EQUESTRIA:

In the town of Ponyville, almost a week after the Cyclops chase through the Everfree Forest that revealed the continued existence of the one eyed race, at the Golden Oak Library, the librarian, who was also one of the ponies involved with the chase, was going over a check list with her little, dragon assistant. The pony and dragon in question were both the alicorn princess, Twilight Sparkle and her baby dragon best friend, Spike.

"Beach blanket?" asked Twilight Sparkle as she read the item on her check list that was floating in front of her via her levitation spell.

"Check," Spike replied after he looked through the organized pile of assorted items.

"Beach umbrella?" asked Twilight Sparkle.

"Check," Spike replied once again.

"Inflatable raft?" asked Twilight Sparkle.

"Check," replied Spike.

"Towels for after we've gone swimming at the beach?" asked Twilight Sparkle.

"Check," replied Spike.

"Picnic basket with our portion of the beach lunch inside?" asked Twilight Sparkle.

"Check," replied Spike.

"Sun block?" asked Twilight Sparkle.

"Check," replied Spike.

"Quill pens, ink, and paper?" asked Twilight Sparkle.

"Check," replied Spike.

"And finally, extra beach blanket, beach umbrella, inflatable raft, towels, picnic basket, sun block, quills, ink, and paper for just in case?!" asked Twilight Sparkle.

"Check, check, check, check, check, check, check, check, check, and check! Everything that you wanted is packed up and ready to go," replied Spike.

"Are you sure we aren't forgetting anything?" asked Twilight.

Spike rubbed under his chin as he stared off thoughtfully. A few moments later, his eyes bugged open with alarm.

"Oh my gosh, I did forget something!" Spike blurted out.

"What?! What?! What did you forget?!" asked Twilight, a look of even greater alarm on her face.

Spike ran out of the main room of the library in a flash of speed. A split second later, Spike returned holding the forgotten item over his head.

"My surfboard! Hang ten and party hardy, dude!" said Spike in a surfer accent.

The purple little dragon's triumphant smile faded when he saw the annoyed look on Twilight's face.

"Spike, don't scare me like that," said Twilight Sparkle.

"But, I really did forget to grab my surfboard,"said Spike.

"I meant items on the list," said Twilight as she used her magic to turn the floating check list around for Spike to see.

"Well you have your checklist and I have mine," said Spike.

He pulled out said checklist and read it off to himself.

"Surfboard? Check. Sunglasses to enhance my already stellar levels of coolness?"

He must've been hanging out with Rainbow Dash recently, thought Twilight. Spike pulled the shades already on the top of his head down so they were over his eyes.

"Check. Bag of candy and other assorted snack foods?"

Spike poked his head into a large bag that he had set his surfboard down next to. When he pulled his head out, it was covered in crumbs from the previously mentioned junk foods.

"Check," said Spike.

I hope he remembers to wait a half hour after eating before he goes swimming, thought Twilight.

Spike then said, "Hmm, I'm already done with my list. It didn't take me nearly as long."

Twilight just sighed before going to inspect her own assorted items.

"On come on, Twilight, relax. This is suppose to be a fun event. You've heard of this new thing called 'fun',haven't you?" said Spike.

"I know, Spike, and I want it to be fun. But we've been planning this trip for weeks. And a trip with that much planning, not to mention the long distance of travel it requires, needs to be watched by a close and careful eye," said Twilight.

"Oh brother. Only you can turn a trip to the beach into a planned military attack," said Spike.

"Attention, soldier!" Twilight Sparkle shouted out.

Spike immediately sprung to attention and saluted.

"Now this beach trip operation requires a lot of care and attention to detail! However, when it comes time to execute said operation, you are to have fun and nothing but fun! Is that clear, soldier?!" said Twilight like a drill Sargent.

"Mare, yes, mare!" said Spike.

The two gave each other hard, serious looks...before they both cracked smiles and let out laughter.

"I'm sorry if I'm making these preparations seem unnecessarily difficult, Spike. It's just that this will be the first time any of us have visited the west coast, Equestria beaches. I just want everything to happen without a problem," said Twilight.

"I totally get it, Twilight. That's who you are. You pay attention to detail and that's actually helped a lot more than it has hurt. So don't worry, even if you somehow turn a walk to Sugarcube Corner into a battle march, I'll march right next to you," said Spike.

Twilight lightly giggled.

"Thanks, Spike. That kind of loyalty is why you're my number one assistant," said Twilight before she nuzzled the side of Spike's face.

She took one last look at her items and then at her check list.

"No surprise here. You were right, Spike. Everything on the list is here and accounted for," said Twilight.

"I knew it," said Spike as he laid back on his surfboard.

"I never doubted you for a second," Twilight Sparkle replied.

"Well, I guess we'd better go meet the girls at the balloon like we said we would."

"Alright, let's go!"

But before the two could get very far, they heard a knock at the front door.

"Yoo-hoo, Twilight darling. It's Rarity and Pinkie Pie," Rarity's voice rang out from the front door.

Twilight Sparkle eagerly walked to the front door. Spike followed close behind, equally as eager. Twilight used her magic to open the door and sure enough, standing there was Rarity and Pinkie Pie with matching smiles.

"Hello, Twilight," said Rarity.

"Hi ya!" said Pinkie Pie.

"Hi, girls. What are you doing here? I thought we agreed to meet by the balloon," said Twilight Sparkle.

"Well, darling, me and Pinkie Pie ran into each other as we were walking to the balloon. Then we both noticed we were rather close to the library. So we decided to come by and collect you and/or help you with any final preparations you may still have," said Rarity.

"That was nice of you. But, as you can see, we have everything together and ready to go," said Twilight Sparkle as she moved to let her friends see.

"So you do," said Rarity.

"I told you she would. She too much of an organizationist to not be in tip, top, ready, Freddy condition," said Pinkie Pie.

"Pinkie, you do know organizationist isn't a real word, don't you?" asked Twilight.

Pinkie Pie's face lit up more than it already was.

"I made a new word?! Woo-hoo!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she jumped up and down in excitement.

Then she sang, "Go, Pinkie! You made a word! You got smartcles! Oh yeah!"

Rarity and Twilight simply shook their heads with amused smiles on their faces. As Pinkie finished jumping and cheering, Rarity spotted Spike behind Twilight Sparkle looking at her. Rarity responded with a sweet smile.

"Well hello, little Spikey-Wikey. How's my favorite guy doing today?" Rarity asked as she used her magic to levitate Spike up to her so she could nuzzle the side of his face.

Spike didn't respond though, as he was put into a state of love struck goofiness. This was emphasized by the goofy smile on his face while he the sound, "duh" came out of his mouth and hearts appeared above his head in the cycle of floating for a second or two and then popping.

"Spikey?" Rarity said with a little concern.

This snapped Spike out of his derpy state. He shook his head to regain his senses before speaking.

"Oh, um... Hi, Rarity. I'm fine-"

"Are you sure? You looked kind of like you had an out of body experience. Was it because of the way Rarity said, 'Hello, Spikey-Wikey?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"No...I'm fine, Pinkie. How about the two of you? Are you both as excited as I am to be going to the west coast?!" inquired Spike.

"Oh yes, absolutely. I've been looking forward to this for weeks. I'm absolutely ecstatic to be traveling out west. I've never been to that area of Equestria before," said Rarity.

"I don't think any of us have. At least not so long as I've known all of you," said Twilight Sparkle.

"How about you, Pinkie Pie? You ready for this?" asked Spike.

At first, Pinkie Pie didn't say or do anything. She just stood in place with her usual 'Pinkie Pie' smile on her face. This got some confused looks from those around her. But then, she slowly began to move. She didn't really move around, she just seemed to be...moving in place. She was vibrating and it was only getting faster and faster. Everypony slowly began to step away from Pinkie Pie, but it was too late. Pinkie Pie snapped out of the spot she was standing and into the library interior as she let out a loud, "WOOOOO-HOOOO! BEACH PARTY! WOW! YEAH! OW, YAY!"

Pinkie Pie went zigging, zagging, and zipping around the library. She bounced off the walls, ceiling, and floor as she continued to cheer and scream out in excitement. Sometimes in mid-air, she would spin around, or corkscrew into her next bounce. She stopped just once in the middle of the library to backflip in place three times before sprinting back to her place next to Rarity. It was quiet at first, with everypony staring at Pinkie Pie. The looks on their faces that said that none of them knew what to make of what she just did. This got a confused look from Pinkie Pie.

"What?" she asked.

"Sooooo, I take it you are excited to be going to the west coast?" asked Twilight Sparkle.

"Well, maybe just a little," said Pinkie Pie.

Everypony looked at each other in amusement. Pinkie Pie was always a good source for entertainment; just the way she liked it.

"And with that little burst of excitement, I guess we'd better head out and meet the others," said Twilight Sparkle.

"Right," said everypony else as they nodded their heads in agreement.

Twilight Sparkle used her magic to put her saddlebags full of quills, papers and ink bottles on her back, while Spike carried the rest of the supplies.

"This is going to be absolutely fabulous," said Rarity as everypony headed out the door.

"Not only that, but it's gonna be pretty great too," said Pinkie Pie.

And so, they were all on their way to Twilight Sparkle's hot air balloon. Along their way through the busy streets of Ponyville, the group came across Applejack and Fluttershy, who were also heading for Twilight's balloon.

"Hey, Applejack, Fluttershy!" Twilight Sparkle called to her friends as she waved.

Everypony else began waving too, as Applejack and Fluttershy looked over. They returned the wave before making their way towards their friends. Applejack walked while Fluttershy flew by her side, gently flapping her wings while keeping only a few feet off the ground.

"Well, howdy, everypony," said Applejack.

"Hello," Fluttershy greeted.

"Y'all ready to have some fun in the sun?" asked Applejack.

"You know I'm ready. I'm happy I'm able to go at all. I was afraid my injuries from our run in with the Cyclops would affect my going. Luckily, I'm all healed up and healthy enough for all kinds of beach fun, which I plan on having," said Twilight Sparkle.

"I'm glad you're feeling well, Twilight. I was gonna ask you about that," said Fluttershy.

"Thanks, Fluttershy. I appreciate your concern. You're a very good friend to me," said Twilight Sparkle with a smile.

Fluttershy returned her friend's smile. Then, everypony resumed walking to the balloon.

"By the way, Fluttershy, I notice you seem to be in quite a pegasus mood today. You hardly ever fly freely like Rainbow Dash does. Usually you only fly when you have to," said Rarity, taking notice of her friend's unusual mode of moving around.

"Yep, she was flying around when I ran into her on the way to meet up with y'all," Applejack added.

"Why the sudden interest in flying, Fluttershy?" asked Twilight Sparkle.

"Well, I thought I'd...try doing some different things I don't usually do. Who knows, maybe it will effect my daily life a little. ...In a good way I mean," said Fluttershy.

"Trying some different things, huh? What kind of different things?" asked Twilight Sparkle.

"Walking backwards while playing a tuba?" suggested Pinkie Pie.

Like many times before, she got a look of confusion from everypony around her.

"What? That would be something different for Fluttershy. And for a lot of ponies actually. ...Except me," said Pinkie Pie.

"Anyways, what made you want to try new things?" asked Twilight Sparkle.

"Well...it's just like I said. I figured maybe it would change up things in my life a little. Maybe... improve my social life with other pegasi...get me into some new activities...or help me be a braver pony or something. I can't say for sure," said Fluttershy.

Rarity caught on quickly that getting braver is exactly what Fluttershy hoped to get out of doing different things. And after the talk they had not to long ago, Rarity hoped that was what would happen for her friend.

"I see. Well, I hope that works out for you the way you want, Fluttershy," said Twilight Sparkle.

"Oh thank you, Twilight. Maybe this beach trip will help out some as well," said Fluttershy.

"Yeah, this is so exciting to be able to go! I've never been to the west coast of Equestria," said Pinkie Pie.

"Neither have I. But, I've always wanted to go. I'll bet the sunny climate there is simply beautiful," said Rarity.

"Have you ever been to the west, Applejack?" asked Twilight Sparkle.

"Nah, except for the occasional rodeo, that one time I lived with my Aunt and Uncle Orange in Manehattan, and our adventures together, I've mostly stayed right here in Ponyville working on the farm. But now that I have the opportunity to go, on a count of your invitation, thank you, Twilight, I sure ain't gonna pass it up!" said Applejack.

"I just know we're all gonna have so much fun!" said Pinkie Pie excitedly.

"I concur, it'll be absolutely splendid," said Rarity.

"It'll be an experience, that's for sure," said Twilight Sparkle.

"I hope for it to be a most righteous experience when I hit the waves," said Spike.

Everypony laughed in amusement at Spike's attempt at surfer talk. This got a small look of annoyance from Spike. The group of friends finally came up next to Twilight Sparkle's hot air balloon and loaded up their supplies into its basket.

"Hmm, that's funny. All of us are here, except for Rainbow Dash," said Pinkie Pie.

"You know for being the fastest flier in Equestria, she sure can be late a lot of the time," said Applejack.

"I know, that's the funny part. You know what the funnier part is?" said Pinkie Pie.

"Uh, no, Pinkie Pie. What is the funnier part?" replied Applejack.

"I don't know, that's why I was asking you," said Pinkie Pie.

This got a big laugh from the group.

"I guess we just found the funnier part," said Spike.

"Really? What is it? I don't get it, what?" Pinkie Pie inquired.

"It's nothing, Pinkie Pie. Don't worry about it," said Applejack.

"Well, I guess we'd just better wait for Rainbow Dash. She's a fast enough pony that she wont keep us waiting for long," said Twilight Sparkle.

It just so happened that at that moment, Rainbow Dash was still at her home throwing several things in a saddlebag in a last minute packing panic. Basically what she ended up packing in her bag were sunglasses, sun lotion, a towel, and a hoofball. She put on her saddlebag, had her front left leg wrapped around a surfboard, and was finally ready to head out the front door. However, just as she was reaching for the doorknob, there was a knock at that same door. Rainbow Dash's eyes widened in surprise.

"Whoa, I wasn't expecting that. Super weird," Rainbow Dash said out loud to no one in particular.

She laid her surfboard next to the door along with her saddlebag and opened the door. Standing there, she was surprised to see, was Scootaloo, and her parents.

"Well, hello there, Rainbow Dash," said Scootaloo's father.

"Good afternoon to you, Ms. Dash," said Scootaloo's mother.

"Um, hello, sir," said Rainbow Dash as she nodded to Scootaloo's father.

Then she nodded her head to Scootaloo's mother as she said, "Ma'am."

"I hope we're not interrupting anything," said Scootaloo's father.

"Me too. Did we catch you at a bad time?" asked Scootaloo's mother.

"Oh no, you're okay. You didn't interrupt anything," said Rainbow Dash.

She secretly used her back leg to gently and quietly kick her saddlebag further out of sight.

"Why? How can I help you?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Well... We know this is somewhat unusual, but..." Scootaloo's father was unable to finish, so his wife took over.

"We have to go out of town on very important business and we're suppose to leave today. But we had to go alone and leave our poor little Scootaloo at home with a foal sitter," Scootaloo's mother explained.

"Yes, but our planned foal sitter for her canceled on us at the last minute. Can you believe that? It was something about pony pox," said Scootaloo's father.

"So now we either have to find a new sitter in time or we miss our train. We know we're not very well acquainted, Rainbow Dash, but our daughter thinks the world of you," said Scootaloo's mother.

"So we we're hoping... We humbly ask... Would you watch Scootaloo for us while we're out of town?" said Scootaloo's father.

"It'll only be for a few days. I promise she wont be any trouble," said Scootaloo's mother.

"We'd also pay ya. So what do you say, Rainbow Dash?" asked Scootaloo's father.

Rainbow Dash had a thought filled look on her face, as she tried to think of a decision. She looked at the hopeful looks on the faces of Scootaloo's parents. Then she looked to Scootaloo herself. Her decision was made right there. Rainbow Dash smiled as she said, "Of course I'll watch Scootaloo. She'll be a blast to have around for a few days. We'll have loads of fun."

Scootaloo and her parents smiled brightly at the rainbow maned pegasus' decision.

"Thank so, so much, Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo exclaimed as she pranced into Rainbow Dash's house and around the blue pegasus herself.

"Thank you so much for doing this for us," said Scootaloo's mother.

"We totally appreciate it," said Scootaloo's father.

"Well while I'm doing this for you, I'm also doing this mostly for Scootaloo," said Rainbow Dash as she rustled her front right hoof through Scootaloo's mane.

"Of course," said Scootaloo's mother.

Then Scootaloo's father handed Rainbow Dash a back pack.

"This is some of Scootaloo's things."

Then he wheeled in Scootaloo's scooter.

"You know how much she loves revving around on her scooter," said Scootaloo's mother.

Then Scootaloo's father pulled out some money.

"No, no, keep it. Just having this awesome little filly to hang out with will be payment enough," said Rainbow Dash.

Everypony smiled at the blue pegasus' kind words, especially Scootaloo.

"That's very sweet of you to say, Ms. Dash," said Scootaloo's mother.

"You can call me, Rainbow Dash. The mis thing ain't really doing it for me. Is there any special care or attention Scootaloo needs?" said Rainbow Dash.

"No, she only requires the same amount of care that anypony else would at her age. Although that doesn't mean she isn't special," said Scootaloo's mother as she smiled at her daughter.

"Certainly not. Why, our Scootaloo has got to be the specialist little pegasus filly this side of Equestria," said Scootaloo's father.

Everypony looked at Scootaloo who had an embarrassed smile on her face with blushing checks to match.

"Not just this side of Equestria. I know for a fact that Scootaloo's also the specialist. most awesome filly in all of Equestria. I feel really lucky to be spending the next few days with her. And I thank you both very much for thinking of me," said Rainbow Dash.

"Thank you for agreeing to do it," said Scootaloo's father.

"Well, we gotta get going. Take care you two. We'll be back in a few days, Scootaloo. Take care and behave yourself for Rainbow Dash," said Scootaloo's mother.

"Respect and obey her like you would us," said Scootaloo's father.

"Yes, mom. Yes, dad," Scootaloo replied.

"We love you," both her parents said at the same time as they started walking off.

"I love you too," Scootaloo called after them.

Rainbow Dash shut the door front door and looked over to Scootaloo with a smile.

"Oh, Rainbow Dash, I can't tell you how happy I am you agreed to be my foal sitter. I'm so looking forward to spending a few days with you. This is gonna be so awesome!" Scootaloo exclaimed.

"You're darn right it'll be awesome! I'm glad to have you here too, Squirt," said Rainbow Dash as she lifted Scootaloo off the ground and put the orange filly up on her back.

Scootaloo's smile turned to a look of sorrow and guilt.

"I'm sorry again, Rainbow Dash, about that whole thing with the Cyclops a week ago. It was all my fault," said Scootaloo.

Rainbow Dash took Scootaloo off her back and put her back on the ground.

"You made a mistake, Scoots. Everypony does at one point or another in their lives, even me," said Rainbow Dash.

"You? You've made mistakes?" asked Scootaloo.

"Of course I have. You know I have," said Rainbow Dash.

"I know... I just try not to notice because you're awesomeness out weighs any negatives," said Scootaloo.

"Aw, quit it, Squirt. You're making me blush," said Rainbow Dash.

The two nuzzled the sides of each others face.

"So, how hard did the chain of command bring down the law on you?" asked Rainbow Dash.

Scootaloo let out a sigh before speaking.

"It was pretty brutal. In fact, I just got off a week long punishment today. But, now I'm off the hook and we can do something cool! Can we do something?" said Scootaloo.

An excited smile came over Rainbow Dash's face.

"Heck yeah, we're gonna do something," said Rainbow Dash.

"Great! What are we gonna do?!" asked Scootaloo with an equal amount of excitement.

"We're going to the west coast beaches of Equestria with my friends," replied Rainbow Dash.

Scootaloo gasped in surprise.

"Wow, the west coast? Are you serious?" asked Scootaloo.

Rainbow Dash simply nodded with a grin on her face.

"Wowy! Woo-hoo!" Scootaloo shouted as she started jumping up and down in joy.

Rainbow Dash put her saddlebag back on and grabbed her surfboard.

"So I take it, you're down to go?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"I'm so down!" said Scootaloo.

"Good, because we're leaving right now," said Rainbow Dash.

Scootaloo's eyes widened with surprise.

"Right now?" asked Scootaloo.

"Yup, I was already on the way out when you and your folks came by," said Rainbow Dash.

"But if you already had something planned, why did you agree to watch me?" asked Scootaloo.

"Because I wanted you to come with me. I think it's awesome every time I get a chance too hang with my little sister," said Rainbow Dash.

Scootaloo didn't have anyway to reply to the kind words spoken to her by her idol. All she could do at first was smile gratefully.

"Thank you, Rainbow Dash," Scootaloo finally managed to say, albeit in a small voice cracked from emotion.

She hadn't been this close to Rainbow Dash before, so she was still getting use to the emotions that came with their surrogate sisterhood.

"It's no problem, Scoots. We'd better hurry though, we're late," said Rainbow Dash.

Scootaloo nodded her head and with that, the two pegasi were out the door. At first they were only galloping alongside each other. But then Rainbow Dash surprised Scootaloo by scooping the little filly up in her wing and placing Scootaloo on her back.

"Hey, Scoots, heads up!" Rainbow Dash called out as she tossed up her surfboard.

Scootaloo caught and held the board over head.

"I got it!" Scootaloo assured her sister.

Rainbow Dash took the moment to stop running and start flying. By doing this, the two ponies arrived at the hot air balloon in no time. They found Twilight Sparkle, and the others all there waiting for what they expected to just be Rainbow Dash.

"Well, well, Rainbow Dash, I see you decided to actually show up. So glad you were able to join us," said Rarity.

But then her eyes widened when she saw Scootaloo jump off Rainbow Dash's back, while the blue pony said, "Yeah, yeah. We're here aren't we?"

"Scootaloo, what a nice surprise. I wasn't expecting you," said Rarity as the other ponies gathered around her with welcoming smiles for the little filly.

"Yeah, her folks asked me to watch her. So, I invited her along," Rainbow Dash explained as she loaded her stuff into the balloon basket.

"I hope that's okay," said Scootaloo.

"Of course it is, Sweety. We're glad to have you along," said Twilight Sparkle.

This was followed by a chorus of reassurings and welcomings from the other ponies being spoken at the same time.

"Alright, I got our stuff packed into the basket. Now let's load ourselves up. Scootaloo, you first. Get ready," said Rainbow Dash.

Scootaloo saw Rainbow Dash standing in front of the balloon basket, holding her front hooves together. A confident smile came over Scootaloo's face when she realized what Rainbow Dash wanted to do. Then she thought of a way to make it more exciting,

"Hey, Spike," Scootaloo called out.

The baby dragon looked over at the orange pegasus.

"Hop on," Scootaloo called to Spike as she stuck her back up a little.

Spike eagerly ran over and got on Scootaloo's back.

"Ready?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Ready," Scootaloo and Spike affirmed at the same time.

"Go!" said Rainbow Dash.

Scootaloo ran as fast as she could up to Rainbow Dash. When one of her hooves landed on Rainbow Dash's hooves that were clasped together, the blue, pegasus pony lifted her protegé up into the air. Scootaloo sailed through the air for a short period of time before she landed in the basket. Scootaloo looked back out and saw Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie holding up point cards that both had the number ten on them.

"Way to go, Scoots. Well done," said Rainbow Dash.

"Well, I had a good teacher," said Scootaloo.

Rainbow Dash gave an appreciative smile. Before anypony else could step into the basket, they heard the voices of small fillies calling from a far.

"Wait!"

"Wait!"

"Hold up!"

"Hold on for a second!"

The ponies looked to see Applebloom and Sweetie Belle running up to them.

"Applebloom, what're you doing here? I thought you were still being punished for that whole Cyclops thing," said Applejack.

"I thought you were still undergoing punishment as well, Sweetie Belle," said Rarity.

"I was with Big Mcintosh in the market when I saw y'all walking and asked if I could trot over and talk for a bit. He said, 'Eeyup',"said Applebloom.

"Same thing with me. Only I was with my mom and dad," said Sweetie Belle.

"Oh. Well, what can we do for you then, girls?" asked Rarity.

"What's up?" asked Applejack.

"Well... We both wanted to say again..." Sweetie Belle started.

"That we're both really, really sorry. We know that we made a big mistake putting our lives in danger just for the sake of our cutie marks," Applebloom took over.

"We also know that by doing something so dangerous...and stupid, we not only put ourselves in danger, but we put several other ponies in danger. Ponies that are close friends and family to us and are always looking out for us. Something we're super thankful for and appreciate very much," said Sweetie Belle.

"We know it'll take more than words to show we mean it. But, please try to believe us when we say we're extremely sorry and we promise we'll stop trying so hard to get our cutie marks," said Applebloom as she and Sweetie Belle hung their heads in shame.

"Girls, you don't have to stop trying to get your cutie marks," said Twilight Sparkle.

The two fillies looked back up at the ponies with surprise.

"Huh?" Applebloom and Sweetie Belle let out at the same time.

"Why, of course not. You should never stop trying to find out what your special talent is," said Rarity.

"Exactly. But, while your trying to find your special talent and your cutie mark that'll make you who you are. Please try to remember to make your special talent, your cutie mark, and who you are something safer than Cyclops finder," said Applejack.

"But that's not what we were trying to..."

Sweetie Belle cut off Applebloom by putting her hoof over her mouth. Applebloom looked at her, but Sweetie Belle just shook her head. Applebloom nodded in agreement, after which Sweetie Belle removed her hoof from her mouth.

"None of us blame you fillies for wanting to get your cutie mark. But you just need to not do such extreme things to try and get them. Okay?" said Twilight Sparkle.

"Yes, ma'am," said Applebloom and Sweetie Belle at the same time.

"That goes for you too, Scootaloo," Twilight called towards the balloon.

"I heard you. And I agree too," said Scootaloo.

"Scootaloo?" Sweetie Belle said in surprise.

"What are you doing in Twilight's balloon?" asked Applebloom.

"I was invited to go with them to the west coast," Scootaloo explained.

"But didn't you get punished for what happened that day we went into the Everfree Forest?" asked Applebloom.

"Yeah, but I just got off my punishment today," said Scootaloo.

Sweetie Belle and Applebloom looked to each other in surprise then back to Scootaloo.

"Lucky," they both said at the same time.

Scootaloo had a slightly guilty look on her face.

"I'm sorry you guys aren't coming along. I feel kind of bad," said Scootaloo.

"Don't feel bad, Scootaloo," said Sweetie Belle.

"Yeah, we're excited for you," said Applelboom.

"You know, the next time we plan a big trip like this, we'll have to make sure to take all you girls with us," said Twilight Sparkle.

"Yeah!" all three Cutie Mark Crusaders agreed at the same time.

Everypony got themselves into the balloon basket except for Fluttershy, who instead walked up to Applebloom and Sweetie Belle.

"That was a well thought out, and very nice apology, girls. Now, I would like to give one to you and say how sorry I am that I didn't do more to help you when we were cornered by the Cyclops," said Fluttershy.

"Oh that's okay, Fluttershy," said Applebloom.

"Yeah, we know you have troubles in tough situations sometimes. Well...a lot of the time," said Sweetie Belle.

Fluttershy's kind smile almost turned into an upset look. Applebloom caught this and spoke next.

"But, it's okay! What pony wouldn't have trouble in a situation like that? It's cool, Fluttershy. Thank you for being so nice to us."

Fluttershy gave them a small smile before she said, "Your welcome. I'll see you when we get back."

And with that, Fluttershy flew into the balloon basket, after which, an assist pony trotted up and pulled out the wooden spikes that held the hot air balloon down to the ground by tied ropes. As the balloon floated up towards the sky, Rainbow Dash flew out of the basket and said, "Let's do this, Applejack."

Applejack smiled as she threw out a rope which Rainbow Dash caught in her mouth.

"Yee-haw! Getty up, Rainbow Dash! Let's get to it" Applejack yelled out.

Rainbow Dash didn't need to be told twice as she took off as fast as was safe dragging a hot air balloon behind you by a rope being held like a horse rein by one pony.

"Bye, have fun!" Applebloom and Sweetie Belle called as they waved to the departing ponies.

The departers responded with waves of their own and letting out goodbye calls at the same time until they were out of sight. As Rainbow Dash dragged the balloon along, the ponies in the basket couldn't help but notice what looked like a black cloud passing by not too far away.

"Um...Fluttershy, was there some sort of storm scheduled for today?" asked Rarity.

"I don't think so. I can't say for sure because I'm not on the weather team," replied Fluttershy.

"Well, Rainbow Dash is the head of the weather team. Maybe we should ask her," Pinkie Pie suggested.

"I wouldn't. Rainbow Dash looks like she's busy," said Spike as he pointed to Rainbow Dash.

"Yeah, besides, the weather ponies know what they're doing. They wouldn't be on the weather team if they didn't. I'm sure that if there is some storm blowing in, it's because it's called for. I'm sure the weather ponies are doing their jobs just fine," said Twilight Sparkle.

"Well of course, they have, like the best pony to instruct them most of the time. I'll bet Rainbow Dash usually keeps them an a tight leash," added Scootaloo.

But as the hot air balloon pulled by Rainbow Dash passed by, the black cloud began to drift closer and closer to Ponyville. No pony could possibly know that this was not a usual cloud. However, some of the ponies walking through the streets of Ponyville began to suspect this and feel on uneasy with the way it loomed over their town.

"Hey, Sweetie Belle, are you getting a bad feeling just looking at that cloud hanging over us?" asked Applebloom.

"Yes...I'm definitely getting some bad vibes off that thing," replied Sweetie Belle.

Neither of the nervous fillies noticed the shadowy unicorn hiding in a nearby alley, watching as the cloud loomed ominously over the town. The unicorn smiled wickedly as his horn began to emit a black aura of magic. What he knew, but no pony else knew, was the reason the cloud was so unsettling to everypony was because they were being watched by the eyes of a giant beast hiding within the cloud. The shadowy unicorn known as King Sombra was using his magic to keep the beast from revealing itself and attacking the town. No, King Sombra wanted to wait for what he felt was the right moment to strike. He wanted the moment to be exactly how he envisioned it and feel right. That moment, unfortunately for the ponies of Ponyville, was drawing ever so closer.

---

The sun was shining as bright and as beautiful as ever over the sandy beaches of the west coast. It is here where several ponies and a few minority races such as mules, griffins, and minotaurs were having the kind of fun that sunny beaches offer to beach goers. A lot of the beach goers were in the water, swimming and splashing around or playing with inflatable water toys of some kind. Others out on the water enjoyed themselves riding around motor and non-motor boats, or were on surfboards.

Those who chose to stay on the beach were either running around, throwing a hoofball or frisbee, or played volley ball, or sat around on beach blankets enjoying picnics, or just laid back and bathed in the sun's rays. Yes, it seemed like paradise on a silver platter. A silver platter the Mane Six from Ponyville, Spike the dragon and the filly, Scootaloo planned to dig into and enjoy. Everypony gazed down from their hot air balloon at the sight that was the west coast beach. It was even more beautiful and amazing than any of them had imagined.

Even Rainbow Dash, who was pulling the hot air balloon behind her by a rope, managed to steal a quick glance below at the sandy land next to the ocean. Her reaction was the same as those in the hot air balloon and basket she was pulling along. They were about five miles north of Las Pegasus, having felt that the distance from the city would give them more open space on the beach. But from what they could see, they were ponies all up and down the beach and in the water as far as the eye could see.

"Wow... Would you look at that? It's beautiful, isn't it?" asked Twilight Sparkle in awe and wonder.

"Yes, Twilight Sparkle, absolutely. It is quite a fantastic sight," said Rarity with the same awe.

"I declare, that's got to be one of the purtiest sights I ever did see," Applejack agreed.

"Oh my goodness, it looks so nice and inviting," said Fluttershy.

"Not to mention tons of fun," Spike added.

"For sure! It's gonna be totally awesome when we get down there!" said Scootaloo in excitement.

Pinkie Pie said nothing at first, instead just smiling like she usually does. Then like before at the Golden Oaks Library, she started vibrating in place. But she was vibrating harder than she had been in the library. So hard in fact that it made the basket move. Finally, Pinkie Pie couldn't contain herself any longer, as she started jumping up and down and screamed and hollered out loud cheers.

"I can't help myself! It looks like such a wild time down there! We're gonna party very hardy! We gotta get down there now! Woo-hoo! Fun!"

"Pinkie Pie, calm down! You're rocking the basket!" said Twilight Sparkle with some authority in her voice.

Pinkie Pie stopped jumping and got a serious look on her face as she said, "Yes, Princess Twilight Sparkle."

But then she did a final little hop as she let out a squeak of joy. Twilight was about to tell Pinkie Pie not to call her princess, but she stopped herself and said something else instead.

"I know you're excited, Pinkie. Heck we all are, but you need to calm yourself for just a little bit longer. First, we need to find a place to land and then you can go crazy and throw a party."

"Exactly what I plan to do," replied Pinkie Pie.

Twilight Sparkle looked to Applejack.

"Have you found a place to land?" Twilight asked.

"Well we can't land on the beach itself, there's too many ponies down there," said Applejack.

"But there's a clearing in the nearby cluster of trees just big enough to fit the balloon into. I don't think anypony would mess with it there either. You gotta worry about those kinds of things nowadays," said Applejack.

"Okay, set her down," Twilight Sparkle requested.

"Absolutely, Twilight," said Applejack. Then she turned to Rainbow Dash.

"Hey, Rainbow Dash, could you bring us down in that clearing with the trees around it?" Applejack called out to the pegasus pony.

Rainbow Dash nodded her head and proceeded to fly downwards for a landing. Once she reached the ground, Rainbow Dash helped pull the hot air balloon down, while Twilight Sparkle and Spike also worked to set it down. Once it was on the ground, Applejack and Spike tied down the basket to the ground, while Twilight Sparkle and Rarity used their magic to drop some heavy stones in the basket to weigh it down. Then Rainbow Dash came flying at near top speed to her group of friends in excitement as they were unloading their stuff.

"Did you guys see the beach from up there?!" asked Rainbow Dash enthusiastically.

"It looks so, totally cool! It totally seems like the kind of place I wouldn't mind visiting more often. I may even wnat to live here someday. Say, do you guys mind if we relocate here permanently?" said Rainbow Dash.

The other ponies just looked at her with amusement.

"Uh... Heh, heh. Right... Maybe this is just a place for visiting once and a while. ...But still! It looked freakin' awesome! So what are we doing just standing around here?!" said Rainbow Dash.

"Listening to you," said Pinkie Pie.

Rainbow Dash's eyes widened, then lowered into an annoyed glare.

"Well, what I think Rainbow Dash is trying to say is, let's stop standing around here and get our flanks to the beach," said Rarity.

Everypony let out whoops and cheers in agreement before they hurried in the direction of the beach. As everypony else ran or flew as fast as they could towards the sandy land of fun and relaxation, Twilight Sparkle let herself stray behind a little in a slow run. She did this so she could watch her excited friends eagerly approach the beach. She smiled with delight at seeing that her friends were so enthusiastic.

The group from Ponyville finally left the close together trees and grass lands behind and stood on the edge of the beach. They gaped in amazement, for now they saw that it was more beautiful to look at up close than it had been from the sky. Everypony let out more cheers as they ran off in different directions. Twilight Sparkle watched her friends spread out to do their own set of beach activities. She also set up her beach blanket and umbrella, then sat herself down on the blanket and under the umbrella with the baskets of food from each pony for their planned picnic by her side.

Then Twilight used her magic to open her saddlebags and pull out a pen and paper. She looked around as her friends played and frolicked. While Twilight herself planned on joining her friends at some point, for the time being, she wanted to watch them do what they wanted to do and take notes as they did it. She also took notes on the beach's features that stuck out the most, for this was again, her first time at any location on the west coast.

One of the things Twilight saw her friends doing was Applejack and Pinkie Pie tossing a frisbee to each other while they set up a volley ball net. Neither one of them seemed to busy or distracted by their work to catch the flying disk every time it came flying their way. Once they had the net up, the two earth pony mares commenced a game of volley ball, setting the frisbee aside.

Twilight then looked around for Spike. She spotted him holding his surfboard at his side as he ran for the water, a smile of pure excitement etched on his face. However, Spike's running direction changed from forward to backwards when he realized he had just passed Rarity. When he stopped next to Rarity, he watched as the beautiful unicorn used her magic to rub a lotion on her that would protect her coat from being dried out or damaged by the sun's rays. The little dragon was mesmerized by the sight of the gorgeous mare. Rarity stopped when she noticed Spike was staring at her.

"Oh, Spikey-Wikey, I'm glad your here. Do you think you could rub some of this lotion on my back? I always end up messing up the first time I try," said Rarity.

Spike tossed his surfboard aside and eagerly hurried to do as Rarity asked.

"By the way, those are some rather fetching sun glasses you're wearing, Spikey. They make you seem very studly indeed," said Rarity as she rolled onto her stomach.

Twilight Sparkle looked around for more of her friends. She spotted Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo on Dash's surfboard out on the water. Scootaloo was at the front end of the board while Rainbow Dash took up the rest. The two pegasi had excited looks on their faces as their surfboard caught a wave and it started to lift them up and up and up. Then finally, they stopped rising with the wave.

Now, they were riding across the wave. Both ponies let out whoops and cheers as they rode across. The fun and acceleration of surfing was exactly what Rainbow Dash hoped it would be. Scootaloo didn't have a previously set idea about it. But, now that she was experiencing it, and with Rainbow Dash no less, was the absolute thrill of her life. She soaked up every amount of joy and fun from surfing as she could.

Twilight Sparkle felt the joy and happiness of her friends radiating off of them. It was so strong, it even started to affect her own beach going experience in a good way. It was then that Twilight Sparkle spotted Fluttershy.

She had gotten herself in the middle of a group of seagulls and some crabs and baby turtles that the gulls had been trying to eat. Fluttershy had been expecting to see all kinds of animals that were common among the beach area. She had thus properly prepared herself for an encounter with them, reading up on them and their habits with a book from Twilight's library.

She knew that seagulls would eat just about anything, but she still felt like she should treat them as good as her own birds back home. So to that end, she pulled out a bag of her finest bird seed and began laying it across the sand. As the seagulls turned their attention away from the crabs and turtles and to the seeds, Fluttershy laid the bird seeds in a trail that would lead them further away.

"There you go, little guys. Now you wont be so tempted to eat the other poor, little animals that live here, on the beach," said Fluttershy in her soft, gentle, and motherly voice.

She lightly stroked her hoof across the top of one of the seagulls' head.

Then she turned her attention to the crabs and baby turtles. She hurried over and said as she gathered them up, "Don't worry, it's gonna be okay now. If you'll all just come with me, I'll lead you to the water where you'll all be a little bit safer from seagulls."

Somehow, for reasons they couldn't comprehend, the crabs and turtles found themselves able to understand the words coming from Fluttershy's mouth. Also, the calm way she spoke made them trust her and want to do as she asked them. The assorted sea animals nodded their heads in agreement to Fluttershy's request. Fluttershy's smile brightened up even more at their cooperation.

"That's just wonderful. Now, all of you follow me," said Fluttershy.

She walked backwards towards the ocean so she could keep an eye on the crabs and baby turtles in case any seagulls tried to pick them off. If this were to happen, she would pull out her ultimate weapon, 'The Stare'. Luckily however, this didn't seem to be a concern, as all the seagulls were enjoying the contents from the bird seed bag Fluttershy had emptied out over the sand.

All seemed to be going well as Fluttershy led her new animal friends towards the waters where she felt they would be safer. All was going well, that is until Fluttershy felt herself bump into something behind her.

"Hey, watch it!" shouted the something that turned out to be somepony.

Fluttershy's eyes widened with alarm. She turned around as she began to apologize.

"Excuse me, sir, I'm terribly sorry. I didn't mean to..."

Fluttershy stopped talking and her eyes widened even more when she saw that the pony she bumped into was a rather large earth pony, who looked tp be very upset over the situation.

"Well, you did, you clumsy foal! I mean, for Celestia's sake, why don't you watch where you're going?!" the angry earth pony shouted.

Fluttershy shrunk down into a frightened huddle as she trembled and looked up at the pony.

"I'm... I'm really, really sorry. I...guess I should've paid more attention to everything and everypony around me," said Fluttershy in a very timid voice.

"You're darn right you should've! What was so important that you had to give your full, undivided attention to it?!" asked the angry earth pony.

"Oh... Um... I was...just trying to lead...these little animals to..."

"What little animals?!"

The earth pony looked around Fluttershy and spotted the group of crabs and baby turtles. His eyes opened wide with annoyance, then they shifted back into an angry glare.

"You mean to tell me that these disgusting, worthless wastes of beach space were so important that you had to give up the ability to actually watch what was going on around you?"

"Well... Um... I...was only trying to...lead them towards the water-"

"I was only trying to lead them to the water," said the earth pony in a whinny voice to mock Fluttershy.

"Listen, cream puff, if you're so worried with having to put up with these pests, don't worry. Those even bigger pests, the seagulls, will take care of these beach vermin. That's about the only thing they're good for. Otherwise, they'd be just as useless and as big a waste."

The earth pony looked and saw the group of seagulls that were enjoying the bird seed Fluttershy had spread out for them.

"What in all of Equestria? Who thought it was a bright idea to actually feed those buzzards?"

The earth pony turned an accusing eye and hoof to Fluttershy.

"Was it you?!"

The earth pony didn't wait for an answer; instead, he reached his hoof into Fluttershy's saddle bag and pulled out the empty bird seed bag.

"What in the name of Celestia are you thinking?! If you feed this stuff to those feather brained, moronic excuses for birds, they'll stop getting rid of those worthless creatures!" the earth pony yelled as he pointed at the turtles and crabs.

"Plus, more than that, it'll start attracting more of those bird brains! You know what, I'd like to know, what color is the sky in your world?!"

"Hey, why don't you go dunk your head in the ocean and cool off, pal?! That's no way to talk to somepony!" shouted Twilight Sparkle as she walked up to the earth pony and Fluttershy with an angry look on her face.

"Ah, pipe down, velvet, and go back to your plum tree. I'm in the middle of teaching this moron to watch where she's going!" the earth pony blurted out, poking his hoof into Fluttershy's shoulder when he said the last sentence.

Suddenly, the hoof the earth pony touched Fluttershy with flew up and smacked him in the face. He then noticed the magic aura around his hoof. He looked and saw Twilight's horn had the same colored aura emitting from it.

"You shouldn't have done that," said Twilight Sparkle sternly.

The earth pony gritted his teeth as he swung his free front hoof at Twilight's head. She pulled her head back and the hoof ended up hitting the quill, ink jar, and piece of paper Twilight had floating next to her and had been using to write notes. They all fell to the ground, with much of the ink pouring out of its jar. Most of the ink fell onto the paper, but some splashes of ink hit Twilight in the face.

"You really shouldn't have done that," said Twilight Sparkle as she used her magic to lift the earth pony off his feet and send him flying towards the ocean.

The result was the earth pony hitting the water with a loud splash. Twilight Sparkle wiped away as much of the ink as she could. Then she walked up to Fluttershy and offered her a kind smile as she helped her to her hooves.

"Twilight, I can't believe you just did that. I would expect something like that from Rainbow Dash, but definitely not you," said Fluttershy.

Twilight's smile was replaced with a look of concern, regret, and confusion.

"You're right, Fluttershy, I shouldn't have done that," said Twilight Sparkle.

"It's certainly not like you. Not at all," said Fluttershy.

"Well... I... I can try to explain what came over me. But first, let me help you with what it was you were doing," said Twilight Sparkle.

The two ponies smiled at each other before Fluttershy said, "Thanks, Twilight."

Twilight walked out in front of Fluttershy, acting as her eyes while Fluttershy herself kept her eyes on her beach animal friends and led them to the ocean. Once they were at the water's edge, Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy stepped aside and let the crabs and turtles slip into the water and swim out into open sea. Twilight and Fluttershy waved goodbye to the animals until they were out of sight.

Fluttershy's smile however was quickly replaced by a look of concern when she saw the earth pony, that had earlier been yelling at her, coming out of the water. Twilight Sparkle put a reassuring hoof on her friend's shoulder while also offering a supportive smile.

"Come on, Fluttershy, let's go somewhere and talk," said Twilight Sparkle.

Fluttershy nodded her head in agreement and then walked with her friend. Twilight Sparkle led Fluttershy to the spot where she had set up her beach blanket and umbrella. It is here where the two mares sat down to have their conversation. But first, Twilight used her magic to open her picnic basket and pull out some food.

"You hungry?" Twilight Sparkle offered her friend.

Fluttershy shook her head and said, "No thank you, Twilight."

The alicorn princess saw the upset look on her friend's face only get bigger.

"Look, Fluttershy, you can't let that earth pony get to you. Forget about him. Soon he'll just be a bad memory. So, you should try to create some good memories and have fun while you're here. Everypony else is," said Twilight Sparkle.

Fluttershy's eyes looked away for a moment before setting sights back on Twilight.

"You're right, Twilight, I shouldn't let him ruin my good time. It's just that..."

Fluttershy's voice trailed off, which Twilight took notice of.

"Just what, Fluttershy? Come on, you can tell me."

Fluttershy let out a heavy sigh before answering.

"I had this talk with Rarity not too long ago. For the longest time now...I...I've had...trouble controlling my fear and being braver. The situation with that earth pony just kind of...reminded me that I need some work on both, that's all."

"Fear and bravery? Oh, Fluttershy, you don't have to worry about those kinds of things. You're a very brave pony."

Fluttershy's eyes opened wide with surprise.

"You really think so?"

"No, Fluttershy, I don't think so. I know so."

Twilight Sparkle offered her friend a kind and supportive smile.

"I really appreciate you saying that, Twilight. But, why did you say it? Nine times out of ten, I'm the scardy pony on our little adventures."

"Yes, but you always stick it out with us to the end. In a way, that makes you the bravest pony of us all."

"Rarity said something like that when I talked to her about this."

"Well, there you go. Shouldn't two different friends telling you the same thing let you know there may be something to it?"

Fluttershy thought about it for a little bit, but she was still unsure.

"I just wish I could be brave in the way... Well, the way Rainbow Dash is. Or maybe the way you, Applejack, Rarity, or even Pinkie Pie are brave."

Twilight Sparkle thought for a moment.

"Okay, you don't think you're brave? Who when we went on our first adventure together had the courage to tend to an upset manticore like he was a puppy and show him compassion when he had a thorn in his paw while the rest of us were trying to fight it like it was a monster?"

Fluttershy looked on thoughtfully.

"Who told off a grumpy dragon and made him choose some other place to sleep? And also, who stood by me and four other ponies against an army of changelings? And finally, who was instrumental in reforming Discord, The Bringer of Chaos?"

A small, somewhat embarrassed smile came over Fluttershy's face as she blushed a little.

"And that was only naming some contributions of yours. See, Fluttershy? You are brave and there's no doubt in my mind that you'll continue to be brave through whatever may come."

Fluttershy thought about bringing up the situation with the Cyclops to Twilight. But then she decided she didn't want to just have a complete repeat of the conversation she had with Rarity. So Fluttershy instead changed the subject.

"Thank you for your vote of confidence, Twilight. But, if you don't mind, I'd like to change the subject from me...to you," said Fluttershy.

Twilight Sparkle looked at her friend with confusion.

"Okay, what is it about me you want to talk about?" asked Twilight Sparkle.

"Well...it's about what you did to that earth pony that was screaming at me. I do appreciate you sticking up for me and everything. But that just doesn't seem like you to me. Usually, you do anything to avoid fighting with anypony. But, this time you didn't hesitate to use your magic to deal with that earth pony. It just didn't seem...like you. It seemed very out of character to me, Twilight. Usually you'd try talking somepony down and only resort to fighting as a last resort. So...I just want to know...why did you do that?" said Fluttershy.

Twilight Sparkle looked away from her friend and stared out at the ocean thoughtfully.

"That's a fair question. Okay, let me think about it for a moment," said Twilight.

She kept trying to think of the right words to say. She had wanted to tell somepony about what she was feeling for a long time. It just never seemed like a right time to do it or that there was a right way to do it. But now, here was the chance and Twilight still wasn't sure if she was ready for it.

I guess I'll just have to try my best, Twilight Sparkle thought to herself.

"For the past two weeks, I've been feeling different. ...That things around me have felt different," said Twilight Sparkle.

"Different? Different, how?" asked Fluttershy.

"Well, things have felt...uneasy. The feeling's so strong that it 's making me uneasy," said Twilight Sparkle.

"What kind of things have been uneasy?" asked Fluttershy.

"Well... Um... Honestly...it just seems like Equestria itself is uneasy. It's like there's a cold chill in the air all the time now. It's like it's suppose to be some kind of warning...some kind of sign that says, 'anything bad can and will happen in a moment'. And now, I've been waiting for that bad something to happen," said Twilight Sparkle.

"I'm sorry to hear you've been feeling like this, Twilight," said Fluttershy.

"Thanks, Fluttershy, but even if I wasn't feeling like this, nopony puts their hooves on my friends," said Twilight Sparkle as she smiled at Fluttershy.

Fluttershy returned her friend's smile.

"Thank you, Twilight Sparkle. Do...you think there's anything I can do to ease your alert and uneasy feeling?" said Fluttershy.

"You already have," said Twilight Sparkle.

"Huh? How? What do you mean?" Fluttershy inquired.

"Just being around you and all my other friends makes me feel calmer and happier," said Twilight Sparkle.

"Oh, Twilight, that's such a nice thing for you to say," said Fluttershy.

"Well, I meant every word of it. I'm the luckiest pony in Equestria, not because I became an alicorn princess, but because of the great friends I have that make me a better with just their continued friendship," said Twilight Sparkle.

The two mares looked out at the rest of their friends as they enjoyed their chosen beach activities. They enjoyed watching their friends so much that they didn't seem to notice that the ground had begun to tremor and shake a little.

The quaking was building in strength as it went on, even to the point where ponies were finally starting to take notice. One of these ponies was Pinkie Pie. After she caught a pass of the volley ball and hit it back to Applejack, she noticed the rumbling under her hooves. She was about to bring it up to Applejack; but she didn't get the chance as her whole body began to twitch, shake, and vibrate. However, it was not from the increasing power of the earthquake. No, Pinkie Pie was undergoing the unexplainable sensation that has come to be known as, 'Pinkie Senses'.

"Pinkie Pie, what's going on?" asked Applejack as she took notice of her friend's abnormal state.

"IIIIIIIII doooon't knooooooowww" Pinkie Pie managed to say through her twitching.

"From the looks of it, it's your Pinkie Senses. But what does it mean?" said Applejack.

"IIIIIIIII'mmm nooooottt suuuurrree," Pinkie Pie confessed.

"Well...isn't this the way you twitch to warn you about a...doozy?" asked Applejack.

"Nooooo, everything was twitching in different combinations before and they weren't twitching as hard. IIIII thiiiiink this...is doozier than a...doozyyyyy," said Pinkie Pie.

" 'Doozier than a doozy'? That don't make any sense. Then again, it is Pinkie Pie. So then...does it?" Applejack asked herself.

Regardless of what the answer may be, the earthquake was now strong enough for everypony on the beach to take notice. But even then, it seemed to only get stronger, making ponies stumble around and fall to their knees as the ground shook. Ponies screamed and panicked as the earthquake vented its great power onto the area. The earthquake also made the waters of the ocean churn and stir up wild waves that engulfed ponies and spat them back out, sending them flying and tumbling in all different directions.

This had a direct effect on Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo, as their surfboard was tossed around and was eventually caught by a giant wave. The force of the wave pulled the two pegasus ponies away from their board and sent them tumbling through wild waters in different directions. When the wave was done, Rainbow Dash found that she had been tossed back on shore. Then she quickly forced herself up to her hooves and looked for Scootaloo when she realized she wasn't there with her. Rainbow Dash called out her name as she looked for the orange filly.

"Scootaloo, where are you?!" Rainbow Dash screamed.

"I'm here," Scootaloo called as loud as she could over the rumbling of the earth quake.

Rainbow Dash flew in the direction the voice came from and found Scootaloo crawling towards her.

"Scootaloo, thank Celestia you're safe," said Rainbow Dash as she landed in front of the hurt filly and checked her for any major injuries.

"Anything hurt or maybe even broken?" Rainbow Dash asked as she continued to check Scootaloo.

"Nothing's broken as far as I can tell. But at this point, pretty much everything hurts, especially this leg," said Scootaloo, saying the last part as she lifted her back left leg and winced in pain.

Rainbow Dash gingerly held Scootaloo's leg in her hooves as she examined it.

"I think it'll be okay. Can you walk at all?"

"Give me a minute or two and I'll be ready to go."

Scootaloo then forced herself back onto her hooves and started limping towards Rainbow Dash. The daring speedster took notice of every wince of pain Scootaloo made as she tried to put pressure on her lower left leg.

"How about if I just carry you while we try to find the others?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"No, I can do it. I'm tough...like you," Scootaloo protested.

Rainbow Dash ignored this however and picked up Scootaloo and put the filly on her back.

"There's a time to be tough and a time to be smart, Scoots. Right now, we gotta be smart and find the others," said Rainbow Dash as she started flying.

The ground shaking increased as the sound of the ground cracking up broke through the sounds of chaos and panic that filled the air. All of a sudden a mass of water and earth from the seafloor began to rise even higher than the waves that had come before it.

"Doozier than a doozy! Definitely doozier than a doozy!" Applejack confirmed in panic.

All the beach going ponies that had been scared into mass hysteria before were now hit with a wave of fear that forced them to stand still in watch in wide eyed, open mouthed, gasps of disbelief and horror. As the wave of water and earth fell back down into the waiting ocean, the creature that had been buried underneath it all was revealed.

This great beast had dug and swam its way from the prison it shared with others that was located in the middle of the ocean. Its travels led it here to the west coast of Equestria, where it was met with gazes of fear from smaller, much weaker beings than itself. At least, that's what the monster thought as it looked down at the ponies who looked back up at him. To the ponies, the monster resembled a giant, wingless dragon. But to a race of beings from another dimension called humans, this giant would more so resemble a vertical standing theropod dinosaur.

Its neck while longer than most creature's necks, wasn't quite long enough to be serpentine. Its scaly exterior was for the most part green, except for a yellow area that went from under its lower jaw down to its under tail. It had glowing red eyes that struck fear in those who saw them. A row of long, inward curved horns ran from the top of its head down its back and tail. There were two additional rows of spikes on its back on either side of the main row.

It also had a curved row of spikes on both sides of its face, around its jaws. Its arms were not like that of a dinosaur like tyrannosaurus rex, but were instead similar to that of a human being's. Long and sharp claws protruded from the ends of its fingers, which added to the already immense fear factor its presence demanded. It wouldn't be too hard to imagine similar talons extending from its feet.

The monster let out a loud roar that echoed on for great distances. The beast's mighty roar snapped all of the ponies out of their opened mouth, stand still stare and sent them screaming and running for their lives. All ponies that is except for one. Twilight Sparkle stood in place as she stared at the terrifying monster. While she had never seen it before, she had a hunch that she knew what it was.

And the fact that she was now most likely looking at a beast from legends she's read about was almost as much of a shock as the actual presence of the beast itself. Twilight Sparkle's friends however were not frozen in shock, as was proven when Fluttershy placed her hooves on Twilight's shoulder and tried to pull her back.

"Twilight, come on! Twilight! Twilight, come on, let's go! We've got to get out of here!" Fluttershy said in panic and fear.

She then turned her head from Twilight Sparkle to look at the monster. It was at that time that the mighty creature flung its long tail up out of the water and into the air. Ponies saw that the monster had a spike covered club at the end of its tail. As the monster's tail dropped back into the water, Spike ran up to Twilight Sparkle's other side and started pulling on her leg to get her to run. But, instead of running, she took a step forward as she said in a voice that was barely above a whisper, "I don't...believe it."

"Twilight, let's go! We gotta get out of here!" Spike shouted with urgency.

"Please, Twilight, we have to run! If we don't, that terrible monster will kill us!" Fluttershy shouted.

"Fluttershy's right, Twilight! We gotta get moving! Run!" Spike urged.

"Twilight Sparkle..."

Fluttershy was cut off by the loud roar of the monster. This was followed by a scream from Fluttershy when she saw that the monster had stopped looking around at the fleeing ponies and had taken his first step towards shore. Fluttershy couldn't control her fear any longer. She let go of Twilight Sparkle's shoulder and turned to runaway. Spike however stayed and continued pulling on Twilight's leg.

"Twilight, please! Come with me and let's get as far away from here as we can!" Spike screamed.

Instead of responding, Twilight Sparkle asked out loud in a thoughtful tone, "Is that...Geon...the kaiju!?"

The monster continued his slow, lumbering approach to the beach as he let out several roars that scared the ponies around him even more.

"Twilight, what are you doing?!" Spike screamed.

It was at that moment Rarity ran up in front of Twilight Sparkle.

"Twilight dear, why are you just standing here?! We've got to make a run for the balloon!" said Rarity with the same urgency as everypony who had spoken to Twilight before.

"Rarity's right, Twilight, we need to run!" Spike agreed.

Finally, Rarity put her face up close to Twilight's and screamed.

"Twilight Sparkle!"

This ended up being what snapped the alicorn princess out of her state of frozen disbelief.

"Right, let's go!" Twilight Sparkle finally agreed.

She turned and ran a few steps before she stopped and looked back at the monster she called Geon. She still couldn't believe what she was seeing. Twilight was brought back to reality faster this time, as she felt Spike pulling on her leg. Rarity had stopped to let Twilight Sparkle and Spike catch up with her, then the three ran at top speed.

Twilight Sparkle thought about flying, but decided against it since she was still new to her wings. Twilight Sparkle looked around for her friends among the crowd. She spotted Applejack and Pinkie Pie running along side each other. They caught sight of Twilight and the others and tried to make their way towards them. Rainbow Dash was flying over the other ponies in the crowd with Scootaloo on her back. Fluttershy had gotten to the edge of the beach and was waiting as patiently as possible for her friends. She only waited until they were three feet away before she was unable to keep herself in one place anymore and started running again.

Fluttershy's friends eventually caught up to her and were now all running and flying in a small crowd approaching their hot air balloon. As the crowd ran, one of Pinkie Pie's hooves caught a branch that tripped her up.

"Ow!" Pinkie Pie screamed out.

It was at this same time that Scootaloo slipped off Rainbow Dash's back and fell next to Pinkie Pie. She too let out her cries of pain. Fluttershy turned and saw her two friends lying on the ground. She didn't hesitate to fly back and help Pinkie Pie up to her hooves first.

"Thank you, Fluttershy," said Pinkie Pie.

She started a running limp to catch up with the others. Applejack came up alongside and tried to assist Pinkie Pie in anyway she could.

Fluttershy started to pick Scootaloo up off the ground and into her front legs. But then, a roar erupted through the air. Fluttershy looked and saw that the roar had been made by the monster. Fluttershy's eyes widened and her body froze in fear when she saw through the trees that the monster had made it onto dry land and was stomping his way towards Fluttershy and her friends. And for a brief moment, it almost seemed like the monster was looking directly at her. This made Fluttershy's grip on Scootaloo loosen until she slipped out of grasp altogether and back to the ground.

"Ow! Fluttershy!" Scootaloo screamed.

Fluttershy didn't answer, instead she began taking small steps backwards.

"Fluttershy! What are you doing?! Help me!" Scootaloo screamed.

But still, Fluttershy backed away. That is, until she tripped over a tree trunk that stuck out and landed on her back.

"Fluttershy!" Scootaloo screamed.

At that moment, Rainbow Dash, having realized she lost Scootaloo, flew in and grabbed her little sister in her front hooves.

"What is the matter with you, Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash asked in anger, with a frown to match.

Fluttershy could only look away with shame. Rainbow Dash didn't wait for any answers, knowing none would come. She instead rushed towards the balloon, while carrying Scootaloo along.

Fluttershy started up to her hooves, but was helped all the way up by Rarity, who had been running by.

"No time for laying down, Fluttershy darling! We've got to keep moving!" Rarity said with urgency as she continued running.

Fluttershy followed close behind, but as she ran, her thoughts raced in her head as well.

Rarity's scared to death. I can tell by the look on her face when she saved me. But, she still took the time to help me. So why couldn't I do the same with Scootaloo when I'm probably the one who's scared the most?

The group of fleeing ponies finally managed to reach their balloon. While everypony else got in the basket, Twilight Sparkle used her magic to untie it from the ground. Applejack and Pinkie Pie removed the stones that had been weighing it down. Twilight then quickly jumped into the basket as it was lifting off the ground. Rainbow Dash flew out of the basket, while Applejack tossed out a rope. Rainbow Dash caught it in her mouth and started flying as fast as was safe to while dragging a hot air balloon behind her, maybe even flying a little bit faster than that due to her adrenaline rush. Everypony looked back, still in shock and feeling a ton of fear, as they watched the rampage of the monster that had ruined theirs and every other beach goer's fun in the sun. Judging by what they saw, it seemed like this giant beast was capable of ruining a lot more than that.

"Oh my gosh," was all Rarity was able to say as she held a hoof up to her mouth.

"I declare...in all my life...I've never seen anything like that. And nothing ever scared me so much in my life either. ...I was more scared than an apple in a tree of fruit bats," said Applejack.

"W-w-what is that thing?" asked a trembling Fluttershy. Then, Twilight Sparkle tried to answer as best as she could.

"It's a huge problem for all of Equestria. ...It's ...It's...a kaiju."

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Be sure to leave a review after reading. And don't be afraid to let me know of any mistakes I made, be they spelling errors, grammar errors or other errors so I can correct them to the best of my abilities. I'm The Guy Who Likes To Write Stuff, signing off.