"Aside! Move aside, quickly!" The Courtyard of the Brehmin Fortress slowly quieted as a Pegasus charged inside from the small entrance. From the top of the steps, Rukafelth watched as the scout tore forwards, his soldiers standing aside to let the pony through as he raced towards the Fortress' entrance. Rukafelth calmly stood aside as the pony ran by, through the doors. "Out of my way! I have important news!" He heard him shouting.

The scout, small, thinly muscled, sleek and fast galloped down the halls at top speed, giving the more lazy guards little time to react as he bowled them over. He continued to shout for room as he made his way upstairs, and finally, panting, knocked frantically on the door of the Lord's Wizard's room.

There was the sound of a pony leaping to their hooves, followed by papers flying everywhere as the door was quickly opened. The scout took in several deep breaths as Balla stared at him with a wide, curious eye. "Is it news?" She asked, and he bobbed his head.

"My Lady Balla," he sucked in a deeper breath, "a soldier on duty in the western skies of Equestria has spied three unauthorized Golding dragons flying West-bound, carrying two ponies each. He claims to have seen," he slowed his breathing down, "he claims to have seen a purple unicorn with an unusually elongated horn. He is most assured that it was the False One."

Balla's bright eye widened further in understanding, and she marched into her room. "This soldier is absolutely positive it was the Fake?" Balla demanded, putting her papers together and shoving them into a pack. The Scout leapt forward quickly to put it on his back before Balla could even attempt to burden herself with it.

"Complete. He reports light purple coat, dark blue mane with a pink and purple stripe in it, an especially long horn, and a star-patterned cutie mark. On top of that, she was seen riding with a blue-coated Pegasus with a rainbow-patterned mane and a cloud/lightning-bolt cutie mark. They match the descriptions Lord Rukafelth gave us. I was told to report directly to you on the matter." He began to follow Balla out the door.

"Well you were told right, Lord Galio gave me the honor of hunting her down." The diamond in the circlet set around her head began to glow white as she channeled a goodly amount of magic, and through each and every room of the Fortress her voice was heard clearly: "I need all Horn Breakers, Sky Engineers, and Terratmos Adepts to report to Sky Bay, the False One has been found, and retrieval orders have been issued." She said firmly.

"You won't be telling Lord Galio personally?" The scout asked curiously as they padded down hallway after hallway, until they entered an absolutely enormous chamber. Sitting directly in the middle, in the shape of an enormously elaborate boat with two enormous, long purple crystals imbedded in the sides, was Balla's vehicle of pursuit.

Ponies in all sorts of armor began to enter the chamber, carrying bags and weapons, the Horn Breakers in their elaborate steel armor which formed a semi-sun shaped headdress, the Sky Engineers in their thickly padded, heat-proof uniforms, and the Adepts wearing… Well, their coats. She didn't understand Rukafelth's monastery at all, but she supposed clothing could be seen as a form of wealth.

The long wooden ship, with its silver edges and ornate runed carvings, had its loading ramps lowered, and the colts and mares boarded the ship quickly. "Lord Galio will have heard and will understand if I'm in a rush. Go deliver your report to him and please tell him I said goodbye." She floated her pack off the scout, and landed it on her own back. She started for the ship, "and best of luck sir."

"Y-you too ma'am." The colt gave a small, sharp salute as he watched the Archmage get on the ship. He turned and ran towards the throne room as Balla got on deck.

Like your typical sea-faring boat, the deck was flat, with thick, tall guardrails. Unlike most ships, it had no masts, but it did have several telescopes on all sides. The Engineers, suited up and looking like tubby plush dolls, were already evaluating the day's weather, wind speeds, and predicted magical power. In her mind, Balla knew it didn't matter. Technically, all the ship needed was herself to power it, since she was practically a living conduit of the old, powerful energy, but it was considered better to not test to see if she had limits while several thousands of feet in the air.

The head engineer, an aging unicorn with a straight, short-cut mane approached her, moving easily in her thick suit despite how heavy it must have been. If Balla had read correctly, this mare pretty much lived and breathed her work. "Lady Balla, preliminary tests show that today will be a fine day for flight, current scans are warning of a coming storm."

Balla glanced upwards at the open shaft above them, a square hole dug straight into the ground, incredibly difficult to see from above due to the impressive snow drifts. "A coming storm?" She blinked. The weather reports spoke of clear skies all week…

"Coming storm of ass-kicking is what I'm talking about!" Balla turned sharply to the grinning Engineer, eyes big and confused. "C'mon Lady Balla, lemme show you to your quarters." She offered, Balla sputtering in surprise but following obediently. "Any final orders ma'am?"

The loading ramps lifted and locked into place on the ship as the great vessel's crystal engines began to glow. The ship lifted slowly as the crystals hummed with power. There was no hesitation or wait. In short time, they were lifting off into the sky, aiming westward. "No," she stated, then paused, "actually, just one: let's find the False One." Balla nodded, hearing the crystals begin to hiss as the power in them was boosted, allowing them to rise faster.

---

"Bye bye Equestria." Pinkie heard Fluttershy just behind her whisper. The shy young mare watched the land they called home slowly get smaller. Pinkie wanted to look back, wanted to say something that fit the situation, to alleviate Fluttershy's feelings, but right now, she was concentrating on keeping Rattler part of the close-knit flight group they'd made.

Even though Rattler responded easily to her command, both vocal and physical, he had a tendency to try and fly above the other two dragons, which Pinkie had to correct constantly with a gentle nudge of her hooves and a slight redirection with her reins. She wanted to remain within easy shouting distance of all the girls, and while being above them would allow her that, it would also mean she wouldn't be able to hear them as well.

So she kept perfect formation right alongside Hayseed's left. She could easily slip over to Twilight and Dash if she needed to, which she was heavily considering just so she could tune out-

"Ya'll're squeezin' me to tight!" Applejack shouted back to Rarity over the sound of rushing wind, sucking in a deep breath helplessly as a tiny quiver made Rarity pull her hoofs in tighter.

"Too tight! I'd dare say not enough! I feel like I could fall at any-" Hayseed suddenly began to shake, and Rarity screamed in Applejack's now ringing ear while Hayseed compensated for the turbulence. "What was that! I nearly fell!" Rarity shouted.

"Y'all most certainly did not! It's just a bit of, I dunno, an air-quake! Yeah! Air's shakin' up a bit but Hayseed can handle it! Will ya'll stop squeezin' me so hard now!" Applejack slid her elbows down to try and push Rarity off a little but the unicorn would not budge.

"Um, Applejack?" Fluttershy called gently. The farm pony didn't hear, and Fluttershy sucked in a deeper breath, "Applejack!" Applejack turned her head to face Fluttershy. "I-it's called turbulence! It happens sometimes, just keep Hayseed stable!" She shouted, and Applejack looked back to Rarity.

"Hear that? It's just tur-buh-lints, ain't nothin' a big ol' dragon like Hayseed can't-" Hayseed began to shake more violently, and this time Applejack couldn't hear Rarity's, Twilight's, or Pinkie's screams over her own.

"Would everypony settle down?" Rainbow Dash shouted as soon as the shaking stopped. Applejack blushed heavily as Rarity rather politely jabbed her elbows with her hooves. "We're getting the backlash of a thunderstorm a mile or so that way." Rainbow Dash pointed to her right, and sure enough there was a large amount of dark clouds converging a mile away. "It's not gonna mess with the dragons' flight unless we get closer. It's easy aeronautics, guys, dragons are good fliers for a reason."

"You guys deal with this sort of thing regularly?" Pinkie Pie asked Fluttershy curiously, who nodded slowly. Pinkie couldn't believe there was this much violence involved in just simple, straight flying. Small wonder somepony as delicate as Fluttershy preferred the much less rough ground.

"All the time. You learn to handle it very early in flight, more than a few early Pegasus injuries seen in hospitals are caused by inexperience with turbulence. That's why being a weather pony is such a necessary and dangerous job, the turbulence caused by being in a storm is tremendous. It takes a very sturdy sort of mare to face a storm dead on." Fluttershy was staring at Rainbow Dash, who was talking quietly with Twilight. Dash looked passive, but every now and then she smiled and chuckled at something.

"Is it why the Sonic Rainboom is so hard to pull off?" The party pone asked, glancing downwards at the sea of golden grass beneath them. The land beyond Equestria was simply so beautiful in a different way. It looked sort of wild and untamed, with no roads or buildings in sight.

"Yeah. There's also the of pressure associated with going so fast. You shake so much once you hit an unfamiliar speed, and even if you beat the turbulence going too fast can cause you to become light-headed and even lose consciousness due to the pressure. It takes a lot of willpower and durability to handle it." Fluttershy explained, and Pinkie Pie glanced to Rainbow Dash across the skies, holding a little more respect for the athlete now. (Somebody check me on this, I'm probably goofing it up somewhere)

"I always thought flying was a little more…" Pinkie rolled her shoulders around a bit.

"Simple?" Fluttershy answered, and Pinkie nodded. "Well, it's just one of those things you have to experience to understand."

The leylines were still strong beneath the earth here. Twilight could see they were incredibly bright, and pouring out a ton of energy, feeding the land magic and life. Sure beyond Equestria the magic was poured out wildly, not hindered by spells so the grass could grow as crazy as it pleased, or the weather could storm whenever it felt like, but it was still powerful. It gave her somewhat of a sick feeling knowing that she was now beyond the protection of the Princesses, that they were now at a wild world's mercy, but that sick feeling was matched easily by the energy she got from seeing a world Equestrians weren't familiar with. The gold grass beneath them, even up here, smelled delicious, and she was not a grass eater. Though the idea of natural-eating disgusted her some, she couldn't deny how healthy the grass looked below appealed to her right now. More than a mint and cherry truffle did. Crap, she was hungry now.

Dash turned her head quietly as she heard Twilight rifling through their pack, only to pull out a wrapped up bushel of grapes. "Hungry already? I thought you were a little pony. Breakfast not enough for you?"

"All this travel and magic is making me hungry." Twilight insisted, making Dash snort as she popped a grape into her mouth and chewed with relish. "I've been doing so much thinking since we left Equestria. It's absolutely incredible… Not to mention ridiculous. Leaving Equestria, can you believe it?" She asked, holding a grape forward. Dash took it in her mouth and chewed on it slowly in thought.

"Yes." Dash answered, Twilight readjusting her grip on Dash as she leaned around her to stare her in the face. It didn't matter they were getting stared at now. "What?" Dash asked, seeing Twilight's odd stare.

"You can?"

"Well yeah. I always figured I'd be leaving Equestria. Just not out the sides." Dash explained with a knowing grin that made Twilight's ear twitch.

"You're going to have to explain. I'm a little lost."

"I always thought I'd leave Equestria through orbit. Up up and away and all that. Though, I guess, now…" She sighed softly, and felt Twilight nudge her.

"Hey now… You're still gonna do it." Twilight whispered, and Dash sighed. "I don't care what happened to your wings, somehow you're going to break out of orbit. Even if I have to be there with you." Twilight squeezed her hooves around the Pegasus's chest, and Dash smiled a little.

"You're a good pal Twilight." Dash leaned back, wrapped a leg around Twilight's neck, and squeezed softly. Twilight chuckled between tiny coughs from Dash's strong leg. Dash let go eventually. So much about riding the dragon reminded her of flying by herself. The rush of the wind, the turbulence, being so high above the ground that absolute freedom wasn't just a dream it was a possibility. There were no restrictions up here, no can-do's or can't-do's. Nopony would complain if you decided to be acrobatic up in the air, nopony got mad if you accidentally moved too close, the only danger was reentry. With three whole dimensions in her grasp, Dash was unstoppable. The only thing just out of reach was being a Wonderbolt, and even that had been within a nose-hair's possibility. "When I was eight, I went and saw my first Wonderbolts show."

Behind her, she heard the chewing slow. Her cue. "Back then I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I could barely fly, thunder and lightning scared me, and I hated to be upside down, or twist around too quickly, and I loved the clouds, and didn't like getting rid of them. Then my parents got Wonderbolt tickets." She smiled at the memory. "When they took me there and sat me down in the arena, I had no idea what to think. I thought it would be one of those boring air ballet things my parents loved to see every month. I tuned out until a loud voice told me to look up, and when I did, I saw the most amazing thing." She sighed heavily, the memory crystal clear in her head. "I could feel the energy pouring off them when they performed, doing the most amazing tricks at high-speed, as close together as they could be, and they never once stopped. It was this constant feel of awesomeness, y'know? They didn't pause or break, none of them did, they kept doing more and more amazing things like that was their life. It was and still is there life. From that moment on I knew what I wanted to do. What I was destined to do, and I wouldn't let anything get in my way. I practiced every second of every minute of every hour of every day that I could. I would become fast, flexible, and strong. I became a weather pony volunteer as soon as I could to conquer the weather, conquer my fear of lightning and thunder. Teller was always there. He would always cheer and clap and laugh and give me ideas for new tricks to try." Dash's eyes softened, and Twilight could feel the tenseness in her, so she squeezed gently. Dash let out a sigh and relaxed. "He was my crowd. He was the only audience that mattered to me, even when older kids showed up to watch. Not everypony believed I could be a Wonderbolt but he did. After he died, I stopped. I stopped for two days. I didn't fly, and never wanted to fly, until I found a drawing he did. It was me, in a Wonderbolt outfit. He believed in my dream as much as I did and I knew, from then on, nothing would matter more than becoming a Wonderbolt. I had to fulfill my dream, because that's what Teller would want of me. Up until we were captured, nothing mattered more. I know he would understand, I think he does, actually. I think, after seeing him guide me, he wants me to protect you and save Equestria. It's a little more cool than being a Wonderbolt, just a little so don't give yourself too much credit. So for Equestria's sake, for our friendship's sake, and for Teller's sake, I'm going through with this, no matter what I've lost or gained."

Twilight understood Dash well enough to know that pouring out like this, that showing off her hopes, emotions, her motivations, and dreams wasn't a comfortable thing for her. She felt the same way, she wasn't the vocally emotional sort of filly some mares were, the only thing she opened up to so easily was Spike. And now she felt she trusted Rainbow Dash in that same way. That was why she put the grapes back in the bag again so she could hug Dash from behind with both legs, and let her know that she appreciated her opening up. Dash couldn't stop herself from smiling. It felt good to let loose and let Twilight know. It felt good to not worry about Twilight thinking she couldn't do what she was destined to do. There was no judging in her.

"So, um…" Dash grinned as she rubbed the unicorn's front legs. "I told you all about my past and stuff. What about you? Tell me your story." Dash turned her head to listen.

"Eh? My story? Heck no, that would be gay." Dash craned her head around, her eyes and mouth open in pure shock, as Applejack and Rarity turned their heads to stare as Twilight squealed with laughter until she could barely hold on.

---

He glanced up at the sky. The day was gray. The clouds, the air, everything was covered in a shroud of gray. He didn't like overcast days, they made him feel lazy and slow. It was not the attitude a pony like him should have with a job as physically rigorous as apple bucking was. He wasn't the depressive sort, but whether anypony paid attention or not he had moods of his own.

Big Macintosh sighed heavily. He didn't feel like working today. It was gray, the chill wind was a bit too chill, and something didn't feel right. Of course something didn't feel right, he was out here kicking apple trees while there was a potential war coming on, but the official announcement to slow down work wouldn't be called until the next day. For now, Celestia insisted everypony work some stress off with one last, normal day, but after weeks of sun, this day felt far from normal.

He also sensed something was just plain off. He didn't like it. Every time he turned his head around he expected to see an army standing behind him, or an Ursa Major or something. He wouldn't admit he was scared outloud but he couldn't get his mind off Applejack. He was worried about her. Fluttershy too, that poor mare was obviously so broken up asking him to watch the cottage for him. He promised he would. The rest he felt worry for, but not as much as his sister and the shy little mare who spoke exactly one word to him the first time they met: "meep".

Still, he had work to do. Still, he did not feel like working as something felt off. He was concerned. He knew he didn't have much right to be, Granny Smith and Applebloom were in Canterlot, the safest place on the planet it seemed, but still. The cows were locked up, the sheep would be napping by now, and the chickens would be nesting and clucking their little… Heads…

He listened. Dead quiet. He lifted his head up and cocked his ears. The wind whistled, the tree branches creaked, the leaves shook, but there wasn't a bird calling, or a squirrel chattering, or little animals rooting around for scraps. He was all alone in his apple field. Cautiously he turned himself around and stared at his surroundings. All he saw were trees and dirt. The animal sounds and sights he'd grown accustomed to had left him. They sensed something was wrong too.

Big Mac calmed himself down and took the wagon, and began to push it towards the next apple tree pasture. The squeak of the wheels sent shivers down his spine, but it reminded him that things were normal. They should have squeaked, they hadn't been oiled in a while, and joints would need replacing soon. Perhaps he'd stop by in Ponyville later and grab some new wagon parts, then he'd come home, fix the wagon, look at Blueberry's sticking door in the barn, then he'd take a look at Applebloom's closet handle, and finally catch a few-

The fur on his back stood straight. His spine was so tense it hurt. Every joint in his body screamed for him to screw the wagon and run, but Big Macintosh was not a quitter, he was not a scared, shaky little colt. He was big, strong, and wise. Big Mac turned his head slowly to the right, and saw nothing. Then he turned his head slowly to the left, towards an opening in the field, and he felt his mind, body, and courage stop.

Slimy, unhealthily gray skin sagged around its form, its joints, the elbows, the ankles, the knees, the hands, pooling around its thick-toed feet like the skeleton had stopped growing when it shouldn't have, or the skin wouldn't stop growing when it should. It was pudgy with fat and some muscle, like a great big toad. One three times Big Mac's size, standing on two legs, with thick, long arms that reached to the ground with long, thick fingers ending in pudgy round pads. Its head had melded with its torso, its face sticking out, frog-shaped, with six endlessly deep black eyes, two of which sat prominent and huge at the front just above a tiny pointed snout, just above a frown that was two feet across and a foot and a half tall, loose skin hanging about its neck like a sick necklace.

The thing stared at Big Mac, completely still except for its nostrils, which flared rapidly, suggesting the otherworldy thing was breathing. Big Mac did not stop staring into those soulless black eyes, even as its mouth opened to reveal a void. It was a mouth made to swallow ponies whole, a mouth bigger than Big Mac, a mouth that took up half its height and revealed layers upon layers of teeth set in a circle around its inner maw and throat, sharp, jagged points turned outwards, meant to eviscerate its prey as it was swallowed by the mouth of hell. Deep in the pit of black, Big Mac saw what lay beyond this world. In its very stomach, in the belly of the beast, Big Mac saw hell waiting for him.

Then came the voices. Tens of hundreds of thousands of millions of voices, all collecting into one deep tone as the thick beast let out a guttural bellow made of the screams of the dead, the fat around its neck stretching and straightening to make room for a mouth that would not stop opening, to let Big Mac stare deeper into the depths of eternal torture, to allow twenty tentacle-like tongues to spring out to search the air, wiggling rapidly, inviting Big Mac to eternal damnation as blood-colored saliva dripped from their tips, from the lips of the monstrous gatekeeper of the underworld to the ground below, turning the once sweet, green grass into twisted black strands.

With what appeared to be great struggle, the massive mouth lifted one short, fat leg and took a step forward, but the crashing noise was lost on Big Mac as the screams of a million dead played in his mind.

It was only luck that an apple, old and bothered by the wind, fell from its branch and onto Big Mac's head as slime-coated fingers reached for him. The wagon's pull-handle fell as Big Mac ran. He did not feel any fatigue, nor any regret, nor anything as his long legs battered the ground again and again, ignoring dirt paths, trampling tripping roots. He could hear it. He could hear crashing noises, the wet slap of a moist bag of flash being brought down on a hard surface again and again, hear its gurgling, watery, hungry moans as it tried to chase him, wanting to consume him, wanting to fill itself with his skin and blood.

Terror fueled every step he took, terror fueled the jump he made over the fence, but it was duty that sent him straight to the barn. He ran uphill towards the tall red-painted building, barely hearing the shredding noises of tearing wood as the hell-beast pushed itself through the fence, and then he jumped, he turned, his thrust his legs out behind him and felt the barn door buckle like it was rotten. Inside, the heads of dozens of cows turned as Big Mac, from the entrance, his eyes wide, tears streaming down his normally passive, strong face, and with great pains he cried out one word: "RUN!"

No hesitation. Stalls exploded as cows pushed their entire bulk through the wood, and they turned to look past the great pony that cared for them and saw hell itself lunging towards their very door. They turned and smashed themselves against the opposite wall, again and again, until finally the wall gave way, and with frightened cries charged out of the barn, Big Mac right behind them.

He turned his head once to see the beast's torso at the door, then the air filled with splintered wood, falling about his face as the obese hulk drove its thick head and shoulders through the barn. Big Mac froze as it lumbered closer, raising one long, thick arm above its head, fingers splayed wide in the air as it carelessly knocked out supports above it. Big Mac heard the building rumble around them, and with a shout of terror fled out of the building as it fell inwards on top of the massive thing.

Big Mac ran. He ran to the chicken coops and turned to smash the locks off, one by one, shouting, screaming, demanding the chickens to flee, and it took the simple-minded creatures one look to know there was no arguing. Big Mac watched the pile of wooden rubble explode as the massive gray creature stood, staring at the sky, arms thrust in the air as it roared in rage, its enormous sickly yellow belly shaking as it screamed.

He whirled around and charged for the sheep pens next, vaguely hearing the creature charge after him, its feet and the thick, loose skin around them filling the air with wet slaps, like a wet towel striking the wall with its broad-side over and over again. He could hear his heart in his ears as he used his own massive bulk to crash through the stable doors, frightening the demure, fluffy inhabitants awake. Big Mac panted heavily, trying to get air in his lungs to yell, but he had no need to. They took one look at his taut, twisted, tear and blood covered face and fled, bawing in terror as they sped out of and around the building as they saw the enormous terror step closer and closer.

Big Mac charged into the back of the stalls, towards the blank wooden wall, and watched it disappear as enormous gray, loosely-flesh arms swept the roof off the building. He jumped as high as he could over the shorter wall, felt the wooden splinters dig deep and draw blood all down his abdomen, but he didn't care. He felt the air from the giant's hand crash just behind him, slapping the ground in a desperate grab, but Big Mac was already rushing to Ponyville.

He could make the trip in twenty minutes if he walked, but if he ran, maybe he could make it. Maybe there was enough time.

Slap. Slap. Slap. Slap.

Behind him, the beast was using its great upper-weight to throw itself forward, slowly but steadily gaining momentum as it used gravity to drive itself forward, its short fat legs moving faster as it willed them to, charging towards its prey, towards the delicious, scream-filled little creature that would end thousands of years of hunger, and wash away the taste of rustic old blood with fresh liquids.

Slap slap slap slap slap.

It beat a steady noise of horror in his mind, and he could feel himself crying again, so sure he was dead, so sure it would devour him, suck him down into the realm of the mad, the tortured, the vile, the evil. Crushing despair tried to drag him backwards to the monster, the assuredness that he would die, that he would be sucked into hell itself for the simple reason that was what this beast did. He was going to die.

He was going to die. Going to die. Going to die.

He saw the buildings grow larger.

slap slap slapslapslap

He was going to die. He was going to die.

He could see Ponies milling about in the middle of town square.

slapslapslapslapslapeslap

An eternity in hell, kicking and screaming for mercy that would not come.

He could hear their voices as they waited for Mayor Mare to make her speech. He could feel their lack of concern.

SLAPSLAPSLAPSLAPSLAPSLAPSLAP

Writhing in torment, bled dry, bones crushed to dust, skin turned into a mass of thick-crusted, dried, post-mortem leather yet he would not be allowed the mercy of death.

One of the cows had taken center stage, pushing away the Mayor as she screamed for the Ponies to look behind them.

SLAPSLAPSLAPSLAPSLAPSLAP

He would twist and scream in agony yet his voice would be dead in his throat, as his soul was pulled from his body with iron hooks and blood-soaked chains and given to the monsters that tortured him.

All of Ponyville went silent as Big Mac threw himself out of range of the creature as its great arm crashed down, smashing a hay wagon into pieces, grabbing the debris and throwing it furiously across town, splinters and hay falling over the stunned crowd as Big Mac flung his body through the door of the hardware store, half-blinded by tears and his own blood as his hoofs sought the one thing he trusted more than Applejack's word.

The building crumbled around him as slime-coated, fat arms knocked the wood aside like rice paper, and the screams filled his ears once again as Ponyville, as one, panicked. He turned, the sharp-bladed plow he'd been keeping his eyes on for months now in his hooves, and his vision went dark as an enormous, sticky hand crushed him against the floor. He felt the fetid mucus that coated the creature cling to his coat while large fingers wrapped around him, crushing his legs to his body as the air was squeezed out of him. His body left the ground, and he was lifted high into the air as the enormous mouthed creature opened its maw of teeth and tongues, tentacles springing from its throat as Big Mac was brought downwards, brushing against him, wrapping around his neck and legs.

An eternity in a realm he did not belong. A hundred-thousand lifetimes of pains he did not deserve.

Fresh pain entered his body as he was crushed into something, stars filling his eyes as he opened them wide, air filling his lungs again as he sucked in from pain. He stood quickly, completely numb and light-headed as blood seeped from his open wounds, but still he saw. Four ponies, one maybe a little taller than his knee, had driven the plow into the monster's bulging yellow stomach, sick juices pouring out as it warbled in pain, lashing blindly at the ponies shoving the metal blade in and knocking them aside if they weren't sticking to the backs of its hands.

It quickly brought the small one, limp, stuck to its arm to its mouth, twenty flailing tongues wrapping around the small pony, drawing it into a world meant for the cruel and the ruthless, but it stopped. The ponies that had taken Big Mac's plow stirred, turning their heads to face the still beast as it retched violently, blood pouring from the gaping, saw-filled hole that served as its mouth, as Big Mac drew the plow back and drove it into the monster's stomach and chest again and again and again.

Blood drenched his mane and his coat, but he did not care. He took the plow and forced it through the beast's thick stomach, into what served as its guts, shredding them, letting the lifeblood flow out around him, all over him. The warmth sickened him, the smell made him retch, but the motions never stop.

The tip broke off in the beast's heart.

Big Mac never stopped swinging.

---

The cloud spell was holding nicely around the ship. For several hundred feet in all directions there was a normal looking cloud, racing across the sky, shrouding the airship Balla flew.

Well, not her to be exact, she just gave the orders. The Engineers though were doing a magnificent job of keeping the vessel straight and steady, keeping the vessel from rocking. It was perfect. The steady hum of work around her, the solitude she was given, the small, comfortable room she lived in up here, knowledge that she was perfectly safe and hidden high in the sky giving her the perfect environment to do her work.

Papers covered the tiny table she was given, all baring one picture, one profile, one set of possible strengths and weaknesses and evaluations. You could call Balla obsessed with Twilight Sparkle, but she had every right to be; Twilight Sparkle was her mission, and her mission was her life, meaning her entire life right now was about Twilight Sparkle, no ifs, ands, buts, or ors about it. That meant that by the end of the day she had to know everything there was about her, from her height and weight to her colorations, her education, her family, friends, teachers, likes and dislikes, past, current, and possibly future relationships, but more than any of those she had to know where she was going, what she was doing, and where she was vulnerable.

An entire hour of flight she had spent locked in her room with nothing but a bowl of watermelon slices and her research. The entire crew was under orders to not bother her unless it was absolutely important, just as she would have it.

"Four feet, seven inches…" She took a long, slow bite of her favored snack, chewing through the black seeds without worry as she went over her papers for the twelfth time. "Light purple coat, starry-sky cutie mark, twenty-one inches, tutored personally by Princess Celestia…" She whispered to herself, hardly looking at the numbers now that she knew them by heart, repeating them again and again, digging them into her memory. If this unicorn was as tricky as some claimed, being able to pick her out immediately in a crowd, or in a disguise, would be impressively helpful.

Her ear twitched as she heard a polite knock on her door. "Lady Balla?" She didn't recognize the voice, but it was a stallion, and he was interrupting her concentration. She didn't answer, hoping he'd just get the hint and go away. She turned to her next paper, and the knock came louder, a little more frantic. "Lady Balla!" She sighed.

"Yes, what is it? I'm very busy in here!" She called back in annoyance, glancing to the bottom of the door to see his hooves padding around frantically. She heard him say something, "Speak up!"

"N-not t-t-talking to ma-ma'am. I'm sorry!" He called, and was suddenly sprinting away from her door. Balla growled quietly to herself in annoyance. What was this about? She wanted to ignore it, she wanted desperately to just return to work, but she knew she would be allowed no such reprieve. If there was even the slightest chance it was important…

She saw the door handle twist, stopping short when the lock obstructed it, and she saw it jiggle a bit. She hopped off her cushion and walked to the door with a haughty stride, unlocked it, and shoved it open. "WHAT! Oh good sweet lord…"

"Been a while." The jester smirked down at the suddenly horrified Archwizard, then stepped past her as her knees knocked. "Good company you keep up here! So polite, quick, and quiet! I asked for you and they said 'how soon?', I asked them to jump and they asked 'off which end?' Cute." Cloppin lounged back on the cushion Balla had just occupied, and Balla's jaw began to shake as she tried to form words. The clown watched her, then his head turned down, implying he was looking at her papers, but she couldn't tell because of his solid black eyes. "Twilight Sparkle, eh? The thief herself."

"Y-you're dead…" Balla whispered, drawing his amused attention. He was, for the first time in her life since she'd actually met him, the most relaxed she'd ever seen. He wasn't bouncing with energy, wasn't threatening the nearest thing that bled with a knife… "I heard the reports! Your skull had been torn apart by some thing! Cloppin you had better start explaining yourself!" She realized her mistake an instant after it happened, and her hoof went to her throat as she tried backing up, but Cloppin didn't move.

In fact, he just smiled. "I have nothing to tell you, dear Balla, and don't be so troubled, you are far too important to be killed by me, that position is reserved for Twilight Sparkle. Besides, Lord Galio would have my wings if I killed you." Cloppin lifted up paper as Balla immediately glanced to his sides, the tight black bodysuit offering no space whatsoever for wings. "Oh-ho, trained by the Princess then? Figures a newbie would get the fun jobs. I probably still have to report back to the Lord, which is a pity, the second he knows I'm alive he'll be hunting me across the planet to tell me to, I don't know, go read some more dusty old books and pretend I care what some old codger wrote." Balla watched him take a piece of her watermelon and bite into it, never stopping that smile.

"It would be best if you did, Cloppin." Balla advised, wanting to do whatever she could to get the harbinger of chaos out of her hair and out of her sight, but he made no fast move to leave.

"Oh, perhaps, best for Golding, best for the leylines, best for Sellina, but I've been working hard for Golding lately, I died after all." From his front right ankle Cloppin tugged a stiletto free of its holster, and Balla backed herself up, glancing to the open door quickly, evaluating her escape route as the jester scraped remnants of watermelon from the rime a licked his blade clean. "I think I deserve a little vacation, self-imposed of course, I can't catch myself working too hard or who knows? It may stop me from having fun." His teeth clenched the blade after hissing out the last word, and Balla seriously considered just running.

"Y-yes, that would be an awful thing for you Cloppin. I'm sure a few days of actual discipline would be just good old-fashioned murder for such a fellow like you, so why don't you take it up with Lord Galio and-"

"Actually, Balla, I had a proposition for you." He flicked his dagger, and Balla leapt back half a foot as it struck the ground in front of her, sticking to the wooden floor with the rime halfway stuck on it. "The pretty bird you're hunting is flocking with a few bothersome pigeons that I'd like to see trimmed up a bit. I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine." He picked up the knife in an instant, sheathing it as he suddenly stood just a few inches from her. "Don't say a word to anypony, tell them I'm already off to see the Lord, and let me follow. I can hide in the clouds and keep out of your hair, let you do business as you see fit with no interruption or bother. In return, I'll get to skin a few more hides for my next coat, and you get the peace and glory of hunting the world's loveliest little unicorn."

Balla stood still as she stared into Cloppin's eyes, those soulless pits that had no hint of mercy or regret, and she forced herself to think. His idea wasn't the most desirable, he was actively defying their lord and practically flaunting it in her face, but if she said no she had little doubt the consequences would be dire. If the damn clown wasn't completely untouchable with magic she would have just teleported into Lord Galio's throne room then and there, but for now she'd just have to say yes, bide her time, get creative, and dispose of him some other way. Perhaps she could trick another tentacled-beast into munching on his skull… "Fine then, Cloppin, it's a deal. Stay out of my business and I'll have no reason to file a report for yours." Hesitantly, she extended a hoof, not sure she trusted what the clown would do in response.

He grinned, leaned down, touched his nose to her hoof almost in worshipful thanks, which disturbed her more than his smile before disappearing. She was alone in her room again. With a feel that this whole room had been violated, she considered asking the Lead Engineer if her room had an available bunk…

---

The little gray filly sat nervously on the wooden table, staring around at the many eyes that watched her. She was surrounded by smiles and peaceful looks, but one in particular stood out. "-and Connie, this is my team. Say hi." Hero ordered gently, the white haired filly turning from him to look at the rest of the guards around her with a small look. The tiny pony whimpered shyly, and immediately leapt off the table and hid behind her new adoptive father's legs, drawing cute-induced coos from the surrounding guards ponies as they kindly backed away and lowered their heads to give her loving looks. "C'mon Connie, they're not so bad." Hero stepped back over the girl, placing her in front of him. "Say 'hi'."

"… mmnnnhhhi…" The little thing muttered out, turning to bury her face into Hero's legs and hide herself. Hero sighed heavily, and gently rubbed her back with one hoof.

"Connie, I want you to say hi. Please?" He tried to get her to turn around, but Connie immediately rubberized and slipped between his legs and hid behind the back pair this time. "Connie…"

"Captain, you can't treat her like one of your subordinates, you have to treat her like a child." Maize smirked from the back of the room. "You're crowding her with a lot of tall, strange ponies."

Hero sighed. He supposed that made sense, in a way. He wasn't familiar with kids, he knew they weren't developed but he didn't know what that meant specifically. He guessed they would be a tad immature, but how was he supposed to know how they'd react. "Well, what do you suppose I do then Maize?"

"Introduce them one at a time. Everypony back to your posts, you'll get to meet the Captain's daughter in time." Maize waved his hoof, and the crowd calmly went back to their various desks or work-out equipment. Maize strode forward, and smiled as Connie quietly poked her head out from behind Hero. "Hi, I'm Maize. I'm a daddy myself." He extended a hoof, and Connie watched it carefully.

"I-I'm Connie. Um, Connie T-tortion… Hi…" She gently touched her little hoof to his, and he smiled when she shook gently.

"Nice to meet you. I hope to see more of you around here Connie, everypony here is incredibly nice." The door flew open, and Connie leapt behind Hero again as Cupcakes entered.

"I have been looking for five minutes for a quill and nopony thinks to stock the shelves at all! I have incredibly important business to tend to and I can't find one little quill because I'm surrounded by a bunch of slackers!" She roared, making the guards in the room, steel-willed, stead-fast, and iron-minded, whimper. "EVERYPONY OUT IN THE YARD NOW OR I WILL BE KICKING SOME TAIL ALL OVER THIS ROOM!" She shouted, neck-muscles bulging with veins as her voice sent everypony sans Hero and Connie charging out the room, desperate to avoid her wrath. "ONE HUNDRED PUSH-UPS! IF YOU'RE NOT AT FIFTY BY THE TIME I'M OUT THERE IT WILL BE TWO-FIFTY!"

Hero stared at Silly Cupcakes with a half-amused stare before turning to lift up little Connie and place her on his back as she shivered. "Connie, this is my second in command, Lady Silly Cupcakes. Silly Cupcakes, this is my daughter, Connie Tortion."

Cupcakes cast her annoyed gaze over to the shaking little filly and snorted. "I thought I smelled weakness." She walked over with a sense of duty in her steps, and Connie tried to hide behind Hero's neck. "Listen up girly, you may be rubber but you're gonna need a little thing called muscle. Stick around and I'll have you whipped into shape in no time, I personally turned this entire team of-" she turned her head towards the door, "-SLACKING PRETTY PONIES-" she turned back to Connie, "-into halfway competent guardponies. Nice to meet you kid." Cupcakes turned and walked out the door, and was heard sprinting away.

Connie waited until she couldn't hear the steps anymore, and finally spoke up. "She was scary…" She whispered, and Hero nodded his head slowly.

"She's my second in command for that very reason. We'll meet the rest of my team later and I promise you don't have to deal with her much, she doesn't like to be around kids too much anyways." Hero walked out the door, Connie still on his back. "How about I show you around the castle? I'm the Captain of the Guard, I can get you in just about anywhere." The stallion smiled softly as Connie clung to his neck.

Ever since officially becoming a father, a knot of discomfort and worry had entered his stomach. He was, on paper, this girl's father. What was he in her mind though? Was he just a big strong door against the pains of the world? Was he just a strange colt to her? Even worse is he wasn't sure what to do. He'd planned on having dinner with her at six o' clock like he usually did but her caretaker while he was busy mentioned that five o' clock would be better so she'd get that final boost of energy in the latter of the day and have an extra hour to burn it off. Then he planned for her bedtime to be at ten but Maize said nine would be a better bet for a filly her age.

Then he had to know what to feed her. His diet was strict and carefully planned each week, as were the other guards, to balance out fatty foods, vitamins, protein, sugar, salt, every part of it maximized and minimized to deliver the best possible performance, but kids were different. They were smaller, they digested different things more easily or even worse, they needed more of this vitamin, less sugar, and so on and so on. Thank goodness most of the colts he worked with were loving fathers, so he had somepony he could turn to to ask questions.

"I know, I'll show you Laputa." He told the little filly with a small smile. He hadn't seen the whole thing himself, but he was definitely interested. He'd heard some amazing stories about the place and was looking forward to seeing the sort of things Twilight had brought to Equestria.

"That sounds nice…" He heard, and felt her rest her cheek on the back of his neck. He smiled easily. Even if he was worried about being a father, these little moments made him feel it would be just fine.

He stepped out of the guard's quarters and turned to walk towards the cliff garden, but he heard a voice first. "Sir?" He paused, and let out a deep sigh.

"Yes?" He turned his head to face the guard, who was watching the young filly on his back curiously.

"There are reports of unauthorized Pegasi flying towards the south-west landing platform." He spoke softly, and Hero lowered his head, before turning it back to face Connie. He opened his mouth, but she gently tapped his nose.

"You have to go dad." She reminded him, and he nodded. He began to gallop with the guard, Connie clinging to his back until he left her with a nearby pair of door guards, and Hero ran.

"How far are they?" Hero asked, the guard by his side doing everything he could to keep up.

"They're approximately three miles away five minutes ago. They're carrying something, a wagon I believe. Near five miles behind them is a larger group of Pegasi carrying an enormous tarp with we-don't-know-what inside of it. All we know is that both objects are bleeding." He couldn't keep up with Hero this time.

He emerged on the walkway moments later, Princess Celestia already standing at the platform's edge, surrounded by the annoyingly obstinate "Cutie Mark" something something somethings and even more guards. The little fillies by the Princesses' legs watched with intensity that suggested they were trying too hard to do their jobs, but the Princess and the guards had passive looks, preparing for the worst as the distant Pegasi came closer.

"Ain't them the weather ponies?" A quick glance down revealed the speaker was Applebloom. The little yellow filly took a few steps forward and squinted her eyes. "Yeah, the one up front helps at the farm sometimes, I wonder what they're here for."

"I dunno. Looks like they're carrying something though." Sweetie Belle pointed out. Hero watched them closely, and began to back up the crowd from the platform as they neared.

"What's the call, Princess?" Hero asked, the guards present extending their wings to intercept.

"They aren't attacking. Let them land, it must be something importantly urgent or else they would have sent a message ahead of them." Celestia stated softly, horn glowing with golden power as the ponies came near.

Seconds ticked by, and then they heard one of the Pegasi shout: "We need a doctor! We need a doctor quickly! Please!" She shouted, trying to tug the cart faster. "We have two wounded, one's just a filly! Please, we need a doctor!" The Pegasus called.

Hero's eyes widened a little, and he turned to the Princess who was already pointing at a nearby Pegasus. "Get help, now. Fast. Hurry." She ordered, short and terse. The guard flew off quickly. Hero watched the Pegasi with a growing sense of dread, and he glanced to the girls at his legs.

It occurred to him they were just children. Just little fillies about to deal with something they shouldn't have to. He wouldn't want Connie to see this, so the girls shouldn't see it either. "Girls, you need to leave." Hero ordered, watching drops of something dark slip through the wood of the wagon and fall.

"Uh uh, we need to protect the Princess so that's what we're going to do. No stopping us!" The little orange Pegasus piped up. Hero narrowed his eyes.

"Girls. This is not up for debate. Leave, now." He stood a hoof in front of them, and they hesitated in response. "Now." He heard the Pegasi touched down, and then he heard Celestia gasp. He turned his head for just a moment to see, and his mind blanked.

Inside was a large red stallion, covered in blood. He was breathing, barely, looking half-conscious. He could see the many deep red lines of cuts and tears. He had never seen such wounds. No he had, but not so many. Not so deep. Even worse was just beside him.

She was gray, much like Connie, though her hair was more silver than white. It was filled with red streaks from wounds. On her flank was the mark of a small silver spoon. Her body was a mess, mangled, bones broken and her coat was streaked with strips of fur ripped cleanly off. Those bare places had oozing red sores, looking positively infectious, and smelling rancid. It took him a moment to realize the colt had those same sores, and it took him another to realize they were rotting.

"We need-" the mare pulling the cart panted. "We need doctors… We need doctors they're dying, please, we need doctors…" She gasped for air.

"We have doctors coming right now. What happened? Who are these ponies? Girls." He pushed Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle away as they tried to climb the cart and look. Several of the guards held the girls back.

"The colt's name is Big Macintosh, he was the one that saved Ponyville and, and… And… Oh Celestia he hasn't said a word since he killed it, we can't get him to move, please, he's dying!" She shouted frantically.

"… Big Mac?" Applebloom's voice was tiny, and she stopped fighting for just a moment as her mind tried to comprehend what she was hearing.

"The little one, I have no idea what she thought she was doing but she was helping save Big Mac when that thing grabbed him. Her name is Silver Spoon, she's just a little filly, please please please we need doctors!" The Pegasus insisted in absolute hysterics.

"Hey!" A guard shouted, and Hero just had a moment to see the little farmer pony with the bow he'd been keeping back run forward without a care. He dove, but she was already up the cart when he grabbed her. He froze up as he felt her breathing. It was rapid, tiny breaths as she stared at the bleeding mess of two ponies she actually knew.

"…" Hero glanced around frantically. Celestia was frozen in shock at actually seeing this. The guards had no idea what to do. The Pegasi carrying the cart were pleading for doctors to the shocked crowd. The other two Crusaders could only watch as Applebloom began screaming for help. Hero stood, sat the earth pony on his back, and grabbed the cart. He barreled into the palace without hesitation, charging for the medical wing.

He didn't wait to see what the other Pegasi brought as he raced to the hospital.

Father's old work.

She could smell his despair and insanity well before she actually saw it. The smell of a rotting sea, of decaying life, of fish oil and blood, of seawater and ammonia. The Pegasi who landed unhitched themselves from the tarp quickly as all present stared at the gutted, half-alive thing they'd brought.

It gave one tiny gurgle of pain, and Celestia watched a finger twitch. Then she raised her head high and blasted the hellgate with the cleansing force of the sun until all that remained was a smoldering tarp. She turned her head sharply towards the palace and walked, ordering the girls to come with her for their own safety.

It was necessary. It had to be done. They had to be released to fix the leylines.

His work had nearly introduced a child to the depths of hell.

---

"I spy, with my little eyes, something that-"

"Ocean." Applejack grunted flatly, causing Rarity to sigh.

"Honestly Applejack, if you aren't even going to try, I don't know why I bother trying to suggest these games." Rarity mumbled to herself, her legs wrapped tightly around the farm pony as she stared around slowly at the surrounding environment.

Yep. No matter which way you looked, ocean. The deep blue spread far and wide, and according to Twilight they were still going the right way. It was a little hard to believe since as far as she could see the ocean was endless, but Rarity wasn't about to start doubting the only compass they had. The living, magical, currently dragon-riding compass they had.

The thrill of dragon-riding, and the terror that went with it, had washed off some three hours ago as soon as they broke over the coastline and started traveling over the sea. Then suddenly it couldn't have been more boring. Well she supposed they could have been walking, well, swimming, but at least she wouldn't be locked into position hugging Applejack from behind. Not that that was a bad thing, mind you, she was just getting sore and sweaty from all this constant close contact.

"It ain't the games, Rarity, it's the lack of things to spy. There's water, dragons, and ponies up here and that's it. Well, a few clouds too I guess." Applejack glanced all around them, and nodded her head.

"Well I was going to guess something starting with an 'H'." Rarity replied haughtily. She knew she had Applejack there because now the pony was looking around curiously. "And if you don't guess it, I'm taking it for myself."

"Huh." Applejack began to scan the skies, to the other two dragons. She saw Fluttershy resting her head on Pinkie's back, snoozing peacefully, gracefully, even a hundred feet in the sky at dragon-speed Fluttershy managed to look completely elegant and adorable. Pinkie had a content smile on her face, either enjoying the flight or the pony sleeping on her or both. Most likely both. It was surprisingly peaceful to watch. She then turned her head, scanning the- the horizon? Nah, Rarity can't take the horizon.

She turned her head to the right to look to Twilight and Rainbow Dash, who were playing a game of their own. They were shaking their hooves in time with the other as they counted: "One, two, three, shoot!" "Rock!" Twilight called. "Paper!" Dash called. "UGH!" Twilight threw her arms out in disgust, then crossed them in front of her chest and pouted. "This game is so stupid! I can never tell which sign is which!"

"Uh, that's 'cause you suck at this game."

"I do not suck at this game!"

"You do too! You lost eighteen times in a row! That takes skill in a game of luck!"

"It helps that I can't make any sign other than rock! You shouldn't be able to make paper for that matter!"

"Oh? Why? Because it's unfair?"

"BECAUSE WE HAVE NO FINGERS!"

Applejack stared straight forward for a bit, then glanced downwards as an idea struck her. "… Is it Hayseed?" She asked with a confident smirk.

"Nope!" Rarity said with an excited grin, and Applejack raised an eyebrow in confusion until Rarity's hooves lifted her hat straight off her head, and tugged it down around her own well-coifed mane. Applejack worked her jaw slowly in annoyance as Rarity grinned. "I bet I look lovely in it."

"That's a work-mare's hat Rarity, it don't go with you at all!" Rarity wagged her hoof and blew air between her lips, making a little hiss of disbelief. "Think I'm lyin'? Ya remind me of Applebloom after Sweetie Belle gave her that make-over."

"Ugh!" Rarity rolled her eyes. "Please, one hat does not go so far as to make me look like a clown!" Applejack shuddered suddenly, making Rarity paused. "Something wrong, dearie?"

"'Clown' makes me think of that one pony thing that tried cuttin' me, Pinkie, and Dash apart. If it weren't for Twilight's magic bein' powerful stuff I'd still have that mark up my side." She felt Rarity loosen her grip and lean backwards, probably to get a better look at her back. "Is there still a mark there? Nopony made mention of it." She felt Rarity's hoof touch just below her neck, and shuddered as she slowly ran her hoof down to a few inches before the base of her tail, in a jagged line.

"There's a spot where the fur hasn't grown in right yet, nothing too noticeable unless you look for it, but there's definitely a line. You poor mare, it must have hurt something awful…"

"… Y'all remember when I'd near snapped my knee when the applecart fell on me?"

"How could I forget? The noise you made was so ghastly, I freeze up just imagining it."

"Remember when I said it was the worst pain I'd ever felt in my life? Like I kept cryin' 'cause I thought it was so bad it'd need cuttin' off?"

Rarity shuddered. "Please refrain of reminding me of such things, you had me so worked up I nearly chewed through one of my pedicures when the doctor made the announcement. Err, go on though."

"Well, this was worse. Let it be known that sharp things meant fer cuttin' ya hurt." She nodded promptly, shuddering as she remembered the feel of cold metal parting her skin like butter.

The hug around her tightened, and she sighed softly at the feel. "I'm so sorry you had to go through such a terrible experience dear. Is there anything I could possibly do to drive it out of your mind?"

"… Gimme back my hat?"

"Oh ho ho ho ho! Dearie, don't be so silly, I won this fair and square. Not about to give my prize back. How about when we touch down, I stew you up something delectable and delicious, and you alone?" Rarity offered with a noble grin.

Applejack thought about it, rolled her eyes slowly as she smiled, and nodded. "Sounds like a date to me."

Rarity could not have pushed the hat back onto Applejack's head faster.

---

She heard tiny whimpers, small sounds of panting, whispers and pleadings for help next to her. She squeezed her eyelids tighter. The voice grew more frantic as she began to drift off, her breath slowing down, and the voice just grew louder until she couldn't sleep at all. She opened her eyes wide, and stared straight into the surprised, tear-filled eyes of a filly she spent a good amount of time antagonizing. "Can you shut up for just a minute blank flank? Unless you're trying to get a cutie mark for being annoying." Silver Spoon growled, squeezing her eyes shut.

Then they popped wide open as pain exploded along her body, two legs grasping her. "Ya'll're awake!" Applebloom shouted, letting go quickly as Silver Spoon began to chant 'ow ow ow ow'. "Are ya… Are ya okay?" The little farm filly asked, getting another annoyed groan.

"Peachy. Thanks for that, I think I actually felt my spine shift. What are you even doing here blank flank? Don't you have other ponies to bother?" Silver Spoon asked, narrowing her eyes so she could see. She hated not having her glasses. Not only did they make her look a hundred times cuter, but they actually let her see.

"W-well…" Applebloom sniffed. Silver Spoon's hardened expression softened just a little. Her classmate was actually worried about her, even after all the stuff she put her through. "B-Big Mac ain't awake yet, they still have him all hooked up in another room but they said he'd be alright. I can't visit him since they're so busy with him, so I thought I'd, I dunno, come see if ya'll were okay…"

"… I'm fine. Now get out, I have beauty rest to catch up on, I need a lot of sleep to-" she froze up at Applebloom's suddenly sad look. Silver Spoon quietly glanced down at her body beneath the covers and with the one leg she actually had feeling in, uncovered herself. She was wrapped in a lot of bandages. A lot of blood-soaked bandages. Oh, that's right, what she'd done…

… And that thing…

That big, ugly, disgusting, hungry, ravening, bottomless pit of a thing, with the mouth that opened up to a place. A different place. A terrifying place. "U-um… Some of the ponies who broughtcha here said you acted real brave and all, savin' my brother. They told me about the thing and watcha did…" The blank flank sniffled a little, and Silver Spoon winced in discomfort, unable to squirm.

"W-well, it wasn't like any other pony was doing anything. We could all see what he was going for, what he was trying to do! I was just the only one smart enough to actually try and help him before that thing ate him! That got other ponies to start helping me at least." What had she been thinking at that moment? When she first saw it, like everypony else she had frozen up. She'd seen Big Mac dive into the store and saw the building get smashed as he grabbed a sharp plow, saw Big Mac get grabbed, nearly get eaten…

She had no idea what came over her. She remembered rushing over to the plow, grabbing it, lifting it with difficulty, staring at the monster wrapping its tongues around him. Then other ponies joined, grabbed the plow, and together they'd rammed the monster with it. She remembered the stench, she remembered the feel, the way its round stomach shook as they pierced it with the plow. She remembered wanting to vomit, and then she remembered the world going black.

She rubbed her eyes slowly, the memories resurfacing, the fears, the smells, the feeling, the disgust, but it was the fear that somepony was going to die around her. It wasn't courage that spurred her to get closer to the beast. No she hadn't felt brave at all, she hadn't felt anything to be honest, just the ground beneath her hooves and the plow she was picking up.

"I think ya did the right thing. If it weren't for you…" Applebloom murmured. Silver Spoon sighed heavily.

"Quit getting emotional on me, okay?" Silver Spoon asked, most of the cutting edge in her voice gone, drained by the painful memories of earlier. "I was just bein' a good- being a good - see what you're making me do! - pony."

"The best." Applebloom agreed with a bob of her head. Silver Spoon frowned deeply, but a part of her felt alright with this. "I'm gonna go grab you a nurse, I think they were gonna getcha somethin' ta eat." Applebloom hopped off the stool by the bed and walked out the door as Silver Spoon watched.

Why did that little country bum even care? It wasn't like she did anything that great. She got herself crushed pretty badly by that thing and a little torn up but nothing that great. Not really. Even though every other pony couldn't do it. Why had she run forward like that? Without caring what happened to her?

She'd put herself in danger, heck she was broken right now. What little of her body she could feel hurt, and she still couldn't puzzle out why exactly she'd thrown herself to Big Mac's aid. Every time she flashed back to that moment, all she could remember was running for the plow, she couldn't recall her thoughts or her feelings, just the sensations of touch, smell, taste, sight, and hearing. She stretched out her one good leg and stared at it. It was coated up in bandages, where the thing's tentacles had touched her. She could barely remember getting grabbed, just that her body suddenly began to get sore and sting wherever she was touched. Laying here without her fineries, covered in blood, bandages, and full of broken bones, she felt wretched, and ugly…

And now that stupid little… Applebloom was running around acting like she was some big hero. She was no hero, she was just an ugly little filly who had done something stupid. Should she be crying right now? Should she be mad? Sad? Should she be happy? She didn't know, she couldn't tell anymore. Maybe once she got some food in her stomach…

---

"Land!" Pinkie cried out suddenly, making the girl resting on her back perk up immediately, batting her eyes awake as she sniffled and rubbed her face. "Over there!" Pinkie called to Applejack, who followed the direction of her pointed hoof towards a dark shape in the blue landscape. The sky was getting so dark she nearly missed it, but Applejack spotted it when she narrowed her eyes.

"Um… Uh… Pinkie?" Fluttershy whispered, getting the mare's attention. "I think… I don't mean to offend you but I think you're supposed to say 'land ho'." She whispered.

Pinkie's eyes widened, and she jumped up, using her legs to stand steady on top of the dragon as Fluttershy squeaked, barely avoiding pressing her face to the earth pony's flank. "LAND!" Pinkie shouted, leg pointed outwards dramatically, "HOOOOOOOO!"

"Does this mean we're landing?" Dash called from the other side of Applejack, Twilight once more glowy-eyed and watching the ground as Applejack waved her hoof.

"Ya'll know it. Just follow my lead and bring it in easy! These big boys-" a snarl from the right, "- and girls may be tough butcha need ta treat 'em right." Applejack snapped the reins and Hayseed sped up, Rattler and Dick in hot pursuit. The ponies relaxed. They were all feeling a bit sore from riding all day, or hugging or being hugged all day, and as Rarity had feared they were all sweating fiercely. The heat had been vicious. The sun had been on them squarely since they'd set out, and the canteens had been passed back and forth many times.

Rarity was looking forward to some rest. Today, while it hadn't been absolutely dreadful, had been nice, slow, and tough. She never thought a day spent literally moving as little as possible would be so rough. Glancing around, she could barely see Twilight paying rapt attention to the island in front of them, probably just as excited as she was for a chance to get out and stretch.

It took them several minutes, but they were finally slowing, lowering down to the island with soft beats of the dragons' wings, and Rarity, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Dash tensed up as they landed. They jostled a bit, but were a-okay. Applejack dismounted first, slipping off Hayseed onto the beach. Light was waning quickly, already past sundown, and what little twilight they had left was slipping away.

Rarity was extra careful climbing down Hayseed's side, taking her blanket with her as Twilight and Fluttershy took similar caution, Dash and Pinkie just hopping off and landing easily, stirring up a little sand as they looked around. "I've seen pictures of the tropics before." Dash stated when Twilight walked up beside her. "I always wondered where they came from, I've never seen them in Equestria."

"There are two islands off the southeast coast of Equestria with some tropical elements to them but not as extensive as this place." Twilight whispered, eyeing the palm trees with a curious smile. "I wonder where we are, if it has a name…"

"Man, it's weird being out of Equestria. This place feels," Dash chewed her inner lip some, and glanced down the coast both ways, then sat back, "sort of lifeless?" She looked to Twilight for confirmation.

"It's the lack of magic. Equestria is full of magic, the air, the clouds, the ground, the trees, even the animals. Magic is energy, magic is power, magic can even be life. This place doesn't have magic." Twilight stared down at the ground, eyes glowing once more as she frowned. "None at all…"

Dash watched Twilight's face carefully, studying the tenseness and the lines of her face. She nudged the unicorn quietly with her shoulder. "Hey, what's bugging you?" She asked softly, glancing to the other four. Pinkie and Applejack were "safety netting" with their arms out for Rarity to fall into, though Rarity was taking her sweet time. Fluttershy looked to be considering trying to walk down Rattler's ridiculously long tail.

"They leylines are so weak. We're directly on top of the one leading straight to Terraria, AKA the biggest land line on the planet, and I can barely see it. There's almost no magic coming from it at all. It's surprising this island is so green and tropical as it is, it has so little energy to pull off from." Twilight whispered, and Dash frowned quietly.

"Hold up. We aren't even that far west yet. We haven't even gotten to where Terraria is, and I seriously doubt we've passed up Golding, and the leylines are dying out?" Twilight nodded slowly, and Dash touched a hoof to her chin.

Twilight's eyes then widened a little. "You don't think that's why they're in Equestria, is it?"

"… It makes sense, doesn't it? It also explains why they're trying to get to the leylines, and why they want to capture you so badly." Dash frowned, and Twilight glanced down to her hooves in thought.

Then there was a yelp, and the two ponies looked up to see Rarity picking herself up next to Applejack, who was just staring in disbelief as Pinkie's jaw dropped. "… Why didn't you catch me!" She asked, her hair frazzled, her coat full of sand.

"…" Applejack just stared at the pretty pony, then slapped herself in the face and groaned. "Rarity… I never doubted your skills… Before now…" Pinkie fell to the ground laughing as Fluttershy calmly padded up. "Ya got down?" Fluttershy nodded.

"I just flew." The Pegasus shrugged, going into Rarity's pack to grab a coat brush as Rarity whimpered over the state of her coat.

"Then why didja wait 'til now ta get down?" Applejack raised an eyebrow as Fluttershy approached her vain friend and began to rub the brush the sand out of her coat with the brush.

"Because, um..." Fluttershy smiled shyly as she gently ran the brush down Rarity's back, "Well, I remembered I can fly a little like the dragons..." She explained with a small voice as Pinkie finally picked herself up long enough to help Rainbow Dash and Twilight unpack the tents. When Rarity finally had the sand brushed out and Applejack got over her severe disappointment they also joined in and helped.

Between them they had three tents and six sleeping bags, so the predicament of who went with who was essentially the same. Applejack shook the last tent a little with her hoof to check its stability and nodded before glancing back towards the others. Twilight was floating their sleeping bags into the squat green tents while Dash lit the way with a lantern. Fluttershy was putting the finishing touches on Rarity's hair while Rarity used a trowel to dig a small pit in the sand several meters away from the tent. Pinkie Pie was getting something from a saddlebag.

"Well, I think that about settles it." Twilight pushed her head out of the tent, the flaps framing her neck almost perfectly. "Tents are up, bags are laid out, that should just about do it." She looked around. She could only really see Rainbow Dash right now since she was holding the sole light source of the camp, but with the light she could just make out Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie standing around something a bit away. Then she saw a tiny flame as Pinkie Pie lit a match, tossed it into the pit, and Rarity's horn flashed.

Twilight had to bat her eyes rapidly as light suddenly spread across the beach as a well-sized campfire lit up in the sand pit, lacking any support but the air itself. Rarity's glowing horn died down, and she sighed heavily. "It's been ages since we've needed that spell. I must say, stretching your magical muscles so to speak feels quite good."

"Heck yes! Campfire!" Rainbow Dash flicked the lantern off and set it just inside the tent, then sprung to join the other four. Twilight stared for a few moments before Pinkie beckoned her over.

"Join in Twilight!" She encouraged, smiling softly as Twilight slowly walked forward and sat between her and Applejack. She felt like she was missing something. She glanced around slowly at the gathered ponies and realized this must have been something they'd done before. Maybe they used to go camping before she arrived? Why would they stop?

"Anypony remember which bag the s'more stuff is in?" Applejack asked. Rainbow Dash suddenly blinked, six of her appearing where she was a moment before, and they started going through the bags on the dragons, who were now lazing about on the sand getting some rest. They offered Dash only the slightest bit of notice before closing their eyes again. All except Dick, who grumbled in annoyance as Dash searched his bags.

"I believe I was told we should only bring the essentials? No entertainment as you put it?" Rarity raised an eyebrow as the Dashes returned with marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate bars. "Was this what we were making room for in the bags?"

"Ah lay off me Rarity, I figured since we were goin' out we might as well pack for the trip. We already had the sleepin' bags and tents so I thought this might complete the get-up." Applejack smirked and took the various bags and started opening them. Twilight watched as they started taking the foodstuff and passing them around. She watched them melt the marshmallows and make little sandwiches out of what they were given, then turned her head when Rainbow Dash, now whole, sat down beside her.

"Go on Twilight, go ahead and make a s'more!" She held out the bags, and Twilight looked down at them. Carefully she took them out one by one with her magic, one cracker, one mallow, one chocolate bar, and did as they did, carefully snapping the cracker and bar in two. Dash's chewing slowed down before she swallowed, watching her. Twilight levitated the marshmallow over the campfire, let it cook some, and then brought it back to put on the graham cracker and the chocolate bar. "So, when we're done with the s'mores, what should we do next?" Dash asked, looking specifically to Twilight.

Twilight opened her mouth at Dash, the s'more just a few inches from being eaten, when she turned her head to look at everypony else. They were also watching her. "Um… I dunno…" She finally spoke, still smiling a little.

"There's gotta be something you like to do when you're out camping Twi, I like to tell scary stories, Pinkie likes to invite random animals to join us, Rarity likes the make-overs…" Rainbow Dash slowly spun her hoof in an 'and on and on and on' motion.

"Oh! So camping's just like a sleep-over then?" Twilight asked with a much more understanding smile as she thought back to the many activities she performed with Rarity and Applejack during that big storm.

Dash didn't answer. Dash stared at her for a few moments. Dash finally opened her mouth with half-lidded, almost accusing eyes, "'Just like a sleep-over'? Wouldn't this be something you'd know? I mean, haven't you gone-" she paused, her eyes widened, "-have you ever gone camping before?"

Twilight glanced around slowly as she saw her friends' surprised faced, and she gave Dash a very nervous smile. "Well, I mean, it's just that," she waved her hoof like it was no big thing, "we don't really have forests or any good camping spots in Canterlot, and I've never really left Canterlot before, so-"

"Whoa whoa whoa, hold your reins girl, I'm getting a vibe from you right now. A vibe that says 'I'm making bad excuses as to why I've never actually gone out and lived a little'. You," Dash poked Twilight in the chest, "Twilight Sparkle, queen of book smarts and the sky and sea," Dash waved her hoof out at the ocean, her voice raising, "have never ever gone camping?"

Twilight just stared as if the blue mare had gone completely nuts, and slowly shook her head. "Never."

"… Nnnnggghhaaaauuuuggggghhhh!" Dash rubbed her temples with her hooves, looking pained. Twilight got the impression this is what it felt like to talk to her and be the dumb one of the conversation. "Just!- Just some things about you make my blood pressure rise! You've never been in a hoof race until the Running of the Leaves," Twilight nodded, "you've never had or been to a sleep-over until you came to Ponyville," a slower nod, "and you've never been camping!"

Twilight winced, glanced around slowly at the other girls, her eyes pleading for help, but they quietly backed away. Smart sons of-

"Next you're going to tell me you've never, I dunno, been swimming before! Or something crazy like you've never kissed somepony before!" Dash froze suddenly, eyes wide, mouth gaping, and Twilight took a step back as the Pegasus turned to face her. "You haven't have you?"

"Th-that's not true! I have to!"

"On the lips?" Dash raised an eyebrow. Twilight turned beet red, even through her fur, and Rainbow Dash groaned heavily.

"Now this isn't fair! How do you know they haven't kissed a pony before?" Twilight demanded, pointing to the other four, who looked between each other.

"Because, sugarcube, our first campin' trip we all shared kissin' stories. Rarity here kissed her first coltfriend goodbye when he left to Manehatten to become an actor." Applejack pointed to the nodding fashion mistress.

"And Applejack's first kiss was from a colt helping her family on the farm that caught her eye." Rarity looked to the nodding farm mare.

Twilight looked bug-eyed to Fluttershy, who smiled shyly. "Even you Fluttershy?"

"I-it was Pinkie. When we first met she was so excited about my hair color she just… Well she just…" Fluttershy let out a tiny, cute giggle.

"And yours too?" Twilight glanced to Pinkie Pie, who shook her head.

"Nope! Mine was at a party for a filly my age who lived nearby back on the rock farm. Her name was Mistletoe so I put mistletoe up in a doorway, and she happened to walk by as I was stringing it up and kissed me when I was finished." Pinkie smiled at the memory, and Twilight glanced around rapidly, feeling very very inexperienced, and perhaps a bit exposed.

"You're just hopeless Twilight. I have a whole world to show you, don't I? Camping, kissing, preparing and throwing a surprise party, hooking your friends up with cute ponies, have you even seen a Wonderbolt performance?" Dash stared accusingly at Twilight, who suddenly grinned.

"Yes! Yes I have! Princess Celestia bought me a ticket for my birthday! I saw the Wonderbolts when they were performing!" She crossed her front legs over her chest and smiled in triumph as Dash rubbed her chin.

"Was it Team Spitfire performing or Team Shade Duster? What sort of trails did they leave behind when they flew around?" Dash asked with a small hum. She watched Twilight's smile slowly fall into a horrified grimace. "You-!" Dash gave her the most hurt look of betrayal, "You didn't even pay attention!"

Twilight shrunk back slowly as Dash tossed her head back. "I had to study-!"

"On your birthday! During a Wonderbolts Performance! That is it!" Dash grabbed Twilight by her cheeks, making the unicorn squeak. "When this is over, when we get home, when the Golding guys are gone, I am going to take you out of that stuffy library and rub your nose into every activity you've ever missed as a filly! We will not go back to Ponyville until we have at least gone through the first half of the Dangerous Guide to Fillies activity section, and number one is a kiss! So somehow, someway, I am going to make you-" Twilight leaned forward and planted her lips firmly on Dash's, then pulled away after two seconds.

The group just stared as Twilight smiled confidently. "There, check one, done."

"You-…." Dash's eyes were enormous until she shook her head and glared at Twilight. "That wasn't a kiss! There wasn't even tongue involved!"

Twilight's eyelids bat quickly, and she made a disgusted face. "Tongue? That's disgusting! When did a kiss need tongue?"

Dash just stared at Twilight, agape once more, and the dragons rose quickly, staring around frantically as Rainbow Dash screamed in frustration, holding her own head like it was about to come off. "Some things about you Sparkle!" She shouted, shaking her hoof at the mare. "I will learn you to this world!" Dash snarled and stomped off towards the tents, leaving a very confused unicorn behind. "I'm going to sleep! If little miss Knows-Everything admits to not doing one more thing I'm going to have to hit her!" Dash called, slipping inside the middle tent indignantly as the rest of the group just stared from her, then to Twilight.

Twilight stood, staring after Dash, completely flabbergasted. "She's mental!" Twilight turned to the rest of the group, looking for agreements.

"… Says the pony who's never tongue-kissed." Pinkie pointed out, and Twilight whimpered as the rest of them broke down laughing.

Ten minutes later of quiet conversation that Twilight took no part in, the fire was extinguished and the lantern was relit so the pony friends could pack away the food. Twilight carried the lantern, not in a talking mood as they went back to the tents. She set the lantern down and was about to enter the tent when she hesitated. Right, Dash was in there, and Dash was mad at her…

She wasn't sure she wanted to just walk in right now with Dash being angry at her for stuff. She wasn't even sure why Dash was angry! Sure she hadn't done some things, but that didn't mean anything. She came to Ponyville to discover the things about friendship she missed, right? So in a way, Dash was getting mad for no reason. Maybe if she just walked in and talked to her about it, sorted out their feelings, make some plans for the future…

"Twilight?" She turned her head to face Fluttershy, who was standing at the opening of her tent flap. Pinkie sat between them. Fluttershy made a tiny coughing noise, then glanced to her tent, then put on a nervous smile as she turned to Twilight. "Since we're going to be flying together tomorrow, would you like to sleep with me tonight? I mean in my tent?" The shy pony offered, and Twilight looked to the tent Dash had entered.

"That would be nice. At least until Dash stops acting so weird." Twilight chuckled, smiling to Pinkie in thanks as they passed by each other to enter the other tent. Things would be alright in the morning. Dash just needed to cool down and then they'd be just fine. Fluttershy smiled brightly as she opened a tent flap for Twilight to enter, and she nodded her head in thanks as she slipped inside.

Fluttershy came in right after her, and the lantern outside went out. Feeling around with her hooves, Twilight found a sleeping bag and slid in, sighing as her head rested on the makeshift pillow. She could barely make out Fluttershy in the darkness, but she heard her shuffle around a bit and slide into the next sleeping bag. Twilight let out a small yawn, and heard Fluttershy shuffling some more, and she realized the Pegasus was shifting in closer. She felt their legs touch soon enough, and she realized Fluttershy's face was probably just a few inches from her own.

"So… Was that actually your first kiss?" Fluttershy whispered, as if afraid to break the silence. Twilight understood. It was so still outside. She heard Applejack say something in the other tent but didn't hear what it was.

Then she remembered the question and blushed. "Well, no, not really. I mean, it's like Dash said, there wasn't any tongue or anything. But I think I won't have to do that first one anytime soon now." Twilight chuckled. Fluttershy joined in.

"Yeah. I guess so. Um… The tongue part isn't as disgusting as you think… It's kind of… Nice." Fluttershy whispered, fidgeting unnoticeably in her bag as Twilight chuckled. What a strange thought. Then again, she'd never kissed a pony before… Well, not with her tongue.

"I'll take your word for it. I'll find out some day." Fluttershy bat her eyes rapidly, and felt herself frown as Twilight snuggled into her sleeping bag until her head was hidden.

Drat.

… Oh!… Sorry…

---

Yay.