Friday Morning, 6:00 AM

Whirblewind grinned as she entered Josh's room. "Wakey, wakey," she muttered to herself. Grabbing the sheets Josh was laying on, she tugged on them roughly, pulling Josh onto the floor with a loud thud.

"Whoah, what!?" Josh shouted in panic as he scrambled to look for the cause of his fall. Rubbing his eyes with one hand, he found Whirble standing in front of him, grinning.

"Good morning! Let's get to work," the mare announced. Tossing him an apple Whirblewind turned and walked out of the room.

Josh stared blankly as he watched the crazy Thestral walk out of the room, humming to herself. "Oh I was not prepared for this...," he muttered, holding his head as he stood up and threw the sheets and blankets back onto the mattress. "You know what I could go for? A nice plate of bacon and eggs," he said, groaning to himself as he got dressed. Picking up the apple, Josh took a bite out of it and followed Whirble downstairs where he found her talking with Dawn.

"Yep, and if you can help with his physical training that would...," Whirblewind instructed before noticing Josh approach her. "Well you got up faster than expected. No matter. Dawn here will get you started on your physical exercises and once that's taken care of, you will meet me where I tested you last night. From now, we have a total of twelve days to prepare you before the Princesses send you up against the Master. As much as Dawn and I would like to join you, we were told that the Princesses can only send one pony per Princess."

Josh nodded in understanding "Then who is going to be the second pony?" He asked, raising an eyebrow as he walked into the kitchen, filling up a mug with coffee.

"That would be me," Twilight spoke as she walked down the stairs, coming into view.

"W... what?" Josh stammered, dropping his mug, only to have Twilight catch it in her magic and hand it back to him.

"Princess Celestia told me in a letter last night," Twilight stated, pouring herself a mug. "It wouldn't be the first time that she has sent me somewhere dangerous."

"Yeah, but this time, you won't have the other Elements of Harmony with you," Josh muttered, finishing off his coffee.

"Have either of you seen Trixie this morning?" Twilight asked Dawn and Whirble. When they shook their heads, Twilight groaned, "Don't tell me she already left. I still had some questions for her."

From upstairs, the sound of a toilet flushing and moments later the sink running was heard. Walking downstairs, Trixie hummed to herself, brushing her mane with one of Twilight's brushes. "Oh! Good morning. Trixie would like to thank you for letting her stay in your... tree," Trixie said, grinning.

"Good morning to you too, Trixie," Twilight replied, rolling her eyes. "What are your plans for the day? I was hoping that you could tell me what you know about Connor."

Trixie shrugged, flipping her mane. "Trixie supposes she could give you some information. Trixie should check on her wagon first though." Waving a hoof to Twilight, Trixie continued. "If you have anything to do, Sparkle, go ahead and do it. Trixie may not return till this evening." Twilight frowned and watched as Trixie put on her hat and cape, leaving through the door that Whirblewind was holding open.

Josh facepalmed and looked to Whirblewind and Dawn who were staring at him impatiently before leaving the library. "Okay, okay, let's go then." He turned to Twilight. "We'll be back later," he said, smiling to Twilight. Walking outside, he turned to shut the door behind him only to have Twilight grip the door with her magic.

"I'm going to be joining you," she said, matter-of-factly as she walked past Josh, following the two guards.

Shrugging, Josh jogged to catch up. "Sounds good to me. If we're going to be fighting together, we may as well learn to work with each other," he voiced, causing Twilight to turn and grin at him.

"I'm glad you think so," Twilight stated as they both caught up to Dawn.

"Alright you two, time for some good old running. Let's go, double time!" Dawn shouted at Josh and Twilight as the Thestral began running. "Do try to keep up! For some reason, the Princess thinks you can win this thing. Prove it to me!" Josh and Twilight started running to keep up with Dawn.

The three continued running for fifteen minutes before Twilight's breathing started to become ragged. "Keep up, Twilight!" Dawn shouted over her shoulder as she noticed that Twilight was slowing down.

"Hey, why aren't you tired?" Twilight groaned, glancing to Josh.

"I honestly think it's the whole Elf thing," he replied, barely out of breath. "I think we may be finishing up the running part. We're almost to the spot where Whirble tested me last night." Twilight nodded, pushing herself to make the last sprint.

The Everfree - 6:30 AM

Whirblewind finished setting up a makeshift training dummy, humming to herself. The Thestral was excited to begin Josh's training. What he had done the previous night proved the truth Princess Luna had told her. He's not like a pony, don't train him like one. See what he can do and then build off of it. Nodding to her herself, she turned and blinked as she watched Dawn, Josh and Twilight jog up to her. Josh didn't look all that worn out, but she could tell that Twilight was out of breath.

"Heya!" Whirblewind greeted, grinning. "I didn't expect you to join us, Twilight. But you're welcome to practice your magic once we're finished with your physical training." She looked over to Dawn, who was also catching her breath, and motioned for her to continue.

"Alright you two, let's get some stretches in," Dawn commanded as she pushed her front hooves out in front of herself and raised her rear, popping her back. Watching Dawn, Twilight did the same, emulating the Thestrals stretches.

Frowning as Josh was unsure about the stretches the ponies were doing, he began doing stretches he was familiar with from back home. Dawn and Twilight finished as Josh was in the middle of stretching.

"What is that supposed to do?" Dawn asked, raising an eyebrow.

Josh glanced at her, continuing to stretch. "It's a simple hip flex stretch and it does what the name implies." Bouncing on the balls of his feet as he finished, he stretched one arm into the air, and then the other before nodding to Dawn. "Alright, I'm all set."

Staring at Josh for a moment, Dawn shrugged and turned to Whirblewind who was watching. "Well, he's all yours. I'll be making sure our spell caster here learns what she needs to so she can move fast enough to stay out of harm's way."

"Sounds good," Whirble replied. "Alright Josh, let's get going. My training is going to be bare bones with the amount of time we have, so be sure to pay attention," she said, smirking while wiggling her eyebrows. Noticing this, Twilight frowned, glaring at the Thestral.

"Alright then, let's do this," Josh said as he followed Whirble off into the Everfree. Twilight watched as they left, a frown adorning her face.

"He's going to be fine," Dawn said, causing Twilight to huff.

"That would be a first," she whispered, mostly to herself, a hint of worry in her voice.

Rolling her eyes, Dawn gently prodded Twilight's side. "Alright, up and at 'em, you lovestruck mare. Let's see about working on your agility," Dawn stated, grinning.

Trixie's Wagon - 6:45 AM

"So, why do you plan to stay here again?" Connor asked, raising an eyebrow as Trixie levitated her hat and cape onto their hangers.

Turning to Connor, Trixie rolled her eyes and hopped up onto her bed. "Trixie believes this is where she needs to be for now. She can sense something big happening soon and it's only right that she takes part in it!" She stated, holding a hoof into the air.

Shaking his head, Connor cleared his throat. "I suppose that’s fine then. I need to stay nearby anyway so it works out for the both of us." Connor glanced out of the wagon's window and looked out into the Everfree, his eyes on the invisible spot where the Cathedral sat in it's own hidden realm. "I may be needed if things go awry."

A few moments of silence passed as Connor and Trixie relaxed. Suddenly, they were disturbed as a letter appeared in front of Connor. Trixie bolted upright as she watched the letter, covered in dark flames, land on the ground. Attempting to use her magic to pick up the parchment before it could damage her precious home, she staggered, shocked that she was unable to even touch it.

"Ah, it seems to be for me." Connor said with a raised eyebrow. "Though I wonder how she got it to me without being caught." He picked up the letter and began to unroll it. "Though I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't noticed, considering how small it is." Trixie watched with growing frustration as Connor began to read the letter to himself.

Stomping a hoof into her bed, Trixie glared at Connor. "Trixie demands you tell her what this is about!" She yelled, raising her voice.

Blinking, Connor shrugged. "It's from a 'friend' I have. Something that is going to happen soon involves her and it seems like she may be on our side." He paused, frowning. "Which can only mean that something drastic has happened to change her opinion of the 'Master'." He raised a hand and scratched his head. "I can almost guarantee that the 'Master' is aware of this, as well as Slough and Aqua. Those two are craftier than she's giving them credit for."

Standing up, Connor stuffed the letter into his robes before turning to Trixie. "Can you watch Faelan till I get back? It shouldn't take long. I just need to do something."

Trixie glared at Connor. "You're going to do something that Trixie thinks is probably extremely dangerous and she can't talk you out of. Is Trixie right in this assessment?" She asked, causing Connor to flinch and raise his hands up. "That’s what Trixie thought. Hmmph!" She exclaimed, levitating a book from her bookshelf and began to read it, ignoring Connor.

Connor watched her for a moment before shaking his head and walking out of the wagon. "Well that was easy enough," he muttered, walking off into the Everfree forest.

Dark Citadel ????

Darcy left her room and glanced down the hallway both ways to make sure she wasn't being watched. Time was of the essence for her. She knew that she was being watched by the Master as long as she was in the Citadel, but that didn't mean she didn't have her ways of sneaking around the place. Walking down the hall, she softly placed a hand on Drex's door as she passed by. Sighing, she continued past Stelma's door while grazing her hand against the door. She had considered them allies and, hopefully, friends. But ever since the Master had ordered Slough to poison them, they only left their rooms to gather in front of the Master's Sanctum and stare blankly at the walls.

As she approached the exit, Darcy looked back into the Citadel before rushing towards the tower, unseen. Shortly after, a rumble shook the floating island. The quakes were becoming more and more common as the time of the Master's awakening approached.

"Slough...," the voice bellowed through the Citadel. "Slough!" The elemental stood up from where he was seated beside his sister and rushed out of the room. Aqua watched him run out before returning to her work.

Slough approached the large doors that barred entry into the inner sanctum. Placing his hands on the large doors, he pushed them open and entered the room. "You called, Master?" the Elemental asked, his voice raspy.

"Slough, the elixir I gave you... you did make sure that Darcy partook of it, yes!?" The Master roared. Slough bowed his head, nodding.

"Yes Master, as you willed it, so was it done," Slough stated, solemnly.

"Then you failed, Slough. As we speak, Darcy is planning to rendezvous with the Flame Keeper, Connor. I want you to prevent him from contacting her. Meet him at the tower and deal with him," the Master commanded. Bowing, Slough slowly backed out of the room. "Do not fail me again Slough, or it will be your sister that I take my anger out on while you watch." A deep laugh resonated through the Master's chambers as Slough turned and left. His destination: the Teleportation Tower.

Darcy crouched down outside of the tower, watching as Slough ran out of the Citadel. His eyes darted around, looking for her. Backing up further into the shadow of the tower, Darcy prepared a spell under her breath as a sound echoed out of the tower, announcing the arrival of someone. Slough glared at the tower, growling as he rushed inside.

Everfree Forest, 8:04 AM

Connor made his way to the Castle of the Two Sisters and entered, heading towards the room of elements. "It's kind of ironic that the entrance to the Citadel is here in this room," he chuckled dryly. "To think that a little under a year ago, this was where Twilight Sparkle and her friends exorcised Princess Luna of Nightmare Moon." Walking up to the dias at the far end of the room, he placed his hand on a conspicuous white marble tile which drastically contrasted to the grey of the rest of the castle.

After a brief flash, Connor's eyes had to adjust to the darkness in the tower he had teleported into. "Hey, Darcy you there?" He whispered loudly only to flinch back as the torches in the teleportation tower lit up with a loud 'whoosh!'. Peering around, Connor came face to face with Slough. "Ah fuck...," he swore as the elemental grinned maliciously.

"Hello Flameholder," the towering Slough said, taking a step closer. "It's a shame that the last time we were together we didn't part on better terms. Your death preferably."

"I could have finished you right then and there, muddy." Connor growled, his robes taking on a smoldering look as the temperature around him began to rise quickly.

Slough grinned a sharp toothed grin and began to walk around Connor. "Oh I wouldn't disagree there, you definitely caught me off guard," he stated, waving a hand in the air before suddenly rushing to Connor, inches from his face. "That will not happen again." Opening his mouth further than should have been physically possible, Slough's eyes moved to the sides of his head as his teeth grew larger, turning his head into that of a piranha's.

Dashing backwards, Connor raised a hand, conjuring a wall of fire in front of himself, blocking the elemental from reaching him. Disregarding the flames, Slough shot through the wall, arms outstretched and catching Connor off guard. Slough sank his teeth into Connor's shoulder. Yelling, Connor placed his hands on the sides of the elemental's head and channeled his magic directly into it. Slough reeled back screaming, taking out a chunk of Connor's shoulder in the process.

Placing his hand over his wound, Connor cauterized the wound with his flames quickly. Looking to Slough, he saw the elemental slump over while standing up.

Tilting his head, Slough grinned maliciously, a dark look in his eyes. "You're going to die here...," Slough hissed, charging at Connor, who leapt out of the way. Conjuring up fire in each of his hands, Connor threw them at Slough who back handed them out of the air. "It's amazing, really, how you even got the Master's attention for so long. It should have been my sister and I!" He roared, his arms liquifying as they reformed into blades as he charged at Connor, swinging wildly.

"I'm kind of hard to kill. It's probably a human thing," the mage said, grinning and raising his uninjured arm in the air while backpedaling away from Slough. "Is it getting hot in here? Or is it just me?" Connor winked at the elemental as the temperature in the tower continued to increase. Steam began to hiss off of Slough's body, causing him to scream in pain. "Oooh... You're made of water and earth, to have all that water evaporating from you... that must sting."

One of Slough's blades struck home across Connor's chest, tearing open his robe but not hitting anything further as it slid across some sort of under armor.

"You're a mage! Why do you have armor!?" Slough yelled furiously as he breathed heavily, taking a step forward, only to drop to one knee.

Connor lifted his undershirt, showing off a shining steel plate underneath. "Oh come on, I have to be able to defend myself somehow," Connor chuckled while taking another step back as Slough attempted to stand up, only to fall over.

"The master's plans are almost completed...," Slough muttered, gazing up at Connor as the elemental's arms returned to normal. "Then we won't have to hide in this bubble any longer. We'll have a world ripe for the taking." The elemental's body had turned hard and pieces of him started to crumble away. "He's almost out of his prison." Slough leered at Connor, hate burning in his eyes.

"Ah, finally. It looks like you've lost enough water. Can't say I'm all that sorry, being enemies and all," Connor said, smirking as he reached into a pocket and pulled out some black powder. "I suppose it's time to finish this up."

Rolling the powder between his hands. Connor took a deep breath and nodded to himself. Clapping his hands together, Connor slowly spread them apart, creating a snake with his flames. Rolling the snake between his hands, he continued to pour his magic into the ability until the snake became a lizard and then a dragon.

"Flames of Finality...," Connor muttered to himself, pausing his movements as the dragon roared. "Flame Dragon Spirit!" The dragon charged at Slough, growing larger, wrapping it's body around the elemental and breathing it's own flame at Slough before flying into the air and dissipating.

When the smoke had cleared, Connor glared at Slough, watching him stand up. A hard earthen shield falling away from him. "You're going to get yours Connor," Slough stated monotonically.

"Not today he isn't," a soft voice spoke quietly.

The elemental spun around only to have two hands grip the sides of his head once more. Drowsiness overtook Slough's consciousness as he slumped to the ground, falling asleep.

"It's good to see you, Darcy," Connor said, smiling at the elf while holding his shoulder, a pained grin covering his face. "Let's get you out of here." Nodding, Darcy joined Connor in the center of the tower and they teleported back to the Castle of the Two Sisters.

Back at Trixie's Wagon 11:30 AM

"Trixie, are you in?" Connor yelled. He watched as the handle of the door to the wagon lit up and turned, opening for him.

"It's kind of small, isn't it?" Darcy asked, walking inside the wagon and coming face to face with Trixie.

"Connor, who is this? Why have you brought another pointy eared... Elf?" She turned to look at him. "She looks kind of like that other Elf in Ponyville," she muttered to herself as she studied Darcy.

"Elf," Connor nodded in confirmation.

Trixie rolled her eyes. "Why did you bring this pointy eared Elf into Trixie's home!" Trixie yelled, stomping a hoof into the floor.

Darcy frowned, backing up until she was back outside. "Is this where you've been living, Connor?" Darcy asked, looking around the temperamental unicorn. Shrugging, Connor began looking through Trixie's things for a first aid kit.

"Don't ignore Trixie in her own home!" The unicorn demanded, stomping a hoof on the floor again.

Raising his hands to attempt to placate Trixie, Connor returned to patching himself up. "She was a friend in a bad spot. I helped her. If you don't want us in your home, we can find other accommodations. Just give me a moment here," Connor said as he removed his robe and undershirt, revealing a melon shaped hole in his shoulder. Upon seeing the wound, Trixie choked and took a step back as Darcy rushed past her to help.

"Gods be damned Connor," Darcy whispered as she took the supplies and began to help.

"It's just a flesh wound," Connor said with a toothy grin, only to have Darcy smack the side of his head.

"You wish it was just a flesh wound," Darcy growled, gritting her teeth as she peeled back some of the gauze that Connor had placed over the wound. "What did you expect some first aid medication to do for you? I'm amazed you can move your arm at all. You're lucky Slough didn't tear through any more of the bone than he did."

Trixie took a step towards the two, a worried look on her face. "Is there anything Trixie can do to help?"

Darcy glanced over her shoulder before placing a glowing hand over Connor's wound. The bone and muscle that were torn out slowly began to grow back as beads of sweat rolled down Darcy's forehead.

"Trixie could help, she could offer some of her own magic," Trixie offered, taking a step forward. "Trixie understands that healing magic can take a lot out of a pony." She raised a hoof up just as Darcy toppled to the side, only to be caught in Trixie's magic. Placing her horn on Darcy's shoulder, Trixie began to channel her mana, sending it gently into the Elf.

Jolting back to consciousness, Darcy looked between Connor's partially healed arm and Trixie. Feeling rejuvenated, she continued to heal Connor's arm, making it whole. After Connor was healed, Darcy felt Trixie slump over, leaning on her while breathing slowly.

"And this is what The Master is trying to destroy?" Darcy whispered, picking Trixie up and laying her on the bed while Connor tested his arm.

"Not just her, this whole planet. If he... when he breaks out of his prison, he's going to tear through this place like parchment in a shredder," Connor murmured, prodding his shoulder, not feeling any pain. "Thanks, Darcy," Connor said, smirking.

Darcy rolled her eyes, looking away from the fire mage. "Consider us even now," she muttered. Shaking her head, she looked back to Connor. "Give it to me straight though, Connor. Is there another..." She paused, holding a hand to her chest.

"Another?" He asked curiously.

Darcy's gaze hardened as she stared at him pointedly. "Yes, you insufferable human. Is there another Elf!?" She nearly yelled at him, lowering her voice at the last moment, her eyes darting to Trixie.

Connor sat back and crossed his arms, looking at Darcy. "If I told you that there was, what would you do?" He raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't get your hopes up right away on repopulating your race though," he chuckled to himself. Darcy blushed and shook her head, Connor rolled his eyes. "Yes. He wasn't originally an Elf but this world changed him. Equestria has some pretty potent magic, I mean you saw what happened to Stella."

Darcy bit her lip in thought. "I would at least like to meet him on better terms than we had in Canterlot." She sat on the floor beside Connor and scooted her back up against the wall.

Connor stared at her in silence for a minute before shaking his head. "I'm sure..." Faelan ran through the open door and looked between Connor and Darcy, the latter who tensed up at seeing the wolf pup. "Oh, hey Faelan," Connor smirked as the pup stopped mid-way through the door and looked at Darcy.

"There's another one?" Faelan asked, tilting his head before walking up to the Elf and sniffing.

"Another biped hanging out in Trixie's wagon?" Connor asked, chuckling. "Yep."

Faelan shook his head, staring at Connor seriously. "I thought I smelt the one that hangs around with the ponies over here, so I rushed as fast as I could," Faelan explained, glancing up at Darcy, his ears folded back. "They have similar smells," Faelan stated, causing Connor to raise an eyebrow.

"Well if anything, Darcy, that right there should be able to tell you what you want to know about the lad." He crossed his arms and yawned. "Meh. I may take a nap here. Getting you out of the Cathedral wore me out," Connor muttered.

Darcy looked back out the door then down to Faelan. "Wolf, can you show me where this other Elf is?" Darcy asked.

Faelan tilted his head curiously. "I could. Why would you want to see him though? He will be spending time training with the ponies right now. They've been talking about something big happening soon." Faelan took a step outside, hopping down the steps, looking back at Darcy. "Do you know what is going to happen?"

Darcy frowned and nodded. "Yes, and it is going to be big. If we lose, then this whole world could potentially be destroyed." Faelan shook his head and groaned. "I just want to see what the other Elf looks like. You can take me to him without being seen, can't you wolf?" Faelan nodded.

"Avoiding being seen won't be difficult. Be sure to follow close," Faelan said before walking off towards the Everfree.

Looking back to Connor, Darcy groaned. The man had his robes pulled around himself and his hood covering his head.

Everfree Forest, 12 PM

"Come on! You can do it!" Whirblewind yelled as Josh spun in place, slipped and fell over, the spear flying into the air and landing behind him. "Oh come on, you can't be slipping when it matters."

Josh rolled his eyes as he slowly stood back up and picked up the training spear. Spinning the weapon in his right hand, he threw it into the air and caught it with his left as it came back down, continuing to spin it.

"Hup!" Whirble yelled and Josh thrust the spear at the dummy, spinning and bringing it down on the dummy's shoulder. "Hup!" He thrust the spear forward, leapt back and went to move his right foot in front of his left, switching stances, only to lose his balance and fall over with a curse.

"Whirble... I don't know if I'll be able to get this. It's just too fast for me," Josh sighed.

Whirble raised an eyebrow. "You're the one going fast. I'm just letting you know when to use the next skill. If you need to slow down to learn the skills then do so." She walked up to him and offered him a canteen. "The first thrust and spin usually takes a bit longer to get down by even the more skilled lancers. You're doing fine."

Josh took the canteen and drank from it, groaning. "I suppose I should slow down a bit." He grinned and looked over to the Thestral. "How long do you think it'll take me to get all of your training learned?" Whirblewind guffawed, sitting back and wrapping her hooves around herself as she laughed. Josh took a step back frowning. "Geesh, excuse me for wanting to know how long it would take."

Shaking her head, Whirble wiped her eyes with her fetlock. "Oh Josh, I'm not even finished with my training. A true warrior always knows that their training is never over and that each experience is a new lesson." Whirble smiled at Josh, nodding. "I'm laughing because I asked my teacher the very same thing when I started. I can see you doing great things, but for now let's keep working. You'll get it in time."

Josh stretched his arms as he stood up, hopping up and down on the balls of his feet, smirking. "Alright then. Let's continue."

Hiding in the trees, Same time

Darcy was crouched down beside Faelan as she watched Josh train with Whirblewind. Her eyes widened as she placed a hand over her mouth. "He's so young...," she whispered to herself.

Faelan looked up at her, tilting his head. "Young? He looks almost as old as Connor," he whispered, looking up at Darcy.

Raising an arm, she pointed at Josh. "Look at his ears."

Faelan looked at Josh's ears then turned and looked at Darcy's. "Yours have more of a point. His are more rounded. Is that what you're talking about?" Faelan asked, flicking his ears.

"That’s a start." Darcy muttered. "Look how much longer mine are too, I'm at least fifty years older than him based off of that alone." Crossing her arms, she frowned. "I should of expected it though..." Shaking her head, she sat with Faelan and watched Josh train.

"He's using a spear," Darcy said, raising an eyebrow. "Well they won't be expecting that." Where Josh was lacking in fluidity in his movements, he made up for in speed. Darcy frowned, biting her lip as she watched him trip in the mud that had built up around his feet, toppling into the dummy, only to stand back up and continue fighting.

"I'm going to prowl around," Faelan said suddenly, breaking Darcy's concentration. "If you need me to guide you back to Connor, walk a few yards that way and knock twice on a tree." Without waiting for a response, Faelan walked into the forest, vanishing into the shadows of the trees.

Turning her attention back to Josh, Darcy smiled softly to herself. "There is still hope for the Elven race. I can't say he's not pleasing on the eyes either," She giggled softly to herself.

Ponyville Park, 12 PM

Twilight was laying on her stomach groaning, Dawn had worked her into the ground. It didn't help that when Rainbow Dash had seen her training, she had decided to join in too, making small comments here and there about Twilight being as slow as she was.

"I think you're done for today with your agility training," Dawn said, walking up to Twilight. "Next I'll be a moving target and you will be targeting me with your magic missile spell. Do not worry about injuring me. My guard armor has a bit of magic resistance. I can guarantee that I'll be fine."

Twilight raised her head off the ground and looked at Dawn, nodding. "I can do that. Do you think we can get something to eat first though?" Dawn raised an eyebrow at Twilight. Glancing off to a bench, she raised a hoof up and beckoned Spike over. As the young Drake made his way over, Twilight noticed the picnic basket he was holding and beamed happily.

"Hey Twilight, you've been working hard, so Dawn asked that I make you a couple of sandwiches," Spike said.

Twilight grabbed Spike up in her magic and brought him over to her, hugging him. "Oh Spike, you're the best number one assistant a pony can ask for," Twilight gushed, causing Spike to blush.

"Oh you know, it's just a daisy on wheat, not anything special," Spike muttered, gesturing to the sandwich.

Dawn rolled her eyes as she watched the two. "Alright alright. Eat up and then we have some more practice to do," Dawn said, smirking.

Twilight turned to Spike as she ate and hummed. "How do you think Josh is doing?"

Spike raised an eyebrow. "I have no idea. You guys were out the door before I even woke up today," the young dragon huffed. "You returned to the room with a spring in your hoof, giggling. What happened last night?" Throwing a gem into the air, Spike caught it in his mouth as he waited for an answer.

Blushing, Twilight took another bite of her sandwich. "Josh may of asked me to be his marefriend," She said quietly, her face flushed.

Spike's eyes widened. "And what did you say? Have you told any of your friends?" He asked.

Twilight shook her head. "I haven't had time. As soon as I was up, Dawn and Whirblewind dragged Josh and I out for training," she explained, gazing off in the direction of the Everfree Forest. "I'm not sure how much this is going to help, but I do understand the need to move quickly in a bad situation."

Spike tilted his head. "Who is Whirblewind?" He asked, confused. "I thought Dawn was the only pony that was sent to train Josh," Spike said, finishing off his last gem.

"Whirblewind is a Thestral that Princess Luna sent to train Josh in a specific combat style." Twilight levitated a book out of her saddlebags that were seated nearby as she continued to eat. "She is in a special division of Princess Luna's night guard and arrived last night."

Spike scratched the back of his head with a claw. "I wish I could do something to help," he muttered, frowning.

Twilight blinked, looking away from her book to Spike. "Oh Spike, you already do a lot to help," Twilight said, waving her sandwich in the air. "This sandwich for example. I didn't even ask you for one and yet you brought me one anyways." Twilight suddenly frowned. "I haven't been spending much time with you recently, have I?"

Spike shook his head. "No Twilight it's okay, I get it. You've been quite busy with dealing with this Scion stuff." Spike ran a claw along his spines. "I just miss the way things were before we had to worry about danger all the time." Spike sighed.

Pulling Spike close with her magic, Twilight wrapped her hooves around him in a hug. "I know Spike. And you can bet that once this is all done, everything will go back to normal."

Spike wrapped his arms around Twilight, returning her hug. "I look forward to it," he said quietly, pulling away from her and smiling. "If you need me, I'll be over at Rarity's. Try to be careful."

Twilight smiled. "Of course Spike, I'll be sure to. Go have fun at Rarity's. I'll come pick you up once I'm done here," she said, poking his nose with her hoof. Smiling, Spike rubbed his nose and turned, running off in the direction of Rarity's Boutique.

"He can't be too much younger than you, just a couple of years right?" Dawn asked as she walked up, watching the young drake run off.

"Yep, about six years younger than me." Twilight replied, while reading her book and taking a final bite out of her sandwich.

Flicking her tail, Dawn turned to Twilight. "Alright, what I want to do now is see how accurate you are with your spells."

Canterlot Castle, 9 PM

"Sister, you cannot be serious! You remember how difficult it was to bind him to that stone all those years ago! What do you expect Josh and Twilight to be able to do against him?" Luna asked. "You and I should be the ones to fight him once more, please sister. Our students aren't nearly prepared enough," She pleaded, taking a step closer to Celestia.

Celestia smiled softly, extending a wing over her sister. "Oh Lulu, I have only faith in our wards, please have faith in them too."

Luna looked to her sister with uncertainty. "Not only will young Josh and Twilight be fighting him, but they will have to go through his Scions as well...," Luna said softly, looking out over Canterlot and frowning.

"All we can do is prepare them, Lulu. Whirblewind is in Ponyville training Josh. They have Dawn as well. Two of the brightest in both of our guards are helping them. I have sent a book of battle magic to Twilight Sparkle, what else would you have me do sister?" Celestia asked, looking to Luna with a sad smile. "I understand we're sending them against a tough opponent, without the Elements or ourselves to help them, but what else can we do? We have no way of accessing his dimension until it makes itself known." Princess Celestia sighed, walking away from the window and climbing into her bed and watching her sister.

Luna frowned, glancing back to Celestia. "You also remember how many ponies lost their lives when his island did make itself known?" The anger she felt recalling the memory evident in her voice. Celestia shut her eyes sighing. "If it happens again and that accursed island appears, I'll be sure to intervene," Luna stated firmly.

Celestia opened her eyes, smiling at her younger sister. "You would not be the only one, you have my word. As soon as the island appears, we'll join the fight," Celestia said in agreement. "I have a feeling that we will not be leaving the fight to just our students in the end."

Luna returned her sister's smiled, slowly walking over and joining Celestia on the bed, cuddling close. "What dost... do you think of the weapon plans that Josh gave you?" Luna asked warily.

Celestia hummed, her eyes glancing to a copy of the plans that were rolled up on her desk on the other side of the room. "I believe this weapon has its use. I have already provided our weapons specialists with the schematics that Josh drew up and explained its use to them," Celestia explained while motioning towards the plans with a hoof. "They said that they will work on it and possibly improve on the plans as well."

Princess Luna's eyes widened. "You'd approve of not only the weapon but improvements to it as well!?" Luna asked incredulously.

Celestia wrapped her wing around Luna once more, pulling her younger sister close. "Luna, do you trust Josh?" She asked, looking into her sister's eyes, an eyebrow raised.

Luna looked down at her hooves, pressing them together. "I trust him. I really do. He's opened his heart to me more than anypony else has...," Princess Celestia tilted her head at her sister. Luna pressed her ears back, frowning. "Besides you, I mean," She stated swiftly. "Josh is the only pony besides you that has been comfortable enough to talk to me like a normal pony," Luna said softly, resting her head on one of her sister's pillows.

Celestia nodded, closed her eyes and yawned loudly, eliciting a quick laugh from her sister. "Oh Luna, if you do trust him as much as you say you do, then leave it to him and Twilight to figure out the right way to remove the problem." Celestia rubbed her eyes with her hoof, glancing at the clock on the other side of the room. "Hmm, do you not have night court here soon sister?" Celestia asked, smirking.

Groaning, Luna crawled out from under her sister's wing and left the bed. "I suppose it is time to prepare then, sleep well dear sister." Luna said softly, leaning down and nuzzling Celestia's cheek.

"Mmm... And a good night to you Lulu." Celestia whispered as she began to fall asleep.

Luna left her sister's bedchambers and nodded to the guards at the door. "Be sure my sister is not disturbed this night." With a brisk salute, the two guards straightened their posture and watched as Luna began her walk to the throne room.

Everfree Forest, 11 PM

Sweat poured down Josh's chest as he held the makeshift spear that Whirble had prepared for him to use, thrusting it at a training dummy in time with Whirble's yells. "Hup!" Josh thrust into the target's center before spinning around quickly and bringing the spear down on the dummy's shoulder. "Hup!" He then followed up with a thrust aimed at the dummy's middle, quickly switching one foot in front of the other as he took a step back. "Hup!" Bringing the spear around, Josh made two diagonal swings from upper right to bottom left and then tripped mid spear, falling into the dummy.

"Well you've made good progress for one day. That is about half of the basics." Whirblewind grinned at Josh, as he slowly got up, staring at his bare chest.

"You know, if you keep staring and Twilight finds out, it'll be me that’s in trouble and not you," Josh muttered causing Whirble to tilt her head in confusion.

"Why would Twilight be mad or jealous? It's only healthy for a mare to be in awe of a strong stallion. You've made more progress today than even the strongest of ponies usually do in four months worth of work. Not to mention most of these skills are only usable by Pegasi ponies with the wind abilities that I have," Whirble stated as she removed a water canteen from her saddlebag and handed it over to Josh who accepted it gladly. Taking slow sips, Josh sighed as his breathing began to calm down.

After a moment of thought, Josh suddenly began to chuckle to himself, shaking his head. "Well, ready for some more?" Whirble blinked as Josh stood and attempted to pick up the cracked and splintered training spear. Shuffling forward, Josh made an attempt to thrust it once more, only to drop it and fall to his knees.

"Josh!" Whirble shouted as she rushed over to his side and wrapped a wing around his shoulders, trying to steady him. "Oh you dumb, stupid stallion. Letting me push you so hard like that. How long have you been training on just adrenaline?"

Josh looked blankly at her before shrugging. "Twilight is going to be angry at me isn't she?" Josh slowly shut his eyes and let himself lean on Whirble's shoulder.

Gritting her teeth, Whirble sat beside Josh, letting him rest against her. "Dawn warned me that you are a glutton for punishment, but I had no way to know what your limit was. It's my fault as well," she groaned, folding her ears back. "Let's take a break and give you some time to get some strength to stand back. Then we'll head to the library."

Nodding into her side, Josh muttered a word quietly causing her to look back at him confused. "What was that Josh?" She asked.

"S-sorry." He said softly. Sighing, Whirble rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"You dumb stallion," Whirble muttered soothingly. "Pushing yourself so hard, you must have known that you were nearing the end of your rope." She turned her attention to the woods around them, her ears flicking. The herbs she had placed around the clearing before she brought Josh to were doing their job repelling the creatures of the Everfree.

Shaking her head, she glanced back to Josh and frowned as she realized that he had fallen asleep. "You were only supposed gather your strength back so we can get back to the library,." She muttered before giving him a small smile, willing her spear over to herself with her air magic. "No worries, Aunty Whirble will keep you safe till you're ready to leave."

Josh sat up suddenly and looked around. Groaning, he raised his arms up while stretching. "Oh man, I did not mean to fall asleep..."

"It's about time too," Whirblewind said, amused, her voice coming from beside him. Noticing her wing wrapped around him, Josh turned and pushed himself aside as she folded her wing against her side.

Josh stared at her for a moment before shaking his head. "H-how long was I out?" He muttered, placing a hand to his head.

Whirblewind hummed to herself as she stood up beside Josh and glanced up at him. "An hour or two," she murmured, looking up at the moon high in the sky.

"And no one came looking for us?" Josh asked, raising an eyebrow.

Whirblewind looked at Josh, confused. Placing a hoof to her chest, she huffed. "Now why would somepony do that?" She asked. "I'm sure Dawn would have let everypony know that you're safe with me." She smiled up at Josh, batting his arm with a wing. "Let's just get back home. How do you feel? Will you be able to make it?" She asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

Josh ran a hand through his hair and shrugged, "Only one way to find out," he said as he placed a hand on his knee and attempted to stand up. Groaning, he brought himself to stand up, raising his arms in the air as he stretched. "Well, now the real test begins," he said, grinning as he attempted to take a step, his legs shaking. "Okay, I'll be able to make it, but it's going to be slow going."

Whirblewind walked beside Josh, pressing her side against him. "I suppose I'll help you then," Whirble said, smirking.

Josh's brows furrowed as he looked down at her, placing a hand gently on her back. "You don't think you're getting a bit... friendly with me, do you? I've only known you a day now," Josh stated, his thoughts going to Twilight and what she would say if she knew how close he had worked with Whirblewind.

Whirble's steps halted briefly before quickly keeping back in time with Josh. "My apologies, Josh," Whirble quietly said. "I'm not too surprised that I'm coming off that way." Her gaze locked onto the path as they walked. "My coltfriend, Blitz, thought that the distance would be too far and decided to break off our relationship before I moved out here." Her ears folded back as she sighed. "I shouldn't be leaping at the first stallion I see," she whispered.

Josh blinked, his cheeks darkening. "Yeah, that's probably something you shouldn't do." He muttered, scratching the back of his head. Whirble winced, her head lowering a few more inches.

The two walked in silence the rest of the way back to the library. Whirblewind bit the inside of her cheek as her thoughts drifted to Josh. He was strong. There was no way even the elite polearm masters could have picked up on their lessons as quickly as Josh had.

The two entered the library in silence. Walking over to the couch, Josh flopped down beside Twilight, groaning, as Whirble made herself comfortable. She sat down in front of the table that Twilight had piled heaps of books onto.

"Whoa, what!?" Twilight exclaimed as she was broken out of her trance. Looking up from her book, her eyes locking onto Josh. Her expression quickly changed as she met his gaze, pressing close to him. "Oh! You're home! How was training, did you learn a lot?" She asked, smiling as she pressed her hooves to his chest, staring at him. Her expression suddenly turned sour as her gaze hardened. "You didn't get hurt did you...?"

Josh bit his lower lip, trying to think of how to get out of this situation when Whirble spoke up. "Nope! Not one bit. If anything he put masters in the art of using a polearm to shame."

Twilight looked over her shoulder, her ears flicked as she turned her attention to Whirble. "Is this true Josh?" Twilight asked, hesitantly, turning her gaze back to him.

Josh shrugged, wrapping an arm around Twilight. "That's what she tells me. But enough about me, you have a new book?" He asked curiously.

Twilight's ears perked up as she grinned and levitated the book from the table, in front of herself and Josh. "Yes! Princess Celestia pulled this one straight from the Starswirl the Bearded section of the Royal Library!" She said happily. "It has so many interesting pieces of information about high level defense and assault spells that were used by unicorn military ponies hundreds of years ago," she started. Josh raised an eyebrow as he watched Twilight turn the pages of the book with her magic.

"These spells haven't seen much use since then due to the rising peace between Equestria and her neighbors. But the Princess has deemed it appropriate for me to learn these in case we need them when we assault the Master," she finished, turning back to Josh, beaming happily.

"It's not like we know a lot about this 'Master' anyways...," Josh muttered under his breath. Twilight nodded in agreement as she leaned into Josh's side, continuing to read through the book. "The Princesses have mentioned something about fighting him before, I wonder if they would be able to give us anymore information about him," he said, placing a hand on his chin in thought.

"Have you thought about asking Princess Luna in your dreams?" Whirblewind offered. "If her and Princess Celestia have gone up against him in the past, they should be your first source of information on him."

Josh blinked and looked at Whirblewind, a moment later, his hand was plastered to his face. "Why didn't we think to ask them yet...," he groaned,

Twilight looked at Josh, frowning. She nodded in agreement. "Indeed, we should have asked them more about him as soon as we heard that they've fought him before." Closing her book, she gently placed it on the table. "Well, no use crying over spilt milk. I'll have Spike send a letter to Princess Celestia in the morning to see if we can get some answers."

Josh nodded in agreement. "All I can do is hope Princess Luna contacts me tonight then," he stated, his hand straying to Twilight's ear, scratching it absentmindedly.

Twilight's eyes widened, only to quickly close half way as her breathing slowed. "Mmm... whatever you're doing, don't stop," Twilight sighed, pressing her side closer to Josh only to have him stop suddenly, causing her to groan. "Why did you stop?" She asked, eyes half-lidded, a goofy grin on her muzzle.

"Okay, enough of that," Josh said, cheeks red. "I think it's time that we got some shut eye." Frowning, Twilight crossed her hooves in annoyance, causing Whirblewind to giggle to herself.

"You two are so cute together," Whirble said brightly as she watched them sadly. "I suppose I should be heading to sleep as well. I'll see you both in the morning." Getting up, Whirble made her way to the basement room she shared with Dawn.

Once the two were alone, Twilight blushed, looking up at Josh. "I suppose this is goodnight then?" Twilight asked, a hint of disappointment in her voice.

Josh nodded, ruffling Twilight's mane. "Yeah, but I live with you, you'll see me in the morning," Josh said, smiling.

Nodding in agreement, Twilight leaned forward and kissed Josh's cheek. "Goodnight then, Josh. Sleep well. I'll see you in the morning," Twilight whispered to him, her own cheeks quickly darkening. Hopping off of the couch, she made her way to the stairs, levitating her book behind her. Glancing back once, she proceeded to head to her room.

Josh watched as his marefriend walked to her room, only to chuckle to himself as she walked out of sight. Standing up, he stretched, his arms and back popped as he did so. "I suppose I should catch some shut eye as well then." he muttered to himself, making his way up the stairs and into his room.

Author's Notes:

Hope you enjoy this one ^^ More soon~

Proofreader: Blue Shard
Editor: Severith

Next chapter, expect a history lesson :P