Spell 63: The Stallion in the Sun

Chapters

Part 1
Part 2
Part 4
Part 5
Part 3
I want to clear something up... (DO NOT READ)

Part 1

The sun rose much slower than Twilight Sparkle remembered, but she knew why. It was the day before the Winter Moon Festival. She got out of bed slowly, but then jolted awake when she found that she wasn’t in the library. She was back in her old room in Canterlot. She looked around panickedly and tried to shake herself out of the dream, though it wasn’t a dream. “Spike! Spike!” she called out to the empty room. “Spike, where are you?” When there was no answer, she ran down the stairs and dashed towards the Canterlot library where she was sure Spike was. She passed by several stallions that she thought she recognized, but couldn't quite recognize for some reason.

Finally, she made it to the library where her familiar baby dragon assistant was on his way to get her, resulting in the two colliding and being thrown backwards. Twilight looked up to see herself in a mirror, only she wasn’t a “she” at all. Somehow, she had been turned into a stallion! That’s when she suddenly remembered the events of the past night.

Spike was taking yet another 7-hour bubble bath when Twilight heard a knock at the door. Derpy Hooves was at the door with a package for her from Princess Celestia. Twilight gave Derpy her muffin and shut the door. She walked inside, removing the letter attached. As she opened the package, she read the letter out loud. “Dear Twilight Sparkle. Contained in this book is Starswirl the Bearded’s ultimate secret spell dubbed simply ‘Spell 63.’ It’s said that it was because of this spell that he disappeared. Only recently have I discovered it, but I am unable to figure out how to cast it. I am giving you the task of casting the spell and reporting what it does as soon as you find out.” She examined the book for a moment. The cover was completely deep black. Not a single word or design broke the solid blackness. She opened the book, but many of the pages were completely blank. She continued to flip through the pages until she finally found a page with some text on it. She read the text aloud. “From colt to filly. Stallion to mare. An alternate being, personalities they share. But to bring them to life, a sacrifice you must give... You’re worst nightmare, you must relive.” Suddenly, her horn began glowing brightly and uncontrollably, she began floating into the air with strange entities of light floating all around her, encasing her body, similarly to what had happened when she was turned into an Alicorn. However, this was different. She felt like she was getting sucked through a tube to some unknown place. Next thing she knew, she had woken up back in Canterlot and she was not only a stallion, but no longer a princess. (Or would it be prince in this world?) She was just a regular unicorn, again!

“Dusk Shine,” the baby dragon said, getting up. “what’s the rush?”

Dusk Shine? Who was Dusk Shine? Suddenly, the confused stallion realized that he was Dusk Shine. Dusk Shine got up slowly, still hoping this was all still a nightmare, which he finally realized that it wasn't. “Spike,” Dusk Shine said, “what’s going on?”

“Dusk Shine, are you okay?” asked the baby dragon. Dusk Shine saw that Spike was extending his hand to help him up, but it wasn't Spike. It was some female baby dragon. “That hit you took yesterday must have messed up your memory. Did you forget that my name was Barbra?”

“Uh, yeah. That hit... really messed things up.” Dusk Shine accepted Barbra’s hand and got up off the ground, wondering what the dragon was talking about. “I think I’m okay now, though. Hey, can you help me find a book?”

“I guess,” Barbra replied. “What book were you looking for?”

“The reference guide to magical charms and amulets. Something that might have info on the Elements of Harmony in it.” As Dusk Shine was saying this, he frantically galloped around the library, trying to remember where the book he was looking for was.

“Is this it?” Barbra asked from atop a ladder, holding the very book Dusk Shine was looking for.

Right, Dusk Shine thought to himself. Spike found the book for me. “Yes, I think that’s it. Toss it down here.” Barbra did as she was told and threw the book down to Dusk Shine, who caught it with his magic. He then began flipping through the pages until he found the section he was looking for: The Legend of the Mare in the Moon. At least, he thought that’s what he had found. It was actually titled ‘The Stallion in the Sun.’ Dusk Shine figured that was going to be enough. The story was pretty much the same as the Mare in the Moon, only it involved two ponies named Lord Solaris and Prince Artemus and the alicorn of the sun, Lord Solaris, was the one who turned evil and was banished to the sun. “Barbra, write a letter to Prince Artemus.”

“Why?” Barbra asked.

“There’s no time for questions. Just get ready to write.” Barbra rolled her eyes a little, but took out a paper and quill, anyway. “Dear Prince Artemus, I request an audience with you, immediately. There is no time to explain why, but I fear the fate of our world as well as another is dependent on the information I’m hoping you will give me. Your faithful student, Dusk Shine.” Barbra then rolled up the letter, went to the window, and used the same magic fire Spike was able to use to send the letter to Prince Artemus.

“Dusk Shine, if you don’t mind me asking, what advice were you hoping fo- fo- BLARUGH!” (I don’t know, some noise like that) Before the baby dragon could finish her sentence, she belched up the letter that had Prince Artemus’s reply on it. Dusk Shine instantly took it and read it aloud. “‘My dearest Dusk Shine, I know what you are planning on talking to me about and will be expecting you shortly.’ He knows why I’m coming? Odd. Oh well.” Dusk Shine then began galloping towards the castle with Barbra running behind him. “Stay here, Barbra. I need to talk to Prince Artemus alone.”

“But what am I supposed to do while you’re gone?” Barbra called, even though Dusk Shine was already out the door.

“Clean the library!” Dusk Shine called back. Barbra just sighed and turned to the mess of the library.

Dusk Shine galloped at top speed into the castle where Prince Artemus, who looked a lot like Princess Luna, was waiting for the unicorn. “Prince Artemus,” Dusk Shine said, bowing and panting. “I have a story you are not going to believe.”

“I already believe your story,” Prince Artemus said. “There is no need to explain anything... Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

“What? How do you know everything? How do you know I’m a princess... How do you know that I’m not supposed to be a stallion?” Artemus raised his hoof to quiet Dusk Shine down.

“There is, indeed, much about being an Alicorn that you don’t know about. For instance, knowing what goes on in other worlds. Now, allow me to explain everything. First, in a way, you are supposed to be a stallion. The mind of Twilight Sparkle somehow entered the body of a pony named Dusk Shine. I’d really like to know what spell caused that.”

“It’s a spell that was simply called ‘Spell 63.’ It was created by a pony from my world named Starswirl the Bearded, even though he never got it to work. Well, not properly, at least.”

“Interesting. Now, on to what you are going to do over the next day. Walk with me.” Artemus then walked out of the room to Canterlot Tower, where the Elements of Harmony were once housed in Twilight’s world. However, when Dusk Shine looked at the windows along the hall, he noticed that none of the designs that existed in the other world were there. He quickly realized that he had fallen behind Artemus and galloped to catch up.

“What exactly do you mean, Prince Artemus?” Dusk Shine asked.

“The events of this world are slightly delayed in comparison to those of yours. For instance, you meeting your friends. That has not yet happened in this world. However, it will happen today. As will the release of the Stallion in the Sun, Solar Flare, the equivalent of your Nightmare Moon. As I’m sure you can assume, this is an evil version of my brother, Lord Solaris.”

“You mean I have to meet my friends and unite the Elements of Harmony to save Equestria... AGAIN?”

“I realize it is a tall and/or tedious order, but I’m sure that’s the only way you’ll be able to get back to your old body and your old world.” Artemus then walked over and nudged Dusk Shine a little. “And give the real Dusk Shine his own body back,” he added with a chuckle.

“Oh, I didn’t think about that. Now, where do I begin?”

“By getting Barbra and heading to Ponyville. I’ll handle transportation as Princess Celestia did for you.”

“Okay.”

“God speed, Dusk Shine. The winter solstice has little daylight, so you will be tied for time.”

“I will do my best, Prince Artemis.” Dusk Shine then turned around and galloped back to the library.

Part 2

Dusk Shine and Barbra were being flown to Ponyville by two royal guards pulling a chariot. “So why did Prince Artemus send us to Ponyville, again?” Barbra asked.

“He sent us here so I could make friends,” Dusk Shine replied. “Oh! He also wants me to oversee the preparations for the Winter Moon Festival.”

“But what about the Stallion in the Sun?”

“I’m here for that too.”

Barbra just sat there in silence for a moment, trying to figure out how all three of those things that Dusk Shine just mentioned go together. “Are you sure you’ve fully recovered from that hit you took last night?”

“I have no idea. Hey, we’re here already here.” The chariot landed and Dusk Shine hopped out with Barbra on his back. “Now, let’s get started. We have about five hours to do this and we need to do this right. Ah, and our first task reveals himself.” Just as Dusk Shine said this, a pink stallion with a curly hot pink mane trotted his way. He was sure this was Pinkie Pie. “Hi there,” he said to the pink stallion. The stallion stared back for a moment, but then leapt up into the air, let out a huge gasp, and dashed off in the other direction. “Well, that’s taken care of. Now, if I remember right, I first checked on the preparations for the feast. Let’s go, Barbra.” Dusk Shine then galloped over to Sweet Apple Acres where he expected to see Applejack, meet her entire family, and somehow get sucked into the largest brunch of his life.

He checked on the feast, placed in the control of a stallion named Caramel Apple, who was apparently the equivalent of Applejack. And once again, Dusk Shine could not avoid meeting the entire family and eating more pies than he ever thought possible. After that, he went to check on the weather, which was placed under the control of a stallion named Rainbow Blitz, who wasn’t too hard to recognize as Rainbow Dash. Just for fun, Dusk Shine once again challenged him to clear the sky of all the clouds in 10 seconds flat. Of course, Rainbow Blitz had the exact same skills as Rainbow Dash and cleared the sky in exactly 10 seconds. Later, Dusk Shine went to check on the decorations, placed under the control of Elusive, a stallion who shared the same love of fashion and detail as Rarity. Once again, Dusk Shine was thrown into several crazy dresses and outfits before he actually got to talk to Elusive.

Finally, it was time to talk to Fluttershy about the bird chorus that was going to sing Prince Artemus in. Dusk Shine knew this in particular would be a challenge, but he certainly wasn’t ready for the curveball that was about to be thrown at him. The stallion version of Fluttershy was nowhere to be found. Dusk Shine and Barbra searched everywhere, but they couldn’t find him. Dusk Shine was on the verge of panic when he heard some bushes rustling around a tree. “Hello?” Dusk Shine called. “Is anypony there?”

“Go away!” a quiet voice shouted. (Don’t ask me how that works.) “Keep your dragon away from me!”

“But she isn’t a full grown dragon, she’s a baby dragon.” This instantly got the yellow stallion dashing out of the bush right up to Barbra.

“Wow!” the stallion shouted. “I’ve never seen a baby dragon before! What’s your name?”

“My name’s Barbra,” the baby dragon replied.

“Ahem,” Dusk Shine said from behind the stallion.

“Oh! Where are my manners? I’m Butterscotch. What’s your name?”

“I’m Dusk Shine, and-” Dusk Shine was cut off when he saw that Butterscotch had turned back to Barbra and had completely ignored Dusk Shine’s existance once again. “Ugh, i should have seen this coming. Hop on, Barbra. We need to get back to the library.” Barbra did as she was instructed and got on Dusk Shine’s back. The two then made their way back to the library with Butterscotch following and listening to Barbra’s life story, which was pretty much the exact same as Spike’s.

At long last, Dusk Shine made it to the library with about two hours to spare before nightfall. “Phew,” Dusk Shine said as he walked up to the door. “What a day. At least I can get some rest before the big moment, tonight. Come on, Barbra.” Dusk Shine then trotted inside with Barbra on his back. When he went inside, however, all the lights were off. “Why are all the lights off?” Dusk Shine asked himself. “Uh oh. I remember why the lights are off!”

“SURPRISE!” a voice shouted as all the lights came on and the mass of ponies was revealed in the library. Dusk Shine was instantly knocked onto his back.

“Oh, right,” Dusk Shine said to himself. “Pinkie.”

“Hey there, new pony,” a pink stallion said, appearing before Dusk Shine. “I’m Bubble Berry. You said ‘hi’ to me earlier today but i didn't know who you were and that shocked me because I know everypony here in Ponyville and if I didn’t know you that must have meant that you were new to town and if you’re new to town then you must not have any friends and I thought about how lonely you must have felt so I got this amazing idea to throw a party here and invite everypony in town so you could make tons of new friends!” As Bubble Berry took a deep breath, Dusk Shine walked over to the drink table. “So what’s your name?”

“I’m Dusk Shine,” Dusk replied, pouring a drink. “It’s nice to meet you.” Just then, Caramel Apple, Rainbow Blitz, Elusive, and Butterscotch came up behind Bubble Berry. “Good to see all of you, too.”

“Glad to see ya again, Dusk,” Caramel said. “How are you liking Ponyville, so far?”

“It isn’t bad,” Dusk Shine said, about to take a sip of her drink. However, he stopped himself just before the glass touched his lips. “Wait a second...” he said to himself, levetating the bottle he poured his drink from. “‘Extra Spicy Hot Sauce.’ Somepony tell me what that’s doing on the drink table.” He then looked over at Rainbow Blitz, who was whistling and pretending nothing was going on.

“Ooh!” Bubble Berry said. “Sounds super yummy!” He then knocked Dusk Shine out of the way and took several big gulps from the bottle.

“Pinkie Pie,” Dusk said to himself, “you are SO random.”

“Who’s this ‘Pinkie Pie’ you’re talking about, Dusk Shine?” Elusive asked.

“Nopony. Hey, shouldn’t we be at town hall to watch Prince Artemus raise the moon?”

Bubble Berry finished the hot sauce and turned to Dusk Shine. “Of course we should!” he said. “But we still have about two hours before then, so let’s keep this party going!”

“All right, fine,” Dusk Shine said. “Hey, where’s Barbra?” He then turned around to see his baby dragon still talking to Butterscotch. He was about to go over to get Barbra so the two could get going, but then he decided that he made the mistake of missing his first party with Pinkie Pie and he couldn’t afford to miss this chance to party with Bubble Berry, so he left Barbra alone and went over to party with the others. For the first time in a long time, Dusk Shine actually enjoyed himself.

After about an hour of partying, everypony made their way to the town hall where Prince Artemus was going to be. Dusk Shine took his spot in the front row with Barbra on his back and waited patiently for Nightmare Moon or whoever to appear. “Dusk Shine,” Barbra said, seeming to surprise Dusk Shine.

“What, Barbra?” Dusk replied.

“You haven’t been quite yourself, lately, and now you seem as distant as ever. Is there a problem?”

“Not at all. I’m just... excited, I guess.” Just as he said this, the mayor came up and did her speech before introducing Prince Artemus so he could raise the moon.

“Fillies and gentlecolts,” the mayor said, “please welcome... Prince Artemus!” The curtain raised and Butterscotch’s bird choir sang their song, but Prince Artemus wasn’t there.

Elusive went to check on Artemus, but came back with only two words. “He’s gone!” A collective gasp overtook the crowd of ponies in attendance, including Barbra, but Dusk Shine was the only one not entirely impacted.

“Okay,” Dusk said to himself. “Here we go, just like last time.” Only it wasn’t like last time. Instead of dark smoke, the balcony where Artemus would have been erupted into flames. The ponies in the crowd began screamming and galloping all over the place in panic.

“What’s going on, Dusk Shine?” Barbra shouted.

“I don’t know,” Dusk replied. That’s when the flames began to die down and standing in the middle of them all was an alicorn who looked similar to Nightmare Moon, only his coat was orange-ish white, armor a screaming red, and mane looking like a fire, itself. “Oh, boy,” Dusk Shine said quietly to himeslf.

“Greeting my subjects,” the alicorn said to the crowd. “It truly has been a while.”

“Who are you?” shouted Rainbow Blitz. “What have you done with Prince Artemus?” He tried to fly up to attack the alicorn, but Caramel Apple bit Blitz’s tail and pulled the angry pegasus back.

“You mean you don’t recognize your true king of the sun?”

That’s when Dusk Shine decided it was time to speak up. “I know who you are,” he shouted, followed by a collective gasp from the crowd. “Almost nopony here knows, but I do. You’re the Stallion in the Sun, Solar Flare!”

“Ah, you are a very well educated pony indeed... Twilight Sparkle.”

“Wha-? How do you know... What?”

“You think being sealed away in the sun keeps me from knowing what goes on in this world? In your world?” Dusk Shine just stood there, trying to make himself as small as possible while everypony in the building stared at him. “Now then... do you still think you know what I’m here to do?”

“I... uh...” Dusk Shine stammered, everypony still watching him.

“I’m here to bring eternal sun and burn Equestrion to ashes!” (Yes, that’s what I’m calling the stallion world.) “And when this world burns, I’ll burn your world, as well!” Solar Flare laughed evily and disappeared in a roar of fire.

“Dusk Shine,” Barbra called, breaking Dusk Shine out of a daze. “Dusk Shine, I think we need to get out of here.”

“You’re right, Barbra,” Dusk Shine replied. He then galloped out of the building towards the library.

Later at the library, Dusk Shine and Barbra were frantically searching for the reference guide for the Elements of Harmony. They were searching in general silence for a while, but then Barbra broke the silence. “Whas what Solar Flare said true, Dusk Shine?” she asked. “Are you really from a different dimension?”

“In a way,” Dusk Shine replied, “both yes and no. Technically, I’m still the old Dusk Shine that you knew for however long, but I have the mind of a pony from another dimension called Twilight Sparkle. In my dimension, I’m an alicorn, but the events of this dimension are slightly delayed in comparison to my own, so obviously, Dusk Shine isn’t an alicorn, himself.”

“Wow. How’d you even wind up here, then?”

“And just who exactly are you?” Rainbow Blitz asked flying in right in Dusk Shine’s face. “Because you obviously aren’t who you say you are. Are you some kind of spy for Red Team- I mean, Solar Flare?” (I don’t play tf2, I just thought that would be funny.)

Caramel Apple grabbed Rainbow Blitz’s tail and pulled him back. “Now calm down there, Blitz,” Caramel said, “He ain’t no spy, but he does, indeed know something we don’t.” Caramel and the others closed in on Dusk Shine, cornering the unicorn.

“Okay,” Dusk Shine finally said. “I’ll explain what I can, but there are a lot of things that are different from what I expected. First, help me find the book on the Elements of Harmony.”

“Is this it?” Bubble Berry called from the other side of the library, holding the exact book Dusk Shine was looking for.

“Yes, that’s it. Exactly like my old friend, Pinkie Pie.” Dusk Shine levitated the book in front of him and flipped through the pages, finally stopping on one. “Okay, what I know is that there are six Elements, and each of us are destined to wield one. Caramel Apple, element of honesty. Butterscotch, element of kindness. Bubble Berry, element of laughter. Elusive, element of generosity. Rainbow Blitz, element of loyalty. The book doesn’t say what the sixth element is, but I know what it is. My own element, the element of Magic. When we unite the Elements of Harmony, we can defeat Solar Flare and return him to his old self.”

“Okay,” Elusive said, “but where exactly are these Elements of Harmony?”

Dusk Shine flipped through the pages to try to find where they were located. He knew that at first, the Elements were in the Everfree Forest, but with all that’s gone wrong in this world, he wanted to make sure. At last, Dusk found where the Elements were located and gasped in horror. “You guys aren’t going to like this,” he said to the others. “because I sure as hay don’t. The Elements of Harmony are hidden deep within... Violent Volcano Fields.”

The six stallions and Barbara stood before Violent Volcano Fields, a massive sea of lava and volcanoes that just screamed ‘Abandon hope all ye who enter here.’ Oh, Twilight, Dusk Shine thought to himself, what have you gotten into, this time?

Part 4

Bubble Berry and the other stallions watched helplessly from the other side of the bridge as Solar Flare caused Dusk Shine to vanish in a wall of fire. “Dusk Shine!” the stallions shouted in unison.

Solar Flare looked over to see the ponies trying to make their way across the bridge in pursuit. “Stay back, ponies,” he shouted, using his magic to cause a wall of lava to erupt from the crevice below the bridge. The bridge was completely incinerated and nopony was able to get across, not even Rainbow Blitz because of the wall of lava. When the lava finally died down, Solar Flare was gone.

“He’s gone!” Elusive shouted. “Of all the worst things that could have happened, this is the. Worst. Possible. Thing!”

“How are we going to beat Solar Flare without Dusk Shine?” Butterscotch asked. “We don’t even know what these Elements of Harmony look like, let alone how to use them.”

“Hold up, Butterscotch,” Caramel Apple said, looking up. “Hope may not be lost yet. Look!” He pointed up above the ponies to find the fire serpent flying into the castle behind them. “Maybe if we follow him, we’ll find Dusk Shine. Come on.” The five ponies then galloped into the castle and began running up the stairs to the top floor where Solar Flare was headed.

“Are we comfortable, Twilight Sparkle?”

Dusk Shine slowly opened his eyes to find Solar Flare standing over him. Not only that, but he was in a cage made of fire. “I ask again, are you comfortable?” Solar Flare asked.

“What’s going on?” Dusk Shine asked in reply. “Where are my friends?”

“Twilight Sparkle, it’s you I’ve captured. I’m sure your friends are all right.” Solar Flare turned and began walking before adding “For now, that is. Now, are you comfortable?”

“Uh, yeah, I guess.”

Solar Flare turned sharply and used his magic to intensify the flames of Dusk Shine’s cage and caused it to enclose around him. “Still comfy?”

“Not really,” Dusk Shine replied quickly.

“Good,” Solar Flare said, turning back around. “I’m sure you have no idea why I captured you.”

“So me and my friends can’t use the Elements of Harmony to defeat you?”

“Not exactly. I captured you for two different reasons. First, I need somepony to tell my real story to. I’m sure the story your books held was... fairly distant from the truth.”

“Envy for your younger brother?”

“Kind of. You see, a thousand years ago, Prince Artemus and Lord Solaris worked together to maintain harmony in Equestrion. Solaris raising the sun, Artemus raising the moon. Ponies frolicked and played during the day and slept through the night. Artemus was all right with this, but Solaris grew tiresome. His precious days were cut short when ponies enjoyed them so much. One fateful day, he refused to lower the sun, explaining his reasoning to his younger brother.”

“I’m going to stop you right there, real quick,” Dusk Shine interrupted. “Aren’t you Lord Solaris?”

Solar Flare turned so quickly at Dusk Shine’s question, he could have set almost anything around him ablaze without even using his magic. He did, however, use his magic to shrink Dusk Shine’s cage further. “Don’t you dare say that Solaris and I are the same pony.” Solar Flare then turned back around. “As I was saying, Solaris refused to lower the sun, one day. He explained his reasoning to Artemus, but the fool refused to let Solaris go through with his plan. It was then that I, Solar Flare, took my opportunity and possessed Solaris, forming the whole pony you see now. I used Solaris’s magic to combat Artemus and use the power of the sun to burn Equestrion. However, Artemus was better prepared than I had expected. He used the Elements of Harmony and sealed me in the sun, taking control of both the moon and the sun to maintain harmony single-hoofedly.” Solar Flare turned back to Dusk Shine, who flinched a little, expecting the cage to shrink again. Solar Flare just chuckled a little at this. “And now here I am, a thousand years later, ready to finish what I started. But this time, thanks to you, I cannot be defeated by the Elements of Harmony because they cannot be used without you. As long as I have you here, the element of Magic will never appear, and Equestrion will burn.”

“You said you had a second reason for capturing me?”

“Oh, yes. I apologize, but I have a tendency to monolouge. My second reason for capturing you is that you are going to help me.”

“Help you? Why would I help you?”

“Because using my magic, the magic of flame, I can give you anything you ever wanted. Ever. All I ask in return is for you to cast Spell 63 for me.”

“I would never doom my world for just anything.”

“What about the one thing you’ve been missing? I can release you from Dusk Shine’s body and give you your wings back. You’d be stuck like this without me. So, how about it?”

“You must be forgetting something... I’ve dealt with Discord, before. I know that there are always more strings attached than you tell me about.”

“Fine. I can always absorb your magic and cast Spell 63, myself. And don’t expect your magic of friendship to save you this time, because this is your final adventure, Twilight Sparkle.” Solar Flare then walked over to Dusk Shine and cast his spell for shrinking the fire cage. “Once you’re crushed by this cage, I will have all of your spells and your magic powers will be added to mine.”

Dusk Shine tried to center himself in the cage as much as possible, but the cage continued to shrink slowly. “No,” Dusk said to himself. “This isn’t how it ends. It can't be.” Suddenly, he heard his friends calling for him from downstairs.

“Don’t get your hopes up, Twilight Sparkle,” Solar Flare said. “They can’t help you.”

Dusk Shine suddenly had a realization. “Yes they can,” he said, standing up.

“Oh really? How?”

“By using the lessons they’ve taught me. The lessons I thought I’ve already learned. When you collapsed the mountain and tried to send us to our doom, I was able to remain honest to my friends even though they doubted every bit of me. When faced with a powerful enemy that actually caused harm to one of my friends, I was able to remain calm and kind to keep anypony else from getting hurt. When it seemed like there was no light at the end of the tunnel, I showed my friends how to stay optimistic and keep going until the end. When one friend didn’t have enough to give, I had the will to step in and offer up what I had to help everypony. And when I was given the opportunity to return to my old life, I remained true to my new friends and their world that I never knew before. And why did I do all this? Not because I was afraid of what you might do to my world when you finished here, but for the sake of new friendships. Friendships like my old ones, but completely new at the same time. A friendship that taught me something that I forgot a long time ago. Taught me that within everypony, whether among friends or in an individual, has an extraordinary power within them. A power that could be enough to find one’s friends again if they’re ever lost, no matter what obstacles must be overcome.”

“No,” Solar Flare said, stepping back. “No. You will be defeated!”

“Sorry, Solar Flare, but my friends need me.” Dusk Shine then concentrated and cast a spell that he never cast before. One that he never had the power to cast before now. A spell that froze the flames that made up his cage, stopping from shrinking altogether. He then bucked the cage, causing the whole thing to shatter easily.

“But you’ve forgotten one thing, Twilight Sparkle. You still don’t have the Elements of Harmony.”

“Oh really?” Dusk Shine asked as the other stallions entered the room. “Because I beg to differ. The Elements of Harmony are not actual physical items. They are the spirits within all ponies. The spirits of friendship that cannot be defeated by any evil. The spirits... that eradicate evil.” Dusk Shine began glowing and rising into the air. “And they can be used by all or focused into one. One single pony or even two souls combined as one.” Suddenly, there was a massive burst of light as Dusk Shine seemed to suddenly grow wings.

“What is this?” Solar Flare asked. “Unless... no. NO!”

A massive burst of light was then shot from Dusk Shine, hitting Solar Flare square in the face and causing him to seem to vanish. “Woah!” Bubble Berry exclaimed. “What was that?”

“I’m not sure,” Caramel Apple replied.

Dusk Shine slowly lowered to the ground, the light surrounding him still too bright for the other ponies to see. “Dusk Shine?” Butterscotch asked, shielding her eyes.

The light surrounding Dusk Shine slowly died down, revealing a pony that wasn’t Dusk Shine. It was Twilight Sparkle, herself. “Woah, woah, woah!” Rainbow Blitz shouted. “Who the hay are you?”

Twilight slowly looked up to find the other stallions looking at her. “What’s everypony looking at?” Suddenly, she noticed something tickling her back. Was that... feathers? Twilight looked over to find that her wings were back. “My wings! My body! I’m back to my old self!” Twilight was overjoyed, but she suddenly thought of something. “Wait, where’s the real Dusk Shine, then?”

“I’m right behind you,” Dusk Shine replied from behind Twilight. “Good to actually meet you, Twilight Sparkle.”

“Same to you, Dusk Shine,” Twilight replied. “Oh, good. Your tail’s okay.”

Dusk Shine turned around to find his tail back to normal. “What do you mean ‘okay’? Did you do something to it?”

“No. Nothing important.”

“Will somepony please tell me what the hay is going on?” Rainbow Blitz shouted.

“Oh, right,” Twilight said, turning to Rainbow Blitz. “It was a simple spell, but it went horribly awry.”

“There’s one simple explanation for that,” came a voice from behind the ponies.

“SOLAR FLARE’S STILL ALIVE!” Bubble Berry shouted.

“No, Twilight and Dusk Shine defeated Solar Flare. I would prefer to be called by my real name, Lord Solaris.” At this, Lord Solaris walked in from behind the ponies up to Twilight Sparkle and Dusk Shine. “Thank you. Both of you. I know that neither one of you could have defeated Solar Flare without the other.”

“That’s great and all,” Dusk Shine said, “but where’s Prince Artemus?”

Just as Dusk Shine said this, the sun outside set and the moon rose, bringing with it a light unlike any other. An almost healing light. One that seemed to heal the scorched land of Violent Volcano Fields. And then the light entered the room, transforming into Prince Artemus himself. “I’m right here, my student,” he said to Dusk Shine. “And I’m all right thanks to you and your royal counterpart, here.”

“Prince Artemus!” Dusk Shine shouted, running up to hug his teacher.

“Or you could just bow like everypony else,” Twilight said, bowing along with the other ponies. “Prince Artemus, let me just say what an honor it is to-”

“Twilight,” Solaris interrupted. “Don’t you have somewhere to be?”

“I do?” Twilight asked. “But what about the celebrations in Ponyville? Can’t I-”

“I’m afraid Princess Celestia is waiting for you back in your world. You haven’t time to lose.” Solaris leaned in a little closer. “I’ll make sure you get the credit you deserve, Twilly.”

Twilight was a little reluctant, but she understood and began to walk away. “Goodbye, my new friends,” she said to the others. “Caramel Apple. Elusive. Rainbow Blitz. Butterscotch. Bubble Berry. And of course, Dusk Shine. I’ll miss you all.”

“Twilight Sparkle,” Solaris said, walking over, “you still have access to Spell 63. You can come and go as you please, now.”

“But what about the mistake?”

“That was Solar Flare who messed up the spell. It should work properly now that he’s defeated. We hope to see you soon.”

“Okay.” Twilight then turned around and prepared to cast the spell, but was stopped by Dusk Shine.

“Wait, Twilight Sparkle,” Dusk Shine said. “I have to know something. Am I going to become a prince like you became a princess?”

Twilight just gave a little chuckle and shook her head. “If you play your cards right, you just might.” Twilight then turned and cast Spell 63, causing her to disappear in a flash of light.

“Goodbye, friend,” Dusk Shine said after Twilight teleported away. “May we meet again sometime soon.”

Part 5

Twilight woke up slowly, barely able to see or feel anything for a while. She sat up slowly and tried to look around, her vision slowly coming back. It didn’t take her long to realize that she was collapsed on the floor of the library. Her old library. She was back home! She got up as fast as she could and called for Spike. “Spike! Spike, where are you?”

Spike walked out of the shower room, dripping wet. “What is it, Twilight,” he asked, seeming kind of annoyed. “I was in the middle of a bath. How could you possibly-?” He was cut short by Twilight rushing up and hugging him.

“Oh! It’s so good to see my normal baby dragon assistant and best friend again!”

“Um, Twilight... I take these baths all the time. It’s only been 20 minutes.”

Twilight let Spike go, dropping him to the hard floor below. “Oh, right... it’s a long story.” Twilight then trotted up the stairs to bed. “I’ll tell you in the morning along with the others. I’ve had a pretty rough day. Good night.” Twilight stopped and sighed with relief when she said the word ‘night’ and continued trotting up the stairs, leaving the confused Spike in the middle of the library, scratching his head, but eventually shrugging and following Twilight to bed. (Shut up. I know what you’re thinking about.)

The next day, Twilight was woken up fairly early by Pinkie Pie, who fired her party cannon into Twilight’s window, nearly hitting her in the face. Twilight instantly flew into the air, wide awake, fairly angry, but happy to have her wings. She returned to the ground and looked out the window, where Pinkie and the other ponies (Spike included) were waiting for her. “Hi, Twilight,” Pinkie called. “Are you awake?”

Twilight just sighed, happy to be with her old friends again. “Yeah,” she called back, “I’m coming down.” She then headed downstairs and outside to meet the other ponies.

“Spike here told us you had a little story to tell, Twi,” Applejack said after Twilight came up to the ponies. “Were you gonna share it?”

“I suppose I could,” Twilight replied. “It all started just last night, when I got a package from Princess Celestia...”

Twilight then went on to tell her friends about her adventure. About Starswirl the Bearded’s ultimate spell. About the new world she appeared in, Equestrion. About how she somehow entered the body of the stallion named Dusk Shine, who was actually her from this new world. She told Spike about Barbara, who seemed to have the exact same personality as he did. She told of Prince Artemis and The Stallion in the Sun, Solar Flare. About the five new friends she made in Equestrion’s Ponyville. Caramel Apple, the honest, hard working stallion who resembled Applejack so well. Rainbow Blitz, the athletic and speedy pegasus stallion who appeared so similar to Rainbow Dash. Elusive, the stallion who paid heavy attention to detail and fashion just like Rarity did. Butterscotch, the shy little pegasus stallion who cared so much for his animals as much as Fluttershy cared for her’s. And Bubble Berry, the rambunctious and, well, just plain random party animal who’s personallity mirrored that of Pinkie Pie.

She told of when Solar Flare appeared in Ponyville and revealed her as not of that world. How Solar Flare threatened to burn the world of Equestrion by bringing eternal day. How Twilight had to entrust these new friends with her secret and bring them with her on her quest for the Elements of Harmony.

She told of Violent Volcano Fields, a deadly land of lava and fire-based monsters. She told of how Solar Flare flipped the game around and forced Twilight to save her new friends where they were supposed to save her. Of how Twilight had to save Caramel Apple when he hung precariously from a cliff over a lake of lava. How Twilight had to defeat the deadly Pyrosaur when Butterscotch was hurt. How Twilight had to do Bubble Berry’s job and help her new friends laugh in the face of fear. How she had to offer something of her own when her friend Elusive couldn’t. How she refused the word of even Celestia in order to save this world, even though it wasn’t Celestia after all.

She told of how she remained calm against Solar Flare’s wrath and kept her confidence even when faced with certain doom. How she waited and kept her trust in her friends, knowing they’d know where to find her. How she realized that the power of harmony doesn’t just exist between several ponies, but can even exist within one pony. How she showed Solar Flare the incredible power that can exist in one single pony, even when two are combined as one. How, with the help of Dusk Shine, she defeated Solar Flare in a blinding flash of magic. How Lord Solaris, Celestia’s counterpart in Equestrion, and Prince Artemis, as well as all of Equestrion, was saved.

“...and then I saw Dusk Shine before me, and realized that I was freed from him now that Solar Flare was defeated. It was pretty interesting being a regular unicorn again for a day, but I kind of missed my old self the whole time. So I cast Spell 63 again and reappeared in the library, not a second seeming to pass.”

“Wow,” Rainbow Dash said. “That sounds like you had one heck of a day. What I wouldn’t give to meet this Rainbow Blitz.”

“And that Elusive character,” Rarity added. “He sure sounds like a charm.”

“Hold up, Rarity,” Twilight said. “I can’t just bring anypony back and forth between our worlds just yet. But don’t worry, I’ll work on it and you should all be able to meet your counterparts by the end of the month. I promise.”

“Wow, Twilight,” Fluttershy said. “Sounds like you had quite the adventure.”

“Hey,” Spike said after a while. “You should write a letter to Princess Celestia about this. I’m sure you learned something from it all.”

“You know what, Spike? You’re right. Take this down now.” Spike instantly got out a quill and scroll and got ready to write as Twilight began speaking. “‘Dear Princess Celestia. I am writing to you after a fairly eventful day, but I’ll get back to that later. For now, I’m happy to report that I’ve figured out what Spell 63 does. The spell acts as an interdimentional portal, teleporting whoever casts the spell, and hopefully in the near future whoever is with the pony who casts the spell, to a land called Equestrion, a world similar to Equestria, only with one small change. Anypony who is supposed a mare in this world appears as a stallion in their world and vice-versa. When you cast the spell, your own gender should be unaffected and you’ll be able to interact with other ponies who have similar personalities to those you know here, as well as your own stallion counterpart.’

“‘Which brings me to an important lesson this world has taught me on friendship. (Two, actually.) First, I’ve learned that it’s important to have friends to back you up when you’re in danger, but you need to make sure you’re there for your friends when they need your help. By using the lessons you’ve learned from your friends, you can be blessed with a new kind of power. A power that may not be quite equivalent to that of all of you combined, but it’s easily enough to help your friends when they need you most.’

“‘Second, I’ve learned that you aren’t bound to the friendships you make or the adventures you’ve experienced if you’re willing to explore well beyond the boundaries you see around you. If you’re willing to look well past the horizon, you can find new friends for you to make, new lands to explore, new adventures to take, and new secrets to uncover about those you know, those you’ve just met, and even about yourself.’

“‘I will be reporting back with regular updates on the status on Spell 63 and how I’m fine-tuning it so that it works like we need it to. There are several kinks to work out, but I’ve fixed Starswirl’s magic before, so I feel confident. Your student, Twilight Sparkle.’ Okay, Spike, send the letter.”

Spike took a second to look over the letter. It was a couple of page-lengths long, but he used a long roll of parchment so it would all fit. “Okay,” he finally replied. He then rolled up the paper and used his fire breath to send the letter to Princess Celestia. Twilight then trotted back towards the library.

“Twilight,” Rarity called, “where are you going?”

“Inside,” Twilight replied. “The sooner I fix Spell 63, the sooner you can all meet your counterparts in Equestrion. Wish me luck.”

“Good luck,” the ponies replied.

“Come on, Spike. I’m gonna need you to help me with this, too.”

“Coming,” Spike said, running to join Twilight. When Spike was inside, Twilight closed the door and went straight to work. She wasn’t working long before she found herself staring out the window, thinking about Dusk Shine and the other stallions. Thinking about what they were doing right now. Dusk Shine probably got his two tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala and was getting pummeled by favors from his friends for the second ticket. Or maybe, just maybe, they were doing the exact same thing she was doing. Maybe they were thinking about her and the unfamiliar world she lived in.

“This is just the beginning,” she said to herself, realizing the same thing. “The beginning... of something amazing.” She suddenly realized that night had fallen and Spike already went to bed. She figured it had been a tiring past few days, so she decided to turn in, herself. She clicked off the light in her library, trotted up the stairs, slowly climbed into bed, and fell into a decent and restful sleep. The best one she’d had in weeks.

Part 3

Dusk Shine, Barbra, and the other stallions stood before Violent Volcano Fields where the Elements of Harmony are said to be hidden. As its name suggested, there were many volcanoes, at least two thirds of them active and, indeed, rather violent. “Well?” Rainbow Blitz asked, flying up ahead of the others. “Are we just going to stand here and let Equestrion burn, or are we going to get those Elements?”

“Rainbow Da- er Blitz, wait!” Dusk Shine called. “We can’t just rush in there like I know you want to. Odds are Solar Flare will have traps laid out for us so we can’t reach the Elements.”

“So then what are we supposed to do?” Barbra asked.

“You, go home and... check on things, I guess,” Dusk Shine said to Barbra. “Help with the bucket brigade if any fires start.”

“Okay,” Barbra replied. She then hopped off of Dusk Shine’s back and raced off back towards Ponyville.

Dusk Shine turned back to the other ponies. “Everypony else, we’ll need to come together and use our natural abilities to show Solar Flare that there’s no force stronger than friendship.”

“Okay, then,” Caramel Apple said. “What are we waiting for?”

“Absolutely nothing,” Dusk Shine replied. The six stallions then galloped off into Violent Volcano Fields. (Yes, Rainbow Blitz is flying. This should be implied when I talk about the group galloping.) Meanwhile, a serphent of flame that could only be Solar Flare followed the ponies.

The six ponies trotted cautiously along the path carved out by the volcanoes an lava, Dusk Shine prepared for anything, but the other ponies weren’t really paying much attention. “S-so,” Butterscotch stammered, “has anypony ever even heard of this place, before?”

“Not really, Butterscotch,” Elusive replied. “But all this heat is just a horror on my mane.”

“Wait,” Dusk Shine said, turning around. “You mean to tell me that nopony has ever even heard about this place? Not even you, Rainbow Blitz?

“Actually, no,” Blitz replied. “It seems like this place just appeared out of nowhere. Too bad, too. This place seems like a great place for extreme flying practice.”

“Really?” Dusk Shine was about as confused as can be. “What could have caused such a thing?”

“Oh! Ooh!” Bubble Berry suddenly started shouting, waving her hoof. “I think I know what! Maybe this place was conjured by Solar Flare. You know, brought to life the moment he was freed.”

“But that wouldn’t explain the book mentioning the place,” Dusk Shine replied, still puzzled. “Unless...” Just before Dusk Shine could finish his thought, the ground beneath the stallions caved in, sending them all sliding uncontrolably down a steep slope towards a lake of lava, except Rainbow Blitz and Butterscotch.

“Come on, Butterscotch!” Rainbow Blitz shouted. “We need to save them!” He then flew down as fast as he could towards the others with Butterscotch following him as fast as his wings could take him. Rainbow Blitz grabbed Bubble Berry while Butterscotch grabbed Elusive. Caramel Apple and Dusk Shine continued to slide down the slope towards the lava below. Dusk Shine landed on a rock, stopping his slide, but Caramel continued sliding, stopping right at the ledge.

“Dusk Shine!” Caramel called. “Help!”

“But,” Dusk Shine said to himself, “that wasn’t supposed to happen. Unless...” Dusk Shine then hopped off the rock and slid down towards Caramel. “Hold on, Caramel! I’m coming!” He then grabbed Caramel Apple’s hooves and did his best to pull him up, but of course, Dusk Shine wasn’t strong enough and Caramel was too heavy.

“Dusk Shine!” Caramel shouted. “I can’t hold on much longer!”

“I know, but you won’t have to. When I tell you, let go.”

“What? Have you lost your mind?”

“Trust me. I’ve been through this before, remember?” Caramel was about to respond, but decided to trust his friend with his crazy plan. “On the count of three, let go.” Dusk Shine looked over to see Rainbow Blitz and Butterscotch flying by, ready to catch Caramel Apple. “One. Two. THREE!” Caramel willingly let go and began falling, only to be quickly caught by Blitz and Butterscotch.

“Wow,” Caramel said. “That crazy unicorn was right.”

Dusk Shine stayed up on the ledge, still wondering why what happened happened the way it happened. “This couldn’t be happening. It’s all wrong.” Dusk Shine then realized that his friends were calling out to him, snapping the confused unicorn back to reality. “I’m coming!” Dusk shouted, teleporting down to meet the others.

Later, Rainbow Blitz was bragging to Caramel Apple of how he saved Caramel’s life while Dusk Shine was hanging in the back of the group, thinking about what had happened. Why it happened the way it happened. He wasn’t thinking for long before he was called back by Caramel Apple. “You all right, sugarcube?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Dusk replied, “I’m fine. Just... doing some thinking, that’s all.”

“By the way,” Ranbow Blitz said, flying back to join the others, “what were you trying to say before the cliff collapsed?”

“Oh, yeah. Let’s see... I think the reason this place didn’t exist but was still mentioned by the book was because when Solar Flare was in power, this place was his domain. When he was sealed, this place disappeared along with the Elements of Harmony. That way they couldn’t be used while he was sealed. That’s my theory, at least.” Dusk Shine had just finished his sentence when a blast of lava was shot right at the ponies. “DIVE!” Dusk Shine shouted. The six stallions dove in different directions, narrowly avoiding getting burned to a crisp.

“Everypony okay?” Butterscotch asked.

“MY TAIL!” Elusive shouted loudly, his voice shaking the mountains and volcanoes around the ponies. “IT’S BEEN BURNED TO A CRISP!”

“Elusive,” Rainbow Blitz said shakily, “I think we have bigger problems than your tail.” Blitz took several steps back as he was approached by the creature who lobbed the lava at the ponies. It was a Pyrosaur, a giant tyrannosaur-like creature who wielded the powers of lava and flame. (I’m sorry. Were you expecting a manticore or something much less creative than that?)

“A Pyrosaur?” Dusk Shine asked. “But those are creatures of pure myth! No such thing could possibly exist!”

“Maybe because no such place as Violent Volcano Fields exists,” Rainbow Blitz replied. “Now, are we going to fight this thing, or what?”

“Hold on, Rainbow Blitz. I think Butterscotch can beat this thing easily.”

“What? Why me?” Butterscotch asked. “How could I-” He was cut short by the Pyrosaur, who used its tail to send Butterscotch flying into a rock, knocking him out instantly.

“Butterscotch!” Dusk Shine shouted.

“I guess there’s only one thing to do, now,” Rainbow Blitz said, charging at the Pyrosaur. Caramel Apple, Elusive, and Bubble Berry followed closely in the charge.

“I don’t get it,” Dusk Shine said to himself as his friends got thrashed by the Pyrosaur. “First the rock on the cliff, now the Pyrosaur knowing to knock out Butterscotch? What is Solar Flare’s game?” Dusk Shine looked over to Butterscotch, who was partially buried by some debris from the rock he crashed into. “There’s only one thing to do, then.” Dusk then galloped towards the Pyrosaur, who was swatting the other ponies away with its tail. “Everypony back off. I know what to do.”

“You’re call, Duskie,” Bubble Berry said as he was flung by over Dusk Shine’s head, crashing into a rock near Butterscotch. “I’m all right!”

Dusk Shine rolled his eyes a little. “Pinkie...” he said to himself. He then turned to face the Pyrosaur. Caramel Apple and Elusive gladly backed off, but Rainbow Blitz was still flying around the Pyrosaur, still trying to fight it. “Rainbow Blitz,” Dusk Shine shouted, “back off!”

“What’s your plan, Dusk?” Blitz asked.

“Nevermind, just move!”

“Okay, fine.” Blitz then flew off away from the Pyrosaur over to where Butterscotch and the others were.

Dusk Shine approached the Pyrosaur cautiously, careful not to make any sudden moves. The Pyrosaur growled a little at Dusk Shine, but did take a couple of steps back. “I’m not gonna hurt you,” Dusk Shine said, extending his hoof. The Pyrosaur looked at Dusk’s hoof for a little, leaned in to sniff it, and put its nose on Dusk’s hoof, growling softly, almost like a cat purring. “Good. Now, show me what’s wrong.” The Pyrosaur opened its mouth into a roar.

“DUSK SHINE!” Rainbow Blitz shouted.

“What is it, Blitz?” Dusk Shine asked, turning around. “It’s just showing me its tooth. There’s a rock stuck in it.” Dusk Shine then turned around and examined the tooth. It was about the same as a regular tyrannosaur’s tooth, only the Pyrosaur’s tooth bunred and glowed like an ember. There was a rock stuck between two teeth, and you could tell just by looking at it that it hurt. (You could say it was almost a burning kind of pain, but I think that analogy would be fairly redundant. Just guess why.) “Okay,” Dusk Shine said, taking a breath. “Now, this might hurt a little.” He then “grabbed” the rock in his energy field and prepared to yank it out. “Just hold still...”

The Pyrosaur roared loudly as Dusk yanked the rock out from between its teeth.

“DUSK SHINE!” the other ponies shouted loudly.

“Hold on, guys,” Dusk Shine shouted back. “Still not done here.” Dusk Shine turned back to the roaring Pyrosaur. “I know it hurts, big guy, but try to hold still so I can make it feel better. Shh, shh. You’re gonna be all right.” The Pyrosaur calmed down a little and leaned back in towards Dusk Shine. The other ponies just looked on in surprise as Dusk Shine used his magic to mend the Pyrosaur’s teeth. It didn’t even take that long before the Pyrosaur’s teeth were all back in place. “There. All better.” The Pyrosaur stood up straight again and licked the teeth that used to be broken. They seemed good as new and the Pyrosaur was evidently happy about it. It nuzzled Dusk Shine and growled softly. “You’re welcome, big guy,” Dusk Shine said, caressing the Pyrosaur’s nose with his hoof. “Now get on out there and eat whatever you want to, again. Just don’t eat too much sugar. It’ll rot your teeth all over again.” The Pyrosaur stood, let out a loud roar, and stomped off in the other direction. Dusk Shine then trotted over to the other ponies, head held high. “Heh, you ponies should see the look on your faces. Each one of you looks exactly like .O. No lie. Now let’s get going. Butterscotch, you all right?”

“I’m fine,” Butterscotch replied lazily, picking himself up out from under the rubble and rubbing his head with his hoof. “Did you beat the Pyrosaur?”

“Yeah,” Dusk Shine replied. “Taken care of. Now let’s move. Onward we trot, my comrades!” The six stallions began again on their origonal path, still being followed by the fire serphent.

The six ponies stopped at a dark cave. “We don’t have to go through there, do we Dusk Shine?” Butterscotch asked.

“Don’t worry,” Dusk Shine replied, casting a light spell with his horn. “Elusive, I’ll need your help with this.”

“Okay,” Elusive replied, putting his charred tail down and casting the light spell himself.

“Let’s go, ponies,” Dusk Shine said, trotting into the cave followed closely by Elusive and the others. Meanwhile, the fire serphent followed the ponies inside, seeming to cast no light that would reveal it.

“Dusk Shine,” Butterscotch said, “what should we expect from this cave?”

“I don’t know, Butterscotch,” Dusk Shine replied. “But what I can guess is that Bubble Berry needs to me on call for this next obstacle. You hear that, Bubble Berry?”

“I hear ya, Dusk Shine,” Bubble Berry replied. “You can count on- YIPE!” he shouted suddenly as he was pulled off his hooves by a fire serphent and into the darkness of the ceiling. “DUSK SHIIIIIIIINE!”

“Bubble Berry!” Dusk Shine shouted back. There was no response from Bubble Berry.

“That’s it!” Rainbow Blitz shouted. “It’s time to take the fight right to Solar Flare!” Blitz then flew up to chase Bubble Berry, but he didn’t get far before he crashed into the ceiling. “What? But this doesn’t make sense. Bubble Berry was pulled up a lot further than that. Dusk Shine, can you explain this?”

“Illusion would be my first guess,” Dusk Shine replied.

“Well how are we supposed to beat illusion?” Blitz asked. Just as he asked this, the ceiling suddenly lit up right in front of him and out jumped a weird and scary looking face made purely out of fire. “Woah!” Blitz shouted as he fell to the ground next to the other ponies. Following Blitz’s fall was the fire face and several others just like it.

“What are those, Dusk Shine?” Butterscotch asked.

“I have no idea!” Dusk shouted back. The five ponies screamed at the top of their lungs as the faces surrounded them. It didn’t take long before Dusk Shine realized something. He had figured out Solar Flare’s game. “That’s it!” Dusk Shine said out loud. “I know how to beat these things!”

But there’s no way in Equestria or whatever this place is called I’m doing the song, Dusk thought to himself.

Dusk Shine broke from the group and stepped forward towards the fire faces. “Dusk Shine!” Elusive called. “What are you doing?”

“Exactly what Pinkie Pie and Bubble Berry would do.” Dusk Shine paused for a moment, not believing that he was about to say what he was about to say. “I’m going to, and I regretably quote, ‘giggle at the ghosties’.”

“Come again?” Caramel Apple asked.

“Well, my friend Pinkie Pie taught me this lesson through a song, but I kind of don’t feel like singing right now, so I’ll just explain it. The best way to combat fear is to laugh in its face. Make it so that they can’t harm you.” Dusk Shine turned to one of the faces. “Observe.” Dusk Shine started out laughing kind of nervously, but after a while it turned into a real, good-natured laugh which turned the face’s expression into a scream and eventually caused it to disappear alltogether. “See? Laughter is not only the best medicine, but also the best weapon against fear. Try it, guys.”

The stallions looked at each other for a moment, but then decided that Dusk Shine got them through enough already and took his word for it. Each pony went up to a different face, thought of the funniest thought they could think of, (most of which actually included Bubble Berry) and laughed as loud as they could until the cave was clear of the faces and it returned to its original pitch-black state. “Well now I can’t see anything,” Rainbow Blitz said.

“Need a little help, Blitzy?” Elusive asked, walking over and casting the Light Spell. Just as Elusive reached Rainbow Blitz, the ponies heard a screaming coming down from above them. Elusive had almost no time to react before Bubble Berry fell on top of him.

“Hiya, Elusive,” Bubble Berry said, bouncing right back up. “Sorry to interrupt your nap time, but we still have some Elements of Harmony to find.”

Elusive growled a little and was about to say something when he was cut short by Dusk Shine. “Everypony,” Dusk Shine said, “I see the exit!”

“Finally!” Rainbow Blitz said. “I’m desperate to stretch my wings.” The six ponies then made their way to the end of the cave.

Finally out of the cave, the ponies were back to the volcanic landscape that they were fairly used to by now. Rainbow Blitz flew around a little to stretch his wings while the other stallions came to a raging lava river. “Lovely,” Elusive said. “How are we going to cross this?”

“I’m not sure, Elusive,” Dusk Shine said. “But be ready to do something about it. I think you’re up next.”

“Me? What could I possibly-”

“Shh,” Dusk Shine suddenly said.

“Did you just-”

“Shh! I think I hear something. Follow me.” The ponies followed Dusk Shine upriver, where they all began to hear the same noise that Dusk Shine was hearing. It sounded like crying, and the source of the crying was a giant Lava Eel, crying and thrashing and causing the lava river to rage. “Um, hello?” Dusk Shine called to the Lava Eel.

“What? Who’s there?” the Eel asked.

“Yeah, hi. I’m Dusk Shine. These are my friends, Caramel Apple, Rainbow Blitz, Elusive, Butterscotch and Bubble Berry. We were wondering if you could calm down a little so we can cross this river.”

“Calm down?” the Eel asked. “How can I calm down when my beautiful hair is ruined?” She pointed up to her head, which was partially cut off.

“How in Equestrion did your hair get like that?” Elusive asked.

“I honestly don’t know. One minute I was swimming around, minding my own business, and the next, this weird streak of fire flies by and slices a chunk of my beautiful hair off.”

“Who could possibly do such a thing to a creature as beautiful as you? I mean, look at you. Your scales glow as bright as the very lava you swim in.”

“Yes, it’s true.”

“Your eyes gleam like emeralds in the summer sun.”

“So I’ve been told.”

“But all of it ruined by your half-haired head.”

“Yes, it’s very tragic indeed.”

“This kind of thing is a crime. A crime that I can’t stand to bear witness to any longer.” Elusive then trotted over and pulled one of the Eel’s scales off.

“Ow! Why did you do that?”

“I won’t let you suffer this fate any longer.”

“Elusive!” Dusk Shine called. “What are you planning-?” He was cut off when there was a loud slicing sound coming from where Elusive was standing. A collective gasp filled the herd of ponies as the Eel fell. “Elusive! What have you done?”

Elusive set down the scale and trotted over to the fallen Lava Eel, which wasn’t dead. (Actually, I was never sure why it fell in the show. I mean, what logical sense was that supposed make?) “Here you go,” Elusive said, using his magic to tie his tail to the Eel’s head.

“I’m flattered, Elusive,” the Eel said, “but it looks a little... burnt.” She pointed up to where Elusive tied on his tail, which was still half-charred.

“Oh no!” Elusive shouted. “I completely forgot about that! I’m so sorry.”

“Elusive couldn’t pass the test because of what happened with the Pyrosaur,” Dusk Shine said to himself. He then looked over to the bright-orange scale that was lying on the ground near him. He then picked it up with his magic and looked at it for a while. “Solar Flare won’t win over a lucky shot.” He then stepped towards the Eel and used his magic to drag Elusive away. “Hey, Lava Eel! I have something better for you to have.” Dusk Shine raised the scale with his magic and cut off his own tail. “It’s not as beautiful as Elusive’s used to be, but I hope you enjoy it just as much.” Dusk Shine then used his magic and replaced Elusive’s tail with his own on the Lava Eel’s head. “It’s the best I could do, and I’m sure Butterscotch wouldn’t be willing to give up his tail.”

“What?” Butterscotch shouted. “But I’ve invested in tail extentions! I mean, the natural colors of my naturally long tail compliment my coat.”

Dusk Shine rolled his eyes and turned back to the Eel. “Do you like it?”

“Like it?” the Eel asked. “I LOVE it! This stripe in your tail was exacty what I’ve been missing in my hair since I was born. Thank you, Dusk Shine.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Hey, Dusk Shine,” Rainbow Blitz said. “the lava river is calm now, but we still can’t walk across lava.”

“Oh, right...”

“Allow me to help,” the Lava Eel said. She then grabbed all the ponies in her hands and carried them across the river, setting them all down gently on the other side.

“Thank you!” Dusk Shine called to the Eel. He then turned back to his friends. “Okay. We’re almost to Solar Flare’s castle, so let’s not stop now.” He and his friends then galloped off towards the castle, which was now visible at this point. However, Solar Flare was still following them, and he had one more trick up his sleeve.

The six ponies came across a rickety bridge, but it was still standing contrary to what Dusk Shine was expecting. “Well that’s weird,” Dusk Shine said out loud.

“What is it, Dusk Shine?” Rainbow Blitz asked.

“Nothing,” Dusk Shine replied. “Just... cross the bridge one at a time. Celest- er, Artemus knows how stable it is.

“Got it,” Rainbow Blitz said, flying over to the other side. “Come on, Butterscotch.”

“Coming,” Butterscotch said, carefully flying over the bridge. He was followed by Bubble Berry, Caramel Apple, and Elusive crossing the bridge on hoof. Dusk Shine was about to cross after Elusive, but a bright light out of the corner of his eye stopped him.

“What is that?” Dusk Shine asked himself, walking over to the source of the light.

“Dusk Shine!” Elusive called from the other side of the bridge.

“Hang on,” Dusk Shine replied. “I’ll be right there. Just give me a second.” Dusk Shine then continued walking over to the light. There was a figure of a pony in the center, but Dusk Shine had to struggle to see who it was. Once Dusk Shine was close enough to see who it was, he was actually quite shocked. “Princess Celestia?”

“Yes, Twilight,” Celestia replied. “It’s me.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Why, I’m here to bring you back to Equestria. You’ve done well in discovering what Spell 63 was, so you have already passed your test.”

“But this world is in danger.”

“Twilight, you need to come with me now. I can’t stay here for long. If you don’t come with me, you could be stuck here forever.”

“But Princess...”

“Come with me now, Twilight Sparkle.”

“Princess-”

“NOW!”

“NO!” Dusk Shine shouted, startling even himself. He honestly couldn’t believe he just said that to Princess Celestia. Unless...

“Twilight, what is wrong with you?”

“Absolutely nothing... SOLAR FLARE!”

Princess Celestia instantly erupted into flame and there stood Solar Flare himself. “How did you see past my disquise?” he asked.

“It was quite simple, really. There was one fatal flaw in your plan. Princess Celestia doesn’t know how to cast Spell 63, so she can’t get here at all.”

“Very clever, Twilight Sparkle, but that was only one part of the trap. You just stepped into the real trap.” Solar Flare’s horn then began glowing brightly and Dusk Shine was suddenly surrounded by fire.

“Wha-? What’s going on?” Dusk Shine asked panickedly.

“Your defeat. Mwahahahahahahahahaha!” The fires around Dusk Shine continued growing and swirling until Dusk Shine was completely engulfed. The flamed quickly disappeared, along with Dusk Shine.

I want to clear something up... (DO NOT READ)

To all ponies who have read “Spell 63: The Stallion in the Sun”

Hello, everypony. I am agent_cupcakes, the author of this story, and several others including My Little Pony Rangers: Enter the Nightmare, (Formerly titled simply “My Little Pony Rangers”.) and craptastic stories such as The Slender: Harmony and Darkness. (Which, in case you're planning on reading it, I have disliked. You know a story sucks when its own author dislikes it.) I’m sure I’m doing this out of what could be a second cousin or something to paranoia, but I feel like there are ponies out there getting the wrong idea about Spell 63, namely that it’s based off of the movie Equestria Girls. It’s true that both involve Twilight Sparkle traveling to an alternate dimension and meeting five characters who happen to remind her of her friends back in Equestria and how they need to come together to defeat a fire-themed villain, but I can assure you that I came up with Spell 63 before I heard of Equestria Girls. I’m not claiming that they stole the idea from me, I’m trying to avoid ponies claiming that I stole the idea from Hasbro. If you’ll actually look back at when the first chapter was posted, you’ll find that it was posted on the 7th of April, a little before Equestria Girls was really that well known. Even then, I did actually come up with the idea a couple months before I even started writing it, so there’s no way I could have known about Equestria Girls before I started writing Spell 63. As well, I’d like to point out that in Spell 63, Spike doesn’t follow Twilight and she is able to interact with her counterpart from the alternate world, unlike in EQG.

Maybe I’m just doing another rant and maybe I shouldn’t have posted this, but it was just something that was on my mind and I felt I had to get it out there. As per usual, I have no idea how to end this, so... さよなら