared. They sound scared so she needs to go hug them, but she can’t get to them.’ Molasses thought.

He pushed past the panicked, agonized, and tearful orphanage patroness and confronted the gryphon,
“You’re being naughty.” he said simply.

The gryphon was so taken aback by the huge colt’s boldness that it literally stopped and blinked in confusion. It lowered its talons and stopped clacking its beak, in awe of the sheer audacity of the immense pony. Molasses, in his forever simple mind, took it as a sign of submission. He reached up and took the gryphon by the scruff of the neck with his mouth and hauled it outside. Miss Heartfelt was so shocked by the sudden development she just stood in place watching in disbelief as the scene unfolded before her.

The gryphon screeched and struggled wildly as the huge pudgy colt dragged it outside and set it down,
“You’re in a time out for . . . “ Molasses stopped to think, ‘How long do you go into time out?’

The gryphon didn’t wait for the slow colt to finish. It took off, and hovered for a moment. The creature threw back its head and let out a long loud screech. The other gryphons on the ground fighting the ponies, ceased their struggle and took to the air as well.

Molasses thought it was especially naughty that the lion-bird didn’t stay in time out, but certainly did enjoy the hug Miss Heartfelt gave him, even if he didn’t know why she was crying.

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

Within minutes, Haysburg was free of the presence of the gryphons. Surf & Turf groaned as the filly continued clinging to his stomach, sobbing pitifully.

“Do you mind, little dudette?” he croaked, trying to crack a smile, “I’m, like, totally trying to pull off the while ‘injured hero’ thing here.” Surf’s words were joking, but his tone spoke volumes, ‘Well on the plus side, it doesn’t hurt as much as it probably should. I guess I just got, like, super lucky and landed on soft dirt or something.’

“Get up off him, missy. You’re going to crush your rescuer.” a gruff voice said.

The filly was gently pulled off Surf, giving him a view of the new pony. He was an Earth pony stallion, his coat was the color of red clay and his mane and tail were a dusty shade of grey. His cutie-mark was of what looked like a trio of wheat sprigs bound together at the centers but pointing in three different directions, one left, one right, and one straight up. He had a rugged look to him and seemed well-built, like a farmer.

Surf took the stallion’s offered hoof and hoisted himself up, immediately regretting it. His back felt like it had been dipped into molten lava. Surf arched his back screaming in pain as tears sprung to his eyes. He fell back onto his spine, where the massive injury was, and contorted in blinding agony as the nerve endings fired up sending an overwhelming signal to the pain receptors in his brain. Surf & Turf had received his fair share of injuries in his career of extreme sports, but this one left them all in the dust.

“Miller, turn him onto his stomach, quickly!” a mare’s voice called from Haysburg’s clinic, which was fortunately close by.

“Alright, nurse Trauma, alright.” Mill Treader, or ‘Miller’ as most ponies called him grumbled over Surf’s screaming, “Your mother sure did give you an appropriate name now didn’t she.” he said rolling the writhing neon Earth pony onto his stomach, “You caused her plenty of trauma on the way out and you haven’t stopped sin . . . “ Mill Treader stopped short as he finally saw Surf’s back, “Trauma, get over here! Bring your sister, Triage! This guy’s dealing with some serious hurt!”

The two nurses came running out. They were two of the few unicorns who lived in Haysburg proper. They were twins, but not identical. Trauma was bright green with her mane and tail a drab brown with white highlights. Her sister Triage was dark yellow; her mane and tail were fluorescent orange. Trauma’s cutie-mark was of a pony in traction lying on a hospital bed, while Triage’ cutie-mark was of a pair of tossed away splints and bandages.

“Oh no!” Trauma said, “I’ll levitate him inside! Triage, ask around and see if anypony else needs help!”

Trauma levitated the wailing, writhing neon colored Earth pony into the clinic while her sister searched around,
“Miller,” she addressed, “Did you see anypony else who got injured?”

Mill Treader nodded,
“Yeah, I did. Saw this one crazy pony jump from a rooftop and tackle one of the gryphons then bring it down. Darn stupidest thing I ever saw. Brave, no doubt, but royally stupid.” Mill Treader looked around and spotted Valiant laying limply against the wall of the Arcane Repository, “There he is!”

Both ponies galloped up to Valiant’s still form,
“What the . . . He’s still hanging on to a filly!” Mill Treader tried to pry the filly from Valiant’s hooves, “Boy! This guy’s as strong as an ox!” the burly Earth pony pulled with all of his, not inconsiderable, strength and finally freed the filly from Valiant’s grip, “Come here missy.” he said holding the sobbing filly, “Your safe now.” turning back to Triage, Mill Treader asked, “How is he? Is he going to survive?”

Triage shook her head,
“I need to get him patched up as soon as possible. With the Vagabond’s potion, he should pull through.” Triage laughed mirthlessly, remembering the sad story of the pony who had been an acquaintance of both herself and Mill Treader, and her sister.

Triage levitated Valiant up into the air as gently as she could. Mill Treader spotted something and held out his hoof, halting the nurse. Triage stopped and looked at the Earth pony like he was crazy. Mill Treader lifted a shaking hoof and pointed to Valiant’s, now exposed, flank, eyes the size of saucers, jaw hanging open.

Triage turned her head trying to spot what could have affected Miller so; her eyes gravitated to it immediately, she starred in absolute disbelief,
“Impossible.” she whispered.

“May Celestia have mercy on us all.” Mill Treader said, “He’s come back.” shifting his eyes, the red clay colored pony looked to Valiant’s back, “What happened to his wings?”

Triage shook her head, clearing her thoughts,
“It doesn’t matter who he is. He’s not going to last long if we don’t help him.”

“You do realize what might happen when everypony finds out.” Miller said, “Look everypony knew him, but he’s cursed, an outcast, a Va . . .” the Earth pony’s mouth snapped shut with a glowing aura around it.

“I don’t care.” Triage hissed, “He’s injured and he got his injuries saving a filly. Don’t you dare breathe a word of this to anypony. Do you hear me, Miller? Not. One. Word. We can find out the truth later, after he’s recovered, but for now, my job is to ensure he does so. Do I make myself clear?”

Mill Treader nodded silently. Triage turned and let go of the Earth pony’s muzzle, levitating Valiant toward the clinic at a trot.

Miller shook his head, still trying to sooth the filly,
“I sure hope your heart’s not bigger than your head, Triage, or you’re going to have a riot on your hooves.”

Chapter 13

The Elements of Equestria

Part 13

Surf & Turf awoke to his right eye itching. He tried to raise his hoof to scratch away the nuisance, but found the limb unresponsive. His eyes snapped open and he looked around, puzzled, ‘Where am I?’ he wondered not recognizing the location. Looking down, he saw that his fore legs were strapped securely to a hospital bed, ‘Dude! Why am I strapped down?’ Surf looked around, surveying the room he occupied. The only wall he could identify was the one his bed was pushed up against, other than that there didn’t seem to be any actual walls, just sky blue curtains in three directions.

“Hello?” he called, “Is there, like, anypony there? I’m kind of tried up here dudes.”

Surf heard two feminine voices approaching, they were speaking to each other as their hooves clopped on the floor,
“Look, I already told Miller not to say anything about . . . him. He’s in pretty rough condition as it is. He doesn’t need to be bombarded by an angry mob right now.” one voice said.

“He’s a killer, Triage. I know he saved a filly, but he killed another. The town deserves to know.” the other voice answered.

“I agree, they do deserve to know, but not yet. He needs time to recover. You helped me clean him up, you know how badly he’s hurt.” the first voice said.

“You should tell them.” the second voice said sounding irritated, “You aren’t suffering from multiple skull fractures and so forth, so you don’t have an excuse.”

“Should I need an excuse to keep a patient safe? This is our job, Trauma. The way I see it, he took a huge risk coming back, and an even bigger one rescuing little Damson. He deserves a break.” the first voice said.

“It’s not our place to decide these things, the same way we didn’t decide what his punishment was for killing Arabesque.” the second voice replied.

“There are still too many hard feelings about that and too many angry minds. You know full well if we tell everypony, they’ll go crazy. Maybe he’s been forgiven, for all we know that’s why he came back.” the first voice argued.

“It’s not likely, but it’s possible, I’ll give you that. So what now? Everypony’s going to want to thank him and his friend for helping. All they know is that two strangers saved a pair of fillies and were injured in the process. How are we supposed to keep his identity a secret?” the second voice asked.

“We don’t have to worry about that. His head is all wrapped up so they won’t be able to see his face clearly and most of his body is covered with a sheet right now, so they won’t be able to see his cutie-mark. Speaking of which, did you notice? His cutie-mark changed.” she first voice said.

“Yo, babes!” Surf yelled, “Can a mysterious hero get some help here? My eye is itching something fierce and I can’t scratch it because someone tied me down.”

Trauma pulled back the curtain from in front of Surf and walked up to his bed,
“Mysterious hero?” she asked eyebrow quirked, “I’d say more like a reckless, brave, idiot. You scraped off nearly eighty percent of the epidermis on your back. You’re restrained so you won’t tear open your back, say trying to scratch an itch.”

“Ease off Trauma.” Triage said walking up beside her sister, “He is a hero.” she gently scolded her sister before turning to Surf, “You’ll have to forgive my sister. She’s very pragmatic. Where does it itch? I’ll scratch it for you.”

“Right eye, babe, scratch away.” Surf said smiling broadly.

Triage rose up on her hind legs and leaned over Surf, extending her hoof to scratch his eye. Surf closed his eyes, trying to hide a blush. He was not used to being so close to a mare; ditto since he was restrained.

Triage gently scratched Surf’s eye then fell back onto all fours,
“Better?”

“Oh yeah.” Surf said breathing a sigh of relief, “So, what should I call you two babes?” he asked, pouring on what he thought was charm.

“I’m Triage and this is my sister Trauma.” Triage said gesturing to her sister.

“The name’s Surf & Turf, but you girls can just call me Surf.” he said, “Um, not trying to be, like, nosy or anything, but do you know what happened to my friends?”

Trauma’s ears shifted forward,
“Friends? As in plural?” she asked, “We only saw you and . . . the other one.”

“Who Valiant?” Surf asked.

The two sisters looked at each other in surprise then back at the neon Earth pony,
“You know his name?” Trauma asked, “He’s not supposed to use it. He isn’t even supposed to be traveling with anypony either. What, exactly, do you know about him?” she asked tersely.

“What’s with the hostile attitude babe?” Surf asked, “I heard you and your sister all, like, talking about him, so you obviously know what he did, but from what I know about him, he’s one of the coolest ponies I’ve ever met.”

“He’s a Vagabond.” Trauma said simply.

“Not anymore, babe. He’s a totally forgiven dude now. He said he had to wait to either die or for this one girl named Arabesque to forgive him. Apparently she did. He came back to try to make peace with everypony here in Haysburg. From what I’m seeing, he’s totally got his work cut out for him.” Surf explained sourly.

Trauma narrowed her eyes, turned, and began walking away, calling over her shoulder,
“We shall see, Surf & Turf, we shall see.”

Triage sighed, watching her sister go,
“She’s so easily distracted. You said there were more than two of you?”

“You heard right, babe. It was me, Valiant, and Molasses. Do you happen to know, like, where the big guy went or anything? We’re supposed to be taking care of him; either that or take him to some mare named Heartfelt, I don’t know what the plan was. We found him two nights ago all, like, broken up over his Momma passing away; totally understandable.” Surf said.

Triage held a hoof up to her muzzle,
“Oh, poor Molasses,” she said, “He’s so sweet too. I’m sorry Surf, I’ve got no idea where he could be.”

“Aw dang it! Come on, let me up, please. I, like, totally need to find him. If Valiant’s in the shape you said, that means I’ve got to take care of him, for now.” Surf said wiggling against the restraints.

“I’m sorry Surf & Turf, but you have to stay still until you’re all healed.” Triage explained, “I’ll ask around and see if anypony’s spotted him, alright?”

Surf relaxed his struggling,
“Alright then, just please make sure he’s okay. I’d hate for something to happen to him. Hey, speaking of ‘things happening’, like, why are there gryphons attacking Haysburg and why were they going after the orphans?”

Triage shook her head,
“I don’t know. It all started just after The Searcher came back from the ruins and told the gryphons to leave.”

“Who’s this ‘Searcher’ pony and why did she tell the gryphons to leave.” Surf asked.

“We call him The Searcher, nopony knows his real name. He’s been trying to bring the ponies of Haysburg together for a while now. The incident with Arabesque’s death really tore the village apart. He says he’s trying to take the anger out of our lives, to ‘show us the light’. He’s kind of preachy and I was really skeptical at first, but he does make some good points. I’ve taken the time to listen to him and it’s changed my life. That’s why I’m willing to give . . . him, the benefit of the doubt. As to why he told the gryphons to leave, he had a disagreement with one of them; Searcher said it was something about how they would have killed one of their own that had killed another. He said he argued that they would become a killer themselves and it went from there. I think the situation might have gotten worse if Birdie and Colossus hadn’t been there; then again, Birdie might have been part of the problem. I don’t know why the gryphons have begun attacking though and I can’t believe a single disagreement would provoke something like this.” Triage informed.

“That sucks,” Surf said, “I bet you and your sister have had to pull some serious overtime to patch up all the ponies who’ve been injured in the attacks; that is, I hope nopony’s been killed or anything.”

Triage cocked her head in thought,
“Huh,” she said after a moment, “You know, come to think of it, aside from a lot of bruises and minor cuts, there haven’t been any injuries at all until you and your friend showed up. I can assure you, there haven’t been any deaths yet, thank the light.”

“That IS weird. Valiant said that gryphons have to be careful because they have, like, all their talons and beaks and stuff and they’re natural born predators.” Surf mused, “Wait, you mention something about Birdie and Colossus. Who are they?”

“Colossus is big, I mean BIG. He’s the biggest Earth pony I’ve ever seen. He’s like a walking mountain of muscle. He’s really friendly though, and he’ll talk your ear off about his adventures with The Searcher. Birdie, though,” Triage shuddered, “She scares me. She scares me on several levels. She’s a pegasus, a very small pegasus, but from the way she looks and acts, you’d think she was a mute, psychotic gryphon. I asked The Searcher about her once. It took a lot of convincing to get him to tell me, but according to what he said, he thinks that Birdie grew up in Gryphonvale. I have no idea how she ended up there; he wouldn’t say. He did tell me that she’s badly disfigured, though he wouldn’t say much about that either. He did tell me that she calls herself what the gryphons called her; Birdie, because she’s a pegasus. She’s aggressive and she’ll fight without a thought or warning. One pony got angry at The Searcher and got too close to him, that didn’t end well.”

Triage shuddered again then took a deep breath,
“Colossus had to pull Birdie off him before she beat him senseless. He needed more than a hundred stitches after she was through with him. If you’re wondering what she looks like, your guess is as good as mine. She wears a long hooded cloak covering her body except for her yellow wings, I don’t know what her cutie-mark looks like. She keeps her face covered with a veil all the time too; you can only see her eyes and her wings. Trust me, that’s all you’ll need to see. Her wings are severely scarred and they still work, but her eyes are the worst. One look in her eyes and you won’t want to go near her. It’s like she’s just waiting to fight, like she hates everything. Actually, I’m surprised The Searcher hasn’t come to see you and . . . your friend yet.”

Surf & Turf yawned hugely,
“I’m sorry Triage, but I’m getting, like, really sleepy.”

Triage smiled,
“That’s alright Surf. You get some rest. I’ll go look around for Molasses for you, you just stay there and heal up. You should be good to go in two days.”

Surf’s eyes popped open,
“Uh, I’m not, like, trying to tell you how to do your job or anything, but I’ve had plenty of injuries and I can tell you, I’m going to be here a while. My back was majorly torn up.”

Triage smiled again,
“I’ve given you a dose of a special healing potion. Trust me, you’ll be walking by noon tomorrow. We’ll keep you here for observation for one more day then discharge you. Before the incident where Arabesque was killed, we here in Haysburg had a very respected up-and-coming alchemist. Thank your friend, he invented it.”

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

The sound of a myriad of voices woke Surf & Turf back up. It sounded like fifty ponies were all talking at once. Surf raised his head, what little he could, and looked toward the sound, getting his first real look at the ward he was in. The place was stark white, just like most medical facilities. The room looked to be a square, roughly forty paces, by forty paces. He could see the far side of the room where another bed sat. The curtains around that bed were pulled back and the bed was neat and clean, ready and waiting for a patient. Other beds with their curtains pulled back sat all around the perimeter of the room. Surf seemed to be the only patient.

Trauma appeared from a doorway set against the far right wall of the ward, the Earth pony tried to shrink down into his bed at the sight of her,
“You have visitors, Surf & Turf. Do you think you are up for company?”

Surf nodded his head,
“Uh sure. You aren’t still mad are you?” he asked.

“I was never angry in the first place.” Trauma said crisply, “I simply have very strong feelings and opinions about certain issues and I’m not afraid to say so. You may think of me as being angry if you wish, light knows most others do, but I assure you I harbor no ill feelings toward you. To that end, I find you somewhat charming and I wouldn’t be completely adverse to going out on a date with you sometime, should you ask me. Just something to think about while you’re being swarmed with praises and ‘thank-yous’.”

Surf didn’t know to respond,
“Uh sure.”

Trauma smiled,
“Good, I’ll remind you when you’re feeling better. It’s been a while since a stallion took me out on a date.”

Trauma walked away before Surf could process what she had just said,
“What? Oh wait! I didn’t mean . . . “ his voice was drowned out as a crowd of Earth ponies flooded both his bed and the ward.

Within the span of just a few minutes the poor neon colored Earth pony was introduced to more ponies than he had ever known in his whole life. He forgot every pony’s name almost instantly as another pushed their way in to introduce themselves and thank him. Surf was completely overwhelmed until a sharp whistle assailed his ears. Suddenly and without warning, every pony backed away from Surf’s bed, the ward instantly silent. Surf heard the slow clop of hooves approaching his bed and craned his neck to see the pony who commanded such respect.

The pony he saw was a light yellow, almost off-white unicorn stallion. His mane and tail were fiery red and his cutie-mark was of an ancient looking tome, open to the center with a red bookmark lying along the spine. Surf noticed a black heart-shaped locket hanging around his neck. Surf’s interest was piqued as his eyes focused on the thing. The heart was upside down. Flanking the unicorn were two other ponies. One was a hugely immense, dark purple Earth pony who’s mane and tail were bright blue with grey highlights. His cutie-mark was that of a tower made of square stones. He was almost twice the height of the other ponies and built like a brick outhouse. The other pony was a small, almost filly sized pegasus. She was covered with a long bright yellow cloak and veil. Her wings were a slightly more subdued custard yellow but shone with so many scars she looked like somepony had stuck her in a blender and hit puree. Surf couldn’t tell what color her mane and tail were; they were completely hidden beneath the cloak and veil. Her face was completely obscured except for her eyes. Her eyes were a merciless grey, expressing a pony who was constantly watching everything as if ready to attack. Even when walking she seemed to stay completely still, like a statue. Surf saw a glint of reflected light from the bottom of her cloak and peered down, straining against the restraints. Sharp, steel shoes adorned her hooves, making her steps on the tiled floor somehow sound like a funeral dirge.

The unicorn stopped beside Surf’s bed smiling, it was a sincere smile and his eyes shone with appreciation,
“You must be one of the brave souls I’ve heard about who came to our aid last night when those beasts attacked. On behalf of the ponies of Haysburg, I thank you. You have shown great bravery and kindness to us and we are deeply in your debt. Your actions saved the life of a young filly, a cause that I’m glad to see you are not blind to. I am sorry you were injured in the process, but such is often the sacrifice of the brave. I’m called The Searcher, but the ‘The’ part is merely a formality, you may call me Searcher, if you feel comfortable doing so. What is your name, brave pony, so that I might thank you on a more personal level?” Searcher’s voice was a silky smooth tenor.

“Dude, totally not a problem and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. My proper name’s Surf & Turf, but you can just call me Surf.” the neon Earth pony said.

“It’s always a pleasure to meet a true hero, Surf. You needn’t worry about the cost of your medical treatment; I’ve paid it in full. It’s the least I can do for one such as yourself. Oh,” Searcher said smacking himself in the head with his hoof, “Where are my manners? Surf, this is Colossus and Birdie.”

Colossus took a step forward grinning,
“It’s nice to meet you Surf.” his voice was a deep, rumbling bass that practically vibrated Surf’s bed, “Thanks for helping out last night. We really appreciate it. Don’t feel too bad if Birdie doesn’t say anything, she tends to keep to herself.”

“You are one huge dude, Earth bro. Your name totally suits you.” Surf said looking up at Colossus.

Colossus smiled a big toothy grin and stepped back, Searcher spoke again as he did so,
“I’m afraid we haven’t yet met your friend. I understand he suffered more serious injuries. I don’t mean to be rude but we must be going. There are a lot of repairs to be done since the beasts shredded the roof of the orphanage. Please come and see me once you recover Surf. I believe we have much to discuss.”

Surf nodded his head, as best he could, given the restraints, and watched Searcher, Colossus, and Birdie leave, preparing himself for the returning onslaught of grateful ponies. Mere moments later, his preparation proved appropriate.

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

“Good.” Rainbow Dash said panting as she stood on the ground, “Again.”

Fluttershy was panting too, a thing she was not used to,
“R-ready.” she stuttered.

Her muscles were sore and she was tired, but she kept going, ‘If the others think this is so important, I really should do my best, no matter how tired I am. They’re just trying to keep me safe.’ she thought. Rainbow Dash dug at the ground with her hoof and charged at the custard colored pegasus. Fluttershy watched Dash’s movements carefully, waiting for any sign of a broadcast. Her keen eyes caught the twitch and she dodged out of the way in a motion so fluid it would look, to anypony watching, like she was dancing. That is, if anypony had been watching.

The others were paired off, exercising and practicing. Sea Blue and Dr. Mend were facing off against Big Macintosh while Trooper and Applejack were off trying to see who could pin the other. Twilight and Rarity were engaged in a match of their own. Twilight had been initially surprised that Rarity was so willing to learn how to fight, ‘In retrospect, I should have known. She was the first to attack the manticore after all.’ Twilight hopped back as Rarity turned and bucked at her. Twilight’s horn lit up, throwing a blast of telekinetic magic toward the white unicorn. Rarity swiftly ducked down on her stomach and rolled to the right on the icy grass and came back up on her hooves, ‘Oh dear!’ she thought, ‘My coat is going to be green by the time we’re done! Oh I’m going to look an absolute mess!’ Rarity’s vain inner monologue distracted her long enough for Twilight to get the drop on her. The lavender unicorn swept her right hoof beneath Rarity’s front legs, tripping her friend.

Lemon Lime was having trouble with Pinkie Pie. His pink opponent was wily, clever, and cunning despite her constantly vacant expressions and mannerisms. She seemed to have an endless supply of random party-oriented favors which she used freely in their practice and to great effect. Lemon Lime leapt forward toward Pinkie only for her to dance to the side and evade him. His left fore hoof came down and made a rude flatulent noise as it contacted the ground. Lemon Lime looked down only to see a whoopee cushion had been strategically placed where Pinkie had been only moments before. Pinkie used her distraction to tackle the yellow therapist, pinning him to the cold ground. She tapped him once on the head then hopped away once more. Lemon Lime got up and squared off with Pinkie again. Pinkie took the initiative and hopped around the small unicorn stallion, bouncing like a rubber ball. Lemon Lime turned in-time with the bouncing, keeping Pinkie in front of him. On one of her hops, Pinkie landed oddly then fell to the ground holding her right hind leg. Lemon Lime rushed over to see if she had hurt herself only to have the pink tactician raise her head and blow on a loaded kazoo, sending colorful confetti into his face. Lemon Lime shook his head to clear his vision. He suddenly felt the cold wet grass on his back as Pinkie tackled him again.

“Where do you keep all this stuff?” Lemon Lime asked from underneath his pink attacker.

“Haven’t you ever heard of pockets, Live Wire?” Pinkie asked.

“Pinkie you don’t have any pockets.” Lemon Lime said sourly.

“Not that you know of, silly. I can’t give away all my secrets now can I? I use the elements of surprise.” Pinkie chirped giggling.

“Over and over and over and over again. Why don’t you fight the normal way Pinkie?” Lemon Lime asked annoyed.

“Because I don’t want to actually hurt anypony, duh! I mean, what’s the point of it all anyway? I can play ‘keep away’ all day and not have a scratch on me. I’d feel bad if I ended up hurting anypony. Granted, I could throw them a get-well party if I did, but I just don’t like causing pain.” Pinkie said as she helped the yellow unicorn up off the ground.

“Somehow, I can see that working for you.” Lemon Lime mumbled, “Alright, breakfast should be ready by now.” raising his voice, he called out over the small field, “Come and get it!”

Trooper and Applejack both looked up simultaneously, hitting each other in the jaw as they did so. Rainbow Dash was mid-charge when she heard the camp cook call for breakfast and veered off, away from Fluttershy who was close to passing out from fatigue. Twilight quickly let the glow of her horn go out and Rarity wiped her brow in relief, ‘I’m going to need to freshen up before anything else. Oh dear, that water is so cold in the mornings.’

Big Macintosh came walking over to the camp fire slowly, as Dr. Mend and Sea Blue clung to him, trying valiantly to disrupt the work pony’s center of balance,
“This is so embarrassing!” Dr. Mend said grunting from the exertion; Sea Blue had to agree, “I’m so glad you’re on our side Big Macintosh. I’d hate to go up against you in a real fight.”

The bulky farmer simply smiled,
“Ayup.”

“So what’s for breakfast today?” Dr. Mend asked sliding off the red Earth pony.

“Oatmeal.” Lemon Lime said leaning over the pot.

“Not again.” Rainbow Dash grumbled, “We’ve been having oatmeal for three days straight.”

“Oatmeal, are you crazy?” Pinkie asked, “Come on Live Wire, you need to change it up every now and again. I think I’ve got some applesauce in my saddlebag somewhere, just try not to burn it.”

“Please!” Rarity said heading off to ‘freshen up’, “Burnt applesauce is the worst. Believe me, darling, if you’ve never had it, let me give you some advice, don’t.”

“We should reach the edge of the Everfree Forest sometime around noon today. “Twilight said levitating a bowl of oatmeal over to herself, “We’ve been lucky to find a field or clearing of some sort almost every night. Thanks to our scouts. Once we’re out in the open we should have a much easier time and make much more swift progress.”

“Speakin’ of progress,” Applejack interjected, “How’s the whole memory thing been goin’ there Trooper? Have ya remembered anythin’ that might suggest you and Valiant are relations yet?”

“It is coming back slowly.” Trooper said between bites of oatmeal, “I can remember my father, which is an immense blessing in the first place. The memories seem to be centered around a family reunion of some kind that my parents were taking me to when I was just a foal.” Trooper blushed and stole a sideways glance at Fluttershy, “Apparently it was back when I was still fed from a bottle. Last night they had almost reached the spot where the reunion was going to have been held. I believe it was actually somewhere close to where we are in fact. I heard my parents mention New Yoke several times. They said that my uncle, Vector and his wife lived there with a foal of their own, a colt who was supposed to be around my age. My parents used to live in Stalliongrad, my father was apparently on the weather patrol there.”

Twilight raised her head from her bowl,
“Really?” she asked, “Hold on for a minute there Trooper.” her horn lit up and she levitated her map out from her saddlebags, “I’ll bet if you draw a straight line on the map from Stalliongard to New Yoke, you’ll find the middle ground is in the plains region we’re about to head into.”

The other ponies gathered around the perceptive unicorn as she used her magic to set a fold into the map,
“There,” she said, pleased with herself, “Just as I thought. The plains are almost exactly in the center. You know Trooper, if we’re lucky, we just might find the exact spot where your parents had their family reunion.”

Trooper closed his eyes and went as still as a statue, ‘That is where my father died, in a tornado . . .’ Trooper looked up sharply,
“Tornados.” he whispered, “Valiant said something about tornados occurring around Haysburg. My father was killed in a tornado. What if . . . “ Trooper began pacing talking out loud, “Tornados . . . tornados . . . Dr. Mend, could a foal survive the winds of a tornado if they were sucked in?”

“I highly doubt it. The foal might survive a fall from great height, but the winds would cause serious injury.” Dr. Mend said solidly.

Trooper continued to pace,
“What if the parents of the foal were holding onto it. You know, clutching it between themselves, like a hug. The parents might be killed but is it possible for the foal to survive?”

Dr. Mend scratched his chin,
“I see where you’re going with this, Trooper, but it’s a bit of a stretch.“

Trooper turned to the one pony who might know more,
“Rainbow Dash, you are on the weather team for Ponyville, right?”

“I’m in charge of it too you know.” Dash replied, cocky as ever.

Trooper stomped his right hind leg firmly,
“Please, I am trying to piece my shattered family back together here, Rainbow Dash! Be serious!”

Dash blew out an exasperated breath,
“Yes, I’m on the weather team.”

“I need your honest opinion here,” Trooper pleaded, “Are you strong enough and skilled enough to fly inside a tornado and survive?”

“I might be able to,” Dash said, “I can make some small ones. What’s your point?”

“Alright how about a really big tornado? One with winds strong enough to kill a pony?” Trooper asked.

Rainbow Dash gave the matter some serious thought before answering,
“Maybe,” She finally said, “But only if I was well away from the center of the vortex. I might be able to use the wind speed to shoot me off like an arrow, if the G-forces didn’t make me black out or the power of the wind didn’t suck the air right out of my lungs and I didn’t accidentally fly right into one of the mini-vortexes that occur sometimes.” Rainbow Dash said becoming unusually serious, “Weather teams are trained on how to deal with tornados. You get a team of five or more then fly in the opposite direction of the vortex. You start far away from the tornado itself and slowly work your way in, each member of the team flying at least fifteen flaps behind the others. The wind generated by the team should be enough to break up the power of the vortex, but it’s risky. See I can break up clouds easy as pie. I’ve faced a tornado once when I was in training. You can’t break it up like a cloud. The debris will end up turning you into a pin-cushion and suffocate you. It’s possible, but it’s risky. I’m the only pegasus who can pull of a Sonic Rainboom, but even I wouldn’t tackle a tornado lightly or without some serious backup.”

Trooper turned to the two living calculators,
“Twilight, Live Wire,” he addressed softly, “If they were skillful enough to stay out of the main body of the vortex and only be thrown around by the exterior winds. Is it possible for a foal to survive if it was separated from its parents?”

Almost as one, the two unicorns nodded, Twilight took the lead,
“It should be possible. I can definitely see where a pegasus could lose their life trying to break up a tornado though.”

Lemon Lime continued Twilight’s thought in much more detail,
“If you take the average pounds per square inch required to rip a pony limb-from-limb then cross-reference that against the power and velocity it would take to pierce a piece of debris through the average skin of a pegasus, then take that common factor and pit it against the average wind speed of a tornado . . . “ Lemon Lime stopped and turned to Twilight, “What’s the average wind speed of a tornado?”

“The winds of tornados have been estimated to be between one-hundred and ten and three hundred miles per hour, so estimate about two-hundred and five.“ Twilight said.

Lemon Lime continued his calculations, mumbling to himself,
“Okay then, take the common factor and . . . then use that average to . . . with the weight and general flexibility of your stereotypical newborn foal . . . “ he finally looked up, “I’d say the probability factor is close to thirty-seven point three percent chance of survival. If we take protective actions of parents into consideration . . . I’d say, that factor should probably double the foal’s chances, so then we have a final number of roughly seventy-four point six percent chance of survival. If you round it up, that comes to seventy-five percent chance. It’s possible, bordering on likely.”

“That seems to be the likely answer then.” Trooper said, “Follow along with me. The family reunion happens, all the family members arrive and everypony is having a great time, then a tornado forms in the very field they are in. The mares panic and try to protect their foals while the fathers try to break up the tornado. One of the mares who is carrying her foal is sucked up into the tornado and thrown off, away from the others. She curls her body around that of her foal to protect him so the debris does not kill him. She is killed by the impact of the fall when she hits the ground and the foal is found by ponies of a nearby village and placed into the local orphanage.” Trooper stopped pacing and turned to his friends, “What do you think?”

The assembly was quiet for a while, everypony was busy eating and thinking.

Finally Dr. Mend spoke up,
“It’s possible, although that exact scenario is questionable. I do see it as a possibility. There seems to be two little pieces of the puzzle missing though. If the ponies of Haysburg found Valiant, how did he get his name if his mother was already dead? For one, and for two, why didn’t he mention anypony telling him how he was found?”

Trooper shrugged,
“Since I do not yet know the exact details, I cannot be certain, but this does seem to be the most likely scenario. I suppose we shall have to wait and see what I remember as we continue on.”

“Speaking of continuing,” Sea Blue spoke up, “We need to get moving.”

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

Triage wandered around Haysburg, asking every pony she knew if they had seen Molasses or what had become of him. Thus far, she had met very limited success. She decided to head on over to the orphanage and ask Miss Heartfelt about the slow colt. As she approached the two story building, Triage got her first good look at the damage it had sustained the previous night. The slanted tile roof had been ripped open with a large enough hole that a full grown pony could easily fit through without touching the sides. There were already ponies working on fixing the roof but the danger remained, the gryphons could return and attack again.

There had already been two other attacks; each time the gryphons tried to take fillies or colts. The possible reasons for the predators wanting the young ponies made Triage shudder. They had already lost two colts and five fillies to the gryphons and none of the youngsters had been heard from since. The nets that the ponies had used the previous night had been Searcher’s idea and they worked well, just not well enough. The fact was, the ponies of Haysburg were not prepared to handle any kind of attack. Triage arrived at the front door of the orphanage and knocked politely.

Moments later, a chocolate colored colt answered the door with little Damson bouncing playfully on his broad shoulders, Triage smiled at having finally located the rotund young Earth pony,
“There you are, Molasses. Your friend Surf was wondering what happened to you.”

“Who is it, Molasses?” asked an older mare’s voice from within the building.

Molasses turned his head and answered her, but Damson spoke first,
“It’s Tree-age from the clinic, Miss Heartfelt!”

Molasses smiled and stepped back, holding the door for Triage,
“Always be polite to mares. Hold the door for them and offer your seat if they’re standing.” he said quietly.

Triage entered the orphanage, calling for Heartfelt,
“I need to speak to you as soon as possible, Heartfelt. Some things have happened that I think you should know about.”

Molasses quietly closed the front door while Triage waited for Heartfelt. Triage looked around, remembering where everything was. The front door led to the long foyer, which had two doors lining each wall, on either side. Straight back from the front door was the stairway leading up to the different rooms for the various ages and genders of the orphans. The first door on the left was Heartfelt’s office and the small library she kept for the orphans. The second door was Heartfelt’s bedroom and the nursery for when newborn foals came to the orphanage. The first door on the right was the room where prospective parents would get to know the filly or colt they were thinking of adopting. The second door on the right was the kitchen for the orphanage.

Going up the stairs, there were four more doors, two set against each wall just like the first floor. The stairs went straight up the middle of the broad hallway on the second floor, dividing each side of the second floor according to gender; the left side was for fillies and the right side was for the colts. The first doors on either side were for the older orphans since they needed more space, while the second doors were the rooms for the younger ones.

Triage sighed sadly at the necessity of such an establishment, but the frequent tornados made for an unfortunately large number of fillies and colts who lost their parents each year. Heartfelt was arguably the most well-known and well-liked pony in Haysburg. Every family spent time helping her with the orphans. Their reasons for doing this were two-fold. One, every family knew the parents of at least one filly or colt who currently resided under Heartfelt’s care. Two, it was always a good idea to get to know the mare who might, at some unfortunate point in your foal’s life, end up taking care of them because you had been killed in a tornado. The end result was that Heartfelt’s orphanage was more of a village common-house for caring for fillies and colts, and it was likewise well-funded and received frequent donations from every family in Haysburg.

Triage watched the interaction between Damson and Molasses while she waited for Heartfelt to arrive. Damson continued jumping on the pudgy colt’s back as he slowly walked into the kitchen. Molasses didn’t seem to mind in the least and even looked like he was walking very steadily so as not to dislodge the filly playing on his back. Damson for her part seemed to have recovered from the previous night’s ordeal, none the worse for wear. Triage automatically looked the mauve filly over, looking for any possibly hidden injuries. After a brief moment, Triage decided that Damson seemed to be in perfect health aside from her tan colored mane and tail needing a good washing.

“Triage?” Heartfelt said descending the stairs, “Oh dear. Please don’t tell me I have more orphans coming here after last night’s attack.”

Heartfelt was an older sand colored Earth pony mare. Her mane and tail were peach colored and her cutie-mark was of a foal, bundled up and left on a doorstep.

Triage shook her head,
“Thank the light, no. There were only two injuries sustained last night, both of which were received saving one of your orphans. I’m here because the two stallions who were injured were the ones who found Molasses two days ago. They were already on their way here.”

“Oh,” Heartfelt fussed, “I’m sorry I haven’t had the time to go visit them, but I’ve been busy here tending to the orphans. I promise I’ll come by later on.”

“I’m afraid you’ll only be able to see one of them. The other one sustained serious injuries. He’s suffering from multiple skull fractures and almost all the skin on his back was peeled away on the road. I’m really hoping he didn’t suffer much muscle damage. He’s still asleep right now.” Triage reported.

“I do hope he makes it. Is there anything I can do?” Heartfelt asked.

“I need to talk to you in your office, Heartfelt. It’s important.” Triage said seriously.

Heartfelt’s face registered puzzlement, but she led Triage into her small office/library and closed the door behind Triage,
“What’s wrong, Triage?” she asked.

Triage drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly,
“Before I say anything else, I need you to promise me you won’t say or do anything after I’ve told you.”

“Alright, Triage, I promise. Now, what’s all this about?” Heartfelt asked.

“It’s about one of the stallions, the one who’s suffering from the skull fractures . . . He’s royal blue with a light brown mane and tail.” Triage said carefully.

Heartfelt was quiet for a moment; suddenly her eyes went wide as she held her right hoof to her chest,
“Vagabond.” she whispered, “I . . . Are you sure? I mean really, really sure, Triage?”

Triage swallowed and nodded,
“Yes. I’m certain. It’s him.”

Heartfelt lapsed into silence, staring off into space, so Triage continued,
“His wings are gone and his cutie-mark has changed, but it’s him. By the light, it’s him.”

Heartfelt’s head snapped up, focusing on the unicorn,
“Who else knows?”

“Of the ponies from Haysburg, only Mill Treader and my sister know. The other stallion, Surf & Turf knows and I think Molasses knows too. Surf & Turf used his name. He said that Vagabond has been forgiven, that he was coming back here to try to make things right by asking for forgiveness.” Triage related.

“He’s been forgiven?” Heartfelt asked, “After what happened to Arabesque? She forgave him?”

Triage nodded solemnly,
“That’s the story so far.”

“Take me to him.” Heartfelt ordered, “For the sake of all that’s good, Triage, take me to him! I have to see him!”

“Please calm down, Heartfelt . . . “ Triage began.

“You don’t understand!” Heartfelt cried, “I know him! He never meant to hurt Arabesque! He was in love with her, he’d never do such a thing on purpose! Please, Triage!” she begged tearfully, “Let me see him! Oh, please let me see him before everypony knows! They’ll kill him!”

Triage’s horn lit up, closing the older mare’s mouth gently,
“Not so loud!” she whispered hoarsely, “I’ve been keeping this quiet, don’t blow it now! Just calm down and listen to me.”

Heartfelt’s eyes continued to water, but she nodded in acquiescence; Triage released the older mare’s muzzle and continued,
“Just stay calm for the moment. Nopony can see him right now, he’s still in critical condition. Even if they did, they wouldn’t be able to tell it’s him. His head is bandaged, his flank is covered, and his wings are gone, not a single soul would be able to recognize him. I’ll come and get you the moment he wakes up, but for now, you’re just going to have to trust me. I’m headed over to talk to Searcher right after I leave here. He’s been talking about forgiveness and this can’t be a coincidence that Vagabond’s come back now. The timing is just too perfect. If I can get Searcher on our side, he’ll probably have Colossus and Birdie watch over . . . him until he heals. I don’t like Birdie, but nopony is going to go near him if she’s there.”

“I don’t like Birdie, but Searcher and Colossus seem to have good hearts. I agree, Triage, I think it’s his best chance right now.” Heartfelt admitted, “Even if you do convince Searcher to help, there’s no way even Birdie and Colossus could handle two-thirds of Haysburg. If it comes to a physical struggle, which side do you think Miller and your sister will take? Nopony would dare to injure either you or Trauma. You’re the only two medically trained ponies the village has.”

“Miller would probably be willing to stand for him. Trauma on the other hoof,” Triage shrugged, “I don’t know. She feels very strongly about what happened. If I had to make a guess, I’d say she would probably choose to remain neutral and just stay out of the whole thing. You’re forgetting several other ponies though. Surf & Turf has already shown that he’s willing to go all the way for what he believes is right. You’ll stand up for him, I know you will, no matter what the odds are; and I don’t think we should count out Molasses either. Most of the ponies know and like him, especially the colts and fillies.”

“Triage, please,” Heartfelt said, “I’ll stand up for him, but I can’t put myself in danger. Too many little lives depend on me here. I can’t sacrifice one at the expense of the others, it’s like asking a mother to choose which of her foals will die. You can’t ask me to do that.”

Triage nodded,
“I understand. I need to go find Searcher now. Please keep this to yourself for now. Light knows there will be a point where we can’t hide him any longer. Thank you for listening to me, though.”

Heartfelt opened the door, ushering Triage out of her office,
“Any time, Triage. You can always come to me, you know that.”

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

Birdie strode into the Haysburg clinic and headed straight back to the Intensive Care Unit, Trauma saw her,
“Stop right there!” she ordered rising from her seat, “What do you think you’re doing?” she asked boldly, “Nopony is allowed back there! The patient needs his rest!”

Birdie stopped and turned her head toward the unicorn nurse, Trauma walked right up to the silent pegasus,
“You don’t scare me! Lay a single hoof on me and you’ll have all of Haysburg come down on top of you like a ton of bricks! You are not, I repeat not, going back there, do you hear me Birdie?”

Birdie remained silent and utterly motionless beneath her cloak and veil, Trauma couldn’t decide whether she was being challenged or ignored,
“Excuse me?” she asked petulantly, “Did you hear me under there? Do I need to repeat myself? Maybe I need to be more specific? You are free to visit the other patient if you wish, or you can wander around anywhere there isn’t a sign that says ‘clinic personnel only’, but you can’t go into the Intensive Care Unit!”

“Sounds like nopony told you yet Trauma.” Colossus said starting down the hallway, a big goofy grin plastered all over his face, “Searcher asked Birdie and I to keep an eye on the stallion in the I.C.U. and make sure he isn’t disturbed. We’re not going to be jumping on him or anything so take it easy. We’re perfectly willing to wash up or wear scrubs or whatever you feel necessary, but we really do need to be in there with him.” Colossus stopped in front of Trauma and chuckled, “From the look on your face, I’d say I don’t need to be any more specific about the details.”

Trauma gritted her teeth,
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Colossus.”

Colossus smiled down at the much smaller unicorn mare,
“Triage told Searcher about the story behind the stallion in the I.C.U. She also said that you and Mill Treader knew about him too. I’d rather not have to spell it out in public. I know you know what I’m talking about.”

Trauma frowned deeply, but nodded,
“I don’t like this, but I agree that he does need some form of protection.” she turned and began walking down toward the I.C.U., “You’re going to need to wash up before you go inside. The I.C.U. is a ‘clean room’ so if you leave, you need to wash up again before you go back inside . . . “

Trauma continued talking as Birdie and Colossus followed her back toward the I.C.U. where Valiant slept.

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

“I’m surprised he isn’t in the Morgue.” Colossus said as he stared at Valiant, “From what Trauma said, he’s lucky to be alive.” turning to his compatriot, Colossus mused, “I’d say he’s almost as tough as you, Birdie.”

Birdie cast a narrow-eyed look at the immense Earth pony, but said nothing; Colossus spoke for her, as he often did,
“I know, I know,” he said, “You’d normally mangle anypony who said that to you. I’m not making fun of you though, Birdie. You know I don’t do that. I know you’re tough and I’m not arguing that fact, but I’m worried about you. I’ve known you long enough to be able to tell when something’s bothering you. If you want to talk about it, you know I’ll listen.”

Birdie remained silent, bur her gaze softened; Colossus knew it to be a sign that it was alright to pry but she probably wouldn’t speak,
“Are you upset about the gryphon attack? Look, I know you wanted to be there, but Searcher needed us to act as scouts last night and you’re the only pony with wings in Haysburg. I would say you were the only pegasus, but we have to take this guy into account.”

Birdie turned and looked back to Valiant’s sleeping form; a light went off in Colossus’ mind,
“Wait a minute here. You’re not thinking about this guy are you?” he asked, “Come on Birdie, you’ve got enough troubles without worrying about him . . . “

“Common ground.” Birdie said quietly.

Colossus carefully hid his immense surprise; Birdie had a beautiful, sweet, soft voice, but he had only heard her speak a few times since he’d met her and Searcher three years previous.

“Why is he THAT important to you?” Colossus asked, “You don’t know him, besides I don’t see that you two have that much in common. Is it because he’s a pegasus?”

Birdie remained quiet, so Colossus knew that wasn’t the right answer,
“Is it because he’s a killer?”

Faster than the eye could see, Birdie’s hoof slammed into Colossus’ right shoulder, leaving a semi-circle of blood behind in the shape of her shoe,
“Ouch!” Colossus cried, “Blast it, Birdie! That hurt! What did you do that for?”

Birdie shot Colossus an angry look, but said nothing.

Colossus rubbed his shoulder ruefully,
“O.K. so he’s not a killer. Is it because he’s been maimed like you have?”

Birdie didn’t move a muscle.

“Oh forget it Birdie.” Colossus said, “I’m not angry, but when you actually want to talk about it, let me know. I need to go to the bathroom and get this cleaned up. Make sure he doesn’t go anywhere while I’m gone alright?”

Birdie never even so much as twitched an eyelash.

Colossus left the I.C.U. leaving Birdie alone with Valiant.

As he walked around, trying to find Trauma, so she could clean up his shoulder, Colossus’s mind returned to when he had first heard Birdie speak. He thought about his friend, she was aggressive, she was impulsive, she was introverted to an extreme, but underneath her fierce, quiet exterior, Colossus had gotten to know who she truly was. Colossus had seen her without her cloak.

Birdie’s speed had saved Searcher’s life once when they had been exploring some of the ruins to the north of Haysburg. A cave-in began right above Searcher. It would have crushed him, but Birdie launched herself into him and shoved him out of the way. She had been struck with several large rocks and had been knocked unconscious. Searcher and Colossus had to remove her cloak and veil to check her for injuries. Neither stallion had been prepared for what they saw. Colossus’ mind replayed the events as he walked.

(Begin Flashback)

“Come on, Colossus! We have to make sure she’s alright!” Searcher said frantically.

His horn lit up. He lifted the cloak and veil from Birdie’s limp body and tossed them aside.

Colossus’ breath caught in his throat as his eyes fell on Birdie’s body. Neither pony could find the mental fortitude to utter a single syllable. They just stared. Time seemed to vanish as their eyes took in the sight before them. Neither stallion had any idea how long they stared for, but Birdie eventually stirred. Both stallions tried to scramble to put Birdie’s cloak and veil back on, but it was too late. Birdie’s eyes snapped open, her gaze freezing Colossus and Searcher where they stood.

She looked around and spotted her veil and cloak off to the side. Her eyes widened in horror, tears instantly spilling from the grey orbs. She whipped her head back to Colossus and Searcher, expression terrified. Before either stallion could utter a single word, Birdie let out a heart-rending cry and sprung from her prone position on the floor. She winged straight into the darkest corner of the area, where two walls met, and curled up as if trying to shield herself.

Searcher was the first to recover from his shock,
“Birdie?” he called softly, “Are you alright?”

Birdie didn’t respond.

Searcher took a few steps toward the sobbing pegasus,
“Birdie, I need to know that you’re alright.”

The pegasus only sobbed harder.

“Birdie, it’s alright.” Searcher said soothingly, “We’re just worried about you . . . “

“I’LL KILL YOU IF YOU COME ANY CLOSER!” Birdie snarled tearfully, “I WON’T LET YOU HURT ME!”

“Birdie,” Searcher said taking another step, “We’re not going to hurt you . . . “

“LIAR!” she cried, “THEY ALL SAY THAT AND THEY ALL LIED! STAY BACK!”

Searcher took another slow step toward the hysterical pegasus.

In a flash of motion, Birdie took to the air, hovering above the two stallions, back pressed to the ceiling,
“NO! STAY BACK!” she screamed.

“Birdie, it’s alright.” Colossus said soothingly.

“NO!” she screamed.

Birdie’s voice was becoming hoarse; her screams lowered to pitiful sobs,
“Please,” she begged, “Just leave me alone.”

“The only thing we’re thinking is that you might be hurt. We just want to be sure you’re alright.” Searcher said.

“Liar,” she sobbed, “You don’t want me to be alright. No one ever does, not gryphons, not ponies, no one. Just leave me alone.”

“We can’t, Birdie.” Colossus said, “We care about you.”

“Birdie,” Searcher said cautiously, “I’m going to make sure you’re not injured, one way or the other. I’ll bring you down with my magic if I have to. I don’t want to, but I’m not going to stop until you’re down here.”

Birdie let out a chocked sob,
“Please,” she begged quietly, “Please don’t.”

“I have to.” Searcher said, “I’ll ask you one last time. Trust us, come down here so we can make sure you’re alright.”

“Never.” Birdie sobbed, “I’d rather die.”

“Then I’m sorry for this.” Searcher said softly.

The unicorn stallion’s horn lit up with a soft yellow aura; an identical aura enveloped the obscured form of Birdie. The pegasus seemed to just give up. Her whole body went limp as she continued to sob, crying like she had just been given a death-sentence. Searcher slowly lowered her down to the ground and set the weeping pegasus down gently. Birdie merely covered her face with her hooves and continued to cry.

Colossus slowly approached her,
“Birdie,” he said as softly as he could, “I’m going to touch you. Just tell me if anywhere hurts, alright?”

“Do what you want to me,” Birdie whispered, “They all do. I won’t fight you.”

Colossus reached out his hoof and gently touched Birdie’s shoulder, where a rock had struck her,
“Does it hurt here?” he asked.

Birdie flinched, but said nothing. Becoming more bold, Colossus laid down next to the pegasus and began slowly and carefully prodding the different areas of Birdie’s body, where appropriate, doing his best to feel out any broken bones. He couldn’t figure out if anything was broken or not. At a complete loss, Colossus rose to his hooves. Birdie flinched, but said nothing. Colossus motioned toward Birdie’s cloak and veil. Searcher levitated the two items over to Colossus.

The immense Earth pony gently draped the cloak over the sobbing pegasus,
“Here’s your cloak back, Birdie. We only took it off to see if you were alright. I’m sorry if we upset you, we didn’t mean to.”

Birdie never moved a muscle.

Searcher walked up and levitated the veil up and over Birdie’s face, moving her hooves gently away,
“We’ll never hurt you Birdie. You’re our friend, we care about you.”

Colossus gingerly helped Birdie to her hooves,
“Birdie, we don’t care what you look like.”

Birdie hadn’t spoken more than two words since then, but she stayed with Searcher and Colossus, so they figured she must have believed them.

(End Flashback)

“Colossus?” Trauma asked, approaching the gigantic Earth pony, “What happened to your shoulder? Did Birdie do that? I’m going to show that little psychopath a thing or two!” the nurse said heading back toward the I.C.U.

“I fell.” Colossus said.

Trauma stopped and turned around slowly,
“What could you have possible fallen onto that just happens to look exactly like one of Birdie’s steel shoes?”

Colossus sighed,
“Will you please just help me clean this thing?”

Trauma pursed her lips,
“I don’t like this, Colossus. I don’t like it one bit, but if you don’t want to do anything about it I can’t make you. I’ll tell you one thing though, if I ever see another injury like this again, I’m going to . . . “

“I said something really stupid and hurtful to her. She was justified, trust me.” Colossus said.

“I still don’t like it Colossus.” Trauma said, “Well come on, I’ll get you cleaned up.”

Colossus followed the nurse down the hallway, still holding his shoulder.

Chapter 14

The Elements of Equestria

Part 14

“O.K. let’s recap,” Rainbow Dash said, “Move your hooves and body, so you can use your opponent’s momentum against them.”

“Do not try to force anything.” Trooper added, “Gently guide and redirect their movements away from yourself. Imagine it is a dance, where the pony or creature trying to hurt you is your dance partner, you just have to move quickly. Think of it as you trying to help them by guiding them, gently push them farther in the direction they are already headed.”

“I . . . think I understand.” Fluttershy said nervously, “But couldn’t I hurt somepony if I move them around like that?”

“Not if you do it carefully. As long as you can redirect them correctly, the only thing that might happen would be that they trip and fall. Watch, Rainbow Dash is going to attack me and I am going to redirect her movements.” Trooper said.

The pegasi had decided to conduct their ongoing practice sessions on the ground since Fluttershy was such a weak flier. Trooper and Rainbow Dash stood several paces apart, facing each other, both in a prepared stance. Dash darted forward in a charge. She was coming in with her head down, charging like a bull. As she approached she thrust out her left shoulder and turned her head so as to strike him and throw him back with that side of her body. Trooper waited until she was close, then acted. He lowered his head and leaned to the side, stepping out to his right and bracing. Dash’s momentum sped her right into him. The royal blue pegasus used his head and shoulder to guide Rainbow’s body around and off to his left while he adjusted his flank and hind legs, turning to keep her in front of him. Dash slid against Trooper’s side and found herself still charging off, away from him.

Rainbow Dash stopped and turned around,
“See, Fluttershy, nothing to it.”

“You are a reed in the wind,” Trooper said, “That is what my instructor always said. You bend and sway, gently bending so as not to break. You know how there are never any jagged rocks in a stream? The rocks have been worn away by the water leaving only smooth rounded edges so that the water can flow smoothly around them. Come on over here and I will show you.”

Fluttershy gulped quietly and timidly approached the larger stallion then took her ready stance, Trooper began,
“I am going to move as if I am about to hit you. Do not worry, I will not, but the action is what counts. Use what you already know to read any broadcasts I give off and then redirect the blow away from yourself.”

Fluttershy nodded nervously. Trooper was standing right in front of her, she was not used to dodging in such close proximity and without as much time to prepare. She watched Trooper carefully, studying every inch of him that she could see. The slightest twitch of movement caught her eye, ‘Left side, muscles above his leg and on his knee. He’s going to pull it up in a . . . what was it . . . a hook.’ the thoughts sped through her mind in a millisecond, ‘Use the momentum,’ she thought. Her mind sped up and Trooper’s movements became sluggish, ‘Trooper saw which direction Rainbow Dash was going and kept her directed that way, but away from himself. I should be able to do the same.’

Fluttershy ducked her head under and around the swing then stepped to the left, turning the rest of her body as she did. She raised her left leg and gently pushed Trooper’s hoof farther in the direction it was already heading, then stepped back still facing him. Trooper over-extended and stumbled forward, his balance thrown off.

Trooper took several steps and regained his balance then turned back to the custard pegasus mare,
“Exactly right, Fluttershy. Were you inclined to be the fighting type, I would say you have a natural gift for it. Unfortunately, I cannot use such gentle movements. I have to be a physical barrier and so I have to block and strike instead of dodging and redirecting all the time. If you will excuse us, Rainbow Dash and I need to get in some practice ourselves before breakfast.”

Fluttershy nodded and stepped back to watch the two blue hued pegasi face off. Rainbow Dash and Trooper squared off, this time already in close quarters. Dash began with a jab of her right leg. Trooper raised his left hoof and angled the blow away from himself then, using his right leg, he grabbed Dash by the same leg she swung at him and twisted his body. Dash stumbled to the side, but used the momentum to continue the movement until her flank was exposed to Trooper’s face. Dash kicked out with her left hind leg. Trooper held up his hooves and blocked the kick then held onto the leg with his fore hooves and spun again in the opposite direction, using his side and flank to push Dash to the side. His balance was precarious and Dash took advantage of it. She lifted her other hind leg and used the weight of her body to pull Trooper forward. Trooper fell forward, landing on his face then turned and rolled away from Dash, just as she spun around to face him once more.

They squared off again, ‘For a mare I am supposed to be protecting, she certainly does attack a lot. She needs to know how to defend herself too, but how am I supposed to make her learn if I do not attack back? Perhaps I should let Applejack have a go at her.’ Trooper thought. Trooper took several steps back and motioned for a halt.

Rainbow Dash relaxed her stance and raised her head,
“What’s up Troops?” she asked.

“I believe we are too evenly matched, Rainbow Dash. Neither of us can get any better unless we switch opponents. I think Applejack expressed an interest in challenging you, did she not?” Trooper hinted.

The cyan pegasus smirked,
“Yeah she did. Good idea there Troops.”

Trooper watched Dash fly off to where Applejack was sparring with Dr. Mend. The two Earth ponies stopped and spoke with Dash for a few moments before she and Applejack faced off.

Dr. Mend trotted over to Trooper,
“I guess that means you and me, huh?”

“I suppose it does.” Trooper said smiling to himself, ‘Mission accomplished.’

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

Valiant stirred and slowly awoke, ‘I really need to stop hitting my head.’ he thought. He cracked open his eyes and looked around, blinking owlishly, moving only his eyes. He easily recognized the inside of a medical facility as being his current surroundings. He tried to raise his head but found it securely strapped down. He tried moving his hooves but found they were likewise held immobile.

“Hello?” he called, “Is anypony there?”

“Hey there buddy!” an immensely deep voice called from somewhere nearby, “Glad to see you’re awake. Did you sleep well?”

“Is the filly alright?” Valiant asked, knowing where his priorities lay.

Colossus answered as he approached Valiant’s bed,
“She’s fine. You got pretty messed up saving her though. Are you feeling alright?”

Valiant was puzzled, the voice sounded not only friendly but cheerful,
“I guess so, but where are you and why am I strapped down?”

A heavily muscled, mountain of an Earth pony strode up to the side of his bed,
“Heh,” he chuckled, “Sorry about that. You’re strapped down because the nurses said you had to be, so you wouldn’t hurt yourself further. Sorry, but I can’t unbuckle you till the nurses say it’s O.K.”

“How long have I been out?” Valiant asked.

“This is the morning of day three for you here in Haysburg.” Colossus said.

“Who runs the clinic now?” Valiant asked.

“Triage and Trauma, they’re a pair of unicorns.” Colossus explained.

Valiant chuckled softly,
“Not only that, they’re also sisters. Is Trauma still so . . . outspoken?” he asked, not realizing that a quick mind would easily catch on to the fact that he wasn’t a newcomer.

His mind was blurry and he still couldn’t think straight. Fortunately Colossus wasn’t the type to use it against him.

Colossus burst out laughing,
“Oh yeah! You should hear her sometime! I think she’s got a permanent chip on her shoulder or something!”

“Believe me, I know; I grew up with her and Triage. My name’s Valiant, by the way.” he introduced.

“I’m Colossus. You can’t see her, but there’s another pony here too, her name’s Birdie. Don’t expect her to say much. She prefers to stay quiet.” Colossus explained.

Valiant quirked an eyebrow,
“Birdie? That’s a pretty unusual name.”

“She’s an unusual girl, but it’s not my place to talk about that. I’ll let her tell you if she feels like it.” Colossus said.

“Could you run and get Triage for me, Colossus? I’d rather talk to her than Trauma right now.” Valiant asked.

“Sure thing.” Colossus said, “I’ll be right back so don’t go anywhere.”

Valiant smiled at the playful jab,
“I’ll think about it.”

Valiant heard Colossus’ heavy hooves leading away from his bed, then the sound of a swinging door closing. He blinked a few times trying to clear his head. The entire room was completely silent, ‘Colossus sure was friendly. I guess he doesn’t know about me or something. Triage and Trauma have to know by now though. Wow, how stupid can you get? I was blabbing like I’ve lived here all my life. Colossus has to be really dense or something, any other pony would have picked right up on everything I said. I wonder, does anypony still talk about what happened?Maybe that’s why Colossus didn’t seem to be in the know. Wait a second, why are there two ponies in here with me? Colossus said there was another pony in here, but I can’t even hear any breathing.’

“Your name’s Birdie right?” he asked.

After receiving no response, he tried again,
“Uh could you come over to where I can see you?” he asked.

Valiant heard the slow, distinctive sounds of metal-shod hooves clanking on the tile floor. His ears guided his eyes. A yellow veil came into view, followed by a pair of eyes that made Valiant’s blood run cold. The eyes were emotionless grey, deep and focused; penetrating almost as if she were looking straight into your soul, judging you. Behind those eyes though, was what truly frightened him, Valiant perceived a depth of raw emotion that ran straight to the soul. It was carefully concealed behind the emotionless mask, but he could sense it just the same. The waves and waves of emotional and mental agony sent shudders through his body. Never before had he ever seen anything so deep and profound; it was like looking at a pony who wanted to die, but refused to give up. The sight made the pegasus stallion feel queasy.

“Sweet mercy,” he whispered before thinking about the words.

Birdie’s eyes narrowed. She turned and clanked away from the side of his bed, still maintaining her silence.

“Wait!” Valiant called, “Please wait!”

He could no longer see her, but her steps had stopped,
“I’m sorry,” he apologized, “Please come back.”

The steps came back and soon Valiant cold see her veil once more, Birdie’s eyes were still narrowed,
“I’m sorry for saying that.”

Birdie didn’t respond in any fashion, so Valiant continued,
“It’s just your eyes; they’re so startling. I wasn’t trying to hurt your feelings.”

Birdie’s eyes softened slightly.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Valiant began, “Why are you and Colossus in here with me?”

Birdie didn’t say a word.

“Alright then. Colossus did say you didn’t talk much. Would you be willing to nod your head if I ask you some questions?” Valiant asked.

Birdie nodded once very slightly, it could have almost been Valiant’s imagination.

“Do you know about me?” he asked.

Birdie nodded almost imperceptibly.

“Does the rest of Haysburg know?” he continued.

Birdie shook her head slightly.

In a flash of movement, Birdie disappeared from Valiant’s field of view. Seconds later, he heard the doors to the room swing open followed by several sets of hooves.

Colossus came back into Valiant’s view,
“Yep, he’s still awake.”

‘This is it.’ Triage thought, steeling her nerves, ‘I still can’t believe he came back after everything that happened with Arabesque.’ the thought of the Arabesque’ death still upset her, ‘Heartfelt said he was in love with her. Valiant, what were you thinking?’

Triage walked into Valiant’s view, on his left, her expression was empty,
“Have you been forgiven?” she asked sternly, “I need to know, right now. Have you been forgiven for what you did?”

Valiant nodded,
“I have, Triage. After five years, Arabesque forgave me. I had to die to do it, but yes she did.”

Triage’s face showed no emotion,
“Don’t play games with me.” she said, “I’m risking my neck for you. I need to know for sure. Trauma and I have heard of the Valiant-Mend Technique, but I have to be certain.”

“I swear to you, I’m not playing any games. It’s true. How do you think I’m alive after I already said I died? I’m living proof that it works. I was dead for two days before I was revived.” Valiant explained.

Triage carefully examined Valiant’s face for any sign of dishonesty. She found nothing but open honesty, ‘He’s not lying.’ she thought, ‘As hard as it may be to believe, he’s telling the truth.’

“I believe you.” she said softly, her face showing the ghost of a smile, “Welcome back Valiant.”

“You could welcome me back better if I wasn’t tied down like this.” Valiant said hinting at the obvious.

Triage shook her head,
“Sorry, but you have to stay like that for a little while longer. I’m going to go get Trauma so we can change your bandages. Then we can see if we can let you up.” Triage said.

“If you need help lifting him,” Colossus began, “I can do it.”

“I know you can, Colossus, but he needs a unicorn to lift him evenly so his back doesn’t bend, it could break open his injury.” Triage said.

“Do you need us to leave?” Colossus asked.

“Trauma would probably be happier if you did, just don’t go very far. Could you run and get her for me please? Oh and send Heartfelt in when she arrives.” Triage asked quietly so Valiant wouldn’t hear.

“No problem,” Colossus said turning to leave, “Come on Birdie, time to go terrorize Trauma some more.”

Triage watched the two friends leave, then turned back to Valiant, the silence was awkward,
“How have you been?” she asked, not able to think of anything else to say.

“I’ve been a lot worse.” Valiant said smiling.

Triage walked a few paces away and began preparing fresh bandages from a cart,
“I’ll bet. How in the world did you lose your wings?”

Valiant smiled ruefully,
“Let’s just say a bear enjoyed a full tummy after I freed him from an avalanche.”

Triage’s head snapped up,
“How did you manage to stave off total hypovolemia? You were obviously exsanguinating from the injuries.”

Valiant rolled his eyes,
“Still using the big words from that medical training seminar, huh? It’s a good thing I was there too, otherwise I would have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about. Why don’t we just stick to simple terms, my brain is still a little foggy.”

“Fine then,” Triage said, “How did you keep from bleeding to death?”

Valiant thanked his lucky stars for the reprieve from the medical jargon and answered candidly,
“I wrapped myself up in my blanket. Unfortunately the injuries got infected and I didn’t have any water or any of my healing potion. I was delirious by the time I reached Ponyville. I got lucky, a pegasus mare found me. She took me to a friend’s home and they had the local doctor patch me up.”

“Sounds fun.” Triage said sarcastically, “That doctor did a good job though, the stumps are barely visible.”

“You might have heard of him. He’s the other one that the Valiant-Mend Technique was named for. Doesn’t the name Mend ring any bells?” Valiant said.

“I think so . . . “ Triage was interrupted by the sound of the doors swinging open.

Heartfelt walked in hurriedly, right up to Valiant’s bedside, then stopped when she saw his face,
“So it is you.” she whispered, “You’ve come back to us.”

Valiant’s heart lurched in his chest,
“How’s the orphanage?” he asked, voice cracking.

Growing up, Heartfelt had been the closest thing to a ‘mother figure’ Valiant had. Seeing her again, nearly brought him to tears. He struggled to keep his emotions in check, but the battle was a tough one and he couldn’t keep his voice from cracking.

Heartfelt smiled and leaned over to nuzzle one of the, now grown, colts she thought of as her own,
“Is it true?” she asked, whispering in his ear, “Have you been forgiven?”

Valiant smiled,
“Yes ma’am. That’s the only reason I’d come back.”

Heartfelt knew she was crying, her tears soaked Valiant’s mane,
“Five years, Valiant,” she said, “Five years of not knowing what happened to you. I felt like I lost two of my own foals that day. Don’t you ever do that to me again.”

Valiant smiled warmly, fervently wishing he could nuzzle back his matron,
“I never meant for it to happen in the first place. You don’t have to worry anymore. I’m home.”

Heartfelt laughed through her tears,
“I know you are, Valiant.” she sniffed, “I’m sorry but I can’t stay for long. Molasses can watch the orphans for a little while, but the poor dear gets confused so easily.”

Valiant had been concerned about what had happened to Molasses. Hearing Heartfelt say he was alright, made him feel a great deal better.

The older Earth pony mare lifted her head, wiping her eyes with a hoof,
“Come by when you can, alright? I know you’re going to have problems dealing with the rest of the village, but I’m sure it’ll work out. I have to go.” she said turning toward the doors, “I love you, Valiant. I’m so glad you’re back.”

On her way out, Heartfelt asked Triage,
"You said his face was wrapped up. When did you take it off?"

The unicorn Nurse spoke without turning her head from her work,
"Early this morning we went to change the dressing and found that his face was fine so we only re-wrapped his head."

"Thank you Triage. I'll see you later." Heartfelt said as she pushed open the swinging doors to the ward.

Valiant watched her go in silence, ‘I should have known she, of all ponies, would welcome me back. Maybe this will work out after all.’ he thought.

“So,” Trauma said as she walked through the swinging doors, “He’s awake is he? Come on, out with it sister. I know you’ve been dying to ask. Has he been forgiven?”

“Same old Trauma, huh?” Valiant asked.

“I was not talking to you, thank you very much.” Trauma said, “I don’t have the right to address you directly until I know.”

“I’ve been forgiven, Trauma. I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t.” Valiant said.

Trauma walked over and peered down at the royal blue pegasus stallion,
“Ballsy move, Valiant. Good luck getting the rest of the village to accept the story. Most of them like you about as much as they like tornados.”

“You never did dance around the difficult topics did you?” Valiant asked smirking.

Trauma shrugged,
“If something needs to be addressed, I address it. There’s no point in being secretive if you’re going to be talking about it.”

“How about being sensitive?” Valiant asked.

“I’m not insensitive, Valiant, I’m practical. I haven’t said a single harsh word to you yet have I? I’m blunt and to the point, I always have been, you know that. I’m sorry if it’s a painful topic for you though.” Trauma said, face softening.

“I’m just glad I have tough skin.” Valiant said pouting playfully.

Trauma chuckled dryly,
“Seems to me, the road is a bit tougher. Just ask your back. Your friend Surf was holding a heavier filly and he’s not half as bad off as you are.”

Valiant’s ears shot forward,
“Surf got hurt?”

“He’s fine, Valiant.” Trauma sighed, “That neon colored charmer was released yesterday afternoon. He’s staying at the Inn right now. You and Surf did a good thing, saving those fillies, but you need to be more careful. You were almost killed.”

“Better me than a filly.” Valiant said.

“I don’t judge one life to be more important than another. If one dies and one lives there’s still the same number of ponies in the world.” Trauma said.

Triage walked over, pulling a cart with her,
“Almost ready.”

“I see a difference, Trauma.” Valiant said, “A filly is young. She has a full life ahead of her. She can grow up, have a great job, get married, have a family, there’s no end to the possibilities.”

“And that’s different from you in what way?” Trauma asked, eyebrows rising, “You can invent countless potions that might save hundreds of lives. You can still get married and have a family too, you know. You always de-valued yourself, Valiant. It used to drive me crazy. You need to wake up and realize you’re not worthless. If I thought you were, I wouldn’t be here tending to you. Now hold still. We need to change your bandages.”

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

“Bloody, fast-healing pegasus.” Trauma grumbled as she walked out of the I.C.U.

Searcher, Colossus, and Birdie were standing just outside the swinging doors,
“Can we go in now?” Searcher asked.

“When did you get here?” Trauma asked Searcher.

“Birdie came and got me when Colossus was fetching you.” Searcher said.

“Yes, yes.” Trauma said waving a hoof, “I’m heading out to get his discharge papers in order. You’re going to have your work cut out for you. When he steps out of this clinic, all of Haysburg is going to have a conniption fit. Maybe I should start on a death certificate while I’m at it.”

Searcher led Colossus and Birdie through the doors to the I.C.U. Triage was wrapping fresh bandages around Valiant’s mid-riff and head, but the stallion was standing on his own. The unicorn mare was having a slow time of it. Valiant’s back had begun healing quickly and most of his skull fractures had almost completely mended, but the scabs on his back might still break open. The two unicorn sisters both agreed he could be discharged, but with certain conditions applied; conditions such as fresh bandages for several more days.

Triage didn’t notice the three visitors and Valiant had his eyes closed,
“That potion of yours works wonders, Valiant. Trauma and I found a way to condense it so that it works more intensely, but I never thought it could do something like this. Then again, we don’t tend to have a plethora of extreme cases. When a tornado hits, we get either cold bodies or minor injuries. There’s no middle ground with a tornado, you’re either dead or you’re barely hurt.”

“It is indeed an impressive elixir.” Searcher said politely, “I take it this is the stallion who invented it?”

Triage turned her head and motioned the three ponies over, while she continued to work.

“I only discovered it, but yes. Who are you?” Valiant asked wincing slightly as Triage wrapped the bandage a little too tightly in a sensitive place on his back.

“Forgive me, young hero.” the unicorn said bowing, “I am called Searcher. I wanted to meet the pony who caused such an . . . episode and then had the gumption to come back and save a resident of a town that hates him. That takes a lot of guts.”

Valiant smiled mirthlessly,
“Yeah, and they were nearly spilled out all over the road when I did it.”

“You’re too modest, forgiven one. You have character and a lot of it, to be willing to do what you did.” Searcher said.

“You obviously know about my past then.” Valiant stated, cracking open his left eye to take a look at Searcher.

Searcher nodded,
“Indeed I do. I would have used your name but you haven’t told it to me yet.”

“I’m sure you’ve heard it by now.” Valiant said dryly, “Why the games?”

Searcher held up a hoof,
“No games. It’s just my way of being respectful.”

“Call me Valiant, then. What can I do for you?” he asked.

“Actually, I think I can do something for you.” Searcher said approaching Valiant, “But first, I need to ask you a question. Why did you return?”

Valiant was caught off-guard by the blunt question but quickly recovered,
“I suppose, I want to be forgiven.”

“But you already have been, haven’t you?” Searcher asked wryly.

“I mean I want to try to make things right, here is Haysburg.” Valiant said.

“You’re off to a good start then.” Searcher said walking around Valiant, “Unfortunately, I sincerely doubt that most of Haysburg’s residents would be willing to just let go of grudges they’ve been carrying around for five years. Bluntly, dear Valiant, you need to do more to win their approval once again. To that end, I propose an idea: be seen, without being recognized.”

Searcher carefully tested the thickness of Valiant’s legs and chest, nodding to himself, ‘He’s built like an athlete. He’s got strong muscles, yet he’s still wiry and flexible. I’d say he’s a pony who knows how to handle himself, if the stories about the other night were any indication. Exactly as I thought, he can do it; he can lead Haysburg.’

Valiant quirked an eyebrow,
“How do you mean?” he asked.

“It’s quite simple, really. Use a disguise to hide your identity while you work in front of the public’s eye. Become the heroic icon that Haysburg needs in this time of crisis. You’ve already shown yourself to be capable, daring, and willing to do whatever it takes to protect your home. Why not continue working toward their forgiveness and getting the recognition you deserve while boosting the village’s morale while you’re at it. Colossus and Birdie are both capable in their own right and my mind is keen, not to mention your friend has his clever devices and methods. He thinks outside the box, as do you; you’ve shown that to be true already. Between all of us, we can save the village and fight off this menace to Equestria. Haysburg needs a strategist, I can fill that role easily enough, but the ponies need a leader, someone they look up to. Birdie, Colossus, and I have already shown ourselves to be useful, but not everypony trusts us. I’ve been talking about the light for a while now, but darkness still festers in far too many hearts for my words to reach them and have any discernable effect. They need reassurance and strong leadership. You and your friend can give them exactly that. You’ll need to use a different name of course; something symbolic and powerful, while still seeming to be accessible.” Searcher paused for dramatic effect, “What say you, Natival?”

“Natival?” Valiant asked, “That’s ancient Equestrian for ‘shadow’. Are you sure that’s appropriate?”

“Absolutely,” Searcher enthused, “Without light there can be no shadows and to have a shadow, something or somepony, has to be standing with light at their back. That’s how Haysburg will see you, as a hero, silhouetted in light, defending them from the beasts from beyond the mountains. What better way to make you sound both approachable and still heroic? Every pony casts a shadow, giving you an air of familiarity, something they can identify with, yet the name makes you sound mysterious.” Searcher chuckled, “Plus, it’s rather ironic that all the letters in your real name just happen to be in ‘Natival’ as well.”

“What kind of a disguise am I supposed to wear anyway?” Valiant asked.

“Surely you have something with you; a cloak, a poncho, something. I can make you an enchanted leg ring to hold the disguise for when you need to don it quickly. I need to stay as anonymous as possible though. If it became widely known that I helped you, it would taint you in the eyes of my opposition.” Searcher said.

Valiant’s thoughts turned to the suite that Eve . . . Luna had her friend custom make for he and the other stallions,
“I do have something, but my face, mane, and tail will be visible. If I could get some black cloth, I could probably tie up and cover my mane and tail. I suppose I could wrap the cloth around my face too.”

“That,” Searcher said, “I can get a hold of easily enough. I can start work on the enchanted leg ring for you today. If you wish, I can even throw some protective enchantments onto it.”

“What do you get out of all this?” Valiant asked suspiciously, “You’re willing to go through a lot of trouble for a former Vagabond.”

“I won’t lie, my motives are somewhat selfish. I’m an archeologist, by trade. If the gryphons take Haysburg, I will have no good place to ferret out the ancient secrets of Equestria. I’ll lose access to the most powerful artifacts and ancient knowledge to be found in all of Equestria. I do care about the ponies of Haysburg though, so don’t think I’m completely self-centered.” Searcher explained.

“Speaking of which, why are the gryphons attacking Haysburg? In the time I lived here, there were never any incidents that even came close to what happened the other night. What changed?” Valiant asked.

Searcher looked boldly at the pegasus stallion,
“Do you have any idea what they’re capable of, Valiant?” Searcher asked,“Ask Birdie sometime. She’ll tell you what they’re capable of: cruelty, torture, starvation, all manner of depravity you have nightmares about. I called one of them out. I asked it what it would do if one gryphon killed another, even by accident. Do you know what it told me? It said they would kill the killer, thereby becoming a killer themselves. I know my history, Valiant. Do you know what caused the Gryphon War? A gryphon killed a mare while it was out hunting and the mare’s husband witnessed the whole thing. It was no accident either. The gryphon intentionally hunted a pony for food. They eat us, Valiant! They may act civilized on the outside, but on the inside, they’re animals! What kind of monster eats meat anyway? Beasts! Eating meat is bad enough, but murdering an innocent pony, a sentient being who thinks and feels, who has hopes and dreams? Unforgivable!” Searcher spat.

Calming himself somewhat, Searcher continued,
“It’s not my place to give you specifics, but I’ll tell you this. Four years ago, I was doing research in the Razor Wing Mountains. I was inside a cave which led to an ancient, abandoned pony settlement inside one mountain when I heard a scream from the mouth of the cave. I went to investigate and stumbled upon a scene which will haunt me till the end of my days. A gryphon had chased Birdie into the cave and the two of them were struggling violently. I couldn’t make her out very well, but her veil and cloak were torn in several places and heavily stained with blood. The gryphon was scrabbling after her like a possessed beast, while Birdie bravely tried to fight the fiend off. I managed to reach her and teleport both of us away. The gryphon flew all around the mountain, screeching something I couldn’t make out. Do you know what emotion that screech sounded of? Sorrow. It was sad to have lost its slave. We had to hide while we snuck away through the mountains. It took days and I lost all of the equipment I had at the time. We nearly died from exposure to the elements, but I would do it all over again. Birdie won’t tell me exactly what happened, but I respect her enough not to pry. I never saw what she looked like until she saved my life. When I tell you they abused her, I’m making such an understatement, you wouldn’t believe! She’s been through more hardships than most twenty ponies I’ve ever heard of. Gryphons are vile, Valiant. They can’t be trusted. I don’t know about everypony else, but I know I don’t go around eating my neighbors. Why do you think they’ve begun taking fillies and colts? The meat is more tender, and younger slaves will last longer! That’s why! I swear by the Light, they will not have Haysburg! Nopony else will have to suffer like Birdie has as long as we can help it. This ends here! WE stop it RIGHT HERE!”

Valiant felt Searcher’s words stir something inside of him,
“You make a sound argument Searcher, but there’s one more thing you need to know about me. I don’t kill. What happened with Arabesque was an accident and I won’t do it again, nor will I allow anypony I see, to do it either.”

Searcher nodded,
“I can understand that, I suppose, but these beasts need to be taught a lesson.”

“They can’t learn anything if they’re dead, can they?” Valiant countered.

“Others will see and learn . . . “ Searcher began.

Valiant cut him off,
“NO!” he said boldly, “No killing! I’ve seen enough of it! You have no idea what it does to you! I had to kill a rabid Lupus once and it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. My soul shattered when Arabesque died because of me. It’s a dark path from which there is little, if any hope of redemption. No killing. I’m not going to bend on this, Searcher, and that’s final.”

Searcher’s mind recoiled, ‘He killed a Lupus? What kind of a warrior is he?’

“Alright then,” Searcher conceded, “No killing.”

“I’ll do it then.” Valiant said, “I’ll stand with you.”

“You aren’t alone, dude.” Surf said from the doorway, “Trauma came and got me. I totally heard the whole thing bro and I’m with you. Next time they attack, we’ll be ready. Teach me how to fight, Valiant. I’ve seen the kinds of things you can do.”

“You’re right Surf, but you’re thinking on too small a scale. We need to train every pony in Haysburg how to fight. With a whole village of trained, fighting ponies to contend with, those gryphons won’t know what hit them, especially if they’re as strong and tough as Earth ponies.” Valiant said.

“Our weakness remains the same, though.” Searcher pointed out, “Gryphons can fly.”

“True enough,” Valiant admitted, “But I’d like to see any gryphon try to deal with an Earth pony that can fly and drop weighted nets onto them.”

Surf & Turf leapt into the air,
“Dude! That is an awesome idea!”

Valiant looked squarely at the small gathering of ponies,
“From now on, call me Natival.” he said smiling, “Where are my saddlebags?”

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

Mill Treader watched from a narrow alleyway as Searcher, Colossus, and Birdie left the clinic,
“What were THEY doing there?” the red clay pony asked himself, “Do they know?”

Miller watched as Searcher led his two ‘minions’ into the tailor shop. Mill Treader had dubbed Colossus and Birdie ‘minions’ after Birdie had beat him and forced him to get over a hundred stitches in their confrontation some weeks prior. He hated the cloaked pegasus with fiery passion. He wasn’t prejudiced against pegasi, but Birdie had over-reacted when he challenged Searcher and he wasn’t the type to let something like that go easily. He kept up his vigil until the three re-emerged from the tailor shop. Searcher passed something dark to Colossus, then he and Birdie walked off toward the Mayor’s office. Colossus entered the clinic and came back out a few minutes later then headed to the Mayor’s office as well.

Mill Treader waited for another minute before venturing out of his hiding place and toward the clinic. Something strange was going on and he wanted to know what it was. Ever since Searcher and his minions showed up, Miller had been getting a bad vibe from the trio, especially Searcher. There was just something about him the Earth pony stallion couldn’t identify, that just set his nerves on edge. The problems with the gryphons hadn’t started until Searcher showed up, but Miller seemed to be the only pony capable of realizing it. He saw Searcher as a threat to his home and the ponies he loved. His home was threatened and he felt he had to do something about it. He had some friends who disagreed with Searcher for their own reasons, but their combined mistrust made them able to work as a group. At all times, at least one pony was to be watching Searcher and his minions to see what they were up to.

Miller walked into the clinic and spotted Triage at the reception desk,
“Hello Miller,” she greeted, “How are you today?”

“I’m doing just fine, Triage.” he said leaning up against the desk, “How is our mystery stallion doing?”

Triage looked left and right down the hallway then leaned over whispering,
“He’s been forgiven, Miller. Isn’t that great?”

“That’s a load off my back. I was worried there for a while.” he answered.

In truth Mill Treader wasn’t lying, he had been concerned, but for different reasons that Triage thought,
“So what now? Is he just going to walk out and announce himself to the public? I don’t know about you, but I can’t see that ending particularly well for either him or you; or your sister for that matter.”

“He’s going to announce himself alright, but he’s going to be doing it while in disguise. He’s going to help protect the village and let everypony see him do it for a while so they can watch and understand that he’s changed. He’ll reveal himself after a long enough time and hope for the best. I think it’s got a good chance of working.” Triage said excitedly.

Mill Treader chewed his lip, this was a problem. He wasn’t one of the ponies who hated Valiant, but he didn’t entirely trust him either. Granted, he did save a filly at a steep cost to himself and everypony deserved a chance to redeem themselves, but Miller remembered what had happened with Arabesque too, ‘A wise pony doesn’t forget the past. You can learn a great deal from it. Forgiveness is divine, but don’t subject yourself to unnecessary risk.’ he thought, ‘Valiant deserves a chance and I couldn’t live with myself if I ended up sabotaging his efforts. If Searcher is helping him though, that can’t be a good thing. Blast it all! That unicorn is a clever one. I can’t call him out because Valiant would be caught in the blast. I’d have to reveal what I saw and end up destroying whatever chance he has at being accepted again in the process. What if I misjudged Searcher though? Maybe he is on the level and just wants to help. No, that’s not it. If that were the case, he wouldn’t need to be so secretive about what he’s doing. Triage never mentioned that Searcher was helping Valiant, but the dark thing from the tailor shop had to be something to help with the disguise. He’s helping Valiant alright, but to what end? What is his game?’

“Are you alright, Miller?” Triage asked, concerned.

Mill Treader shook his head,
“Yeah, I’m fine; just thinking about some things. These past couples of weeks have been crazy and I get the feeling it’s just going to get worse.”

Triage patted her friend’s muscular hoof,
“It’s going to be alright, Miller. The village is going to be fine, you’ll see.”

Miller’s head snapped up and his ears shot forward in intense interest as the Mayor walked through the clinic’s doors. The Mayor was an older, slightly pudgy, dull orange Earth pony mare. Her mane and tail were faded gold and her cutie-mark was a set of balanced scales. She was not only Haysburg’s Mayor, but its Judge as well. She had started off as just a Judge, but when the previous Mayor had passed away from a stroke, she had been elected to the task.

Triage smiled and greeted her respectfully,
“Good day Mayor. Is there something you needed?”

“Yes, Triage. I’ve heard that this other mystery stallion is ready to be released. I would like to speak with him if that’s alright.” the Mayor asked.

‘So Searcher asked the Mayor to do something. This can’t be good; if he’s got her wrapped around his hoof, who knows who else he’s influencing.’ Miller thought.

“I’ll go see if he’s presentable.” Triage said rising from the desk, “I’ll be right back.”

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

Valiant walked out of the I.C.U. wearing his new disguise. Triage had told him the Mayor wanted to speak with him and he figured this was his chance to begin his secret crusade in the public eye. His mane and tail were wrapped in the black fabric Colossus had brought and his muzzle was covered with a piece that wrapped around the back of his head, obscuring the bandages. The black suit and socks, covered the rest of his body. The rubber soles of the socks made his steps completely silent and where the fabric of the suit rubbed together, it made no sound. In his disguise, he was completely unidentifiable save for his voice and the skin around his eyes and neck, but he figured that few if any would make the connection. They would be looking for a pegasus, not an Earth pony, if they were even looking. He truly looked like a pony ninja. At his side walked Surf & Turf. The neon colored Earth pony wore his hooks and hang glider, like he was ready to try out some new extreme sport.

The Mayor was waiting for him in the middle of the hallway. Over her shoulder, Valiant spotted Mill Treader standing next to the reception desk, ‘Good old Miller.’ he thought, ‘He looks like he’s done well for himself.’

Valiant walked up to the Mayor and bowed deeply,
“How may I be of service?” he asked deepening his voice.

The Mayor cocked her head to the right, sizing up the mysterious hero,
“Are you the stallions who saved the two fillies three nights ago?”

Surf & Turf smiled and stepped forward,
“We sure are babe, and we’re ready to do it again anytime you need us.”

“I’m the Mayor of Haysburg and you may address me as such. What should I call the two of you?” she asked.

“The name’s Surf & Turf, but you can just call me Surf.” the extreme sports enthusiast chirped.

“You may call me Natival, lady Mayor. Surf and I are at your service. Anything we can do to help, will be at your disposal.” Valiant said.

“If you don’t mind me asking, Natival, why are you wearing that suit? Searcher said he met you, but he failed to give me any kind of description.” the Mayor ventured.

“I have scars, Mayor. I also have significant disfiguring to my body and I wish for them to remain hidden for the time being. I may eventually reveal myself, but for the moment, I would like to keep my anonymity intact. I sincerely hope this won’t become a problem.” Valiant explained.

“I would very much like to know the identity of both the stallions to whom we owe our thanks. I will be blunt with you, Natival. I don’t like having masked ponies running around my village. If something happens, say something is stolen perhaps, I will be looking in your direction first. We here in Haysburg are not the types to go about harshly judging others based solely upon their appearance. I won’t stop you if you wish to help, nor will I intentionally make your time here any more difficult than it needs to be, but let me make myself clear. Birdie has already caused no small measure of trouble and a second masked pony may not go over well with the village.” the Mayor said honestly, “Now with that out of the way, let me say, thank you, Natival for saving little Damson; and thank you, Surf for saving Raspberry. Those fillies owe you their lives and such brave deeds do not go unnoticed in Haysburg. I have arranged for a small celebration to be held this evening, in your honor and to welcome you to our humble village. The celebration is to be held in the village square at six. Can I expect you both to attend?”

“You bet babe!” Surf exclaimed, “I LOVE parties!”

The Mayor eyed Surf in annoyance,
“My name is not ‘babe’, Surf & Turf and I will thank you not to refer to me as such.”

“Uh, sorry Mayor.” Surf said apologetically.

“I’ll be there madam Mayor. You can count on that. I plan to stick around Haysburg for as long as I need to.” Valiant said.

The Mayor smiled and turned to leave,
“I’ll see you then, Surf, Natival. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some things to take care of for this evening.”

The Mayor left without another word, heading back in the direction of her office. Surf and Valiant walked up to the reception desk. Mill Treader eyed Valiant, smirking.

Surf recognized red clay colored Earth pony immediately,
“Hey, you’re the dude who tried to help me up the other night. I’m glad you were there and everything.”

Miller nodded,
“Not a problem, Surf. You did what I couldn’t and for the right reasons. It was my pleasure.” Miller then turned to Valiant, “As for you, Natival was it? That’s a very interesting name. It’s not any name I would associate with most ponies, although one does come to mind and it just so happens that his name has all the same letters, plus he’s royal blue too. You wouldn’t happen to know who he is now would you?”

“Oh stop it Miller.” Triage said, “He knows, Valiant, but he’s also agreed not to say anything. Isn’t that right, Miller?”

“Not a peep to anypony who doesn’t already know. By my count, that’s Triage, Trauma, and Surf obviously. Am I missing anypony?” Mill Treader asked.

“Molasses and Miss Heartfelt know too.” Valiant said.

“Is that everypony then?” Miller prodded.

“The whole village may know eventually.” Valiant said evading the question.

“Yes, I heard that, but are there any other ponies who know who you really are?” Miller said trying to squeeze the answer out of Valiant.

“What’s your problem, Miller?” Triage asked, “You act like you don’t trust him.”

“Can you really blame me, Triage? All this secrecy doesn’t sit well with me. I’m all for letting him help out, Celestia knows we need it right now, but I like straight answers.” Miller said.

“Dude, he hasn’t lied to you about anything.” Surf said.

“No, but he did evade the question when I asked if anypony else knew who he was and I also noticed that you two did as well. What is everypony hiding?” Miller asked directly.

“It’s none of your business, Miller.” Triage said pleadingly, “Please, this is supposed to be a happy time. Valiant’s come home and he’s going to try to help us. Why are you so set against him?”

“I’m not against him, missy. If I was, I would have spilled the beans by now and there would be an angry mob waiting right outside these doors. I’m not against anypony per se, but I am worried about Haysburg. We didn’t have any problems with the gryphons until Searcher and his minions showed up. Since then, it’s been everything but a pitched battle on our doorstep. If he really cared so much, then why doesn’t he want us contacting Canterlot for help? That fiend of his, Birdie, could reach the Princesses in just a couple of days. He doesn’t want Celestia or Luna to know about what’s happening here and I want to know why. We’ve let him waltz right on in here and practically take over the village and I don’t like it. He’s got the only pegasus with wings, for miles in any direction yet he’s not having her send for help. If he doesn’t send word to Canterlot by the next time we’re attacked, I’m going to do it myself.” Mill Treader said.

Triage sighed,
“Miller, you’re blowing this all out of proportion. Searcher doesn’t want to send word because he thinks we can handle this ourselves . . . “

“We’ve already lost seven foals to the gryphons! I’d say we’re not handling it very well!” Miller yelled, “The only reason I’ve waited this long is because I’ve grown up around the gryphons, we all have. I can’t see them harming the foals and I’m hoping they’re going to contact us soon and explain everything. I’m not kidding, Triage, I’ll be gone by the time the air clears after the next attack. I’m going to go visit Princess Celestia personally and explain what’s going on.”

Miller turned back to Valiant,
“Here’s what I was getting at. I saw Searcher and his minions leave here then go to the tailor shop. They come back out and Searcher passes a piece of dark fabric off to Colossus then he and Birdie head on over to the Mayor’s office. Colossus brings it in here then I see you wearing it afterward. Searcher, Birdie, and Colossus know, don’t they? That’s what you three were trying to hide. I was asking in the hope that somepony would come clean about it so I would know who I could trust. Apparently, I can’t trust anypony anymore!”

Mill Treader turned and stormed out of the front doors of the clinic with Triage calling after him. The red clay Earth pony ignored her, ‘He’s got them brain-washed, all of them!’ Miller stopped and looked around at his home town sadly, ‘If I don’t do something soon it might be too late. I won’t let my home be destroyed by some silver-tongued manipulator and his cronies!’ with those thoughts running through his mind, Miller ran back toward his home to pack.

Back in the clinic, Triage watched her friend storm off in a huff,
“Poor Miller.” she said, “He’s convinced that Searcher is some kind of monster.”

“Uh Triage,” Valiant addressed, “Miller’s got a good point though. I wasn’t aware that there hasn’t been any word sent out to Canterlot yet. Princess Celestia has dealt with the gryphons for far longer than any of us have been alive. Notifying her should have been your first priority. Furthermore, he’s right on a second point, Birdie could get there the fastest We might already have the full strength of Celestia’s Royal Guard out here by now, not to mention she would very likely be out here herself to talk to the gryphons. We need to send a messenger to Canterlot right away.”

“Valiant, it’s not necessary,” Triage said trying to placate the disguised stallion, “I can’t explain it well. Go talk to Searcher, he can do a much better job of it that I can. He’s got Haysburg’s best interest at heart, you’ll see. Why don’t you go talk to him right now?”

Valiant nodded,
“Alright I will. Come on Surf, we need some answers.” Valiant looked around for his friend, “Surf?”

“Over here dude,” Surf waved from the front doors, “I’m, like, totally ahead of you there, buddy.”

Valiant turned back to Triage,
“Where can I find Searcher?” he asked.

“He likes to hang out in the village square most of the time.” she said waving to the two stallions already on their way out.

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

“Attack!” the call went out loud and clear, “From the swamps! They’re attacking from the swamps!”

Valiant and Surf had only just stepped out of the clinic when the call went up. Ponies who had stopped to stare at the two stallions now took off at a dead run, heading toward the swamp side of Haysburg which was not that far from the orphanage. Surf & Turf followed Valiant’s lead, but he could have done without it. Everypony was heading in the same direction already. The swamps bordered on the Western side of the village with rolling hills to the North, the Eldritch Basin to the East, and the road to New Yoke off to the South. The sky was overcast, as it often was given the location, and the afternoon was quickly fading toward evening.

Surf mentally prepared himself for a second bout of pain from rescuing another colt or filly. Valiant ran as fast as he could, legs pumping against the road almost silently. A screech heralded their ears as Birdie zipped past them, heading straight toward the swamps. Colossus and Searcher came up from behind them, falling into step.

“Come on boys!” Colossus yelled, “We’ve got some feathers to ruffle!”

Valiant turned his head and addressed Searcher harshly,
“Why didn’t you send a messenger to Canterlot when all this began!?” he yelled, “We could have backup by this point! If the gryphons are hiding out in the swamps now, any hope he had of sending a message to Canterlot is probably lost! What have you done!?”

Searcher was obviously not used to much physical strain, even being an archeologist who worked in the field,
“I’m sorry my friend!” he called between breaths, “I truly am! I fear my foolish pride may have cost us dearly! You’re right, I should have sent word sooner! When this battle is over, I’ll see if Birdie can get through! They gryphons will probably be watching the ground more than anything else!”

Valiant let the issue be, for the moment, there were more pressing matters to attend to. The four stallions rounded a corner, bringing the orphanage into view. At a glance, it was obviously not the primary target this time. A great number of the homes along the sides of the road had their doors broken down while a sentinel gryphon stood guard outside each one. The sounds of banging and clanging came from within each home accompanied by the sounds of screaming, crying, and fighting. The fastest ponies had already reached the closest gryphons and were engaged in a fierce struggle against the brawny creatures.

Valiant quickly estimated that the ponies engaging the closest gryphons, would win out by sheer weight of numbers,
“They’ve got this, come on!” he yelled.

Farther down the street, Valiant saw Birdie fighting with a gryphon. The scene was one that burned itself into his mind. She had apparently tackled the thing head on. The gryphon flapped its one exposed wing wildly as it lay on its side, trying in vain to shield its head with its front claws while its back claws kicked at the enraged pegasus mare. Birdie was situated on top of the gryphon pounding away at its shoulders and torso with her shod hooves. She had the side of its neck in her, still veiled, mouth and was holding on and thrashing away mercilessly while it screeched in agony. Birdie’s shoes grew more and more red with every strike.

The gryphon suddenly cried out,
“I yield! I yield! Don’t kill me!”

The gryphon’s cries fell on deaf ears. Birdie thrashed her head back and forth, worrying the pleading creature while she continued stomping at it.

The gryphon screeched in terror,
“Stop it! I surrender! Please!”

Birdie was relentless. If anything, she redoubled her efforts. Her hooves flew up and down pummeling the gryphon in a flurry of strikes. Her hooves were a blur as the gryphon’s blood flew in all directions.

Valiant began to veer off toward the scene when Surf cut in front of him,
“I got this bro! Go handle something else!”

Valiant decided to trust his friend and continued on to the next house. Colossus and Searcher took to the opposite side of the street, each heading toward a different gryphon guarding a different house. The charging pegasus stallion peered at the gryphon guarding the house in front of him. The creature widened its stance and turned to meet its challenger head-on. Valiant lowered his head, looking like he was planning to ram it. The gryphon put out its shoulder so as to brace and Valiant jumped. The gryphon had no time to react at such close quarters.

The disguised stallion soared through the air and landed behind the gryphon, in the doorway of the home. He instantly bucked his back legs and sent the gryphon flying onto its face in the street. Valiant looked around and spotted the other half-leone home invader instantly. The gryphon was trying its best to pull open a wooden trap door set into the floor. Valiant smiled, ‘Every home in Haysburg has one of those for when the tornados come. They have three deadbolts on the inside. Pull all you want, you’re not opening that.’

Valiant held the element of surprise, the gryphon hadn’t noticed him yet. He charged straight at it and threw his shoulder into its side, knocking it away and into the back wall of the first floor. The gryphon shook its head and turned to face . . . a pair of hooves. Valiant bucked, hard. The gryphon’s head flew back, smacking against the wall.

The royal blue stallion took several steps back opening the way through to the front door,
“Get out.” he ordered narrowing his eyes dangerously.

The gryphon seemed to contemplate trying to fight once more, but thought better of it and bolted through the door in a streak of drab feathers.

Valiant headed back to the entrance to the house, calling over his shoulder to the trap door,
“Stay in there! I’ll come get you when it’s all over!”

He headed outside just in time to see two gryphons come flying out of the door of the house Colossus had entered. The two creatures took to the sky screeching as they went. Looking farther down the street, Valiant saw one gryphon lying on the ground wiping its eyes. From the doorway behind it came the sounds of grunting and angry gryphon calls. Suddenly, with a puffing sound, smoke came billowing out of every window and door. Moments later, a gryphon stumbled out into the street coughing and hacking as it held onto the door frame with one claw. It coughed several more times before its partner, who had finished wiping its eyes, grabbed it and yelled something into its ear. Valiant couldn’t hear the words, but both gryphons took wing almost immediately, heading out over the swamps.

A thunderous herd of Earth ponies descended on the three houses remaining on the street, tackling every gryphon they saw. Valiant watched to see how they handled themselves. The ponies fought with plenty of zeal, but their movements were awkward and jerky. When they tried to buck, most of the time they missed. The gryphons however were obviously outnumbered and began a fighting retreat back toward the swamps. Valiant noticed one gryphon was holding a squirming brown coated colt in its grip. It tried to take off, but couldn’t seem to stabilize in the air and was quickly brought down by the residents of Haysburg. It pulled itself out of the swarming mass of ponies and took wing easily. A second gryphon came darting out of a home carrying bright red filly who hung limply in its claws. This second gryphon took to the air easily, even as Valiant charged at it, ‘That’s why the gryphons the other night couldn't gain any altitude!’ he realized, ‘The struggling motions of the fillies kept them from stabilizing so they could go higher!’

The gryphon rose well above the houses and began winging its way back toward the swamps. Valiant cursed his inaction and watched helplessly as it continued rising into the air, well out of reach. A blur of custard yellow darted past him, screaming a battle cry. Valiant had only a split second to register the sight, ‘Birdie?’

She soared straight into the gryphon in mid-air, beginning a fierce struggle on the wing. Valiant watched in awe as a beak, feathers, hooves, wings, and claws flew in every imaginable direction. For all intents and purposes, it looked as if the two had physically and violently merged. In a matter of seconds, the two parted. The gryphon screeched and flew off, trailing blood behind it. Birdie turned and flew back toward the mass of gathered ponies. Valiant’s eyes spotted the filly, Birdie held the young red Earth pony in her muzzle.

Birdie didn’t land though, she flew right over everypony’s head, angled toward somewhere deeper in Haysburg. Valiant ran off in the same direction. The fighting was over, but he wanted to make sure the filly was alright and he had no idea what Birdie might do with her. Birdie flapped over businesses and homes, still holding tightly to her tiny, limp burden.

Valiant’s eyes tracked her movements and directions, he could almost keep up with her. The cloaked and veiled pegasus mare landed right in front of the clinic and darted inside. Valiant was relieved but still followed out of sheer curiosity.

He entered the clinic’s doors to a scene which confused him deeply. Trauma and Birdie were both in front of the reception desk. Birdie sat on her haunches rocking back and forth, she still held the filly in her muzzle and Trauma looked decidedly unhappy. The nurse had a rolling bed beside her, indicating she wanted to put the filly on it, but Birdie still held on to her, making her inaccessible to the nurse.

Trauma was standing directly in front of Birdie,
“Set her down this instant, Birdie!” Trauma yelled.

Birdie didn’t seem to register Trauma’s presence, she just kept rocking back and forth, eyes glazed over.

“So help me, if you don’t set her down right now I’ll pry your jaws apart and take her!” Trauma yelled.

“Let me do this.” Valiant said as he approached the two mares.

Trauma looked over to him and grimaced, but stepped back.

Valiant walked up to the still rocking pegasus and stopped in front of her,
“Birdie,” he addressed calmly, “You did well in saving her from that gryphon and I know you brought her here for a reason, but Trauma can’t take a look at her while you’re holding her. You need to set her down now.”

Birdie’s eyes flickered and swung around to focus on the black clothed stallion. Valiant met her eyes and instantly understood, ‘On some level, she knows the filly’s safe, but she doesn’t trust anypony not to hurt her. This isn’t an instinctive reaction, it’s something that’s been formed over time. She wants to help, but she doesn’t know how because she’s too scared.’

“Birdie,” he said again, “She’s going to be alright. Trauma just wants to make sure she’s okay. Nopony’s going to hurt her. Isn’t that right, Trauma.” he hinted to the nurse.

Trauma seemed to get the picture,
“That’s right,” she said softly, “I just want to do my job and check her out. I have to know she’s not injured, I’m not going to hurt her, Birdie.”

Birdie’s eyes fixed on the unicorn mare and narrowed, but she stopped rocking. She slowly rose to her hooves and set the filly down on the floor gently then backed away, keeping her eyes trained on Trauma. The nurse didn’t waste an instant. She darted over and levitated her onto the bed then began examining the filly, nosing her over from one side to the other gently, searching for injuries. Valiant could see the little red Earth pony was breathing softly and let out a relaxed sigh.

Trauma looked up quickly,
“Was the gryphon holding this filly in its beak?”

“No,” Valiant answered, “I saw the whole thing. She was held in its claws. As far as I saw, it never reached for her with its beak, why?”

Trauma pointed to the filly’s ribs with her horn,
“She’s got some indentations on her ribs that will probably end up bruising at least, if they’re not broken outright. She might have internal bleeding.”

Trauma lowered her head toward the filly and closed her eyes. Her horn began to glow and an aura of magic surrounded her patient as well.

After a moment, Trauma let her magic go,
“She’s not bleeding internally.” she said breathing a sigh of relief, “Wait here. I’ll go get some smelling salts to wake her up. If her parents show up don’t let them take her anywhere. I’ll be right back.”

Valiant watched Trauma walk away then turned to Birdie,
“I saw what you did to the gryphon in front of that house. You looked like you were going to kill him.”

Birdie’s eyes narrowed at Valiant and she nodded once.

“You meant to kill him?” Valiant asked, “There’s no need for that, he surrendered. Why didn’t you just let him go? Was he one of the ones who hurt you?”

Birdie shook her head.

“Birdie, you can’t hold every gryphon responsible for what happened to you, it isn’t right. Besides, they didn’t kill you. What you were planning to do would have been worse.” Valiant said.

Birdie shook her head once more.

“Are you saying it wouldn’t have been worse?” Valiant asked.

Birdie nodded.

“How would it have been better to kill him? Tell me that?” Valiant snarled, “I’ve seen death up close on two occasions, or have you forgotten? I caused both of them, maybe not intentionally, but the responsibility still falls on my shoulders! I’ve seen it, I’ve felt it! It shreds your soul, like something is tearing you apart on the inside! Do you know what that’s like?”

Birdie nodded; her eyes were full of sadness.

Valiant was taken aback,
“You’ve killed something before?”

Birdie shook her head, her eyes were watering now.

“Then how do you know?” the disguised stallion asked more calmly.

Birdie blinked as tears began spilling from her eyes; her gaze shifted to the filly lying on the bed. A glimmer of understanding struck Valiant like lightning. He dreaded the answer to his next question.

“Did . . . did you have a foal once?” he asked quietly.

Birdie shook her head and slumped to the ground weeping silently.

“I don’t understand,” Valiant admitted, “What happened?”

Birdie didn’t answer. Instead she just curled up into a little ball on the floor and continued to cry quietly.

The sound of Trauma’s hooves echoed down the hallway. Valiant turned his head toward the sound. A scrambling sound caught his attention and he whipped his head back around, following the noise. His eyes caught sight of Birdie’s cloak disappearing out of the front doors of the clinic. As she ran, he heard the her let out a chocked sob before the doors closed behind her.

Valiant instinctively turned and raised his right hoof to call out to her, but she was already gone,
“What happened to you?” he whispered.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: I truly hope the introduction of so many new characters hasn’t caused too much confusion. As always, all comments are welcome and greatly appreciated. I will try my best to honestly answer any questions that are presented to me.

Chapter 15

The Elements of Equestria

Part 15

All of Haysburg gathered around the Mayor’s office to hear her announcement. Word had spread quickly after the most recent attack and everypony was eager to hear any news. The steps leading up to the Mayor’s office made for an ideal stage where a single individual could be seen by all. Valiant, disguised as ‘Natival’ and Surf & Turf were already inside waiting for the Mayor to call for them to emerge. Valiant rubbed the golden circlet around his left foreleg, ‘I’m surprised Searcher could make one of these so quickly. He said he put several protective enchantments on it, I sure hope they work.’

The Mayor stood on the top steps addressing the ponies of Haysburg,
“We have weathered yet another attack on our village and emerged victorious. I’m proud to say that through quick action and decisive determination there have been no injuries and not a single foal has been lost. By now, I’m sure you’ve all heard of the two strangers who came to our aid several nights ago and saved two fillies. I have spoken with them already; these stallions have pledged themselves to help us continuously until this issue with the gryphons has been resolved. Many of you have already seen them in action today as they helped fight off the most recent attack from the swamps. I present to you, Surf & Turf and Natival.”

The Mayor stepped out from in front of the door and the two stallions emerged to rampant cheering and clomping. Surf waved nervously at the immense crowd, smiling as much as he could. He was far out of his element, he didn’t much like being the center of attention of a group this size. Valiant, by comparison, didn’t move a muscle. He didn’t wave, he didn’t smile (not that anypony could tell even if he had), he just stood there in shock. He had thought he had prepared himself for the attention, he was wrong. The sight of his entire village now cheering for him made him freeze. His mood instantly went foul, ‘What hypocrites.’ he thought, ‘You cheer now, but what happens when somepony makes a big enough mistake? You throw them out, disown them, and cut out their identity.’ Valiant ground his teeth quietly.

“Dude, wave or something,” Surf said out of the side of his mouth, “You need to respond.”

Valiant shook his head, clearing away his thoughts and began walking down the steps, heading toward the crowd. He felt slightly dizzy, like his equilibrium had been disrupted briefly. He descended the steps slowly, to the crowd, he looked like an imposing figure coming down from above in silent judgment. The cheering slowed down as he descended, finally dying out altogether as his sock-covered hooves touched the ground. The ponies backed away, giving him room. Natival looked around at each and every face he could see, looking them all in the eye.

“What we did today and the other night, you can do as well and we’re going to see to it that you learn to do so. You who wish to learn, come see Surf or I. We have already seen that you have the ‘will’ to protect your village, we can offer the ‘way’. Surf and I will make ourselves available at the celebration. Don’t take this the wrong way, you do have reason to celebrate, many families have been kept whole this day, but where is the recognition for the others who contributed?” he asked loudly, “I can think of several others who deserve recognition as well. Where is the cheer for them?”

“Who are you talking about?” a mare’s voice called out from the crowd.

“You already know them, but your eyes chose not to see. You ignore what is in front of you, staring you in the face. If you want to know who to truly thank, thank your neighbor. Thank the pony you see once a week at the market or the bakery. Open your eyes and see what is around you. Who among you has been grateful enough to thank the ponies you don’t even like? Who has thanked the pony from across town who you have a quarrel with? The same pony who may have risked themselves today, fighting to protect your family. I saw Birdie fight off a gryphon on the wing and personally fly the rescued filly to the clinic, after she had dealt with another one already. Who has thanked her?” he asked.

His only response was simple silence.

He shook his head and began walking away toward the Fountain in the center of Haysburg where the party tables and so forth had been set up. The Mayor stepped back up to the top of the steps. All eyes turned to her.

The Mayor cleared her throat,
“Thank you Natival for those . . . inspired words. There is a celebration to be held around the fountain in honor of our two heroic guests. Go enjoy yourselves, get to know Surf and Natival, but don’t simply stop there; as Natival said, thank your friends and neighbors who fought bravely. This is a time for celebration. We have achieved a distinct victory and hopefully the gryphons have finally learned their lesson and will leave us in peace.”

Even after what Natival had said, the Mayor still managed to coax a rousing cheer from the residents of Haysburg. The citizens dispersed and headed toward the fountain and tables. Several ponies stayed to speak with Surf & Turf personally, while still others approached Natival who was already sitting quietly on a spread blanket on the soft grass by the fountain.

The first pony to approach the covered mysterious hero was none other than Colossus,
“That was quite a thing to say there, Natival. I’m not sure how you meant it to sound, but you came off more than a bit judgmental.”

Natival gazed into Colossus’ eyes and responded quietly,
“I suppose it did, but that doesn’t make it any less true. What Haysburg needs is teamwork. There can be no place for division. Under stress, minor unresolved conflicts can become a big problem.”

Colossus shrugged,
“Maybe so, but you could have been a bit more polite about it. You can’t expect everypony to just get along all the time. There will be disagreements now and then. You shouldn’t alienate yourself from everypony and expect them to want to follow your lead afterward.”

“True enough. I’ll take that into consideration. Thank you.” Natival said bowing his head slightly.

The gathered crowd of ponies began to press in, wanting to speak with Natival.

Colossus turned and addressed the crowd,
“Form a line please. One at a time.” he turned back to the mystery stallion and nodded, “They’re all yours.

Surf & Turf was having quite a time trying to handle so many questions as the ponies gathered around him all chattered at once,
“Oh this?” he asked gesturing to the pack in the center of his back, “This gnarly contraption is a glider and these things on my legs are climbing hooks.”

“What are they for?” a mare asked him.

“Um, climbing and gliding?” Surf said.

“Are the hooks sharpened, so you can tear apart your enemies?” one filly asked.

“Good grief no!” Surf exclaimed, “They’re just for grabbing onto things I can’t reach with my hooves.”

“Could you use them as weapons though?” another stallion asked, “I could use something like that the next time the gryphons attack.”

“I suppose you could, dude, but that’s not what they’re for and I won’t let anypony use them like that, seriously not cool.” Surf said repulsed at the notion.

The neon colored Earth pony froze suddenly as a gentle kiss was planted on his cheek, he turned and saw a familiar filly standing next to him,
“I don’t care if they’re not weapons, you saved my life the other night. Keep using them the way you already are. You’re still a hero to me, Surf, and don’t let anypony pressure you into using them differently.” she trotted away quietly while Surf watched, puzzled.

“Thanks little babe.” he mumbled, “My pleasure.”

“Are you seeing anypony?” a mare asked boldly.

Surf rubbed the back of his neck nervously,
“Well I think I’m going to be taking Trauma out on a date soon, but I’m not sure, babe. Honestly, I’m not, like, looking for any kind of a serious relationship or anything right now. I’m just out for some adventure with Natival.”

An older light brown stallion bowed his head slightly as he approached Natival, the masked pony shook his head,
“Don’t bow to me, please. I’m no better than you.”

The stallion looked up, surprised,
“Very well. I just wanted to say thank you for coming to our aid the other night and for today as well. We owe you a great deal.”

“Do you?” Natival asked, “Think about the answer to that question very carefully. As far as I can see, you don’t personally owe me anything, though I do appreciate your thanks. Be sure to thank all the other ponies who fought today as well.”

“Well, I don’t know about that.” the stallion said, “I expect the ponies of Haysburg to do their part.”

“I believe one should never take for granted the selfless actions of others. Try to keep that in mind. They risked injury to themselves, they deserve thanks for their bravery as well.” Natival said.

“You know, you’re right, thank you.” the stallion said backing away slowly.

The next pony was a teal colored mare,
“You were so brave!” she gushed, “It was my home you defended this afternoon, I recognize your voice! Thank you so much!”

A smaller filly of the same color piped up next to the mare,
“You saved me and my sister, Natival! You’re awesome!”

Natival nodded slowly,
“It was no problem, believe me. You should thank your sister too. That was a smart move, locking yourselves in the cellar. I’m going to spread the word that any pony who isn’t capable of fighting, do the same if another attack comes. Your example may well keep many ponies safe in the days to come.”

The mare blushed shyly at the compliment,
“Thank you, Natival. If you need a place to stay, we have a spare bedroom.”

“Thank you for the offer. I may take you up on it, just be sure you have your door open in case any other ponies need a place to stay as well.” Natival said.

“I will.” she said, “By the way, my name is Minty and this is Chamomile.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both.” Natival said, “If you’ll excuse me, there are others waiting in line. I may come by later.”

Minty and Chamomile waved good bye and Natival turned to the next pony in line.

From the clouds above, a pegasus watched the goings on with intense interest, ‘He’s different, but in what way?’ she wondered, ‘Is he really as good as he seems to be, or is it just for show? He asked me if I had a foal. Why did he ask that? Why does he care? Does he care? He doesn’t have any reason to, so why act like it? Does he perhaps feel the same thing for me as I do for him, that we have something in common? No. He could never understand what I’ve been through, nopony could.’ she turned her head and made to leave, but stopped short as a thought struck her, ‘I didn’t think I could trust Searcher or Colossus at first either. I was so scared when they saw me, but they didn’t hurt me. They care, maybe he does too. I already know he’s different, the same way I knew Searcher and Colossus were when I first met them. Maybe,’ she swallowed hard, ‘Maybe I should give him the chance. What if he hurts me though? What if he’s just like the gryphons and only wants to use me?’ she put her shod hooves to either side of her head and shook herself back and forth as the memories came flooding back against her wishes, ‘NO! Don’t touch me! Leave me alone! Stop it! You’re hurting me! Why are you hurting me! All I wanted was someplace to sleep!’ she collapsed onto her side as tears began pouring down her face.

Her whole body shook with uncontrollable sobs as her mind continued replaying the memories. Her vision clouded over and she went back to that night against her will.

She was cold, so cold hiding in the shadows between the stone buildings. The wind seemed to cut straight through the pile of garbage she was using as a wind barrier. She huddled down lower, hoping for just the tiniest hint of warmth. She shivered so hard her muscles hurt, but that discomfort paled in comparison to the pain of the empty void in her stomach. She was just a filly, barely half grown at eight years old, her body kept small from lack of proper nutrition. She had found a muddy puddle to drink from earlier. The bitter taste still lingered in her mouth.

She could hear the voices of the gryphons inside the tavern as they prepared to close up for the night. She already knew she would get nowhere if she begged, that only got her yelled at or chased or worse . It was a hard lesson to learn, but she had learned it well. They didn’t care about one homeless waif begging in the streets. The one gryphon that had claimed to, had taken her in and fed her but demanded she do something for him to repay him. When she heard what he wanted she had tried to run, but he had caught her and held her down. She shivered at the memory as she tried in vain to stave off the tears. She felt so ashamed at what he had forced her to do, so disgusting and filthy, so violated. He had hurt her and he had enjoyed every minute of it. She gritted her teeth and shook her head violently from side to side trying to dislodge the tears and the memory and clear her vision, but to no avail, ‘Stop it!’ she told herself, ‘You got away from him! Your tears won’t get you a place to stay! They don’t care! No one cares! I have to look out for myself, I have to be tough! Stop crying you pathetic foal! Stop it or you’re going to miss your chance!’

She heard the door to the alley open as a pair of gryphons stepped out. She could hear them talking while the door leading inside hung open tauntingly.

They were talking about their days at work and their families,
“Little Horatio is getting so big now. Before long, I won’t be able to give him piggy-back rides anymore. How is Leah doing by the way? Last I heard she was dating that one tom who worked with the Hunters.”

The other gryphon chuckled,
“He proposed to her three days ago. I tell you, I had no idea Hunters made such good money. The diamond marriage-pendent he gave her had to weigh all of six stones. Get this, he already bought a four-room house and he said he had a Honeymoon cloud ready for her.”

The first gryphon whistled,
“Wow, he’s serious isn’t he. Sounds like a keeper.”

“You have no idea. He actually came to me first and asked for my blessing. Most youngsters don’t bother to do that anymore.” the second one said.

Birdie watched carefully and waited until they had their backs to her then darted for the door, hovering just off the ground, sticking to the shadows. She knew she could find some food inside and a warm place to sleep, anything had to be better than sleeping in an alley in the freezing cold. Just as she reached the doorway, one of the gryphons absentmindedly stepped into her way. She was going too fast to stop and she knew it. She tried to change her direction, but to no avail. She crashed into the leg of the gryphon that had stepped into the doorway, putting him off balance and stumbling while she hit the frame of the door with a startled cry and a crunch as her right wing bent at an unnatural angle.

“What was that?” the other gryphon asked, “Look, it’s a pegasus.”

She heard the words and tried to scramble up onto her hooves and get away before they caught her.

“Hold on there, little filly.” the second one said.

Birdie felt a claw close on her left hind leg. She was in pain, starving, and frightened so she went along with what her instincts told her. She kicked and struggled against the claw that held her, but the gryphon’s grip was solid.

“Hey, calm down! Stop struggling!”

Birdie cried out and redoubled her struggling. The gryphon that had hurt her so badly had said something nearly identical, ‘NO! He’s going to . . . !’ she could even finish the thought.

“Help me!” she screamed, “Help me, somebody help!”

She kicked out, as the gryphon tried to grab her other back leg. He missed, his claws breaking open the soft skin on her leg as he tried to close his talons. She screamed again and began flapping her wings, both working and broken, trying to fly away. Pain coursed through her as she flapped, but she forced herself to ignore it, she had to get away.

“Stop fighting me, or I’m going to end up cutting you again!” he said loudly, “Just calm down and stop screaming!”

The scene, in Birdie’s mind, was almost exactly the same as before, except now there were two males to hurt her instead of just one. The memory split open her mind and she began crying, screaming, and struggling with every fiber of her being. She was screaming for help and begging for mercy in a blind panic.

“Don’t hurt me! You can do whatever you want, just don’t hurt me! Let me go! Please stop it! You’re hurting me!”

“Hold still!” the gryphon said, “If you don’t calm down I might end up breaking your other wing!”

“What’s going on here!” called a harsh voice from the mouth of the alley.

Birdie looked up, through her tears and saw a third gryphon approaching, ‘NO! NOT THREE!’ she felt the grip on her loosen momentarily. She managed to get her left leg free and took off at a sprint as he grabbed for her again. His grip missed, but his claws didn’t. Fire erupted from her left flank as she bolted down the alley leaving a trail of blood behind as she went.

She ran from the scene as fast as her little legs would carry her. She ran in the cold and the wind. She couldn’t feel the hunger pain anymore, other pain had replaced it with far more intensity. She ran and ran until she could run no more. She collapsed in an alley, exhausted, starving, in pain, and fearing for her life, ‘He said he would break my other wing! How can they be so cruel? He hurt me, they’ll all hurt me.’ her sorrow began to change into despair, ‘They’re all like that, they’ll all hurt me.’ she began to sob, realizing she had no other choice if she didn’t want to freeze to death or starve, ‘I have to go back to him.’ the thought made her feel sick. She swallowed hard and shook her head trying to convince herself it would be for the best, ‘He hurt me so bad, but at least I had food and a place to sleep. As long as I didn’t struggle and cry he didn’t claw me too badly. Maybe if I just let him do it, he won’t hurt me so much.’ swallowing the vile taste that rose up in her mouth, she began the process of re-tracing her steps until she eventually found herself in front of a house she swore she would never return to.

The horrible memory ended suddenly and Birdie cried out as she scraped madly at her head, trying to dig out the terrible visions of her past. She scraped off her veil by accident. It settled down on the fluffy cloud, not having enough weight to break through. The moonlight from above, shown down, casting her silhouette onto the cloud. Birdie’s eyes saw her outline on the cloud and her movements instantly fell to motionlessness. She frantically scrambled to get the thing back on.

With the veil once more properly obscuring her features, she finally began to calm down, ‘No, he wouldn’t understand. Nopony can, not even Searcher and Colossus. I’ll tell him and he’ll . . . ‘ Birdie found that she couldn’t finish the thought, which puzzled her. Normally she could easily picture that kinds of things others would do to her, but when she pictured him, for some reason she just couldn’t summon up a mental image of the atrocities, ‘He’s different. I can’t deny it anymore.’ she admitted, ‘I’ll get to know him when he’s not around any other ponies then I’ll see what he’s like. If he tries to hurt me, I’ll kill him, but if he can understand . . . ‘ the thought was so far out of her comprehension she actually smiled, ‘If he can understand, that would be wonderful beyond words.’ She leapt off the cloud and began gliding down toward the ground, ‘Somehow, thinking about him gives me hope.’

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

Dr. Mend sat with Applejack and Big Macintosh on top of a small hill overlooking the plains of rolling grass. They had emerged from the Everfree Forest early in the morning and had had the pleasure of traveling almost the entire day across the fields of rolling grass. The hill provided a perfect vantage point and the three Earth ponies took full advantage of it. They starred up at the stars above in wonder.

“I never took the time to just look.” Dr. Mend said quietly, “They really are beautiful.”

“Ayup.” Big Mac agreed.

“It’s our pleasure, Doc.” Applejack said, “This here’s one of the reasons Ah could never become a city pony. Ah’d miss them stars way too much and all them bright lights just block ‘em out.”

Dr. Mend chuckled,
“You’re right about that, Applejack. When I lived in Canterlot, there were always lights on. I wonder if that’s not the reason the Princesses have the Royal Palace situated so far above the city. The ambient light wouldn’t block the stars out at that height.”

Among the tents situated down the hill, sat eight more ponies,
“I’m surprised the sky’s so clear out here.” Sea Blue ventured, “I would have thought it would be overcast and there’d be snow everywhere.”

“I for one, am grateful the weather has stayed so calm. My perfectly styled mane and tail would collect snowflakes like magnets, then they would be all droopy and wet. I would look simply ghastly, darling. Don’t go jinxing our good luck pu-lease.” Rarity said dramatically.

“I LOVE snow!” Pinkie Pie chirped, “You can have snow-ball fights, and make snow-ponies and snow-angels. Just remember not to eat the yellow snow unless it comes in a paper cone, otherwise it tastes funny.”

“EEW!” Rainbow Dash said, making a face, “Was that last bit really necessary, Pinkie?”

“No, but it’s still good advice.” Pinkie responded.

Twilight couldn’t argue, but she had other things on her mind,
“How are the dream-memories coming along, Trooper?”

Trooper raised his head from his hooves,
“I am certain I am getting close now. Last night we had finally landed at the designated meeting place. It had been marked with a bright red flag. I did not recognize the immediate area, but I am certain we are in the same vicinity. I will try to memorize the exact spot if you wish.”

Twilight shrugged,
“You can if you want. I don’t know if it will be helpful or not. The big thing is that you get a good look at the foal your aunt and uncle are carrying. If he looks like Valiant, we can be fairly certain it’s him. After that it’s a matter of piecing together what happened.”

Lemon Lime, who was sitting next to Rainbow Dash, yawned and stretched,
“I don’t know about you all but I’m going to go to sleep. We have a long day tomorrow and I’m bushed. That practice this morning wore me out. You’re getting better Sea Blue, but you still can’t catch me.”

The counselor snorted,
“It’s tough to do, you’re fast.”

“You could predict where Trixie was going to teleport to when we were chasing her. Why can you not predict where Live Wire is going to go too?” Trooper asked.

“I don’t know.” Sea Blue admitted, “Maybe it’s one of those things that only works under stress or perhaps it doesn’t work because I’m trying to use it against one of the Elements of Peace. In either case, I need to be used to functioning without it so it doesn’t become a crutch.”

Twilight’s ears perked and shot forward with intense interest,
“What are you two talking about?”

“They’re talkin’ about ‘Inspirational Manifestation’.” Big Macintosh said walking up to the fire with Dr. Mend in tow, “When Princess Luna was disguised as Evenin’ Star, she and Ah read about that. It’s some kind o’ special power the Elements of Peace have.”

“You’ve never talked about it before. What do you remember about it?” Twilight asked levitating a quill and parchment out of her saddlebags next to her and Lemon Lime’s tent.

Big Macintosh scratched his head, one eye closed, trying to remember,
“Ifn Ah remember right, it were different for each Element. The Element of Forgiveness could heal, Ah think.”

“That’s Dr. Mend,” Lemon Lime said, “We already knew that, he’s a doctor.”

Big Mac shook his head,
“Naw, it was more than that, it was some kind of special thing that he could do it with. Yer the Element of Patience, that means you can time things just right. Ah think Ah can calm minds and ease pain and Trooper’s the Element of Perseverance so he can keep goin’ for a long time. Valiant’s the Element of Hope so he can make ponies make good decisions . . .”

“I don’t mean to sound doubtful, darling, but those sound fairly dull to me.” Rarity said, “Good timing, being calm, and making good decisions all sound like fine traits, but what’s so special about them? Anypony can make good decisions and remain calm.”

“Says the queen of panicky drama.” Rainbow Dash commented.

“I’m simply very passionate and animated in everything I do, darling.” Rarity defended.

“Well duh, we’re all animated.” Pinkie Pie said cheerfully.

Twilight arched an eyebrow,
“Yeah.” she said doubtfully, “Anyway, I’m sure there’s more to it than that, Rarity. Whoever the author of that book was clearly knew something we don’t. I wouldn’t discard what a book says.”

“Twilight, darling, when have you EVER ignored anything a book said?” Rarity asked.

“How about when she overlooked ‘Supernaturals’ because of the title?” Pinkie Pie asked cheerfully.

“Moving on,” Twilight said, obviously embarrassed, “What were the other ones, Big Macintosh?”

“The Element of Discernment could predict what somepony was goin’ to do Ah think. That’s Sea Blue. Ifn Ah remember correctly, the book said we could only use the powers when we do somethin’ that’s along the same lines as our Elements. Ah can’t remember much else, sorry Twilight.” the large Earth pony said.

“So the Elements of Peace gain these special abilities when their actions are aligned with the traits of the names of their Elements?” Twilight asked.

“Ayup.” Big Mac agreed.

“Under the right circumstances, those traits could come in extremely handy. I think we should explore this some more,” Twilight yawned loudly, “In the morning. I’m going to bed.”

Her statement was met with quiet approval. The various ponies began heading off in the different directions of their tents. Rainbow Dash walked slowly over to the tent she shared with Trooper and Fluttershy, the latter had gone to sleep when nopony was paying attention. Dash looked down at her sleeping friend. Fluttershy was curled up, laying on her right side up against the left side of the tent, leaving Dash to sleep next to Trooper. Dash let out a small sigh and lay down next to Fluttershy. The multihued pegasus laid on her back and closed her eyes. Trooper entered the tent moments later and eyed the other two pegasi. Dash peeked out of her left eye, just enough to see without letting Trooper know she was watching. Trooper leaned his head down and pulled up the dual blankets, covering the two mares. The royal blue stallion turned and zipped the tent closed then lay down and snuggled into the blankets. He shifted a couple of times before coming to rest on his left side, keeping Dash at his back. Within minutes, he was snoring lightly.

Outside the tents, on top of the hill, a lone figure sat, looking up at the sky. Applejack enjoyed a certain level of solitude when the mood took her. She closed her eyes, feeling the breeze shift through her mane. It had begun as a whisper, but had turned into a gentle bluster that blew her mane around her. Her thoughts drifted on the wind, going where they would. She thought about Apple Bloom and Granny Smith back in Ponyville, she thought about Zecora and Caramel keeping the farm of good order while she and her brother were gone. Thinking about Caramel always made her chuckle, ‘He’s the clumsiest, unluckiest pony Ah’ve ever known, but he don’t let that stop him. He just bounces right back and keeps goin’. Ah can’t give him much, but he sure as sugar is determined.’ Her thoughts drifted even farther on the subject of the clumsy stallion, ‘Come to think of it, he ain’t makin’ much out on the farm. Ah wonder why he was so eager to stay and help? Don’t he have a life of his own?’ her musings were interrupted by the sound of hooves behind her.

Applejack opened her eyes and turned to see who had joined her on the hill,
“Live Wire? Ain’t you supposed to be asleep?”

The short yellow therapist jumped,
“Sorry Applejack, I didn’t see you up here. I can leave you alone if you want.”

“Naw, it’s fine sugar cube. You must have something hog-sized on your mind to have missed me though. Ah ain’t exactly hidin’ out up here. You got somethin’ you want to talk about?” Applejack offered, patting the ground beside her.

Lemon Lime sighed heavily and sat down next to the friendly farmer,
“I was laying there, next to Twilight, and something occurred to me. This is the first time I’ve ever had so many friends in my entire life. Most ponies can’t stand that I talk so much.”

“Uh, Ah don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, sugar cube, but you ain’t been talkin’ a lot here recently. Yall still talk all fast an’ everything, but you’ve been sayin’ a lot less.” Applejack observed.

“I’m just so grateful, you know? Since meeting Valiant in Canterlot, I’ve had more and more friends. Most ponies don’t know what true loneliness is, but I do. I lived it for years. It’s terrible. I lived in one of the most populated cities in all of Equestria, but I was all alone. It’s wonderful beyond words, having other ponies I can talk to, that actually care about me.” Lemon Lime said.

Applejack detected a crack in the stallion’s voice,
“It’s our pleasure, Live Wire. You’re a good guy. Any mare would be lucky to have you.”

“How do I tell her, Applejack?” he asked suddenly, “How do I do it?”

“Ah can’t tell you that one. You’ve got to figure it out on your own. She already knows though.” Applejack informed him.

“I know,” Lemon Lime sighed again, “I heard. It’s hard, Applejack, being so close to her at night and not being able to hold her close.”

“Ah thought you did.” Applejack said.

“Well I do, but it’s not the same. It’s completely platonic between us right now and I want it to be so much more. It’s like . . . I don’t know. I want to be with her, Applejack, not just physically or anything that shallow, but really be with her. I appreciate her for her personality and her mind.” he said wistfully, “I mean she’s beautiful, obviously, but her mind, that’s the best. Oh she’s brilliant! She’s like a shining star among the pitch black of night. Her eyes are crystal clear windows into the most precious of souls. Her voice is smooth, like the gentle song of wind-chimes. Her mane perfectly complements the contours of her gorgeous face, and when she smiles it’s like the sun rising after an icy night. She can put the pieces of any puzzle, question, or equation together as if they had always made perfect sense. When she explains something, it’s like the answer was always right there in front of you but she was the only one to see it.”

He paused for a moment and laid his head on his fore hooves,
“I could talk to her from morning to night and never be bored for even a moment. She’s amazing, Applejack. Even if we never have a romantic relationship, she’s enriched my life so much. I consider myself fortunate indeed to have had the privilege of knowing her and I consider it a true honor to be able to call her my friend.” he put his hooves over his eyes, “Oh, why can’t I ever say anything like that when she’s around?”

“You just did.” a soft voice answered from behind him.

Lemon Lime jumped up sputtering,
“Twilight!” he squeaked, “I’m sorry! I wasn’t trying to talk about you behind your back . . . “

Applejack chuckled slightly,
“She’s been standin’ there since you started talkin’ about her, Ah just didn’t say anythin’.” Applejack rose to her hooves and headed down the hill toward the tents, holding her hat down against the rising wind, “Ah’ll leave you to it then, sugar cube. Ah’m goin’ to bed.”

Lemon Lime lowered his head, he couldn’t look at the lavender unicorn mare in front of him,
“I’m sorry you had to hear that, Twilight.” he said simply.

“But you’re not sorry you said it, are you.” Twilight said quietly.

“Should I be?” Lemon Lime asked.

“That’s not what I asked.” Twilight said.

“Well, you didn’t actually make it sound like a question, it was more like an observation or statement of fact.” he said.

Twilight stifled her reactive response and kept calm, ‘Odious stallion!’ she thought,
“Is that really how you feel though?” Twilight asked directly.

“I never said anything because you have your studies. You don’t have time for romance and I didn’t want to burden you with the way I felt. You have your priorities and obligations and it’s not fair of me to try to pressure you into feeling something you don’t. I’m content enough to love you from a respectful distance . . . “

“Love me?” Twilight asked suddenly.

Lemon Lime hit himself in the head with his right fore hoof,
“No! I mean yes! I mean . . . “

“So you don’t?” Twilight asked, having to raise her voice over the growing wind.

“YES!” he yelled over the rising wind, “Yes! I love you! I love you more than I can say!”

“What?” Twilight yelled back, ‘What’s with this wind?’ she wondered.

Lemon Lime looked around, finally realizing the intensity of the wind. He looked up and saw the sky was now blank and black, he could no longer see the stars. The two unicorns turned toward the camp below, where the wind was coming from. The plains stretching out below them as their eyes beheld a swath of pure darkness coming toward their hill. The darkness was accompanied by an intense rumbling, roaring sound akin to that of a passing train. The wind increased in its intensity and both ponies realized what was happening.

As one, they turned and bolted back down the hill as fast as their hooves could carry them yelling the same thing over and over,
“Tornado!”

The intensity of the wind, not their cries, was the dominant factor in rousing their friends. Applejack, having just barely reached her tent, looked up and saw the swirling vortex of inky death surging toward the four flapping canvas structures. Without a moment’s hesitation, she bit the flap of the tent and ripped open.

“Aww, Applejack,” Pinkie began, “Why’d you have to . . .”

“Tornado!” the orange farmer bellowed.

Dr. Mend, who had been laying placidly beside his pink counter-Element, shot up to a standing position in the flash of an eye,
“Pinkie, grab your saddlebags, quickly! We have to run!”

Pinkie, unfazed as ever, hopped out of the tent in one fluid motion, somehow landing right next to her saddlebags,
“Come on, Dr. Mendie you Pokey Mcpokerson, you’re going to get blown away.”

Sea Blue pulled Rarity, tail-first, through the open flap behind himself,
“I’ve bot our faddlebavs!” he said levitating the items into the air with his magic, “Come on, Rarify! Ve have to vo!”

Rarity, for her part, looked as if she had just woken up,
“Let go of my beautiful tail this instant!” she quipped, “I’m perfectly capable of . . . “ she trailed off as her eyes spotted the funnel cloud, “RUN!” she screamed, now pulling Sea Blue, who still had her tail in his mouth.

Big Macintosh apparently ended up being caught in a tangle of blankets. He tried to get his footing, but he could only get his head out of the opening of the tent. Applejack ran over to help him untangle himself from the mass of covers. Dr. Mend and Pinkie ran over to the pegasi tent just in time to have Rainbow Dash come zipping out through the flap, ripping it in the process.

Dash sized up the oncoming and quickly approaching tornado,
“Trooper, Fluttershy move it! We have to get airborne and get away from this thing!”

Trooper leapt out of the tent and turned his head, grabbing Dash’s saddlebags,
“Catch!” he yelled, having already thrown the bags into the air.

The cyan pegasus mare caught the bag-strap in her teeth and slung the pouches, haphazardly over her flank then secured them with a firm tug. Trooper wiggled into his own bags then turned back to the mare he was supposed to be protecting. Before he could get a word out, Dash zipped back into the tent. Trooper poked his head into the tent and saw Dash tugging on Fluttershy’s tail.

“Come on!” Dash grunted in frustration.

“I’m too scared!” Fluttershy whimpered.

“Would you rather be scared or dead!” Rainbow Dash yelled into her friend’s laid back ear.

Lemon Lime and Twilight ran over, already wearing their saddlebags,
“What’s wrong?” the yellow therapist yelled.

“Oh no!” Twilight gasped, “She’s frozen isn’t she!” the lavender unicorn had to shout over the fierce wind.

“I can’t move her!” Dash yelled back in panic, “You got to help her, Twilight!”

“Take Trooper and get onto the hill! I’ll handle this!” Twilight ordered her friend.

“Screw the hill! I’m not leaving her!” Rainbow yelled back.

Twilight looked around. Applejack was trying to help her brother untangle himself and get out of one tent, Dr. Mend and Pinkie Pie had gained the hill where they stood next to Sea Blue and Rarity. Looking at the tornado, Twilight judged it to be no more than a mere hundred paces away. Her mind sped through hundreds of possible ways to survive until it hit on one that it judged to be the most likely to work.

“Applejack!” she yelled, hoping her friend could hear her over the roar of the wind, “Use your Element! Make a safe bubble and protect you and Big Mac!”

Applejack looked up. Her eyes were wide and her face drained of all color. She locked eyes with Twilight for one brief moment before the tornado ripped the tent up and off the ground, taking both ponies with it. Turning her eyes back to her friends, Twilight saw Pinkie and Rarity glowing as they created small pockets of safe space for them and their guardians. Twilight turned back to the tent, with milliseconds to spare. She forced her will into her Element and leapt onto Lemon Lime and Fluttershy, encasing them with her. She looked to her side just in time to see Rainbow Dash get sucked up into the vortex. Trooper bellowed something unintelligible and leapt into the windstorm after her.

The purple unicorn’s breath caught in her throat, fearing she had just witnessed the deaths of several of her friends. She had no time to think though. The tornado picked up the little sphere of protective magic and pulled it into its spiraling column. The ponies within flew around mercilessly as their sphere twisted and spun in insane and terrifying directions. The repeated impacts of their heads against the walls of the sphere quickly rendered them unconscious and they knew no more.

Outside, two Earth ponies, recently encased in a protective bubble shaped like an apple, planted their hooves against the hooves of the other. Brother and sister forced their backs up against the walls of the bubble to minimize the impacts as they were tossed around, uncaringly, by the violent wind.

Rainbow Dash rarely felt fear of any sort. The thrill of speed generally overpowered the icy grip of fear. As of right now, Rainbow Dash was not afraid, she was terrified. The breath was sucked from her lungs as the force of the wind ripped at every fiber of her being. She couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t stabilize herself, and pieces of debris kept striking her painfully. The wind blew dust and other particles into her eyes, blinding her painfully. She was being thrown around helplessly. She tried to concentrate on summoning her Element like Twilight had said, but she was beginning to black out. The power slipped away from her.

Suddenly four hooves latched onto her torso, holding her with a death grip. She felt cold metal rub up against her coat and a mouth envelope her whole muzzle, sealing it against the wind. She felt pressure against her nostrils and breathed in deeply. She focused her mind and called out to her Element. Power surged through her. A protective bubble formed over her and the pony holding her almost instantly.

The pressure of the wind ceased and she cracked her eyes open, trying to blink away the debris that obscured her vision. The ‘floor’ of the bubble was covered with dirt, grass, and sticks. The protective sphere bounced around wildly, whipping her into the other pony. Dash wiped her eyes with a hoof and had a brief moment to stare at the sight before her. Trooper lay limply against the ‘floor’ of the bubble, armor covering his body. After a brief moment, gravity seemed to vanish.

Dash looked around only to see the ground coming at them at incredible speed as they sailed through the air. Before she could react, the sphere smashed into the grass at a shallow angle. She bounced around inside the sphere like a ragdoll, smacking into Trooper time and time again. The sphere rolled for hundreds, if not thousands of paces before coming to a stop after an eternity of jarring, painful motion. Long before the sphere came to a stop, Rainbow Dash had been rendered unconscious by the force of the impacts.

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

“Whee!” Pinkie Pie squealed in a much higher pitch than normal, “This is fun!”

“Ouch!” Dr. Mend griped as his head rebounded off the side of the bubble again, although the word ‘bubble’ was subjective at best.

To the older stallion, The ‘bubble’ more resembled a balloon; consequently it had roughly the same level of elasticity, just much more tough, ‘Did she really have to fill it with helium though?’ he wondered.

“Isn’t this great, Dr. Mendie?” Pinkie asked, “It’s like being inside a balloon, except a really, really big one!”

“How can you not be worried about the others?” the black stallion asked grumpily, hating the high pitch of his voice.

“They’re fine!” Pinkie said with limitless enthusiasm, “Twilight’s super-duper smart, Applejack’s too stubborn to give up, Rainbow Dash can think really fast when she needs to, and Rarity’s attention to detail is perfect, besides Twilight got to Fluttershy in time. They’ll all be fine, silly! Relax and have some fun!” she paused briefly, placing her hooves against the side of the ‘balloon, “Look the tornado’s over!”

Dr. Mend looked around and to his astonishment, instead of falling like a rock, their protective, oblong, rubbery, ‘balloon’ was drifting down toward the ground at a gentle pace,
“How are we not falling? Helium’s lighter than air, but our weight should easily overpower that.” he asked.

“Silly, we ARE falling! We’re just falling v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y.” Pinkie said elongating the two words then broke off into a fit of giggles, rolling around Dr. Mend’s hooves.

Despite the serious nature of the situation, Dr. Mend couldn’t help but to laugh at Pinkie’s antics,
“You’re great, Pinkie Pie, you know that?” he laughed, “We could be dying and you would still be cracking jokes.”
*************************************************************************************

An impressively long distance away from the slowly drifting ‘balloon’ two unicorns slowly began the task of dis-entangling themselves from one-another,
“Darling, I appreciate your concern, but could you please remove yourself from on top of me. I’m fine and I assure you I don’t require an equine shield.”

Sea Blue groaned painfully and slowly raised his head, his tone set to ‘maximum snark’,
“Just checking for any burrs in your mane, Rarity. I’m proud to say there are none whatsoever. Dirt and leaves, on the other hoof seem to be ‘in’ this season, but I think you’d look better wearing swamp slime.”

He slowly placed his hooves underneath himself and pushed up,
“In all seriousness, I didn’t mean to end up on top of you like that, sorry.”

Rarity groaned and pushed herself up off the ‘floor’ of the round-cut gem shaped bubble,
“I appreciate the apology, darling, but for future reference, I’ll thank you to refrain from making any comments about me wearing ‘swamp slime’ as you put it.”

“Concern noted, catalogued, and promptly ignored.” Sea Blue said playfully, “It’s a defensive mechanism to ease tension and I find it works well. Now, how do we get out of this thing?” he asked pushing on the side of the gem shaped bubble with his hooves.

The bubble disintegrated promptly, causing Sea Blue to overbalance, flail his hooves comically, and fall flat on his face.

Rarity smiled at the counselor’s supine posture and quipped over her shoulder,
“Like that.”

An icy wind suddenly blew in, billowing her mane and tail,
“We have to find someplace to sleep, darling. This cold will end up freezing us to death.”

Sea Blue rose to his hooves once more and looked around,
“The tornado threw us a long way from the others and our tents are certainly long gone by now. I’ve got the fire starting stuff in my saddlebags, but we don’t have any wood to burn and this wind would put out any fire in a matter of seconds. The starter logs only burn for a little while and they wouldn’t throw off enough heat to make any difference. Do you have anything that might be able to help us right now? Come to think of it, I don’t even know what you brought.”

“Well,” the white unicorn began hesitantly, “I have my personal grooming supplies.”

“Please tell me you brought something more than vanity items.” Sea Blue deadpanned.

Rarity stuck her nose up into the air with a loud *humph*,
“I’m not vain, darling, I simply like to look my best at all times.”

The sound of hooves scraping the ground caught her attention; Rarity turned around and saw the turquoise unicorn stallion digging his fore hooves into the dirt,
“Darling, what are you doing? We need to find someplace to sleep, not dig a hole.”

Sea Blue grunted as he continued digging,
“I’m doing both. I’ve heard that dirt is a great insulator. We dig a hole, lay down in it and cover ourselves with dirt. Our natural body heat keeps us warm and the soil keeps us insulated. Come on, help me. Every second we stay out in this wind means one second closer we come to hypothermia, plus the movement will help keep you warm.”

“Dirt?” Rarity asked incredulously, “You. Want. Me. To. Cover. Myself. With. DIRT?!”

Sea Blue grunted in frustration, but kept digging,
“Would you rather be clean and frozen solid, or dirty and alive?” he asked pragmatically.

“If it’s all the same, darling, I’d rather be clean and alive.” Rarity said.

“I’m open for suggestions, if you have a better idea.” Sea Blue said still digging, “Wait a second, You’re a seamstress right? Couldn’t you weave some of this grass together and make a couple of make-shift blankets for us? It wouldn’t be perfect, but it would probably keep you cleaner.”

“Well,” Rarity began, “I do make the bird’s nests during Winter Wrap Up.” she sighed in defeat, “I suppose I can.”

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

More than a mile to the South, an Earth pony was busy digging another hole while his sister took stock of what they had to work with,
“Ah suppose it’s a good thing you were stuck in that tent, Big Mac. These here blankets sure will come in handy. We can line the bottom with this here shredded tent canvas. It’s long enough to wrap us up completely, then we can have the blankets between us and the canvas then cover the whole thing with dirt.”

“Ayup.” Big Macintosh replied, “Hole’s almost finished. Are you sure you’re goin’ to be alright with that leg o’ yours A.J.? It looks mighty bad to me.”

“Ah’ll be fine.” Applejack assured her brother, “It’s just a scratch and a bump. Ah’ll be right as rain in no time, just you wait and see.”

“Taint no scratch, A.J. It’s laid wide open and you can’t put no pressure on it. Ah think it might be broken.” the red Earth pony replied.

“Ah tells ya it’s fine!” she retorted, “It’s just a tad tender is all. Ah’ve had worse workin’ out on the farm.”

“But then we had Dr. Mend around, he ain’t here this time. Ah think you should drink some o’ that healin’ potion that got left in the tent.” Big Mac said sagely.

“Ah couldn’t, even if mah leg is broke! If the bones ain’t set right, they might heal all wrong-like and then Ah’d never be able to walk right again!” Applejack argued.

“We could always try to set it ourselves then have you drink the potion.” Big Mac suggested.

“We can’t risk nothin’ like that right now. Ah’m sure we’ll find the others tomorrow. We’ll get it taken care of then, alright?” she offered.

“Alright, A.J. Ah trust you, but if that leg starts lookin’ worse by tomorrow afternoon, we ain’t goin’ to have any choice. If’n it gets all red an’ infected-like, you could be in some real trouble. The way Ah understand it, the potion can take care of all o’ that stuff. Now Ah want you to make me a promise here, A.J. Promise me that if your leg don’t look better by tomorrow afternoon you’ll let me try to set it an’ make you a splint then drink that potion.” Big Macintosh said concerned.

“Alright, Ah promise! You happy now?” Applejack said obstinately.

“Ayup. Hole’s done.”

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

A disturbing distance off to the West, two other Earth ponies were doing their level best to prepare to weather the frigid night and wake up alive the following morning,
“Why are you cutting the grass with your knife again Pinkie?” Dr. Mend asked.

His bright pink counterpart spat out her kitchen knife and explained jovially,
“We need something soft to sleep on, Dr. Mendie. Using the emergency blanket to keep warm was a GREAT idea, but the ground will be super-duper cold, beside the tall grass can be a wind-breaker for us.”

“I can’t argue your logic, Pinkie, but do you think you could start calling me by my real name?” Dr. Mend asked, ‘She acts like a complete flake, but underneath it all she’s hiding a keen mind. I applaud you Pinkie Pie.’

“Nope!” Pinkie chirped.

‘Then again, maybe not.’ Dr. Mend thought sourly,
“I think you have enough, Pinkie. I’ll help you spread it out on the ground, then we can work on trying to find the others in the morning.”

“I don’t think we’ll be able to find them in just one day.” Pinkie replied, “We hardly went anywhere, while the others went zooming off in different directions. The balloon isn’t aerodynamic so the tornado couldn’t throw us very far. I can still see the hill you were sitting on top of earlier, from here.”

With the grass laid out, Dr. Mend removed the emergency blanket and spread it out over Pinkie before slipping in beside her,
“I’m not trying to get personal, Pinkie, but we need to be as close as possible to stay warm.”

Pinkie Pie responded by enveloping the older stallion in a giant hug,
“Not a problem! I’ll just imagine I’m laying here on a romantic night with my future husband! I haven’t met him yet, but he’ll LOVE to snuggle!”

“I’m . . . not sure what to make of that statement, Pinkie.” Dr. Mend admitted, “I’m surprised you’ve ever given any thought to that sort of thing though. I always thought you might be, you know, into other mares. I mean, you’re always hanging out with Rainbow Dash.”

“I LOVE my friends, but I couldn’t ever, like, BE with any of them, it would be too awkward! Guys are so much cuter anyway!” Pinkie chirped, “Besides, what filly doesn’t imagine what her ideal guy’s like?”

“So, what do think he’ll be like?” Dr. Mend asked, honestly intrigued.

“He’ll be all, like, super suave and stuff! He’ll tell me that I’m pretty all the time, and he’ll love to snuggle up to me at night, and he’ll be really smart, but silly at the same time! We’ll do all sorts of things together, like play pranks and go out on dates even after we’re married! He’ll be able to appreciate me for just being me! I can’t wait to meet him!” Pinkie rattled off, “What about you, Mendie? What kind of mare do you see yourself with?”

“I never really gave the issue much thought, honestly.” Dr. Mend admitted.

“Well that’s silly!” Pinkie said, “Why not? If you don’t know what you want, how will you know when you meet her?”

Dr. Mend frowned silently, ‘Good point.’ he thought, ‘How can you be so wise, Pinkie?’,
“We need to get some sleep. Tomorrow’s going to be a tough day.”

“Okie dokie lokie! Good night!”

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

Molasses trotted along, behind a group of rowdy fillies and colts. Miss Heartfelt had asked him to watch over them and the chocolate colored colt was determined to do his best. The youngsters dashed this way and that in a wild and random directions, some eating snacks while others wanted to meet the two heroes of Haysburg. Raspberry had wandered off earlier but returned a few minutes later. Molasses herded the younger ponies in the older filly’s direction, ‘Miss Heartfelt always asks her to help out, maybe she knows what to do. She’s smart.’ he thought.

The dark red Earth pony filly spotted Molasses and the little ones coming toward her and met them half way,
“Hi Molasses!” she greeted cheerfully, “What’s up?”

The slow colt raised his gaze to the sky, wondering what she meant,
“Clouds?” he ventured shyly.

Raspberry covered her muzzle with her right hoof to hide her giggles,
“Silly colt,” she laughed, “I meant to ask if you needed something.”

‘Then why ask what’s in the sky?’ Molasses wondered,
“Miss Heartfelt told me to watch the foals.” he said simply.

“Do you want some help?” Raspberry offered, “I can take half of them, if you want.”

“Yes ma’am.” Molasses said humbly, ‘I want to be smart too.’

“Sure thing.” Raspberry said warmly, “Anypony who wants to meet Surf & Turf, follow me. Anypony who wants to stay with Molasses and meet Natival, go with him.”

Almost exactly half the foals went to Raspberry; she smiled and addressed Molasses,
“You are going to take them to meet Natival, aren’t you?”

“Yes ma’am.” Molasses said.

Raspberry pointed with her hoof,
“He’s over there. Have fun! We’ll meet back here when you’re done, alright?”

“Yes ma’am.” Molasses said.

Molasses led the energetic foals to the back of the line of ponies waiting to meet Natival, ‘I wonder what Navitol is? It sounds like the cough medicine Momma used to give me, but if they want to see that, I’ll take them.’

The foals quickly became impatient and Molasses was having a tough time keeping them in line (bad joke, I know),
“Stay quiet when you’re in line and wait your turn. The ponies in front have been waiting longer than you have.” he told them quietly.

To the amazement of the other residents of Haysburg, the younger ponies actually listened to the slow colt. Molasses wasn’t surprised, ‘Miss Heartfelt said to always be patient with the foals and never yell at them, it upsets them and you might hurt their feelings.’ he thought.

From a distance, Heartfelt watched the chocolate colt dealing with the youngsters and smiled. She had been overjoyed to have Molasses to help her at the orphanage, even if she was sad to hear about his ‘Momma’ passing away. She was getting on in years and needed more and more help as the days wore on. Raspberry was a huge help, but Molasses was as reliable as the day was long. He never complained and he was always eager to help out in any way he could, whenever she needed him.

She would never admit it, but she was concerned about what would happen to the orphanage when she was too old to take care of the seemingly endless number of orphaned fillies and colts who came to live with her every year, ‘Molasses tries his best and he’s a wonderful helper, but the poor dear just doesn’t have the mental capacity to take over when I’m gone. I need somepony who can do all the things that need doing. Raspberry’s almost old enough to be declared an adult. She has her own life to live and it isn’t right of me to ask her to give up everything to take over when I’m gone. She’s going to begin her apprenticeship at the bakery this spring, so she won’t have the time to help out anymore.’ Try as she might, Heartfelt just couldn’t think of anypony to take over. The problem had been weighing in her mind for some years, but with no discernable answer in sight. She sighed heavily and turned her attention back to the trestle tables overflowing with food and decided to enjoy the evening and put her worries behind her.

The last pony finished speaking with Natival and now it was the foals’ turn. They approached the disguised stallion tentatively, looking up at him with puzzlement and awe.

Little Damson happily trotted up to the quiet pegasus and peered sideways at him,
“Are you the one who rescued me the other night when that mean gryphon tried to take me away? You sure don’t look like him.”

Natival only nodded his head silently.

“Why don’t you say anything?” she asked innocently.

Natival swallowed subtly, ‘Because Molasses has a perfect memory. He’d recognize my voice and call me by my name, then be confused as to why all the other ponies got angry.’ he thought.

He leaned his head over and whispered in the little filly’s ear,
“I’ve been talking to ponies all night and my throat hurts. Why don’t you just ask me yes or no questions?” it wasn’t a lie, his throat was a bit sore, even so, he hated to disappoint the filly.

The filly turned to the other orphans,
“His throat hurts so we have to ask him yes or no questions, guys.”

Suddenly all the foals swarmed over to him and began bombarding him with questions.

“Why are you dressed like that? Are you a ninja?” one cream colored filly asked.

Natival shook his head.

“I’ll bet you have some awesome battle scars from your fights against monsters!” an orange colt said.

Natival shook his head.

“Have you ever slayeded a dragon?” a charcoal grey filly asked.

Again Natival shook his head.

“Have you done anything exciting?” Damson asked.

Natival nodded his head vigorously.

“Like what? Have you ever saved a village before?” the cream colored filly asked.

“He sure has, little babe! This righteous dude, once saved Canterlot from a crazy unicorn mage!” Surf said walking over.

“Woah!” the foals said.

“You got that right! He and his friends had to fight a chimera that the mage summoned!” Surf continued.

“What’s a chameria?” the charcoal colt asked.

“Chimera, little dude, it’s called a chimera. It’s a huge monster with three heads. It’s got a lion head and a goat head on the front and a snake’s head for its tail. The lion head can gobble you up and the goat head can breathe fire! The snake head on the back is all, like, venomous and stuff! I wish I could have seen it, it must have been awesome!” surf enthused.

Natival had broken out in a sweat, ‘Shut up Surf! Molasses heard me tell you all those things! He’ll be able to figure it out in no time!’ Sure enough, as Natival looked over to the chocolate colt, he saw a spark or recognition alight on his features. The only thing Natival could think to do was hold his hoof up in front of his mouth and shush Molasses quietly. Molasses clamped his mouth shut in puzzlement, ‘But Valiant did those things. He isn’t Valiant. He’s shaped like Valiant, but he’s not Valiant.’ Either way, Molasses kept quiet.

Natival looked up and noticed ponies beginning to gather around as Surf & Turf continued to expound his various exploits,
“He was in Canterlot to study at the University when he first saw the unicorn. It was a dark night . . . “

As Surf continued with the story, all of Haysburg gathered around to listen. Many of the ponies wore awed expressions and some just looked doubtful. Natival had to admit, when Surf told the story, it sounded truly epic. Thankfully, the neon colored Earth pony had enough sense to omit any mention of the Elements of Peace and the pseudo-wings. By the time the story was over, everypony was eager to hear more. Surf complied and related the story about his friend’s fight with the Lupus. Toward the end of that story, plenty of tired yawns were going around.

Natival leaned over and whispered in Surf’s ear,
“I think it’s time to say goodnight.”

Surf nodded and turned to the gathered ponies,
“Sorry dudes and babes, but it’s, like, seriously late. Everypony needs to get some shuteye before tomorrow. Remember, anypony who wants to learn how to fight, meet here first thing in the morning. We totally understand if you have to work and everything and we’re, like, totally willing to work with you if you have odd hours. Goodnight everypony.”

A feminine voice hailed him from the back of the crowd,
“Hey hottie! How about you walk your sexy backside over here and give your main girl a kiss! I’ve been missing you something fierce!”

Surf’s jaw dropped open, he knew that voice well,
“T . . . Tinker!?”

“Of course! Don’t think you can get away without giving me some sugar tonight! I came all the way from New Yoke to see your sweet flank again, and I gotta admit, this place isn’t as much of a dump as I’d heard.” the voice called.

If there had been any doubt before, it went up in the cloud of smoke that rose above the crowd. The residents of Haysburg parted and sure enough Tinker sauntered up to the two surprised stallions, cigar and all. Surf & Turf ran up to her as quickly as he could. Tinker stopped and puckered her lips, expecting a kiss. What she got was a hoarse whisper in her ear while Surf hugged her.

“That’s Valiant in the black outfit there. Don’t say anything, babe, he’s in disguise. I’ll explain later.” He whispered.

Tinker’s face broke into a mischievous grin,
“I won’t, but you have to kiss me to convince me.” she whispered back.

“Later, babe. I promise, just don’t say anything.” Surf repeated.

“Aw, I missed you too.” Tinker cooed out loud, “Don’t worry, I’ll make it up to you tonight.”

Several parents covered their foals’ ears.

The Mayor walked out from the crowd and addressed the pair,
“Do you know this mare?”

Surf let go of Tinker and turned to answer the Mayor,
“I sure do! This is Tinker, she’s the one who made my glider and hooks. She’s a little . . . outgoing, but she’s really good.”

At the mention of her name, Tinker winked at the Mayor,
“That’s me toots! The best blacksmith this side of Canterlot. So,” she blew out a puff of smoke, “What can I call you, wrinkles?

The Mayor’s face turned a frightening shade of purple,
“You may address me as the Mayor of Haysburg, young lady. I also happen to be the Judge here in Haysburg.”

Tinker was utterly non-pulsed,
“Sweet, good to know. Sorry if I offended you, Mayor Judgy-wudgy-pudgy. You’ve got a nice little joint here. Haysburg’s a lot better than the dump I’d heard it to be. You kids in need of a good blacksmith? If so, I’m available in more ways than one. Surf’s my main squeeze, but we’re not exclusive or anything.”

Tinker’s statement was met with such a level of silence, you could swear you heard the grass growing.

Surf leaned over and whispered in Tinker’s ear,
“Hey babe, they’re a bit more reserved here. You might want to tone it down before you offend somepony.”

Tinker looked around and saw the Mayor’s face beginning to contort in unnatural ways,
“Uh, sorry miss Mayor.” she said sheepishly, “I don’t mean any insult. I just tend to speak my mind.”

“I think you should speak it a bit more politely in the future and remember who you’re addressing. All that aside, welcome to Haysburg.” the Mayor said, calming down a bit.

The older Earth pony turned to the gathered residents of her village,
“Let’s get some sleep everypony. We have a big day tomorrow.”

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Things are beginning to pick up now, don’t worry the dull part is over. As always, I LOVE any and all feedback any of you want to throw my way. It doesn’t matter if you want to tell me how much you like the story, address what you see as problems, or if you just want to tell me to go take a long walk off a short pier. I respect the fact that you take the time out of your lives to post something and I have enough respect for you to do my best to respond. My schedule is going to change so I won’t be able to take any super late calls from you guys who do so. As always though, feel free to shoot me a text or e-mail. If you want to call, I adore it when you guys contact me, but please text me first. My phone number is still the same: 757-779-0385. I’m already working on the next chapter, but I may end up being somewhat delayed in the posting. My wife and I are moving into our apartment soon and things will be hectic for a while, until we get settled. Fear not, I’m still going to keep writing. If I don’t post for a while, I apologize in advance. See you all soon. Truthseeker.

SUBNOTE: If you get bored waiting for the next chapter, here is my reading list recommendation: Past Sins, It’s a Dangerous Business Going Out Your Door, Heart of Gold Feathers of Steel, Macintosh, The Thessalonica Chronicles, Mort Takes a Holiday, The Party Never Ended, The Color You Bleed (horribly underrated, the author is INCREDIBLE), It Takes a Village, The Logical Option (despite the grammatical errors), Giving Love a Helping Hoof , and (if you’re in the mood for something so unrealistic, grammatically retarded, super-macho and over-sexed that it kills more brain cells than smoking a bale of hashish) The Ballad of Sir Spike De Draco.

These are but a few examples of the stories I’ve grown to love. There are plenty more, go find them, let them enrich your lives and expand your horizons. As a great turtle once said, “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift. That’s why they call it ‘the present’” or in Latin: carpe diem (seize the day)(not to be confused with: carpayment diem. Seize the checkbook)

shadow.blaze.pony.24:
I <3 this story!
Anonymous:
This series would make an EPICALLY AWESOME few episodes of MLP: FiM. :D
Alejandro Gonzalez:
So awesome can't wait for more!

Author's Note

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Things are beginning to pick up now, don't worry the dull part is over. To Nova25, I know you don't like Tinker, but she's integral to the story. Please don't take her reintroduction as an insult to you. No hard feelings, mad love, and keep the critiques coming. I have a lot of respect for you. As always, I LOVE any and all feedback any of you want to throw my way. It doesn't matter if you want to tell me how much you like the story, address what you see as problems, or if you just want to tell me to go take a long walk off a short pier. I respect the fact that you take the time out of your lives to post something and I have enough respect for you to do my best to respond. My schedule is going to change so I won't be able to take any super late calls from you guys who do so. As always though, feel free to shoot me a text or e-mail. If you want to call, I adore it when you guys contact me, but please text me first. My phone number is still the same: 757-779-0385. I'm already working on the next chapter, but I may end up being somewhat delayed in the posting. My wife and I are moving into our apartment soon and things will be hectic for a while, until we get settled. Fear not, I'm still going to keep writing. If I don't post for a while, I apologize in advance. See you all soon. Truthseeker.

Chapter 16

The Elements of Equestria

Part 16

Fluttershy opened her eyes and looked around. She was back in her cottage on the outskirts of Ponyville, lying in her own bed. She blinked in confusion and sat up, ‘Why am I here?’ she wondered, ‘The last thing I remember is the scary tornado and Twilight encasing us in a bubble.’ She pulled back her covers and hopped down from the bed onto the floor with a thump.

“Are you awake Fluttershy?” asked a stallion’s voice from downstairs.

The custard colored pegasus’ ears shot back, lying flat against her head, ‘Somepony is in my house!’ she thought, panic rising, ‘A stallion!’ she realized, ‘Why is there a stallion in my house?’ She ran and hid under her bed, shaking with fear as she heard his hoof steps coming up the stairs. She was too afraid to look out from under the bed, she covered her eyes with her hooves, ‘Please go away! Don’t hurt me!’

“Fluttershy?” he called from the top of the stairs, “Where are you?”

She could hear him coming closer to the bed and tightened herself into as small a ball as she could. She could hear him walking around the room calling her name again and again.

“There you are.” he said from behind her, “Why are you under the bed? Did you have another bad dream?”

Fluttershy squeaked in terror as the stallion gently pulled her from under the bed by her tail. She whimpered as she felt his grip on her tail vanish, ‘He found me!’

“Take anything you want just don’t hurt me!” she cried.

Silence reigned for a few moments before the stallion spoke up,
“What?” he asked, “What are you talking about? Why would I take anything?”

She felt him lay down beside her,
“Fluttershy, what’s wrong?” he asked, concern in his tone.

She felt a slight pressure against her cheek as he nuzzled her,
“That must have been quite a dream.” he said softly, “It’s alright now, I’m here.”

To say that the Element of Kindness was confused would be a drastic understatement. She was as lost as a blind squirrel reaching for a cloud. As he continued nuzzling her affectionately, she slowly lowered her hooves from her eyes and peeked out, a process which felt like it took no less than half an hour. Looking back at her was Valiant. He looked different from what she remembered. His limbs were tightly chorded with lean muscle as was his neck. His cheeks and eyes no longer looked sunken and gaunt, but full and healthy with solid color. His mane was clean and brushed, shoulder-length and wavy.

She dropped her hooves down to the floor completely, eyes alight with wonder,
“Valiant?” she asked.

“Of course.” he said smiling, “Who else would be in your house?”

“But we’ve been looking for you for weeks. We were on our way to Haysburg to find you.” Fluttershy said.

“I’m here now, that’s all that matters.” he said nuzzling her once more.

Fluttershy was even more confused now, ‘Why is he being so affectionate?’ she wondered silently.

“Um, why are you doing that?” she asked timidly.

“Doing what?” he asked.

“Um, nuzzling me.” she clarified.

“Because I’m allowed to?” he said questioningly.

“If it’s not too much to ask, would you please stop?” she inquired.

“Are you sure you’re feeling alright?” he asked laying a hoof against her forehead.

The situation was becoming more and more uncomfortable for the little yellow pegasus. She rose to her hooves and backed away from the stallion cautiously. Valiant, for his part seemed to take the hint that something was amiss and stayed put on the floor. Fluttershy closed her eyes trying to recall anything important, like rescuing Valiant, actually arriving in Haysburg, anything. She came up empty-hooved.

She opened her eyes and prepared to ask the stallion a question, but the words died on her lips. Where Valiant her been lying was now a creature out of nightmare. Its physical form was the approximate shape of a pony, but the similarities ended there. Its eyes glowed an eerie, unnatural yellow, its mane and tail were ever-flowing wisps of oily, pitch black smoke, its coat was covered with swirling shadows showing the forms of ponies in agony, its legs were that of a predator, each ended in four razor sharp claws, and its muzzle held an array of sharp fangs which poked above and below its jowls. There was a single additional odd thing about the creature, a thing that seemed significant somehow. On its left foreleg, it had a shiny golden band of metal that pulsed with darkness, seeming to swallow all light around it.

Fluttershy took a terrified step back as the beast spoke with Valiant’s voice,
“What’s wrong?”

The poor mare couldn’t find her voice, she had never seen such a vile being. She pressed herself against the far wall of her cottage as the creature rose to its clawed feet. It approached her slowly almost as if savoring her fear. It’s body shone with wicked power, thick muscles rippled beneath its accursed skin and its eyes seemed to bore into her soul.

She shrank back, pressing herself tighter against the wall and cowered, covering her eyes.

“Fluttershy, wake up!” called a familiar voice.

A gentle hoof shook her by the shoulder. She screamed and leapt to a standing position prepared to bolt, but stopped when she saw Twilight standing next to her.

“Were you having a nightmare?” the lavender unicorn asked, “I know the tornado was pretty scary but it’s over now and we need to get moving. We have to find the others.”

It was only then that Fluttershy realized just how cold she was. She instantly wrapped her wings around her body as far as they would go and shuddered, fluffing her feathers. It was an old trick, but it sure did work. She felt the bite of the icy breeze taper off almost immediately. Her head, backside, and legs were still frigidly cold but her torso was significantly eased of the shivers the rest of her body was involuntarily inducing.

With a dim constant purple glow about her, Twilight didn’t look even the least bit cold,
“Are you hurt?” she asked her friend, “That fall was pretty dramatic and potentially traumatic as well.”

Fluttershy was sore all over but she was certain nothing was broken, otherwise the shivering would have incapacitated her from the pain of a fracture. The tall grass beside Twilight rustled briefly before spewing forth Lemon Lime, who was levitating a frying pan in front of himself. The smell of cooking potatoes, peppers, and onions assailed the nostrils of the two mares, immediately making them realize just how hungry they were.

The little yellow therapist set the pan down on the flattened grass and levitated a trio of bowls from his saddlebags,
“Breakfast is served.” he said with obviously forced cheerfulness.

Fluttershy didn’t see any smoke, ‘He must have heated up the pan with his magic.’ she thought.

“I seem to have lost the tortillas I had in my bags, so I’m afraid I can’t serve breakfast burritos.” he said portioning out three helpings for his companions.

“Has there been any sign of the others?” Twilight asked the stallion levitating a bowl in front of her.

“I’m afraid not. I figure Rainbow Dash and Trooper haven’t woken up yet, otherwise I’m sure we would have seen them by now.” he said quietly.

What he left unsaid spoke volumes and nopony needed to expound on the horrible possibility that they would never see either of the two pegasi again.

“I’ll send up a beacon now and another in a little while and we can wait and see if anypony shows up. If we don’t see any sign of them by noon we continue onward. They all know how to get to Haysburg by now so if we don’t see them soon, we can all meet up there.” Twilight said authoritatively.

Her horn lit up in a purple glow as she concentrated on focusing her magic. A small yellow spark leapt up from her horn and sailed high into the sky and out of sight. Seconds later a sharp crack sounded off, accompanied by a brilliant flash of purple, the exact same shade as the unicorn’s coat. Now all they had to do was wait.

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

An impressively significant distance away, a cyan pegasus mare suddenly awoke to the sound of a very distant, very faint explosion.She knew a sound had taken her from her slumber, but she could only guess at the source. She turned her head, trying to zero in on the source of the sound in case of danger, but to no avail, all she found was a second body on top of her own. Trooper lay on the back of the mare he was sworn to protect, wings outstretched, keeping her warm with the only thing he had available, himself. It would be difficult for the pegasus mare to miss the fact that he had tiny, shining ice crystals in his mane.

“Trooper?” she asked pensively, fearing he had frozen to death during the night.

“Five more minutes if you please Mum.” he mumbled, “Would you be so kind as to close the window? It is dreadfully nippy in here.”

“Get up Trooper.” Dash said flatly.

The royal blue pegasus stallion awoke with a startled cry and very unceremoniously fell off the mare he was sleeping on top of. He picked himself up off the cold hard ground with as much grace as he could muster and stretched, arching his back while furling and unfurling his wings repetitively.

Rainbow Dash tried to follow suite but found she could do little more than stand. Her right wing was horribly sore and she found she couldn’t move the left one at all. She looked back to get a look at her wing and gasped. The joint that joined the wing to her back was sticking down at an unnatural angle, the entire body of the feathered appendage stiff as a board.

“What did you do to my wing!” she accused the stallion.

“I did nothing.” Trooper responded testily, “I have not the medical expertise to relocate a joint and unless you do, I would advise we not try it immediately.”

“I can’t leave it like this!” Dash cried, “You can’t just leave something like this alone and hope it goes away! We have to pop it back in!”

“I realize you are distraught, Rainbow Dash, but I refuse to risk crippling you. Without help and proper know how, we may end up doing more harm than good. If you would be so kind as to wait here, I will have a brief fly around and see if I can locate any of our compatriots.” he responded.

Without further ado, he launched himself into the air. Rainbow Dash grumbled to herself and took another look at her wing, trying to see the best possible way to relocate it. She had previously done so on numerous occasions, such were the hazards of flying at high velocities.Trooper flew straight up for several seconds before leveling off. The sun had been up for some time, he estimated the morning to be half over already. His eyes carefully scanned over the tall grass below, looking for signs of the others. From the air, he could see numerous pieces of debris that had been flung around for leagues in every direction. One mass of green poking out from the grass a couple hundred flaps away looked somewhat like Lemon Lime’s mane. Trooper flew over and landed nearby, hoping not to find a dead body. He pulled back the grass and beheld a small pine tree that had been uprooted the previous evening.

Nearly two dozen more false leads served to extinguish Trooper’s hope of finding anypony else nearby. There was just too much debris scattered around to check every possibility, which left only one choice. Trooper landed several minutes later, his face was downcast.

“I am afraid I cannot locate any of our friends. We shall have to continue on to Haysburg on our own, and given your condition, we will clearly be doing so on hoof. Would you like me to attempt to fashion some type of splint for your wing?” Trooper asked hopefully.

“Nope.” Dash said closing her eyes.

Before Trooper could react, she tipped her injured wing to the ground and used the ensuing increase of pressure to relocate the joint with an audible popping sound. She felt the joint pop back into place as pure fire leapt from her wing onto her whole back and shoulder. Her legs went out from beneath her and she collapsed, nearly passing out. Trooper had already been in motion when he saw Dash fall. He caught her, using his shoulder to support her weight.

“Confound it all Rainbow Dash! Have you no sense!” he hollered, “How can I protect you when you go and do something so idiotic, so foolhardy, so foolish! I pray you have not done any permanent damage to yourself with that!” he chided angrily.

“Since when do you care so much?” Dash asked, slurring through a haze of pain.

“I have always cared, you dolt. My only issue with you is that you are a bully.” he said gently easing her to the ground.

Dash winced as her body touched the icy hard dirt,
“I’m not a bully!” she protested, “I’m just confident, opinionated, and playful. I don’t have a mean bone in my body.”

“Just lay here while I try to find us something to eat.” Trooper said rolling his eyes and turning to leave.

“Hey, don’t you walk away from me when I’m talking to you!” Dash shouted, struggling to rise, but still dizzy from the pain.

Trooper whirled on her and held her down carefully with his front hooves as he shouted into her face,
“You cannot push yourself like this! You are injured and in pain. For your own sake, stay down! I will take care of you for now, Rainbow Dash! Lie still!”

“Let go!” Dash cried, struggling against him.

“You are not going to hurt yourself anymore while I have any say in the matter!” Trooper struggle against the athletic mare.

“I know what my body can and can’t handle! Get off me!” Dash grunted against the stallion.

The struggle increased in intensity slowly becoming a wrestling match with both ponies rolling around on the ground grunting and trying to gain the upper hoof over their opponent. They threw up dust, bits of leftover debris, rolled into the grass, on and on until finally, something happened that had never happened before.

“I . . . I yield!” Rainbow Dash yelled.

All motion from the two ponies ceased. As the dust settled, the picture revealed itself. Rainbow Dash lay on her back in the grass, Trooper on top of her. His forelegs held hers down against the ground above her head. His forelegs pinned hers using the joints to hold hers instead of his actual hooves, making the two of them end up nearly muzzle to muzzle. Trooper held Dash’s hind legs closed, together against his backside with his legs on the outside and crossed behind her own. Her wings were extended but held against their bodies by Trooper’s own, pressed flat and held immobile. She couldn’t move; he had done what was nearly impossible, he had pinned her.

“I’ll stay put.” she confirmed quietly, “You . . . you win.” her voice was a whisper.

Trooper shook his head angrily,
“This was never about winning or losing. I never cared about winning against you, I just want to keep you safe and to hell with everything else! Not everything has to be about competition! I could not care less about winning!”

“You just don’t get it do you!” Dash responded growing angry, “I NEVER lose! I CAN’T lose! The only thing I know how to do is WIN! I win because I’m the fastest and best!”

“It is a fine trait and it speaks well of your determination and dedication, but this is unacceptable! You are going to injure yourself and I will not let you do that! Like it or not, Rainbow Dash, I have a responsibility to you and I will see it done!” Trooper roared.

“It’s called pride you jerk; you wouldn’t understand, you don’t have any! All you know how to do is feel sorry for yourself!” Dash yelled back.

“You are correct, but you at least have something you are good at! Try being a talentless adult! I am good at everything but exceptional at nothing! I apologize for being such a burden about it, but as you said, ‘I would not understand’ the same rings true in reverse!” Trooper countered.

“Oh, shut up and stop with the pity-party! You’re not useless, so stop whining about it! I mean come on, you started molding clouds without any idea of how to do it!You’re good at everything! So what if you’re not exceptional at anything! Do you know how many ponies would love to be good at everything? Think about it! You’re basically second best at everything in the world! You’re the ultimate jack-of-all-trades!” Dash yelled into Trooper’s face.

In the silence that followed the cyan mare’s proclamation, both ponies sought to catch their breath and cool their tempers. Trooper was silently glad that Rainbow Dash thought he was good at everything. Dash, on the other hoof, was slightly impressed that Trooper had been able to pin her. Not a single pony in the world had ever beaten her in a wrestling match. Even so, she could admit that she wasn’t at the top of her game at the moment, formerly dislocated wing and all.

Trooper gave the mare’s statement serious consideration,
“I never thought about it like that. I suppose you are right.” he admitted wearing a cheesy grin, “I suppose I am a bit of a jack-of-all-trades.”

A bright flash of light from behind the two ponies made both stop their thoughts instantly,
“You have got to be kidding.” Trooper deadpanned.

Two heads swiveled around and set their eyes on the blue stallion’s flank. There it was, big, bold, and beautiful. Trooper’s cutie mark had finally appeared. The culmination of a lifetime of soul-searching, self-loathing, bitterness, and teasing evaporated in an instant, as the symbol of, what he had made to be, the most important aspect of his life flashed into being. He blinked, trying to stave off the tears. He had been waiting his whole life for the literal sign of his greatest ability only to discover that he didn’t have one, but all of them to a lesser degree. Plastered on his flank was a black, sideways ‘8’.

“I have a cutie mark.” he whispered not quite believing it, “I have a cutie mark.”

Dash couldn’t help but smile for him, irritated or not,
“So much for you being worthless huh?” she snarked, “I almost hate to say, told you so.”

After patiently waiting for several full minutes while Trooper continued to stare at his flank, she had to speak up,
“Hey Troops, get off. You’re cutting off the circulation to the tips of my hooves, and we still need to eat.”

Trooper blinked and came to his senses, ‘Wait a second, I’m on top of . . . ‘ his brain began working once more, making him realize, for the first time, the compromising position he and Dash were engaged in. His eyes bulged as his face grew red hot while his mouth went dry.

He practically leapt off the mare, blushing furiously and feeling like a complete tool,
“I-need-to-go-find-us-something-to-eat!” he bolted away from her in a flurry of movement, running on the entire sentence as if one word.

What he didn’t see was the fact that he was not the only one blushing.

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

An unhappy Rarity was trying at the best of times, a cold, dirty, sleep and shower deprived Rarity was simply unbearable, as Sea Blue was learning first hoof. The complaining had begun as soon as they had woken up with the sunrise and had been continuing ever since without ceasing or showing any signs of abating. They had been fortunate enough to find a bush that, by some miracle, still had a few blackberries on it, despite the lateness of the season. The berries had been frozen solid and difficult to chew, but they were a piece of heaven compared to what they had to drink.

They stumbled, literally stumbled into a tiny stream, invisible in the tall grass, their hooves breaking open the coat of ice that covered the surface. So it was with freezing cold and wet hooves, the pair lowered their heads and drank from the stream, spitting out small bits of mud afterward.

Rarity spat loudly and made a face as if somepony were offering to feed her back her own mane-clippings,
“Dear heavens!” she exclaimed trying to ignore the grit stuck between her teeth, “How are we supposed to survive out here if we cannot so much as enjoy a simple drink of water without gaging or choking!”

Sea Blue had been doing a primo job of keeping his teeth closed, but he figured it was high time to play a little gamble,
“Do you think I like this?” he snarled, “Not only do I have to suffer through the same thing you do but I have to try to find the solutions for everything you complain about! Try using your head instead of flapping your jaw! Try thinking of a solution instead of stating, restating, and re-restating the problem over and over and over! I can’t do everything, you have to help me! How about making this a team effort instead of depending on me to do everything for you! I’ve seen you work on your own, you even have your own business! You’re not helpless, why are you acting like it?”

The white unicorn was shocked to silence, nopony had ever spoken to her in such a way before. Her ears fell and her posture drooped, but an idea had sunk into her mind. She levitated out a thin, filmy shawl out of her saddlebags and proceeded to scoop up a huge chunk of ice and wrapped it in the shawl. Her horn lit up as she applied heat to the fabric and began melting the ice. She held the shawl over her open mouth and waited as the ice melted and the material filtered out everything that wasn’t water. A small trickle of liquid began to spill into her open mouth. She swallowed it greedily.

Once the piece of ice had melted and given the white unicorn mare all the water she wanted she lowered the fabric and spread it out on the tall grass to dry before turning back to the stallion next to her. She was surprised to see him smiling hugely. The sight puzzled her to no end.

“You just proved my point perfectly, Rarity. You have a good mind for solving problems, you think outside the box, it comes naturally for you. Your ingenuity is born of your creativity. Very good idea, by the way; I wish I had thought of it. Shall we continue on?” he asked politely.

The look on the ice white mare’s face gave him her answer in no small, uncertain terms. She looked both confused and hurt. Sea Blue knew he had need of absolution, ‘Oops.’ he thought, ‘I really need to stop with the mind games.’

“I’m sorry for my earlier outburst. I was playing the part of being angry to hopefully stimulate you into realizing what you were capable of. It worked, but I hurt your feelings in the process. My apologies. Will you forgive me?” he asked humbly.

“It was a boorish thing to do, Sea Blue, but I concede your point and yes I forgive you, darling. Let’s not let it get to this point again shall we?” Rarity said openly.

Sea Blue rubbed his neck,
“Yeah, I think we both could have handled that better overall. I’ll be more straightforward in the future. No more mind games.”

“And for my part, I shall try to be less, shall we say, obtuse about our situation as a whole.” Rarity held out a hoof to shake.

Sea Blue shook her offered hoof then gently embraced her,
“You handled my mistake with a good deal more grace than most would have. Thank you.”

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

Applejack had never been in so much prolonged pain in her whole life. Every step down was white hot agony and every step up was a mental struggle not to whimper or cringe. Perspiration beaded on her coat, not from the exertion, but from the pain and trauma. The leg in question was her right foreleg. She had injured it the previous evening when she and her older brother lad been thrown around by the tornado. She knew her leg was in bad shape. It had a lateral laceration going almost all the way from her hoof to her knee. It had stopped bleeding on its own, but she was keenly aware that she could not put any kind of solid pressure on it. It was badly sprained if not broken outright and she knew it. She had been keeping a steady if slow pace, favoring her injured leg. She was fighting a losing battle and she knew it, ‘Dang it! Ah can’t keep this up much longer. Ah should have just swallowed mah pride and let Big Mac try and set mah leg last night. Ah can’t take one more step, Ah got to tell him. It’ll slow us down, probably stop us for the day, but Ah can’t go on like this.’

With her mind made up, Applejack stopped and spoke to the open air without turning her head, knowing her older brother behind her would hear,
“Ah figure we should stop here for the day, don’t you Big Mac?”

“Nope. Ah don’t think so at all, but if’n you’re ready for me to take a gander at that leg o’ yours A.J. That makes it just dandy for me.” her older brother said simply.

“You always could read me like a book there Big Mac. Ah hafta’ sit down for a few here. Mah leg’s hurtin’ somethin’ fierce.” the light orange Earth pony mare said.

She tried to lower herself gently onto the grass, but due to the unusual angle she had her leg in, the limb in question chose that exact moment to give out completely. With an audible crunch, the last solid fragments of bone gave out, slicing through the muscle and flesh and emerging from the young mare’s skin. Applejack was never one for dramatics or even being particularly feminine, but some things simply cannot be stopped. The pain was far too great for her to do anything else but scream.

She fell over onto her side, eyes shut tightly and leaking tears, while she held her leg with her other limb and rolled from side to side. The pain was too intense, she couldn’t think, she could barely breathe. She began gasping for breath between screams as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Big Macintosh knew he had a tough job ahead of him. He took a deep breath and began trying to formulate how to best aid his agonized sibling while not doing her even more injury. Roughly an hour, and two black eyes later, he had patched his sister up as well as he knew how.

Applejack’s leg was elevated on the bundled tent canvas to slow the bleeding, she was lying on her back passed out from the pain. Big Mac had pried her muzzle open and forced her to down the whole jar of the healing potion. He sat next to her keeping an eye on her leg. He had set it to the best of his abilities, having done so for sheep occasionally, but he didn’t want to wrap the dirty tent canvas over the injury for fear of infection, potion or not.

A rustling sound behind him made him jump up, ‘When it rains, it pours Ah guess. Some predator gone and smelled A.J.’s bleedin’ leg and come for an easy meal. Sorry partner, but this here’s two ponies you ain’t munchin’ on.’ he thought. He concentrated and summoned forth his armor, ready to defend his sister with deadly force if it came to it.

The rustling came closer and the stallion figured he should give the creature a chance to get away before he hurt it, in case it was sentient,
“You’d better not be thinkin’ o’ makin’ a meal out o’ mah sister. You just get on up outa’ here and we’ve got no quarrel.”

The rustling ceased for a moment, the silence followed by a high pitched chirpy voice,
“Since when do ponies eat meat, Big Mackie? Applejack’s sweet and all, but I really don’t think that carries over to flavor. Cupcakes are only made of sweets, not meats.”

The massively built stallion’s armor vanished almost instantly,
“Pinkie?” he asked.

“And I as well.” said the disembodied voice of Dr. Mend, “Any doctor is well attuned to the sounds of pain. I could hear Applejack screaming from quite a distance. Apparently we weren’t too far away for her voice to carry and I heard quite the racked coming from over here. Even so, we’ve been walking for nearly an hour. I’d guess we were a good deal more than a league or three from where you landed. Keep talking so we can find you. This grass is a great door, but a lousy window.”

“You’re right on course doc. Just keep headin’ the way you already are, Ah think.A.J,’s hurt pretty bad. Ah don’t know how to help her much.” the stout farm pony said.

Within a few more seconds, the two polar opposite ponies appeared, Pinkie Pie wearing her perpetual smile and Dr. Mend wearing his perpetual grimace. Big Macintosh let out a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding. He knew his sister would be fine now.

Dr. Mend wasted no time. Opening his saddlebags, he got right to work on Applejack with assistance from Big Macintosh. Neither stallion wanted to even think about asking Pinkie Pie to help. With her ‘helping’ she might very well end up wrapping Applejack in a body-wide cast.

A few minutes later a second beacon went off, ignored by the Earth ponies except Pinkie who, as we all know, is easily distracted. Try as she might, she couldn’t see far enough over the tall grass to see where the beacon had come from and just as quickly shrugged the sound off as just being thunder.

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

Natival was pleased with the morning’s turnout. More than half of Haysburg had shown up to participate. They had no previous experience with fighting of any kind and what Natival knew stemmed from his own ideas. Still things were looking a great deal better. Colossus and Birdie had shown up, no longer shunned quite as much by the residents of the coastal town. They, in particular, had shown a great natural affinity for fighting, Birdie especially.

During the training Natival had been distracted by his dream from the previous night, one that involved a certain yellow pegasus mare in her cottage. His mind wandered as the participating residents finished up their workout with some stretches. Thoughts of yellow pegasi brought his attention to Birdie. Judging by her wings, she was exactly the same shade of coat that Fluttershy was. His eyes wandered off to the cloaked pegasus and a thought struck him, ‘Searcher was supposed to send her off to try to get help from Canterlot.’ That was an issue that had to be addressed immediately.

“You’re done.” Natival said loudly to the gathered ponies, “Be back here tomorrow morning for your next lesson.”

The ponies of Haysburg began dispersing to go about their business. Natival approached Birdie before she took wing. The silent pegasus waited patiently as she saw the covered stallion approach. Colossus politely bowed out and went to find Searcher, leaving the two pegasi alone in the town square.

“I told Searcher to have you see if you could reach Canterlot, yet you’re still here. I’m sure you know the way.” Natival said bluntly.

Birdie shook her head.

Natival arched an eyebrow,
“So you don’t know the way? Follow the mountains North and East and you will see a huge white city. Fly to the castle there and tell the Princesses that we need help. It’s very simple. You should be able to make it in less than a week.”

Birdie shook her head and brought up a hoof to her throat.

“Can you speak at all?” Natival asked.

Birdie nodded slowly.

“Then what’s the problem?” Natival asked hotly.

“The problem is that she almost never speaks, a personal choice you see. Colossus and I respect her enough not to push the issue. I have a written message for her to take to Canterlot.” Searcher said walking up casually.

“You should have done this before now.” Natival growled.

“Perhaps, but I doubt any pony would be up to a long hard trek after the fighting the other day. By your own admission, Birdie did quite a lot. She deserved a chance to rest.” Searcher responded smoothly.

“What’s done is done. She needs to go, now.” the concealed pegasus stallion said.

“Birdie, would you please fly this message to Canterlot and give it to the Princesses? I can give you directions if you wish.” Searcher offered setting the scroll down in front of her.

Birdie nodded and picked up the scroll with her, still unseen muzzle, Searcher continued,
“Do your best to get there, but don’t place yourself at too much risk if the gryphons have scouts flying around.”

Birdie nodded and took to the sky, flying off over the swamp.

Natival turned his attention back to Searcher,
“We need to fortify Haysburg as much as possible. So far, from what I can tell, the gryphons have come in at ground level, because that’s where the doors are and that strikes me as odd. Why would they use doors when windows are available? They opened up the roof of the orphanage easily enough. Furthermore, why are they only interested in taking foals? You gave me a possible answer, but I think there’s more to this than meets the eye. They’re up to something and I plan on finding out what.”

“How exactly do you intend going about this? Espionage? Spying?” Searcher asked.

“I’m going to head into the swamps and ask the first gryphon I find. Alone, I can handle several and I can go unnoticed until I wish to be seen. I’ll be back before nightfall, but first I need to see how Surf and Tinker are doing.” Natival said over his shoulder as he walked off.

Searcher smiled, ‘Perfect.’

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

The residents of Haysburg had been kind enough to erect an outdoor blacksmith shop for Tinker only a few paces away from the square. The entire affair was composed of a furnace, bellows, an anvil, a hammer, tongs, several barrels of water and an overhang. It was very basic, but it served its purpose. Despite what the pretty blacksmith insinuated, she and Surf hadn’t spent the night together. They had slept in different beds, in different rooms. Tinker had risen early to start her work in the forge. Surf & Turf had gone to visit the unicorn mare to go over sketches and blue-prints with her. Their work was interrupted however when word reached the clinic about how Tinker acted toward the neon colored Earth pony stallion that she was supposed to have a date with.

Surf & Turf and Tinker were having a small issue with Trauma,
“I thought we had an agreement, Surf. We were supposed to go out on a date.” the nurse admonished.

“We do, babe. What’s the problem?” Surf responded.

“The problem,” Trauma replied angrily, “Is that you apparently neglected to mention, you were seeing another mare!” she said gesturing to Tinker.

Never one to miss an opportunity to ruffle some feathers, figuratively speaking, Tinker couldn’t help herself,
“Don’t worry, I can share this gorgeous hunk of stud with you. Maybe we can even enjoy his company together. He can help me teach you a few tricks to please any stallion or a mare.” she purred seductively.

Trauma’s face turned beat red and not just from the steamy implication,
“You trollop!” she bellowed, “I would never share a stallion in such a manner! Unlike you, I have a modicum of self- respect and don’t go around offering myself to every handsome stallion I meet. Go and frolic about in any filthy back alley you want, it’s where you belong! I’ll have no part of it! As for you,” she said turning to Surf & Turf, “You can have your damaged goods with her skanky, readily spread . . . “

“What’s going on here?” Natival asked trotting up, “What’s wrong Trauma?”

“It’s private business and it’s over with. I’ve said my peace, and Surf apparently already has his piece.” the distraught nurse turned and began to walk away, fighting tears.

“If you can’t handle the competition, get out of the race!” Tinker spouted coming out from behind her anvil to face the other unicorn.

Trauma stopped in her tracks and turned around slowly,
“What is that supposed to mean?” she asked, eyes narrowing dangerously.

“Tinker, babe, cool it . . . “ Surf’s words were ignored as the unicorn mares continued exchanging words.

“It means, if you don’t have what it takes, don’t bother trying. Some have it and some don’t. I’ll give you three guesses as to which category you fall under, if you can get it in three.” Tinker said.

Trauma didn’t say a word and before either stallion could stop her, she leapt into the air and tackled Tinker onto the ground. The two mares rolled around in the dirt, hitting each other, biting each other and screaming. Tinker took a deep pull from her cigar and exhaled the acrid smoke right into Trauma’s face. The other unicorn mare coughed harshly and bit down on Tinker’s mane, yanking it back and forth in her teeth. Tinker smacked her right hoof into Trauma’s jaw. The irate nurse let go of her rival’s mane and used her left foreleg to strike Tinker in a leg nerve, giving her a ‘dead-leg’.

The two feuding females separated after a few moments and gained their hooves, ready to go at it again.

“Hold it, babes!” Surf yelled placing himself between the two mares, “Tinker, lay off and tell her the truth! Seriously, you’ve taken this way too far!”

“Hey, she attacked me!” the blacksmith protested.

“Only because you couldn’t keep your stallion-stroking mouth shut!” Trauma spat back.

“STOP IT!” Surf bellowed, “Seriously babes, calm down right now, both of you! Tinker, you went too far and Trauma, you should know better than to let her goad you like that! You’re both at fault, and for Celestia’s sake, stop with the insults! It’s totally uncool!”

The air was silent for several full minutes as both mares concluded that Surf was right.

Tinker’s ears drooped, she had started it and she would make it right,
“Could we have a private moment boys?”

The neon colored Earth pony eyed her suspiciously,
“No more insults or taunting, babe. Your word on it.”

“I promise, Surf. I just want to talk.” Tinker said honestly.

The colorful stallion turned to Trauma,
“What about you, Trauma?”

“If she means it, I’ll talk, but I won’t stand for being insulted.” Trauma said.

“Alright then, but I’m watching you two babes.” Surf said turning to Natival.

Natival and Surf began talking, while Tinker motioned Trauma over with a hoof. Trauma was still upset, but she complied and approached blacksmith. The cigar smoking unicorn mare leaned over her anvil and whispered into Trauma’s ear.

“Look, it’s all just in play. I don’t actually mean any of it. Surf and I aren’t together. The most we’ve ever done was when I gave him a peck on the cheek for being nice enough to take me out on one date. We’re not really together, I swear.” Tinker whispered.

Trauma was not entirely convinced,
“But what was all that talk about . . . you know, private, intimate stuff? Why act like it if you don’t mean it?”

Tinker’s gaze fell and she licked her suddenly dry lips,
“It’s um, kind of embarrassing actually. You see, stallions don’t want a mare who’s a blacksmith, but if I make myself out to be desirable, they’re willing notice me and overlook that I’m stronger than they are.” Tinker paused, blushing before she continued, “I’ve never actually, you know, been with anypony before. The most I’ve ever done was the peck I gave Surf. Only thing is, he isn’t interested in me like that. I’m no threat to you dating him, believe me. He just puts up with me better than most and I like feeling wanted, even if it is just in my imagination. I guess that’s why I went so overboard. I won’t stop you from dating him. I’m sorry I got so carried away a few minutes ago. Just promise me, you won’t tell anypony, it would ruin my image.”

The nurse frowned and offered a rare moment of friendly advice,
“You don’t need an image like that, Tinker. It paints you in a very negative light. I think you’ll find that the stallion you’re supposed to be with, will be able to appreciate you for being who you are.” Trauma said rubbing her jaw, “You’re right though, you are freakishly strong.”

Tinker smiled and stood erect,
“I have to have some way to keep this hotness contained and muscle seems as good a way as any.” she then held out her right foreleg to Trauma, “What do you say scrapper, truce?”

Trauma rolled her eyes but shook the blacksmith’s hoof,
“Truce. You said he’s mine, right?”

“He’s all yours.” Tinker replied.

Surf and Natival were still talking when Trauma walked over. She stepped between the two stallions and addressed Surf plainly.

“I’ll be waiting at the clinic tonight at sundown. I’ll see you there.” she said.

Surf smiled and nodded politely,
“See you then babe.”

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

Natival crept low to the ground, keeping to one of the well-worn paths as he traversed through the swamps. His business with Surf had been simple and short, once the issue with Tinker and Trauma had been sorted out. The new gliders would be ready in a couple of days and the nets and hooks, ‘Blunted hooks,’ would follow soon after, ‘The gryphons won’t know what hit them.’ he thought darkly.

The ninja look-alike continued on his way, senses focused and razor sharp for any sign of gryphons. He wasn’t very far into the swamp, he had taken the long way around, heading back to the road from New Yoke and going East from there so as to be less conspicuous in case the gryphons had posted lookouts. He remembered the paths from his foal hood in Haysburg. He had spent many summer days making Heartfelt sick with worry while he spent a fun day exploring the ancient ruins that still lingered in the swamps, perfectly preserved by the quality of their construction.

The smell of the swamp hadn’t changed and he wrinkled his nose in distaste, but kept sniffing at every breeze, hoping to catch the distinctive scent of gryphons. His nose wasn’t particularly keen even for a pony, but gryphons had a pungent smell that was quite difficult to miss. A stiff breeze blew through the moss-covered trees bringing with it the scent of dead fish and stale viscera. Natival flared his nostrils and took in the scent greedily.

He dropped to the road, hunkering down to keep a low profile and peered around, scanning the nearby shrubbery for any sign on brown feathers or beak. He raised his eyes to the tree top canopy, searching carefully and slowly.

He spied tell-tale clump of outstretched primary feathers high above him in the trees and crept around, behind the trunk of a different nearby tree to get a better view of the gryphon. It looked young, barely an adult. After several seconds of watching it, the gryphon shifted and looked around before flapping its wings and diving toward the swamp. It dove into the murky water, only to reemerge with a squirming fish in its beak. The gryphon placed the fish on the ground and placed its left forepaw on top of it. The gryphon closed its eyes and whispered something. Then the predatory creature picked the fish back up, raised its head, and swallowed the fish whole, in one gulp.

Natival began creeping up on it as silently as he could. The gryphon turned its attention back to the swamp-water, searching for another fish. True to what he looked like, the pony ninja-ed his way closer. The gryphon caught a second fish in its claws and proceeded to gulp down the squirming aquatic creature, too distracted to notice the stealthy pony creeping up behind it.

With nary a sound, Natival pounced. The gryphon, caught off-guard by the sudden attack, had surprise written all over her face. The two combatants, now engaged in a grapple, tussled around for a few seconds before the stallion pinned her firmly to the soggy ground, held down by her four limbs with his hooves planted on each. She opened her beak and screeched, calling for help. Natival head-butted her in the beak, forcing her head back into the stiff mud with a thump.

“Get off me, dweeb!” she snarled.

“You’re in no position to be making demands! I’ll ask the questions here, got it?” he whispered harshly into her face.

“What do you want punk?” she asked tersly.

“Why are you taking the foals?” he asked harshly.

“You wouldn’t understand, you blind puppet.” she sneered in his face.

“What are you talking about?” Natival ordered.

Her answer was cut off by an ear-piercing screech as six gryphon toms landed in a circle around them,
“Let the molly go!” ordered one gruesomely large gryphon tom.

Natival could see he was badly outnumbered, ‘How did they get here so fast? I might be able to handle four, but not seven. I have to escape.’ his mind was unusually calm, ‘I’ll have to fight my way out. Looks like I’ll be putting Searcher’s enchantments to the test.’

He let the gryphon up and turned slowly to the tom that had spoken to him,
“Let me go, or know my might.”

“We’ve no cause to harm you, stallion. Come quietly or we’ll take you by force.” the huge tom said evenly.

“I’ll never be a slave.” Natival said quietly; he dug his hoof into the ground and lowered his head.

The huge tom’s eyes narrowed,
“You already are. Take him and put him with the other one!”

The gryphons moved in unison, charging Nat ival en-masse. The stallion waited for them to get too close to stop. He darted forward in a roll, tumbling between the legs of one of his attackers and came up running. A loud screech behind him told him the gryphons were in hot pursuit. He fled as fast as his legs would carry him, ‘I have to get back to Haysburg!’ he thought furiously.

The sound of wind rushing through feathers told him the gryphons had taken wing, ‘I can’t outrun them on the ground if they’re flying, but I’m more agile. Try to keep up bird-brains!’ He dodged left and right, watching in his peripheral vision as the gryphons dove into the ground on either side of him, missing him completely. A manic laugh escaped his throat, at seeing them fail time and again to capture him.

He had laughed too soon. Natival suddenly felt a heavy weight on his back followed by grasping talons that closed on his chest and stomach. The talons however didn’t pierce his skin, Searcher had spoken true. Natival continued running, hoping to scrape the gryphon off on a shrub or tree. He careened off to his right, right into the claws of a second gryphon. The combined weight of the two heavy toms slowed him significantly, but he refused to give up easily. Two additional gryphons landed in front of him blocking his way. With the weight on his back, he couldn’t turn and buck, but his fore legs were free.

He lashed out and caught one gryphon in the side of the head as it tried to grab him. The second received a stout head-butt which sent him reeling, while the stallion continued to run. He decided to take a moment to try to fight off the two that held him. It was a mistake. The moment he stopped, they all tackled him onto the ground in one huge gryphon-pile. He struggled fiercely, lashing out with his hooves and biting anything he could wrap his jaws around.

The desperate stallion stopped fighting and began to focus his mind on calling forth his armor. The brief lapse of struggling was an opening the gryphons were quick to take advantage of. Within tenth of a second, the biggest tom balled up his claws and punched Natival in the head, knocking him out cold.

Natival’s last fading thoughts were, ‘He said ‘the other one’. They caught Birdie.’ As his conscious mind faded into blackness his final thought was, ‘There’s no help coming from Canterlot. We’re on our own now.’

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

The royal blue wingless pegasus stallion awoke to a massive headache. He was laying on his left side on cold, soft mush. He blinked owlishly, trying to orient his vision. Night had fallen and a nearby fire shed shadowy light all around.His gaze settled on a series of close-woven wooden staves, fastened by leather and driven into the soggy ground. The wooden cage was roughly ten paces by ten paces.

Looking outside the cage he could see that Gryphons were everywhere outside the cage. Inside the cage with him was a horribly scarred, custard yellow pegasus who, for once, was not wearing her cloak. Her back was to him inside the large, but crude wooden cage they shared. She too was laying on her left side facing away from him.

He could see the angry swollen bruises on her back and her wings, ‘Her poor wings.’ Her wings were a mass of scars, nearly every inch of what he could see of her body was scarred. Some were long and jagged while others were simply circular, like punctures. The punctures were symmetrical, each set, and there were two sets, had four holes in a semi-circular pattern with a single one on the opposite side. Each set was partially in front of her flanks and partially in them, indicating a hold from behind. The thought suddenly struck him that if Birdie had her coverings taken from her, he likely shared her state of undress. A simple look down at his chest confirmed his suspicion.

The gryphons seemed quite content to ignore their prisoners so Valiant slowly inched his way over to his cell-mate,
“Birdie?” he asked quietly, speaking to her back, “Birdie are you awake?”

He received no response, but he could see she was breathing steadily. He decided to inch his way around to her front to see if she had sustained any further injury than the black and purple bruises he had already spotted. He looked up and around to make sure no gryphons had taken notice of his movements. None had, it seemed.

He inched his way around Birdie slowly, checking her as he went, ‘Looks like she put up quite a fight, but then again, I suppose that’s to be expected.’ he thought. As he moved around the top of her head, he saw more and more bruises, ‘Good grief! How many did it take to bring her down? 20, 30?’ the bruises seemed to suggest such numbers. Something struck him as odd. Strangely absent were any cuts or punctures despite the fact that she hadn’t been wearing any type of protective barding.

He inched his way around until he could see her face. What he saw shocked him deeply, but he kept checking her over, occasionally glancing back to her face, ‘What on Earth happened to you?’ he wondered. He eventually finished checking her and decided that aside from the bruising, she was fine.

“The stallion’s awake.” one of the gryphons said outside the cage.

Valiant turned and looked to the speaker, who had other gryphons forming around her,
“Why are we in this cage?” he asked shortly.

“So you can’t fight us, of course.” said one young tom.

“What do you plan to do with us?” Valiant asked.

“Only time will tell, stallion.” the voice belonged to the massive tom that had participated in capturing Valiant.

“Are we to be treated the same way she was?” Valiant asked, gesturing to Birdie.

The huge tom ruffled his feathers in indignation,
“Her injuries were only gained from when we captured her. We’ve not laid a talon on her for any other reason.”

“Yeah, I’ll bet.” Valiant snorted.

“Believe what you wish, stallion. I’ll not banter meaningless words with you.” the tom replied.

“Why did you attack Haysburg?” Valiant asked boldly.

“To protect your young.” the tom said simply.

“Protect?” Valiant asked angrily, “Oh yeah, the need protection from their families who love them. Way to go.” he said sarcastically.

“You’ve been blinded, stallion but I’ll try to explain.” the tom said lying down next to the cage, “Hopefully, the darkness hasn’t robbed you of your senses yet. We harbor no ill will toward you ponies, we’ve been peaceful neighbors since the war ended.”

“You mean the war that began when a gryphon murdered a pony?” Valiant asked hurtfully.

“A horrible incident, by one individual, that my entire people have been trying to repay for hundreds of years. He was insane, mad with hunger. At the time, we were going through a famine. Many gryphons left their homes to hunt for food. I’m not saying that what he did was in any way excusable. I understand fully, the sacred nature of life. We must eat meat to live. Our bodies can’t be sustained by fruits and vegetables and grains alone. Many ponies think us barbaric because of our omnivorous nature. We have a ceremony that we perform when we hunt mammals. Did you know that? We capture the prey and while it’s still alive, we speak to it. We apologize for what we must do and explain that we have need of its flesh to sustain ourselves. When the time comes for the kill, we make it as painless and swift as possible. When we go to eat, we give thanks to its spirit in the sky for its sacrifice.”

“I . . . Didn’t know that.” Valiant said, somewhat surprised.

“You will find there is a great deal you don’t know about us, my friend.” the huge tom cocked his head to the side in curiosity,“Your accent suggests you’re a native of Haysburg, yet you were ignorant of our tradition. Why is that?” the tom asked.

“I’ve been gone for a while.” Valiant responded.

“How specifically vague, and it doesn’t answer the question. The vast majority of Haysburg has significant knowledge of our traditions.” the tom said arching an eyebrow, “Your business is your own though. Back to your inquiry, we ‘attacked’ Haysburg because we wish to protect your young to the best of our abilities. We see the descending darkness that enshrouds your home, but you are blind to it. We attempted to reason with your leader, this Searcher, but we now believe he is the carrier. He is the pawn and master at the same time. We have already sent word to your sovereign, but our messengers are thwarted by a power unseen. They lose their way or return to us by accident. Something is interfering with their navigation. The stars do not align themselves properly, the winds change in direction and ferocity, this is the work of the darkness.” the tom explained.

“You keep referring to this ‘darkness’ but you never describe it.” Valiant ventured.

“How does one describe a feeling or premonition? How does one quantify a thing which shrouds itself within itself. Darkness has many meanings for us, stallion. We have dealt with it in its many forms for time beyond memory, as you ponies have. We gryphons have developed a sense for it. The darkness which now infects the minds of Haysburg is an ancient and vile thing which feeds off something. What it is that it feeds off of remains a mystery to us. We have legends about a similar darkness, in which ponies overcame it. I had thought it a mere legend until I beheld its malignant nature for myself; personified in your Searcher. Our Mystics see things beyond normal sight, some ponies have a similar gift, they see the truth of things. The gift seems to be strongest in those with a handicapped psyche, those who seem slow or simple. Perhaps they see the world in a different light, I don’t know exactly how it works, but it is real. Do not be mistaken stallion, we are not your enemy.” the tom explained.

“How am I supposed to believe you when all you’ve given me is feelings, guesses, and the incompetence of your navigational skills? I’m sorry, but this all sounds like a bunch of hooey to me. I’m not trying to be rude but you’ve got almost no basis for any of this beyond a feeling. I’ve seen gryphons navigate during fierce windstorms flawlessly. Do you honestly expect me to believe that none of you can make your way to Canterlot? This mare in the cage with me was carrying a message to Princess Celestia when you captured her.” Valiant argued.

“Did you actually read the message for yourself, or did you take its contents on blind faith?” the tom asked.

“I didn’t read the scroll, but what else could it have contained?” Valiant countered.

“I have no idea.” the tom admitted, “It was lost when we intercepted the mare. She put up a fierce struggle, and in the ensuing fight, she dropped it into the swamp. We searched for it for hours, but found nothing. The bog must have swallowed it.”

“How very convenient for you.” Valiant seethed.

“More inconvenient than anything else. That scroll would have been a source of truth for us, we could have used it to prove to you what is actually going on. As it stands we have only unsubstantiated claims to try to convince you, as you already pointed out.” the tom said.

“So what now?” Valiant asked tensely, “Are you going to keep us here? Enslave us?”

The tom’s eyes narrowed and his tone took on a very crisp edge,
“We do not condone slavery or forced servitude in any way, shape, or form. You and the mare will be released as soon as I’ve had a chance to speak to her. She bears the mating-scars of a gryphon molly. This concerns me deeply. I had heard a rumor of a pony being held captive by a gryphon, but never gave it much thought. Not until we caught her, anyway. This is an issue that I wish to address directly. If she has suffered at the claws of one of my kind, it is a crime of the most severe and profound nature and I do not take such things lightly. After the war, any crimes against ponies were considered the most heinous and the most severely dealt with. I do not intend to give anypony reason to rekindle the war, even though your Searcher seems quite content to do just that.” the tom explained.

“Good luck with that.” Valiant said sarcastically, “She doesn’t speak; not to me or anypony else I’ve seen.”

“Indeed,” the tom said rising to a standing position, “We shall see. What is your name stallion?”

“Call me Natival.” the royal blue pegasus said firmly.

The tom quirked an eyebrow,
“Shadow?” he asked, “Very well then, you may call me Patriarch. It is my title. I’ll take my leave of you stallion, but I’ll leave you with something to ponder in case you gain a moment of clarity. Why would I attempt to deceive you with something like this given the evidence? Use your brain and put the pieces together. If you cannot, our only hope is for the fabled Elements of Equestria or the Princess herself to come to our aid. You’ve likely not heard of the Elements I refer to. Few ponies know of them and fewer still of my people have heard the name of the Elements of Harmony, but I digress, notify me when the mare wakes.” Patriarch said walking away casually.

“The joke’s on you, birdbrain.” he retorted, “I’m one of the Elements of Peace.”

Patriarch spun on his heels, eyes wide,
“What?” he asked, “Surely you jest. The Elements of Peace were ponies of great character. The mightiest of warriors, even against we gryphons . . . “ he trailed off, staring over the stallion’s shoulder, “You’re awake.”

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

Birdie’s eyes slowly opened. She was awake yet she remained motionless, quickly closing her eyes once more, feigning unconsciousness. Her mind reeled violently and she felt sick from the dizziness, but she dared not move for fear of discovery. The sound of nearby voices helped to bring her back to her senses completely and her memory came flooding back along with everything else.

She had been flying in the clouds to keep from being seen when she had physically bumped into another creature in the air. She had come face to rump with a patrolling gryphon, the leone backside and tail were a dead giveaway. Reacting quickly, she lashed out with her two fore hooves, opening a pair of wide gashes in the creature’s flanks with her sharp steel shoes then darting straight up. She had hoped the gryphon would retreat and land so she could continue her progress.

She could not have seen the mass of gryphons above her, sunning themselves on top of the clouds. She barreled right into one of them and tried to duck back down. She submerged herself in the clouds but it was too late. Cat-like reflexes at the ready and already alerted by the screeches of the one she had already injured, the gryphon had spun and caught onto her tail with one of its claws with an iron grip. Birdie struck out blindly with her hind legs but had missed completely, accidentally dropping the scroll in the process. In a matter of seconds the gryphon had pulled her out of the cloud backward, flinging her into the air above the others, who numbered in the low twenties.

Birdie knew she could easily out fly any of them and so took off as fast as she could go. One of the hunters though had his bolas close at paw. Birdie hadn’t seen the hunter move, but the tell-tale clack of wooden balls and the added weight on her left wing told her she had no choice but to try to land. She plowed face-first into the fluff of the clouds and struggled to rise as quickly as she could.

She had gained a standing position by the time the gryphons had reached her and thusly put up a fight worthy of legend. Hers was a struggle born of desperation, fear, and panic. The adrenaline lent strength to her limbs and she dished out punishment to any foe foolish enough to approach. Blood seeped through the clouds all around her as she fought overwhelming odds to a standoff. She felt some little pride that none of the blood was hers. The gryphons however had simple weight of numbers and tools at their disposal while she had only her steel shoes and hate-driven panic.

After the initial onslaught the gryphon’s task was a simple one. The hunters readied their bolas while the others kept the pegasus occupied defending herself. After the fourth attack, Birdie’s wings and legs were a tangle of rope and wooden balls. The gryphons pounced onto her and had no choice but to render her unconscious, such was the ferocity of her struggle. Their strikes, intended to knock her out in a single blow, kept landing on her torso, back, and flank because of her struggling.

The memory finished playing itself out and Birdie realized in horror she had been captured. Her mind flashed back to the abuse she had suffered because of gryphons. She clenched her eyes shut and tried to force herself to keep from shaking. She could do nothing to abate her fear so she opened her eyes furiously looking for any route of escape, only to realize she was in a cage. Her mind simply snapped, ‘Cage! Gryphons! Helpless!’ she lost all control of her body as her fight-or-flight instinct kicked in in full force.

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

A scuffling sound behind Valiant, confirmed what Patriarch said. He turned around only to see the pegasus mare cowering in the farthest corner of the cage, facing outward, eyes streaming tears and face contorted in hatred. Patriarch watched silently as Valiant slowly approached the shaking mare. He stepped lightly and carefully, watching to make sure he didn’t startle her.

“Birdie?” he asked, “What’s wrong?”

The mare didn’t move or acknowledge the stallion’s presence. Her eyes were wide and unfocussed, she wasn’t seeing him, her mind was elsewhere. Valiant reached out a hoof and lightly touched Birdie on her shoulder. Before he could react, she let out a bloodcurdling scream, leapt into the air and began slamming herself into the walls of the cage with reckless abandon.

Valiant turned to Patriarch,
“Where’s her cloak? It might calm her down!” he yelled.

“Fetch the ponies’ belongings, quickly!” Patriarch roared to his gryphons.

Within a few seconds of screaming and ramming into the cage walls, their clothes were brought to them and thrown into the cage. Birdie bit her cloak and held it in her muzzle, still in a full-blown panic.

“Open the cage!” the royal blue pegasus stallion shouted to the gryphons.

Patriarch flung the cage door wide open and Birdie soared out right past him low to the ground, into the misty gloom of the swamp and out of sight. Valiant proceeded more slowly, coming to a stop in front of Patriarch while slipping on his clothes and leg ring.

“I’ll give you one warning.” he said menacingly, “Don’t attack Haysburg again. You won’t like the results.”

“I’ve already given you a warning Natival. Heed it well.” Patriarch said evenly.

“Then I guess we’re destined to be enemies.” Natival said darting into the swamp to try to find Birdie.

Patriarch watched him go as one of his gryphons walked up next to him,
“What do you suppose he meant by his last statement?” the younger gryphon asked.

“I shudder to think. He said he was one of the Elements of Peace. You’ve heard about them, scholar, do you think it’s true? Have they returned?” Patriarch asked.

“If he’s an example of what they’ve become, I certainly hope not. The legends about them from the war tell of the most powerful fighting force ever to walk the face of Equestria, indeed all the world. If they have the Elements of Harmony behind them, they’re nigh on invincible. If the Elements have been corrupted the way he has, I fear for us all.” the younger gryphon said.

“Have faith,” Patriarch said solemnly, “The goddess would not send them unless she was sure of victory. She pulls strings from the shadows like a puppeteer controlling her marionettes. Her intentions have always been noble and merciful though. With her sister returned to her, they will work in tandem to the same end. They know the outcome even now, I suspect.” he turned to the younger gryphon, “For now, we continue on. Nothing has changed. Prepare another raiding party. We need to act while Haysburg’s two best warriors are away. Be sure that the hunters remember not to bring their bolas. The impact could seriously injure a foal”

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

“We have to cover ourselves with dirt again, don’t we.” Rarity said sourly.

“I’m afraid so. Come on, the dirt won’t warm itself.” Sea Blue said patting the dirt with a shivering hoof.

Rarity gritted her teeth and laid down next to the turquoise stallion. Turning onto her back, she used her magic to pull the grass mats on top of them then proceeded to cover the things with dirt. Sea Blue’s horn lit up and stimulated the air around them into gentle warmth. The strain on him was significant, but the effect was wondrous. Both ponies were warmed and thusly snuggled down deeply into the dirt and each other.

“Do you find it personal to be this close to a mare, darling?” Rarity asked, “Doesn’t it make you even the tiniest little bit self-conscious?”

“Oh believe me, I’m very self-conscious right now, but unless you want it to be personal, it’s completely platonic to me. Right now, we’re just trying to stay warm.” Sea Blue said.

“Not trying to pry darling, but why are you not married? One would think it’s much easier to have a foal with a mare in the picture. Not that I’m complaining, Patch is an absolute doll, mind you. I’m just curious.” Rarity prodded.

“Why are you so concerned about it? I’m perfectly happy with it just being Patch and I. I don’t need to be married to be myself. I find my identity through what I do and through Patch. Beyond that, it’s just icing on the cake.” Sea Blue responded.

“Haven’t you ever wondered what it would be like to, how to put this delicately, BE with a mare?” Rarity asked, “For the longest time, I had my sights set on Prince Blueblood. Things . . . didn’t work out though.”

“I figured that, with you still being single and all.” Sea Blue said shifting to face the white unicorn, “To be honest, yes I have wondered what it would be like. After I adopted Patch though, all my attention was focused on her. I had a responsibility to raise her the right way and any kind of developing romantic relationship might interfere with that responsibility. Don’t get me wrong, I’m as hot-blooded as any stallion and I certainly appreciate mares, but for now I’m just going to make sure I do right by my daughter. She’s the biggest priority in my life. You have no idea how hard it was to leave her behind. I think about her all the time.”

“Well I, for one, applaud your dedication to her. She’s lucky to have a father like you.” Rarity was silent for a little while before continuing, “I’m sorry, darling, but there’s something I feel needs to be addressed. Patch obviously has a wonderful, caring father, but every foal needs two parents. As a psychologist, I would assume you’ve given this some thought.”

“Oh, I have.” Sea Blue responded as he turned onto his back and closed his eyes, “When all this is over, I’m going to ask you if you would be willing to fill that role for her. She needs a strong female figure in her life and I’m not precisely effeminate. There’s plenty of topics that a mare will be able to handle more delicately that I will.”

The bluntness of the statement threw Rarity for a momentary loop before she regained her senses,
“So that would make me, what? Her surrogate mother?”

“More like a cool big sister.” Sea Blue said.

“I hate to point this out, darling, but I have enough trouble having Sweetie Belle as a sister. I’d be afraid she would become jealous. I’m not the most ideal mare for this.” the white unicorn mare said honestly.

“You’re not perfect, but then again, nopony is. I’m not exactly drowning in options here. I don’t know that many mares, but you seem like the best choice by far. Twilight is too bookish, Pinkie is way too random and unfocussed, Fluttershy seems a bit too timid to keep up with Patch, Rainbow Dash wouldn’t be able to stay on the ground long enough to bond with her, and Applejack is too busy with the farm.” Sea Blue said.

“Why not have all of us take on the roll, then?” Rarity asked.

“It’s not a bad idea, but I wanted to ask you first. You bonded with Patch easily and the two of you seem natural together. If you don’t want to, I can find somepony else to do it.” Sea Blue said.

“You’ll have to forgive me, darling, but it’s a lot to take into consideration. I’ll think about it and give you an answer once this is all over, like you said.” Rarity said curling up next to the stallion, “Good night Sea Blue.”

“Good night Rarity.” he said turning and looping his forelegs around her torso.

They snuggled up close to conserve warmth through the icy night.

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

“I honestly do not think this a wise idea, Rainbow Dash.” Trooper lamented, “These clouds are, by all accounts, unstable and I for one do not relish the thought of having to brave another tornado.”

“Would you stop whining?!” Dash asked exasperated, “These clouds seem fine. You said your parents slept on them when they were traveling around here, so why can’t we? I can fly just fine now so there’s nothing to keep us from finding the others tomorrow. Clouds are comfy and provide a great vantage point, what’s the drawback? I know you want to keep me safe and everything, but I can handle myself. I’m not a foal.”

“I never said or insinuated that you were, Rainbow Dash. I am simply presenting a valid concern. If you wish to sleep in our lofty position up here then by all means do so. I will be right here with you.” Trooper said flatly.

“Hold on there, Troops. I need my space. Sleeping together on the ground was one thing, but up here the clouds will keep us warm enough. You can have any cloud you want, it’s not like you choice-deprived.” the rainbow manned pegasus mare pointed out.

“I wish to stay as close as possible to you. If you are uncomfortable with it, I will stay on the far side of the cloud, but I insist that we stay close together.” Trooper argued.

Rainbow Dash lowered her head in aggravation, letting out a pent up sigh,
“Fine, just don’t spoon up to me in the middle of the night or anything unless you want a hoof in the face. You’re nice and all, but you’re a bit clingy.”

“I apologize for being ‘clingy’. That is not my intention. I can respect your need for personal space if you can respect my need to do my job the best I can.” Trooper said.

“Whatever you said, Troops. Just go to sleep, it’s cold up here.” Dash said snuggling into the cloud.

“Are you quite sure you do not want to conserve heat by proximity?” Trooper offered.

“For the last time, NO! Good night!” Dash said with finality.

“Good night, Rainbow Dash. Sleep well.” Trooper called as he snuggled down into the wide cloud.

Neither pony had any idea what that night had in store for them.

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

“Is everypony comfortable?” Dr. Mend asked.

“Snug as a bug in a rug!” Pinkie Pie chirped happily.

“Ayup.” Big Macintosh said.

“Zzzzzzz.” Applejack was already out cold from the pain killers Dr. Mend had administered.

The older black stallion snuggled down next to Pinkie, under the universally useful tent canvas which served as both sheet and cover. Big Macintosh curled his massive body around that of his sister protectively, careful not to jostle her. Dr. Mend and Pinkie finally had enough warmth to forgo the awkward snuggling. They both drifted off to sleep, Pinkie dreaming about various confectioneries and Dr. Mend dreaming about a certain Earth pony doctor back in Canterlot, who, he realized, he owed a date. The memory of the previous night’s discussion with Pinkie brought an interesting question to the older Earth pony’s mind and snapped him wide awake.

“Hey Pinkie?” he asked.

In usual Pinkie form, she popped up in front of him, even though they had been lying back to back,
“Whatcha need Dr. Mendie?”

“I can’t get what you said out of my head. You talked about your ideal stallion, but I just can’t wrap my head around it. It seems so out of character for you. When did you think about it?” Dr. Mend asked.

“It’s kind of hard not to think about it a little bit when I live with the Cakes. They’re married, so why not me too?” Pinkie answered in an answer that revealed little.

“You’re taking that to its lowest common denominator, but I guess it makes sense.” Dr. Mend admitted.

“It’s easy-peasy! Mrs. Cake is really happy with Mr. Cake and I want to be happy too! I mean, I’m happy as is, but why limit yourself to the most simple pleasures in life? You only live once so you gotta make the most out of it! As far as I can see, the only things I’m missing is . . . “ Pinkie didn’t get to finish.

“Yes, I understand that.” Dr. Mend interrupted, “But who do you have in mind?”

“Nopony yet, but we’re going to Haysburg and its got lots of Earth ponies.” Pinkie said excitedly.

“Are you sure you want an Earth pony?” Dr. Mend asked.

“Yepper-depper! He’s going to be just like me, no wings and no magic, all Earthy goodness! Solid and dependable.” Pinkie chirped.

“You can get that from Big Macintosh. Why look further?” Dr. Mend asked bluntly.

“Big Mackie’s a good friend, but he’s not the one. He’s too calm. I need a pony who’s like me. I’ve looked around Ponyville, but he isn’t there. I know I’ll find him someday, I just have to keep looking.” Pinkie explained.

“You sound like you’re in a big hurry to meet him.” Dr. Mend observed.

“I am! I have to have time to get to know him before I know he’s the one. I figure a couple of years is good. We can both mature a bit more and maybe I’ll be a teensy bit less hyper by then. Then we can settle down and all that good stuff.” Pinkie outlined.

“How can you think it will be so organized and orderly? Matters of the heart are rarely neat and clean.” Dr. Mend ventured.

“Oh, I’m sure it’ll be plenty messy sometimes, but anything worth having is worth working for and waiting for. I’m not in a hurry to get married or anything, I mean I’m only just barely an adult. I’m only just barely an adult. I need time to branch out on my own and develop my own life to the point where I can think about it all. You know, I never understood why most ponies don’t think about things like that, it just makes sense to me. Oh well, good night Dr. Mendie.” Pinkie said, suddenly back to back with him once more.

“Good night Pinkie Pie. I honestly hope you find what you’re looking for one day.” Dr. Mend said sleepily.

“Ayup.” Big Mac interjected.

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

“Dinner finished, check. Hole dug, check. Grass to cover us, check.” Twilight ticked through a mental checklist while her two friends waited patiently.

“Um Twilight,” Fluttershy ventured, “I think we have everything ready.”

Fluttershy’s comment cut through the lavender unicorn’s concentration,
“I suppose you’re right. Make room, you two.”

Twilight squeezed in between Lemon Lime and Fluttershy then pulled the grass over the three of them. She felt Fluttershy snuggle up to her back while the shorter unicorn stallion held her tightly in front. A question had been bouncing around inside the unicorn mare’s head for the better part of the day and she could hold it back no longer.

“Lemon Lime, what was it you were trying to say on the hill just before the tornado hit? I couldn’t hear you because of the wind.” she asked.

Lemon Lime stiffened, not expecting the directness of the question,
“Can we talk about this some other time? It’s dark and cold and we’re trying to go to sleep. Can you ask me tomorrow or something, when we’re all awake? I’ll be happy to tell you then, but for now can we just go to sleep?” he machine-gunned.

Twilight was not to be denied,
“I think we’ve danced around this long enough, Lemon Lime. You were spilling your guts to Applejack, and you said some things that intrigued me. I want to know what you meant.”

“Um Twilight,” Fluttershy said softly, “Maybe you should wait until tomorrow, that is if you don’t mind.”

“I’m sorry, Fluttershy, but I need to know and I’m not dropping this either.” Twilight said adamantly.

Lemon Lime couldn’t help himself, he wasn’t good with confrontation,
“I love you Twilight. It’s as simple as that. I met you when you were the Librarian in Canterlot and I liked you right away. You never noticed me and I understand that you have your studies and everything, but I can’t help the way I feel. I had a crush on you when you were in Canterlot, but since I’ve gotten to know you, it’s become something much more. I had crushes before I met you, so I know what those feel like. The thing is that once you moved away from Canterlot I couldn’t get you out of my head. I haven’t had a single crush since I met you.” the yellow physical therapist admitted.

Twilight was very quiet while she processed the confession,
“At least you’ve had a chance to say it now.”

After several minutes of silence, Lemon Lime could take it no longer,
“Do you have any thoughts about what I said?” he asked.

“I’ll have to get back to you on that, Lemon Lime, but for now, let’s go to sleep.” Twilight said, yawning hugely.

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

Trauma reached up and gave Surf a polite but sweet kiss on his cheek as they sat on the green around the fountain in the center of Haysburg. He had gone for originality and cooked, or tried to cook, a late evening picnic for them to share under a warm blanket. The quiche was too dry, the biscuits were nearly as hard as rocks, and the small cake was still batter in the middle, ‘He tried though. I’m surprised he was able to pull any of this off in a hotel room.’

They were snuggled up together under the stars, each enjoying the company of the other as they listened to the sound of the wind in the chimes that hung off every building in Haysburg. Trauma liked the clever little idiosyncrasy of her home town, ‘Each building’s chimes are made by hoof. When the winds pick up before a tornado, the chimes are a great early-warning system if everypony is asleep.’

The chimes were jingling quietly in the breeze, there was always a breeze in Haysburg and the residents knew the audible difference between when a tornado was inbound and the normal sounds. Most of the time, the chimes worked like a constant lullaby for the town. As Surf and Trauma sat together under the blanket with just their heads poking out, both ponies had to struggle not to fall asleep. The sound of the chimes made for an idyllic setting and seemed to have a special, secret magic all their own. Surf & Turf still wore his climbing hooks and had been having fun showing off their various uses to his date. Trauma was not particularly impressed by him hooking the cake and dragging over to them when she could have simply used her magic, but she let him have his fun.

Trauma pulled her lips away from the stallion’s cheek and he turned to face her,
“You know, babe, I was kind of leery of going out with you. You’re like, seriously intimidating when you want to be, but this is really nice and everything.” he said quietly.

Trauma leaned her head against his neck, only just then realizing how much taller he was and just how short she was compared to other mares. It was an irritating fact about she and her sister that Trauma had never gotten over. She hated being so short, visitors would occasionally mistake her for a filly, which she knew, was exactly why she had developed her domineering attitude.

“I’m sorry I came off like that, Surf. I already told you that I’m blunt, but that’s not the end of it. Blunt can only explain so much and you deserve an explanation. It’s my own fault that I don’t have any stallions eager to go out with me. I have a bit of an attitude because I’m so short. I always feel like I have to put out this persona of being tough all the time so others will take me seriously. I think it’s changed my perspective on a lot of things and not always for the better.” Trauma admitted softly.

Surf & Turf chuckled quietly,
“Yeah, it’s kind of hard not to notice babe. Thanks, that does explain some things. I already respect you for what you know about all that medical stuff. It’s, like, way beyond me. I definitely take you seriously. Did that have anything to do with why you were so willing to fight Tinker, earlier?”

Trauma nodded,
“Yeah, well, that and I kind of have a flash-fire temper.”

“That’s putting it lightly, babe. You clobbered Tinker, not something I would have done. She’s like, seriously strong. She only uses her magic for when the metal’s all like, molten and stuff, but she uses her hooves for everything else.” Surf said.

Trauma rubbed her still aching jaw,
“No kidding . . .” her ears shot straight up suddenly, “Do you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Surf asked puzzled.

“The chimes,” she said swiveling her head, “They’ve grown louder.”

“I can’t tell a difference, babe.” Surf said trying to snuggle back down with her.

Trauma rose to her hooves, leaving Surf to fall over onto his side, she looked into the now cloudy sky with growing anxiety,
“The wind’s growing stronger. If this keeps up, I’ll have to sound the alarm.”

“Is it, like, really all that serious, babe?” Surf asked innocently.

Trauma turned to face the stallion with deadly seriousness,
“I’ve seen ponies come in to the clinic after a tornado with missing limbs, some even decapitated. Triage and I have a chart of every cutie-mark in Haysburg in case we need to identify a body sans a head. Does that sound serious enough for you?”

Surf licked his lips nervously,
“Yeah, that sounds pretty serious. What should we do?”

“I’ll give the wind a few more seconds before I sound the bell. Come on, if we need to sound the bell we can’t waste a single second.” she said heading toward the Mayor’s office.

Surf followed her closely,
“I don’t remember seeing any bell-towers in Haysburg, babe. Where’s this bell you
‘re talking about?”

“It’s suspended just above the ground in the shed behind the Mayor’s office. It’s so low so anypony can strike it with their hooves. The door never gets locked except for repairs, so everypony has access to it if they need it.” the nurse explained as they rounded the corner of the Mayor’s office.

The wind continued to pick up, it was impossible to miss now,
“How long till something happens, babe?” Surf asked his unicorn companion.

“It’s random. Sometimes the storm just passes us by, sometimes we don’t even have a chance to ring the bell before a tornado hits.” Trauma explained as she pushed on the shed door with her hoof.

The shed door didn’t budge. Without a thought, Trauma turned a bucked the door. It held fast. She lowered her horn and focused her magic into the door, searching quickly for the problem. With a bright flash of light, the nurse’s head snapped back, throwing her over a dozen paces backwards. The entire event was unnaturally silent.

Surf & Turf rushed over to her,
“Trauma!” he cried, “You alright, babe?”

She didn’t respond and Surf could see liquid slowly pouring from her nose in the dim light, ‘She’s hurt, but I have to sound the bell before I can help her.’ He ran back toward the shed at a full sprint. Instead of going for the front door of the shed, Surf targeted one of the planks on the side that stuck out slightly. He extended his climbing hooks and hooked them around the side of the plank then pulled. The board came off easily, under the pressure of his well-toned muscles. With one out of the way, he made for a second one and had it off in a matter of seconds.

The neon colored Earth pony gaped in shock at the enormous crack that split the brass giant in two halves. The sides of the crack were still smoking, obviously from the blast of magic. Surf turned and bucked as hard as he could. His hooves struck the broken bell with a dull thud.

The wind was still picking up in intensity and Surf had no idea what to do, ‘The bell is useless now. How do I warn ponies?’ his mind spun as he tried to figure out a solution. He began looking around for possible inspiration, yet nothing popped out to him. The clop of sturdy hooves on the stones of the street alerted Surf to the approach of another pony.

Surf looked up to see the solid form of Miller appear out of the darkness,
“I saw a flash, what happened?”

“The wind is picking up, dude. Trauma was going to sound the bell, but the door wouldn’t budge so she used her magic and there was this nasty explosion! Trauma’s over there, she’s hurt, and the bell’s broken!”

Miller didn’t say a word. Instead, he raced around the Mayor’s office building and disappeared around the side. Moments later, the sound of a bell began tolling, the sound echoing off the buildings. Surf inched his hooks under Trauma’s back and used them to drag on the ground like a sled, pulling her toward the clinic.

The wind increased in intensity as Miller continued tolling the mystery bell. Surf sped up, pulling Trauma faster and faster toward the clinic doors. He could see evidence of the bell working. Lights began coming on all over Haysburg and the clop of hooves on floors was audible inside every house.

A terrible roaring sound suddenly began to assail Surf’s ears. He turned his head to the side to see what the noise was and all the blood drained from his face. A tornado had coalesced right in the middle of Haysburg. The fierce winds took an immediate toll on the Mayor’s office, obliterating the whole building. Surf watched, dumbfounded, as the entire structure was simply taken apart right in front of his eyes.

Light briefly reflected off a metallic surface that was flying through the air. Surf’s vision seemed to slow to a crawl as his eyes fixed on the half of the bell that was hurtling right toward him. He never even knew anything had happened until it was over.

(NOTE: male felines are called ‘tom’, and female felines are called ‘molly’)

AUTHOR’S NOTE: I’m back! It took a while but here’s the next exciting part in the story. On a personal note, I’m being transferred to a hospital and I may not have as much time to write. Don’t worry too much, I’m going to keep writing until this story is complete, it may just take a bit longer than normal. I’ll try to get back to my weekly updates. I’ll do my best but no promises. As always, I LOVE any and all feedback and welcome you to personally contact me anytime, within reason.

Chapter 17

The Elements of Equestria

Part 17

Molasses raised his head from his pillow and listened groggily, 'The bell means to go to the cellar, because there is danger.' he thought remembering what he had been told. The most important word took a few seconds to 'click' in his brain, 'Danger! The foals!' with a speed known only to those whose minds were made less than average, the chocolate colored colt flew from his bed and barrelled out of the room as quickly as his hooves would take him. He took the stairs two at a time and turned to the side when he reached the top. Well in all fairness, he did his best to turn. His hooves slipped on the floor, skidding him into the back wall of the orphanage with an earth-shaking bang. Not wasting a second on the photos that shattered on the floor from the intense impact, he burst through the entrance of the colts' dormitory, the door banging against the wall loudly.

The colts, whose ages ranged from diaper-wearing toddler to acne-faced adolescent, were all awoken immediately. Molasses tried to speak, but his mind refused to cooperate. He began to panic. He knew the youngsters were in danger and needed to get to the cellar, he knew he needed to keep them safe, he knew he needed to communicate this with them, but he couldn't find the words. His frustration grew, coming to a boil almost instantly. It was a very rare thing that he lost his cool, but this was one such occasion. Angry tears of frustration flooded his vision as he tried over and over to say something, anything, but his tongue refused to work. He was afraid. Afraid for the younger ponies, afraid that they would be hurt. More than that he was frustrated and angry. He was frustrated because he knew he was slow and it was his slowness that kept him from speaking. He was angry with himself because he was a bad colt. He was a bad colt because he wasn't telling the younger ponies that they were in danger. He clenched his eyes shut and tried to force himself to speak. He poured all of his will into the effort, feeling like he was about to explode. The only word he managed to say was, "Bell!"

It was enough.

Within moments every pony in the colts' dormitory was up and moving toward the stairs. Molasses stepped out of their way and turned to the hallway. Heartfelt was already herding the fillies down the stairs. Molasses' mind was slowly beginning to calm down. He brought up the rear, still sniffling and blinking away the evidence of his frustration, 'My failure.' he thought bitterly to himself. The tears threatened to come rushing back to his eyes, but he blinked them away, his frustration rising again. He turned around and entered the cellar backwards, closing the trapdoor behind him.

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

Colossus always slept close to Searcher, it was a habit, he always stayed close to his friend. Searcher had never teased him about his size or any of the other things that had always made him a target for verbal abuse. Searcher and Birdie were his only friends. Back in Fillydelphia, where he had grown up, he had never had any real friends, only those that put up with him because they could use his inherent size and strength.

Searcher had found him on the outskirts of Fillydelphia, in a favorite grove of trees. Colossus often went there to wind down after a long day of work at the train yard. Most of his work days consisted of pulling heavy loads of trade goods to and from cargo-cars on the trains on a four-wheeled wagon. Normally one wagon would have been pulled by a team of four ponies so as not to overtax them, but Colossus took on such loads routinely by himself. He didn't mind doing four times the work because his employer paid him twice what every other pony received, but the constant harassment hurt him deeply.

The other ponies called him a freak for being so huge and strong, they said they appreciated him for doing what he did, but he had overheard them talking about him behind his back. They were jealous of how much pay he received, but they were not the worst. The Foremare of the loading crew was a serious, no-nonsense type who had sustained a serious crush on him for quite a while. One evening after his shift was over, she had approached him and essentially demanded that he go out with her. He had politely declined and she subsequently fired him on the spot.

The evening that Searcher had entered the picture Colossus had been trying to calm down in his grove. The loss of his job was a terrible blow and had sent him to his place of peace in an attempt to calm himself by crying out his frustration. The unicorn stallion had simply appeared out of the trees like a ghost. One minute Colossus had been alone in his grove, crying his eyes out, the next minute Searcher had appeared beside him. When Searcher had asked what was wrong Colossus had thought he was just another pony to make fun of him, but eventually his pain won out and he told Searcher everything.

Unlike the other ponies Colossus had known throughout his life, Searcher actually listened and sympathised with him. The two of them became fast friends almost instantly. Colossus returned home, gathered some of his belongings, and just up and left that very day. Once out on the road, he had met Birdie also. She had been with Searcher even before he had. It had taken over a year to get close enough to Birdie to call her a friend. Together the three of them had shared many adventures as he and Birdie helped Searcher explore one ancient ruin after another. Eventually they came to the ruins near Haysburg. Searcher had found something in those ruins that seemed to satisfy him. He had gone into the ruins alone and had come back out with that strange inverted, heart-shaped locket he now always wore.

Colossus and Searcher slept in a tent pitched just outside of Haysburg. It was late at night when Colossus was awoken by a bright flash of light from Searcher's horn.

The charismatic unicorn woke up within moments,
"What?" he asked, blinking like an owl.

Colossus pointed to his friend's horn,
"Your horn just lit up. Did you have a spell active somewhere? That looked like a warning beacon."

"Yes I did. I put an alerting spell on the shack that houses Haysburg's warning bell. If it went off, that means somepony has opened the door. We'd better go look." Searcher said rising from his blanket.

Colossus followed suite while his friend unzipped the tent. Inside the tent was peaceful and calm, but when Searcher opened the flap it was like somepony had flipped a switch. The wind howled fiercely, blowing large pieces of debris about the town at random. Somepony began tolling the warning bell, it's crystal clear ringing rose well above the din of the wind. Searcher took off like a stone from a sling-shot, heading toward the center of town. Colossus was right behind him.

"Move quickly!" Searcher yelled, "Be sure to help anypony you see that might need it, but stay safe!"

They rounded the corner of the tailor shop just in time to see a monstrous tornado touch down right in the center of Haysburg. Movement caught Colossus' eye. Surf & Turf was hauling a unicorn,Trauma by his guess, toward the Clinic. The massive stallion kicked it into high gear and sped off toward them.

Searcher had seen the tornado, but his destination was already set and he stayed his course. His eyes scoured the Mayor's Office building, coming to rest on an Earth pony bucking the old retired bell that hung just to the side of the Mayor's office. The tornado shifted suddenly, veering toward the Office. Searcher knew he had no chance of out-running the cyclone, but he tried never the less.

In a split second the world stopped for the unicorn stallion,
"What?" he asked.

He looked around. Everything had frozen in place. Searcher could make out every particle that made up the tornado. He looked around, puzzled to no end, 'Did I do this?' he wondered. He saw Colossus frozen mid-gallop heading toward Surf & Turf and Trauma. He tried to take a step, but his hooves refused to move, he was stuck in place.

"Do you like it?" asked a disembodied oily slick voice.

"What do you want now?" Searcher asked moodily, he knew that voice very well, "I've done everything you asked of me. I've carried you, I've preached about this 'Light' thing just like you wanted, I've even made sure to try to get this outcast to become a hero for you!"

"Such a tone to take with me, little unicorn." the voice said, it sounded amused, "I think it's high time I reminded you how you fared the last time you tried to oppose me."

Searcher's mind faded back in time to when he had found the locket.

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

Searcher was alone in a small stone chamber deep in the swamps near Haysburg. He had asked Colossus and Birdie to wait outside while he delved the ruin because it might have been dangerous. He had his horn lit to provide illumination while he studied the only door at the end of the only hallway in the entire structure. The purpose of the ruin was a complete mystery to the archaeologist as he studied the hieroglyphs inscribed into the ancient sand stone door. The ancient symbols predated even Ancient Equestrian and his brain was stretched to the limit trying to decipher the meaning on the door. 'This symbol means 'light' and this one indicates 'lack of light' or 'darkness'. This one is a symbol for 'unicorns', this one is for 'pegasi', and this last one is for 'Earth ponies'. This next symbol translates into 'ribbon of colors' so a rainbow. The rest of this . . . let's see . . . 'This space within the dirt is sacred. Enter not lest you be consumed by' I can't understand this last part. It literally means 'ribbon of colors, lack of light'. It goes on to name several ponies and one 'foreign champion' that apparently defeated a terrible creature and its remains lay within. This is incredible, but how do I get this open?' he wondered.

Looking around, there didn't seem to be any sort of indicator as to how the door was opened, if indeed it was meant to be opened at all. As Searcher continued studying the ancient portal, he came to a conclusion, 'This door was never meant to be opened. This whole thing is a memorial; it was meant to be a tomb. And this is no door, it's a seal.' His curiosity had been piqued before, now it was a rage of zeal to learn more. The unicorn stallion began examining the edges of the door only to find it sealed, as in the very rock had been almost welded in place by intense heat which meant plenty of raw magical power, but the job was poorly done by a unicorn with little finesse. Searcher arched an eyebrow, 'Crude and inferior welding, a complete 180 out from the kind of skill that built the more recent ruins. This must be older than old, from the very dawn of pony society. The hieroglyphs indicate the same. Best guess, this has to be at least twenty-thousand years old, maybe even older.' Searcher knew he had to get the door open, his thirst for knowledge drove him like a mad pony. He poked and prodded every crack and crevice he could find, but the door was solid.

In a bout of frustration he simply turned and bucked the stone door. The impact of his hooves shook the closed entrance and a tiny chip of stone fell out of the door and onto the floor at his hooves. Feeling empowered, Searcher used an old spell to multiply kinetic energy. The spell was developed by mason ponies and had to be cast slowly and carefully unless you wanted a catastrophic mess. Once the spell was in place, he turned and bucked with all his strength, ignoring the possibility that he might collapse the entire structure.

The impact shattered the ancient seal and ages-old, stagnant air wafted out, making the archaeologist dizzy. He ignored the dizziness and stumbled forward, his obsession driving him. He lit up his horn, still coughing and trying to catch his breath. The chamber beyond the broken seal held a coffin surrounded by statues. The chamber was, he guessed, thirty paces by thirty paces by 30 paces, a perfect square. The coffin was the center-piece of the chamber but the statues were what drew the stallion's eyes. Two pegasi had been carved out of the stone, hovering directly above the coffin with a pair of unicorns on the ground to the left and a pair of Earth ponies on the right as if they were guarding the world from the dead creature. Standing behind the coffin was a depiction of what must have been the 'foreign champion' referred to by the inscription on the seal.

The so called 'champion' was a strange creature indeed. The depiction had it standing erect and upright, with long dexterous-looking paws, one on the end of each of its two long fore-limbs. Its upright posture looked natural, as if this creature always went about on two legs. Its legs and torso were covered with what looked like either a strange covering, 'Clothes perhaps or more-likely a type of flexible armor. It is named a champion after all. So armor is a natural choice.' Its arms were extended straight out over the coffin, palms up. Around the neck of this 'champion' was a gold locket in the shape of a heart. The locket was open and empty, as if the pictures it held had been removed long ago.

Searcher's eyes wandered down to the coffin. It was a simple slab of stone which stood nearly two paces tall with a hefty stone lid. There were no carvings or engravings etched into the lid or the sides; nothing to indicate what type of creature lay within. The archaeologist examined the coffin for anything resembling a crack to indicate the lid could be removed and was not simply ornamental. To his surprise, there existed such a crack. Focusing his magic through his horn, he used a telekinesis spell to lift the lid off the old burial box.

The lid came off easily enough, Searcher set it off to the side and looked down, into the coffin. Within lay something inexplicable. Lying in the bottom of the casket was a single shadow, but with no source. The shadow was no more than the length of Searcher's hoof and as thin as a pony's tongue. The light from the unicorn stallion's horn seemed to be swallowed by the tiny shadow with no source. Unable to stop himself, he slowly extended his hoof and touched the tiny shadow. Nothing happened.

The archaeologist shook his head and sighed sadly, 'None of this makes any sense. I guess this trip was a waste...' his thoughts were cut off as the entire cavern began to rumble and shake violently. Searcher figured he had mere seconds before the cavern collapsed and he couldn't leave empty-hooved. Using his magic he levitated the golden locket off the 'champion's' neck and onto his own before bolting from the chamber. Once he was back in the hallway, the rumbling stopped completely and quickly as it started.

The unicorn stallion was perplexed, but he had his prize, not the one he had been hoping for, 'But there must be some kind of information to research on this old locket. Odd, I could have sworn the heart-shape was upright a moment ago...'

"Hello there little unicorn. What's your name?" asked a voice.

Searcher could neither locate the source of the voice nor identify its gender,
"Who are you?" he asked.

A sudden surge of agony shot through his entire body,
"I'm the one asking the questions." the voice said calmly, "What is your name?"

The agony stopped after a moment, but the question still burned within Searcher's mind,
"I'm Searcher, an archaeologist." he answered warily.

"Very good," the voice said with a demeaning tone, "You learn quickly. Let me be blunt, as if you have a choice. You let me free and for that I'll let you retain your own mind and body, for now. Obey me and I will give you the knowledge you seek, disobey me and . . . well let me give you a demonstration."

White hot agony, the likes of which he had never imagined, coursed through every fiber of his being. He tried to scream, but his lungs had no air. He tried to move his hooves to grasp at his neck, but they wouldn't respond. He could feel himself completely cut off from his magic as well.

"Frightening, isn't it little unicorn." the voice said while Searcher continued to suffer, "You see, I need power; the kind of power that will allow me to take on a physical form once more. You are going to get it for me. I could simply force you to but where's the fun in that? I take control of your body and do what I need to . . . possible yes, but far from ideal. I also need information, how to conduct myself in this day and age. I will watch from behind your eyes and give you the freedom to do my will, but in your own way. We won't raise as much suspicion that way. When the time is right, I'll take my new form and leave you. That is, unless you wish to continue serving me. Does that sound preferable to days and days of continuous torture to you?" the voice asked, "Oh by the way, blink once for yes and twice for no."

Searcher blinked once but the torture continued for nearly a full minute afterward.

Finally the unicorn stallion was let go, the voice sounded like it was giggling,
"Oops, silly me. I just wanted to make certain you weren't considering blinking again. By the way, I can keep you alive for years in that kind of agony, so let me give you a piece of advice: obey me. Sound good? Alright then, here's what I want you to do . . ."

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

The flashback finished, leaving Searcher alone with his tormentor yet again,
"What . . . what do you want of me?" he asked trying, and failing to keep his voice from showing his fear.

"Rescue the pony who is banging on that bell. Play the humble hero, word will spread, subsequently so too will our influence. I'll teach you a teleportation spell and give you enough magic to cast it. Do not fail me little unicorn. Soon I will have no more need of you and you won't have to put up with me any longer. Doesn't that sound nice? I'm very generous, am I not?"

The world suddenly sprang back to life. Searcher had a matter of seconds to cast the spell, fortunately for him and Miller, he was a quick study.

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

Colossus made a split-second decision and knocked Surf & Turf out of the way of the flying piece of bell. Colossus' shoulder connected with Surf's head, knocking the smaller Earth pony out cold and throwing him several paces away, Trauma still in tow. Less than a tenth of a second later the chunk of bell slammed into Colossus. The gargantuan Earth pony was hurled backward, against the wall of the clinic, with the bell piece sticking out of the front of his chest. He lost consciousness almost instantly.

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Many miles away, another tornado ravaged the Earth, this one was in the memory of a royal-blue pegasus stallion who was sleeping on the same cloud as a cyan mare.

Rainbow Dash had been woken up by her companion's nocturnal thrashing, 'What the hay is he dreaming about?' she wondered as she watched him sleep. Rainbow Dash had no idea exactly how much she did not want to know what Trooper was going through right then. Out of sheer pity, a rather unusual emotion for her to feel toward the irritating and headstrong stallion, she rose to her hooves and trotted over to him, then lay down on his right, leaning against him. She immediately realized he was covered in a cold sweat, 'Eew gross! Sweaty stallion smell all over me!' she leaned her nose down to her coat and sniffed. Moving away from him and wrinkling her muzzle in disgust, she began debating whether or not to rouse him from his dream, 'This is getting seriously annoying Trooper!' she thought, 'As if you're not annoying enough with all the whining and the whole over-protective thing. Now I have to put up with this? Why can't this all be so simple? I'd love to hate you, love it! But, unfortunately I can't! Why? Because every time I think I can't take any more, you go and do something sweet. Misguided, but sweet. Then, for some unexplainable reason, everything seems fine until next time. What is it with you!?'

Trooper's eyes swept left and right as his memory continued to unfold before his eyes. He saw his extended family converge on the open plane. For the first time in his memory he saw his relatives as they were, alive. Grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, and everypony in between were there, all talking. Trooper did his level best to remember every face and name he was shown, so he could remember them the way anypony would want to be remembered. He was held and passed around by so many different older ponies, he lost track of them all. An ache formed in his heart as he began to understand just how much the coming incident had stolen from him. He would never get to really know these kind ponies, his family. They would be taken from him to die a horrible, terrifying death in that very field.

He heard his mother say something then saw her point with her hoof at something in the sky. Trooper, as his infant self, followed her gesturing appendage and saw a pair of pegasi descending on the field. The stallion was identical to his father and the mare almost identical to his own mother.

As Trooper's young eyes watched, he was able to discern that the mare was carrying a flying pouch for a foal. He could feel himself becoming excited, this was what he had been waiting for. The two pegasi descended and landed on the grass just a few paces away from where he lay on a blanket his mother had set out for him. The two sets of parents met and introductions were made all around. Trooper tried to crane his neck to see the other foal but his infant self apparently felt this wasn't as important as a passing bumble-bee, which he tried to bite out of the air as it flew by.

After a moment of failure to catch said stinging bug, baby Trooper turned back to his parents and began crying. The sound grabbed the attention of the four parents immediately.

Trooper watched as his uncle came trotting up to see his nephew for the first time,
"Well now," he said smiling, "Who's this fine strapping fellow?"

"That's Trooper." his father said walking up next to the other stallion and placing a hoof on his shoulder, "Trooper, this is your uncle, Storm Chaser and his wife, your aunt, Morning Dew, and your cousin . . . "

"Tornado!" the call went up from one of the older ponies.

All heads turned in one unified direction as their eyes met the raging cyclone. Trooper could see it clearly. It was a thing straight out of nightmare. The base had to be the size of a small mountain and it widened significantly as it extended into the sky. As he watched, it uprooted entire trees, each wider than ten paces, tossing them around like tiny leaves in the breeze. The behemoth of a tornado swept toward the family reunion with a will. It crossed the entire field in a matter of seconds, before anypony had time to react. Pegasi scattered in a confused conglomerate of wings and hooves; ponies screaming in terror.

Trooper was snatched up by his mother and carried off in her hooves. He couldn't peel his eyes away from the horrible sight his mother was carrying him away from. He saw no less than seven members of his family pulled into the swirling vortex, lost forever in one terrible moment before they had even gained the air. The tornado seemed to be watching the pegasi family and it turned toward the fleeing ponies like a hungry predator. Trooper saw more and more members of his family snatched away by the powerful winds. Only the strongest and fastest were getting away or making any headway in the fierce winds.

The number of the family members was dwindling swiftly as the monstrously hungry wind gobbled them up. Trooper saw cousins pushed from behind by their parents. The parents tried their hardest to save their children, but the end result was still the same. The parents would be pulled into the cyclone, then seconds later, the youngsters, still not fast enough, would be pulled in as well. All the sacrifice and effort that was costing precious, irreplaceable lives was for nothing. Each death to protect the life of another was in vain, every sacrifice as worthless as leaves on the trees and nearly as numerous.

Trooper's mind was swirling as madly as the tornado as he witnessed each death in horrifying detail.

Their terror-filled faces and eyes.

Their dying screams when the wind slacked for a brief millisecond.

Their tears of frustration and sorrow.

The last visions of their outstretched hooves as they were swallowed up and torn apart.

The mind-breaking horror continued as the tornado began to change color from dusty gray to muddy red as the ponies within were torn into pieces. Occasionally Trooper could see a momentary glimpse of a member of his family swirling past in the roaring winds. Once he saw the torso, left fore hoof, and face of one of his cousins swirl past. The young filly had her hoof outstretched, tear-stained face crying out for help that could never come. In the next moment she was gone. The images burned themselves into his memory, like a branding iron set against soft flesh.

Trooper saw his own father pushing against his mother, burdened as she was. Next to them, but falling behind, he saw Storm Chaser pushing Morning Dew who was still holding his cousin. Trooper still couldn't see his cousin, but he heard Storm Chaser yell over the wind.

"It's getting closer! We can't make it, we're not going fast enough!" Storm called to his wife.

Morning Dew looked over her shoulder briefly. She and Storm Chaser locked eyes for a short second. In that tiny amount of time, they seemed to come to a decision. Their faces set into determined grimaces as they accepted what they had to do.

"Morning, hold him tight against your body! I'll come around and hold the two of you from the front! Maybe between us we can save him!" the stallion yelled.

Trooper's father's face went pale,
"No! We can make it Storm! We just have to keep trying!"

Storm Chaser shook his head, as Morning Dew clutched their foal against her body,
"This storm isn't natural, brother! Nothing comes up this fast! I know storms, it's what my cutie-mark is for! We can't out fly this thing! Our best hope is to try to protect what we can!"

"No! Storm, listen to me, we can make it! We just have to keep trying!"

A look of calm acceptance came over Storm Chaser's face as he stopped pushing his wife. He grabbed her flanks and hauled himself around in front of her as they hovered there chest to chest, being pulled into the storm.

"STORM NOOOOOOOOO!"

Trooper watched, unable to pull his eyes away, still not knowing the name of his cousin, what they looked like, or even their gender. As he watched, a tiny head nuzzled its way out of the foal carrier and locked eyes with Trooper. In that instant, Trooper's world froze.

His cousin was a colt with a brown mane and royal blue coat. Trooper recognized Valiant instantly. The moment ended and the family was sucked into the swirling vortex of death. His eyes swung skyward for the briefest of moments and he beheld a thing out of nightmare. It was small and visible only for a split-second but he saw it just the same. A small, thin streak of the purest absence of light flew overhead. It seemed to absorb all light around itself, swallowing all color and beauty from the world. The very sight of it stole away his breath, giving way to a falling sensation.

Trooper opened his eyes just in time to see Rainbow Dash swoop down and catch him under his forelegs. She was grumbling quietly to herself as she hauled his weight. Realizing she was having such difficulty, Trooper spread his own wings and took over his assent back to the cloud they had been sleeping on, carrying Rainbow Dash along with him. Once they touched down, Trooper realized he was covered in a sheen of sweat. He then noticed that his rescuer was sniffing her coat and making a foul face.

He sat himself down on the cloud in total silence, completely ignoring the boisterous complaints of his female compatriot,
"Ugh! Trooooooper!" she whined, "You got me all covered in sweat again! I try to be nice, I get covered in sweat! I save your flank from falling, I get covered in sweat! Thanks a lot! Now I have to take another cold bath from this cloud, as if one wasn't enough! Hey, you're not planning on doing anymore sweating or falling are you? 'Cause if you are, let's just get all that out of the way right now alright!?"

The stallion maintained his silence, staring down at the cloud with tears dripping down his muzzle.

Rainbow Dash noticed the silence and slowly trotted over in front of him, noticing his tears falling through the cloud,
"Aw, come on Troops." she said quietly nudging his shoulder and trying to sound more light-hearted, "It's not all that bad. I mean, you can never be too clean right?"

"They are dead." he whispered, closing his eyes, "I saw them die." his whole body shook with uncontrolled sobs as his memory finally cleared of the fog of forgetfulness.

"But, I thought you were just trying to remember if Valiant was your cousin..." Dash began, "I never thought you'd see..."

'Oh dang it! I'm terrible at this kind of stuff. I can't just leave him there though, it doesn't feel right. O.K. what would Fluttershy do?' Dash thought to herself. The answer came to her surprisingly swiftly.

She plopped herself down on the cloud a few paces away from Trooper and stretched out her wing in a comforting gesture while not looking at him, 'Drat. My wing can't reach that far. Guess I'll have to scoot in a little, not too much, he's still annoying.' Dash scooted her backside along the cloud sideways keeping her wing out and her head turned away. She scooted a little more, then a little more after that. Finally with one last scoot, the tip of her wing touched Trooper's neck.

The multi-hued pegasus mare felt quite pleased with herself, 'Alright! Way to go Dash! Score one for emotional suppor...' she never got to finish the thought. The mourning stallion she had touched with her wingtip had felt the contact and in his distraught emotional state had leaned over and latched onto her like a vice, sobbing brokenly into her mane. Dash, for her part, let out a rough and slightly irritated, morose sigh then brought up her right fore-hoof and patted him on the back, a long-suffering look on her face, 'So here I am covered in even more stallion sweat. Twilight always said to be careful of what you wish for, and I did say that if he planned anything else he should just get it over with. Way to go Dash, brilliant. Well, I suppose if he needs the emotional support, I DID make the offer. *sigh* Well, now that I'm here, might as well see this through to the end. Do feel sorry for the guy though. Nopony deserves to see... whatever it was that he saw. Must have been pretty bad. You know what, screw it, if I'm in, I'm here for the long haul.' She calmed her mind and began to slow down her thoughts, allowing herself to venture into a place she had rarely seen. 'Come on Trooper, let it all out. If you need somepony, well, I'm the only one around. I won't leave you, not like this.' She couldn't have noticed that her original rather stiff patting had turned into a somewhat soft stroking of his mane.

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Natival raced through the swamp in the pitch dark, after Birdie. His vision was constantly assaulted by deep shadows and dark tree top canopies, making his tracking of the terrified pegasus mare all but completely impossible. Low hanging branches slashed at his face and unearthed tree roots constantly caused him to stumble. His only indicator that he was following the correct path were the broken branches and tatters of yellow fabric hanging from said branches. Time seemed to fade into a blur of passing motion as his legs pumped, propelling him through the dismal swamp at break-neck speed. He could have been chasing her for hours for all he could tell, though he guessed that it had been roughly just over an hour.

The sound of a snapping branch in front of him was the only indicator that something was heading toward him. He banked to the right as quickly as the sound registered, but he was too slow. Something slammed into his left side as he was turning, knocking the wind out of him and throwing him back onto the ground. He came up in a roll and instinctively hurled himself forward, lashing out with his right shoulder. The attack connected and his assailant went tumbling into a nearby tree with a startled cry. In an instant, he was on his attacker, at least that was his intention.

All he could make out was the occasional flash of a muddied limb striking out as he grappled with his assailant. The struggle was fierce and frantic. The two combatants were a tangle of limbs, torsos, and heads going in all directions. The situation was pure chaos as the two continued to struggle. Natival bit down on a limb that had just thrashed his face but tasted only mud as the, said liquefied earth made his opponent slippery as a banana peel. The tell-tale sound of wet, flapping wings gave the concealed stallion the hint he needed. He quickly disengaged from his opponent and staggered back, watching closely in the dim light. He could make out four legs, a head, a torso, and a tail. Focusing on the figure's head, he determined they couldn't see due to more mud covering it's eyes.

Heeding his best guess he called out to the figure,
"Birdie, it's alright! Calm down!"

The figure angled itself on the sound of his voice and launched itself toward him again. Natival side-stepped with time to spare, 'She's exhausted probably. Her back is to me, perfect target.' he was so distracted he didn't even realize the voice in his head wasn't his own. He leapt into the air and came right down on top of the aggressive and mobile mud pie with a squelching sound. With the element of surprise on his side, he easily managed to gain a solid hold of the muddy figure. His fore hooves wrapped around the back of the figure's forelegs and he pushed upward and forward, unlocking its knee joints and angling the figure, face first, toward the ground while his hind legs wrapped around the figure's torso and his mid-section kept any wings from being used as an advantage.
Natival shifted his weight and rolled to his left. He was rewarded with a thump against his left side then the feeling of soft dirt underneath his back as he rolled over and held the figure immobile and helpless.

The struggling continued for another few minutes, but Natival held on gamely, his grip was sure and solid as a vice. A shrill scream told him that his guess had been correct; he was holding Birdie. She continued to thrash around and struggle, but to no avail, Natival's legs were much stronger than that of an average pegasus. The trapped mare screamed out her fear and frustration, remembering her former mistreatment yet again as tears began streaming from her mud-covered eyes.

Natival initially felt a rush of exhilaration at his successful tackle of the fearsome mare, but his mind began changing as she continued to struggle and cry. The sounds she made were both pitiful and fierce a distinctive disturbing dichotomy of frightened frail femme and ferocious fearsome fighter. She eventually settled into sobbing pitifully while she tried time and time again to squirm away from her captor.

After what seemed like an eternity of flailing hooves, she finally began to wear out. Her thrashing became more sluggish, less intense and Natival began whispering soothing words into her ears. His muscles ached terribly, having locked his joints to keep Birdie from escaping. The mare finally gave in and stopped fighting. She was breathing heavily and the mud had smeared all over her coat. Her breathing began to slow over the next several minutes. Natival slowly loosened his grip and gradually let the pegasus mare slip from his grasp.

She fell onto the ground with a light thumping sound and a squelch as the mud cushioned some of the impact where her body met the dirt. Natival slowly stood up and stretched his legs out while keeping an eye on Birdie's prone form. The custard yellow mare didn't move. Puzzled, Natival walked up to her. He was leaning his head down to talk to her when he heard her whispering. He leaned in closer to try to make out what she was saying.

"Do whatever you want, I won't struggle." she whispered, "Just don't hurt me."

Natival raised his head back upright, now more puzzled than ever, 'What does she mean by that?' he pondered. The answer hit him like a ton of bricks, 'Who would do that! Who would even think about doing that! Well this stops here!' Natival took a few steps forward and nudged Birdie with his nose.

"Come on, enough of this." he said bluntly, "I'm not going to do that to you. I don't care how much you offer. Get up Birdie. We need to try to get back to Haysburg."

She didn't move to comply so Natival began brushing some of the mud off her neck. He bit down on her mane and lifted her to a standing position, his mouth filled with pinkish-orange mane. Once she was in a standing position she slid her front hooves down raising her backside into the air.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Natival yelled, "Look Birdie, I'm not mounting you, and shame on the one that taught you that being held down means they want THAT!" he bit down on her mane and raised her to a standing position once more, "Enough of this! Have some self respect! You're a zealous fighter and a mare to be respected or maybe even feared. I don't ever want to see you debase yourself like that ever again!"

Her head was down and her breathing was soft. Natival brought his hoof up and raised her chin. She flinched violently at the contact, but her held her chin firmly and began using his muzzle to wipe the mud out of her eyes. His nose-tip glided over her mangled facial features and around her horribly misshapen muzzle. As he cleared her eyes of the offending mud, her tears leaked out helping to wash away the muck. It was a cleansing process both literally and metaphorically.

"Why?" she asked, voice chocked.

"Why what?" he asked bluntly.

"Why do you care?" she restated.

Natival looked down and directly into her eyes, she shied away from his gaze, their faces scant inches from touching,
"Nopony deserves to go through what you did." he said almost harshly, "You deserve better than what you've been giving yourself. I meant what I said, you have the potential to be either respected or feared. I don't know the details, but from what I do know you've been through a lot, but it's over now. You have a choice in front of you: you can chose to stay the way you are, the victim, or you can turn everything around and become the victor. Which one are you? Are you going to stay the simpering, silent, sad victim, or are you going to take off the covering and wear your scars with pride? You've lived through things that would have killed a lesser creature, you're a survivor."

Birdie's eyes shifted upward and locked with those of the stallion standing in front of her,
"You're still playing the victim too." she whispered.

"I'll tell you what: I'll take off the outfit and start talking about what happened, but you have to do the same. It will get everything out in the open. Let Haysburg decide what to do with us. If nothing else I'll have come out of this with at least a couple of new friends. Just tell me when you're ready and I'll be right there with you. Sound good?"

Birdie lowered her eyes and whispered,
"Alright."

"Good, now let's get back to Haysburg before we freeze out here." Natival said looking around, "I can't fly. Could you go up above the trees and see if you can spot the lights from Haysburg?"

Birdie nodded and took to the air.

She returned a few seconds later, landing loudly,
"Too dark, can't see." she whispered.

Almost as if on cue, the wind picked up and began to blow. Rain followed seconds after.

Natival closed his eyes and breathed out a heavy sigh,
"I suppose our best guess is to try to sleep out here. We can take a look tomorrow morning in the light. I can make us a camp site here, it won't be comfortable, but it will have to do."

Birdie rolled her eyes and took to the air. Natival watched her go, wondering what she was up to. His question was answered a few moments later when she returned pushing a wide cloud. She pushed it in low and Natival hopped up on top of it. His hooves felt so at home on the soft fluff. He hadn't stepped on a cloud in ages and the feeling was wonderful. They still had a problem, though, the rain was still coming down, right on top of the cloud. Natival squinted his eyes and looked up just as Birdie pushed another cloud on top of the first. She began mauling the clouds into a makeshift lean-to with her hooves. They would be dry enough during the night and return to Haysburg the next morning.

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Triage was not having a good night. A tornado was bad enough to begin with, but having her sister at her side made it manageable in the past; now with Trauma laid up in a bed, suffering from who-knows-what, she found it nearly impossible. She rushed from one side of the clinic to the other trying to take care of all the injured ponies as they came in, 'Searcher, bless him, he's such a help right now.' she thought silently as she worked on trying to stabilize Colossus. He had a huge piece of the town's bell embedded in his chest and she was afraid to try taking it out without her sister to assist her. The sound of the clinic's doors opening again made her look up from Colossus' prone form.

Tinker sauntered in, without the cigar for once, and approached Triage boldly,
"You need help, hon. Just tell me what to do and I'll do it. I'm used to multi-tasking and I can keep my concentration while working on two different things. Let me help."

Triage knew that despite whatever reservations she might harbor against Tinker, she did need the help, she could put aside the disagreement between her sister and the boisterous blacksmith for now,
"Grab some scrubs and wash your hooves in that sink over there. Get every crack and crevice. If I find any infections, I'm looking your way, got it?"

Tinker nodded solemnly, unusually serious,
"I'll do what I can."

"Oh and Tinker?" Triage asked.

"Yes?"

"Thank you." Triage said before bellowing to her other helper, "Searcher! Where's that bag of saline I asked for?"

"Right here." the unicorn stallion said walking up.

He cast a furtive glance at his friend,
"Is Colossus going to be alright?"

Triage answered as she began working on a stallion that had a housing beam fall onto him,
"I'm holding off on him until I can wake up Trauma. He's stable and I've given him a mild sedative to keep him out. He isn't in any immediate danger, the metal didn't puncture any vital organs, but it might be the only thing keeping him from bleeding out right now. If I don't have an expert set of hooves to help me when I try to remove that thing, it could open up his veins and arteries like a juiced watermelon. Clamp."

Searcher levitated the clamp over to her as she continued,
"As far as Trauma goes, I need to perform a backlash trace to get an idea of what caused her current catatonic mental condition. If I can't figure something out, I'll have to send away for a specialist from Canterlot to come and take a look at her. I'm no expert at magical backlashes and so forth, if what Surf said is accurate, so I'll be taking a step in the dark. I hate to admit it but Colossus might just have to stay in his condition for a much longer time than any of us would like. Gauze. I've already performed an invasive delving spell, so I know what I'm dealing with. The metal shard pierced two of his ribs, split them like firewood to be exact. I noticed that several arteries and veins run along those same ribs. Needle and thread. The shard of metal somehow missed those same arteries and veins but when we go to remove it, it might puncture something, if that happens every second will count. I'm taxed right now with a monitoring spell on Colossus while still working on Settler here."

Searcher knew she spoke the truth. Triage had a magical hold on the clamp, gauze, needle, and thread while still holding yet another separate spell for monitoring Colossus. He knew of very few unicorns who could multi-weave even three spells and here Triage was, a backwater town nurse, multi-weaving not three but five different spells at the same time and still holding a conversation. A disgusting voice bubbled up from Searcher's psyche, 'She is a powerful one yes? You will add her to those who will serve as my Champions. Colossus and Birdie are ready to serve even now, Tinker, Triage, Trauma, Surf & Turf, and Mill Treader will make the set complete. With the addition of these new ponies, my champions will rival even those of the Goddess. The time is almost upon us my slave, then you will be free of me once and for all.'

Searcher sighed heavily, 'That time will not come soon enough, Master.' What he didn't say was that he fervently hoped his forced Master would not be victorious.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Fuss all you want, I’m doing my best here. I had to type this whole chapter in 5 minute increments while at work over several months. Proofreading is nearly impossible. My thanks go out to Trooper and his sister Kyra for their input and editing. As always please critique the living snot out of this. The more feedback I get the faster I’m motivated to write. (*EGO* “FEED ME!)

Chapter 18

The Elements of Equestria
Part 18

"Well, it ain't our apples, but it'll do for now." Applejack said chewing on a sprig of the 'grass' they had been walking through.

She mentally kicked herself for missing it that first day. The plains weren't covered in tall grass, they were covered in wild triticale wheat. The two farm ponies had an easy time determining what it was once they took more serious notice of it when they saw Pinkie Pie occasionally snap off a sprig and eat it. It had been breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the previous couple of days. Everypony stopped and watched as Pinkie stuffed her nose into her saddlebag and came out with nothing to chew on for the first time since the trip began. Pinkie Pie's secret stash of sugary treats had run dry. She peered into the hidden compartment of her saddle bag and sighed sadly, closing her eyes as if saying 'Good Bye' to a dearly departed friend. She maintained her posture for several more seconds, until she cracked open her eyes and realized there were three other sets of eyes gazing on her worriedly, 'Yowser-wowser! You'd think that by now they'd know me enough to realize when I'm just being overly dramatic!'

Pinkie lifted her head and bounced happily over to her friends,
"Candy's all gone!" she sung happily.

Applejack eyed the direct incarnation of the color pink with concern,
"You sure you're alright sugarcube? You looked awful sad 'bout somethin'."

"Sure I'm sure! It's just empty calories, very yummy empty calories, but empty calories just the same. I'll be fine as a fish . . . Wait that doesn't make sense unless I add a context . . . I'm frisky as a flea . . . no fleas are icky and gross . . . " Pinkie continued mumbling to herself as she began walking away, coincidentally in the correct direction.

Dr. Mend leaned over to Applejack,
"I'm not so sure about that." he said quietly, "If Pinkie has a dependency on sugar, she might begin suffering withdrawal effects before too long. She doesn't seem to notice the cold either."

Applejack rolled her eyes and walked off after Pinkie, still favoring her injured leg,
"She's just bein' Pinkie, doc. Don't even bother tryin' tuh figure it out. Pinkie goes beyond yall's fancy science and theories. Just go with it and trust her. If'n she was feelin' poorly, she'd let yall know real quick. Ah don't think that pony even knows the meanin' o' the word lie."

"Prevarication, fabrication, falsification, misrepresentation, fibbing, paltering, perjury, deceit, guile, duplicity . . . Am I getting warm?" Pinkie called back from in front of the two talking ponies.

Applejack stopped in her tracks, jaw hanging open in disbelief, she truly didn't know what to say, fortunately Dr. Mend did,
"She's just being Pinkie, Applejack. Don't even bother trying to figure it out. Pinkie goes beyond your common sense and logic."

Dr. Mend smiled to himself as he followed Pinkie into the tall grass. It had been quite a while since he had the chance or urge to turn on his snarking charm. Behind him, he heard Applejack and Big Macintosh burst out laughing and he couldn't help but to join them. In the distance Dr. Mend could see a wall of trees slowly emerging from the tall grass, 'That must be the swamp. We're getting close to Haysburg, I hope.' the sky was slowly changing from clear to overcast, foretelling of snow coming that night.

Step by step, the steps blurred into one monotonous song of drum-like beats as the hours past. The four ponies approached the tree line with a bouncing vision of pink in the lead. Pinkie Pie stopped talking, then slowed down, then stopped walking altogether, something was off,
"Hey Dr. Mend?" she called into the tall grass behind her, "There's something wrong with the swamp."

Dr. Mend hearing Pinkie's call, sped up his pace and caught up with her in a few seconds. She was standing in front of the tree line where the tall grass had tapered off to no more than a few inches high. She stood, staring up at the tall, twisted trees with their vines and moss. A thick fog rested there, stretching from the ground to the tops of the trees and beyond. To Pinkie it seemed to swim in the air just past the tree line. It seemed to writhe and twist in on itself, coiling and uncoiling as if in eager anticipation.

"What do you mean? All I see is a line of trees and a lot of fog. Fog is normal in swamps, Pinkie. Nothing's wrong." Dr. Mend said stepping up next to Pinkie.

The black stallion lifted his right fore hoof to take a step and felt a sudden and strong pull on his tail,
"Hey!" he shouted.

"Fump fing if wong wif vat fwamf!" Pinkie repeated around her mouth-full of tail.

"Pinkie Pie, would you please let go of my tail?" Dr. Mend deadpanned.

The pink mare spit out the black gluten brush and kept talking, her usual demeanor now unusually serious,
"I'm telling you something is wrong! I don't know how to explain it but we can't go in there! We need to find a way around!"

"Pinkie please we need to get to Haysburg as soon as possible. Finding a way around will take hours if not entire days. We have to go through." Dr. Mend stated solidly.

"Ayup." came a deep voice from behind them, "We can't waste no time. We gotta go through. Ah can scout ahead and find us a solid path through the swamp, but we need to keep goin' . . ." Big Macintosh trailed off as he came within sight of the treeline.

"Ah agree with Big Mac." Applejack said bringing up the rear, "We need to take a straight shot through this here swamp. Ah can't spend days on end walkin' 'round this here mud hole when mah leg ain't completely healed yet. Ah'm powerful sorry Pinkie, you know Ah don't tend to ignore you, especially with your 'Pinkie Sense' and all, but this time Ah gotta make an exce . . ." Applejack trailed off as well when she spotted the fog.

'This ain't right.' Applejack thought, 'Somethin's plumb wrong with this 'ere swamp. Ah can feel it in the ground, this ain't right at all.'

Applejack looked toward her big brother worriedly, Big Mac looked back with the same expression then addressed Dr. Mend,
"Can't you feel anythin' strange with this 'ere swamp Doc? Applejack and Ah both feel it, Pinkie too. Somethin' ain't right."

Dr. Mend cast his gaze back at the other ponies,
"No, nothing at all." the older Earth pony gave it some brief thought, "It might have something to do with my medication, though I have no real idea. Is it really that strong?"

The other three Earth ponies nodded somberly, Dr. Mend continued,
"We don't seem to have any other options though, Applejack needs to have that leg treated properly and Haysburg is sure to have some kind of medical facility. We'll just have to be really careful."

Pinkie hung her head defeated, Dr. Mend had a valid point,
"Alright, but you be extra special, super-duper careful when you're scouting ahead Big Mac. Keep looking back every five steps. If you ever lose sight of us, stop and yell until we find you."

The massive work pony chuckled quietly,
"Ah done knowed that since Ah was a colt, Pinkie. Thanks though."

The four ponies slowly entered the tree line and into the swamp.

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

"So you're telling me that we've been walking in a field of naturally growing food for days, nearly starving the entire time when we could have been eating fresh wheat every step of the way?" Rarity couldn't help but be upset at the news Sea Blue had just given her.

"I'm not completely certain yet, but that is my best guess. It's obviously some kind of grain but I'm no expert. Don't go getting worked up over this, Rarity. Even if I'm right, have you ever tried chewing raw wheat? I don't know anything about it in its raw form, but I wouldn't want you to chip a tooth." he explained.

In response, the white unicorn bit off the sprig of the closest plant and chewed thoughtfully for a moment before responding,
"It's dry, obviously, and a bit tough to chew but overall it seems fine to me." she said biting off another sprig hungrily.

"I'm glad it's edible. You took a bit of a risk by just chomping down on a random sprig like that. I could have been wrong. Please try to be more careful in the future, Rarity. Although on that note, I think I'll try a few myself. We should probably pack as much as we can into our saddle bags. I doubt we'll be able to find fresh wheat in the swamps." he said gesturing to the distant tree line, "We should be there before sunset. Once we're inside we should have an easier time finding somewhere to sleep."

"Yes, more mud, slime, and moss, and less dry grass and dirt. A lovely exchange." Rarity said morosely.

"Nothing we can do to change it." Sea Blue said around his full mouth, "We should probably work on the problem while we walk. Any ideas?"

"I don't suppose we could carry woven mats with us, on our backs, the whole time, could we? I can make them while walking. Multitasking has always been one of my stronger suites." Rarity offered.

"Sounds better than any of my ideas at the moment. How can I help?" the turquoise unicorn stallion asked.

"Actually now that you mention helping, it reminded me of something that occurred to me a couple of days ago. You said that a young pony needs a parental figure of both genders to, how did you put it, 'develop properly' or something like that. Well, darling, I'm not trying to tell you your business but you're wrong. Applejack and Big Macintosh both grew up with only Granny Smith as a parental figure and they turned out just fine." Rarity said with just the slightest hint of smugness in her voice.

Sea Blue stopped walking, then he stopped chewing. He cocked his head to the right and puzzled over the mare's statement for several long minutes before answering.

"Huh, looks like you're right. I can't find any flaws with that logic." he simply shrugged and continued trotting.

Rarity would never admit it, but she was hoping for a much stronger reaction to the stallion's admission,
"You seem very nonplused even admitting you were wrong." she ventured.

Sea Blue shrugged,
"It's not a big deal unless we make it one. Psychology is, after all, in its infantile stages of development. I'm not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm right far, far more often than I'm wrong. Besides, I was speaking out of my specific area of expertise, so admitting an error is not a big deal as long as I don't let myself get a big head over it. I don't specialize in Developmental Psychology after all."

'Not a bad viewpoint, I suppose. Perhaps I was being a tiny bit petty. No matter, a good point is a good point and I won't let myself get a big head over it. My little mishap in Cloudsdale showed me the error of that one. Now onto other, more important things, like keeping my poor coat as clean as possible.' Rarity thought as she passed Sea Blue in a brisk trot.

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

Lemon Lime trotted along, lost in thought, 'Twilight has barely said two words to me since she asked about my feelings for her. Did I make her mad? I hope I didn't, but she did ask. I couldn't lie to her. What am I supposed to do now? Does she expect me to drop it? How can I? She's all I ever think about. I just wish she would say something, anything! I'll ask her!' he thought for a moment before rebuking himself, 'No! I told her I'd give her some time to think about it and I will. She doesn't need me making her decision any more difficult than it needs to be right now, and pestering her about it might end up pushing us apart. I need to stop obsessing about this and just let it go. O.K. what else can I think about?' he looked around and saw wheat, wheat, and more wheat. Twilight had identified it the previous morning and they had been making good meals out of it since. Walk, bite, chew, swallow, walk, bite . . . it went on.

The little stallion's mind searched frantically for something to contemplate, but all he saw was, 'Wheat! Duh! Alright, what can I make with all this wheat?' his horn lit up and he began using his magic to pick sprigs from passing stalks and stuffing them into his saddlebags.

Twilight was buried in her own thoughts as the three ponies trekked across the plain, 'How is anypony supposed to react to hearing . . . THAT? He said he loves me. I'm not so sure about that, but he obviously has a deeply rooted infatuation with me. Ugh! Why did this have to happen now? I don't know anything about romantic love. I'm still learning about platonic love between friends and I'm nowhere near completion of THAT subject! Learning about friendship is enough without dealing with Lemon Lime pinning over me all the time.' Twilight took a deep breath and cleared her head, 'Now in his defense, he hasn't been pushy about it per se, and he did say that he didn't want to burden me with it. I should have left well-enough alone. I guess I kind of asked for it didn't I? Alright, that means the proverbial ball is in my court, it's my move, so what do I do? Do I tell him that I'm not interested? It is, more or less true. Not that I'm opposed to trying to learn about romantic love, just not right now.' she let out a pent up sigh as she continued walking, 'Why is this so hard?'

As Twilight continued racking her poor brain over the topic at hoof, Fluttershy was contemplating something of her own, 'What did that scarry dream mean?' she had been having it regularly for several nights previous, 'Why does Valiant change into that. . . thing? Why was he acting so 'familiar' with me? Why was he living in my cottage? What was that strange bracelet on his leg? It has to mean something. I remember that it had some markings on it, but I can't recall what they looked like. Oh, this is just so frustrating! I'm worried sick about him and this dream isn't helping.' she looked up and saw that Twilight and Lemon Lime had stopped in front of a scarry, foggy, dark swamp.

The custard yellow pegasus immediately stopped and lowered herself to the ground, trying to be a inconspicuous as possible. The fog and twisted trees made the swamp look like a close relative to the Everfree Forrest.

"This must be the swamp we have to go through before we reach Haysburg. It should only take two more days and we'll finally be there." Lemon Lime said quietly.

Twilight didn't want to say anything, but her horn was starting to ache a bit. Out of sheer morbid curiosity she channeled magic through her horn and attempted to discern why her horn was feeling like somepony was slowly applying pressure to it.

She reached out with her magic and touched the fog, talking as she poked at, and analyzed it,
"Hmm, the fog is magical in nature, but it's a strange type of magic I've never felt before. Unicorn and Alicorn magic has a specific feel to it, this might just be very strong latent natural magic. The books I read about the area did say that there was a veritable cornucopia of ancient ruins in this swamp and the surrounding countryside. It could also be that some of the ruins have old magic to keep interlopers from disturbing them. Some powerful ancient ponies had their tombs, crypts, and graves enchanted with magic to keep out wild animals and anypony who might want to steal something. If unicorn magic is made permanent and left alone for a really long time, unless it was very carefully cast, it degrades and/or merges with local natural magic, or searches for any close-by source of magic to attach itself to. It should be safe, though. I've never heard of even ancient ponies enchanting an area with malignant magic, specifically because of how it degrades. Only a really ancient source of power, like a sentient enchantment would have the time to collect and utilize any amount of degraded local magic, but since Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were crowned, nopony has EVER intentionally cast a spell with sentience because it was too controversial, in regard to the 'life' of the spell. Even if a pony had enough power to create a sentient enchantment, it's considered cruel and callous to create something sentient. I figure it's just natural magic that the swamp uses to veil itself from possible threats."

"Veil itself?" Fluttershy asked, shaking, "Like it's alive?"

"Sure," Lemon Lime replied, "Wait, I thought you were a druid, Fluttershy."

The butter yellow pegasus mare shook her head,
"I'm a veterinarian. I only know animals."

"Well then," Twilight began, adopting her lecturing voice, "All regions of Equestria have a type of spirit or soul if you will. All the regions of forests, swamps, plains, rivers, oceans, and mountains have a type of consciousness that extends through the entire area and it manipulates the natural magic around itself as needed. Earth ponies were the first to discover it and for a long time Unicorns refused to believe it because the Earth ponies couldn't control natural magic like Unicorns can with their own power. Earth ponies have a type of almost subconscious communion with the ground. Zebras have the same thing but with plants instead instead of the Earth. Some areas only have a little natural magic and some have a lot of it. The area around Ponyville for example, has quite a bit more natural magic in the ground, that's why the orchards at Sweet Apple Acres are almost the only place in Equestria that can grow Zap-Apples. The Everfree Forest is another example of an area with potent natural magic. The big difference is that some areas are accepting of the involvement of ponies and others are not. The area around Ponyville is accepting of our involvement while the Everfree Forest is utterly opposed to it. That's why the Everfree is so dangerous, the forest itself calls out to any and all creatures that are dangerous to ponies to protect itself from what it believes is a threat, that perceived threat is us. The Everfree is probably the most magically powerful region in all of Equestria, that's why Princess Celestia and Princess Luna chose to make their home there. They felt the natural magic calling to them, records indicate that the Everfree was friendly to ponies for a very long time. I have no idea what changed but the change was sudden and drastic. It occurred around the same time Princess Luna changed into Nightmare Moon, but that could just be coincidence. In any case, this swamp shouldn't be openly hostile."

Fluttershy reached out her hoof and poked the fog to determine its thickness, her hoof could barely make an indentation,
"Um," she began quietly, "Twilight, I hate to pester you, but do you happen to know any spells to help a Pegasus move through fog? I'm not strong enough to even put my hoof into it."

Twilight nodded ameably,
"Sure thing, Fluttershy."

The lavender unicorn lowered her head and focussed her magic. She used Mutate, Control, Physical, and Spirit, then added on Sustain for good measure, ensuring the spell would last for a full day. It was a fairly common spell for unicorns to know. Twilight knew some unicorns living in places like Trottingham and New Yoke actually made a decent living off of their spell knowledge for Pegasi and Earth Ponies. Fluttershy reached out once more to touch the fog. This time her hoof encountered no resistance whatsoever and slipped through the fog like that of her two companions.

Lemon Lime led the way with Twilight following closely behind and Fluttershy bringing up the rear. He lit up his horn for light, but the fog was so thick it simply reflected the light back, effectively blinding the trio. The little unicorn let his light fade and came to a stop after a mere 20 steps. He turned around but couldn't see the break in the trees back to the plains; he could only barely make out Twilight and Fluttershy and they were right behind him.

"Sorry for stopping but I need to think for a moment." he apologized to the two mares, 'Alright, normal vision is basically useless right now, so an illumination spell won't help. A directional spell would work better, but we still need to see. What animal can't see well but can still navigate effectively?' he cleared his throat, "Twilight, how do bats navigate?"

"They use echolocation. They emit ultrasonic sounds and they instinctively compare the outgoing pulse of sound to the returning echoes and use the data to map out their surroundings, often in great detail." she replied off the top of her head.

Lemon Lime addressed the mare of his affections once more,
"Could you cast a spell that creates a sphere around us that can translate the sounds we make into useable images of the swamp since we're basically walking blind here?"

"I'll give it a shot, but it's going to be mostly guesswork." she replied.

Twilight lowered her head and began focusing her magic, 'Alright which Nouns and Verbs? First the Nouns. Air because that includes sound waves, Water to compensate for the dampening effect of the fog, and Mind to allow us to discern the nature of the echoes. The Verbs: Knowing to match up with Mind for the discernment, Ruling to match up with Water for the lessened dampening from the fog, and finally Mutate to match up with Air to make the echoes more noticeable. Here goes nothing.'

Twilight released the spell and it settled over the three of them gently as a lavender mist of sparkling motes.

The spell made Fluttershy's ears itch,
"Did it work?" she asked.

In half a second the world exploded in bright, vibrant hues in every color of the rainbow as trees, bushes, and even the very ground they stood on all became crystal clear in perfect detail, albeit in a plethora of seemingly random colors. The trio of ponies were awestruck by the simple beauty of the world around them. Lemon Lime took a single step, no harder than normal. Once more the world exploded in silent multihued beauty as his hoof crunched into the fallen leaves on the ground.

"I would say the spell worked." Twilight said, obviously pleased with herself.

"Boy did it!" Lemon Lime exclaimed, "It's so beautiful!"

"Let's get moving, we still have several more days to go before we reach Haysburg." Twilight said stepping out once more.

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

Rainbow Dash snuck a peek at her flight companion with concern, 'All this time I was wishing for Trooper to shut up, now I'd give my left fore leg to get him to say something. He hasn't said anything all morning and he keeps twitching like he's being surprised every few seconds. What the hay happened to him?'

Trooper was lost in his own little world. His repressed memories kept replaying in front of his eyes several times a minute. His mind kept replaying the scenes from when his family was killed. Something didn't seem right about that tornado and he had finally pinned it down, 'It was far too fast. It should have never moved that quickly. The sky was clear and suddenly a tornado appears for no obvious reason. It is not natural. What could have caused it? Valiant mentioned that the tornados around Haysburg would pop up randomly and quickly, I just thought he had been exagerating. Nothing natural could cause a tornado like that to form out of thin air and on a clear day. Something else had to have been involved, but what?'

"Trooper!"

His name being yelled in his ear brought him back to himself just in time to pull to a stop in front of a wall of fog. All thoughts of his repressed memories fled his mind as Trooper back-flapped and edged away from the thick fog eyeing it in confusion. Rainbow Dash flew up next to him, coming to a hoover while addressing the stallion.

"Erm, why is there a massive wall of fog here?" the multihued mare looked left and right as well as up and down, "It's almost in a straight line, like a huge box of fog."

Trooper cleared his throat,
"I have not the faintest of ideas." he said reaching out, "I wonder how thick it is?"

His hoof met significant resistance, but he managed to push through, barely,
"I would estimate it to have a density of 8.9 maybe 9.2 or 9.3 at the most. Do you come to the same conclusion Rainbow Dash?"

Rainbow Dash pounded on it several times before answering,
"You're not too far off Troops. I'll give it about a 9.4 personally. In any case it's way too thick to fly through right now. Want to try flying over it?"

"That sounds like an acceptable alternative. Fillies first." he said with a playful bow.

Rainbow noticed that Trooper’s mood seemed to brighten a bit, ‘Maybe he gets to introspective when he’s thinking. Does he get lost in his thoughts like Twilight does?’

As they ascended, Trooper felt the need to ask a question that had been stewing in the back of his mind for a while,
"By no means do I intend to start an argument with my next question, so please do not take offense, but why are you so affable toward me suddenly?"

Rainbow Dash shot him a dry look,
"In Equestrian, Trooper."

"Why are you so friendly with me right now?" Trooper deadpanned.

"Oh, that. I finally got over what you said to me when we first met." Dash said.

Trooper quirked an eyebrow,
"What I said? You mean about you being beautiful?"

"About me not acting like you thought I should when you introduced yourself to Rarity." Dash clarified, "I mouth off all the time. It's part of who I am: confident, insincere, friendly, helpful, heckling, and often sarcastic. I'm happy with who I am and if somepony else has a problem with it they can chew a rock, because I'll probably be . . . wait, did you say 'beautiful'?" she asked.

"Indeed I did, and to that statement I hold. You may utterly lack any sort of refinement whatsoever . . ."

"Watch it there bub." Rainbow Dash warned.

"But you obviously take good care of yourself. You exercise regularly, you do not smell, and you obviously watch your diet. I can say with complete honesty that I do not believe I can spot a single ounce of adipose tissue on you, it is all muscle, sleek tones, and finely rounded curves. In all honesty Rainbow Dash you are quite probably the most attractive pegasus mare I have ever laid eyes on. Although that does bring another question to mind: why do you not have stallions falling all over you?" Trooper asked.

Rainbow Dash shrugged,
"No idea. Maybe they're all intimidated by me. Somepony started a rumor that I'm a Filly Fooler and that probably helped it along. Honestly, I'm too busy training for the Wonderbolts to get tangled up in any kind of romance right now anyway. Eventually, sure why not, but not right now."

Trooper chewed his lip in thought,
"That makes good sense. Eyes on the prize and all that. So what do you plan to do once you achieve your dream?"

Rainbow Dash slowed down and let Trooper join her in ascent before answering,
"I'm going to prove I'm the best there ever was. I never take second best. I'll end up as Wonderbolt Captain and I won't let anypony stand in my way."

"What price are you willing to pay to achieve your dream?" Trooper asked cautiously.

"What do you mean?" Dash asked.

"What if you have to step on the dreams of somepony else? What if there is somepony who is just better?" Trooper ventured.

"There won't be anypony better than me. I'm the best, the very best and that's all there is to it. Anypony else who wants to be Captain will just have to settle for second best." Dash claimed.

The two pegasi finally reached the top of the fog bank and leveled off, coming to land on the soft fluff as they continued their conversation.

Trooper shook his head,
"I sincerely hope you are correct Rainbow Dash. I shudder to think what you would do if somepony else actually was better than you." he paused and then posed another question, "Let us, for a moment, assume that the impossible had occurred and you are not the best. What would you do then?"

Rainbow Dash sighed heavily,
"Come on, really? It's not going to happen." she claimed haughtily.

Trooper's blank stare convinced her to answer the question,
"Ugh! Fine!" she groaned, "I guess I'd have to train even harder to show them who was best."

"And if you were unable to do so? If you were forced to take second place through no fault of your own?" Trooper probed.

Rainbow Dash grunted and scuffed her right fore hoof on the fog,
"Look it doesn't matter Trooper, cause it's never going to happen!"

"I am not trying to anger you, so please do not misunderstand me. I am simply trying to ask how you would react if you failed. I am concerned for you. Being a fantastic athlete is not only about being a good winner but also a good looser at times. I am merely asking so I can have an idea of what you would do if you did fail." Trooper said trying to placate his multihued companion.

"I don't know and I'm not worried about it. I guess I'll figure it out if it ever happens." Rainbow Dash said with a shrug.

"Do not take this the wrong way, but I believe that to: fail to plan is to plan to fail. I think perhaps you should give some serious consideration to the possibility, despite how admittedly unlikely it is." Trooper said cautiously.

"Look, I appreciate your concern Troops, but I'd like to handle this my own way and I think we already have plenty to think about . . ." Rainbow Dash trailed off as she spotted a shadow from above.

Dash looked up and Trooper followed suit. Both ponies felt their muscles tighten as an entire flight of gryphons came barreling toward them from the clouds above. The two pegasi had missed spotting the gryphons as they landed on the fog and the gryphons had waited until the two ponies were directly below then before launching from their perch.

Trooper saw the predators come swooping toward he and Dash, they showed no sign of slowing,
"Dash fly! I will hold them here!" he yelled.

"Are you crazy!" Dash yelled, already in the air, "You can't handle that many, nopony can!"

In a moment of focus, Trooper's armor appeared with a flash of light and a loud metallic sound,
"I am not just anypony! Get out of here, you can make it! GO!" he yelled.

Had Trooper had the notion to look up, he would have noticed that the gryphons had all stopped as soon as his armor formed. They hovered in mid air aghast at the pair of pegasi.

The eldest gryphon addressed the pegasi loudly from above,
"Hold pegasi!" he commanded, "Hold and speak with me! I am Arrow, Flight Leader of my nestmates."

Trooper kept his armor and called back,
"I will speak with you, and you alone, Arrow. The mare is free to go. We meet in the air."

"Hey! I can speak for myself you know!" Dash yelled.

Trooper ignored her, his focus was above.

"Very well. I will descend alone. We meet between us." Arrow called back.

Trooper ascended as Arrow descended. They met in the air. Arrow watched Trooper cautiously while Trooper eyed Arrow with cold detachment and a calculating stare.

"I am not your enemy, stallion." Arrow said evenly.

"You could have fooled me." Trooper spat back, "Or is it customary to greet others with a group of swiftly flying allies at your back from above?"

"Calm yourself, stallion. We could have overtaken you by now, were we so inclined. We thought you were perhaps one of the ponies from Haysburg trying to get away again." Arrow explained.

Trooper's eyes narrowed,
"And why, exactly, would you be inclined to stop ponies from Haysburg from escaping? Have you besieged the city?"

"Not as such, but before you judge our actions, hear me out." Arrow began, "There is a darkness on that place. A darkness that is keeping the ponies from comprehending their situation. They are being manipulated by this darkness and we mean to keep it from spreading."

"You will have to excuse me if I remain skeptical." Trooper replied.

"Trooper?" Rainbow Dash called from below.

Trooper looked down, only to see Dash ascending toward him,
"Trooper, I think we should listen to him." Dash seemed to have her eyes glued to something behind him as she spoke.

"You see our shared predicament, I see." Arrow said.

“Shared predicament?” he asked incredulously, “And said predicament is what exactly?”

Hovering right next to the stallion, Rainbow Dash lifted her right fore hoof and pointed. Trooper turned and followed Dash's gaze and his pupils shrank to pinpoints.

"Where is the edge?" he asked incredulously, "We should not be even three-hundred paces from the edge of the fog.”

Encompassing the entire field of his vision was nothing but solid fog as far as any of them could see. The edge was gone. Trooper’s eyes shifted to the gryphons. For the first time he noticed exactly how ragged they looked. He spotted sunken cheeks and hollow eyes, gaunt layers of feathers poorly covering the outline of ribs and other bones. Trooper immediately realized he and Dash were in trouble. The gryphons were starving.

“How long have you been trapped up here?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Arrow lowered his gaze as he answered,
“I’m not entirely certain. It feels like months, but that cannot be correct. The sun never sets in the fog, there is always light up here. There is powerful magic at work here.”

“How have you survived?” Trooper asked.

Arrow’s face fell even farther,
“We use bits of fabric to collect water, but we’ve had nothing to eat in so long. We’ve already eaten the leather thongs for our slings, bolas, and armor. Do you know anything that can help us?”

“Food.” The whisper came from the flight of gryphons above the two ponies.

Arrow’s face contorted in anger, as he faced his fellow gryphons,
“BE SILENT!” he bellowed, “How DARE you say such a thing!”

The assembled gryphons shifted their eyes and fluffed their feathers in embarrassment. The total situation sunk into the two ponies as Arrow turned back to then with sorrowful eyes.

“Have you lost any to starvation yet Arrow?” Trooper asked.

“Thankfully, no. It won’t be long though. We’re growing weak. The fog will occasionally lift and open up to Haysburg. We’ve already decided that the next time it does, we’ll go down and beg for food.” Arrow heaved a heavy sigh, “We’ll beg, if we can find the opening. It’s in a different place every time it appears.”

Rainbow Dash flew over to Arrow and raised his chin with her hoof,
“And we’ll be there to vouch for you. We’ll sneak you food if we need to.” Her voice was firm and determined.

Chapter 19

The Elements of Equestria
Part 19

Birdie awoke to an uneasy quiet in the swamp. Light mist covered everything, both sinking into and rising out of the ground. She raised her head peering around alert and tense, as she almost always was. A shift next to her, on the cloud alerted her to the fact that there was another pony touching her. A seething mixture of rage and terror surged through her for a brief moment before she remembered who it was sleeping alongside her. She looked down at the concealed wingless pegasus stallion lying next to her in puzzlement, 'I just don't understand him. Why is he nice to me after he's seen me? I'm ugly because of me scars but more from my . . . face. My hideous, disgusting, misshapen face.'

Bitterness was an old friend to the young mare, one she knew well and she mentally clutched it to her like a blanket. It was a type of protection for her, one she always kept close. Yet as she gazed down at the stallion sleeping peacefully next to her, a tiny crack formed in her emotional walls, 'Why is he willing to still speak to me, still willing to be around, even help me? I don't understand, why does he . . . give me . . . hope? Is it hope?' she wondered, 'It's been too long to remember, or even care really.' she sighed heavily, cursing herself for even thinking the hated word, 'Hope is for foals who still think this world can be anything but painful.'

Her memories were always there for her, like her bitterness, 'Hope.' she spat off to the side distastefully, 'Where was hope when I was alone and starving in the streets? Where was hope when HE had his claws on my neck holding me down as he . . .' Birdie thrashed her head from side to side, shuddering as her body remembered the horror and pain, 'Where was hope when I cried myself to sleep at night!? Where was hope when I was curled into a ball in the corner of his house trying to hide from him and what he would do!? Where was hope when I had my hooves pressed to his throat but couldn't finish him!? Where was hope when he tore me so badly he thought I was dead and tossed me out with the garbage, tied up in a sack!? Where was fucking hope when the bag was torn open by some other BEAST that nearly got me!? WHERE WAS HOPE WHEN IT GRABBED ME AND FIGURED OUT I WASN'T DEAD YET!? WHERE WAS HOPE WHEN THAT ONE GRABBED ME TOO!? I'M THE ONE WHO FOUGHT HIM OFF! I'M THE ONE WHO KICKED HIM IN THE THROAT! I'M THE ONE WHO FLEW AWAY INTO THE MOUNTAINS! I'M THE ONE WHO KEPT MYSELF ALIVE! NOTHING EVER GAVE A DAMN ABOUT ME!?'

From the outside Birdie was still and calm like a statue, on the inside was an ever-raging storm of emotion and barely contained violence. She took several deep breaths and quickly brought her thoughts under control, 'Searcher and Colossus care about me though. I've seen it in their eyes. I've heard it in their voices and felt it in their touch. They care about me, they accept me. Even with the scars and my face, they accept me.' she looked again down at the stallion by her side, 'You've seen my face, yet here you are still. You haven't betrayed me yet so I won't ruin your face. You're actually kind of nice.' The roller-coaster of emotion and thought died down almost instantly, leaving Birdie with only silence.

She reached down and nuzzled Natival's head on an impulse, her nose pressing against the crusted mud from the previous night that had caked onto his suit. Flakes of mud came off as she continued pressing against his face, 'I know I shouldn't, but . . . it's so nice to have someone nearby sometimes . . . I don't know what that's like . . . you haven't hurt me yet Natival and you haven't abandoned me. I'll let you in.' she fluffed her feathers and cracked the caked mud off portions of her wings as she stretched.

Natival's eyes fluttered open, the first thing he saw was Birdie's veiled face nudging him,
"Morning Birdie." he greeted, yawning hugely, "Yeesh!" he said smelling and seeing the caked on mud, "We both need a bath. Let's get back to Haysburg so we can shower off all this mossy, rancid, swamp muck. Come on Birdie, let's make tracks."

The veiled pegasus mare silently nodded and hoped off the cloud. The ground was cold, frosted over. Natival joined her, several slips of dried mud falling to the ground as his hooves hit. He shook himself out and stamped several times to loosen up. He looked around trying to gauge which direction the sun was rising from. Turning to his right, he spied it through the trees.

"This way Birdie." he claimed confidently.

* * * * * * * *

Rainbow Dash felt warmth next to her despite the shivering cold. She snuggled up closer to it, shifting her muzzle up to it until she felt soft fur brush her nose tip. She sighed contentedly, only barely awake, inhaling the scent of the warmth next to her. She slowly cracked open her eyes but saw only blue, 'royal blue' she thought. The warmth shifted and her vision cleared as Trooper raised his head to look around. He had been awake for several minutes, content to wait until Dash awoke.

His gaze fell onto the gryphons they had encountered the day before. Dash followed his gaze. The fearsome predators were apparently having breakfast. Dash noted, 'Wow, they sure are somber this morning.'

It was true. The gathering of gryphons said not a single word as they ate. Occasionally one gryphon or another would shoot a sad glance toward the two ponies and hang their head as they took a bite of their breakfast. Dash couldn't make out what it was they were eating, but the portions seemed minimalistic.

"Those gryphon chaps are being rather quiet this morning." Trooper observed, "Perhaps they are trying not to wake us."

"Looks like they managed to find some food. That's good." Dash said turning to Trooper, "I know we gave them most of our grain yesterday, but do we by chance have any left?"

Trooper slowly stood up, his head was held low and his stance was wide,
"Time for some hard logic my lovely companion," he began softly, "Did you see any of them save the grain we gave them yesterday?"

"Well, no I didn't. They were starving." Dash replied.

"Do you see any fruit trees or crops around?" Trooper asked calmly, "Think about it, gryphons can eat meat. Where could they get meat up here?"

"I don't know, maybe they caught some birds." Dash suggested.

"Or drew straws." Trooper said darkly.

"Nothing so barbaric," said Arrow's voice behind the two ponies, "Well, not THAT barbaric anyway, I assure you."

Trooper spun around like lightning, head low, legs braced, ears erect, and wings splayed,
"What do you mean?" he demanded quietly, "Explain yourself."

Arrow had been lying on the ground behind the two pegasi, he rose to his paws and inclined his head respectfully,
"One of our older toms 'opted out' during the night." reaching into his fabric harness, he retrieved a piece of parchment, "He left this as an explanation, written in his own blood after opening an artery in his thigh. I believe he meant for you to know what it says since it's written in Equestrian Common and not Gryphonic"

Trooper blanched at the offered note,
"I do not wish to put that in my mouth if it is written in blood. Would you hold it up so that I can read it?"

"Very well." the gryphon said holding up the note.

Trooper read it out loud,
"To my Flightmates:
We are in a situation where some sacrifices a have now become unavoidable. With the arrival of the two ponies our hunter instincts will overwhelm our conscious minds and place them in mortal danger. We cannot allow our more base nature to overrule our actions, so it is with that in mind that I have opened my own leg. By the time you read this, I will be no more. It is my final request to invoke Gavinjork that I have chosen to defy nature and interrupt the natural cycle of life by intentionally ending my own. Mt flesh I give to you to sustain yourselves that your hunger be sated by my sacrifice and furthermore serve as a reminder that we are more than the ponies see us. Not mindless predators bound to our need to hunt for prey, but as a proud species who has developed civilization which fosters art, science, math, astronomy, and peaceful coexistence with all other races in this, our shared home. For what are all races in this world but a massive dysfunctional family set to dwell in cohabitation resting, all of us, against the bosom of our world. I pray to the Sun and Moon that you hear my words and remember my sacrifice, friends. Farewell wherever you fly, may your aeries receive you at your journey's end, as my line has welcomed me to my final home. "

"He . . . he killed himself on purpose . . . so you could eat him!?" Trooper asked aghast.

"He sacrificed himself to save the two of you!" Arrow snapped sharply, "Let me tell you about Gavinjork. The practices began during the rule of our greatest King, Archaeopteryx, just after the war between our two great nations. Gavinjork states that, 'When a number of gryphons are without food and starving, that the eldest living gryphon sacrifice themselves for the others to eat so they may survive. The old perish to save the young, that the blood of the innocent remains unspilled.' That last line of law specifies ponies! Do not take this lightly!" Arrow clacked his beak angrily before taking a calming breath to get his emotions under control, "He sacrificed himself for you. We've had enough, we're going home if we can make it."

Leaping into the air, Arrow gave a sharp, shrill whistle. The other gryphons sluggishly rose into the air and converged on Arrow in formation. Every eye of every gryphon was wet and every expression was somber.

"I wish you luck pegasi. Take with you the best wishes of our race and our oldest parting words: Farewell wherever you fly, may your aeries receive you at your journey's end."

As the gryphons turned to fly away, Dash's voice rang out to them,
"Nose to the wind, tail high."

Arrow turned his head back for a brief moment,
"The Hunter's Farewell, I'm surprised you know it."

"I had a gryphon friend once. She was a hunter." Dash responded.

* * * * * * * *

Searcher was dreaming, but he knew he was dreaming. In his dream, he was standing on a raised marble dais in the center of Canterlot.

Canterlot was burning.

In front of him stood a vast army of nightmare creatures bowing in supplicating silence while, in the background, could be heard the groans of the injured, the gurgling coughs of the dying, and the plaintive cries of those who had stood against him, now in shackles.

He smiled down at them, knowing they would spend the rest of their days in bondage, forced to breed generation after generation all for the purposes of fulfilling the whims of the powerful, especially himself.

At the base of the dais stood his cadre of champions. Each bore the signs of slaughter. Blood stained their coats in thick layers and shreds of rent flesh hung from their jaws and talons. Beneath their feet lay the mangled bodies of six young mares, their jewelry tarnished with their own blood. As the champions feasted on the still alive and screaming diarchs of the Sun and Moon, lying bound and helpless at the base of the dais, Searcher began to speak.

"The supposed goddesses have fallen! The era of Light has come to a close! These two," he gestured to Celestia and Luna, "Sought to challenge the power that has now won the day! They arrayed against us the Elements of Harmony, thinking to unleash the Rainbow of Light, the only power against which I cannot stand. You," he gestured to the gathered nightmare creatures, "You stood against them, occupied them, distracted them while I manifested my full power! Your duty is done! Go now, feast on the fallen and claim your slaves! As of today the Rainbow of Light is no more! Today the Rainbow of Darkness claims supreme ownership over not only Equestria but all lands in this world!"

A deafening roar broke out among the nightmare creatures, "FOR DARKNESS!"

The great host of nightmare creatures dispersed with wild abandon as they spread throughout the city. The groans of the injured became piercing, frantic, gibbering screams as the minions of darkness began their victory feast. Elsewhere a different type of screaming commenced as the nightmare creatures began to brutally force breed the next generation of slaves or nightmares. The streets ran red with blood and the screams, pleas, and cries formed into a sadistic symphony that swept over the entire countryside. A single nightmare creature approached him carrying a tiny, crying bundle in its toothy maw. Searcher could see himself reflected in the nightmare creature's eyes.

He stood half again as tall as a normal pony. His coat was pitch black. His four legs ended in a set of razor-sharp claws. Each leg bulged with bulky muscle hinting at untold strength. His narrow, elongated muzzle sported two rows of sharp teeth and his mane and tail shifted, flowing in a non-existent wind, black as the inside of a buried coffin on a moonless night.

He began to laugh loudly as he sat down on the dais and accepted the crying bundle into his dexterous claw. He continued laughing as he unwrapped the newborn foal in the tiny blue blanket. His laughter ceased momentarily as he licked his lips and turned the foal onto its back. He lowered his head and bit slowly into the newborn's soft underbelly, savoring every second as the foal's cries became frantic, thrashing screams as its insides were pierced, shredded and crushed. Lifting his head from the screaming, dying foal, he slurped up a dangling shred of muscle and swallowed with glee. The little blue blanket stained from blue into a deep glossy-wet purple.

He raised his head to the crimson stained sky and let out a high-pitched snarling laugh. All over Canterlot other voices joined his own.

Searcher suddenly sat up from the dream, drenched in a cold sweat and sobbing brokenly. He wrapped his forelegs around his body and rocked back and forth as the dream replayed in his mind. He leaned over the side of the cot and projectile vomited. His stomach heaved and heaved as his tears continued to fall. In between heaves he whimpered piteously, clenching his eyes shut, trying and failing to block the images. He could still hear the cries, still smell the viscera, still taste the blood. Searcher leaned over, heaving again and overbalanced, falling onto the floor and into the puddle of his own vomit. His stomach was empty but still he heaved. He struggled for breath as his body continued trying to purge its already empty stomach. His head spun as he struggled to breathe. His lungs burned for air but his body continued to heave. Searcher heard a roaring sound as his eyes rolled back in his head.

* * * * * * * *

When Searcher awoke next he was startled to find his body already up and awake; not only that but his body was washing its face in a sink,
"Took you long enough, little stallion."

Searcher looked into the mirror above the sink and saw one of the nightmare creatures looking back at him. It was using a cloth to wash its chest of the vomit. Disturbingly enough Searcher's body was wiping itself off in perfect sync with the reflection. Searcher stared at it for several long minutes, trying to come to grips with what he was seeing. The creature smiled wickedly at the troubled unicorn stallion, seeming to find some kind of sick glee at his discomfort.

The oily voice paused in its cleaning as Searcher finally put a name to it,
"The Rainbow of Darkness." he whispered fearfully.

"Did my wittle vision of the future twamatize da wittle pony?" the Rainbow paused briefly as it laughed at its own reeling host, "I had to take over for a while and clean up your spew. You have no stomach for victory, little stallion."

"That's what you are isn't it?" Searcher asked fearing his own words, "The Rainbow of Darkness. I heard it in that 'vision'. You mentioned something about the Rainbow of Light, that it was the only thing you couldn't stand against." the reflection in the mirror sneered angrily, but Searcher continued, "You forced me to tell you about the Elements of Harmony, but how are they so dangerous to you? You're Darkness, how is Harmony your opposite?"

The reflection seemed to chuckle,
"Cashing in on some of that knowledge I promised you huh? I'll tell you indirectly, make it fun. I know you love figuring out puzzles so here is your answer: What is the opposite of logic? What does every sentient being struggle with constantly?"

Searcher thought about it for a few moments before it hit him,
"Emotion is the opposite of logic. Every sentient being struggles constantly with keeping their emotions in check. It's the proverbial balance of right and wrong, good and evil, . . ."

"Or Light and Darkness." the reflection said teasingly.

"So you aren't so much Darkness as you are 'Dark Emotion'?" Searcher asked.

"Why do you think I had you focus so much on specism against the gryphons? It breeds mistrust and hate. Their hearts were all too eager to accept it. They had allowed anger, resentment, bitterness, and hate to fester in their souls after that wingless pegasus killed the dancer. You've been making me steadily stronger since we first met. The most powerful 'Dark Emotion', as you put it, is hate. That's why I tortured you at first, so you would hate me. At first you felt hurt and angry, tasty but not very filling. Next you felt resentment, a bit more substantial. After that you felt bitterness, far more satisfying. Finally, now you hate me. That's what I can use the most. You've hated me for months. You've hidden it well enough though. You closed yourself off emotionally from your friends so they wouldn't worry and be burdened." the reflection cackled loudly, "Hehehehehehe! In all truth, I expended almost all my energy torturing you those first few seconds, but the gamble paid off beautifully. Honestly, had you resisted for a few more seconds I would have been powerless and been destroyed. Now the time has almost come. Tonight . . ."

"Wait!" Searcher called, as the reflection began to fade back to the norm, "I don't understand! Why have you been having me talk about 'The Light' so much?"

The Rainbow of Darkness laughed loudly,
"Do you know what makes the Elements of Harmony so strong? The name itself gives it away, Harmony A.K.A. balance. Harmony is the representation of complete balance of the self. The constant battle between good and evil that gives all intelligent creatures strength of character. Let us say for example that you were born with no inner evil and never needed to struggle against it to make the 'right' choices. Now, let's say that thirty years into your life you suddenly have this 'evil' in you tempting you to do things. You have never known evil, you always did what you felt was right and it was. Because you never developed the strength of character to fight it, you would simply surrender to the 'evil' without a thought. You've never had to fight your desires in the past, so you would just go along with them. In the same way, if you had these conflicting desires all your life and suddenly one of the sides vanished, what would happen?"

"You would be confused, I suppose." Searcher admitted, he was confused.

"Oh a good deal more than confused. You would panic. Good and evil are a part of every intelligent being. If half your being was suddenly stripped from you, it would leave a vacuum, a hole in you. You would feel incomplete and you would do anything to fill that hole once more, anything to feel complete. Once I have 'Dark Emotions' I can multiply them. I 'could' force everypony to make the change into my nightmares, however that would take a great deal of my power and a rather long time. You know how every living thing has its own scent? The same is true for souls. Your society says that evil is something to be avoided, shunned, or fought against. Therefore logic would dictate that ridding oneself of any evil or 'Darkness' would be a thing most desireable indeed. If you offered to take away the 'Darkness' or 'evil' from all of Haysburg, they would jump at the offer, thinking to take the easy way out. All their 'Darkness', and each soul's 'scent' I will have access to. For a few seconds they would relish the sensation but the emptiness would begin tormenting them quickly. The leg bands I had you make are not only filled with protective enchantments but also isolate some emotions while magnifying others. Once the 'Darkness' and 'evil' are gone everypony's inner balance will be shattered. The leg bands will also activate then isolate and lock away their 'good side' leaving them completely empty of either 'good' or 'evil'. The panic will be overwhelming. In the ensuing panic, everypony will beg for their missing part back and I shall give it to them. Once their 'evil' is returned the leg bands will multiply it, mutilate their bodies, and subjugate their wills to me."

The reflection paused briefly then continued,
"You might be asking yourself, 'Why is it telling me all this now before it has happened?' The answer is because you cannot stop me now. If you try to rebel I'll just take over your body and finish this myself. It would be somewhat awkward and inconvenient though. If you play along and further my agenda I'll keep supplying you with knowledge. If you work against me I'll just lock you away and torture you, You'll hate me and make me even more powerful. I win either way. It's up to you."

"I . . . I'll do it." Searcher said, 'Until I find a way to destroy you, you abomination.'

"Let's get to it then. We have leg bands to distribute and some ponies to heal."

Author's Note

This chapter is short. I apologize for that but I wanted to put SOMETHING up. This should give you an idea about how the feel of the story is about to take a turn for the 'dark'. I had always planned for this to happen and this chapter is to help you come to terms with it.
See you soon,
Truthseeker

Chapter 21

"You idiot! You FOOL! YOU IMBECILE!" the Rainbow of Darkness raged within Searcher's mind, "I gave you one task, ONE TASK, and you botch it!"

Searcher smiled internally, 'Yes, yes I did',

Searcher stood in front of a mirror watching his reflection speak to him. The Shadow Beast staring out at him, with his own eyes,was a creature from the darkest patch of nightmarish midnight. He detested what he saw, what he had become, but he knew his plan was too important for him to risk failure.

"But master," Searcher whimpered pitifully through his fangs, "I did my best. The spells you gave me were strange but I tried my best. You were watching everything."

"Apparently not!" the Rainbow of Darkness snarled, "Otherwise this would NEVER have happened!"

"I'm sorry master." Searcher lied, "I wasn't used to forging metal."

"EXCUSES!" the Rainbow of Darkness in his head screeched, "Always more excuses!" it seemed to become focused for a moment, still angry, "The enchantment for the transformation was perfect, but the enchantment for controlling their senses is so imperfect I'll have to use all my power to convince them the Element Bearers are Gryphons. If they saw who they were fighting, their minds would reject the enchantment, they might even break free! The enchantment is so weak they might break free if they saw the truth in a mirror! I have to make their minds see each other as they were, if they saw each other as they are now, the enchantment would shatter. Only my champions are under my complete control. Have them go and destroy every mirror in Haysburg." the Rainbow of Darkness seemed to be calming down, "Alright, I can still do this, it's just going to take all my power to do so . . . I won't be able to maintain that fog, but those two Pegasi should be too weak to do anything but drop like fleshy rocks. Once they are dead, I have nothing to fear. My Champions will destroy the element bearers when they arrive. For now, have them go and destroy every mirror in town. After that, it's time to wake up Colossus."

Searcher swallowed but bobbed his head in a subservient manner,
"Yes master."

* * *

Rainbow Dash was tired, so tired. She and Trooper had been flying for a day and a half with no food of any kind. Were she not in such good shape or if her metabolism wasn't so high she wouldn't have been so bad off. As it stood, she barely had enough energy to stay awake. He wings beat irregularly and she had to stop and rest every hour or so. Trooper had been as faithful and stalwart as she could have ever imagined. He had not voiced a single complaint though she could see the strain of fatigue in his eyes.

"Troops," Dash said to her companion, "I have to rest."

Trooper nodded and began descending toward the ever present thick fog below them. Dash struggled to force her wings to obey her but she was too weak. Her wings locked up suddenly and she entered an uncontrolled fall toward the cloud. Trooper reacted instantly but he didn't have the strength to catch his prismatic partner. Instead he placed himself between Dash and the cloud right in the middle of the distance, to slow her fall and minimize the injury to himself.

Dash slammed into him with a heavy thump and the two Pegasi plummeted to the fog below. Trooper hit first and Dash landed on top of him, her weight knocking the wind from his lungs as she compressed him into the fog. Trooper felt several of his ribs crack under the sudden impact but the fog cloud muffled his cry of pain into a groan.

Dash sluggishly rolled off him,
"Dang it!" she cursed her weakness, "I'm sorry Troops! Are you alright?"

Trooper groaned into the fog but held up his right fore hoof,
"Mmm good."

The two exhausted, famished Pegasi lay where they were, panting laboriously, trying to summon any sort of strength they could. Trooper, thinking outside the box, rolled over sluggishly onto his stomach and bit the fog. He pulled off a piece, chewed, and swallowed. It was bland and it chewed like cotton candy, but it was the first thing either of them had in any form of water in two days. It was unpleasant, but it was wet.

"Eat . . . the fog." Trooper said, "It . . . is . . . water."

Dash, still panting, turned her head and bit off a chunk of fog,
"Taste's like . . . nothing . . . it's wet . . . though." she reached her head down and tore off another chunk of the fog.

Trooper chewed on another piece of fog,
"Is . . . it . . . just me . . . or does . . . the fog . . . seem . . . thinner?"

Dash slowly lifted her hoof and poked the fog,
"I . . . can't . . . tell. I . . . need to . . . sleep. Wake . . . me . . . later." she laid had head down and was asleep before Trooper could answer.

* * *

Colossus groaned and reached his hooves up to rub his eyes, 'I've slept long enough.' he opened his eyes and saw a pitch black monstrous face starring down at him. The face had a long muzzle arrayed with wickedly sharp fangs which protruded from its jowls, the nostrils flared more like those of a predator, a sharp curved black horn adorned its head, arching upward, and its eyes were dark yellow with cat-like pupils. Never in his darkest dreams had Colossus ever imagined such a hideous beast. The mane flowing behind its head seemed to shimmer and Colossus would swear he saw images of mares, stallions, and foals crying, struggling, and screaming in terror and agony within the ever moving wisps. Colossus studied the hideous Shadow Beast above him for a few moments before he smiled, 'Good looking guy.'

"Sorry I was useless for so long." Colossus said to the Shadow Beast, "I'm ready to serve."

The monster grinned a fang filled smile and stepped away from the bed. Colossus had been horribly injured, however thanks to the amount of power coursing through Colossus because of the leg band, the Rainbow of Darkness had pulled from its magic and forced Colossus' body to heal itself. The Rainbow of Darkness hated healing anything, but Colossus was far too powerful to let him just die. He would be useful. The immense Earth Pony rolled over smoothly and slid off the recovery bed, sinuous as a serpent. Tightly bunched, corded muscle flexed and rippled beneath his obsidian shaded flesh and his claws clacked against the floor, leaving small scrapes on the ceramic tiles.

Colossus was a mirror image of the other Shadow Beast, save for his incredible size and ridiculous build,
"Hey there Searcher." the giant said in a friendly tone, through his new razor like fangs, "Is it time to serve?"

Searcher's thoughts and actions were his own, a 'generous gift' from the Rainbow of Darkness, even if his mutated body revolted him,
"It is almost time." Searcher spoke from the Rainbow of Darkness, "Come and meet the others. It will be time to kill soon. The slaughter will begin and when it's done, all of Equestria will lie dead or enslaved for our pleasure. The street will run red with blood."

Colossus had never killed anything before, the small battles and little skirmishes against the Gryphons had frightened him. His parents had both been Royal Guards, 'Your're strong Colossus,' his father had taught him, 'You have to be gentle with everypony else, you could hurt them so easily.' Colossus remembered asking his father why his parents were teaching him to fight if they didn't want him to hurt anypony, 'Because any strong fool can cause injury. It takes real skill to subdue without injuring anypony.' Colossus had taken the lessons to heart. Killing was a concept he had never even considered, the very notion revolted him. He had devoted his life to helping build things, not hurt others.

Colossus smiled through his fangs and licked his chops with a long forked tongue,
"Sounds fun. Do we get to eat them?"

* * *

Valiant eyed the female Shadow Beasts hungrily. Their muscled bodies, sleek flanks, and more demure muzzles made his body burn and shiver with anticipation. He had wanted to be with a mare before, but his dignity and respect had held him in check. That control was gone now and his eyes roved over every sensuous inch of them, lusting after their bodies in a way he had never allowed himself to before. He pictured it in his head, he would tackle one of them, his teeth would sink into the flesh in the back of her neck and she would struggle the whole time, screaming and thrashing wildly. Months later she would birth another Shadow Beast to join them. His spawn would slaughter with him and he would take more and more females for his pleasure. The mares he took would die during the birth as the little Shadow Beasts tore them apart from the inside, thus earning their first kill at birth, it would be glorious. The thought became more and more appealing by the second. Part of his indecision stemmed from the inability to decide which female he lusted for the most and which would produce the most powerful spawn.

'Tinker has a strong body,' Valiant thought, 'She would produce powerful spawn, but Triage or Trauma are smarter, while Birdie,' he licked his chops hungrily, 'Birdie has experience with this kind of thing. She's small and I'm sure she's tight, plus she's liable to scream and struggle the most.' he could feel himself lusting for her with his most base instinct, 'Either way, she's sure to be fun. She's ferocious though, she might kill me afterward.' he mentally shrugged, 'If she does then I was too weak but my spawn will be even more powerful for it.'

There were seven of them waiting in the hallway of the Haysburg clinic while Searcher woke up Colossus. Surf and Miller were eyeballing each other darkly while Triage, Trauma, and Tinker were all casually lounging in the hallway and Birdie was pacing restlessly. Valiant watched her stalk up and down the hallway, claws clicking against the ceramic tiles on the floor, wispy wings folded against her sides. To him, everything about her was arousing. He bent his legs and tightened his muscles preparing himself. His new body was powerful, much more powerful than he was before.

Birdie stopped at the far end of the hallway and turned back around toward the others. She kept pacing, not making any eye contact with them. As she stalked past him, Valiant pounced on her. The two of them snarled, bit, and clawed for a few moments before the stallion gained the advantage. He bit into the tough skin on the back of her neck and pinned her front half to the floor. Birdie squirmed and struggled fiercely against his hold, her hind legs and flank up in the air, wiggling about. Triage, Trauma, and Tinker watched, cackling with laughter as Valiant began to inch himself into position.

The doors at the far end of the hallway burst open revealing Colossus and Searcher. Surf finally decided to have some fun. He whipped his right fore leg out, extending the climbing hook. Miller snarled and bit onto the hook and Surf extended the one on his left leg. He swung the left hook up and over, clubbing Miller on the top of the head, then pulled. The sharper end of the hook embedded itself into Miller's left eye and the tip emerged from his right one. Surf tensed his left leg and pulled, ripping Miller's eyes upward and breaking through the bones in his forehead. Miller's bones crunched as Surf's hook came free of his skull and Miller dropped to the ground limply.

Surf brought the left hook up to his muzzle and licked the eyeball and blood liquid off the tip with great relish.

"That's enough." Searcher said calmly, though he was beyond horrified at what his friends had become.

Valiant looked up and reluctantly let go of Birdie's neck. Not wasting a second, Birdie launched herself straight at Valiant. The two tangled a second time, and Birdie came out on top, holding the front of Valiant's neck in her jaws as the stallion thrashed wildly, chocking for air.

"I said, that's enough." Searcher repeated, 'They've completely lost all morals.' he thought, 'Oh Heaven help us.'

Miller's bones began to knit back together and his eyes reformed, Surf whined,
"Aw, he can regenerate?"

Colossus stood between Surf and Miller as Searcher took a back seat and the Rainbow of Darkness spoke,
"He's the weakest, so he can regenerate from any wound unless he's incinerated." it gestured to Miller with Searcher's right fore hoof, "Your gift is your weapons. You see the lethal potential of everything, this makes you a cunning opponent." it gestured to Valiant, "Your love is now hate," it turned to Birdie, "Your aggression is now restless rage, you are my berserker," it gestured to Triage and Trauma, "You two know the body and all of its weaknesses and exactly how to exploit them," it turned to Tinker, "Your body is strong, like your magic, use both for destruction," it turned to Colossus last, "And you, your strength is unmatched, now your mind is free to do as you wish." it gestured to all of them, "I have freed you from the weak morals that held you back, you are bound only by one thing now, my will."

It paused and shook out Searcher's mane,
"There are several mares on their way here. They will arrive tonight. The other Shadow Beasts will have their chance, but if they fail, it will be up to you. These mares, the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, must die tonight. Finish them as quickly as possible. There are a few stallions with them, likely Royal Guards in disguise, assigned to act as body guards. None of them should present a problem to any of you. Once they are dead, do what you want with the bodies." it paused and looked beyond the Shadow Beasts, "It's growing dark, we must prepare."

"What about the orphanage?" Valiant asked flexing his claws, "Why didn't you let us take care of it?"

"It is of no concern. The foals would be all too easy to slaughter, besides wouldn't all if you appreciate a victory feast after the battle? Nice, tender, juicy foal meat?" the Rainbow of Darkness said.

"What if they escape?" Valiant asked, seeming eager for the slaughter, "We should at least make sure they can't get away."

"Oh they won't," the Rainbow said casually, "Who would dare to go outside with the threat of all of us on the prowl? No, they will still be there for several days."

* * *

Twilight pushed her head through the thick fern on front of her and took her first look at Haysburg. It was difficult to make out much in the dark, but she could pick out a few details. Some of the houses looked badly damaged and gutted, debris was strewn all about the road, and the only light in the whole town was coming from a two story building not far from her position.

A quiet rustle of leaves to her left told of Patriarch next to her,
"We are too late." his voice was hoarse, "Perhaps if we had dedicated ourselves to a stand up fight, this could have been avoided." he hung his head sadly, "We've failed."

Twilight pursed her lips and nudged him with her muzzle,
"There's some lights from that building over there."

Patriarch nodded sadly,
"The orphanage, it's undoubtedly a trap."

Mend pushed his head out of the bush to Twilight's right,
"Does that mean they know about us?" he asked.

Patriarch nodded again,
"Likely, though it's impossible to know for certain."

Live Wire spoke up from behind Mend,
"What if there's Ponies in there who haven't been effected by this evil yet?" he asked, "We need to make sure everypony we can, is saved."

"Ah gotta agree with 'im." Big Mac said, "We don't just guard the Elements, we guard everypony."

Patriarch looked back and forth between the Ponies,
"You realize that if you are attacked, we can come to help you, but we cannot kill. Gryphons haven't killed Ponies for ages and WE will not be the ones to destroy the peace."

"The peace is gone, whether you would risk it not." Sea Blue said solidly, "You will be helping to restore the peace. Follow your convictions, but we need to know you will help if we are in need."

Patriarch grumbled for a moment, then nodded,
"Very well. Should you need us, call out for us, we will hear you."

Rarity, Pinkie, and Applejack nodded seriously, while Fluttershy cowered behind her mane.

"Let us lead. Live Wire and Big Macintosh, stay close to the girls. Dr. Mend and I will lead the way." Sea Blue instructed.

He and Mend sidled up side by side and slowly stepped out of the swamp. There was a small clearing between them and the first couple of houses so they crouched low and waited to see if anything moved. There was some small bit of moonlight seeping through the clouds above Haysburg, but the light only came down to the edge of the town, once within the borders of the town, everything would be all but pitch black.

Live Wire turned to the mares,
"When we move, we want to stay as hidden as possible so crouch down, stick to shadows, and don't be too close to one another."

After more than a full minute of seeing nothing Sea Blue and Mend crept forward slowly. Live Wire and Big Mac lead the girls forward as well. They made their way across the open ground and into Haysburg. Stepping onto the cobblestone street of the town was like crossing an invisible border. The air felt colder and the shadows deepened to the point that nopony could be sure what was an open road and what was an alleyway.

Sea Blue and Mend crept up to the front of the orphanage. Each one picked a window and poked their heads up to see inside, Sea Blue on the left and Mend on the right. The window Sea Blue selected looked right into what appeared to be an office of some kind while Mend's window looked into a kitchen. Neither stallion saw any signs of movement from within.

Mend and Sea Blue congregated with the rest of the Element Bearers at the front door,
"I can't see anything inside, Mend?" Sea Blue asked.

Dr. Mend shook his head,
"Me neither."

"Alright, let's try opening the doors as quietly as we can and slip inside. Once we're in Live Wire and I can look around, we're the lightest . . . "

Rarity cleared her throat quietly,
"Oh really? Since when did you fall under the impression that any of us weight more than you?"

Sea Blue shot Rarity a stern glare,
"Are you suggesting we ask Fluttershy to look around? She would be the lightest of us by far."

"Meep!" Fluttershy squeaked and hid behind her mane.

Rarity gave Sea Blue a pointed stare,
"Surely you can't be serious."

"I'm not, and don't call me Shirley." Sea Blue quipped, "Let us look around, we're the lightest of the stallions and we're also likely to be the most quiet."

Rarity didn't argue, but the expression she wore said the two of them would have some words later. Sea Blue's horn lit up and the handle on the door turned silently. Sea Blue pushed it and it swung open with a loud creak. The assembled Ponies all cringed and looked around, certain they had been heard.

Nothing stirred.

Sea Blue led the way followed closely by Live Wire and the rest. Big Macintosh was the last one inside and he closed the door behind them. The inside was well lit but of there was not a sound from within.

Sea Blue turned to the rest of the group,
"Alright you all stay here and listen out for anything. Live Wire and I will yell if we need help." he turned to the little yellow therapist, "You go right and I'll go left."

They separated, heading different directions. Sea Blue went first to the door on the left, figuring that it led to the office he had seen. He opened the door and his assumption was proved correct. He crept around the office but there were no Ponies inside. Live Wire snuck into the open doorway on the right and found himself in a kitchen, a rather large one in fact. He quietly checked every cupboard and pantry, under the sink, and in cabinets. There were no Ponies in hiding, but there was a remarkable lack of food. The kitchen looked like it had been very tidy until very recently and many of the frying pans were missing from where they had obviously been hanging on the wall above the stove. Some crumbs littered the counters and floor and there was a tiny trail of flour leading back out of the kitchen. The flour was light brown, which explained why Live Wire had missed it in the first place, it was almost exactly the same color as the wooden flooring. Lowering his head, Live Wire followed the trail of flour out of the kitchen and back into the main hallway.

Sea Blue had just exited the office when he and the others saw Live Wire come out of the kitchen, nose to the ground like a hound. They stayed silent as he followed the nearly invisible trail into the right most hallway on the side of the wide stairs directly across from the front door. He continued following the tiny trail until it stopped right at the wooded outside of a trap door set into the floor.

* * *

Heartfelt shushed the foals when she heard scraping against the trapdoor of the storm cellar,
"Ssh, everypony be quiet!" she hissed.

The storm cellar was fifteen paces by fifteen paces wide and deep and three paces tall, just a bit more than enough for a very tall Unicorn. The walls, floor and ceiling were all made out of sandstone, cut from a single piece and smoother to a nearly silky texture. There were thirty cramped cots sitting folded against the wall opposite the trap door. A huge, neatly folded pile of blankets sat off to one side of the cellar while a small assembly of cabinets sat on the opposite side, constantly stocked to help ensure survival for anypony within. There were enough supplies to sustain forty adult Ponies for a week if necessary. An Emergency Illumination Crystal suspended from a net on the ceiling, provided a modicum of yellow light, casting deep shadows all around.

Aside from Heartfelt there were eleven orphans down there, including the unconscious bulk of Molasses. Heartfelt had needed help dragging the older colt on a fluffy blanket down the stairs and into the cellar. She refused to leave him for those . . . things. The colt's body was covered with massive blisters, even his eyelids and muzzle, fortunately, the side he had been laying on was clear of the blisters so he could rest with SOME amount of comfort, if he ever woke up. The foals quieted down but Heartfelt could hear a voice mumbling quietly.

" . . . the bracelets . . . wicked gold . . . " Molasses was half conscious and delirious.

Heartfelt couldn't bring herself to try to quiet Molasses down, he was speaking too quietly to be heard from outside. The scraping sound came again, accompanied by voices.

Heartfelt stepped away from the stairs that led to the trap door,
"If they break in," Heartfelt swallowed hard, "I'll try to hold them off."

An older colt and filly stepped up on either side of her, Chrysanthemum and Quicksilver respectively,
"We'll help." Quicksilver said.

Heartfelt was about to reprimand them when a lavender aura outlined the first of the four deadbolts holding the trapdoor closed. Realization struck and Heartfelt dashed forward to the bolts and bit onto the handle, holding it in place. The force working against her was unstoppable, it slowed down only slightly then resumed its course, pulling Heartfelt to the side. The space of the trap door was too small for Chrysanthemum or Quicksilver to lend their own strength to the task. The bolt slid open and Heartfelt hauled it back closed. The bolt slid open again and Heartfelt slid it closed a second time. The lavender aura surrounded the bolt a third time and slid it open, but held it in place so that the older mare couldn't open it. A yellow aura surrounded the second bolt and slid it open. Heartfelt bit onto it and closed it again. The yellow aura resumed and stayed on it, even after the bolt was open.

Heartfelt was helpless to stop the process, 'Not my foals!' She bit onto the third bolt then locked her jaw, set her neck, and braced her legs. She could see the glow of another aura surround the third bolt, the one held in her teeth. She pulled against the sudden pressure trying to open the bolt and managed to hold it closed. The pressure came a second time and she hauled against it with all her strength until the pressure abated.

Heartfelt could hear voices from the other side of the trap door now that she was so close to it,
"I can't open it." a stallion's voice said, "I pulled as hard as I could but I'm nowhere as strong as you two. I'd wager there's an Earth Pony down there holding the door closed. I can't budge it."

A mare's voice responded in a southern drawl,
"Wait a second, Valiant said he grew up as an orphan . . . " Heartfelt felt her eyes widen, 'Valiant? They know Valiant?' the mares voice continued, "Maybe they know 'im. Try talkin' to 'em."

The first stallion's voice echoed through the trap door,
"Hello?" he called, "We're here to help. We're looking for our friend Valiant. He's a former Vagabond who used to live here. We met some Gryphons in the swamp and they explained something bad is going on here. We can get you out of town to safety but we need you to come out."

Heartfelt was not convinced, 'Everypony in Haysburg knows the story. They're trying to trick me.'

"The warriors come . . . " Molasses mumbled in the quiet of the storm cellar, "The darkness . . . trembles at their arrival . . . "

Heartfelt heard him, 'Molasses never speaks so smoothly. What's going on?'

"Please," a very soft mare's voice asked from the far side of the trap door, "We only want to help you."

"They come . . . let them come . . . " Molasses said.

"We're the Elements of Harmony," another mare's voice said, "We're not going to hurt you."

Heartfelt was taken aback, 'The Elements of Harmony!? Here?'

" . . . Let them in . . . " Molasses said, " . . . Let them in."

Heartfelt was conflicted, 'What do I do? If they really are the Elements of Harmony, they can help, but if they're those . . . things, they could kill us all. I need a question to prove they aren't from Haysburg, something that we all take for granted. . . I know.'

Heartfelt let go of the bolt but firmly wedged her right hoof against it,
"You're not from Haysburg?" she asked, "Then tell me this, what food does Haysburg have plenty of that the rest of Equestria doesn't?"

"Ooh, ooh, I know, it's rice!" a squeaky mare's voice exclaimed, "Haysburg is the only town in all of Equestria that grows rice!"

A stallion's voice responded to her,
"That's right, Valiant said something about that in Canterlot, but how did you know Pinkie?"

"I'm a baker of course! Mr. and Mrs. Cake took a trip to Haysburg a few years ago and brought back a bunch of rice flour. They said the Ponies of Haysburg have so much of it, they don't realize how valuable it it most of the time because they're stuck here all their lives. What's common to them is rare for the rest of Equestria."

Heartfelt unlocked the door and stepped back, 'Either they can read minds, or they know a lot of unusual trivia.'

The trap door opened slowly as Heartfelt, Chrysanthemum, and Quicksilver stood side by side facing the light spilling in from above.

A lavender mare's head poked down through the doorway and smiled at the Ponies inside,
"Dr. Mend, you need to get down there. Somepony doesn't look so good."

A pitch black stallion stepped down through the trap door carrying a pair of heavy looking saddle bags,
"Ma'am," he inclined his head toward Heartfelt, then spotted Molasses lying on one of the cots, "Move aside please, I'm a doctor."

Heartfelt stepped aside and the stallion moved forward urgently. He opened his saddle bags and began working immediately, as the other Ponies descended into the storm cellar. They came down one at a time, five mares and three more stallions. The storm cellar was easily large enough to hold them all and the last one down, a yellow and green Unicorn stallion, closed and bolted the trap door behind them.

Heartfelt breathed a sigh of relief and plopped down on her haunches,
"I'm so glad to see you. After everything that's happened . . . we need help."

Twilight walked up and sat down in front of Heartfelt,
"What happened?"

* * *

"Describe this locket that Searcher always wears." Twilight asked.

Heartfelt had related everything that had occurred between when Searcher, Birdie, and Colossus had arrived until that day. The mares and stallions had listened intently while Dr. Mend worked to treat Molasses' burns.

"It's an upside down golden heart on a gold colored chain." Heartfelt said.

Twilight's eyes bulged almost out of her head,
"And you said he's an archaeologist?"

Heartfelt nodded,
"Yes, why is that important?"

Twilight flopped down onto the stone floor and put her hooves over her eyes,
"Oh no no no no no no no no! This is bad, very bad, very very bad!"

Rarity traded a look with Sea Blue,
"What is it darling?"

Twilight slowly lowered her hooves,
"It's ancient! I didn't even think it existed! I'd only seen it written about twice!" she suddenly froze, "If it's been found . . . oh no!" she began to shake violently, "It could release . . . HIM!"

Rarity rose to her hooves and walked over to Twilight then shoved her snout into the lavender Unicorn's face,
"Darling, calm down and tell us what's going on."

Rarity backed off as Twilight rose to her hooves once more,
"O.K. I'll try to paraphrase this as much as I can. In ancient times before Equestria was founded, before the tribes were even separated, before the years of enslavement under the other species, Ponies lived in a single location, it was something like Dream Valley, I can't remember exactly. To give you an idea, it was about twelve thousand years ago."

Silence reigned in the storm cellar as Twilight continued,
"Anyway, some of the ancients knew incredibly powerful magic, they lived for ages and ages, but they were hunted. A creature named Tirek wielded incredible magic and his secret weapon was called the Rainbow of Darkness. The Rainbow of Darkness was a sentient magical construct that changed, mutilated any creature it touched and the only being that could control it was Tirek. The two of them were unstoppable. They hunted Ponies, transforming them into dark creatures made for battle, living weapons. A mutated and ruined form of life. Tirek's brother, Scorpan, befriended Princess Celestia and Princess Luna and gave them the secret they needed to stop Tirek. The Princesses created and used the Rainbow of Light as a perfect opposition for the Rainbow of Darkness. However, unable to destroy anything sentient, the Princesses stripped the Rainbow of Darkness of its power and imprisoned inside of an inverted, gold colored, heart shaped locket and gave it to the foreign champion to protect until they died. The champion did as asked, but their grave was never found." Twilight sighed and hung her head, "It seems that Searcher found it."

"So what does that mean for us?" Rarity asked.

Twilight rubbed her forehead below her horn,
"It means that if the Rainbow of Darkness is free, it will eventually try to free Tirek. He was imprisoned in Tartar us for his crimes but the Princesses could no more kill him than they could stop time." she looked back up, "However, just because the Princesses couldn't destroy it, that same restriction doesn't hold true to us."

The others all looked at each other puzzled,
"What are you saying Twilight?" asked Live Wire.

Twilight looked him square in the eyes,
"We're going to destroy the Rainbow of Darkness."

* * *

Molasses floated in that mysterious space between life and death. He was aware of sounds, voices. They were talking about things he could just barely make out. Things like the Rainbow of Darkness. In that place, he knew what that was. He could, for the first time think clearly, form thoughts on his own, it was as if some part of his soul had finally connected with his brain. He knew something and these strange new Ponies needed to know it too. He didn't know how he knew it, but he knew it was important.

He opened his mouth to speak but a firm yet comforting hoof enclosed his muzzle,
"Rest easy youngster, save your strength."

The voice was firm but caring,
"The golden bands . . . darkness of gold . . . bend the minds . . . their damnation . . . their salvation . . . break their bonds . . . bring them peace . . . "

Fluttershy ears perked up and she angled her head toward the chocolate colored colt, 'I wonder what he's talking about.'

"So how do we destroy this Rainbow of Darkness?" Applejack asked.

"We'll need the full power of the Elements of Harmony to summon the Rainbow of Light and to do that, we need Rainbow Dash." Twilight said.

"The fog and clouds looked like they were dissipating when we came here," Pinkie Pie said, "And they didn't look like 5th yummy cotton candy clouds that Discord made either. I'll bet Dash ie and Trooper are up there somewhere, we just need to let them know where we are and woosh, they'll swoop on in and help us take out that big meanie pants Rainbow of Darkness."

Twilight nodded,
"It's as good a plan as we can hope for right now." she rose to her hooves and began to pace back and forth while talking, "We can't send off a flare here, it would probably draw too much attention. We need to find an open spot and send up a signal there. Unfortunately, that will draw attention to us, but at least it will be away from the orphans."

"So that means we'll have to stay in one place until Dash and Trooper arrive." Sea Blue said, "That's likely to be an ugly fight. We should chose a spot where we can maximize our effectiveness against an onslaught of opponents, but open enough so that Dash and Trooper can find us. An open courtyard would lead to us being overwhelmed, but a doorway would restrict us to fighting one at a time and that presents the issue of one of us replacing the other once we become fatigued. A small opening would be ideal, about ten paces wide so we can maneuver but small enough that we can plug the hole."

Twilight nodded,
"That sounds about right." she stopped pacing and headed toward the trap door, "Come on, we need to hurry. The longer we wait, the stronger the Rainbow of Darkness will become."

Dr. Mend finished tending to Molasses,
"He's stable for now. Make sure he doesn't move once he wakes up." he turned to Heartfelt, "We'll be back. Keep the foals quiet. You'll know it's us if you hear the password, 'peace'. Lock the door behind us."

He turned and followed the others back up and out of the storm cellar. Heartfelt locked the door behind them.

* * *

The Rainbow of Darkness monitored each of the Shadow Beasts through their mental link which allowed it to command its minions. The Shadow Beasts roamed Haysburg crawling on walls and ceilings, creeping through dark alleys, and watching from rooftops. Their enhanced vision was more than enough to allow their eyes to pierce the inky blackness.

'There!' the Rainbow shouted triumphantly in Searcher's mind, 'They're sneaking through the alleys.' the Rainbow grew more quiet as if in contemplation.

"May I see them too Master?" Searcher asked.

'Hmm?' the Rainbow sounded distracted, 'I suppose so.'

Searcher's mind saw through the eyes of one of the Shadow Beasts. It seemed to be hanging onto the side of a wall, looking directly down at the five mares and four stallions. Searcher had never seen any pictures of the famous Element Bearers but he noticed something right away, 'The Pegasi mare looks just like Birdie, only a little taller.' The nine Ponies moved in a single file line with a turquoise stallion with a bright orange and yellow streaked mane and tail in the lead and a massively built red stallion in the rear. They moved slowly and carefully, looking in all directions. They actually looked directly at the Shadow Beast that was watching them but not one seemed to recognize it was there.

'Hahahaha!' the Rainbow of Darkness laughed loudly, 'How pathetic! They can't even see what's right in front of them! This will be too easy!'

Searcher said nothing, fearing for the safety of the nine Ponies, 'I'm so sorry for what you have to deal with.' he thought mournfully, 'I'll help you when I can, but I have to wait for the right time. Forgive me. Please forgive me.'

'Alright, they're moving toward that house with the wall missing. If they stop there, surround them and wait for my order. We'll crush them in seconds.' the Rainbow of Darkness said jubilantly.

Searcher braced himself, 'I can't let anything happen to them.' his thoughts turned to the Rainbow of Darkness with hatred, 'I won't let this evil thing hurt anypony else.'

'You're hating me again, little Unicorn.' the Rainbow of Darkness said, 'I can feel it strengthening me. Your hate gives me more and more power by the second.'

'If my hate gives it power . . . perhaps love will weaken it.' Searcher didn't know if he could do such a thing, to love such a monstrosity, it was unthinkable.

* * *

Trooper stirred and slowly awoke from his slumber. Without thinking, he began biting off chunks of the fog and eating them. They still tasted beyond bland, but he was feeling slightly more invigorated than he had before. His weariness was bone deep and he felt like he could sleep for a week, but his mind was somewhat more clear.

After ten hefty mouthfuls of fog, he attempted to stand. His legs felt weak, like jello. They shook unsteadily as he forced himself into an upright position. Raising his head, he cast his eyes about, searching for any sign of direction. Night had apparently fallen, but to his surprise and immense relief, the moon shown down from above, illuminating the fog. Trooper's jaw hung open when his eyes finally adjusted to the gloom and he saw the fog that he and Dash had been sleeping on, ended a short flight away. There was a circular hole in the cloud cover and it was spreading slowly as if a powerful force that had been holding it was waning.

Trooper slowly walked over to Dashes slumbering form on unsteady legs and nuzzled the cyan mare awake,
"Wake up Dash." he said gently, "Wake up, the fog is lifting."

Rainbow Dash lifted her head before she even opened her eyes,
"Uh," she groaned, "Five more minutes Troops. This mare needs her beauty rest." she began lowering her head back down.

Trooper smirked in the darkness,
"I will have to respectfully disagree." he nuzzled her right cheek, "You are quite beautiful enough. Come now, the fog is lifting and we can forage. Does food not sound appealing right now?" he asked.

Dash was awake in an instant,
"Food! Where!?" she asked looking left and right.

Trooper chuckled in a good-natured manner,
"I said we can forage for some. Who knows, perhaps we are close to Haysburg and can sample some of that famous rice Valiant mentioned." he turned and took a step, "Of course we have to get there first."

Dash struggled into a standing position and spread her wings,
"We'll then let's get going." she tried to sound energetic, but her voice betrayed her fatigue.

She flapped her wings and sluggishly rose into the air, grunting with exertion. Trooper rose into the air alongside her and together they made their way toward the distant opening in the fog.

* * *

Sea Blue squinted his eyes in the darkness. He and the others were slinking through an alley as quietly as they could. They had decided against using magic to enhance their vision for fear of giving themselves away because the spell would make their eyes glow. So with Sea Blue in the lead, they slowly made their way through the alleys and narrow avenues of Haysburg. Approaching the end of an alley, Sea Blue poked his head around the corner and looked around. Their alley opened up into a wide courtyard which had a stone fountain in the very center.

Sea Blue looked around and spotted a building which looked very likely, he turned to his friends and whispered,
"We're at the Town Square. There's a house five buildings away that has the wall facing the Square torn clean off. It's a two story house and both floor face the Square. I'd say that's our best bet for a good spot to signal from. We'll sneak over to the house, get inside, us stallions will form a semicircle around the walls and you mare can stay behind us and keep an eye out for Dash and Trooper. Sound good?"

Twilight shrugged,
"As good as any other plan."

Sea Blue led the way and the others followed him. As they snuck around the front of the buildings toward the open faced house, the clouds overhead began descending toward the ground. The moonlight that had been filtering through the clouds slowly dimmed until they reached the house, when the moonlight faded entirely, leaving the Ponies in inky darkness. They could barely make each other out in the darkness.

Sea Blue reached the house first then turned and counted as the others inched past him,
"Rarity, Twilight, Pinkie, Dr. Mend, Big Macintosh . . . " Sea Blue's blood ran cold as he turned and harshly whispered to the others, "Where's Fluttershy!?"

* * *

The yellow Pegasus mare is huddling between two houses, trying to get away from the dark!' the Rainbow of Darkness laughed, 'THESE are the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony? Ha! They're nothing more than a bunch of Ponies, barely old enough to be called adults! THEY are supposed to wield the most powerful magical artifacts in the world!? Oh, this is hilarious!'

Searcher saw Fluttershy through the eyes of one of the Shadow Beasts as it crept down the wall above, toward the shivering, terrified mare below. She was lying down on the ground huddling with her fore hooves over her head shivering like it was freezing cold outside. She whimpered and groaned and Searcher felt terrible for her.

'Kill her.' the Rainbow of Darkness ordered coldly.

Searcher braced himself and forced his will against the Rainbow of Darkness, through the bond,
'No!'

The Shadow Beast froze in place and the Rainbow of Darkness turned on the Unicorn stallion, 'You DARE defy me!?'

Searcher thought quickly,
"If she screams or makes any noise, the others will be alerted. Better to take them all by surprise. Which is better, one or all?"

The Rainbow of Darkness seemed to ponder the statement, 'Not a terrible idea.' it sounded amused, 'Alright then, stay back from her. Once they are all together ambush them all. All of you get into position and wait for my command.'

Searcher saw the Shadow Beasts creeping silently toward the little house as the turquoise Unicorn stallion ventured out away from the others. Searcher could hear the stallion calling softly for the mare as he made his way back the way the group had come from. He crept quickly, still hardly making any sound.

* * *

"Fluttershy!" Sea Blue whispered harshly, "Fluttershy where are you?"

He crept past an alley, two buildings away from the house the others were huddled inside of and heard a whimper from within,
"Fluttershy?" he called.

He heard the whimper again and turned down the alley. He kept his eyes moving constantly, searching for any sign of movement or any indication of the yellow mare's location. His skin crawled as he moved through the darkness. It was creepy and unnatural, as if the living world had drained away leaving this mire of obsidian colored shroud to confuse and frighten any who dared to enter. His right fore hoof struck something in the darkness and Sea Blue heard a terrified squeak.

He instantly dropped to the ground, hooves moving all over her body, checking for injuries,
"Fluttershy, you need to follow me. Are you hurt?" he asked urgently.

"N . . . no. I'm just so scared! It's so dark and I can't see!" she sprung up and wrapped her fore hooves around Sea Blue's neck, "Don't go!"

Convinced she was not injured, Sea Blue felt a stab of annoyance, but kept it in check,
"Come on," he urged her, "We need to get back to the others."

He pulled her upright with his fore hooves,
"Bite onto my tail and don't let go. Just close your eyes and follow where my tail goes."

He couldn't see her frightened nod, but he turned around and gently slapped his tail against her face. She reflexively bit down onto the gluten brush and closed her eyes. Sea Blue felt her chomp down on his tail and nodded to himself. He began walking slowly back toward the rest of the group. Fluttershy whimpered with nearly every step.

It took more than three minutes for them to return to the house,
"I have her." Sea Blue said once he could make out Big Macintosh in the darkness.

Rarity and Pinkie dashed forward, hugging Fluttershy close and gently pulling her back, deeper into the house. Sea Blue walked up to Big Mac and eased past him. He found Dr. Mend on the far side and Live Wire beyond him. Each of them was facing outward two paces apart.

Sea Blue inched his way back to Big Mac and leaned into the larger stallion's ear,
"You go all the way to the right and I'll take the middle with Mend. You and Live Wire are the strongest of us, leave Mend and I to the middle."

Big Macintosh responded with his usual answer, only a much more quiet one than normal,
"Eyup." he whispered.

Big Mac moved over to the side and Sea Blue took his place between the two Earth Ponies,
"Alright Twilight. Send up that flare when you're ready."

* * *

'On my command,' the Rainbow of Darkness said to the gathered Shadow Beasts.

The entirety of them, save for Surf, Miller, Tinker, Triage, Trauma, Valiant, Colossus, and Birdie were surrounding the house. There were more than a hundred of them, less than twenty paces away from the small group. Searcher felt a chill crawl up his spine. He couldn't afford to try to delay the Rainbow of Darkness, it would be too suspicious. He determined to wait until the Shadow Beasts had engaged the stallions to interfere. If they could fend for themselves, as extraordinarily unlikely as that seemed, he would wait until the Element Bearers were in jeopardy before he interfered. Ideally, he would wait until all the mares were together and preparing their Elements. He would distract the Rainbow of Darkness and leave it open to attack.

'Ready . . . ' the Rainbow of Darkness ordered.

* * *

Twilight's horn lit up and she shot a flare straight up through the clouds.

* * *

'ATTACK! KILL THEM ALL!' the Rainbow of Darkness shrieked at the Shadow Beasts.

Chapter 22

Live Wire only saw them for a brief second as Twilight's flare lit up the sky on its way toward the low clouds. Black shapes in the darkness, only a few paces away, charging toward himself and the others. In an instant, his horn lit up and his spells locked into place, covering the eyes of all the other Ponies standing with him.

Dr. Mend's vision sharpened as the darkness seemed to disappear. He could see everything in muted colors, but the black creatures with open jaws and razor sharp teeth and claws distracted him from taking in the sights. He ducked down just as one creature snapped it's jaws shut above his head. He tensed his legs and raised his head as he sprang upward, cracking the jaws of the onyx nightmare closed. His momentum carried him up a full pace into the air and he lashed out with his fore hooves left then right in rapid succession. The creature shrieked like a feral animal as several of its teeth flew from its mouth, each one leaving a crimson trail in its wake.

Sea Blue sidestepped a claw swipe from a creature, spun on his fore hooves and kicked out with both of his hind legs. The Shadow Beast's injured body launched backward into the one behind it. Sea Blue recovered and turned around, performing a quick hop over a limb full of low swiping claws aiming for his legs. He stretched out his legs and landed on the clawed limb with the sickening crunch of broken bones. Sea Blue lit up his horn, picked up the Shadow Beast, and threw it back into its brethren scattering them like bowling pins.

Live Wire dodged right nimbly avoiding a horizontal claw swipe then reared up on his hind legs and used his fore hooves to continue his attacker's momentum directly into the edge of the wall next to him. The creature's head smacked into the wall with a loud crack. The creature stumbled dizzily for a moment before Live Wire leaped forward into the air. He brought his hind legs down directly over the creature's flanks, pressing them down to the ground. The little yellow therapist reached his fore hooves forward and wrapped them around his assailants neck. He rocked his weight back until his back hit the ground. He pulled up his hind legs and planted them into the creature's back and pulled with his fore hooves. using the momentum and his back legs to launch the Shadow Beast backward. The nightmare flew backward into the air, over the heads of its brethren. Live Wire rolled to the side and came back up to a fighting stance, ready for the next attacker.

Big Macintosh used his left fore hoof to stop and block the swiping claws of the creature attempting to open his neck. He reared his head back and struck the creature with his forehead with the sound of a resounding crack. The creature staggered for a brief half a second until the massive stallion's rear hooves struck it's chest with a sickening crunch. The creature flew backward like a rag doll shot from the barrel of a gun. It hit and knocked over more than a dozen others behind it, scattering them like bowling pins.

* * *

'WHAT!?' the Rainbow of Darkness shrieked, 'It's not possible! It's ridiculous! It's inconceivable! No Pony should be able to withstand the power of the Shadow Beast!'

Searcher held back a sigh of relief, 'At least they're holding their own for now.' his worry returned in full force as he looked at the so called Champions standing around him, 'Once they enter the fight though, it won't take long to finish.'

Birdie was all but vibrating with anticipation for the fight.

'Take to the walls and roof!' the Rainbow of Darkness ordered, 'They will surely fall. Nopony can fight a battle on so many fronts!' it seethed in anger, 'I cannot hold onto the clouds any longer. Birdie!'

Birdie's eyes shifted from the fight to Searcher,
"Yes Master?" she asked.

'Fly up above the clouds and wait for those two other Pegasi. That flare had to have been a signal of some kind. Those two are flagging badly. Once you spot them, swoop down and bring death down upon their heads.'

Birdie smiled a psychotic, fang filled smile and leaped into the air, flying straight up.

* * *

Trooper and Dash were already exhausted despite the nap they had taken earlier. They were a few dozen flaps away from the dissipating clouds when a brilliant flare streaked upward from the ground below and exploded in a cascade of sound and light. The brilliant flash and deafening report of the explosion disoriented the two Pegasi badly. On the plus side, thanks to both of them having been trained on how to deal with lightning and thunder, which could blind or deafen any Pegasus, the two of the froze in mid air, hovering and waiting for their senses to return.

It took several seconds for their senses to return enough to communicate,
"I dare say that could only have been Twilight!" Trooper bellowed through the ringing in his ears.

Dash wriggled her right fore hoof in her ear vigorously and blinked away some of the spots obscuring her vision,
"Naw, you think!?" she withdrew her hoof from her ear and flew up alongside Trooper, "At least we know where they . . . "

Dash trailed off looking at something beyond Trooper. Trooper, always in the habit of looking others in the eyes, saw a pitch black outline reflected in Dashes eyes, 'That is not a blind spot!'. He spun on the wing and lashed out with both his right legs, calling forth his armor in an instant. His hooves met only air as his assailant back winged and raked its claws against his armored back as he followed through with his spin.

He caught only a brief glimpse of his attacker. A jet black outline of a creature with long claws, sharp teeth, and wispy mane and tail. Trooper strained his muscles to correct his orientation but failed to see the lightning quick claws that caught him in the left side of his jaw, flaying open his cheek below his helmet. Ignoring the numbing shock of his facial trauma, he struck out with his right forehoof. The creature rolled with the hit and the two of them began striking at each other too quickly for even Trooper's own eyes to follow. Trooper was hard pressed just to block the attacks. He didn't have time to plot out his tactics. He could only respond with his reflexes, constantly on the defensive.

Trooper coughed hoarsely as he fought,
"Get to the others!" he shouted, "Find them quickly! I don't know how long I can keep this up!"

Dash turned to fly toward Haysburg. Trooper's words had distracted him enough for the Shadow Beast to plant a claw against his side. Birdie's claws were halted by his armor, but the incredible force of the blow knocked the wind out of him and spun him into a disoriented free-fall. The Shadow Beast oriented on Dash and charged after her with incredible speed. Dash, weakened though she was, flew like a meteor and the creature followed her, hot on her tail. Weak or not, exhausted or not, there was no living being that was faster than Rainbow Dash on the wing. Dash was fast, faster than fast, but her stamina was short lived and she felt herself weakening quickly.

Her wing strokes began to slow and Birdie began closing the distance between them with frightening speed. The corrupted, mutated Pegasus reached out her claws, ready to tear into the unprotected back of the cyan mare. Dash turned her head and saw Birdie closing in on her. Pivoting in the air, Dash turned to face her attacker. She knew she wouldn't stand a chance if the Shadow Beast's claws connected with her skin. This was obviously not a normal foe so she decided to use an abnormal tactic. In the blink of an eye she spun back around and kicked both her hind legs out. Birdie saw the attack coming and raised her elevation to strike at Dash's back. It was exactly what Rainbow Dash hoped for.

She brought both her wings upward in an instant and slapped a wing on either side of Birdie's head effectively boxing her ears. The hit connected and Birdie was stunned for a brief blessed moment. Dash took off again, flying downward toward her friends. Birdie quickly shook off her disorientation and flew after Dash again. She never noticed Trooper coming barreling in from her right.

He threw out his shoulder and collided with Birdie, knocking her to the side, spinning her like a top. Not wasting his momentum, he charged in, toward Birdie, flying for all he was worth. Birdie righted herself faster than any creature should have been able to, just in time to meet Trooper's attack head-on. The two of them dissolved into a nearly invisible flurry of flailing hooves, claws, teeth, and wings. Trooper allowed himself no other distractions and focused entirely on his foe as Birdie felt the thrill of her berserker rage kick in. He couldn't afford to worry about Dash, he had done what he could, she was on her own.

* * *

The Shadow Beasts pressed their attack against the four stallions, coming in twos and threes at a time, shoulder to shoulder, trying to get at them. Big Mac turned in place and kicked out catching two separate Shadow Beasts in the chests and flinging them backward. Unfortunately he didn't see the one above him drop from the roof, aiming for his back. Half a second before it struck, a lasso streaked out of the darkness from behind the muscular red stallion and caught the Shadow Beast around the neck. The lasso pulled tight and hauled the creature back into the darkness. Half a second later it flew back over Big Mac's head with a disgruntled squawk, propelled by Applejack' well-toned hind legs.

"Ain't nothin' an' Ah mean nothin' gonna get away with a sneaky move like that against one Apple when there's TWO o' us around!" Applejack hollered loudly, lasso circling around above her head, held by her long, dexterous tail, "Ah ain't lettin' one bum leg stop me! Granny Smith got a bum hip an' she'd STILL kick yall's sorry flanks!"

Dr. Mend kicked a Shadow Beast in the jaw with a resulting shower of flying teeth, only to see a second one leaping over his head. The world seemed to slow down as it passed directly over his head. He bunched up his legs and sprang upward, fore hooves aimed at the underside of its jaw. His fore hooves hit like a jackhammer and the Shadow Beast's head snapped back. Its back legs dipped toward the ground as the blow to its head altered its trajectory in the air. Flexing his stomach muscles, he brought his hind legs forward, coiled his muscles, and planted them against the creature's stomach in a powerful double kick. His back legs snapped out and the Shadow Beast went flying back like a catapult stone. Dr. Mend landed on the back of a third creature that had attempted to duck past him, crushing it to the ground with his hard hooves. He looked up just in time to see a fourth one leap in and land right between he and Sea Blue.

When it's clawed feet hit the ground, a rude sound of flatulence made it look down in puzzled distraction. A whoopee cushion lay flattened by its right fore leg. It looked up in confusion and came face to muzzle with the bane of boring gatherings everywhere: Pinkie Pie's Party Cannon. The creature's ears drooped, it's eyes widened, and it let out a pathetic whimper just before the patriarch of perfect party preparation plastered it's particularly pained and puzzled puss backward in an explosion of confetti and streamers.

Ears ringing from the report of the Party Cannon, Sea Blue lowered his head beneath a pair of biting jaws and gored a Shadow Beast in the shoulder. With his horn still inside it's flesh, he channeled his magic into his horn and blasted the thing backward releasing a bolt of force into its flesh. He shook his head and quickly cast a spell to deaden sound on both his ears and those of Dr. Mend. He looked up too late to counter the swinging claws of the Shadow Beast right in front of him. A long yellow scarf wrapped itself around the claw and pulled it into over extending it's swing, missing Sea Blue by a hair. Not wasting any time, the turquoise stallion spun in place and kicked out his hind legs. The kick snapped the Shadow Beast's limb to the accompanying sound of shattering bone. Rarity stepped up next to Sea Blue, levitating a selection of eight gems of different colors, the yellow silk scarf, and a bottle of . . .

"Hairspray!?" Sea Blue asked aghast.

Rarity shot one of the gems forward, striking a Shadow Beast in the chest,
"Have you even had hairspray in your eyes darling?" she asked primly, "It positively burns!" as if to prove her point, she levitated the hairspray bottle forward quickly and squirted a Shadow Beast in the face with it.

The creature screeched and began pawing at its eyes while Rarity shot Sea Blue a smug look,
"See?" she looked back at the thing as Sea Blue grasped a Shadow Creature with his magic and threw it backward, "Honestly darling, I ALMOST feel sorry for the thing." seven more gems detached from the group floating around Rarity and began pummeling a Shadow Beast like a quick, featherweight fighter.

Live Wire was pressed to his physical limit. He ducked and spun and kicked and cast spells as quickly as his over clocked brain would allow, but it still wasn't enough. He fought five enemies simultaneously, but he was constantly on the defensive. He couldn't find the time to land a single hit of his own and he was steadily accumulating an impressive number of shallow scratches from close calls. A quintet of lavender force bolts struck the three Shadow Beasts, throwing them back into the crowd of their ilk. Live Wire was nearing exhaustion as Twilight stepped up next to him, horn glowing. Side by side, the two Unicorn's brought their magic to bear on the enemy.

Fluttershy watched her friends fighting, in horror. It was terrible, 'So much violence!' her mind shouted, 'I don't know how to fight!' another loud crunch of bones reached her ears and she cringed, feeling sick, 'I can't do this! I'm sorry everypony, but I can't do this!'

A loud chorus of screeched hunting cries filled the air as the Gryphons charged into the side ranks of the Shadow Beasts. Natural born predator met mutated monstrosity in a terrifying jumble of talons, claws, beaks, and teeth as the Gryphons ripped into the back ranks of the Shadow Beasts with reckless abandon.

* * *

'Aha!' the Rainbow of Darkness crowed in delight, 'Their trump is thrown! Victory was in question but with their allies keeping my minions busy, the Ponies will surely feel their victory is assured!'

Searcher could feel that the Rainbow of Darkness was straining it's power keeping the citizens of Haysburg from seeing what they had become. Every time one of them saw another, it had to reassert it's control and the strain was growing.

'Now my Champions! Crush the Elements! Colossus, take the big red one. Miller, destroy the turquoise stallion. Surf & Turf, the old black stallion is yours. Triage, Trauma, the little yellow one is trouble, annihilate him. Tinker, Valiant, take care of the mares while the others enjoy their play time!'

* * *

With the Gryphons occupying the Shadow Beasts, the Elements of Equestria could finally take a breather. The stallions were tired and panting heavily and the mares were with them, offering water, while Dr. Mend worked on trying to disinfect the plethora of small cuts he and his friends had accumulated.

The ground suddenly vibrated from an impact tremor and the Ponies looked away from each other, toward the origin of the sound. An incredibly massive Shadow Beast charged right into their midst, violently tossing Dr. Mend, Rarity, Sea Blue, and Twilight into the walls of the house. Its charge carried it to the rear wall of the house and through it in an explosion of splinters. The house shook violently from the damage, a third of its back wall torn away.

"TWITCHY TAIL!" Pinkie cried loudly, "TWITCHY TAIL!"

"The house is going to collapse!" Dr. Mend yelled.

Dr. Mend bit onto Rarity's tail and hauled her out from under the collapsing house as Live Wire levitated Twilight and Fluttershy, Big Mac hefted Applejack, and Sea Blue moved to grab Pinkie, only to find her already with the others. He managed to get out from under the house as it collapsed almost on top of him.

Live Wire was almost frantic as he nudged Twilight's bleeding head with his muzzle,
"Twilight! Twilight wake up! Please wake up!"

Rarity was in no better situation. Both of her hind legs were twisted at unnatural angles, but thankfully she was unconscious as well. Dr. Mend was having trouble breathing, he was certain that at least three of his ribs were broken. By some miracle, Sea Blue was unharmed.

"Twilight hit her head against a wall when that big one charged in!" Dr. Mend yelled trying to rise and see to the unconscious mare.

"We'll now," a husky feminine voice spoke behind Mend, "That's rather convenient for us now isn't it."

The battered Elements of Equestria turned to face the new threats. These Shadow Beasts seemed different. Triage and Trauma stalked, side by side around Live Wire as he stood protectively over Twilight's unconscious body and Fluttershy moved about, using him as an equine shield against the twins. Miller paced back and forth in front of Sea Blue like a stalking lion while the turquoise stallion stood interposed between Rarity and the newest threat. Surf chuckled to himself and pranced in place, doing a little happy dance in anticipation of the fight to come. He suddenly jumped into the air and lashed out at the air with his hooks, performing a frighteningly deft display of graceful swipes with the hooks that extended from his forehooves. Surf landed and threw Dr. Mend a huge, toothy grin as he continued to prance lightly. Tinker and Valiant circled Applejack and Big Mac leering at them greedily.

Dr. Mend's mind grew grim and determined as he prepared to summon his armor,
"Stay back!" he snarled.

"Ohh, a feisty one." Tinker purred sliding her long split tongue over her fangs, "I'm going to enjoy this."

The clouds above finally dissipated enough for moonlight to stream down on the Ponies and monsters preparing to fight. A glint of light, reflected from Trauma's right fore leg, caught Fluttershy attention, 'A gold band.' her mind flooded with the dreams she had about Valiant. Suddenly Molasses' words made sense, 'The bands!'

"Break their gold leg bands!" Fluttershy cried.

A flicker of motion caught her eye and she turned toward one of the Shadow Beasts circling Applejack and Big Macintosh, it looked familiar somehow, there was something about it that tickled at her memory. There was something about its walk, the way it held itself and suddenly it struck her, she had seen this particular one in her dreams.

She covered her mouth with her forehooves as the weight of her realization hit her full-force,
"V . . . Valiant?" she asked, eyes stinging from sudden, gathering tears, "No," she whimpered, "No it isn't true! It can't be!"

* * *

'She knows him?' Searcher wondered.

'She knows him?' the Rainbow of Darkness wondered, 'He heard her.' it said in quiet disbelief, then louder, 'He heard her!' it repeated its realization, 'HE HEARD HER! Stop listening to her!' it shrieked, 'Attack! Kill her now!'

* * *

Valiant heard the command, but something seemed off, 'She seems familiar.' he puzzled, 'There's something about her . . . '

'KILL HER!' the Rainbow of Darkness screamed in his mind, it smashed the budding recognition back into submission, 'KILL HER NOW!'

Valiant blurred into action, charging toward the gentle Pegasus mare.

* * *

Everything happened at once.

Triage and Trauma both simultaneously charged Live Wire.

Surf charged Dr. Mend.

Miller charged Sea Blue.

Colossus emerged from an alleyway and charged Big Macintosh.

Tinker charged Applejack.

Valiant charged Fluttershy.

The Elements of Peace summoned their armor.

And Rainbow Dash smashed hard into Tinkers side like a prismatic wrecking ball.

Dash's momentum was so great that the force of her flight picked up Tinker and plastered both mares into the side of a nearby stone building in a small explosion of shattered rock.

Sea Blue and Miller collided, shoulder to shoulder then reared back, and began beating and clawing wildly at one another. Sea Blue scored a wicked hit on Miller with his right forehoof. Sea Blue, strengthened by his armor, shattered Miller's skull and jaw. Bone, teeth, blood, and brain flew in a spray or gore as Miller collapsed in a heap, dead from a single hit. Sea Blue lowered himself back down and stared at the body in abject horror. His horror turned into utter, disbelieving shock as Miller's head and jaw knit itself back together before his very eyes.

Miller slowly stood up, cracked his neck, and opened his eyes wearing an evil smile, as Sea Blue stepped back,
"Aw come on! That's not fair!."

Live Wire ducked a beam of black colored magic from Trauma as it sliced through the air where his head had been a split second before. Triage came at him from the left side before he could recover and body-checked him away from Twilight. The force of the blow was great enough to toss him into the air. He twisted in mid-air and channeled magic through his horn. A beam of yellow magic streaked out from him and connected with Triage. He pulled and reeled the two of them together like magnets and struck out with all four legs, sending her skidding and rolling on the cobblestones. Trauma looked up from where she was about to tear into Twilight's neck, and took a yellow horn to her side. Live Wire charged his magic and blasted her away, into the pile of rubble that had been a house. He had only a brief moment of respite before the twins picked themselves up and attacked him again.

Dr. Mend forced his body to obey him, even through the pain of his broken ribs. Surf & Turf swung his right fore leg out, extending the hook toward Mend's head. Dr. Mend ducked only to be swept off both his fore legs by Surf's other hook. Pushing his advantage, Surf leaped into the air, both hooks extended to pierced Mend's back and neck. Mend darted forward and leaped, using his head to slam into Surf's rib cage. The power behind Mend's attack launched Surf high into the air, but a quick shift of his body extended his hang glider. Surf halted his flight and came streaking back toward Mend like an arrow.

Colossus charged into Big Macintosh like a runaway locomotive. He swiped at the armored stallion time after time, raining down blows that Big Mac ducked, dodged, bobbed, and weaved around.

Swipe
"Nope."

Miss

Swipe
"Nope."

Miss

Swipe
"Nope."

Miss

Swipe
"Nope."

Miss

Colossus left small openings with each swipe of his claws, but Big Mac kept waiting until he saw a solid opening so he could try to destroy the gold band. He jumped and rolled, always moving, never blocking. He knew that a single solid hit from the gargantuan monster would probably leave his sister unguarded.

Swipe
"Nope."

Miss

Swipe
"Nope." he saw the feint too late.

SMEAR

A single hit connected with the side of Big Mac's armored head. The unfathomable power behind the blow sent the red Earth Pony flying through the air trailing blood like a streaming crimson banner. Big Mac hit the side of a wooden framed business and went right through the wall amidst a shower of splintered cedar.

Applejack looked on, trying to coax on the red stallion,
"Come on big brother!" she cheered, "Ah know yall ain't gonna let somethin' like that keep ya down!" as she stared at the hole in the building she fervently hoped she was right.

Her fears were made manifest when the building started to shake and crumple a few seconds later,
"Big Mac!" Applejack limped toward the building as quickly as she could manage, "Hang in there!" she grunted in pain, "Ah'm commin'!"

Her heart soared as she saw the silhouette of her older brother rise from the debris inside. He had only just barely stood up when the entire building collapsed down on top of him.

* * *

'YES!' the Rainbow of Darkness crowed triumphantly, 'That armor was an unexpected surprise but in the end it STILL didn't matter! Now Colossus, kill the orange mare!'

* * *

Trooper was beyond tired. He was beyond spent. He was beyond exhausted. His fight with Birdie continued unabated, her strength and stamina seemed to know no bounds. She never flagged or slowed, she was relentless as a hurricane. Trooper knew he had only a matter of minutes at best before his strength failed him completely. Feeling desperation's icy grip, he resolved himself to desperate measures, 'If I am to land a blow, I will have to take some as well.'

He back-winged and changed tactics as Birdie pressed her offensive. From that point onward in their fight, every time she struck him, he struck her back.

* * *

Live Wire was blur of legs and spells as he fought Triage and Trauma at the same time, trying time and time again to get at those damnable gold bands. Triage charged up her horn to cast a spell at him and he responded by kicking her horn. Trauma tried to bite his neck and he responded by firing a blast of energy directly into her toothy maw. He tried to lash out with his left fore leg to hit Trauma with a follow up, but Triage's jaws suddenly clamped down around said leg. The teeth of her upper jaw were halted by the armor while the teeth of her lower jaw sliced through his flesh like razors through a sheet.

Searing pain lanced up his leg and he brought his right fore leg down on the top of her head in rapid succession, trying to dislodge her. He struck: once, twice, three times, four times before she pulled backward on his leg. The force threw him off balance and he toppled, chest first, onto the cobblestone road. Trauma, now recovered, leaped onto his back and bit down on his horn. The little therapist howled in agony as her teeth ground back and forth against his hypersensitive magical appendage.

Sea Blue was beginning to tire. No matter how many times he seemed to kill his foe, the Shadow Beast just kept regenerating. He had crushed its skull, snapped its neck, broken its back, stomped clean through its rib cage, and even shattered its pelvis and unmentionables with a hefty double kick, but it just wouldn't stay down. He knew that at the rate he was going he would tire himself out long before he won. Deciding to try a new tactic, he charged forward in a streak of motion and gored Miller through the left eye with his horn. Miller went limp as the horn pierced his brain and killed him... again. Sea Blue charged up his horn and created a bubble of force inside Miller's skull. He flooded more and more magic into Miller's brain cavity, expanding it and applying pressure to the skull itself. Miller's brain matter oozed out of his ears, nose, and around Sea Blue's horn. The Unicorn stallion closed his eyes and gritted his teeth as he poured every last vestige of his will into the spell.

Miller's head exploded in a fine red and gray mist and his body toppled over limply. Sea Blue moved quickly and held his right fore hoof directly over the gold band, waiting for Miller to regenerate before he destroyed the thing.

Colossus closed on Applejack while the orange farm mare frantically tried to stay away from the giant behind her, however with only three working hooves, it was a losing battle. Colossus was enjoying the anticipation far too much. He moved slowly, despite the constant urging of the Rainbow of Darkness in the back of his mind. He was going to savor every moment right up until he crushed her skull in his jaws. His mouth watered at the thought of how he would feast on her flesh.

Rainbow Dash heaved herself out of the small crater that formed when she and Tinker hit the wall. Tinker lay, twitching in the crater and Dash felt a small sense of satisfaction. Her wings were sore and she felt confident enough to say she wouldn't be flying for the rest of the night. Her limbs felt like lead as she dropped the four paces from the wall to the cobblestone street below. Her legs were too weak to catch her as she hit the ground and she landed on her chest with a loud huff. She grunted as she managed to get her hooves under herself slowly. Her ears suddenly registered a cacophony of sound right in front of her and she raised her head to see what was going on. Eyes blurred and unable to focus properly saw flashes of white, brown, and black wiggling around in front of her. She shook her head to clear her vision and looked again.

A Gryphon and a creature nearly identical to the one that attacked her and Trooper, were grappling and rolling around on the ground. From what she could tell, it looked to be an even match. The Gryphons snapped its beak closed around the creature's shoulder and pulled on its rubbery skin while the Shadow Beast' chomped down on the Gryphon's neck and ended up with a maw full of brown feathers without actually biting into flesh. The front and hind legs of the two of them clawed and sliced at each other's chests and bellies as they rolled about on the cobblestones.

Dash grunted hard and stood up completely, the effort staggered her. She raised her head and saw more than a hundred other examples of the same thing, as Gryphons and Shadow Beasts bit and clawed each other all around the Town Square. Dash stumbled forward and began drunkenly weaving her way through the groups of combatants. They occasionally bumped into her, too busy to notice the dazed mare trying to get through. Dash could see her friends and she knew they needed help.

Dr. Mend howled in pain as the hook on Surf's right fore leg pierced between the bands of his armor and into his left shoulder. The hook penetrated through the muscle and curved around behind Mend's shoulder bone. Surf's left hook was lying eight paces away, broken by a solid double kick from the good doctor. Mend was in dire straights, his right ear was shredded thanks to an earlier bite from his opponent, his shoulder burned from the hook embedded in it, and his ribs were aching terribly. He knew he had to end the fight as quickly as possible, but his foe wore the golden band on his left hind leg and Mend simply could not get at it. Surf was too willy. Every time Mend managed to throw him off or beat him back, Surf came back at him from a new angle.

Thinking quickly and gritting his teeth, Mend turned his body. His shoulder sent jolts of agony through him as he turned around completely. His back was to Surf and he leaped backward forcing the hook out of his shoulder and slamming into Surf with his armored back. Surf & Turf floated backward, his still extended glider catching him and slowing his momentum. Dr. Mend turned back to face his enemy just in time to see Surf dislodge a head-sized cobblestone with his hook, toss it into the air then spin and kick it toward the him. Mend couldn't react quickly enough and the cobblestone struck his muzzle like a splitting wedge being driven into a chord of wood. The bones in his muzzle shattered, spraying his teeth and blood in all directions. Mend tried to scream but it only came out as a harsh, squealing gurgle as blood gushed from his face. His eyes watered and his vision blurred from the tears. He could only just barely make out Surf's form in the dim moonlight. The black stallion sagged and fell to his knees, nearly rolling onto his side.

* * *

'Yes! They are falling! One by one they will fall and my minions will feast!' the Rainbow of Darkness cheered, 'Quickly!' it urged, 'Finish them off!'

* * *

Fluttershy widened her stance and stood her ground as Valiant charged her roaring like a feral animal. He swung out with his right foreleg, intent on tearing open her face. The world slowed down as Fluttershy ducked to her left. She leaned back on her hind legs using her wings for stability, and applied her forehooves to Valiant's swinging limb, and guided him past her harmlessly.

Valiant skidded away, trying to use his legs to stop himself. He stabilized and spun around, leaping toward Fluttershy in a full-on pounce. Fluttershy tucked her wings tightly to her sides and rolled forward, under Valiant's pounce. Valiant hit the ground and turned toward her again, his claws scraping pieces out of the cobblestones. He charged back in toward Fluttershy swiping his claws wildly. Try as he might to score a hit, Fluttershy's body seemed to bend like a Reed in the wind. She seemed to flow around and under each and every attack like a dancer in a ballet performance. Her movements were smooth and fluid and no matter how he tried, Valiant could not touch her. He opened his mouth to try to bite her, but she skipped away smoothly before his mouth was even completely open.

She had tried to get a grip on the golden band around his left fore leg but she had to stay on the defensive or else risk him killing her. She knew, unarmored as she was, that he only needed to hit her once and it would all be over.

* * *

Applejack tripped on a stone and reflexively tried to catch herself with her bad leg. The sturdy farm mare screamed as the pressure re-broke the bone and pushed the broken tip right through her skin. She fell to the ground eyes streaming tears of pain and turned her head. Colossus was standing over her, jaws agape and ready to crush her. As he stepped forward to finish her off, he put his claw down and made a flatulent noise. Puzzled, he raised his leg and saw a whoopee cushion there on the ground.

"Say UGLY!" Pinkie Pie chirped behind him.

Colossus turned his head and caught a blast of confetti and streamers to the face. He blinked in annoyance and raised a claw to swipe at the Party Cannon. Before he could make the hit connect though, an explosion of wooden splinters assaulted the back of his turned head. He turned back around just in time to see a thoroughly pissed Big Macintosh come charging at him through the cloud of debris.

The armored stallion hit Colossus square in the chest with a thunderclap of shattering bones. Colossus flew into the air, trailing blood, but Big Mac wasn't done yet. Keeping his momentum, he sprang into the air and landed on Colossus then began pummeling him mercilessly with his armored hooves, cracking and splintering bones with every hit. Colossus clawed at the hugely muscled stallion, but his claws scraped harmlessly against Big Macintosh's armored back.

Big Mac tensed his legs as the ground came up, waiting for the right moment. Colossus hit the ground and Big Mac stomped down, laughing himself off his enemy and leaving Colossus winded and wheezing.

* * *

Live Wire struggled against Tinker and Trauma but they held him firm. His horn burned with agony as Trauma continued chewing on it, and Triage shook her head from side to side, worrying his leg. Live Wire's eyes watered from the pain as the blood from his leg spilled out onto the ground. He was so tired. Fighting off two such enemies at once had been all but impossible. He couldn't see Trauma directly and Tinker was thrashing his leg back and forth, but those golden bands were reflectively shiny. Within that shiny metal, he could see Trauma chewing on his horn and more importantly he could see the golden band on her left foreleg. He hurt with pain beyond pain, but he had to wait and patience was something he was good with. Triage would have to stop tearing at his leg eventually and that would give him an opening. He focused through the pain, and began calculating trajectories.

* * *

Fluttershy danced back, away from Valiant. She spun and ducked away from every one of his attacks. She wasn't a fighter of any sort and she knew it, she didn't want to be either, however she was getting very upset, 'Look at him.' she thought, pitying Valiant, 'He's been through so much. Why can't he be left alone?' She felt her anger rising as the golden band flashed through her vision, 'He doesn't deserve this! He's been hurt so many times!' her eyes focused on the golden band on his leg as he swiped his claws at her again, 'YOU!' She thought as she danced nimbly away from the attack, 'You're what's making him do this! It's your fault!' She dodged another claw swipe, 'It's your fault!' he came at her in a pounce and she rolled to the left, 'It's your fault!' she looked into Valiant's eyes and couldn't even recognize who she saw there, 'IT'S YOUR FAULT!'

Fluttershy dodged once more and just stopped. She turned her head toward Valiant, tears streaming down her kind face as she felt the strength of her will surge within her.

She locked her legs and stared defiantly up at the 'Shadow Beast' as her eyes locked with his,
"STOP!" the words seemed to rip themselves from her mouth with a physical force.

Valiant landed half an inch from her, ready to bite down, but his body froze as he took the full force of The Stare at point blank range.

* * *

'Kill her! What are you doing!? Kill her! KILL HER!' the Rainbow of Darkness ordered vehemently.

* * *

Valiant's muscles quivered, straining to move, but his body was held in place by the insurmountable force of will crushing down against his own. Keeping her eyes locked with his, Fluttershy raised her right fore hoof, planted it atop the golden band, and pushed down with all her weight.

The golden band stuck for a moment, but Fluttershy wedged her hoof around to the inside of it and it slipped off, ringing against the cobblestones as it hit the ground.

"Now," Fluttershy ordered firmly, "Step out of the band."

* * *

'NO!' the Rainbow of Darkness shrieked in disbelief, 'I ORDER YOU TO PUT THE BAND BACK ON! PUT IT ON!'

* * *

Muscles straining as Fluttershy matched wills with the Rainbow of Darkness, Valiant stepped out of the golden band. His body shimmered and his coat returned to its normal color, his mind becoming his own once more. He kept his eyes locked with Fluttershy, recognizing her for the first time. Relief flooded through every inch of his body and mind. Seeing her tear-stained face, one of the first he associated with kindness, he raised his leg and stamped his hoof down, shattering the golden band to pieces.

* * *

'. . . . . . . . . no . . . . . . . . No!' the Rainbow of Darkness screamed, 'NO! KILL THEM! KILL THEM ALL! I ORDER YOU TO KILL THEM ALL!'

* * *

Miller regenerated fully and opened his eyes.

Sea Blue smiled,
"Good bye." his hoof descended and crushed the golden band into pieces.

* * *

Triage stopped thrashing Live Wire's leg to adjust her grip and the little yellow Unicorn finalized his calculations of Trauma's position on his back, 'Angle fifteen degrees, elevation thirty-three degrees, Y-axis twenty-six degrees, X-axis nineteen degrees . . . ' his vision narrowed to laser-like focus and he suddenly twisted his head, scraping his sensitive horn against Trauma's sharp teeth. His horn struck her front teeth and broke through them as he lowered his head, horn already charging and fired off a single, short beam of white-hot energy.

The beam struck Triage's golden band. The beam hit the band, but the material reflected it as the metal super-heated, sending half of it up, directly into Trauma's leg band. Both bands melted at almost simultaneously.

* * *

Surf dashed forward and swung his right hook at the top of Mend's head. In a blur of motion, the older black stallion hopped upright, imitating a move he had seen Pinkie perform. He rolled forward and sprang upward, directly under Surf's left hind leg. With his vision blurred as it was, Mend could not simply strike out at the band, so instead he wrapped both his fore hooves around Surf's leg and rolled his body forward. Surf's hang glider, pulled from the wrong direction, split in twain as a wing snapped off. Mend's hind legs hit the cobblestones and he tensed his stomach muscles then threw his body forward, curling his head toward his own stomach and rolling onto the road with Surf against his back. Surf's whole body hit the cobblestones, shattering bones galore. The blow shattered bones and one gold colored leg band.

* * *

Big Macintosh, still not satisfied that Colossus would stay down, charged back toward where his foe was staggering to his feet. Big Mac applied his forehooves to the rough cobblestones and used his momentum to swing his body around so that his flank was toward Colossus. Still moving backward as his momentum carried him, he lashed out repeatedly with each hind leg in rapid succession, shattering bones, snapping tendons, and pulping muscle and flesh alike. He pulled both his hind legs back and bucked like he would against an oak tree.

Both hooves connected with Colossus' head and the Shadow Beast went tumbling backward, tail over tea kettle knocking over Gryphons and Shadow Beasts like bowling pins. Big Mac lowered his head and scuffed at the cobblestones with his right forehoof. He charged right down the clear pathway through the fighting creatures and leaped high into the air. He spun and twisted wildly in the air, maneuvering himself into the right pose.

Colossus cracked open his eyes and looked up just in time to see Big Mac strike down with all four hooves simultaneously, like a meteor from the cosmos. He landed directly on the golden colored band, shattering both it and the leg it was attached to.

* * *

Trooper and Birdie fought upright, chests and stomachs facing each other as they struck and clawed wildly. Trooper was slowing down, but Birdie kept right on going. Blood flowed freely from dozens of cuts in his body. In his mind, he knew he was losing the fight. His hits came slower and slower and his muscles moved sluggishly. His mind was quickly going numb with the fog of exhaustion and from blood loss. His only hope was that Dash had succeeded in reaching the others, for he knew his time was short.

Birdie was a complete berserker against whom Trooper could no longer stand. The gold band on her left fore leg had taunted and distracted him for the entire fight and with his sense of logic waning, he determined to be rid of the accursed thing. He intentionally left himself open, knowing Birdie would take advantage of it, and struck out against the golden colored band with the last vestiges of his strength.

His aim proved true and his shod hoof shattered the reflective abomination.

In a few seconds, Birdie was back to her normal self. She vaguely remembered fighting Trooper, but she had no idea why she had done so. The armored stallion looked down to assess his injuries and gaped in shock. His forelegs and hindlegs were nearly bereft of skin, revealing shredded muscle beneath. His chest showed gashes, rents, and tears where his flesh had been all but peeled from his bones. His face burned with fiery agony and he could feel small rivers of blood soaking down his cheeks, neck, and under his armor. His underbelly looked the worst though. Deep gashes in his flesh showed bits of intestine poking through and his sheath and scrotum were cut deeply, likely making him a eunuch.

He looked back up to see the face of the one who had dealt him so much physical punishment, but before he could, his vision went black and he tumbled through the sky in a completely uncontrolled free-fall.

Birdie, not knowing what else to do, swooped in and caught Trooper under his forelegs, his blood making her grip slippery. She slowly flew downward, trying to remember why she had fought him.

* * *

The Rainbow of Darkness was infuriated, 'Oh FINE!' it said angrily, 'If you want something done right, you have do it yourself!'

It withdrew all of its remaining power and influence from its minions and pulled it all into the body of its host. Searcher's already mutated body grew immensely as the Rainbow Of Darkness gorged itself on the power. Searcher's limbs lengthened and his horn grew in length as muscles bunched beneath his skin.

In the back of Searcher's mind, he realized what was going on, 'Now is my chance . . . ' his thought was cut off as the Rainbow of Darkness pushed his mind aside and took control of Searcher's body.

Searcher railed against the overpowering force arrayed against him, 'NO! I CAN'T LET THIS HAPPEN! NO!'

* * *

Valiant embraced Fluttershy in disbelief,
"Fluttershy?" he whispered, "A . . . am I dreaming?"

She shook her head hugging him back,
"No dream Valiant." she whispered, "It's really me." she turned and gestured to the others, "In fact, it's all of us."

Valiant looked around at his friends lying in the street. Twilight had a gash on the left side of head and was only just beginning to stir. Live Wire stood protectively over her, favoring his bleeding left fore leg. Sea Blue looked dirty, bruised, and battered, but mostly hale of health. Rarity was slowly coming to, her hind legs obviously dislocated at her hips. Dr. Mend was sitting down on the road fumbling with bandages and trying to do something about his mangled face. Big Macintosh was carrying Applejack toward the rest of the group while she lay on his shoulders whimpering and breathing heavily. Rainbow Dash slowly stalked up on unsteady legs and collapsed next to Twilight, while Pinkie Pie was laying out a blanket and looking up at the sky. Valiant curiously followed Pinkie's line of sight and gasped.

Birdie, struggling to stay aloft, was flying Trooper down toward the blanket. Valiant's eyes watered as he took in the condition of his dramatic friend. Trooper looked like he should have been dead. His blood ran down every part of his body and the blanket Pinkie had laid out was already wet with blood. Fluttershy saw Trooper and instantly fell to the ground in shock.

Valiant was in shock as well. He slumped down to the ground with Fluttershy and something around his neck softly bumped his chest. He looked down and saw the rabbit's foot Fluttershy had given him when he left Ponyville. His memory sparked to life and he remembered something vital, 'The rabbit's foot has a doze of my healing potion inside it.'

Scrambling to his hooves, Valiant dashed over to Trooper. He skidded to a stop, amazed to see his friend was still breathing, reached his right forehoof up and pulled the rabbit's foot off his neck. Carefully unscrewing the top, he pried Trooper's jaw open and poured the potion down his throat. Trooper's throat bobbed as he swallowed the liquid.

Motivated by Valiant's actions, Fluttershy rose to her hooves and darted over to Dr. Mend,
"E . . . excuse me Dr. Mend," she said as she nosed into his saddlebags, "I need some of Valiant's healing potion."

Dr. Mend mumbled something unintelligible that Fluttershy took to mean, 'It'll be a miracle if they're not all broken.' She nosed in and pulled out a blanket then set it on the cobblestones, still folded, then stuck her muzzle back into the bags. Pinkie came up on Mend's other side and began nosing around in the bag opposite from Fluttershy. Pinkie pulled out a small glass bottle filled with clear liquid and a syringe. She poked the syringe needle into the gray rubber covering the mouth of the little bottle.

"How much of this... morphine do you think you need Dr. Mendie?" Pinkie asked.

"Fpbpty pbpb'pb." he slurred through his broken teeth and shattered jaw.

"Okie dokie lokie, forty CCs." Pinkie said, "And after that, I'll give you a nice big dose of the healing potion too. But first," she said as she plunged the syringe into Mend's flank and emptied it completely, "I need Fluttershy to help me start an I.V. drip for Trooper cause I don't know how to do that."

Sea Blue trotted up toward Mend,
"Wow, you look kind of rough there doc. Well, that's what happens when you headbutt an anvil."

Mend actually chuckled at the playful jab as Fluttershy set a small jar of the healing potion in front of him then dashed off to tend to the others. Mend eyed the healing potion then looked at Sea Blue pointedly.

The turquoise stallion nodded in resignation as his horn lit up, levitating the jar and unscrewing the cap,
"Tilt your head back and open your mouth as far as you can and let's hope you don't need reconstructive surgery."

Gilda pressed the pad of her right talon against the bite wound one of the Shadow Beasts had opened up on her left shoulder. The former Shadow Beasts, now returned to their original Pony forms, lay unconscious strewn all around the street. The Gryphons were all tired, but they had kept their word, not a single life had been lost. There were bites, scratches, and broken bones, but all lived. She flopped down to the ground as her father padded up next to her. He didn't say a single word, those would come later, for the moment he simply extended his right wing over her back and hugged her close.

* * *

Searcher's body swelled in size. His limbs elongated, as did his neck, torso, head, and horn. Raw power coursed through his body, strengthening his limbs. His mane and tail lengthened and swirled all around him, alive with dark power. The Rainbow of Darkness coiled and twisted within him, fully in control of his whole body.

Within the confines of his mind Searcher fought against the vile thing that held him away from his own body.

* * *

Twilight, her head now bandaged, held Rarity still with her magic as Dr. Mend popped her hip joints back into place with his hooves. Rarity screamed and struggled, but Twilight held her still until Dr. Mend was finished. The lavender Unicorn mare released her friend and Rarity flopped to the ground moaning pitifully. Meanwhile Fluttershy and Pinkie were having an easy time with Live Wire. He simply sat in place and held perfectly still while they disinfected his leg and horn. Tears of pain streamed down his face, but he never flinched or uttered a peep. Big Macintosh however was another case altogether. He had ran when Pinkie Pie had first approached him with antiseptic for the quartet of bone-deep gashes that ran along the left side of his cheek. It had taken Valiant to convince him to sit still and even then Big Macintosh insisted on lecturing the smaller wingless Pegasus at length and in detail while his face burned from the iodine seeping into his cuts.

Triage and Trauma quietly stirred from their slumber,
"Ooh," Trauma yawned hugely, "What a horrible dream."

"I agree," Triage said beside her sister, "Whatever we ate last night is forever off the list..."

Both sisters lapsed into silence as they caught Live Wire's smoldering glare. His look warned them to silence and met no resistance.

The ground vibrated violently as Searcher's body strode out of the medical clinic, ducking its head to make it past the doors,
"I am free!" it bellowed loudly, not noticing Twilight and the other girls all shooting each other a look, "THE WORLD SHALL BE MINE!" it gestured to the sky with a dramatic claw' "PREPARE YOURSELVES ALICORNS! DEATH HAS COME! MY MASTER WILL AWAKEN AND THE WORLD SHALL FALL INTO DARKNESS! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Distracted by its own monologue, Searcher finally found the strength he needed and pushed his will against the Rainbow of Darkness. Searcher's original form flickered through the monstrosity he had become,
"Destroy it!" he cried to the Elements Of Harmony, "I can't hold it back!" the Rainbow of Darkness punished him terribly for his rebellion, but it was enough.

It had gotten so caught up in its own self-gratification, it failed to see six angry mares facing it down, with multicolored auras already surrounding them,
"OH WOULD YOU JUST SHUT UP!" Twilight yelled.

The Rainbow of Darkness looked up just in time to be enveloped by the bane of its existence: The Rainbow of Light. In a matter of seconds, all the accumulated power of the Rainbow of Darkness was stripped away down to what it began with when it first encountered Searcher. It abandoned Searcher's body and attempted to take refuge back in the locket, but the Rainbow of Light pursued it into the confines of its old prison and destroyed it utterly, as the locket crumbled to dust and fell off Searcher's neck.

Searcher's body slowly returned to normal, he was free for the first time in four years. As his first action as a free stallion, he fainted dead away onto the ground.

Author's Note

Edited the chapter as it needed it BADLY. PURIFY THE TYPOS!

Chapter 23

"Wait for it." Sargent Roller ordered his troops.

More than two hundred members of the E.P.U. 'Royal' Guard were arrayed just outside the swamp surrounding Haysburg. A flight of starving Gryphons had arrived at Canterlot five days prior and collapsed from malnutrition at the gates of the Royal Palace. They were administered to and we're recovering well as guests in the Royal Palace, fed by loads of fish every day. Once he regained consciousness the flight leader had explained to the Princesses about the situation in Haysburg and the E.P.U. Guard had been dispatched immediately.

At that moment they were waiting for the fog to completely clear from the swamp before they moved in. There were seventy-five Earth Ponies, seventy-five Pegasi, and fifty Unicorns. Once they arrived at the outskirts of the swamp, Sargent Roller had been given specific orders to wait for any and all magical barriers to clear before he moved his troops in and secured the town.

Captain Shining Armor stood at the forefront of the gathered Guards, waiting patiently for the fog to clear. On the outside he was calm as a still pond, but within his mind blew a hurricane of unimaginable furry. He worried terribly about his younger sister and her friends. When the Princesses had explained that Twilight and her friends were likely in the same location as the trouble that had been stirred up he had nearly passed out from shock. His stomach was tightly knotted with worry for her safety. The Princesses had briefly mentioned that his sister and her friends were safe with five stallions he had never met. Supposedly they were the ones who had fought the giant chimera that had destroyed a full block of Canterlot, but the Captain kept his opinions to himself. The Princesses were absolutely adamant that the stallions were trustworthy but the Captain was nevertheless worried especially about his sister's safety and perhaps virtue amongst a bunch of full-grown stallions. He decided to judge for himself by the condition of the town. If what the Gryphons in Canterlot had said was correct, the situation could not be dealt with by just a few ordinary stallions.

As the last of the fog lifted Shining Armor raised his right forehoof over his head, once it dropped the Guard would enter and sweep up any trouble. The fog lingered as if afraid to depart, but depart it did and the white Unicorn's hoof descended.

"Move!" Sargent Roller ordered loudly, "Stay in groups of three like we planned!"

The Unicorns and Earth Ponies broke into a brisk trot, staying in groups of three as ordered, while the Pegasi launched into the air as one and flew out over the swamp.

* * *

Trooper yawned and stretched out his limbs smacking his lips and blinking owlishly, "Where am I?" he asked quietly.

Laying in a hospital bed right next to his own was an already awake Rainbow Dash, "We're in the Haysburg medical clinic." she was first lying on her back but then turned toward Trooper, her coat rustling against the somewhat stiff white sheets "I'm glad you're alright Troops. You were really..." she trailed off and looked down toward the floor, "I thought you were a goner." she finished quietly.

Trooper's eyes bulged as the memory came flooding back. He quickly stretched out his left foreleg, then his right, then very hesitantly lifted the sheet covering the rest of his body. Relief flooded through him at the sight of his entire body being whole and lacking the rather shredded look he had been sporting previously.

He flopped his head back against the pillow, blinking in confusion, "Correct me if I am wrong, but I do believe I was in a rather sorry state after my tussle with that..." he waved his right forehoof vaguely, "That... whatever it was. How then is it that I am hale of health? By all rights I should either be in traction, in surgery, or deceased."

Rainbow flinched at the last word, "You're not the only one. Most of us got pretty banged up last night..."

"Last night!" Trooper sat bolt upright staring at the cyan mare, "How? How are we healed after everything happened 'last night'?"

Rainbow sighed and shook her head, "You got me. Mend did... something. He was trying to work on you and he got all frustrated, said he was 'losing you', anyway his mane and tail started glowing. They got really long and wrapped around you and when they pulled away you were fine. He did the same thing to Rarity and a bunch of us. We were all pretty banged up... all except for Sea Blue and Pinkie." she huffed, "Those two didn't have a scratch on them."

Trooper blinked slowly, "Sooooo... where is everypony else?"

Rainbow waved her forehoof toward the door of their room absently, "They're all out there in Haysburg. I think they're trying to explain what happened to the ponies who live here. Valiant and Fluttershy disappeared somewhere and according to this one Searcher guy, his friend Birdie is missing altogether."

Trooper groaned and pulled the sheet off himself with his right forehoof, "We need to be out there with them."

Rainbow Dash chuckled at the stubborn stallion, "Then it sure is a good thing one of the nurses came in and took out your IV a couple of minutes ago." she let out a small groan as she too pulled the covers off herself, "I should probably join you."

Trooper slid out of the bed and onto his hooves which promptly gave out and sent him chest first to the floor, "Ouch." he groaned, "And now I seem to be as weak as a newborn."

Dash having seen Trooper's legs give out, pulled the sheet back over herself, "Maaaaaaybe I should stay here for a little while longer."

Trooper grumbled and began trying to force his legs to cooperate, "I *grunt* suppose that *groan* we have yet *huff* to recover from our *groan* ordeal without food or water."

Dash agreed, "Yeah the nurses said something about being weak until we've eaten some food." at receiving a withering glare from her stallion companion Dash rubbed the back of her head and chuckled nervously, "Heh... I guess maybe I should have said that a little earlier."

Trooper leaned up against his bed and shook his head, "Do not bother yourself over it Rainbow Dash. You were ready to join me which indicates you obviously considered yourself to be in a state to do so. You were mistaken, it does happen. At least we are not both on the floor as I am unsure whether or not your ego could take it."

Dash's eyebrows crinkled, "Hey, what the hay is THAT supposed to mean?"

"It means that I can take the embarrassment as I have little pride. You, on the other hoof, would undoubtedly go into cardiac arrest if you did something so silly." Dash caught the smile in Trooper's eyes as he finished his statement, "I suppose you and Rarity really DO have quite a lot in common." a fluffy white pillow made a soft *poomph* sound as it impacted Trooper's face.

Trooper bit down on the pillow and tossed it on top of his own with a grin, "Well that was very generous of you Rainbow Dash, giving me your pillow like that. It seems I was correct about you and Rarity, generosity and all."

Before Dash had a chance to make a retort she was cut off by a stern voice, "Get back in bed you dense sack of feathers!"

Dash followed the voice back to the unicorn mare, "He... uh, he rolled out of bed by accident." she said trying to cover for Trooper.

Trauma turned a flat gaze toward Rainbow Dash, displaying how likely she thought the story was, "Uh-huh and I'm the mayor." she looked back to Trooper and lit up her horn, "Come on, up you go."

Trooper's body was outlined with her magic as she deposited him onto the bed, "Now just stay there while I go and get you two some food. I took out your IVs after you were hydrated, but it will take several more hours of eating to get your full strength back." she turned and headed for the door but stopped before she left and called over her shoulder, "And do not even think of getting out of that bed before I say." with her peace spoken she left the room.

Rainbow Dash let out a sigh, "That's nurse Trauma. She and her sister Triage run the clinic here. I met her earlier. Real sweetheart huh?"

Trooper shrugged, "If nothing else her demeanor would help to ensure ponies stay out of the clinic. I suppose it does take all sorts. I am sure that someday some stallion will take quite a shine to her."

* * *

Searcher laid in another bed in the rear of the clinic. He stared up at the ceiling not moving a muscle. Beside him, Colossus laid in another bed, also silent, but that was mostly due to his entire body being suspended and wrapped in bandages. Neither stallion had said much beyond asking where Birdie was, not even to each other. They both knew what they had participated in and both felt the heavy weight of guilt on their shoulders. Searcher in particular felt the weight strongest. He knew he was responsible for everything that had happened and the guilt weighed heavily upon him. His mind replayed everything over and over, every detail where he might have escaped, every opportunity to perhaps free himself, anything that he could have done to avoid the situation. Everything that had happened was his fault and he bore the burden silently, hating himself every second.

Across from Searcher and Colossus lay Molasses. His entire flabby body covered from ear to hoof with bandages thickly slathered with burn ointment. Dr. Mend had yet to be notified of his condition and the two nurses wanted to take care of their own. They had already dossed him with a healthy amount of Valiant's healing potion. Molasses would live. His body would be hopefully free of scars, but he would live in any case, scars or not.

Surf & Turf had been dossed with a hefty serving of the healing potion as well. Triage and Trauma expected him to make a full recovery. Tinker was temporarily in traction with nearly every inch of her body covered in bruises and more than a third of her bones broken. She would be fine after being force-fed a vial of Valiant's potion. Mill Treader mysteriously had no injuries, but he had been asleep when he was brought in and had yet to awaken. Of the Gryphons who participated in the battle for Haysburg, none had died from their many various injuries, but the entire front end of the clinic has jam packed full to bursting with injured Gryphons. Triage and Trauma knew they would have to concoct another batch of the healing potion. They had to admit, they got a lot of use out of it.

* * *

Twilight, Rarity, Sea Blue, and Live Wire helped the ponies of Haysburg clean up their poor, beat up town. Everypony stepped very carefully over the furrow in the road that had been made the night before. The residents might not remember what exactly had happened, but the signs were frightening. Collapsed buildings, entire stretches of the road being plowed like some monstrous farmer had decided to open the ground. Little did they know how accurate the analogy was. They were grateful for the help from the four mysterious unicorns, but they took pains not to engage in too much conversation with the visitors for fear of rekindling the kind of ferocity evidenced by the state of their town.

Applejack's leg was steady enough for her to walk on it lightly, but she and her brother stayed next to each other watching the town around them. Dr. Mend had been politely asked by, Triage and Trauma, not to go into the clinic for fear of using his newfound power to heal everypony. The two sisters didn't easily trust mysterious magic and after what had happened with Searcher, nopony could blame them. So it was that the serious and taciturn stallion was forced to try to keep up with Pinkie as she bounced from one pony to the next trying to cheer them up. Well that was the theory, he TRIED to keep up with her. In practice, he merely ended up running from startled resident to startled resident apologizing for Pinkie's random outbursts and cleaning up the perpetual confetti she seemed to leave in her wake.

As for the residents of Haysburg, there was little speaking or interaction. They had a great deal to think about and reflect on. The vast majority simply sat in their homes or temporary shelters and stared silently at the eleven mysterious ponies who had saved them all from... something. They answered when spoken to, but made no attempts to interact with their saviors of their own volition. Their minds were swirling, trying to comprehend what had happened and it was a realization that was slow to come about.

Around noon seventy-five Pegasi in golden colored armor landed in the center of the town. Twilight, Rarity, Sea Blue, and Live Wire had been taking a short break underneath the overhang of the clinic when the Guards showed up. Declining offers of help, Twilight and Live Wire trotted out to meet the Guards.

Twilight picked out the insignia of rank among the Pegasi Guards and trotted up to the commanding officer, "Hello Lieutenant..." she greeted.

"Miss Twilight Sparkle?" he interrupted her.

Twilight took a step back, "Y-yes?"

"Secure the V.I.P. then secure the town." the Lieutenant ordered stiffly, "Search out and locate any dissenters then hold them for questioning."

A group of ten Pegasi Guards encircled Twilight, pointedly ignoring her demands to know what was going on, while the rest spread out searching buildings and questioning every pony on the street. Sea Blue, Rarity, Applejack, and Big Macintosh all rose to their hooves and trotted up behind Live Wire as the little yellow therapist stomped up to the Lieutenant.

"Is Twilight under arrest?" Live Wire asked loudly to the Lieutenant.

The pegasus stopped and looked him over, "She is not, civilian. Stand aside."

Live Wire drew himself up to the maximum of his inconsiderable size and glared at the pegasus, "Then she is free to leave." he spoke crisply.

The lieutenant looked down at the short stallion blandly, "She is under protective custody..." his eyes met those of Rarity and Applejack, "Two more V.I.P.s, secure them."

The Pegasi Guards moved to surround the two mares but found themselves face to face with three unmoving and unhappy stallions,
"Let. Twilight. Go." Live Wire ordered slowly.

The Pegasi Guards looked to their commanding officer for direction, he did not disappoint, "Arrest these three dissenter stallions and secure the V.I.P.s." he said idly.

With a loud clang three sets of armor formed around the so-called 'dissenters',
"Ah'd back off real nice like if'n Ah was you." Big Mac warned calmly.

The lieutenant took a step back in surprise, "Who are you?" he ordered harshly.

Sea Blue chuckled into his hoof before answering, "We're the ones who saved Haysburg last night. Who are you?"

The lieutenant raised his head and eyed the turquoise stallion with a haughty air, "We are the E.P.U. Guard of Equestria, protectors of her lands and all who dwell within." he lowered his head and spread his wings aggressively, "And you are under arrest."

"I don't think so." Live Wire suddenly spoke up, "Because in order for you to place us under arrest you have to suspect us of having committed a crime, furthermore you are required by law to tell us what crime we are suspected of committing. You have not said we are suspected of committing any sort of crime furthermore, you have placed Twilight Sparkle under arrest. That's wrongful arrest. So far the only crimes being committed here are by you. You don't have the authority to place anypony into protective custody, only the Princesses or the Captain of the Guard can do that and even then a situation must be dangerous and you can only act to protect the civilian from harm. There is no law that allows you to restrict or restrain the movements or actions of a civilian under protective custody. In that case, YOU have broken the law and abused your authority and any of your Guards who follow your orders are in violation of law." he machine-gunned in a single breath.

The lieutenant stared at Live Wire incredulously for a moment before regaining his composure, "We have orders from Captain Shining Armor to take the Elements Of Harmony into protective custody as soon as we locate them."

Live Wire lowered his head and stepped up to the Lieutenant's face, "Release Twilight, now, or we will take her from you."

"Live Wire don't!" Twilight yelled.

In a flash of lavender light, she teleported right next to the short stallion, "Leave it alone. In an emergency situation the Guard have the authority to take whatever actions they deem necessary to guarantee the safety of civilians."

Live Wire rolled his eyes, "Don't quote the Rules and Regulations of the Guard to me Twilight. I tried out for the Guard. IF the situation were an active combat zone then they would have such authority. We are not in combat," he turned to the Lieutenant and sneered, "Yet. So this pompous road apple has no right to order us around." he took a step toward the Lieutenant and smirked, "WE secured Haysburg. Are you reporting to us to relieve us of duty as defensive civilian combatants?"

The Lieutenant's eyes bulged, "What!? Three stallions secured the entire town?"

"Six." Sea Blue corrected him, "The three of us plus one who is recovering in the clinic, one who has wandered off, and one who is running around here somewhere. We brought the Elements Of Harmony to Haysburg and helped secure it. We are their guardians: The Elements Of Peace and believe me, you will not get us to back down. We have yet to be officially instated by the Princesses, but believe me, we outrank you by several dozen orders of magnitude. Back. Off."

* * *

Valiant and Fluttershy were indulging in some much needed sleep. Her nightmares had become progressively worse and her sleep had suffered, but now that she had been reunited with him, she felt her lack of sleep catching up with her. Valiant had been awake for nearly three days while the Rainbow Of Darkness held control of his body. After the fighting ended, the two of them had snuck away to the hotel in Haysburg, taken a key from the front, and just collapsed together on one of the beds.

They slept peacefully until the sun was high in the sky. Fluttershy was the first to awaken. Her eyelids fluttered open slowly and she came face to face with Valiant's sleeping visage. She sprang out of the bed blushing furiously. Disturbed by the bouncing bed, Valiant yawned and opened his eyes. He spotted the brilliant blush adorning the face of the butter yellow mare in front of him and smiled sleepily.

"It's good to see you again Fluttershy." he mumbled, "I'm sorry if the sleeping arrangements were a bit unusual but we were both exhausted."

Fluttershy took several deep breaths to calm herself down before she spoke, "I-I'm glad to see you too. You look better than last time."

Valiant smirked and rolled out of the bed, "I feel better too, though I think you were referring to my health. In that case I'm certain I look better, seeing as I'm not half starved and bleeding all over the place."

Fluttershy hid behind her mane and mumbled a noncommittal response which made the royal blue stallion smile broadly at her, "If you're in the habit of showering in the morning, now might be a good time." he gestured toward the bathroom door, "I could go see about some breakfast, while you're busy, if you like."

Fluttershy merely squeaked an answer but she did make her way toward the bathroom and closed the door behind her. Valiant was feeling very pleased with himself and decided to make good on his offer. He opened the hotel room door and came face to face with a distinctively unhappy black stallion, "Hey Mend! What..." Valiant was cut off by a hoof to the jaw. He fell backward onto his behind blinking tears away from his smarting muzzle, "Ow! What was that for?"

Mend pushed his way past Valiant with Pinkie Pie right behind him. He turned and plopped his backside down on the carpet, "That was for leaving me!" Mend said hotly, "You promised me, you PROMISED that we would be each other's support and you just took off!" Mend rose to his hooves and began tromping in circles while Pinkie proceeded to bounce on the springy bed, "I poured my heart and soul out to you! You're the closest thing I have to a brother and you ABANDONED me! Am I mad? No!" he stomped his right forehoof, "I'm furious! Did you every think about how the rest of us would feel? Did you stop to consider that you were throwing away free tuition and room and board from the Princess? What about your employer at the apothecary? Did you tell her that you quit? NO! You left us one measly note and told us not to follow you! You do not just abandon your family like that young stallion! Imagine what would have happened if we hadn't come after you?" Mend quieted down and took several breaths as he let his words sink in.

Valiant slowly pulled his hoof away from his bruised muzzle, "Mend I-I... I'm sorry."

Dr. Mend looked straight into Valiant's eyes and spoke very quietly, "You've been without a family for a long time, but you have one now. If you have a problem, if you have a concern, or a fear, even if you just need a shoulder to cry on or somepony to vent on, we are here." Mend blinked away the tears that threatened to spill from his sincere eyes, "You taught me that I can rely on you and the others, now you need to learn the same. We're not going to abandon you or throw you out like this town did. We're your friends, your family. We're here and we're here to help you, but like you told me, you need to let us help you. Listen to your own words Valiant. Take them to heart. We all came here to help you, all of us. Live Wire, Rarity, Trooper, Fluttershy, Sea Blue, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and me. We came to find you because we love you. You're more than just a friend, you are one of us. You're family, not by blood but by choice, and families stick together." Mend took a breath and drew himself up to his full height, "Now I want you to promise me that you aren't just going to run again when something comes up. I want you to promise all of us that you'll let us help you."

Valiant solemnly nodded, "I promise Mend. I'm sorry."

* * *

Outside, Shining Armor and the rest of the E.U.P. Guard had arrived. The Captain was deeply concerned with the amount of damage that had been done to Haysburg, but he held his tongue. The citizens of the town were his first priority. He saw a group of the Pegasus Guard arrayed in a circle near the center of town. There were three stallions in armor facing them down and his younger sister and two of her friends standing behind the strange armored stallions.

He sped up his canter and approached the groups, "What's going on here?" He asked loudly.

Twilight turned and motioned him over with her forehoof. The Lieutenant who was at the head of the group of Pegasi, turned and threw a salute, "Sir. These civilians are interfering with your orders. I was about to place them under arrest."

Shining Armor heard his Guard spread out behind him before he even spoke. They moved around and surrounded the three stallions. Shining Armor trotted up to the short yellow Unicorn stallion who seemed to be leading them, "What seems to be the problem?" He asked directly.

Live Wire snorted, "I already explained it once, but I suppose I can again..."

"He and these other two," the Lieutenant gestured to Live Wire, "Stopped us..."

"You already gave your report, Lieutenant. This stallion is capable of speaking for himself." Shining Armor barked sternly. He then turned back to Live Wire, "As you were saying?"

Live Wire began speaking again, "In order for you to place us under arrest we have to be suspected of having committed a crime. He never stated that any of us were suspected of committing any crime and he is required by law to tell us what crime we are suspected of committing. He has not said we are suspected of committing any sort of crime furthermore, he placed Twilight Sparkle under arrest. That's wrongful arrest. He doesn't have the authority to place anypony into protective custody, only the Princesses or the Captain of the Guard can do that and even then a situation must be dangerous and he can only act to protect civilians from harm. There is no law that allows anypony to restrict or restrain the movements or actions of a civilian under protective custody. HE broke the law and abused his authority just because we didn't do what he ordered."

"They are dissenters, sir! They refused to cooperate with a direct order!" The Lieutenant said quickly.

Shining Armor slowly turned his head toward the Lieutenant, "We only have the authority to give civilians orders when on guard or during an ongoing emergency where civilian lives are in jeopardy. This town is calm and it seems to me that the only one stirring up trouble is you." He gestured to Twilight, Rarity, and Applejack, "They're not in any danger. What were you planning to do? Put them in restraints? Lock them in a room?"

"We were going to keep them in one place until you arrived to give us further instructions, sir." The Lieutenant said sharply.

"And I distinctly remember telling you that you were to place them in protective custory IF they were in danger." Shining Armor replied.

"The town is not secure, sir. They could still be in danger. We need to secure the perimeter and post watches..." he trailed off as he caught the flat look his Captain was giving him.

"So instead of taking the initiative to do so, you instead tried to hold the civilians and pick a fight with several stallions who might have been allies?" Shining Armor addressed sharply. He turned his whole body toward the Lieutenant, "Instead of assigning one or two Guards to monitor and follow the V.I.P.s and leading the rest to secure the perimeter and set up a watch, you confine your Guards to a single central location where they are easy to spot and do not have a clear idea of what shape the rest of the town is in. Instead of tending to the civilians and ensuring they are well, you focus on three Ponies amongst a town of hundreds more, many of whom might require aid." Shining Armor raised his head and looked down at the Lieutenant, "And now you have wasted time that we could have spent securing the area because you were too focus on spitefully antagonizing three stallions who refused to be bullied." Shining Armor snorted, "Effective immediately, consider yourself on report. Your actions will be reviewed upon our return to Canterlot. Secure the perimeter and set up a rotating watch to ensure the safety of the town. I expect you to take the first shift and lead by example. Do I make myself clear?"

The Lieutenant saluted crisply, turned and flew off, taking the other Pegasi with him. Shining Armor turned to the rest of his Guard and issued quick instructions. The stallions ran off to obey his orders as the Captain turned back to Live Wire with a smirk, "That was a bold move. Not many Ponies have the guts to challenge an E.U.P. Guard." He extended his right forehoof, "Captain Shining Armor." He introduced himself with a smile.

Live Wire's armor evaporated with a metallic clang, but he did not slime back, "Lemon Lime." He offered no more than that and he did not accept the offered hoof.

Shining Armor lowered his hoof, his smile fading, "I apologize for what happened. You were right, he didn't have the authority to do what he did."

Live Wire was still not happy, "Is it the practice of the Guard to stand back while untrained 'civilians' handle a town that has been taken over? Was it fun to watch?" Without another word, he turned and trotted away, "Next time maybe you could be bothered to show up and actually help."

A shimmering force field popped into existence in front of Live wire. He heard Shining Armor address him from behind, "We had orders to hang back until the fog lifted. I would have been here days ago if I had the option."

Live Wire turned around and faced the Captain, "Well then I suppose it's a good thing we were here."

Shining Armor nodded, "I agree. We don't have a clear picture of what happened here. I need statements and eye witness testimonies for the reports. You already know the situation here..." he left the sentence unfinished.

Live Wire took his time in responding, "And I have a perfect memory. I'll help you."

Author's Note

And there is a new chapter after... well... entirely too long. Enjoy!

Chapter 24

The wing of Pegasi E.U.P. Guards departed for Canterlot and Shining Armor sighed. It had been a long and stressful day. Thankfully Live Wire had warmed up to the Captain and had been openly helpful. Searcher had been placed under arrest for his part in the event and was awaiting the Princesses' arrival and judgement. Colossus had been adamant in professing Searcher's innocence but he had not interfered with the E.U.P. Guards holding the Unicorn. Colossus stayed close to his oldest friend for support and Searcher was grateful for it. Searcher had not put up any sort of fight or argument in his defense. When Shining Armor had told him he was under arrest, Searcher cooperated without complaint.

The Elements of Peace assisted Haysburg with the repairs and clean-up of their town while the Elements Of Harmony helped the residents with less physical tasks. The Gryphons had left around midday after Patriarch forced Gilda to apologize for her actions while in Ponyville. Trooper and Rainbow Dash were released from the clinic just before noon and were eager to help the town. The E.U.P. Guard had kept their distance from the unusual stallions after a firm warning from Shining Armor not to interfere with anything they did.

Mill Treader kept his distance from everypony. He was overcome with guilt once he managed to remember what had happened the other night. He helped the other townsponies, but if Valiant or any of the other Elements Of Peace came near, he made himself scarce. He moved around helping, but he rarely spoke. His guilt bore down on him like a lead weight.

Tinker was grumpy. She kept puffing on her cigars while she helped the Ponies of Haysburg rebuild. The smell from the smoke kept most Ponies from trying to speak to her. She felt used and violated. Somepony had used her body and forced her to attack innocent Ponies. She felt more shame and anger than anything else.

Molasses was still recovering from his burns, but he was as well-behaved as his 'Momma' would have wanted. He managed to get Trauma to play a game of chess when she took a break. Molasses was one of the few Ponies she was openly kind to. She knew he was mentally challenged and she felt it would be wrong to be as stern with him as she was with everypony else. To most, she kept up her stern facade, but in her heart and in quiet, private moments she was weeping continuously. She had dedicated her life to keeping her fellow Pony alive and well. For her to realize that she had almost killed somepony was almost more than she could stand.

Triage kept herself busy so she would not have to think about what she had done. She had set herself to ignore what her mind kept trying to bring to the forefront of her thoughts. She worked throughout the day with no breaks. She knew if she took any time for herself, she would end up a sobbing mess on the floor.

Surf & Turf helped out in the town and appeared to be his normal, cheerful self. It was all an act though. On the inside he was depressed, more so than he had ever been before in his life. He loved his inventions and gear. He loved adventure and adrenaline. He loved climbing and flying and all of his sports, and he absolutely hated himself for what he had done to Mend the night before. He had left his broken climbing hooks and damaged hang glider in a pile of trash. He did not want to wear them, look at them, or even think about them. When his mind wandered off and thoughts of his gear slipped into his mind, he felt nauseous, 'I hurt some dude with my gear.' He silently lamented, 'It's only supposed to be used for fun, not pain. I don't ever want to touch it again.'

Birdie watched from the edge of the swamp as the Ponies of Haysburg worked to clean up their town. Her cloak and veil were gone, lost the night before. She was not willing to show her mangled face anywhere in Haysburg for fear of what the Ponies would do to her. She remembered everything.

She was furious beyond words at what Searcher had done. Valiant had broken through to her and managed to get her to start coming out of her shell. She had worked alongside the Ponies of Haysburg. She had put forth as much effort as her frail psyche could muster. She had almost started to be accepted by her own kind for the first time, 'And HE... RUINED IT!' She shook with anger just thinking about it, 'For the first time I could have been accepted somewhere... he betrayed me. HE BETRAYED ME!' Her anger boiled over into rage. Rage was an old friend, but she could not hold onto it. It slipped away, leaving behind a lonely, frightened little filly who had been hurt again, 'How could he? How could he have done that to me? I thought he was my friend.' She felt the tears slipping down her deformed face, 'He was my first friend...' she could barely hold the thought before she ran off into the swamp, crying.

Little did she know that a royal blue Pegasus stallion had been watching her.

* * *

Due to the state of emergency in town, the Mayor had called for a huge communal kitchen to be created until the town stabilized itself. Ponies sat around chatting with one another while freely eating a food that was considered a delicacy in other parts of Equestria. Rice was everywhere, in all forms. There was rice pilaf, fried rice, steamed rice, stir-fry rice, boiled rice, rice and vegetable soup, rice balls, and something one of the adventurous residents called rice rolls. Rice rolls were kelp that was covered with rice and had vegetables and other foods lining the middle. It was rolled up then sliced into inch-thick little rolls. The Elements Of Equestria had never eaten such foods before and most indulged in slight excess.

Valiant had found Fluttershy during dinner and the two had eaten together, but there was a concern weighing on his mind: where was Birdie?

Valiant watched as Trooper trotted over to Dr. Mend, "Pardon me Doctor, but do you happen to know any way of surgically fixing deformities or birth defects?"

Dr. Mend blinked up at Trooper and swallowed his mouth full of avocado and cream cheese rice roll, "Corrective surgery is something I'm familiar with, yes. I have performed very few though. Birth defects are, thankfully, quite rare. Why do you ask?"

"I noticed a mare watching us from the edge of the swamp earlier today. At first I thought it was Fluttershy, but when I got close, I realized that she only looked like Fluttershy from a distance." Trooper did not notice Valiant approaching him from behind, "She was covered in scars and her face was deformed badly. She never said anything, but she watched for quite a while then just up and ran off, crying."

Valiant suddenly spoke up, "Birdie!" He moved around to the front of his startled cousin, "Did you see where she went?"

Trooper shook his head, "I fear I did not. She was swift and I did not wish to give myself away. I thought she stayed outside of the town because of her deformity and scars."

"Trooper please," Valiant asked, "If you see her again, don't try to talk to her. She's had a terrible life and she doesn't trust almost anypony. Be careful too. She wears steel shoes and she can fight like I've never seen. She almost killed a Gryphon by herself. If you see her, come and get me. I know her a little. I might be able to help." Valiant turned to Dr. Mend, "Trooper was right though, she does have a severe birth defect. Is there any chance you might be able to help her?"

Mend popped another piece of rice roll into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully before replying "I don't know what the deformity is, so I don't know if I have the materials to successfully perform the surgery. Could you describe the extent of the abnormality?"

Valiant lowered his voice, "Her head is sloped, almost in a twenty-three degree angle from her forehead to her muzzle. Her nose is almost rock hard and curls around the front of her nose like the beak of a bird of prey. It's stiff and sharp."

Dr. Mend's eyebrows rose, "Aurtial-Exmnacia." He said in surprise, "It's one of the more uncommon deformities , but I've successfully performed a corrective surgery for that condition on a newborn filly. I don't have the necessary tools to perform the surgery here in Haysburg, but in Canterlot, I know I would have access to what I need. It would take a few weeks of recovery, but I know I can fix that. It was for cases like that, that corrective surgery was pioneered in the first place. With Valiant's potion, she should be up and about in less than a week. How was she overlooked when she was born? The Crown pays for corrective surgeries."

Valiant shrugged, "I don't know her whole story, so I couldn't say." He turned to Trooper, "I'll keep an eye out for her, but if you see her first, come and get me as quickly as you can without alerting her."

Trooper nodded, "Certainly... cousin."

Valiant cocked his head to the side, "Cousin?"

Trooper nodded and smiled, "Indeed. Sea Blue helped me with remembering. Way back in my memory, when we were no more than foals, I remember a family reunion..." he lowered his voice, "Our families... they were killed by a tornado but..." he looked up into Valiant's eyes, "But I remember seeing you. Our fathers were identical twins and by chance, they married mares who were very similar too. That is why you and I look so much alike." He took a step forward and placed a calm hoof on Valiant's shoulder, "We're cousins... you have blood family, Valiant."

Valiant's eyes began widening as Trooper explained. He bit his lower lip, eyes misting and wavering in the evening light, "I... we... I've... got a family?"

Trooper smiled warmly at his cousin, "You did already, but yes, you have both my Mother and I. You have an aunt and a cousin."

Without warning, Valiant surged forward, embracing Trooper tightly. He felt his body quiver with emotion as he held onto his cousin. He adjusted his grip and hugged Trooper closer still. He closed his eyes and thanked the heavens that fortune had smiled down on him so generously. His hind legs gave out but he held on tightly to the other stallion. He could not believe it, and yet he did.

Valiant felt a second pair of forehooves embracing him and turned his head. Dr. Mend held him in a hug from the side. Valiant's chest shuddered as he drew a breath and it nearly came out as a sob. He closed his eyes and felt more and more forehooves join the embrace. He did not need to look around. He knew his friends, his family was right there with him.

* * *

The clean up of Haysburg continued the following morning. Birdie watched the town as she had the day before. Within her heart, she struggled with her inner turmoil. She was torn between staying hidden and approaching Valiant. She had not seen Colossus and she was under the impression that he and Searcher had been arrested or worse. Having no basis for making a good judgement call and without knowing almost anything about the E.U.P. Guard, her mind assumed the worst. She was confident that she could easily kill anypony who tried to apprehend her, but she feared that doing so might alienate her from Valiant.

She did not notice Trooper quietly taking flight from a distance off to her left, nor did she notice when he returned with Valiant. She had lost sight of the only Pony in the town that she trusted and it was making her nervous. She was not aware of how frail her mind was. Nor did she realize how skewed her morals and perspective were. She could not read or write, she had never gone to school, the only Ponies she had frequent, friendly interactions with had been Searcher and Colossus, and eventually Valiant. She felt little sympathy and almost no empathy toward others, her personality bordered on being a sociopath, and she had little regard for the sanctity of life. Yet she was unaware of any of these things. She only knew that Searcher had betrayed her, Colossus was nowhere to be seen, and Valiant had wandered from her sight. She felt isolated and she was afraid.

"Birdie?" A quiet voice addressed her from her left.

Birdie spun around and instinctively took a fighting stance. Valiant held still as he spoke, "Easy there, Birdie. I'm not here to upset you."

Birdie narrowed her eyes at him and Valiant realized she was still upset about how he had yelled at her by the fountain. He looked down at the ground and scuffed his forehoof into the soil, "I'm sorry I got so upset the other day. I didn't know how to react..." he glanced up and Birdie was still scowling at him. He swallowed nervously, "I... I wanted to tell you," he sighed then took a deep breath, "I have a friend who can..." he trailed off waving his forehoof in a circle, "Well to be blunt, he can fix your face."

Birdie's eyes widened significantly and Valiant took it as a sign to continue, "You won't even have to pay for it, the Princess will take care of that. Birdie..." he licked his lips, not quite knowing what to say at first, "I want you to come meet my friends." Birdie lowered her head and growled in a low tone. Valiant sat back on his haunches and waved his forehooves, "Wait, wait, wait! These are the Ponies who took care of me right after I lost my wings!" Birdie narrowed her eyes again, but she relaxed her posture somewhat. Valiant felt as if he were sweating, "They're good Ponies. Some of them are pretty odd, but I promise, they're really nice." Birdie gestured to her face silently and Valiant understood, "One of them is a seamstress. She can make you a new veil and cloak if you want. Heh," he laughed quietly, "She'll probably make them look good too. She designs clothes for a living."

Birdie shook her head and gestured to her face a second time. Valiant cocked his head, "Are you saying that you want to be covered before you meet any of them?" Birdie nodded silently. Valiant looked over his shoulder, "One of them has already seen you as you are right now and he doesn't care." He raised his voice slightly, "Do you Trooper?"

Trooper stepped into view and nodded at Birdie, "Indeed I do not. A pleasure to meet you, miss Birdie."

Birdie saw him and her mind flashed back to when she had fought him in the sky. She remembered how she had cut him up and how hard he fought. Her mind then latched onto the realization that he had seen her and she was conflicted. The two of them had fought viciously but once he broke her leg ring, she had carried him to the ground. He was so sliced up she thought he had died. She feared that he might recognize her, she was the only other Pegasus in the village as far as she knew, but he had seen her and was not disgusted and had not shied away from her. Birdie's malformed face creased into a scowl, but she nodded back at him.

Valiant cleared his throat, regaining Birdie's attention, "Ahem, if you want, I can ask Rarity to make you a veil and cloak." Birdie did not answer, nor give him any sign of reply. The royal blue stallion shook out his mane, "Birdie please," he nearly begged, "You need something to eat. You're going to starve out here. The Ponies of Haysburg were willing to accept you before and I KNOW my friends will be nice to you." He took a step forward and held out his hoof, "Come on, give me a hoof-bump if you're willing to try."

Birdie did not move for a few moments as she thought it over. She gestured to her face and Valiant nodded, "Sure thing. I'll get Rarity to make you a veil and cloak first. Please tell me you'll try." Birdie reluctantly bumped his offered hoof.

Author's Note

Been working on finally finishing this story. Hope to have more soon. Enjoy, Truthseeker.

Chapter 1

The Elements of Equestria

Part 1

Six mares sat on the floor of the Ponyville Library listening to a baby dragon read from a scroll,
"Dear Twilight Sparkle,
I am afraid I have yet to make your acquaintance, but rest assured I am a friend and we also share a mutual friend. Valiant has disappeared but we think we know where to find him. I am of the belief that we should meet in Ponyville as we have much to discuss, not the least of which is the location of our, aforementioned, friend. I am being accompanied by four stallions and one filly all of which, I believe, will end up taking up residency in Ponyville on a long-term basis. We will arrive in seven days and we wish to meet you and the other Elements of Harmony as soon as possible afterward. We look forward to meeting you in person. Sincerely yours, Trooper"

"Who the heck is this Trooper guy?" Applejack asked, "Ah ain't never heard of him."

"Neither have I, Applejack." Twilight added, "But he seems to know Valiant, so I think it would be wise to hear him out."

Rarity's lips pursed, thinking,
"What I would like to know is how he knows we're the Elements of Harmony, darling. We don't precisely make that a well-known fact, now do we?"

Rainbow Dash took to the air, as she was apt to do,
"Why is he bringing four stallions and a filly with him? And what did he mean 'on a long-term basis'? Does he mean they plan on living here or something?"

"Ooh ooh ooh! Does that mean . . . " Pinkie Pie began.

Twilight turned her head quickly,
"Not right now Pinkie. We love your parties, but this sounds serious."

The resident party pony didn't seem fazed in the slightest,
"O.K. That just means I have more time to plan for it!"

A small voice spoke up in the midst of the commotion,
"I wonder why Valiant ran away? What could have happened to make him do that?" Fluttershy asked.

Twilight rose to her hooves,
"I don't know, Fluttershy, but we need to be ready to receive them. They'll need a place to stay and Ponyville doesn't have any hotels."

Rarity cleared her throat,
"Ahem. I have enough floor-space inside my boutique for a couple of them at least."

"We've got some room in our new house and the barn too." Applejack volunteered.

"Thank you, girls. The boutique, the farm, and the Library here, should be enough room to house them until they get settled in . . . " Twilight was interrupted by Spike belching out another scroll.

The little assistant caught the scroll and unrolled it,
"It's from Big Macintosh! Can I read it, Applejack?" Spike asked.

"That's 'May I read it, Applejack'" Twilight corrected her assistant.

"Sure thing Spike." Applejack replied.

Spike cleared his throat,
"Dear Applejack, I'm on my way home with some friends. If Twilight hasn't already told you, we have a problem with Valiant and we need someplace for our new friends to sleep. I promise I'll explain when I get home. Something big has happened. I can't explain it to you except in person. See you soon sis, Macintosh. P.S. Tell Applebloom and Granny Smith hi for me."

Applejack's face contorted in confusion,
"Now what the hay is that supposed to mean?" she asked nopony in particular.

Twilight turned and addressed the assembled mares,
"I guess we'll have to wait and see. We have seven days to prepare so let's get t it."

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

Rainbow Dash flew down to where her friends were waiting in front of the Ponyville Library,
"I see them! They've got Big Mac and Dr. Mend with them and they're pulling a huge cart full of stuff."

Twilight addressed her airborne friend,
"How far away are they?"

Rainbow Dash put a hoof to her mouth and stuck out her tongue to the side,
"I'd say ten minutes, twenty at most. Should I go introduce myself?"

Rarity spoke loudly to the cyan pegasus,
"We don't want to overwhelm them, Rainbow Dash. Why don't we just let them come to us?"

"Um, question." Dash said bluntly, "How are they supposed to know where to meet us, huh? Nopony bothered to make that arrangement."

Twilight blinked, Rainbow Dash had a point,
"Let's go meet them together. That way there won't be any misunderstandings." Twilight looked around, "Has anypony seen Pinkie Pie?"

Applejack and Rarity looked at each other worriedly,
"Uh oh." they said in unison.

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

Patch had been very sad to have to leave her friends in Canterlot. She rode on her father's back moping. Big Macintosh had offered to pull the cart holding Lemon Lime, Sea Blue, and Patch’s belongings. Trooper flew overhead carrying his meager possessions in his saddle-bags. Dr. Mend led the way in front with Lemon Lime right behind him. Sea Blue walked beside Big Mac so they could talk.

Patch had kept quiet, that is until a bright pink pony's head with a frizzy mane poked out from underneath the canopy of the cart Big Macintosh was pulling,
"Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie! Are you one of Valiant's friends?" she asked cheerfully.

Patch was so startled she nearly fell off her father's back,
"I'm Patch. I don't know Valiant very well yet. Are you one of his friends?"

"Who are you talking to sweetie?" Sea Blue asked turning his head.

He saw Pinkie's head sticking out of the covered cart and almost tripped himself,
"Oh hello."

"Pinkie Pie," Big Macintosh addressed without looking, "Why don't you come on out and say hi like a normal pony?"

Pinkie blew playful raspberries in the red stallion’s direction,
"Because that's no fun! Normal is so booooooooring! And I'm all about having fun!"

"You'll have to excuse Pinkie." Big Mac said to Sea Blue, "She's uh, a bit random."

"I like her!" Patch said excitedly.

Pinkie took the statement as encouragement,
"Ooh! Do you like parties? I love parties! I mean, there's nothing like a good party to make you smile! And you looked so sad when I first saw you. I wanted to throw a biiiiiiiiiiig party to welcome you to Ponyville but Twilight said I had to wait and I said that was fine because then I could plan for it more and more! Ooh you should see what I have in mind! It's going to be the biggest, most awesomest party ever! Normally I only throw a party for one pony, but now I get to throw a party for FOUR new ponies, and that means I need four times the cake and four times the decorations and four times the games! It's going to be the most epic party ever! Wow! I never thought I'd use that word! I've been meaning to for a while now but I never had the chance to! Haha! Epic, epic, epic, epic, epiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiic!" Pinkie had thrown her fore hooves up in the air for the last part and subsequently over balanced and fell out of the cart.

Not missing a beat she sprung back up onto her hooves giggling,
"Hehehehehehehehehe! Oops! I do that sometimes!"

Sea Blue looked like he had no idea how to handle the pink ball of energy, Patch loved her,
"You sound like Live Wire." she giggled.

Pinkie cocked her head to the side,
"Live Wire? Which one is he?" Pinkie asked bouncing along with the small procession.

Patch pointed to Lemon Lime,
"He's the unicorn with the yellow coat and green mane and tail talking to Dr. Mend."

Pinkie vanished right before Patch’s eye only to suddenly and impossibly appear out of a bush right next to Lemon Lime,
"Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie!" she greeted energetically.

Lemon Lime was stricken, fortunately Dr. Mend saved him by enveloping Pinkie in a big hug,
"Pinkie Pie! I've missed you, you ball of fun!" he said uncharacteristically.

Pinkie was stunned, Dr. Mend never hugged anypony,
"Um, are you feeling alright Dr. Mend?" she asked cautiously.

The black Earth pony smiled back at her,
"I'm fine Pinkie Pie." Dr. Mend said turning to Lemon Lime, "This is Pinkie Pie, she's the Element of Laughter."

Trooper flew down to join the conversation,
"She is one of the Elements of Harmony? Wahoo, talk about opposites!" he chuckled, "Wait, if she is the Element of Laughter then that means you are her . . . "

Dr. Mend made a zipping motion with his hoof across his mouth,
"Let's wait until we're there first, then we can explain."

Pinkie Pie wriggled out of Dr. Mend's grip and bounced in place,
"Is it a guessing game? I love guessing manes! You're my . . . friend? No I already know that. Are you my . . . agent? No that doesn't make any sense. Are you my . . . " she continued on making wild and unfounded guesses until the procession reached the northern entrance to Ponyville where five mares and one baby dragon waited for them.

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

Dr. Mend, Lemon Lime, Trooper, Big Macintosh, Patch, and Sea Blue came to a halt several paces from Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy with Pinkie Pie bouncing up and down between the two groups. Trooper had to time his landing so he and Pinkie wouldn't collide.

The royal blue pegasus performed an elegant, flourishing bow to the gathering of mares,
"I am Trooper." he introduced, "Whom do I have the distinctive honor of addressing ladies?"

Fluttershy squeaked and huddled behind Applejack's tail. Applejack, on the other hoof, just rolled her eyes at the dramatic pegasus. Rainbow Dash stared in utter disbelief while Twilight blinked several times in rapid succession. Rarity, seeing the state of her friends decided to break the ice and stepped forward.

The fashion designer cleared her throat and held out a perfectly manicured hoof toward Trooper,
"You may call me Rarity sir. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Trooper stepped up to the white unicorn and politely kissed her offered hoof,
"The pleasure is all mine, I assure you."

Rarity blushed but couldn't help to overhear Rainbow Dash whisper,
"Aw great, not another one!"

Trooper seemed to take notice of the comment,
"Pardon me miss Rarity."

Trooper took to the air and faced Rainbow Dash face to face, somehow bowing in mid-air,
"The famous Rainbow Dash I presume."

"Don't even think about kissing me!" she said defensively.

Trooper looked offended but decided to repay tit-for-tat,
"No indeed. I only plant these lips where they are wanted and the hoof of a lady is offered. Thus far, I have only been introduced to a single lady."

The minor insult was not lost on Rainbow Dash,
"What the hay is that supposed to mean?"

Trooper smiled mischievously,
"Beauty is as beauty does, nothing more."

Rainbow Dash bristled at the insinuation,
"Are you calling me ugly?"

Trooper waved a hoof in her general direction while turning his head,
"Not in the least! In point of fact, I find you to be the very epitome of lovely. I am merely insinuating that if you wish to be treated like a lady you should act like one and not like an over-amped track star with something to prove. It is never a poor thing to utilize manners when making a first impression, and might I add that your first impression was not so courteous nor particularly welcoming."

Rarity leaned over to Twilight and whispered,
"I think I'm in love!"

Spike, upon hearing the comment addressed Trooper,
"Hey! Why not come on down here and meet the rest of us?"

Twilight turned he head and whispered to her passenger,
"Spike! That was rude!"

Trooper landed in front of Twilight,
"You would be Twilight Sparkle, would you not?"

Twilight shook he head,
"Uh, yes I am. It's a pleasure to meet you Trooper. Now if you and your friends would care to join us, we'll take you to the Ponyville Library so we can all make proper introductions."

Trooper brightened at the idea instantly,
"A capital notion! However I must consult my compatriots. I am not in any kind of position to make decisions for them."

Trooper turned to head back to the others but had to step out of the way as Big Macintosh casually walked past him,
"Let's meet at the Library like Twilight said."

The others were already moving along behind the huge Earth pony.

Trooper shrugged and turned back to the waiting mares,
"It seems as though the decision is unanimous. Lead the way miss Twilight!"

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

Lemon Lime was a shaking, stuttering mess. He had never been around so many pretty mares before, not to mention that one of them was a former crush of his. The twelve ponies and one baby dragon gathered on the floor of the Library.

Once everypony was seated, Twilight took charge,
"Introductions first. We already know Dr. Mend, Big Macintosh. Trooper why don't you finish your introduction?"

Trooper rose to his hooves and inclined his head to Twilight,
"A delightful idea. How about for each of us, somepony meet us in the middle so all can hear?"

Applejack rose to her hooves and trotted up to Trooper,
"Mah name's Applejack. Pleased to meet ya Trooper. You wouldn't be offended if'n Ah just wanted to shake hooves instead of a kiss would ya?"

Trooper bowed his head,
"Not at all. Even the prerogative of a gentlecolt to bend to the wishes of a pretty mare." he said shaking Applejack's hoof.

Pinkie Pie bounced up next as Applejack sat back down,
"Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie!" she said extending her hoof.

Trooper closed his eyes and bent down to kiss her hoof politely. Trooper's lips met something metallic. He opened his eyes just in time to see an electric buzzer in front of his muzzle. The gathered ponies shielded their eyes as Trooper's entire body lit up like a light pole. His legs and torso flew up into the air and his mane and tail frizzed out as his skeleton shone through his skin. Pinkie Pie withdrew he hoof and giggled. Trooper lay on the floor with smoke rising from his mane and tail. Rainbow Dash and Sea Blue laughed uproariously at the sight.

Pinkie bounced away with a simple comment thrown over her shoulder,
"You shouldn’t always be so proper. Not everypony understands it. Lighten up and have some fun."

Trooper groaned and sat up slowly, 'Mark one point for Pinkie Pie. She was defending Rainbow Dash and that threat, while playful, was still pretty obvious. That filly could be dangerous if she put her mind to it. I need to make sure I stay on her good side.' he thought. In truth Pinkie meant no threat at all, threats were not her style, but Trooper had no way of knowing that.

Trooper rose to his hooves and looked around, waiting for one more mare to come forward. He looked around but only saw five mares. After a moment of silence a mass of pink mane and custard colored body slowly inched her way out from behind Applejack and shuffled her way forward. Trooper remembered Valiant saying that Fluttershy was very timid. He laid down on the floor and lowered his head a bit to seem less intimidating.

Fluttershy finally reached him and laid down next to him,
"I'm Fluttershy." she said quietly.

Trooper raised his head slightly,
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Fluttershy. My name is Trooper. I will let you rise first so I do not startle you."

Fluttershy rose and hid back behind Applejack. Trooper rose to his hooves and sat back down with the other stallions, nudging Sea Blue on the way. Sea Blue rose with Patch and trotted to the center of the room. Patch slid off her father's shoulders and landed on the floor.

Twilight approached the pair first,
"My name is Twilight Sparkle. I'm the Librarian here in Ponyville. This," she said indicating the purple and green baby dragon sitting glumly on the stairs, “Is Spike. Pleased to meet you Sea Blue.” she said extending her hoof.

Sea Blue shook her hoof,
"I'm Sea Blue and this is my daughter Patch." he said shaking Twilight's hoof.

Little Patch looked up at Twilight, eyes wide,
"Are you one of the Elements of Harmony?" she asked.

Twilight's eyebrows arched,
"Yes I am. All of us are. I'm the Elements of Magic. How did you know that?"

"My daddy and the other guys talk about the Elements of Harmony all the time." Patch said turning to her father, "Is she the one Daddy?"

Sea Blue smiled down at his daughter,
"No, sorry sweetie."

Twilight's interest had been piqued,
"Am I the one, what?"

Sea Blue smiled knowingly,
"We'll explain it after the introductions are over. I promise."

Twilight was not to be denied,
"There's something fishy going on here." she said suspiciously, "You already know the rest of our names and I don't think Fluttershy can take too many more introductions today. Why don't you just tell us about yourself?"

Sea Blue shrugged as Twilight sat back down,
"I'm Sea Blue and this is my daughter Patch. We're from Canterlot. I'm a licensed psychologist, psychiatrist, and councilor." he turned to his daughter, "Would you like to add anything sweetie?"

Patch just waved at the gathered mares happily,
"Hi!"

Patch received several waves back then the pair walked back to the line of stallions. Sea Blue nudged Lemon Lime to head on to the center of the room. The poor yellow unicorn was practically shaking with fear. He stood up and walked to the center of the floor with his head down.

Lemon Lime raised his head, pupils the size of pinpoints, and tried to speak,
"H . . . h . . . hello. M . . . my . . . nam . . . name's . . . Lemon . . . Lime." he sputtered then bolted back to the other stallions.

Twilight felt like she knew him from somewhere, but other things were already pressing on her mind,
"Now that the introductions are finished, would somepony please tell me what is going on? Specifically, why Patch asked you if I was 'the one'?"

Sea Blue smiled, he loved being elusive,
"She was asking if you were the one I'm supposed to protect. The answer is 'no'."

Twilight was not pleased with the vague answer,
"Protect?" she asked openly.

Dr. Mend sighed heavily and rose to his hooves. He strode to the middle of the room and planted himself squarely,
"Each of us is supposed to safe-guard one of you, one of the Elements of Harmony. We have the responsibility to keep you safe from anything that might threaten your safety. We only recently became aware of this responsibility when we had to subdue and capture a rogue unicorn who was suffering from stage three 'Caster's Stroke'. We formulated a plan to engage her but she was . . . resistant. We managed to back her into a corner but she summoned a chimera and put it on the offensive against us . . . "

Twilight interrupted Dr. Mend,
"A chimera!" she shouted, "She summoned a chimera? That's forbidden magic, how did she know the spell? I don't even know that spell!"

"She learned it specifically to use against you, Twilight. I hadn't seen her before, because I was in my clinic for the 'Ursa Minor incident' but I saw the aftermath. Her name was Trixie. We managed to defeat the chimera and subdue her with a great deal of teamwork."

Twilight was dumbstruck,
"How! How did you defeat a chimera!?" she nearly shrieked.

Dr. Mend turned and looked back to his friends, motioning for them to join him. Big Macintosh, Sea Blue, Lemon Lime, and Trooper joined Dr. Mend forming a line facing the Elements of Harmony.

Dr. Mend continued,
"We are the Elements of Peace." he said simply.

Twilight was utterly confused,
"Elements of Peace? What are you talking about?"

"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash said taking to the air angrily, "What kind of prank is this? There's only one set of Elements and that's us! The Elements of Harmony!"

"Big Macintosh, what kind of foolishness is this?" Applejack addressed her brother.

"Tain't no foolishness, sis. We're the real deal." Big Mac said openly.

Lemon Lime didn't want to waste any more time hearing everypony arguing. He closed his eyes and focused his mind. He had never tried to voluntarily call his Element out before, 'Remember focus on memories of patience.' he thought. He felt the power slowly beginning to build inside himself as the argument around him became more and more heated.

"We are telling you the truth!" Trooper bellowed.

"I must say, I find this incredibly difficult to believe. How can there be two sets of Elements?" Rarity asked.

"Princess Celestia made the Elements of Harmony and Princess Luna made the Elements of Peace." Sea Blue responded.

Twilight noticed Lemon Lime's posture,
"What's he doing?"

The simple question stopped every argument in the room. All eyes turned to Lemon Lime.

"He's glowing!" Rarity shouted.

"He's trying to manifest his Element voluntarily." Sea Blue said.

Lemon Lime concentrated harder. A sweat broke out on his body, but he kept trying. The room fell completely silent. Everypony backed away from the little yellow unicorn. The glow around him intensified steadily as he poured on more and more concentration. In a bright flash of light, his armor formed itself around his body with a sound akin to wind chimes ringing.

Lemon Lime opened his eyes and surveyed the room, settling on Twilight,
"I'm the Element of Patience, guardian of the Element of Magic. I’m at your service Twilight Sparkle" he said in a deep bow.

Lemon Lime was overjoyed that he hadn’t stuttered, ‘Maybe the armor gives me more confidence?’

Twilight couldn't believe her eyes. The yellow unicorn, who had previously been only the slightest bit taller than her and just as thin, now looked to be the very picture of a muscular warrior. Twilight approached him slowly, examining every inch of the armor. She circled him from front to back and completed the circuit. The very sight of him made her feel . . . comforted, safe. She figured she should feel afraid of him, but she felt the opposite.

The one pony in the room to finally break the silence was a surprising one,
"There's only five of you." Fluttershy said quietly, "Valiant's the other one isn't he?"

Dr. Mend nodded,
"And your guardian, Fluttershy. We have to find him."

Author's note: Feel free to leave any comments you wish in the comments section and feel free to call me between the hours of 5:00 P.M. E.S.T. and 5:00 A.M. E.S.T (remember I work at night and I live in Virginia) My number is 757-779-0385 I have unlimited long distance and unlimited text messaging so bring it on please. I love getting to know every brony I can. Double Mallow and Mac have already called me so this is not a bluff. I hope to hear from you soon everypony.

Chapter 5

The Elements of Equestria

Part 5

Twilight had finally come around to the idea of going off to find Valiant. She had Spike send a message to Princess Celestia asking for a leave of absence. Big Macintosh told Applejack about his idea for asking Zecora to run the farm with Caramel while they were gone. Applejack was not too keen on the idea but she did have to admit, her brother had chosen the only available individual capable of pulling the feat off. Zecora had a solid knowledge of plants and Applebloom respected her. It was the best solution either sibling could have hoped for. The two farm ponies headed back to Sweet Apple Acres to break the news to Granny Smith and Applebloom. Rarity and Sea Blue had a problem: what to do with Sweetie Belle and Patch? They departed, heading back to Rarity's boutique to try to brainstorm the problem out. Trooper politely asked Twilight if he could stay the night in the Library. Lemon Lime stopped the conversation and had Trooper follow him to the Mayor's office, hoping to catch her before she went home for the day. Dr. Mend and Pinkie Pie headed off to their separate homes for the night, leaving Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy alone with Twilight to talk. The group was supposed to come back together the next morning to sort out the issues and plan out their route.

Rainbow Dash waited until the door closed behind Pinkie Pie before turning to Twilight and Fluttershy,
"Girls, I've got a problem."

Twilight sighed silently, but decided to hear her friend out,
"We all have problems right now, Rainbow Dash. Do you think we can solve it?"

Rainbow Dash bit her lip pensively,
"I uh," she began, "I kind of had a bad run-in with Trooper earlier. He thinks I'm bullying him.
He even cussed at me."

Fluttershy cocked her head to the right questioningly,
"Why would he think that?"

Rainbow Dash shrugged,
"I don't know." she said, then rubbed the back of her neck with her hoof, "Well, maybe he thinks
that because of what happened yesterday. See, he was trying to build a cloud house," Rainbow
Dash snickered, "He's a total amateur. You should have seen it. It was hilarious. I watched him
for a while and he just didn't get it, so I threw him a hint about how to weave clouds. He got all
upset and fussed at me for not saying something sooner. How was I supposed to know he wanted help? I always learn things for myself; I thought he'd want to do it too."

Twilight pursed her lips,
"How long were you watching him, Rainbow Dash?"

"I don't know, a couple of hours, I guess." Dash said shrugging, "Look that's not the point. So
he finally gets a good foundation down, finally, and then a bunch of colts and fillies flies right
through his foundation. They totally demolished it, there wasn't anything left. I forgot to mention
he'd made it in the middle of the practicing area, its common knowledge. Anyway his face was
priceless, I couldn't help but laugh. So he gets all upset and storms off."

"Hmm, well I can see where the two of you could have had a miscommunication there. Try
saying to him about it a little sooner next time." Twilight suggested.

"Honestly Twilight," Dash said, "I really don't think there's going to be a next time. Things got
worse today. I was watching him try to build another cloud house again today. I forgot about him
earlier and cleared out all the clouds above Ponyville. He couldn't find any clouds nearby so he
tried to use some from above the Everfree Forrest. I couldn't believe it! He was actually doing
it!" Rainbow Dash said, voice rising, "He was using clouds from the Everfree Forrest! I mean
how stupid can you get! Those things would have dissipated in a matter of hours and maybe even dropped him right into the forest itself. He was only starting to weave them when I remembered I had to ask Applejack something and by the time I got back he was nowhere to be seen so I just pushed the clouds back over to where they belong. All of a sudden I see him flying back toward them so I stopped him and asked what he was doing. He gets all huffy and charges at me telling me to get out of his way."

Rainbow Dash stopped to take a breath before continuing,
"I kept trying to explain about the clouds to him, but he wouldn't listen. He accused me of
bullying him and then he goes and dives down into the Everfree Forrest and he keeps flying! I
couldn't see him so I flew off and looked around. He comes back out of the trees, so I tackled
him to keep him out of there. He's new; he doesn't know how dangerous that place is! So we're
wrestling around and he pushes off me. His saddlebags tore when he pushed off, which I totally
didn't mean to happen. Then he cusses at me and tells me to leave him alone then he tries to grab the saddle-bags from me. He surprised me and I didn't have time to let go, so we both ended up dropping them into 'you know where'. He flies down into the Everfree Forrest again and stays there. I hung around for a minute or two trying to find him, but the way I figure, if he thinks
I'm picking on him he might not come back up until I left, so I left. Then when I see him here,
earlier, I tried to explain everything to him, but he just ignored me."

Rainbow Dash specifically didn't mention Trooper's absent cutie-mark. She had seen it as clear as day, but she didn't feel right spreading the news around. She wasn't that insensitive.

"He was out of line with the cussing, that's for sure." Twilight said, "But he should have been
willing to listen to you. If he's going to be like that, just ignore him. He's being immature and
foalish. When he feels like being mature about everything, he'll come and talk to you. Until then
you'll just be wasting your time."

"Yeah, I'd thought about that, but I really don't want him to have the wrong idea about me."
Rainbow Dash admitted.

Fluttershy picked up something out of place,
"Why is his opinion of you so important?"

"It's not." Rainbow Dash said dismissively, "It's not like I need his approval or anything. It's just that we're supposedly linked by our Elements. I figure we're supposed to get along and everything, right?"

Twilight rolled her eyes,
"Not necessarily. Lemon Lime and I don't get along particularly well. He's definitely not well-built and he is . . . a little . . . well, little. He looks like he might be worth something in his armor, but he's really annoying and he never shuts up. He talks so much I can’t hear myself think half the time. Honestly, I can stand him, but just barely. I pretty much ignore him most of the time. He's supposed to be the Element of Patience but I sure don't see it. He's probably the most impatient pony I've ever met."

"I think they're nice." Fluttershy said.

Her two friends looked at her like she was crazy, but she continued,
"We already know Dr. Mend and Big Macintosh are nice, right? Rarity seems to be getting along
with Sea Blue well enough and we all got along with Valiant. Maybe we just need time to get to
know them. Maybe they're just rough around the edges like Valiant was when we first met him."

"Speaking of which, Twilight," Rainbow Dash said, "Isn't it kind of weird having a stallion
staying with you? Doesn't it get awkward having him in the Library at night?"

"No. Why would it? As I said, I just ignore him." Twilight said obliviously.

"Um, don't you know Twilight?" Fluttershy asked.

"Don't I know what? What are you girls getting at?" Twilight asked confused.

"Lemon Lime's sweet on you, Twilight. It's in his eyes every time he looks at you. He totally
adores you." Rainbow Dash said, "You two are all alone here at night, I'm surprised he hasn't
tried making any moves on you."

"I think it's kind of sweet." Fluttershy added, "He probably hasn't said anything because he
doesn't want to make you feel uncomfortable. He seems like a nice stallion though."

Twilight was about to respond when she heard a knock on her door,
"Come in." she called.

Lemon Lime opened the door and entered, Trooper followed him,
"The Mayor's office was closed. I'll have to try tomorrow. Hey Twilight, do you happen to know
which houses are for sale? I'd like to get a look before I buy one. I need a big house so I can run
my appointments out of it, but it needs to be close to the center of town so my patients don't have to go too far either. Would you be willing to show me which ones are for sale? I'd really, really, really, really appreciate it if you would. I know I'm new and everything but I could really use
the help from somepony who has lived here for a while. I completely understand if you have
something else you have to do, but if you have the time I'd really like to." Lemon Lime machine-
gunned.

Spike belched loudly from his bed upstairs. A few moments later, the baby dragon wobbled down the stairs and handed the scroll off to Twilight, then went back upstairs to bed.

Twilight levitated the scroll with her magic and read the message out loud,
"My most faithful student,

You have my full permission to go search for Valiant. This might be a valuable lesson in the magic of friendship. Write me back with any problems you or your friends may have in regard to your absences and I will see to it that everything is taken care of.

Princess Celestia."

Twilight telekinetically rolled the scroll back up and rose to her hooves levitating it in front of her. She walked over to her writing podium and levitated a piece of parchment and ink vial over. She used her magic and dipped the quill into the ink.

Keeping her head facing forward, she addressed Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash,
"Fluttershy, do you have anypony to take care of your animals while you're gone?"

"No Twilight, I don't. I'm not sure I could trust anypony to care for them either. They
wouldn't know about all the specific things I do for them. Each one is a special case. A regular
veterinarian wouldn't know where to even begin with Angel Bunny." Fluttershy admitted.

Twilight blew out a quiet breath,
"You can trust that Princess Celestia will have her best vet out here caring for the animals while
you're gone. She has to have somepony look after Philomena, even you didn't know how to do
that. I’m sure the pony she sends will be just fine."

Fluttershy lowered her head,
"Oh, alright. If you think so, I trust you."

"What about you Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked, "Do you have somepony to take care of the
weather while you're gone?"

"No problem." Rainbow Dash replied, "I already asked Cloud Kicker to take care of it."

Twilight nodded,
"Good to hear. Now I just need to finish this off and send it."

"Live Wire?" Trooper asked, "Are we staying here tonight?"

"I'm not sure." the smaller unicorn stallion responded, "I'll ask Twilight if it's alright after she's
done with the letter. I don't want to be a distraction while she's doing something . . .”

Lemon Lime trailed off as Twilight shot him a look that plainly said he was already being a
distraction. The little therapist clammed up as quickly as he could. He felt bad, he hadn't meant
to be a distraction, but he always seemed to upset Twilight, 'Why can't I do anything right? I
hate being a problem. Maybe she'll like me if I just shut up. Then maybe she'll actually talk
to me instead of ignoring me all the time.' he thought, 'Starting right now, no more rambling.
Simple questions, simple answers. I've just got to get her to talk to me. She's so smart! There's
so much we could talk about and she's so pretty! Arg! This is torture! Why can't I just tell her
how I feel? I know why, because she won't even say two words to me unless she's using me for an experiment. Why can't she see me as a pony and not a ' test subject'? I just have to stay quiet, and then maybe she'll notice me. Obviously being myself doesn't work, new tactic.'

Trooper's mind was likewise working, 'Yes, Rainbow Dash, I know I am a freak. Yes, Rainbow Dash, I know you are there. You can stop sneaking looks at me. I see you quite well. Simply ignore me and we will get along just fine.' he thought petulantly, 'Would you please stop looking at me. I do not know what you are thinking, but I am certain it does not require you to stare at me. I have just as much right to be here as you do, thank you very much, and I will not be intimidated by your body language, so you can just stop it.'

Rainbow Dash had her own thought pattern, 'I wonder what it's like to grow up without your cutie-mark? Is that why he's so moody all the time? Because he doesn't know what his special talent is? He's supposed to be the Element of Perseverance? He sure did give up talking to me pretty quick. Maybe Twilight's right, maybe I should just ignore him and let him come to me first.'

Fluttershy's mind was working on a totally different pattern, 'Oh I hope Valiant's alright. He's been gone for over a week now. I wonder how far away Haysburg is? Is it dangerous there? I hope he's safe.'

Twilight was having trouble concentrating on the letter, 'He's got a crush on me? Great,' she thought sarcastically, 'Just what I need. Some short, wimpy, chatterbox staring at me with
stars in his eyes. And he's been sleeping in the Library with me too. I hope he doesn't watch me sleep. That's just too creepy. I'm not interested in romance and even if I was, I'm sure I could do better than HIM. He doesn't even look old enough to have a job yet.' Twilight thought back to her experience with being judgmental, 'It's not like with Zecora where looks don't matter. It's not that at all,' she was trying to convince herself more than anything else, 'It's just that he's so annoying. It's like he's socially deprived or something.'

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

Rarity had been surprised to see Sweetie Belle awake when she arrived back at the boutique. The little unicorn filly was overjoyed upon hearing about the new filly at school, but became more than a little hesitant when she saw Patch's eye, or more specifically, her lack thereof. Patch, on the other hoof, had woken up and been ecstatic when she saw Sweetie Belle. Sea Blue and Rarity sat down discussing possible arrangements while Patch and Sweetie Belle were on the floor.

Patch decided to be the bold one and started the introductions,
"I'm Patch. What's your name?" she asked sitting right in front of Sweetie Belle.

"Your name is Patch?" Sweetie Belle asked, disbelieving.

"Yep! What's your name?" the pink filly asked again.

"I'm Sweetie Belle. What's with your eye?" the little white unicorn asked bluntly.

"I'm a pirate! Arrrr!" Patch said playfully, "Sorry," she giggled, "It's just the way I was born."

"Does it hurt?" Sweetie Belle asked.

Patch shook her head,
"Nope, it just looks funny, that's all."

"It looks kind of gross." Sweetie Belle said.

"Yeah, it really does! It doesn't feel gross though. Want to touch it?" Patch offered.

Sweetie Belle was grossed out but curious,
"Won't I hurt you if I do?"

Patch responded by stuffing her left forehoof into the socket and rubbing it around,
"Hmm, nope. Not unless you really press hard."

Sweetie Belle stood up and slowly inched her hoof toward Patch's blank eye. Patch held still as the white unicorn filly touched the skin hesitantly at first,
"Hey, you're right. It doesn't feel gross!" an idea struck her and she smiled mischievously, "Hey
Patch, do you ever have to deal with bullies?"

"Sometimes, why?" Patch asked.

"There's this really mean pair of bullies at school who are always picking on Scootaloo,
Applebloom, and me because we don't have out cutie-marks yet. I was just thinking, we could
really gross them out if you wore an eye patch to school the first day then took it off and touched
it in front of them." Sweetie Belle said.

Patch's eye lit up,
"You don't have your cutie-mark either?"

AUTHOR’S NOTE: I’ve taken a look and made the corrections I believe necessary. Sorry to all my fans. I now understand why yall hated it.

Chapter 20

The Elements of Equestria
Chapter 20

Tinker wobbled unsteadily on her hooves. She was beyond exhausted. The stream of ponies who needed medical treatment had finally slowed to a trickle. Searcher had woken up earlier and had, after a lot of convincing, persuaded Triage to let him assist her with removing the piece of bell from Colossus' chest. For a unicorn who had spent only three hours asleep after helping Triage for nine hours, he was remarkably energetic. As for Triage, Tinker shook her head, 'That mare is really something. She's been awake this whole time and is still going. How does she do it?'

Tinker stole a glance at the leg band Searcher had given her, 'He's been passing these things out left and right. He said they have protective enchantments on them. He said he used modern magic and ancient for the enchantments. I can identify the modern enchantments but the other ones I have no clue about. He was telling the truth about the modern protective enchantments so I'll trust him on the ancient ones too, I guess.'

Tinker headed toward the rear of the clinic where Triage said she had some cots set up for volunteers to use.

* * * * * * * *

After several hours of somewhat reluctantly listening to Natival tell her about how to act, or at least try to act in normal pony society, Birdie was willing to give it a go, albeit reluctantly. The two pegasi trotted out of the swamp to the sounds of yelling, almost like construction work. Natival, still concealed, sighed in relief until his gaze shifted to the center of Haysburg. The Earth ponies of the town were running to and fro with frantic energy. A wide myriad of different sounds assailed the ear drums of the two pegasi. Following one sound, Natival's eyes fell upon a young gray stallion. The stallion's head was bandaged and had his left hind leg in a sling; he was lying down on the ground with an adult sized, sheet covered, limp form in his right foreleg while he nuzzled it continuously sobbing brokenly. Another sound caught Natival's ear. Turning his head, he beheld a group of five ponies braced against a thick center beam and lifted off the leg of a whimpering peach colored mare. A loud yell caught his attention as three Earth pony mares began digging through the decimated remains of a home.

One, a dark yellow mare, with a mane and tail of indigo orange waved a hoof at Natival and Birdie, motioning them over. Natival galloped over with Birdie just behind him.

The yellow mare began speaking, as Natival arrived,
"We need to uncover the shelter's door! I don't see any blood or bodies, so I think Tranquility made it."

Natival began assisting the three mares with cleaning away debris. Birdie stood back and watched for a few moments, unsure what to do, 'Should I help? Do they even want my help? Natival said that I have to try trusting others if I want them to trust me. But what if I do something wrong and they get mad? Natival said this morning that I shouldn't hit others if I need to solve a problem, but to try talking to them. I hate talking though. Words don't mean much, actions mean so much more. The Gryphon who . . . he said it wouldn't hurt if I didn't fight the first time but it did. It means so much! Then he said I would get used to it and it wouldn't hurt after a while, but it did, and it only hurt more and more every time. That's why actions mean more. I'm just going to help and if they get mad, I'll just go somewhere else since Natival said I can't hit them.'

Birdie swallowed nervously, then shook her head and decided to just charge right in. Boldly taking a position between the other two mares, Birdie reached her head down and bit a heavy piece of wooden wall. Praying that her face would remain hidden, she began pulling the heavy piece of wall as she back peddled stoically, grunting under the weight. The two mares on either side of her saw the size of the piece Birdie was dragging and both bit onto it to help the concealed Pegasus. The three of them cleared the foundation of the house and set down the piece of the wall.

The bluish-white mare on Birdie's left spoke up,
"You're pretty strong Birdie, but just ask us for help next time."

The silver-coated mare on Birdie's right continued the thought,
"Yeah, we're more than happy to help as long as you're willing."

Birdie, being socially inept, had no idea how to feel so she just nodded her head and headed back to the pile of debris.

Unbeknownst to either Natival or Birdie another pony had stopped to watch them. He grunted in frustration at his internal conflict, 'Blast it! How can I stay suspicious of Searcher, Colossus, or Birdie when they aren't giving me anything to use against them? Searcher stopped speaking against the Gryphons and even saved my life last night. Colossus saved Surf & Turf and Trauma and ended up with a huge chunk of metal embedded in his chest. Birdie goes and rescues a filly and is now helping with the rescue effort after the tornado.' he slammed his hoof against the street in frustration, 'Is it possible?' he wondered, 'Have I misjudged them? Their actions say they are here to help, maybe Valiant talked some sense into them. Searcher is still passed out from helping Triage, and Colossus isn't even awake and might not make it.' he sighed and hung his head, 'Nopony does something like that unless they really care. I've misjudged them. My quarrel with Birdie did get out of hoof, but I was pretty angry . . . Damn!' he heaved another sigh and brought his eyes to the concealed pegasus mare once more.

Miller took a deep breath to steel his nerves as he swallowed his pride, 'Alright . . . Birdie . . .' he swallowed and began his thoughts once more, 'Birdie . . . the one who sliced up my face and shoulder.' he sighed once more, 'Remember Miller, go in with an open mind and try not to upset the psychopathic mare with razor-sharp steel shoes.'

Natival, Birdie and the other three mares had hit a snag. They could see the storm cellar's trap door but it was stuck beneath a hugely heavy piece of the house's roof. Even with all five of them putting their weight into it, it wouldn't budge. The five ponies backed off to pursue a new angle to the problem.

A new voice called to them,
"Need another body over here?" Miller asked as he trotted up.

Birdie and Miller eyes each other silently for several long moments before Natival stepped between the two, both figuratively and literally,
"Are we going to have a problem or is everypony going to get along peacefully?" he asked eyeing each of them in turn.

"I'm here to help, not cause trouble." Miller said plainly.

All eyes went to Birdie, waiting for her response.

After a full minute of silence Birdie turned around and began tugging on the piece of roof with her teeth.

* * * * * * * *

Tranquility was indeed safe in her storm cellar. The mortician of Haysburg was a sadly busy job but her medical knowledge allowed her to function as one of Haysburg's most frequent and reliable medical volunteers. Natival watched he enter the Medical Clinic at a brisk trot. He smiled knowing that Triage and Trauma would have another skilled hoof to assist them. There had been a rather tense moment just after Miller had helped move the roof and rescue Tranquility. Miller had been so happy to discover Tranquility alive that he had thoughtlessly but affectionately patted Birdie on her shoulder.

She had jumped back and spun but managed to stop just before she laid open Miller's jaw. Miller had apologized and Birdie, after several long minutes, had nodded in acceptance. The group with Birdie, Miller, and Natival was the last group to finish nosing through the rubble. They watched as the Mayor began calling all of Haysburg to the village square.

It took several minutes but most of Haysburg turned out,
"Settle down everypony, settle down." the Mayor called, "I've managed to account for every pony listed in the census and I'm sorry to announce that there are now two less ponies among us. The two who perished are or were Spindle, the seamstress' apprentice, some of you may have known that she was Aquaduct's fiancé, and Scupper the sewage engineer whose son is now an orphan. There have been eleven homes and seven businesses demolished. As usual I realize this is a difficult time but I ask that anypony with anything to spare please donate it so it can be distributed to those in need. As always, anypony willing to take in a single pony or family who may be without a home, please see me immediately. Those who wish to volunteer their time to help rebuild homes and businesses please see Mill Treader as soon as possible so he can organize work crews. As is the case anytime there is a death, remember to be kind to those who have lost somepony and be certain to reassure them and give them your support. Now, let us observe a moment of silence and fondly remember those who have passed on." the Mayor bowed her head as she finished speaking.

The entirety of Haysburg followed her example and lowered their heads and closed their eyes. Natival's eyes were slightly open during the moment of silence. He casually looked around at each pony. There was something different about each citizen and it took him a second to pinpoint it, 'Huh, looks like Searcher finished those leg bands.' for some reason seeing the leg bands on all the citizens of Haysburg made Natival smile, 'Soon they will be ready.' Natival blinked in confusion, 'That's odd, I don't remember thinking that . . .'

The moment of silence ended,
"Natival! Bro, over here!" Surf & Turf called as he trotted toward the concealed stallion.

As the crowd of Haysburg slowly dispersed to go on about their business, Natival turned toward his neon colored friend,
"Good to see you Surf. I'd been worrying about you a bit since I didn't see you with any of the work crews. How was your date with Trauma?"

Surf & Turf laid back his ears and lowered his head,
"Not so good dude. The tornado interrupted our date. Trauma went to ring the bell, but the shed door was jammed. She tried to magic it open but, then this explosion of magic goes off and knocks Trauma clean out . . ."

"Is she alright?!" Natival asked loudly.

"She's fine bro, but she doesn't remember anything about the tornado or the explosion. Anyway I was dragging her back to the clinic when this tornado touched down. The last thing I remember seeing was this totally huge piece of bell come flying right toward us. I woke up here about half an hour ago and found out that Colossus shouldered me out of the way and ended up with that piece of bell lodged in his chest. Searcher and Triage managed to get it out and stabilize Colossus, but they don't know if he'll ever . . ." Surf & Turf shook his head and blinked several times, trying to keep back tears, "He may never wake up bro."

* * * * * * * *

Dr. Mend was happy with the progress Applejack was making in her recovery,
"Your leg looks to be healing well but all this constant jarring from walking has swollen the area around the break. If it gets too much worse, I'll have to lance and drain it. Let's stop for a minute. I'm going to give you an injection of anti-inflammatory and one of antibiotic. I'll leave it up to you if you want an injection of steroids or not."

"Ah ain't a big one for the drugs Doc. Ah'll jes take the first two. If'n Ah remember Twilight's calculations, we should be in Haysburg by either tomorrow or the day after. Ah think Ah can make it jes fine." Applejack assured the good doctor.

Pinkie Pie and Big Macintosh emerged from the constant fog, both had bulging saddlebags and large grins . . . well Pinkie did anyway,
"Hi Dr. Mendie, hi Applejack! Guess what we found? Potatoes and beets and watercress!" Pinkie gushed.

Applejack frowned at the thought of eating all of that raw,
"Did yall manage to find any fresh water?"

"Nope." he brother answered, "We're gonna have to ration."

"How much do we have now?" Dr. Mend asked, "Everypony check your canteens."

Pinkie answered first,
"I've got half my second one left but my first one is all gone."

Big Mac was next,
"Ah've got a third o' mah first canteen left and mah second is still full."

"Ah've only got mah second canteen left." Applejack reported.

"I have the same." Dr. Mend said, "I agree Big Mac, we need to ration. From now until we find fresh water, we can only drink when we stop for a rest. When we do drink, we need to be sure to take only small sips."

"We can also get some liquid from the fresh tubers an' roots. The moisture from the plants will help out a lot." Applejack added.

"We do have one other option though it isn't a pleasant one. I can hook up I.V. drips connected to saline solution pouches I have in my saddlebags. It's not pleasant but it will keep you alive." Dr. Mend added.

"Well then let's keep moving!" Pinkie chirped, "The sooner we get to Haysburg, the sooner we get fresh water."

* * * * * * * *

"Nice idea Rarity." Sea Blue complimented his partner.

She had been using a cotton cloth to absorb the moisture in the fog like a sponge while using the lowest corner to drip the water into their canteens at night. The pair had the presence of mind to stuff their saddlebags full of grain before entering the swamp. Rarity had also used her poncho as a makeshift haversack and had filled that full of grain too. Sea Blue carried the haversack without complaint. That first night in the swamp had been terrible for the two unicorns. Rarity had stepped on the soggy ground next to a large, stagnant pool of water and the edge had collapsed, sending her head first into the slimy, insect infested sludge. Her entire body was covered with dried algae colored mud, and both she and Sea Blue were forced to sleep in a shallowly dug muddy depression, covered by as many of Raritie's garments as she could manage.

The following morning had been no better,
"Nice idea or not we simply CANNOT arrive in Haysburg quickly enough! I shant ramble about it darling but I smell like a latrine! I swear if Valiant isn't in MORTAL danger when we arrive I shall have to be so cross with that stallion . . ."

"HALT!" called a masculine voice from the fog, "Don't move!"

Sea Blue jumped in front of Rarity in an aggressive stance,
"Come out! Show yourself!"

"Where are you coming from and where are you headed?" the voice asked.

"We're coming from Ponyville. We're headed to Haysburg. Now we've answered your question so come out!" Sea Blue commanded.

The two unicorns heard some grunting for a few moments before the voice responded,
"I uh . . . I would if I could, but I seem to be stuck in this miserable fog."

"Where are you?" Sea Blue called out.

"I'm about fifteen paces above you. Look up." the voice replied.

Eyes roving skyward, the two unicorns easily spotted a gryphon almost directly above them, seemingly frozen in midflight and held aloft by the fog.

The stuck gryphon struggled once more,
"Would it be too much to ask for you to help me?"

Rarity blinked,
"Of course not darling. Here let me . . ."

"Hold it Rarity." Sea Blue said evenly, "We need information."

"But the poor thing is trapped darling." Rarity pleaded.

Sea Blue turned to her,
"Why did he command for us to halt?"

"So I could make sure you weren't from Haysburg and to keep you away from it." the gryphon answered.

Sea Blue narrowed his eyes and barked up at the gryphon,
"Why! What's going on in Haysburg?"

"There is a malady that has taken root there, something powerful and dark. We don't know exactly what it is but it has affected most of the town. We've been conducting raids on Haysburg, taking the foals so they would be spared . . ." the gryphon was interrupted by a yell from below.

"WHAT!" Sea Blue yelled, remembering when Patch had been taken from him.

Quickly putting the pieces together, Rarity yelled into the councilor's face,
"Wait!" she quickly turned her head and addressed the gryphon, "Have any ponies been hurt?"

"Nothing intentional, I can tell you that for certain. We've been keeping the foals well fed, warm, and as entertained as possible. I can prove it to you. I'll take you to our camp."

Sea Blue calmed down somewhat,
"Fine," he said through gritted teeth, "Lead us to it."

An orange aura surrounded the gryphon briefly as Sea Blue cast his spell. A brief moment later the gryphon tumbled down out of the fog and onto the ground with a thud.

As the gryphon picked himself back up from the 'Move Through Fog' spell, he came beak to muzzle with a very temperamental father,
"You had better be telling me the truth." Sea Blue threatened quietly.

* * * * * * * *

The gryphon camp was set atop a small, flat rise in the swamp. The rise was clear of trees and covered with tents. Overall there were roughly one hundred tents set in groups of four with a fire at the center of each group. Gryphons walked between the tents of the tent city in a myriad of patterns of drab brown, black, white and speckled versions.

Rarity had never seen so many gryphons in one place. There had to be at least a hundred of them. She and Sea Blue were led through the camp, finally able to see more than a few paces. The fog had stopped abruptly just a couple dozen paces beyond where they encountered their current guide. A large, brown tent lay ahead of them and their guide was leading them straight toward it. Though there were two gryphons standing on either side of the entrance flap, Sea Blue wasn't worried. The two gryphons were obviously there to keep others out, not keep something in.

Their guide nodded to the two sentries and pulled back the tent flap revealing three ponies talking with an older gryphon Tom,
"Fluttershy, Twilight!" Rarity cried, rushing forward.

"Rarity?" Fluttershy asked, turning her head.

"You're green!" Twilight exclaimed as she and Fluttershy were embraced by the formerly white unicorn.

Lemon Lime trotted up to Sea Blue and held out a hoof to bump,
"Aside from her looking a little 'green around the gills', Rarity looks well." Live Wire teased.

A deep voice clearing a throat brought all conversation to a halt,
"I take it these two unicorns are some of the friends you were talking about Ms. Sparkle?" Patriarch asked.

Twilight nodded her head happily as Rarity released her and Fluttershy from the death grip hug,
"Yes, this is Rarity and Sea Blue." Twilight indicated each with her left fore hoof.

"Husband and wife?" Patriarch asked.

"Afraid not darling." Rarity said, "Sea Blue is my . . . I suppose bodyguard is the closest term."

Patriarch quirked an eyebrow,
"You famous?"

"In a way sir." Twilight said, diverting his attention back to her, "The six of us have become somewhat important. I'm not sure if you've heard of us . . ." Twilight was interrupted as a gryphon Molly burst into the tent.

Fluttershy lowered her head, but Twilight and Rarity recognized the new arrival,
"Gilda?" they asked in unison.

Patriarch ignored the fact that the ponies seemed to recognize Gilda,
"What is it?" he asked.

"Two stallions and two mares, all Earth ponies, are arguing and yelling at a bunch of our scouts. The stallions have some kind of armor . . . YOU!?" she squawked at seeing the mares.

"More of your friends?" Patriarch asked sourly.

Twilight sheepishly lowered her ears,
"Probably."

* * * * * * * *

Dr. Mend and Big Macintosh stood with Pinkie and Applejack between them as they stared menacingly at the dozen gryphons circling them. They had cleared the lifting fog when the gryphons had literally dropped in around them. The situation had gone from surprise, when the first four gryphons had landed, to dangerously tense when Applejack had missed a step in surprise, when the twelfth one landed, and accidentally struck her injured leg against a log. The sturdy farm mare had cried out in surprise and pain and one of the gryphons had rushed in toward her. In a reflexive motion that occurred before he realized it, Big Macintosh body checked the gryphon, sending him tumbling off the path and into the surrounding swamp water. From there the scene devolved into chaos with Dr. Mend shouting for the other gryphons to stay back, and the gryphons angrily yelling about their flight-mate being tossed into the swamp.

All yelling had stopped when Big Mac and Dr. Mend summoned their armor. The gryphons kept their distance but had formed into a circle around the four ponies.

A thirteenth gryphon appeared and landed behind the others on the path,
"Meany-pants?" Pinkie queried.

"My name is Gilda, 'Stinky Pie'." Gilda retorted.

Dr. Mend kept his gaze steady,
"You two know each other?"

"Of course I remember Gilda," Pinkie replied, "I wanted to hang out with her and Dashie, but Gilda didn't want me around. She was rude and mean and she stole an apple and then when Fluttershy was leading her ducks across the street, she accidentally bumped into Gilda so Gilda went and yelled the screeched and make Fluttershy cry. So I see all that and decide to throw Gilda a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party cause I thought it might help her attitude. I baked her a gi-normous cake and spent 256 bits on party stuff then Gilda goes and accuses me of playing a bunch of pranks to embarrass her but it was actually Dashie who planted the pranks. Gilda got mad and stormed off after she called us all mean names. That's kind of hard to forget."

"Oh, really?" said a deep voice behind the embarrassed gryphon.

Patriarch had landed behind Gilda while Pinkie was talking, had heard the whole thing and was looking decidedly unhappy with the younger gryphon,
"The story I heard was distinctly different. Something about a pony trying to steal away your friend then that same pony stalking you and picking on you until you left town, if I remember correctly."

"It's not all that different depending on your perspective!" Gilda defended, "I only had one day to spend with Dash and SHE shows up right after I got there and tried to monopolize all of Dash's time. I . . . got a little upset and told Pinkie to buzz off. She did but Dash felt bad later and went to look for her and ditched me. I was in a bad mood and I might have . . . done a few things that I shouldn't have . . ."

"We'll discuss this later." Patriarch interrupted, turning his eyes to the four ponies in front of him as his ears picked up on five galloping up behind him, "Flight, stand down and disperse." he ordered.

The gathered gryphons took to the air as Patriarch approached the armored ponies,
"You have no need of violence here stallions." he turned revealing Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Sea Blue, and Lemon Lime, "We have much to discuss. Especially since half my gryphons are gone."

* * * * * * * *

"BLAST!" the Rainbow of Darkness screeched in Searcher's mind, "It was going so well! Why did THEY have to show up!?"

"Who?" Searcher asked.

"THEM! The Elements of Harmony! They're not all together, or at least they weren't when they entered the fog. They aren't in my fog anymore but that doesn't matter! As long as they aren't ALL together they're no threat . . . I think. So long as they don't summon the Rainbow of Light, there's no real danger.' the disembodied voice was ranting and raving, speaking to itself.

Searcher listened to the ranting for anything he might be able to use against it,
"There was a group of two, a group of three, and a group of four on the ground and a group of two on top of the fog. I can't keep away the ones on the ground because they can see the ground. I can't effect that. The ones on the fog though, I bet I can use that psychotic pegasus mare. . ." the voice stopped as if in thought, "YES!" it suddenly screeched ,"SLAVE!"

"Yes master?" Searcher answered.

"Change of plan. Your mutilated friend, Birdie, isn't going to be getting a normal leg band. No, no, no, no, no, she's going to be getting a very special one. Instead of just mind altering spells or the transformation spells, ooh her mind is so sweetly twisted in the first place, enchant it with a little extra spell to make her beautiful. I'll show you how, yes, she won't be able to resist that. Don't make her stunning, she would loath the attention, just make it so that all her scars and her birth-defect of a face appear normal. The leg bands are already working. I can feel everyponie's mind slowly being affected. That one stallion though, the one who lost his wings, he's a bit resistant. He's the key though and Birdie will unknowingly act as the catalyst." the Rainbow of Darkness took a figurative breath and continued, "There is one other problem, that dark colored tub of lard who lives in the orphanage. He's as dumb as a brick but he knows something is off. We need to make sure he doesn't start talking. Go to the orphanage and I'll take care of the rest."

* * * * * * * *

Molasses was tired. He had helped move the remains of homes to make way for the new construction. Something was bothering him though, 'Everypony is wearing those funny, shiny rings. I don't like those rings. My tummy feels funny when I'm close to them and my head hurts when I look at them. Those rings are bad, but everypony likes them. Those rings are hurting them, I can feel it, but I'll hurt their feelings or make them laugh at me if I say anything.' the pudgy colt slowly ascended the stairs of the orphanage, 'I'm sweaty and stink. Remember to stay clean Molasses. No pony likes to smell body odor. I'm too big for a bath. Foals take baths big ponies take showers.'

"There you are Molasses." a voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

The large chocolate colored pony peered over the railing of the stairs,
"Hello?" he called.

Heartfelt trotted into his view,
"Where have you been all day Molasses?" she asked, concerned.

"It doesn't matter who makes a mess, always ask if you can help clean it up." he recited from memory, "Mr. Tornado made a big mess last night and I was helping clean it up."

'Please don't let him have seen any dead bodies.' Heartfelt silently prayed, face pale,
"Did you see anypony who was hurt?"

He had seen two ponies 'sleeping' under white sheets, 'Mr. Mill Treader said they weren't in pain. They must have been so tired.',
"A few ponies had cuts but they went to the clinic to get band aids."

The front door of the orphanage opened, drawing Molasses' attention. He had seen Searcher from a distance but never as close as he was then. As Molasses watched, Searcher began talking to Heartfelt, she slow pony's eyes fell onto the inverted heart-shaped locket around the stallion's neck.

His eyes felt like they were dry as sand, he couldn't look away, 'That's a bad necklace. Bad, bad, bad, necklace. That necklace wants to hurt ponies. That bad necklace shouldn't be here, it should be somewhere else, somewhere far, far away and away from anypony.' The slow colt's head began to hurt, just like it did when he saw the leg bands, except this time it throbbed hard enough to rob him of all thought. Molasses couldn't think, he couldn't remember any of the smart things his 'Momma' told him to remember. He tried to remember, tried to remember, but he could only hear a voice, 'You need to take a shower; a really HOT shower. The hot water will hurt but the more it hurts, the cleaner you are. You want to be clean for everypony don't you? You'll be done when you can't feel the hot water anymore. It will stop feeling hot and you'll be clean. Yes the hot water will hurt but you need to be a big colt and bear with it. You don't want everypony to smell you do you? I'll tell you how to turn up the temperature on the heater.'

"Oh, Molasses dear." Heartfelt remembered the slow colt on the stairs, "You did good today. Why don't you clean yourself up a bit. Dinner will be ready soon."

"Alright, I'm going to take a shower . . . a hot shower."

* * * * * * * *

'The Rainbow of Darkness didn't say what it did but it's done now. I hope that colt will be alright. I just hope it didn't notice that I sabotaged the leg bands. It wasn't really paying attention when I made most of them, just when I made the ones for Colossus, Surf & Turf, Tinker, Trauma, Triage, Mill Treader, and Natival, then it lost interest until it had me make the one for Birdie.' Searcher was on his way to give Birdie hers. It was the last one before the plan was ready.

The tormented unicorn stallion spotted Birdie lying down on the grass near the fountain in the center of town, listening to Natival.

Searcher trotted up to the pair and politely cleared his throat,
"Ahem, Natival may I have a private word with Birdie?"

Natival nodded his head,
"Sure, I'll go see if Trauma is awake yet."

Birdie's eyes followed Natival until Searcher cleared his throat a second time,
"Ahem, I have made one of the leg bands for you Birdie. I put some special enchantments on it for you too." he leaned in close and whispered the last sentence into her ear, "Once you put it on you will look like a normal pony."

Birdie shot to her hooves, eyes quivering, Searcher continued,
"Your scars will disappear, your face will look normal, you will be beautiful. As long as you keep it on, you will be beautiful."

He held the leg band out, offering it to the little mare.

* * * * * * * *

Birdie stood in front of the mirror in the filly's room in the clinic. She locked the door and removed her cloak, wincing at the visible testament of her prolonged abuse and mistreatment. She slowly removed her veil, disgusted at her malformed muzzle. She looked hideous, as she knew she had since birth. She cursed whatever fate had decided to deform her face. She never knew her parents but she did know she had been born ugly beyond reason. She couldn't bear to look at her own reflection and so instead averted her eyes down to the leg band. She took a deep breath and slipped it on.

She closed her eyes and raised her head, fervently hoping against hope that when she opened them, she would look normal. Taking one more deep breath she opened her eyes.

Her breath caught in her throat for a moment before huffing out of her in a shuddering, disbelieving sob. She slowly inched a hoof toward her face, hesitantly, as if she might frighten away the miracle.

Tears threatened to spill, burning from her eyes,
"I'm normal."

* * * * * * * *

Surf and Natival were taking a break from the reconstruction effort. The day was growing late, with sundown coming within the hour. The two stallions stood next to a communal water trough similar to the ones used by professional construction crews. Natival lifted the edge of his face-wrap and drank deeply from the water. Surf had been unusually quiet.

"What's wrong Surf? You're usually quite a chatterbox." the wingless pegasus stallion asked his friend.

"I thought the wind from a tornado would be awesome to ride," he said quietly, "But I had no idea they could do this." he gestured to the surrounding calamity, "A little dude lost his pops and a stallion lost his love." Surf's voice took on a husky edge, "That wasn't awesome or radical, or cool, it was horrible. It's one thing to hear about it but to see it, to see the destruction and . . . and the death . . ."

Natival raised his head from the trough and replaced his cover,
"That's Haysburg though. You get used to it. Most of the time, everypony survives just fine, but there are times where that isn't the case. It's sad but . . ." Natival trailed off as his eyes fell onto a butter yellow pegasus mare with pink mane and tail.

She stood only two-thirds as tall as an average mare, her mane and tail pulled back into tight braids. Besides the cutie mark of a Monarch butterfly that's body was striped yellow and black and had a stinger, and the fact that she was wearing steel shoes, she could have almost been Fluttershy. Her eyes though, gave her away. Her eyes had not changed one bit.

Despite her beautiful face, compact size, lithe grace, athletically trimmed body, and rolling flanks, Surf found himself taking a step back in apprehension,
"B . . . Birdie?" he yelled.

All sounds of work and construction ceased as nearly the whole of Haysburg turned to look.

Birdie froze as all eyes fell onto her.

They could see her.

She could hear them.

"Is that Birdie?"
"I thought she always wore a veil."
"Why would anypony hide a face like that?"
"She's so pretty!"
"She looks like that model I saw a while back."

Birdie scraped her hoof on the ground shyly. She didn't care much for the attention but, 'They think I'm beautiful? No pony has ever called me beautiful before."

* * * * * * * *

Searcher watched from where he had concealed himself in an alley,
"They like her." he whispered to himself, 'I'm so sorry I have to do this to you Birdie. Can you ever forgive me?'

"Watch and wait." the Rainbow of Darkness said, "Give it a few minutes and the stage will be set."

* * * * * * * *

Natival approached the lovely pegasus mare,
"Birdie?" he asked in disbelief, "What happened? How did you do this?"

Birdie lifted her left fore hoof and nodded toward the leg band,
"Searcher." she said happily.

"You're comfortable speaking?" he asked.

Birdie lowered her hoof and nodded her head,
"Yes," she answered smiling, "I don't have to hide anymore."

"Well the speaking is good progress, but you're still hiding." Natival said in a clipped tone.

Birdie cocked her head to the side,
"No. My cloak and veil are gone. Everypony can see me now . . . "

"No they can't!" the stallion replied, voice rising.

'Why isn't he happy for me?' Birdie wondered,
"This is the way I was SUPPOSED to look!" she shot back.

The concealed stallion narrowed his eyes,
"Maybe, but it's not who you are."

'I don't understand!' Birdie thought, 'I'm not ugly anymore.',
"But I'm not ugly anymore!" she cried, unshed tears stinging her eyes, "For the first time in my whole life I'm beautiful!"

"Only on the outside though!" he yelled, "On the inside you're still the same!" he said angrily, "It's a mask, nothing more!"

Tears spilled from Birdie's eyes, 'How could you!' she wondered bitterly,
"Am I the only one?" she asked, enraged at the perceived betrayal, "You've worn a mask since you arrived! Just! Like! Me!"

"I have to! I thought we talked about this! We were supposed to take our masks off together, to support each other!" he shouted, "You've only traded one mask for another!"

"I can have a chance at a life, if I'm beautiful!" Birdie cried, "What chance do you have when no pony can get past how ugly you are?!"

"They were already giving you a chance earlier!" he bellowed, "You were covered but you let your actions speak for you!"

Birdie lost it,
"You have no idea!" she screamed, "You have no idea how it feels to be misshapen and mutilated!"

"Oh don't I?" he yelled back, "At least you can still fly! My wings were torn off!"

Neither arguing pegasus heard the gathered ponies gasp in shock. All of Haysburg had come to see what all the noise was about.

"You can still function!" Birdie screamed hoarsely, "I was raped!" she stomped her hoof.

Pain, shame, and rage boiled within her and she could not hold back,
"Every night for eleven years I was raped and beaten by that bastard!" he legs felt weak as she cried, "I was born a monster on the outside and he turned me into a monster on the inside! You have no idea what it's like to know you're a monster, to see it in every pony's eyes when they look at you!"

"You know I do!" he yelled, making himself cough, "I was exiled! They hate me!" he said, gesturing to the crown absentmindedly.

The gathering of ponies looked at each other, utterly confused.

"You did it to yourself!" Birdie cried as her legs gave out, "I never had a chance! You were born normal! You chose to become a monster! I WAS BORN ONE!"

"It was an accident! Nopony knows how bad it hurt to live with myself! It wasn't enough that the filly I loved, died because of me! I hated myself for five years! Everypony hated me!" he blinked back tears, "I wanted to die! Hell I DID die!"

"You were hated for five years, TRY YOUR WHOLE LIFE! This village loved you for years, MY OWN SPECIES HATES ME! EVEN A RACE OF MONSTERS COULDN'T LOVE ME!" she collapsed onto the ground, sobbing angrily, "I'M NOT A MONSTER ANYMORE! LET ME BE BEAUTIFUL! LET ME BE LOVED!"

Caught in the emotion fury of the moment, he ripped off his cover,
"THEN LET ME BE LOVED TOO!" he heard the gasps of the ponies as he revealed his face, "That's right Haysburg, it's me! The mysterious hero is ME! You remember the labels don't you?! Killer! Murderer! Outcast! VAGABOND! And yet here I stand! Arabesque forgave me! My debt has been paid! I've come back to my town, my first home, my family! My actions spoke for me before so let them speak once more! I've helped save ponies! I've fought for you! I've shown you how to fight for yourselves! I've worked to help rebuild this village and unless you kill me, I will continue to do so! I came back to try to make things right and I've worked and sweated to that end! I am not the same pony who left and I came back to try to make things right, to give you a chance to see me prove it! I'm only half the equation! I've done my part and will continue to do so while I'm here . . ."

"But he needs all of you to meet him halfway." Searcher called loudly, interrupting Valiant, "There is a persisting darkness over Haysburg. It formed when this stallion took the life of a young mare, but the darkness wasn't confined to just him." Searcher's eyes swept through the crowd of gathered ponies, "The sorrow you all felt at that tragedy changed didn't it? It became anger, then hate. You let the darkness consume you. You fed it, nurtured it, encouraged it. You cast him out in his hour of need. What he did was an accident you all knew it! Here," he gestured to Valiant, "Was a pony who never had a real family like most of you. He clung to the only pony who was like him. He fell in love with her but his passion led him to make a mistake. A mistake that took that love from him, a mistake that you all ended up hating him for. The stallion who lost his love so tragically when the tornado hit recently, what did you offer him? You offered comfort and compassion. Imagine how much greater Valiant's sorrow was since he was responsible for the death of his love. But instead of comfort and compassion when he needed it, YOU, the only family he'd ever known, cast him out with words of anger, condemnation, and hate. SHAME!"

Searcher yelled pointing to the gathered ponies,
"SHAME ON YOU! ALL OF YOU! He endured his ordeal for five years until he was forgiven and now he's come back to the same family that abandoned him! HE'S NOT ABANDONED YOU! That first night he came back, he could have walked away when he saw the fighting, but he chose to risk himself to help you! He has chosen to reveal himself to those who cast him out! What he needs, nay, what he DESERVES is what you denied him! He's risking his own life to help you and I say, if you keep it from him now, I'd rather associate with the damn gryphons!" he stopped and took a deep breath, the crowd was silent and many a head was hung low in shame, "You let the darkness take hold of you, let it drive you to hate! It's grown powerful, but I can help you! I've learned from an ancient source, how to take away darkness, but you have to let me. You have to give it up freely. I can take it and focus it into my locket. Let the light, Celestia's light, shine forth as the darkness is pulled from you. Free yourselves from your eternal struggle, it's easy, so easy. All you have to do is open your hearts to me. Let me do this for you. Make things right once more. Show this stallion, your proverbial son and brother, the care and compassion he's worked so hard for. Prove to me, prove to Celestia, that the darkness holds no control over you. Shed your darkness, join with me and shed your darkness."

He gazed upon the gathered ponies, eyes shining with tears, 'Don't do it! Don't take the easy way out!',
"Who will be the first to forgive Valiant and give up their darkness?"

Slowly, one mare trotted out of the crowd and approached Valiant,
"I . . . I'm sorry Valiant." she wept openly, "I was so caught up in my own feelings I never stopped to consider yours. I was so angry," she lowered her head, "I found you that night and . . . I . . . I took a scalpel and cut out your cutie-mark."

Valiant was dumbstruck as the mare continued,
"Afterward I felt so guilty, but you were already gone. I forgive you Valiant, but I . . . I also have to ask you to forgive me. I'm so . . . so sorry."

"It was you?" Valiant asked, incredulously, "Triage, it was you?"

"I was so angry I made a mistake, a terrible mistake." she said eyes shifting from Valiant to Searcher, "I give it up." she sobbed, "I never want to risk hurting anypony else. I give up my darkness, I give it up!" her voice quickly rose to a crescendo, "Take it Searcher, please take it away! I don't want it anymore!"

'No! Don't do this! PLEASE DON'T DO THIS!' tears streamed down Searcher's eyes, adding to his apparent sincerity,
"You've seen what can happen when you let it fester. Who else will join this brave mare?"

Searcher's heart broke as he watched Valiant embrace Triage, tears in his own eyes, a second pony spoke up,
"Take mine too." Searcher saw it was Miller of all ponies, 'STOP! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING!' he wanted to speak, to cry, to scream.

"And mine!"
"Mine too!"
"Take mine!"

Within moments everypony present had gathered around Searcher offering the same thing, 'We already know what happens now, little unicorn. Open the locket and let me out.'

Hating himself, Searcher reached up his hoof and opened the locket.

Light seemed to recoil from the blackness emanating from within. Midnight colored wisps, shreds of torn spirits, were pulled from the eyes, nostrils and mouths of everypony in the square and sucked into the center of the locket. After the Rainbow of Darkness had done its work, it wasn't even a full minute before the screaming started.

* * * * * * * *

"We have no way of purifying the evil but you can. Help them, they have no idea what's happening." Patriarch finished his explanation.

"We're all supposed to meet in Haysburg though." Twilight said, "Once we have Rainbow Dash and her Element we can do it. Rainbow Dash and Trooper are pegasi, they might be there by now. If we can meet them in Haysburg we can do it, but we need you to show us the way."

"We cannot allow you to go alone. My gryphons and I will go with you. We will take you there and watch you from the tree line. Our presence would likely rouse the Haysburg ponies to violence, even against you. Come, let us make haste. The sun has already set."

* * * * * * * *

Heartfelt knocked on the colt's room door,
"Molasses?" she called, "You missed dinner." she pressed her ear up to the door, 'Why is the shower still running? He came up to shower hours ago.'

Fear began creeping into her heart, 'At least the yelling from outside stopped..',
"Molasses open the door!" she yelled, "Open the door or I'm coming in!"

Heartfelt tested the door handle. It was locked and quite warm to the touch. The elder Earth pony mare turned around and kicked the door with both her rear hooves. The door splintered at the jam, swinging open on its hinges. Steam poured out of the room.

Waving the steam away from her face, Heartfelt spotted Molasses lying down on the floor of the shower,
"Oh, you silly colt." she said stepping up to him, "You worked so hard you fell asleep."

As she reached out a hoof to nudge him, she felt the temperature of the water and immediately pulled back her burnt hoof, grazing the skin on his side,
"Ouch! How can you stand . . . " she trailed off as she realized her hoof had broken Molasses' skin.

Wrapping a towel around her hoof, she reached in and turned off the water. Turning back to Molasses, Heartfelt heard a scream in the distance. Heartfelt added her own scream to the chorus as she realized Molasses' entire side was one huge blister. A blister she had broken open with her hoof. A blister that was leaking clear blood plasma down Molasses' side.

Author's Note

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