In real time, it had been two weeks since the group left Long Island. Everyone was in a miserable mood, which wasn't helped by the shadowy clouds looming over the sky.

Finally, Josh couldn't take it anymore. He collapsed face-first onto the ground. However, his face wasn't covered in sand. No, he dropped onto dead grass that surrounded the area.

"We made it to France!" the pro skater happily cheered as he pulled himself up. "We're almost there!" Twilight spawned a map of Europe and looked it over.

She explained, "Italy borders France to the southeast. We're in Bordeaux, which is southwest. We basically just need to walk across the country to get to Italy." The unicorn rolled up the map and proceeded to walk forward. Before she could get anywhere, however, Twilight crashed into something.

Or somepony.

"You really ought to watch where you're going, Twilight," commented Celestia. Luna stood by her side. The lavender pony looked up to her mentor.

"What are you doing here?" she questioned. Everyone noticed Celestia slightly hang her head as she began to speak.

"Me and Luna followed you here to warn you that you've been tricked." The princess of the sun's statement shocked everyone. She continued, "Queen Chrysalis, the leader of the changelings, kidnapped us and posed as me to send you to Rome. She was the one that caused the meteors and nearly eliminated all life in the universe."

A range of emotions spread across the bearers. "Why in the hay would she do that?" demanded Applejack. Celestia looked at the cowgirl with confusion.

"Who, exactly, are you?" AJ frowned. She changed back to her pony form.

Luna questioned, "You're a hybrid?" The farmer nodded and changed back to her human form.

The moon princess' attention quickly turned to Josh. "Joshua, could you, perhaps, play your instrument for my sister and I?" The teenager smirked and nodded. Grabbing his guitar pick, Josh began to play Surfing With The Alien. By the time he finished, Celestia and Luna were stunned.

"Josh, that was... incredible," Celestia complimented. "I've never heard anything that wonderful-sounding in centuries. You truly have a gift." Josh felt honored, even more so than when he won gold at the X Games. Not only was his talent praised by a princess, but by a demigod. That had to count for something.

Josh responded, "Thank you so much, your majesty." His guitar disappeared in a swirl of red aura.

The princess laughed a bit. "You can call me Celestia, Josh. It's fine."

The two were interrupted by Rainbow Dash. "Hey, Princess, can you teleport us to this Rome place?" she asked. "It's taking a while."

The princess shook her head. "I'm afraid not, Rainbow. I still have to recharge from the dark magic I used to escape from Chrysalis. The spell wouldn't go that far." Dash groaned.

Josh stepped forward. "I could help you power the spell," the pro skater suggested.

Confused, the sun goddess turned her head toward him. "How would you do that?"

The teenager summoned his guitar back. "My idea is that while you're performing the spell, I play a complex riff," he proposed. "The guitar's power combines with your magic, amplifying the spell and sending us shooting to Rome at eighty-eight miles a second." Everyone looked at each other. To Applejack, it sounded as far-fetched as a scheme made up by the Eds.

Finally, Luna broke the silence. "Let's try it."

"I knew you guys - uh, girls - would come through. Alright, Sun Chips, let's do this." Celestia, slightly irritated by Josh's new nickname for her, began to perform the spell. Josh's guitar pick struck the strings as he played the riff to Beast and the Harlot. The instrument emanated a red beam, which mingled with Celestia's light gold magic aura, forming an orange portal.

"That was AWESOME!" shouted Pinkie. The nine traveled through the portal.

The gang's arrival in Rome wasn't exactly a pleasant one. The portal stopped ten feet above the Vatican ground. As such, they landed quite hard. Fortunately, falling from great heights was something they were all used to. Just ask Rarity.

"Well, that was rather unpleasent," commented the fashionista.

Applejack rolled her eyes. "You don't say."

Twilight summoned a map of the city. "The Colosseum is southeast from here. This way." The group followed the studious unicorn through the destroyed streets. After about a half-hour of travelling, they stood in the shadows of the Roman Colosseum - or, what was left of it.

The structure was already pretty much ruins, but after the meteors, only a fifth of the Colosseum was intact. The rest was a mess of stone.

"You girls ready?" Josh asked. Everyone nodded.

"Let's do this."

Author's Note

See? Celestia and Luna are doing something.

Surfing With the Alien:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoERl34Ld00

Beast and the Harlot:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fM3ylFs3hs

-Jimmy-