Twilight sat in the carriage with her friends and Shining Armor. Princess Cadance had decided to stay back in the Crystal Empire to make sure that it would be properly restored. Shining had insisted to join the girls on their trip back to Canterlot, especially considering the cargo they were carrying. Glancing out of the back window of the carriage, Twilight watched as Darcy stared back from the confines of the bubble that she was being towed in behind them.

“So you said that there are more like that creature, Twily?” Shining Armor asked, having noticed his sister’s attention being drawn to the elf.

“Hmm? Oh, yes. There have been a couple.” Her ears drooped slightly as she glanced around the carriage at her friends who were all sleeping on each other.

“Do you think you can tell me about them, little sis? That way, I can at least know more in case they decide to attack us in the future.” Shining Armor looked towards Twilight, concern playing across his face. Clearing her throat, she nodded.

“A little over a week ago was the first time we saw one of them.” She smiled slightly at the memory. “He fell from the sky through a portal. Rainbow Dash was heading towards my library when he appeared, and she ended up saving him.” Shining Armor raised an eyebrow but stayed silent as he motioned for his sister to continue.

Twilight continued to tell Shining Armor about her past week with Josh, leaving her older brother to stare at the floor in quiet contemplation. Her story ended as the carriage came to a stop outside the castle.

“I don’t trust him… Or any of them.” Was the first thing he said after Twilight had finished. “And neither should you or the princesses. I’m going to have to mention my concern to Princess Celestia about this.” Shining said as he magicked open the door to the carriage and stepped out.

Twilight glanced worriedly towards her friends, who were slowly waking up, and then back at Shining before jumping out of the carriage and following him. “Josh is different though! He saved me from the one that attacked Ponyville… If it wasn’t for him…” Shining turned around and sighed, placing a hoof over his face.

“We’ll see, little sis. But for now, I have to take this one up to Princess Celestia.” He said, motioning towards Darcy who was looking at them with a raised eyebrow through her prison.

Closing her eyes, Twilight nodded before turning back towards her friends and helping them out of the carriage.

Once everypony had made their way out of the carriage, they quickly ran and caught up to Shining Armor and followed him towards the throne room. Twilight stared at the floor as her friends talked amongst themselves behind her. Feeling a slight pressure placed on her shoulder, she glanced over to see the other girls looking at her with worry.

“We all know that Josh isn’t a bad pony, Twilight. Be a dear and cheer up okay?” Rarity said, offering her a small smile. “Once your brother realizes that, everything will be right as rain.” Glancing at her other friends, she returned the smile.

“Thanks, girls. We just have to find some way to prove it to Shining Armor that Josh is really who we say he is.” Twilight said with a nod, a glimmer of hope sparkling in her eyes.

Throne Room

A few guards walked into the room with a table hovered behind them. Princess Celestia sighed and placed a hoof to her forehead. “Any sign of the large creature and Prince Blueblood since the hospital went quiet?” She asked a guard who had walked up to her.

“No, your highness. We have six teams out and looking for him now. I came to inform you that the Elements of Harmony have returned. Prince Shining Armor is with them as well…” He trailed off as he glanced down at a note he was holding. “It would seem that they found another one of those large creatures, like the one at the hospital. The Prince is bringing the creature and the Elements here as we speak.” Princess Celestia glanced up from looking at the guard, her gaze trailing over to the throne room doors, only to have them open up a moment later as Shining Armor led the way into the room.

Celestia nodded towards the guard, excusing him as she walked over and greeted Shining Armor as well as the Elements. Staring at the bubble that had been towed into the room, Celestia shook her head before looking over to Twilight and her friends. “Welcome back, my little ponies. I assume your trip to the Crystal Empire was a success?” Twilight nodded and stepped forward, beginning to tell Celestia what had transpired in the past couple of days while she was away.

“So you all worked together to find the heart and keep the spirits of the crystal ponies high. I would definitely say that it was a success.” Celestia said with a smile.

“Yes it was, Princess. Though I wasn’t the one to complete the test… Spike was the one who returned the Crystal Heart.” Princess Celestia walked forward and offered Twilight a smile, laying a hoof on her shoulder.

“Twilight, as I understand it, Spike brought Princess Cadance the Crystal Heart because you weren’t sure of how quickly you could have escaped the tower while keeping it away from our friend over here.” Celestia said, motioning towards Darcy who was still seated in the bubble, glaring at the group. A contingent of unicorn guards had shown up and were now keeping the shield up around Darcy, allowing Shining Armor to rest his magic.

“I would say it’s far better that I have a student who understands the meaning of self sacrifice, rather than one who looks out for her own interests.” Twilight’s eyes widened as she looked up at her mentor.

“Does this mean...?” She asked quietly, only to receive a small smile from Celestia, eliciting an eyeroll from Darcy who continued to stay silent. As Twilight’s friends gathered around her and offered their congratulations, the throne room doors burst open and a guard ran inside.

“Your highness! The large creature has been spotted!” Celestia’s eyes narrowed as she turned her attention from her student to the guard. Twilight noticed her mentors’ expression, and looked over towards the guard worriedly.

“What large creature..?” Twilight muttered quietly. Taking a deep breath, Celestia nodded towards the guard.

“Where was it spotted?” She asked, her tone drastically different from what it had been mere moments before while talking to her student.

“Just outside the gate Princess, and approaching the castle.”

Josh held the phone up to his ear and watched as the guard and Luna walked out of sight. Glaring, he walked over to one of the windows that lined the hallway. “Why are you calling me, Connor? Isn’t it enough that you and your friend Stelma attacked Twilight and myself a few days ago?”

“Now hold on a moment, my boy! You’ve got it all wrong. Here, let me explain myself.” Josh sighed, running a hand through his hair as he glanced once more towards the direction Luna had left in.

“You have a couple minutes. Make it quick.” Josh growled into the phone. Connor cleared his throat and began to recount what had happened two nights prior.

Josh scratched the back of his head and sighed as Connor finished telling his tale. “So you’re saying that you had no part in the attack on Ponyville..?”

“No, of course not! I was in the Everfree Forest nearby. And I’m being completely honest.” Josh closed his eyes and shook his head.

“Let’s say I believe you. Why was Stelma there to begin with? It’s obvious that she is one of your scion members. She said so herself.” Connor became quiet for a moment, then Josh heard him sigh through the phone.

“I’m no longer with their group, as I said they would all think that I’m dead. The master holds no love for screwing up. He’d rather that I just let Stelma feel the Princess’ wrath. My double that I created went out with the intent to help her. And he would've killed him for it.”

“So where do we go from here then, Connor?” Josh muttered as he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Well, for starters, I’m nowhere near your neck of the woods anymore. I’ve found company, and will be traveling with them for a bit. Now, I want you to know that my phone may come up as unknown for you, but if you press redial it should still connect to me. If anything happens, contact me. Understand? The scions are working much faster than I surmised, and anything could happen. Be careful.”

“Well, I suppose I should thank you for the warning then. I’m going to have to cut this talk short though; The girls just returned from someplace called the Crystal Empire.” Josh paused as he stared out of the window and furrowed his eyebrows. “What is that…” He muttered quietly.

From below, quite far below, walking through the Canterlot Castle courtyard Drex slowly approached the gates, dragging Prince Blueblood behind him by his tail. Josh’s eyes widened as the man slowly looked up in his direction and stared right at him. Quickly moving, Josh hid out of sight.

“What is it boy, what's going on?” Connor asked, his voice carried a hint of worry.

“I don’t know… Some large man is approaching the castle, he was dragging Prince Blueblood behind him.” Josh cleared his throat and peered back out the window only to have it shatter, raining glass all around him.

“Drex…” He could hear Connor mutter through the receiver. Holding his arm up to protect himself from the falling glass, Josh ducked aside once more.

“I’m going to have to call you back, Connor…” He said quietly as he slowly ducked around a pillar and out of sight from the window.

“Josh! Don’t fight him, you fool!” He heard Connor say as he hung up the phone and placed it in his coat.

As the phone hung up, Connor stared at it and cursed quietly. Trixie looked over at him from the other side of the wagon with a raised eyebrow. “Friend of yours?” Connor frowned, nodding.

“Something like that…”

Josh snapped his fingers, creating a spark of electricity that danced in the palm of his hand. “Connor said not to fight him…” He clenched his hand into a fist as he slowly backed away from the window. “But he’s taken out the guards in front of the castle already…” The sound of hooves running down the hallway reached his ears. As the ponies turned the corner, he could see that it was just two guards. Relaxing for a moment, Josh sighed and looked back out the window.

“There he is! Halt! Prince Shining Armor has declared you to be put under custody until further notice. Please stand down and come with us.” Josh glanced back towards the two guards that were slowly approaching him. “We wont ask a second time.” Josh slowly backed away from the window and held his hands up.

“Easy now, I’m here as a guest of the princesses.” Josh said. The guards looked between each other for a moment before shaking there heads.

“We have yet to see the princesses since arriving from the Crystal Empire. We’ll take you to Prince Shining Armor and get everything sorted out then.” Josh glanced back towards the open window as the two guards approached him.

“Can you really be so blind?” Josh waved a hand towards the broken window and the fighting going on outside. “You’re under attack and you’re worried about me? I’m on your side!” The guards glanced out the window, their eyes widening at the sight of Drex. The large man had his axe pulled out, and was circling a unicorn guard that had a rapier levitated beside him.

“Well…” Josh put a few more feet between himself and the window as he cleared his throat. “If you’re not going to make yourself useful, maybe I will.” He said quietly as he flared his coat out behind him and began running towards the window.

“Wait! What are you thinking!?” One of the guards quickly approached him and leapt to try and stop Josh from jumping out the window, missing and falling to the ground with a grunt.

“Buying everyone time! Tell the Princesses that they’re under attack!” Josh said over his shoulder as he jumped out the window. Holding his hands out to his sides, he conjured up a pillow of air underneath him to slow his fall. His eyes widened as he approached the ground, realizing that he wasn’t slowing down fast enough to land safely.

Thrusting his hands out in front of him, a wave of air hit the ground underneath him, causing him to land on his chest with a grunt. “That definitely didn’t go according to plan...” Josh muttered as he slowly pushed himself from the ground and dusted himself off.

“Well well well… What do we have here? You must be Connor’s toy.” Josh looked up and came face to face with the largest man he had ever seen. Clearing his throat, he slowly backed away from Drex.

“You must be… Drex.” Josh said with a hint of nervousness in his voice. Slowly sliding his hands in the pockets of his coat. “I mean, Connor mentioned you in passing…” The large man grinned at Josh before cracking his neck, hefting his battle axe over his shoulder. “So um… I take it you’re here because of Stelma?” Drex raised an eyebrow and slowly began to approach Josh with a murderous intent in his eyes. “Yeah… Not much of a talker are you. Um…” Drex hefted his axe to the side to swing it horizontally at Josh.

Quickly dashing backwards, Josh only just dodged the axeblade as it cut the air near his midsection. “What’s going on out here!?” A shout came from the front of the castle. Josh glanced towards the castle entrance to see a white unicorn stallion hovering a broadsword in front of him as he walked past a row of guards that had taken up position before the large castle doors.

“Prince! It’s him!” One of the guards said loudly, pointing a hoof towards Drex. “The one who attacked the hospital.

“I see… And he brought the traitor as well…” Shining Armor said as his gaze flickered over Prince Blueblood.

“Seems the cavalry has arrived, more fun for me I suppose…” Drex said quietly, never taking his gaze away from Josh. A wave of light shimmered around the large man for a moment before becoming stable. Hefting his axe once more, he grinned before dashing towards Josh at incredible speed, considering his size. As the axe came down, Josh pulled his hands out of his coat pockets and forced them upwards, sending a large blast of electricity into the weapon above him, knocking it aside.

Breathing heavily, Josh saw the opening and pulled his fist back, gathering electricity around his hand, before thrusting it into Drex’s chest. As he felt the magic leave his hand and run through the large man, he glanced up and into Drex’s face. A dark red tint seemed to take over the man’s eyes, almost demonic in nature. Taking one of his hands off of his axe, Drex grasped Josh’s arm and threw his body aside. Hitting the ground hard, Josh rolled away a few feet, ending up near the wall of guards, groaning.

Shining Armor looked down at him with a raised eyebrow before turning his attention towards Drex. “You must be Josh.” He muttered quietly as he watched Drex turn towards the guards and approach them. Josh coughed before placing a hand underneath himself and slowly raised himself up off of the ground.

“Yup, that’s me.” Josh said as he winced, holding a hand to his chest. “I’ll figure out who you are later.” Sparks erupted from his hands and lanced towards the ground underneath his feet as he took a deep breath, turning back towards Drex who was looking at him curiously. “Think you can inform the princesses that they have company on their front lawn? I’ll try to keep him busy.”

Shining Armor stepped up beside Josh and rolled his eyes. “They’re already aware of the disturbance. One of the guards that saw him approach the castle informed us about five minutes ago.” Josh blinked before glancing over to Shining Armor. A large bubble formed around both of them, and a split second later a thudding sound radiated through the shield that Shining had placed around them. “Eyes forward… My sister told me how you protected her and Spike while in Ponyville.” Another thud echoed around them as Josh watched Drex chop away at Shining’s shield with his axe.

“Wait… Your sister? You’re Twilight’s brother?” Josh’s eyes widened as Shining nodded. Furrowing his brow, Josh stretched his arms out to his sides. “A pleasure to meet you. I’ll be your magical support in this endeavor then.” Josh said, smirking as two orbs of compressed air formed in his hands.

“For the last time, Twilight, I will not allow you or any of the Elements near the front Courtyard. Let your brother take care of the the large man.” Twilight shied away and looked to her friends for support. When she realized that she wouldn’t be receiving any, she turned back to the Princess.

“Then… Can you tell me where Josh is, Princess?” Twilight asked, looking back towards Celestia. Offering her student a small smile, Celestia nodded.

“He was last seen with my sister-” She started, only to be cut off as the two large doors to the throne room flew open once more as a pair of guards rushed in.

“Your highness! Your guest that was staying here at the castle just jumped out a window on the third story hallway.” The six Elements and the princess all gasped at once. Rarity placed a hoof over her forehead and fell onto Spike.

“What do you mean he jumped out the window!?” Twilight said, walking up to the guard that spoke. Clearing his throat, he looked between Twilight and the Princess nervously.

“Prince Shining Armor ordered us to detain your guest and bring him to the throne room when we arrived from the Crystal Empire. As we made our way towards Princess Luna’s quarters we heard the sound of glass shattering and moments later found your guest jumping out of a broken window.”

“Um.. Is, um… Is Josh okay..?” Fluttershy asked curiously from behind her friends. The guard looked over to her and frowned.

“I can’t say, He was last seen outside the castle with Prince Shining Armor-” The guard began, only to be interrupted by a quiet laugh echoing from the nearby shield.

“So, Drex is here. That means Stelma is here as well…” The group turned and looked over towards Darcy who was finally speaking. Raising a hand up, she slowly traced one of her nails along the shield’s surface. “And if I’m picking up the energy right, Stelma is incredibly close by.” The woman stared at the floor as he eyes lit up for a moment. “But why would the master send Drex here…” She muttered quietly and went silent once more. The room became silent briefly.

“I’m going to check on my sister. There are some arrangements that need to be made if we plan to capture the two loose scions. It would seem that the one known as Stelma has her mind intact again.” Celestia said, breaking the silence as she headed towards the throne room doors.

“So…. What, are we going to just sit here and do nothing?” Rainbow Dash said, hovering a few feet off the floor with a bored expression adorning her face. Princess Celestia turned and watched as each of the elements began to add their own input.

“Rainbow is right, ah’ say we take the fight to the front lines and whip them critters into shape.” Applejack said, stepping forward while adjusting her hat.

“Well I just can’t let you two have all the fun can I!?” Pinkie said bouncing between both Applejack and Rainbow Dash, pulling them both into a group hug.

“Then that settles it girls.” Twilight said stepping forward. “You three go and look for Stelma and restrain her. I will head to the front and assist Shining and Josh.

“Rarity and I will stay here.” Spike said, using an oversized leaf to fan the white mare who was still passed out from her earlier fainting. Celestia looked between each of the elements once more before sighing.

“I think I’d like to sit and stay with Rarity and Spike… If that’s okay I mean…” Fluttershy muttered quietly, backing up a bit, sitting next to Spike.

“Be careful, my little ponies. This group is unlike any foe you have faced so far and I would not like to see any of you fall to harm.” Smirking, Rainbow flew in front of Celestia and saluted.

“We wont let you down, Princess!” The Princess stared at the rainbow pegasus for a moment before closing her eyes and nodding.

“I know you won't.” She said, turning and walking out the door. Turning around, Rainbow Dash flew over to where the guards were still holding Darcy in containment.

“Hey!” She said, tapping a hoof on the shield. “Where is this Stelma pony at? You said you could feel her close by. So how close?” Darcy looked up at Rainbow with an amused expression.

“Wouldn’t you like to know..?” Darcy said, raising a hand up and brushing a lock of her red hair over her shoulder. The woman’s eyes glazed over for a moment before returning to normal. “Actually… She’s here.” The castle shook around the group as an explosion could be heard from one of the distant rooms. “Always was one for the dramatic…” Darcy muttered, rolling her eyes.

Twilight glanced between her friends and one of the doors on the other side of the room. “Girls, be careful… When Josh and I stood up to her, she was unable to be harmed because of her earth magic. The only way we could prevent her from casting magic was when Josh had levitated her into the air. Her hooves have to be on the ground for her spells to work.” Rainbow nodded towards Twilight before turning towards Applejack and Pinkie.

“You heard her girls, lets go kick some flank!” Rushing towards the far door, Rainbow led Pinkie and Applejack towards the direction that the explosions had come from.

“Be careful girls!” Twilight yelled after them, sighing as she turned towards Fluttershy and Spike. “You three be careful as well.” Fluttershy nodded while Spike threw a quick salute, continueing to fan the unconscious Rarity. Summoning up her magic, Twilight teleported out of the room.

“Got any better ideas?” Josh groaned, holding his side where he had landed after being smacked aside once more by Drex. Shining leapt beside Josh and threw a shield around them both.

“You have absolutely no combat experience do you? Twilight never took you through the basics of Magic Theory? From what I’ve seen you have plenty of potential, you just don’t know how to use it.” Drex cracked his neck as he approached the two.

“Is this really all you have to offer? You better hurry this up because I’m getting bored…” Raising his axe into the air, he brought it down once more on the shield. Rolling over, Josh sat up and looked at the man, really looked at him. Taking in every detail, from the t-shirt to his jeans and then finally to a necklace that seemed to shine every now and then.

“Hey… I have an idea.” Josh muttered under his breath. Shining glanced at him, a bead of sweat trailing down his neck.

“Lets hear it then, holding a shield against this guy is a lot tougher than it looks.” Josh nodded and smirked.

“Keep his weapon distracted… I’ll handle the rest.” Shining’s eyebrows lowered as he groaned.

“Is this going to be like the last idea?” Josh shook his head, flinching as Drex’s axe made contact with the shield again.

“We have to get that Necklace off of him… My magic hasn’t been working at all against this guy, I think that gem on his necklace is somehow absorbing it all.” Shining looked over to Drex and noticed the shining necklace.

“I see…” Shining said quietly. “Then on the count of three, we’ll go ahead and go through with your plan.” Josh nodded. “If you're ready then… One.” Shining started as another blow came to the shield. Raising to his feet, Josh dusted himself off and stretched. As the axe came down once more, he grinned, eyes shining.

“Two.” Josh muttered, and got into position. As Drex noticed Josh’s stance he grinned as well.

“So you’re finally going to give it your all huh? Then you won't be needing this shield then!” Raising his axe once more, he quickly brought it down.

“Three!” Both Josh and Shining shouted, diving out of the way as Shining removed the shield. Drex’s eyes widened as the axe continued to fall, burying itself into the ground. Dashing forward, electricity enveloped Josh’s right hand as he reached forward and gripped the necklace around the large man’s neck. Throwing himself aside, out of Drex’s reach, Josh ripped the necklace off of the man, chuckling to himself that the idea worked, though a lot easier than he thought it would.

“That was a bad idea you two…” Drex muttered as the shimmering light that was around him grew brighter and brighter. Backing away, Josh raised up his hand to shield his eyes. An explosion shook through the courtyard, knocking both Josh and Shining into the line of guards, which had softened their fall. As the light dimmed Josh lowered his arm and looked right into a face that caused his skin to pale and resolve to plummet.

“B..But you’re not real…” Josh muttered. Drex slowly hefted his axe up and turned towards the group. His skin was now a dark green, his eyes were a dark red and two tusk like teeth pushed out of his lower jaw. “Orcs shouldn’t be real..” Drex raised an eyebrow, smirking.

“So you know what I am… Sorry to say kid, but we’re definitely real…” Laughing loudly, Drex swung his axe over his head before taking a fighting stance once more and charging Josh. Trying to push himself off of the ground, Josh stared up at the axe that was threatening to come down on him. “It’s been fun kid, but you’re just not good enough…”

A quick series of popping noises later and Drex’s axe came down once more on the ground. Growling in frustration, he looked around the courtyard. Unable to find Shining or Josh, he turned back towards the guards and knocked them aside as they began to charge at him.

Josh and Shining sat stunned in a nearby hedge and stared at their saviour. “Twilight..?” Josh whispered, raising a hand up and touching the mare’s shoulder. Smiling, the lavender unicorn nodded and leapt forward, wrapping her forelegs around his shoulders. Taking a breath, Josh closed his eyes and held back a groan as the mare pressed against his bruised side.

“Don’t scare me like that…” She muttered. Shining watched the two with a raised eyebrow. Shaking his head, he turned to keep an eye on Drex who was battling the unicorns at the gate. Twilight slowly released Josh and turned to her brother. “Shining have you found any way to beat him?” Placing a hoof to his forehead, under his horn, he sighed and shook his head.

“Josh and I thought we had it when we removed the necklace. But that just seemed to reveal his true appearance.” Josh moved next to Shining Armor and Twilight.

“No, it was more than that… Our magic was being absorbed by the necklace. Without it, he shouldn’t be immune any longer.” Josh said, holding up the item in question. Twilight stared at the necklace before taking it with her magic. As it hovered for a few moments, the magic field around it suddenly vanished and forced it to fall to the ground. Staring at it, Twilight frowned.

“I’ve never heard of an artifact that could do something like this.” She said softly as Josh picked it back up and placed it in a pocket of his coat.

“I have…” Josh muttered, rolling his eyes. “Too many video games…” Twilight raised an eyebrow but didn’t question him.

“If we’re going to make a counter attack, we have to go now. He just knocked out the last guard and is heading inside the castle.” Shining said quietly, and moved forward, back towards the castle. Following his lead, Josh and Twilight flanked Shining and moved forward.

Hearing their approach, Drex turned and looked over the group, grinning. “Ah so that explains it, had a little help by a third party.” He said, staring at Twilight for a moment. “As much as I’d to continue to play with you three, I have an elf to rescue.” Turning around, Drex dashed forward and into the castle.

“Did that just really happen..?” Josh muttered, running a hand through his hair. “Whatever, we should follow him.” Shining and Twilight nodded in agreement as the three began to chase the large man through the castle corridors.

“In here girls!” Rainbow shouted as she rounded a corner, entering one of the castle’s inner gardens.

Stelma stood on a rock in the center of the room with her eyes closed. “Hmmph, it would seem more weaklings have shown up…” Applejack and Pinkie showed up moments later and stood on either side of Rainbow Dash. “Unfortunately for you three however, none of you are magically capable.” Smirking, Stelma opened her eyes and looked between each pony.

“It wasn’t too smart of ya’ll to go and attack the castle like this.” Applejack said, adjusting her hat.

“Yeah! We’ll be sure to put you in your place and send you packing!” Rainbow said, punching the air with her hooves.

The two became silent for a moment before turning to the spot where Pinkie was standing just moments before.

Stelma smirked, laughing quietly to herself. “Hah! It would seem your friend has--”

“Hi there!” Pinkie shouted, popping up behind Stelma, causing her to jolt forward. “Are you that Stelma pony I’ve been hearing about?” Pinkie prodded her side before wrapping a foreleg around her. Backpedaling, Stelma fell over and onto her back, glaring at Pinkie.

“What of it?” Stelma asked, glaring at Pinkie.

“Just wondering!” Pinkie said, giggling at Stelma’s reaction. Stelma watched as Pinkie bounced over to her friends and turned towards her, smiling. Rainbow Dash placed a hoof over her face while Applejack rolled her eyes at Pinkie. Unnerved by the pink mare’s randomness, Stelma slowly got back up on all fours.

“Enough of this silly idle banter!” Stelma growled, rearing up on her back hooves as a light began to gather under her front ones. “Get out of my way!” Slamming her hooves into the ground, spikes shot up all over the room. Swiftly moving out of the way, the three elements began to move towards Stelma.

Watching as the group evaded her attack, Stelma quickly tapped one of her back hooves on the rock that she stood on. The rock immediately began to take a liquid form under her hoof and climb up her body. “Nu uh! Not happening!” Rainbow yelled as she plowed into Stelma’s unprotected side, breaking her out of the liquid stone shell that she was forming around herself.

Tumbling across the ground, the two exchanged blows for a moment before Stelma pulled a hoof back and punched Rainbow, throwing the mare off. As Stelma began to rise to her hooves, Applejack came up behind her and bucked her in the side, forcing her to cry out as she flew across the room. Hitting the blunt side of one of the earthen spikes, she rolled to her hooves, glaring at the ponies that were slowly approaching her.

“This ends now…” She muttered, running a hoof slowly over the dirt in front of her, drawing a square. “Trapped…” She said softly as the dirt underneath Pinkie and Applejack collapsed in on itself, creating two sinkholes. Bouncing out of the way, Pinkie avoided the trap while Applejack lost her footing and fell in.

“Darnit!” Applejack yelled as she looked up and out of the hole. “Rainbow get yerself down here and fly me out!” Stelma smirked as she watched the cyan pegasus fly down into the hole. Quickly stomping a hoof on the ground, the hole sealed itself leaving just Pinkie Pie alone with her.

“What plans do you have now?” Stelma asked, grinning. Giggling, Pinkie bounced up and down in place as Stelma began her barrage of spikes again. Avoiding each one, Pinkie eventually ended up jumping onto Stelma’s back. “Oof! Get off!” Shaking her head, Pinkie grinned and began bouncing on her back.

“Nope! This is too much fun!” The ground exploded nearby as Rainbow Dash shot out with Applejack holding onto her tail with her teeth. Bouncing off of Stelma’s back, Pinkie hopped over next to her friends. Gritting her teeth, Stelma began to back towards the exit of the room.

“So! Do you give up?” Rainbow asked, smirking as she flew up into the air, crossing her forelegs. As Stelma was crossing the threshold of the entrance to the garden, she grinned.

“Of course not, where would the fun in that be?” Stomping on the ground, a stone column shot up and blocked off the entrance, leaving Pinkie, Applejack and Rainbow Dash trapped. Turning, she began to run down the corridor towards the throne room.

“You’ve got to be kidding me…” Rainbow muttered as she began looking for a way out. “The only other way out is through the windows… Unless…” Turning she looked at Applejack. “Do you think you can buck a hole through that wall?” Walking up to the wall, she looked it over and frowned, tapping it with a hoof.

“Ah can try, sugarcube. Ain’t gonna promise anything fancy though, it’s pretty solid..” Turning around, she reared up and kicked her back legs out. A loud thud filled the room as her hooves made contact, bits of dirt and debris fell off of the wall as she pulled away and looked it over once more. “Yep ah can do it. It’s going to take a few good bucks though.” Rainbow Dash groaned, throwing her hooves into the air.

“Yeah yeah, lets just get it done already. We can’t let her get to Rarity and Fluttershy.” Nodding in agreement, Applejack began to buck at the wall again as Pinkie sat beside Rainbow, chewing on a wad of gum.

Back in the Throne Room, Rarity had woken up and was sitting next to Spike and Fluttershy. “Do you think everypony’s okay…?” Fluttershy asked quietly.

“Of course they’re okay! Twilight is the strongest unicorn there is, and Rainbow Dash’s speed combined with Pinkie and Applejack’s earth pony abilities… There’s no way they’d-” Just as Spike was about to say it, Drex burst through the throne room doors and looked around the room. “-lose..?”

“Took you long enough, you big ape…” Darcy said, standing up within her shield prison. “And it looks like they actually gave you a bit of trouble, your necklace is gone…” Drex glared at the woman and approached the unicorn guards that still held her captive.

“If you don’t want trouble, I suggest you move..” He muttered, glaring at the guards while holding his axe over his shoulder.

“Hey you!” Spike yelled. “What did you do to Twilight?” Drex glanced over and raised an eyebrow.

“Who is Twilight? Nevermind, it doesn’t matter.” Drex hefted his axe and approached the guards. “You have less than a second to move before I chop my way through, gnats..” The unicorn guards blinked, glaring at the orc. A shout echoed from the hallway into the room.

“He ran into the Throne Room!” Josh yelled while leading Twilight, Shining and a contingent of guards. Sliding into the room, his coat billowing out behind him, he raised an arm and pointed at Drex. “Get away from that shield, and no one gets hurt.” The orc lowered his axe and turned to him.

“Oh I don’t think I’ll have to worry about that.” Drex said, as he looked to his left. A flicker of movement to Josh’s right caught his attention as one of the windows in the room blew inwards and a darkly colored mare plowed into his side, knocking him over.

“The hell?” Josh muttered as he shoved the pony aside, only to come face to face with Stelma.

“Hello to you too.” Stelma said with a smirk before jumping off of Josh and over next to Drex. Stomping a hoof into the ground, the guards around the shield all fell through holes that opened up in the floor and down to the hallway below which then forced the shield holding Darcy to fall away. “Oopsie.” Stelma said, laughing softly. Darcy stared at the pony that seemed to take her side with a raised eyebrow.

“Who are you..?” She asked, confused. Turning around, Stelma pouted.

“Do you really not recognize me, Darcy?” The elf raised an eyebrow as it all became clear. Placing a hand over her mouth to hide her grin, she giggled lightly.

“But of course, Stelma! And might I say that your new quadruped form suits you wonderfully.”

“She ran in here!” Rainbow Dash yelled as she led Pinkie and Applejack into the throne room. Josh stood up and surveyed the scene. The elements quickly gathered together and stood next to Shining armor. The guards that had shown up with him had moved forward, flanking the scions. And right in the center of everything, Josh was left standing with his hands in his coat pockets.

Taking a hand out of his pocket he brought it up and ran his fingers through his hair. “Well this is awkward… I feel like the kid that no one wants on their team in gym class.” He said, grinning. Pinkie giggled at the comment whereas Rainbow muttered something about never having to worry about that. Looking up, he made eye contact with Drex. “As you can see, you’re outnumbered and outgunned. I would suggest that you come quietly, but that probably won't happen.”

Drex shook his head and turned to Darcy who nodded at the silent exchange. Bending down, the elf reached into her robes and pulled out a red leather pouch. “We won’t need to worry about you taking us anywhere.” Drex muttered as he faced them once more. Reaching into the pouch, Darcy had taken a pinch of fine grey dust and began to draw with it on the floor. “Take up arms, kid.” Drex said as he swung his axe in front of him. “I’ll cut you a deal, how about you fight me one on one. If you can last until Darcy finishes with what she’s doing, I wont kill you and all your pony friends.”

“You don’t have to do what he says, Josh.” Shining said, walking up behind him. Using her magic, Twilight sent a gust of wind towards the dust that Darcy was drawing with. Once the wind got close however, it encountered some form of barrier that prevented her spells from reaching Darcy.

“I don’t think I can stop her, brother. She has a shield protecting her.” Twilight said. Bored with the situation, Rainbow Dash flew towards Darcy only to be held back by Twilight’s magic.

“Let me go, Twilight! I can get through that shield in no time!” Rainbow said, glaring at her friend. Twilight shook her head and let Rainbow Dash go.

“Even if you could, what makes you think that you could get past him?” Twilight said, raising a hoof towards Drex.

“Tik-Tok.” Drex said, approaching Josh. “Armed or not, here I come.” Shining’s horn lit up as a shield appeared around them. Less than a second later, Drex’s axe came down and collided with it. Growling, the orc swung again at the shield, causing Shining to wince.

“He’s hitting harder than he was before, that necklace not only protected him from magic, but it seemed to of weakened him. Without it, he is a lot stronger…” Shining said through gritted teeth. Josh’s eyebrows furrowed as the shield began to crack, an idea coming to him. Taking a deep breath, Josh glanced towards Rainbow Dash.

“How quickly can you get some clouds in here?” Rainbow looked around the room and then to one of the windows that lined the wall of one side.

“In no time at all, quite a few can fit in here too. Why, do you have some sort of plan?” Josh smirked as an electrical charge bounced between his fingers.

“Something like that.. I’m running low on fuel myself, I need the clouds as a type of conduit to make channeling this spell possible.” Rainbow nodded, and flew across the room and out one of the windows that had broken when Stelma had joined the group.

“Josh, whatever you have planned, it would be appreciated if you could make it quick.” Shining muttered, laying on the ground as he poured all his energy into keeping the shield up.

“Here! Let me help you with that.” Twilight said, standing beside her brother as she added her magic to his, instantly repairing the shield. Drex growled angrily and began to swing harder against it. Josh stood and watched as the orc seemed to enter into a berserk-like state, swinging his giant axe faster and faster.

“This isn’t going to work… No, it has to work.” Josh muttered as he glanced towards one of the windows and watched as Rainbow flew in with a bunch of storm clouds, squeezing them all into the throne room.

“There you go, Josh. Whatever you have planned better work.” Rainbow said, flying down beside him. Josh nodded and glanced around at the group.

“Yeah… No kidding.” Raising his arms up, he closed his eyes as an arc of energy lept off of the clouds and into his hands. Immediately, the energy began to overwhelm him as he dropped to his knees. Cutting off the intake of energy, he allowed the lightning to wrap around himself, causing his body to spark. Lowering his hands, he stared at them for a moment as he began to guide and shape the electricity into a focused state around his hands.

Smirking, he stood up and held up his hands, two glowing electric blue gauntlets of energy met his gaze. As he flexed his fingers, the claws on the gauntlets flexed themselves. “Shining, Twilight. When I give the word, drop the shield.” The two glanced over his way, Twilight’s eyes widening as she saw his hands.

“How did…?” Josh shrugged and shook his head, interrupting Twilight’s question.

“No time to explain.” Another thud radiated around the group as the shield was hit again. “Get ready to drop it… After the next hit.”

“Are ya sure about this, sugarcube?” Applejack asked, looking a bit worried. “He’s a big feller to try and take down all on your own.”

“Yeah! Let AJ and I help ya out, Josh.” Rainbow said, cutting in. Shaking his head, Josh held his hands out to his sides. The claws sparked in anticipation as Josh grinned and crouched down.

“Umm.. I think you should just leave it to him, girls. he seems to know what he’s doing.” Spike said quietly as he stared in awe at the glowing gauntlets.

Josh stared up as the axe began its descent once more. Almost as if it was moving in slow motion, Josh watched sparks fly off of the axeblade as it connected with the shield. “Now!” Almost instantly, the shield fell away, throwing Drex off as he tumbled forward. Running forward, Josh swiped his right hand, the tips of the electrical claw slicing clean through the orc’s side.

“Come on, big guy, lets dance.” Josh said, grinning as Drex roared in pain, blood welling up from the wound in his side. Fluttershy gasped and turned around, hiding her face behind Rarity and Spike. Quickly turning around, Josh’s eyes widened as Drex rushed towards him.

Josh raised up his arms to block the imminent attack, and was knocked aside as Drex hit him with his fist. Slowly pushing himself off of the ground, Josh held his side and groaned. “Hah! That didn’t last long, kid. You definitely have spunk, but it’s the end for you.” Josh raised his head and looked up as the orc approached him.

“No!” A pop was heard as Twilight teleported in front of Josh, throwing up a shield around both of them.

“Another shield…?” Hefting up his axe, the orc growled as his biceps grew taunt. “I’ll take this one out in one swing!”

“Drex quit playing around, the circle is complete.” Darcy said, her voice filled with annoyance. Glancing towards the elf, Drex chuckled and hefted his axe over his shoulder before looking back towards Josh.

“Next time, kid.. Next time.” Turning around, Drex walked over and stood beside Stelma and Darcy. The circle that the three stood in began to glow until everyone in the room had to shield their eyes from the brightness. And then suddenly, it was gone and the three scions with it.

Josh stared at the spot they vanished from for a moment before his arm finally gave out and he collapsed on the ground, groaning. Twilight dropped the shield and turned around, her eyes filled with worry as she looked at him. Looking up at Twilight, he smiled weakly as the evening’s activities finally took it’s toll and hit him all at once. Sighing, Josh closed his eyes and passed out.

“Oh dear… Oh my goodness..” Fluttershy said, quietly panicking as she flew over next to Josh and looked him over. Rarity and Applejack walked over beside the yellow pegasus.

“I..I’m sure he’ll be fine, dear. He’s a hardy stallion.” Rarity said. Applejack nodded in agreement

“So they’re gone.” Celestia stated as the group turned and watched as the two princesses approached them, carrying the elements of harmony.

“But they will be back, sister.” Luna said as she walked over towards Josh and looked down at him, frowning. Closing her eyes, she bent down and touched her horn to the top of his head.

“Will he be alright, Princess?” Rainbow asked, flying over. Smiling softly, Luna pulled her horn away and looked over towards the pegasus.

“Yes, he’ll be fine. He will have to see a doctor though. I was able to trace a few bone fractures with my magic when I scanned him.” The girls all seemed to let out a sigh of relief.

Princess Celestia looked between Twilight and the elements of harmony that were locked inside the ornate case and closed her eyes for a moment. “Here, Twilight.” Levitating the case over to her student, she gave her a small smile. “I believe these would be put to the best of use in your care.” Twilight looked between the box and her mentor before smiling and giving a nod of confirmation.

“I wont let you down, Princess.” Twilight said before glancing towards Josh. Her ears drooped as her brother walked beside her and nuzzled her neck.

“He’s going to be fine little sis. I had my guards send for a medic team to come and take him to the infirmary.”

“Did somepony call for the doctor?” An old pony with a stethoscope asked a moment later as he walked into the throne room with two guards carrying a large stretcher between them.

“Yes, thank you for coming.” Shining said before gesturing over to where Josh lay. “If you could take him to the infirmary and see about looking him over, that would be appreciated. The two guards walked over and with Twilight’s help, placed Josh gently on the stretcher. The old pony adjusted his spectacles and looked at Shining.

“You seem a bit worse for wear, Prince. Would you like to come in for a checkup as well?” Shining chuckled lightly, shaking his head.

“I’ll have to pass, doc. Worry about him for now..” He said, gesturing towards Josh. “He was the one who is in the worst shape currently.” The doctor nodded and turned towards the guards as they approached him.

“We’ll be off then, I’ll have word sent to you when he is awake…” The doctor’s eyes gleamed as he stared at Josh for a moment. “Such a fascinating specimen…” He muttered quietly before leading the guards out the door. Twilight watched as the doctor and the guards walked out the door with Josh.

Shining and the rest of the group made their way over to where Twilight stood. “So… I guess you were right about him, little sis.” Twilight looked up and over at Shining, giving her brother a small smile.

“Of course she was! Josh is one of the nicest human creature things ever!” Pinkie said loudly, bouncing over and sitting beside Twilight.

“Yeah, I suppose I just need to get to know him a bit better.” Shining said quietly, glancing towards Pinkie. His gaze turned back to Twilight as he smiled softly. “Once again, you proved me wrong, little sis. First at the wedding and now here, you never cease to amaze me.” Giggling lightly, Twilight walked forward and wrapped her hooves around her brother’s neck in a tight embrace.

A shout of commotion came from the hallway before the throne room. “Unhand me, knave! I’ll have you know that I am the Prince and will not be treated this way by some unkempt smelly guard!” Princess Celestia raised an eyebrow and glanced towards Shining Armor.

“It seems we have one more problem to take care of… Prince Shining Armor, would you be so kind as to order our nephew placed into a cell? I don’t believe my sister or myself would be interested in speaking with him at this time.” She said, receiving a nod from Luna.

“Of course, Princess.” Shining said, bowing to Celestia and Luna before making his way out of the room. Glancing at the broken windows, Celestia closed her eyes and willed her magic forth. Picking up the shards, she fused them back together, smiling as she did so. As Spike and the girls looked at the windows that Celestia had repaired, they smiled. For in the center of the window stood a stained glass representation of Josh holding a bolt of lightning in his hand.

“Come along.” Luna said, breaking the group out of it’s reverie. “I have already made the necessary preparations for you all to stay here at the castle tonight.”

“Thank ya kindly, Princess.” Applejack said, turning to the others and motioning for them to give their thanks as well.

“We get to stay in the castle!? This is so exciting!” Pinkie exclaimed happily, causing the farmpony to cover her face with a hoof.

“T..Thank you, Princess.” Fluttershy said quietly.

“Oh I say, I can’t wait to get cleaned up. All of this commotion has really done a number my mane.” Rarity said. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes as she and Spike looked towards Twilight. The lavender unicorn continued to stare at the window, a far away look in her eyes.

“They’ll be back, the scions I mean… And it’ll be soon, we should work on preparing.” Twilight said, turning to Celestia.

“Of course, my faithful student. And we will. but you have had a long day and need your rest. I promise you that Josh will be fine in the morning.”

“Do you think I could visit him tonight though?” The Princess raised an eyebrow, nodding.

“I don’t see why not. I will have a guard escort you there.” Twilight shook her head.

“With all due respect, Princess.” Twilight said, bowing. “I grew up here in Canterlot and spent a fair share of my time here at the castle as you know. I’m sure I could find my way to the infirmary.” Laughing lightly, Celestia nodded.

“But of course. In the meantime then, I will have Dawn escort you to your rooms.” Turning towards the door Celestia frowned. “Dawn, if you could come in please?”

“Your majesty.” One of the guards said, walking up to her. “Unfortunately, lady Dawn was one of the first guards at the scene when the one named ‘Drex’ attacked. She is currently in the infirmary as we speak.” Celestia nodded before turning towards Luna.

“It is fine, dearest sister. I will have one of mine show them to their rooms.” Celestia opened her mouth to say something before shutting it, her lips slowly curling up into a smile.

“But of course, feel free. I will be in the meeting chambers afterward, please come and see me when you're done, sister.” Celestia looked towards Twilight and her friends. “I wish you all a good night. Thank you once more for assisting the kingdom, my little ponies.” Spike and the girls watched as the Princess left. Turning to her friends, Twilight smiled.

“I’ll see you girls tomorrow, I’m going to go to the infirmary to check up on Josh.” Twilight bid the girls goodnight as she walked out of the throne room and came face to face with a dark furred pony who slid in front of her, bumping noses with her.

“I’m sorry! So sorry!” Twilight blinked and looked at the mare curiously, raising an eyebrow. “I came as quickly as I was told! Oh I hope I’m not too late!” Twilight held her hoof up, interrupting the mare.

“Late for… What..?” Twilight asked, as her voice fell quiet while her gaze took in the rest of the mare. From her yellow slitted irises to the bat-like wings along her sides. “Oh! You’re one of Princess Luna’s night guard, I take it you’re supposed to show my friends to their rooms?” The guard blinked before nodding. “They’re waiting for you in the throne room.” Twilight said, holding the large door open for the mare. Nodding her thanks, the night guard walked past Twilight and into the room.

Castle Infirmary

It took Twilight an hour to finally get past the doctors once she had arrived at the infirmary. Upon finally getting a doctor to tell her the room number, Twilight made her way down a dimly lit hallway. Three doors down, on the left hand side, sat the door with the room number which was said to be where Josh was currently staying.

Twilight opened the door to Josh’s room and stepped inside. Sitting in a chair on one side of the room, Josh stared out a window overlooking the palace gardens. Josh’s coat and shirt hung over the back of the chair that he sat upon.

Closing the door behind herself, Twilight slowly approached him. She could see that his chest and hands seemed to be wrapped in bandages as well as some apparent bruising on the side of his face.

“I need to get stronger.” He muttered quietly, causing Twilight to pause for a moment before she continued to walk towards him. Josh glanced over towards Twilight and smiled softly. “Though I am glad to see that you’re okay.”

“Wish I could say the same for you.” She said as she looked him over. “If only I could of gotten to you sooner, I may of been able to help you and Shining deal with Drex.” Josh shook his head.

“Nah, don’t worry about it. I knew I was out of my league the moment I jumped out of that window. I honestly didn’t expect to survive that fight.” He leaned back in the chair and placed his right hand over his forehead, sighing. “You know, if it wasn’t for your brother, I probably wouldn’t be here right now.” Twilight frowned and hopped up onto the bed, turning to face Josh.

“Why? If you knew that going against him would result in your possible death… Why would you do that..?” Josh closed his eyes and glanced out the window again. “Josh, look at me. Why would you do that?”

“Someone had to.. I couldn’t let Drex get away with hurting and possibly killing anymore ponies.” Josh looked back over to Twilight. “You know, I found out when I woke up that Dawn was one of the ponies on the front lines when Drex first attacked. She is a guard that was assigned to keep watch over me when I was brought to the castle.” Josh looked down at his hands and clenched them. “She is currently in intensive care, if I didn’t do what I did, when I did.” He looked up at Twilight, a fierce determination in his eyes. “How many more would be in the same position that she is in now? That is why I did what I did.” Twilight bit her lip and looked down at the bed.

The two sat in the room in silence for a few minutes. Josh turned his attention back out the window while Twilight contemplated his reasoning.

“With logic like that, how can I be angry at you?” Twilight said, breaking the silence looking back up at Josh, smiling. “Just don’t do it again, okay? You’re my friend and I wouldn’t be a very happy pony if something were to happen to you. Especially if it was your own stubbornness that caused it.” A look of relief spread across Josh’s face as he chuckled lightly.

“So is excessive magic use always this painful?” Josh asked, changing the subject. “I haven’t been able to get rid of this headache since I woke up, the doctor said it was because of all the magic I used.” Twilight smirked.

“It can be a bit painful at first, but you get used to it. I almost never get the headaches anymore.” Josh raised an eyebrow curiously.

“What do you use magic on so often to the point where you become immune to the headaches?” Twilight raised a hoof in the air and waved it around.

“Oh you know, everyday things… Well that and long night study sessions where I am doing multiple tasks with my magic for hours on end.” Josh rolled his eyes. Leaning back in the chair he looked up at the ceiling, trying to think of things to talk about that would get his mind off of his headache.

“So.. How about the Crystal Empire? How did that go?” Josh asked, glancing over at Twilight out of the corner of his eye. Twilight told Josh about the search for the crystal heart, the crystal fair and the fight against the elf on top of the crystal palace. Josh listened quietly as Twilight spoke, asking a question every now and then.

“And all that was done in a day… How long have you been awake, Twilight?” Josh asked curiously. Twilight was silent for a moment as she stared off for a moment, blinking, she turned back towards Josh.

“About thirty one hours. I slept on the train ride to the crystal empire and have been awake since then.” Twilight stated in a matter of fact tone. Josh stared at her for a moment, dumbstruck. All of a sudden, Twilight closed her eyes and opened her mouth, letting out a yawn.

Raising a hoof up, she rubbed it over her eyes. “I guess I am a bit tired. I suppose I should head off to my room for the night.” She said, hopping off of the bed. Walking over to Josh, she placed her hooves on the armrest of the chair and nuzzled his shoulder with her cheek. “Good night, Josh.” She whispered. Josh stared at the mare for a moment, letting out a quiet chuckle as he ruffled her mane.

“Good night, Twilight. Get some rest you silly pony.” Blushing, Twilight nodded and walked towards the door. Glancing towards Josh, she smiled and then left. Sighing, Josh reached back towards his coat’s pocket and pulled out his phone. The device was a bit battered from his confrontation with Drex and had a crack running along side it. Amazingly enough, it still worked. Pressing redial, he held the phone up to his ear. The ringing went on for a few moments before he heard a click and then it was silent.

“Guess I’m not going to get any answers from him either… May as well get some sleep.” Glancing once more out the window at the night sky, he slowly lifted himself out of the seat and crawled into the bed. “This bed is definitely not nearly as comfortable as the beds in the guest room.” He muttered as he tried to get comfortable.

Trixie’s Wagon

Connor paced back and forth outside of the wagon which was hitched up inside a ring of trees. “Connor, calm down! Trixie is getting annoyed by your incessant worrying. Whoever this friend of yours is, I’m sure he’s fine.” Connor stopped in his tracks and looked towards Trixie and stared at her. After a moment he nodded.

“Yes yes, of course, you’re right. Worrying won’t get me anywhere.” Trixie smirked smugly as Connor walked up to the wagon. Turning towards the woods he scanned the treeline before calling out. “Hey! Faelan! Are you coming inside? We’re heading to sleep for the night.” A moment later, the young wolf barreled out of the trees and ran inside the wagon.

“Faelan! You dumb mutt! Make sure to wipe your paws!” Trixie shouted from inside, causing Connor to laugh lightly as he stared off in the direction of Canterlot. Pulling out a flip phone from his robes, he opened it and pressed redial once more.

“Come on Josh… Pick up boy.” Connor muttered, tapping one foot on the ground while crossing his arms.

“The number you’re trying to reach is no longer in service. Please check the number and try again.” Connor blinked and pulled the phone away from his ear, staring at it.

“What..?” Closing his eyes, Connor muttered a curse. “Okay okay calm down Connor..” He muttered as he began to pace once more. “His phone probably just broke is all, yeah thats it.” His eyes darted back and forth as he tried to piece together a probable reason for Josh’s phone being out of service. Trixie peeked her head out of the wagon once more.

“Oh come on, Connor! You’ve tried contacting him five times today alone, just come on inside, Trixie demands it.” She said, stomping a hoof on one of the wagon’s steps.

“Yes yes, I’m comin I’m comin.” Connor muttered as he followed the showmare into the wagon.

“Is everything alright, Connor?” Faelan asked as he watched the mage walked into the wagon.

“Yep, everything is completely wonderful.” Connor replied sarcastically. Sighing, he shook his head and turned to Faelan. “My apologies for being sarcastic, Faelan. I’m just a bit stressed right now.” Trixie cleared her throat, causing the two to turn their attention to her.

“Now that Trixie has your attention. We will be arriving in a small town by the name of saddleton tomorrow. Trixie has decided to put on a show there to make some bits.” Connor nodded in agreement.

“We may as well restock while we’re there as well. We’re running a bit low on supplies, see if we can get some bread and water.” Connor said, stretching as he moved to his side of the wagon. “Well if that’s the game plan, I’ll see you in the morning.” Faelan curled up on a blanket that was set aside for him while Trixie hopped onto her cot. A series of ‘good nights’ ran through the wagon as the trio fell asleep.

Author's Notes:

Hello! The reason this chapter was posted so late can be found in the blog I recently posted. For any other questions, I'd like to ask you to either A: Post in the comment section. or B: Send me a PM! I enjoy reading and replying to the PMs that I've been receiving in regards to this story.

Thank you again for reading another chapter in 'Becoming Something Greater'. This Chapter breaks two things for me, by the way. Chapter 10! In the double digits now. And, it is over 100k words! Never expected to write this much when I started but here we are!

Please like the story if you like it, and if you don't? Well please leave a reason before thumbing it down. I'd like to know what's wrong with it so I can fix it. Till next time, friends. This is Kyllier and peace~

Editor's Note:
FINALLY a main character that's not 'too' OP. <- Crystalline