Alive and well, bronys. I mentioned before how my life is as close to a cartoon as realistically possible, and the last month just reaffirmed my statement. there's just too much to cover in so little time, so I won't keep you from this update any longer. On with the fic, already. Enjoy, all!

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Chapter 23

Stallion About Town

The sound of the rooster crowing in the distance coaxed Midnight out of his peaceful slumber, the stallion rolling and falling to the floor for a sixth time. Twilight’s guest bed was much smaller than the bed he had grown accustom to back in Canterlot, making for an interesting night’s sleep. With a quiet grumble of some unkind words, Midnight arched his back and stood up. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he glanced over to Twilight’s bed, finding it’s owner nowhere to be found.

“Twilight?” he said quietly, one last yawn sneaking it way out for the morning. Her bed was already made, the pillows and sheets placed perfectly. In his basket at the foot of the bed, Spike still slept peacefully, snoring and mumbling to himself something about Rarity as he wrapped the covers just a little tighter. “Did she get up already? It looks like the sun is just coming up.” he thought. Sure enough, a quick inspection of the wind-up alarm clock on Twilight’s night stand confirmed it. Just a few minutes past six. Definitely too early to be up. Without warning, a tree-shaking !BOOM! rumbled out from the library below. The sudden tremor moved the floor of the upper level, causing Spike’s basket to hop up, flip and fall back down on top of him.

“Whaa!!! I’m up, Twilight, I’m UP!” the dragon said, struggling out from under the blanket. Midnight levitated the dragon upright, trotting over to the stairs and peering down. A wisp of white smoke crawled through the air up to second floor, causing both Midnight and Spike’s noses to cringe. “Aww, wow! Twilight must have pulled an all-nighter, again. That’s the smell of stagnant magic burning.” the dragon remarked, waving a claw in front of his face. Midnight fluttered his wings, straightening them before gently placing the still awakening dragon on his back.

“Should we go see if she’s OK? That couldn’t have been anything good.” Midnight asked. Before Spike could answer, several radiant beams of purple magic shined from the library below.

“I’m gonna take that as a strong ‘maybe.’ Let’s go before she winds up turning half the town into gelatin, again.” Midnight took a double take at the word ‘again,’ then proceeded to carry the dragon downstairs. Sure enough, there sat Twilight, surrounded on all sides by highly stacked books, a virtual fortress of knowledge. The full-grown mare laid with her head resting on her hooves, horn glowing as she read from an ancient, opened book on the floor before her. In the center of the room was her Element of Magic tiara, sitting in the middle of a circular glyph symbol, elaborately draw in chalk. The student mage quickly turned her attention to the two young males staring at her, the deranged look on her face making them both recoil back.

“Hello, boys...” she said in a creepy, overdrawn manner. “How long have you two been up?” The dragon and pegacorn looked at each other, then back to Twilight, the mare’s eye twitching slightly.

“Um... me and Spike just got up a minute ago. We heard a... boom. So, h-how long have you been up?” Midnight asked. Twilight shot up quickly, knocking down a large wall of spell books as she trotted over to them, smiling wildly. Hidden behind Midnight’s mane, Spike whispered into the stallion’s ear, advising him on how to best deal with the now manic mare.

“Since last night! I figured I’d flip through Star Swirl’s book a little before bed, but I just couldn’t put it down!” The purple unicorn trotted back over to her Elemental tiara, scooping it up in her magic and placing it on her head. “So far, I’ve been able to amplify my own magic by channeling it through the my Element. By my calculations, I can increase my magical output by 2.395 giga-joules per minute, and that just for starters!” she squealed, rushing up on Midnight as she quickly clopped her hooves together. The stallion reached up with his hoof, patting his teacher on her shoulder.

“That... that’s great, Twilight. But... maybe you should take five and have a coffee. You don’t wanna stop now that you’re so close to unlocking all Star Swirl’s secrets.” Without waiting to be told, Spike hopped down off Midnight’s back and ran to the kitchen. He quickly grabbed the tea kettle, filling it with water from the sink. It only took a moment for his intense fire breath to heat up water to the right temperature. In a moment, the young drake was back in the library, holding a hot cup of rich, dark nectar.

“Here ya go, Twilight! Fresh from the pot, just how you like it.” he said, giving a mock bow and a smile as he presented the mug to his surrogate sister. The cup quickly rose up in a purple aura, Twilight quickly drinking down the hot brew in one long swig.

“Hmm... wait, this isn’t coffee. Spike, did you...oh...” Twilight suddenly started to wobble on her hooves, head slowly swaying back and forth as her eyelids grew heavy. She staggered slightly, Spike guiding her as she teetered on the sudden edge of slumber. “Ooh... night-night...” With those words, the mare fell upon her couch, her young dragon assistant guiding her fall so she landed comfortably.

“There. Out like a light.” he proudly proclaimed to Midnight, the stallions jaw hanging open in disbelief.

“Spike! What the hay did you DO to her?!” he exclaimed. Spike onl chuckled, unfolding a blanket from the back of the couch and spreading it over the mare.

“That was a special tea from our zebra friend, Zecora. ‘Night-tee Night Tea.’ Guarantee to instantly and gently send  any equine to dreamland for up to eight hours.” The young dragon patter Twilight on her head, causing her to curl up tight under the blanket, a loud snore starting as she buried her head in the cushion deeper. “She’ll catch up on all that sleep she missed until the early afternoon.” Spike then jogged up the stairs to he and Twilight;’s room again, this time coming back with a small coin purse, jingling in his grasp. He hopped back up on Midnight’s back, pointing at the door. “Till then, you’re gonna get ‘Spike Drago’s Official Tour of Ponyville.’ Let’s go get some breakfast, big guy.” Midnight smiled over his shoulder at the little guy before trotting to the door. Making sure the sign in the window was flipped to ‘Close,’ the two left the library, intent on exploring the quaint little town.

“Spike, I think I’m gonna like staying with you two.”

***

“Please, no more questions. The Elements and Shining Armor will be taking no more questions today.” Luna announced. One by one, Shining Armor, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and herself all rose from their seats behind the podium on the stairs of the palace. Flash bulbs went off all around them as reporters clamored and flew in close to perhaps get just one more question answered.

Were the attacks by the supposed ‘Killjoys’ and the mysterious Shadow Dragon related? Yes.

Was it true Princess Luna had a new pegacorn bodyguard on the payroll? Yes.

Can the palace comment on the supposed use of ‘mercenaries’ to defend the city against the Killjoys? There were no mercenaries, only concerned citizens standing up for their Princesses.

Can the press have their names? No.

Where is this bodyguard, Midnight Blaze and Celestia’s Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle, now? On special assignment by the crown.

Who was this ‘Bedlam’ creature that was supposed to be behind all this madness?

...

...

...

No comment. End of press conference.

A wall of guards covered the pathway of the ponies as they made their way back inside the palace, the reporters never stopping their questioning until they were all out of sight. As the huge palace doors shut behind them, Fluttershy felt she could finally start breathing again.

“I can’t believe all those ponies out there!” the usually quiet mare cried out, falling backwards against the bottom pillar of the master staircase. “That crowd was even bigger than the ones I had to face  working with Photo Finish! Oh! I almost had a panic attack...” Rainbow Dash trotted over, comforting her timid friend with reassuring hug.

“I know how ya feel, Shy. It’s not every day I DON’T want that big an audience gushing over me.” Rainbow helped Fluttershy back on her hooves, the entire group moving deeper into the palace towards the throne room. They could still hear clatter and the sound of running hoofsteps well into the deep hallways and corridors they traveled.

“Well, I for one find events like that rather intriguing. The entire process of running the nation, identifying plans and courses of action, handling the press. Why, it’s all so exhilarating!” Rarity almost seemed to beam as she trotted beside Applejack, the farmer pony obviously not sharing her sentiment.

“Well, y’all can look at it like that, if it helps ya put a positive spin on lying to ponies. I, on the other hoof, woulda just told the press what we’re dealin’ with and been done with it.” AJ huffed. “T’ain’t no fair, not givin everypony proper warnin’ on what’s comin’ their way.”

“I couldn’t agree with you more, Lady Applejack.” The five Elements turned in surprise at Princess Luna’s response, stalling momentarily as they processed her words. “I also take issue with hiding the truth from my subjects. However, telling them that a trans-dimensional chaos monster has decided to kill their princesses and destroy the world might not be the best course of action.” The night goddess magicked the door to the throne room open, the group trotting inside.

“Well, I guess when you put it that way...” Applejack giggled nervously, catching Luna’s point. Before them, Celestia sat on her throne, Shining Armor by her side. Signing the final scroll for the day, she turned to greet her friends, each wearing a troubled look.

“Hello, girls. How did the press conference go?” The question was more a tool to start the conversation than a true inquiry. She knew these mares and the press, and judging by the orders they were given about answering the questions, she could already tell how it went.

“It was CRAZY, Princess Celestia! The whole time, I had to fight to keep quiet about everything! I’m just glad nopony asked ME anything.” the party mare said to the sun princess.

“Unfortunately, that’s the price we must pay some times, being responsible for the safety of Equestria. Every once and a while, we must hold back the entirety of the truth in order to keep the citizenry safe.” Celestia smiled weakly, stretching as she finally stood up from her throne. “Even if it hurts us. Shining, why don’t you go ahead and tell the girls what you just told me.” The Elements and Luna turned to the Guard Captain as he levitated a scroll from beside Celestia’s throne. He brought it to rest in the air in front of him, unrolling it as he leaned in close to read.

“Alright, here it is;

Dear Princesses Celestia and Luna,

I am pleased to report that Midnight and I have arrived in Ponyville without incident, and have found Star Swirl’s personal journal, exactly where you said it would be. Together, we decided to turn in early the night we arrived in order to gather our strength for studies tomorrow. I will keep you updated on both mine and Midnight’s progress in future reports.

Sincerely,

Twilight Sparkle”

“We received that late last night, sent by Twilight’s own magic. They’re safe, and working on their spells right this moment.” Shining said, a hint of pride in his voice for his sister. “Don’t worry, everypony. Even if our situation isn’t the best with dealing with the press, at least we can take comfort in knowing Twilight is on the job.”

***

“What the BUCK?!?!?” Twilight shouted, eyes wide as she sprang up from he couch. “Spike!!! How in the wide world of Equestria could you put me to sleep when we have so much work ahead of us?!?!” Both Spike and Midnight cringed, Midnight from never seeing the mare this way and Spike from knowing just how angry she had to be to act this way.

“Sorry, Twilight, but you needed the rest. You were getting kinda...” the dragon said, rolling his paw on his wrist as he looked for the right words.

“Insane. Spike’s looking for the word ‘insane.’” Midnight interjected. Spike faceclawed, waiting for the eventual explosion from his surrogate sister. “I mean, it was very obvious you needed some sleep. Spike was just looking out for you. I’m not entirely schooled on all the finer points of magic yet, but I’m pretty sure you need focus and concentration to pull off powerful spells like the ones Star Swirl left in his journal.”

“Yeah, and it’s not like we just messed around all day.” Spike added. “After I gave him a tour of the town, we scouted a great location by Whitetail Wood for you and him to practice all those wicked-awesome attack spells without, you know, destroying the town.” Twilight snorted, still trying to maintain a level of anger and seriousness in her scolding.

“Well, fine then. But he still has to go over all the basic casting commands and spell prepera-”

“Got it!” Midnight chimed in with a grin. “Spike told me about how you would prime your magic abilities before every single test Celestia would give you. He guided me through all the old mental stretches and exercises you used to do.” Twilight’s jaw dropped as Midnight gave the young dragon a brohoof and a chest bump. “He figured you’d want me to work out in the same way, seeing as how you’d be teaching me all those powerful assault spells.”

“But I... we... I... “ Twilight stammered, wanting to protest her unwanted tranquilization. However, her newly rested mind analyzed the various factors and figures regarding magic usage, focus and concentration, suddenly realizing Midnight had a point. “Ugh!” she finally said with a huff, deciding the drop the entire facade of anger. “Fine... at least you two didn’t just slack of all day.” The unicorn trotted back over to the pedestal where both Star Swirl’s journal and her Elemental tiara lay, looking over the two artifacts. Twilight then turned to the copy of ‘Equestrian Combat Magic’ her teacher had given her. Taking a deep sigh, she gave the floor a determined stomp.

“Alright! Here’s the plan for the remainder of our time in Ponyville: In the mornings, I’ll go over Star Swirl’s journal while I run the library. Midnight, you can go about town if you want. Just keep out of trouble. In the afternoon, we’ll all go to the field by Whitetail Wood to practice our combat magic together. With your learning curve and my tutelage, we should be able to increase both our abilities exponentially. By then, I should have unlocked the secrets to weaponizing the Elements of Harmony.” Twilight bore a new look of determination as the plan played out in her mind. Midnight slowly trotted up behind her, placing a hoof on her shoulder.

“Sounds good to me. For the rest of our time here, I’m all yours, teach.” The last word struck a cord inside Twilight. Briefly, she remembered back to her personal studies with Princess Celestia, at times calling her by the same casual title. The mare smiled warmly as she fought back a lump in her throat. SHE was the teacher now. It was her time to be the inspiration.

“Good.” she managed to choke out after a few moments. “We’ll start immediately. Spike, do you think we could get some coffee, and I mean the ACTUAL coffee, this time?” With a salute and a quick ‘Yes, ma’am!’, the little dragon bounced off to the kitchen to brew the two a fresh pot of the coffee. “We’re going to go over our lesson plan right now, Midnight. Tomorrow, we begin our training.”

***

“I moved sixteen tons of gemstones in one day, and I STILL didn’t hurt this much.” The diamond dog flopped down on the bed, face first, his complaining barely audible to the rest of his companions. All throughout the spare Guard barracks, the other deputized civilians all shuffled towards their beds, having earned their peaceful night’s sleep. Since sunrise this morning, Soarin’, Spitfire, Breaburn, Big Mac, Little Strongheart, Gilda, Rover, Prince Blueblood, and Trixie had been put through the ringer by the toughest, strongest and meanest drill sergeants ever to train Celestia’s finest. Learning hoof-to-hoof combat tactics, advanced flight maneuvering, concentrated magic focusing techniques; just some of the brutal training the nine creatures had to go through today.

“I hear that, pardner. I feel like the Barren Lands, warmed, over.” Breaburn crawled under the covers of his Guard issued bed, letting his Stetson fall to the floor and ignoring the fact he still wore his vest.

“Yeah. As brutal as Spitfire can be when she has us running drills, even SHE’S not that tough.” Soarin’ offered with a chuckle, immediately dying to a worried groan as he noticed the annoyed look on his teammate’s face.

“Thanks, Soarin.’” Spitfire said, rolling over as she pulled the covers over herself. “I’ll remember that... NEXT practice.”

“When I was younger and hot-headed, I used to wonder why King Veloc respected

the Equestrian military so much.” Gilda said as she arched her back, several vertebra cracking loudly as she groaned in pain. “Now... I see why.” The rest of the group offered their murmurs and grunts in agreement, each crawling and shuffling into their beds in the long barracks, save for Prince Blueblood. The Prince, finding old habits hard to break, inspected and perused over his bed before finally climbing in.

“Regardless of how you all may feel, friends,” Blueblood said, making sure he was loud enough to be heard by all. “you all did fabulous for your first day of training. I’m sure tomorrow will be even easier. Let’s just all get a good night’s sleep, and get ourselves ready.” The royal relative turned over, facing the bed between him and the back wall of the barracks. It remained untouched, the warrior it was intended for not having claimed it yet. Blueblood sat up and looked over his fellow creatures. There were the two Wonderbolts, the Apple family members, Rover, Gilda... but no Trixie. He looked over the occupied beds, noticing each of his fellow fighters either asleep or very close to it. Silently, he curled up into his pillow, waiting until he was sure they were all asleep. After a few minutes, when he was certain they were all out for the night, the alabaster noble slowly slid out of bed and out into the hall.

It wasn’t difficult to find the showmare. Throughout the day, Blueblood had sensed her magical aura every time she cast a shield spell or levitated an object on command. The most inconvenient part of hunting her down was going all the way back to the training ground to pick up the trail where he last felt her power. But sure enough, the familiar blue, female aura still remained strong as he followed it from the training ground, through the hallways, past the foyer and out into the Royal Gardens. There, in one of the clearings, Blueblood finally found his missing teammate. Trixie sat alone on a bench, overlooking the usual spot where the gardeners would leave their tools for the day as they went about caring for the plants and animals. She still wore her cape, but had opted to remove her pointed hat, having left it sitting beside her on the bench. Her silvery mane shined in the pale light of the late-evening moon, almost glowing as she stared silently at the grass below her hooves.

“You worked hard today, Ms. Lunamoon. You should probably get some sleep.” Blueblood finally said, causing the mare to nearly fall off her seat in surprise.

“Oh! Blueblood... you startled me.” Trixie said, holding a hoof to her chest. “I wasn’t expecting anypony to come looking for me.” The prince slowly walked over to her, Trixie politely moving her hat to the other side of the bench to allow him a place to sit.

“And why wouldn’t I come looking for the defacto leader of our rag-tag little group of soldiers?” he playfully asked, coaxing a scoff and eye-roll out of the mare.

“Oh, please. Me, a leader? How did THAT idea ever come about?” Trixie shook her head at the absurdity of the notion. “I’m just a traveling magician who wound up in the right place at the right time. The thought me leading anypony anywhere is laughable.”

“Really? Because the rest of our group seems to be very comfortable with you in charge.” Trixie gave the stallion a confused glance, the look on her face begging the obvious question. “It’s your surname. ‘Lunamoon.’ Meaning, ‘Of Luna’s moon.’” Trixie scoffed at her name, disregarding the stories Luna had told her about her bloodline in the distant past.

“Please, I heard this before. All about how my family served as the Lunar Knights centuries ago, and how we defended Equestria against the forces of evil under Luna’s command. It’s still so hard to believe. I mean, almost NO ponies use their surnames anymore, if they can even remember them, that is. And though Mother told me about our family being important long ago, I never really understood why it was so important to her that I keep using it.” Trixie swung her forelegs back and forth, the tips of her hooves lightly scraping the ground under the bench. “ I know it used to be a name of honor, something to respect. But now... it belongs to me. I... I don’t know if I can live up to it.” Blueblood scooted closer to the young mare, placing a hoof on her shoulder to comfort her.

“Don’t know if you’ll live up to it? I seem to remember a certain little blue unicorn saving my life from a crazed jester in the marketplace when it would have been so much easier to run and save herself.” Trixie turned to him slightly, a gentle smile slowly starting to form on her face. “If you ask me, you’re well on your way to doing your ancestors proud, and earning the title ‘Trixie of Luna’s moon.’” The stallion sighed, looking up at the glowing orb high above them, the pale light filing the garden as crickets chirped in the dark. “I know the glamour around being a noble. The way quote, unquote ‘commoners’ look at you influences the way you look at yourself. For a long time, I thought myself higher than other ponies, somehow being better without ever having done anything to claim other than my title of Prince. When I finally realized I needed to make a change and turn my life around... I almost lost it. Trixie,” he said, reaching a hoof to her cheek and turning her to face him. “you saved my live. When you really didn’t have to.” Trixie expression changed to surprise, the Prince’s words catching her off guard.

“What do you mean I didn’t have to? Why wouldn’t I have had to?” she asked, defensively. The stallion just chuckled.

“Well, The Apple family stumbled into the fight. Rover and Gilda wanted revenge. Soarin’, Spitfire and I are were duty-bound to respond. Even Midnight fought for how he feels about Luna. You were the only one who freely chose to join the fight. You were in the clear, safe and sound, but then freely chose to return and save me. And for that...” Blueblood leaned in, giving the light blue mare a soft peck on the cheek. “... I’ll always be grateful.” Trixie’s cheeks lit up bright red as Blueblood slid off the bench, turning to walk back to the barracks. The showmare held a hoof to her cheek where the prince’s lips had been, her gaze locked on the noblepony as he stopped at the end of the clearing.

“I’m going back to bed, Trixie. I suggest you do the same. We have a long day of training ahead of us tomorrow, and this team needs it’s leader.” With that, Blueblood disappeared into the shadows, leaving Trixie alone. The young mage looked up at the moon above, sighing as she rubbed her hoof against her cheek.

“A leader...? Me..?” She closed her eyes, levitating her hat back on her head as she stood up, breathing in the cool night air. Slowly, she trotted the same path Blueblood had moments ago. “I don’t know if I can do it... but I’m sure as sugar gonna try.”

***

Over the next several days, Midnight and Twilight continued their training and research into Star Swirl’s journal. The two would wake up in the early hours of the morning, then walk through town to Sugarcube Corner for coffee and donuts before returning to the library. There, the two ponies would review Star Swirl’s notes, the stallion assisting in any way he could as the veteran magic user experimented on her Elemental tiara. At times, when long periods of time were silent study were required to unlock the secrets held within the ancient pages, Midnight would slip out into the town, leaving Twilight and Spike behind as he freely explored he beautiful little city before him. It was on one of these little escapes when Midnight met perhaps the most dangerous little ponies in Equestria.

Midnight walked slowly through the town, taking in the simple beauty of the differently decorated houses and businesses as he greeted and spoke with various ponies he met. Being the small town that it was, everypony had already heard about Twilight and his mission, making explaining the presence of both wings and a horn on his body down to a minimum. Much to his delight, the ponies in this town couldn’t be friendlier or more hospitable to a stranger. It was on one of these peaceful mornings, however, when he met perhaps the most destructive, dangerous and all around unpredictable ponies he could have imagined.

Midnight walked down on of the many alleys in the downtown area of Ponyville, making his way from the park he had spent the morning to one of the few cafe’s dotting the center of town. As he passed through a particularly shady section of the alley, he noticed out of the corner of his eye a streak of movement. The stallion turned his head, expecting to see a  stray cat or some other small animal. However, as his eyes adjusted, there was nothing there. He continued walking, not paying the momentary distraction any mind. The sound of a falling tin can caused him to turn again, quicker this time. He found a single empty tin can, slowly rolling in his direction. The piece of trash stopped just as he heard the young mare’s voice shout, “Grab em!’”

A thin burlap sack was flung over Midnight’s head, followed by a lasso around his barrel. Quickly, the rope started to wind around him, his attacker suppressing his legs and wings, and almost prompting the warrior to almost react with a huge burst of magic. However, two very important points prevented him from his action. One, this was Ponyville, and nopony outside the princesses or the townsfolk knew he was here, so this wasn’t an attack. And second, his attackers most certainly didn’t want to hurt him. The sack over his head just barely covered his head, and aside from a bad smell inside, presented him no immediate threat. The rope, too, was no threat, being bound so lightly that he was sure he could easily shimmy out of it should he so choose.

“Good, now pull him down, girls!” a new voice shouted, the pull of the rope increasing slightly as quiet grunts came from every weak tug. Midnight decided to play along, however, making a show of losing his footing and falling in the direction of the tugs.

“Ha! Now we got em!’” a third voice said, triumphantly. The three different voices in unison all grunted as they pulled on the rope, directing him against the back wall of a nearby building. Once they positioned him sitting up(with his assistance, of course) the assailants pulled the burlap sack from Midnight’s head. Standing before him were three young ponies, all wearing their own brown sack/masks, eye holes cut awkwardly in each one. He could tell by their size that they had to be school kids, um... fillies, each probably only half the age of Twilight and her friends. The one had an off-white coat with lavender purple mane and tail, a small horn poking out the top of her mask. One of the others had a bright orange coat with her mane and tail darker shade of purple, a pair of tiny wings folded on her back. The third attacker, now standing with her nose almost right against his, had a light yellow coat with a pinkish-red mane and tail.

“Oh, no! I’ve been captured !Whatever shall I do?” Midnight said, acting overly dramatic as he did his best Rarity impression. “I am at the mercy of three highly-skilled, merciless muggers! Whatever do you want with me, o dangerous assaulters?” The orange pegasi’s eyes took on a worried look as she turned to her friend.

“Oh no, Applebloom. He thinks we’re really gonna hurt him.” The yellow filly’s eyes went wide as she quickly turned to her identifier, stomping a hoof.

“Scootaloo! We’re not supposed to use our real names, remember? Why didn’t you stick with the plan?” The little pegasus  looked panicked, pointing a hoof at her unicorn friend.

“Well, SweetieBelle never told me that before we started this!” The yellow filly now known as ‘Applebloom’ put her hoof to her face, shaking her head. With a single tug, she removed her burlap mask, reveling her face.

“Well, there’s no point in hidin’ our faces anymore. He already knows our names.” Scootaloo and SweetieBelle looked at each other somewhat sorrowful, following suit in removing their masks as well. Midnight had to fight the strong urge to shout ‘Awww...!’ upon finally seeing the three cute little fillies, the three friends being the first young ponies he had been able to actually see up close.

“Well, I suppose there’s no point in me playing along now, either.” With one simple motion, Midnight stretched out his forelegs, breaking the only two strands of rope actually holding any type of grip on his body, the frayed pieces falling to the ground. The three fillies looked at him in surprise, ears folding back as they backed away cautiously. “Now, Applebloom, Scootaloo, SweetieBelle; what’s the meaning of hog-tying me?” The three looked at each other before Applebloom finally took a step forward, an apologetic look in her eyes.

“Well... we’re the Cutie-mark Crusaders. We been trying to get our cutie-marks a while now. We saw ya come on that big airship with Twilight, but we couldn’t ask ya what we wanted ta then...” The little earth pony traced her hoof in a circle on the ground. “... we just wanted to know... well...”

“How does a full grown stallion still not have his cutie-mark?” Scootaloo finally interrupted, cutting right to the point. Midnight was taken by surprise by the question, and would have laughed it off if not for the troubled look he was now getting from the three adorable little ponies.

“See, We’ve been trying to get our cutie-marks for like, forever, and still don’t have em.’” Applebloom said. “Did you just not find your special talent, yet, or what?” Midnight looked back at his blank flank, regarding it with a sense of sadness for the first time. He then looked over the flanks of the three fillies, each of them also without a mark defining their special talents.

‘Wow...’ he thought. ‘I guess I didn’t realize just how important getting a cutie-mark is to these ponies.’ He wondered for a moment as to just what he could say to comfort the little trio. Slowly, he stepped forward, reaching up with his hoof to ruffle Applebloom’s mane.

“Well... to tell ya the truth...” he said, his voice slipping to a whisper. The three moved in close as he motioned them in. “To tell ya the truth... I’m an alien.” The three Crusaders leaned back, eyes wide at this new, stunning revelation. “Oh, come on. You said it yourself; full grown stallion, no cutie-mark...” he turned to his side, opening his wings wide as he pointed his horn at them. “... not to mention having BOTH wings and a horn, not to mention how easily I broke your ropes. I couldn’t decide what kinda pony I wanted to be, so I picked a combination of all three. Earth pony, pegasi and unicorn.” The three fillies looked at Midnight with a mix of excitement and awe, the stallion trying his best to stand in a regal and impressive way before them. A simultaneous cry of ‘Cooooolllll...” came from them as starting walking around him.

“So, you’re really an alien, then?” SweetieBelle asked.

“Yep. I... am Midight Blaze! I’m a human, a creature that walks on two legs, has no coat and has five digits on the end of each limb. Those are kinda like claws on a griffin or dragon, but stubbier on the end.”

“I can’t even IMAGINE that...” Scootaloo said, looking up and down the length of Midnight’s wing. “So, why are you here, then?” Midnight grinned inwardly as he leaned down to the fillies, speaking to them in a hushed tone.

“I’m here on a secret mission from the Princesses. Me and the Elements of Harmony are working together, so I can’t say much more.”

“Wow! That’s so cool!” Scootaloo said, bouncing in place. “Can we help?”

“Yeah, can we?” Scootaloo added.

“We’re great at keeping secrets and helping out, mister!” Applebloom said, the three fillies now face to face with Midnight as he leaned back from their adorable, sparkling, wide eyes.

“Oh... um...” he hesitated, finally breaking under the pressure of too much ‘D’aww.’ “Fine, fine! You can help.” The fillies hopped up together, the three bringing their right forehooves together in a mid-air ‘hoof-five.’

“CUTIE-MARK CRUSADERS ALIEN SECRET AGENT ASSISTANTS!!!! YAY!!!” Midnight quickly hushed the three, waving his hooves as their hollering echoed through the alley.

“SHHH!!! Quiet, quiet, quiet! I’m supposed to be a ‘secret,’ remember?” The fillies silenced themselves, each standing back against the wall of the building behind them, eyes shifting side to side.

“Right. Sorry Mr. Blaze.” Applebloom said. “What’s our first assignment?” Midnight took a moment to ponder what might keep these girls busy, while keeping his ‘alien creature’ status secret til he returned to Canterlot.

“Alright, listen up.” he said, convincingly. “Your one and only job, my little ponies, is to keep an eye on the town. Make sure there are no strange creatures or evil-looking ponies. If you see any, report to me, Spike or Twilight immediately. Understand?” The Crusaders all stood before him at attention, saluting him with a serious, determined look.

“Sir, yes, sir!” they said, again in unison.

“Very well. You have your orders, Cutie-mark Crusaders. You are dismissed!” Midnight barked, saluting them in return. With that, the three fillies galloped out of the alley and out into the town, disappearing in a cloud of dust. Alone at last, Midnight breathed a sigh of relief, shaking his head as he chuckled.

“Heh... those girls could probably do more chaos than Bedlam could ever hope to.”

***

“OOH! Flutttah-Shy, it’s been SO LONG since we verked together! Und Mizz Rarity! Your designs are more wundarbar than I remember!” In the Royal Gardens, Photo Finish sprinted around Rarity and Fluttershy, each wearing a unique and beautiful formal dress the fashionista had thrown together during her boring nights in the palace. As the modeling agent jetted about snapping photos, Rarity beaming in all her glory, while Fluttershy was content to cringe behind her large mane. Applejack and Rainbow Dash sat off to the side of the clearing, however, making sure to hide their giggles and snickers at what Applejack called Photo Finish’s ‘fancy ack-cent.’ “Mr. Toity, you were SO right to tell me about these two being in town!”

“Of course, my dear P.F.” Hoity Toity said with pride, adjusting his shades and overly-done mane. “I’m just glad you two could take the time to grace us with your presence.” Rarity giggled coyly, remembering to give detail about their back story whenever they had the chance.

“Oh, it’s no trouble at all. Anything for a fan. I mean, after all, finding new inspiration for my upcoming line of formal and casual wear was why we all came to Canterlot in the first place.” the alabaster unicorn giggled, thankful she wasn’t the Element of Honesty. The entire week had been like this, one even after another after another. All at the request of the Princesses. Today it was a photo shoot with the two most influential ponies in the fashion industry. Yesterday, it was a tour of the Wonderbolts Junior Flight Camp for colts and fillies, where Rainbow spoke to hopeful youngsters about her training regiment, determination and, of course, the Sonic Rainboom. The day before that, Applejack was asked to address a meeting of the Future Farmers of Equestria club at Canterlot University, explaining the finer points of running your own orchard. The self-proclaimed ‘simple farmmare’ surprised her friends, however, being extremely knowledgeable not only in matters of crop rotation and fertilization, but also sales projections and estimated cost analysis. The day before THAT, Fluttershy spent with the Canterlot Gardens animal care staff, trading herbal remedies and explaining to them that you should not only care for their animals, but nurture them to grow into the best creatures they could possibly be.

Every personal and public appearance was strategically planned by either Celestia or Luna for two reasons. One; to somewhat distract the public from recent attacks by Bedlam and the Killjoys. Though the damage was still being cleaned up, that was no reason to linger on the negative, right? And two; to explain the presence of the heightened security around the city. A visit from the Elements of Harmony was more than enough for the added security to the ponies of Canterlot. After all, they were national heroes.

Photo Finish and Hoity Toity finally called an end to today’s shoot, their collective cronies gathering up their equipment as Rainbow and AJ approached their two friends. Rarity bid the two a fond fair well, the likes of which only a refined, cultured mare could. Fluttershy, however, chose to zip behind the closest changing screen, pulling off the overly extravagant dress as fast as her little hooves would allow her.

“Tarnation! If I had to listen to that frou-frou filly gush over y’all anymore, I’d crack right up!” AJ said, making sure the blue earth pony didn’t hear her.

“Yeah, me too!” Dash added. “And Fluttershy! I thought you were gonna have a heart attack, the way you were shaking around those flash bulbs!” The speedster said, not even trying to hide her laughter. Fluttershy blushed a little, feeling a growing sense of comfort in the company of her friends.

“W-well, I didn’t really like having to model again. But if it’ll help our mission here, I suppose I can deal with it for a now.” Rarity gave her timid friend a pat on the shoulder, still wearing the opulent gown Hoity Toity had supplied her. “I guess that’s just one of the sacrifices we must make, bearing the burden of being the Elements of Harmony, and all that.”

“Sacrifices, yes.” said a powerful voice from behind the mares. “Like returning that dress before the shoot leaves.” The four Elements turned around, finding Luna standing behind them, grinning playfully. Rarity looked down at the flowing fabric of her dress, giving a nervous giggle.

“Oh, my goodness. How... silly of me. Pardon, all.” The white mare hurried away after the troop of photographers, her friends laughing as she tried to run without mussing up her dress.

“Dang, Princess Luna. I lost count of how many time you snuck up on us this week. I had cats make more noise than you.” AJ joked. The Night Princess smiled, taking it as a complement.

“Thank you, fair Applejack. You don’t’ move silently through the night for centuries without learning to keep from disturb sleeping ponies.” Luna said, giving them a coy smile. “So, how is everypony doing lately? Holding up well, I hope.”

“Can’t really complain, Princess.” Rainbow said, sitting beside her pink-maned friend. “It’s been kinda cool hanging out in Canterlot these last few days.”

“We just wish it was under better circumstances.” Fluttershy added. Luna nodded in agreement, pondering for a moment as she looked over the three.

“I agree. But tell me; have any of you seen Pinkie Pie, lately? I’ve been wanting to ask her something.” The three looked at each other, then back to Luna, seemingly worried.

“Well Princess, Pinkie seems...” AJ paused, searching for the right word. “... distracted lately. We all think it’s...”

“That Killjoy jester, Tumbler? Yes, as do I.” The four fell silent for a moment, considering their pink friend. Behind them, Rarity finally came trotting back, the dress she had been wearing now removed and returned to it’s rightful owner.

“Sorry about that, Princess Luna.” she said with a curtsey. “To what do we owe this honor?” Luna smiled at the mare, her proper attitude always reminding her of the days she held full court.

“A pleasure to see you as well, Miss Rarity. Just checking in on Equestria’s greatest heroes.” A loud boom startled the five mares, halting their conversation in it’s tracks. A large puff of smoke rose up from over one the far walls, leading to the Royal Guard training yards. Luna cleared her throat, spreading her wings before the four Elements. “As much as I’d like to stay and chat more, friends, I believe I’m needed elsewhere. I”ll catch up with you later, all. Excuse me.” Luna launched herself into the air with a single beat of her wings, taking to the air in the direction of the training yard. Back on the ground, the four Elements watched as the Night Princess took off, leaving them far behind to continue their day.

“Girls,” Rarity finally asked. “isn’t that the yard where Trixie and the others are training?”

***

Luna soared high above the training yard, watching for a moment the flurry of action happening below her. Flashes of magic and puffs of smoke and dust arose from the four corners of the yard as various creatures ran back and forth, training in various different ways. The dark princess landed on the top of the wall beside Shining Armor, the stallion greeting her with the usual bow of respect.

“Good afternoon, Princess Luna. Nice to see you again.” he said, immediately interrupted by the demanding shouts of a single mare below. The two watched as a pointy-hat wearing unicorn mare barked orders at the collection of creatures before her.

“Blueblood! Suppression fire on the left! Spitfire! Flank right, intercept! Come on, soldiers, let’s move!” Below in the yard, Trixie held onto her hat as a gust of wind knocked up dust and dirt, temporally blocking her vision. She raised a shield, already knowing what was coming. Sure enough, a large barrel thrown by Big Mac crashed against her barrier, shattering into a hundred pieces. Undaunted, Trixie gathered up the broken pieces in her magic, sending them raining down on the opposite side of the yard.

“Oh, my goodness! Shining Armor, should you really be pushing them as hard as you are? They are still all civilians, after all.” Luna said, the concern obvious in her voice. The guard captain only laughed, pointing a hoof to the far wall on the opposite end of the yard.

“Princess Luna, it’s not me or my drill instructors that are in charge of this exercise right now.” Luna looked up at the far wall, gasping in shock. Sure enough, the entire wall was crowded with stallions and mares Luna recognized as some of the toughest drill instructors in service to the Crowns. They remained still, staring almost unblinking as they watched the scene of combat unfold in the yard below them.

“They’ve been getting steadily better, day after day. Their understanding of combat tactics, flight combat maneuvers and magical concepts have progressed steadily since Trixie took a more active roll in their training. She’s been splitting them up into random groups so they could learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses, thus making them better suited to rely on each other in combat.” Luna looked down at the blue mare, the rowdy scene ending as she levitated a whistle to her lips and gave it a strong blow. Each of the warriors-in-training stopped in place before making their way to the young showmare. “Trixie has been staying up late into the night, researching every book on various combat techniques and tactics she can get her hooves on. Even when they’re dismissed, she’s constantly hunting me down to ask about different occasions the Guards have had to respond to. Truthfully, Princess...” Shining Armor rubbed the back of his head with a hoof, chuckling slightly. “... I haven’t seen a more studious student since, well... Twilight.” Luna raised an eyebrow, somewhat taken aback by the Guard Captain’s statement.

“Really, now? That’s quite a statement, coming from her brother and all.” Luna watched as the group of creatures saluted the showmare, then split apart to groups again, each now cleaning up the debris they created with their training. Trixie sat down in the dirt, breathing a sigh of relief as she removed her hat and wiped the sweat from her brow. She didn’t notice Luna staring down on her from the wall above, regarding her with a curious eye. “That’s something new I’ll have to consider when deploying her unit against the Killjoys.” Luna said, spreading her wings again. “I stopped by to check on the progress of this special team, but now I see that they are well on their way to becoming a force to be reckoned with. Tell her to carry on the good work, Captain. I must be off.” Shining Armor gave a salute as Luna launched herself once again into the air, taking off for the palace proper to report to her sister on the progress they had made.

***

“Midnight! Fireball, NOW!” Twilight yelled, her training partner responding immediately. Midnight’s horn glowed brightly, a sphere of red flame forming in front of him. With a thought, the burning orb fired off at amazing speed, right for the purple mare. The crown of onlookers gasped in shock as the it approached, the roar of flames drowning out their cries of horror. Twilight’s own horn glowed behind her Elemental tiara in response, catching the fireball and redirecting it back at Midnight, the stallion splitting it in mid-air with a concentrated beam of energy, delighting the crowd.

“Woo-HOO! Way to go, you two! Awesome moves!” Spike shouted from the makeshift stands the ponies of town had set up to watch the two practice. Beside him sat Mayor Mare, as proper and controlled as ever as she clapped her hooves conservatively at the display.

“I must say, Spike, Midnight certainly has improved from what Twilight told me about his skills. Is it true he only had basic knowledge of magic just a few days ago?” the Mayor asked, adjusting her glasses as she watched Midnight fly about in his battle armor.

“Yep!” Spike answered with pride. “The last few days practicing with Twilight have REALLY paid off. They’ve both learned so much about combat magic these few days, you’d think they’d been studying it all their lives.” Mayor Mare nodded, knowing the condition of the field reflected this statement. All across the wide expanse were craters, scorch marks and deep gouged in the soil, each one a testament to the great ethereal power the two ponies held inside.

Another round of shouts from the crowd drew Spike and the Mayor’s attention, this time from the round of lightening bolts Twilight was launching at Midnight. For his part, the pegacorn dodged every shot with ease, only to gasp in surprise as each bolt turned to chase him in mid-flight. The crowd of assembled ponies ‘oohed’ and ‘ahhed’ as Midnight looped, spun and barrel rolled through the sky, the three bolts never wavering in their pursuit. As he flew through and around the assembled clouds above the field, Midnight came up with a plan. Moving into a sharp dive, he headed back down towards the field, aiming himself right where Twilight was standing. The onlookers gasped in shock as the stallion quickly approached their librarian, the unicorn refusing to move as certain destruction loomed overhead. As he approached, Twilight closed her eyes, her horn glowing brighter enough to make the crowd of onlookers shield their eyes from the light. At the last moment, Midnight suddenly banked up mere feet from Twilight, avoiding the lightening bolts as they crashed into the ground right where Twilight stood.

“Twilight!!!” Spike shouted, hopping up from his seat and running towards the cloud of dust where  his surrogate sister was standing. A hush came over the spectators as he slowed to a stop just before her last position. The little dragon stared in fright as he barely made out the image of a mare behind the dust and smoke.

“It’s alright, Spike. I’m OK.” As the smoke cleared, the reassuring voice of his sister caught the little dragon by surprise. There Twilight stood, safe and sound. However, she looked very different than she did before the blast. Twilight still wore her tiara, however now it was an ornate part of an elaborately designed helmet, her horn sticking out of the front. Attached to the back of the helmet were metal plates, connecting to an interlocking series of armor plates around her barrel. Around her four hooves were plated armor horseshoes, each rising half way up her legs to her knees. The entire armor set glowed with a purple light, giving Twilight a mystical aura that made the townsponies watching stare in awe. Now free of the lightening’s pursuit, Midnight slowly hovered down to the ground, chuckling at the surprised little drake.

“Haha... got ya, Spike!” he said, approaching Twilight. “We wanted it to be a surprise. The other night, Twilight managed to unlock Star Swirl’s research into the Elements!”

“And that’s not all, Spike.” Twilight added. “I should be able to do the same for all the other Elements, no problem.” Twilight beamed with pride as she posed in the shining regalia, energy rippling down the surface in cool waves. Despite the strange appearance of the armor, Spike still ran up to Twilight, throwing his arms around her neck in delight.

“You did it, Twi! I knew it was only a matter of time before you figured it out!”

“And not a day too soon.” the mare added. “Early tomorrow, the Imacloud should be back to take us back to Canterlot. By now, Trixie and the rest of Luna’s SPLAT team-”

“SWAT team, actually.” Midnight corrected.

“Sorry.” Twi giggled with a blush. “Her SWAT team, rather, should be ready to handle anything the Killjoys should throw at them.” As the last of the smoke from the blast cleared away, a round of stomping and clopping hooves came from the ponies watching, surprised and delighted by the new and empowered Twilight Sparkle. Twilight, Midnight and Spike turned toward the gathered ponies and bowed, taking simple pleasure in wowing them with their amazing show of still. Midnight especially seemed to enjoy the praise, the smiling faces of the onlookers inspiring him to dart up into the air once more for a slow and low fly-by.

“I can’t wait till you and our friends finally face off against this Bedlam clown, Twi.” Spike said, hopping up on the mare’s back. Twilight started trotting her way back to Ponyville, following the crowd as they began to disperse. “With this new Element armor, Midnight, the Princesses and even Trixie helping us, that weirdo doesn’t stand a chance.”

“Let’s hope so, Spike.” Twilight offered in return. “I just hope we can handle whatever trouble Bedlam is planning next.”

***

Gilda decided to circle the tall spires of the palace just one more time. Yeah, right. She had already told herself that about a dozen times since sunset, and still wasn’t ready to turn in. One by one, she watched as the lights of businesses and stores blinked out in the streets below, their owners finally calling it a day. Hay, her entire team had already called it a day! The routines and drills Trixie had run them through were exhausting. Ever since she had some sort of heart-to-heart with that Blueblood noble, she became a mare possessed. But that wasn’t her concern, right now. It was calming herself down enough to actually fall asleep.

‘Buck! I’m still too wound up...’ the griffin thought to herself. ‘I’ll never fall asleep if I don’t calm down. But how could I? That maniac monster could pop up out of nowhere at any time...’ Gilda splayed out her wings, catching one of the few warm air updrafts still active in the cool late evening air. Even this hardened griffin chic had to admit; this pony city was beautiful from up here. It had a relaxed, peaceful sense about it that only helped put her warrior’s spirit ease that much quicker. However, just as embassador decided she’d give her bed another shot, something caught her eye. Down on the balcony of one of the tallest towers sat a creature. Something... pink? Turning her wings, Gilda slowed her descent, aiming herself at the being in question. Silently, she approached, the soft padding of her claws and paws making no hint of sound as she reached the end of the spire and looked down. There, staring out across the city, sat Pinkie Pie.

“Hi, Gilda...” the somber mare said, almost causing the griffin to fall off her perch in surprise. Now discovered, Gilda hopped down beside Pinkie, taking a seat as she cleared her throat.

“Hiya, Pinks. What, um... what brings you out this late? Shouldn’t you be resting up to welcome Twilight and Midnight back tomorrow?” Pinkie nodded slowly, looking down at her hooves as she let out a sigh.

“Yeah... I suppose. It’s just that-” Pinkie suddenly stopped, closing her eyes as she turned away. Though not the most sensitive of griffins, it was apparent to even Gilda that something serious was troubling the party pony. Though it pained her to do so, Gilda figured she should at least try to comfort Pinkie.

“Hey, Pinkie?” she said, giving the mare a very gentle nudge in the shoulder with a balled-up claw. “Listen... I know I wasn’t that nice when we first met, and that we only recently became...” Silently, Gilda hoped she wasn’t too premature in using this next word. “... friends. But... would you ... wanna talk about what’s bothering you?” Pinkie remained silent, closing her eyes slightly tighter, looking almost to the point of tears. “Um... you know... if you want to, that is...”

“It’s Tumbler.” the mare said quickly. Gilda turned, looking as a single tear finally escaped the corner of Pinkie’s eye. Instinctively, the griffin scooted closer, cautiously placing a wing around Pinkie. “I... used to know her...”

“What? You knew that crazy unicorn before the attacks?” Gilda said, taken aback. “How? Why wasn’t she ever locked up before now?”

“She wasn’t always like that.” Pinkie answered, sniffling back more tears as she began to explain. “Back when I got my cutie-mark in making ponies happy, I was still living on the rock farm with my mom and dad and sisters. I liked it there, but I knew I couldn’t get any better at my special talent if I just stayed there and threw parties for them. Luckily, my parents kept a lot of bits on the side for when we all got our marks. In no time at all, they got me signed up at Lady Limelight’s school for Performing Ponies. It was one of Fillydelphia’s premier school for young ponies who wanted to learn about different forms of entertainment.” Pinkie smiled weakly at the fond memories from her foalhood. “Dancing, singing, playing instruments... they had it all. That’s where I met my very first bestest-best friend ever... Carousel.” Gilda already knew that name. It was the same one Pinkie had used to send the Killjoy jester into a rage when they first met.

“Tumbler..?” Gilda asked, only getting a slow nod from the party mare.

“She was the sweetest, nicest, most funnest filly I ever met. She loved my jokes and my songs and I loved her dancing. That’s what she was taking, by the way; dancing, acrobatics, pantomime, clown classes, acting... she wanted to be a stage performer. Even though she still didn’t have her cutie-mark yet, she was still so sure she’d get one by the time we graduated, she bogged herself down with as many classes as she could handle. I took all those, plus singing lessons, music classes, decorating classes, cooking lessons... I wanted to be the best entertainer I could be to make the most ponies happy.” Pinkie sniffled again, the fond memories of her younger years threatening to bring tears to her eyes again.

‘I am SO not cut out for this mushy stuff.’ Gilda thought, scooting closer to the little pony. “So, what made her the crazy, evil psycho-case she is now?” the griffin asked. ‘Yeah, Gilda. Sound like you care, but still be a little obnoxious. good job.’

“It wasn’t until... we had our final exam.” Pinkie Pie stood up, slowly walking to the other end of the balcony. The earth pony rested her forelegs over the side railing as Gilda followed her, sitting just slightly behind. “All the students were required to showcase their talents for their final exam. I took too long preparing my performance, so I missed my time slot. Carousal was the last to perform, that day. She really wowed the instructors. I arrived just as she was about to walk off stage. They were gonna fail me, just like any other student that failed to preform on time, but Carousal pleaded with the instructors to let me do my act. Finally, they agreed, and I didn’t disappoint. I danced, sang, flipped, did stunts. I even finished off with a confetti and streamer filled cannon I modified for the grand finale. I sat there, forelegs spread out in a flourish, panting hard from my act... and they loved it.”

“Well, that’s great. Way to go, Pinks.” Gilda said, getting slightly closer. “So, you and her graduated together, then?” Pinkie stayed silent, shaking her head again before continuing.

“We both passed, yeah. I only got a slightly higher grade than her, but we were both proud of what we accomplished. However, there was another pony in the crowd besides the instructors judging us. Gilda, have you ever heard of Sapphire Shores?” Gilda’s brow peaked a the mention of the name, recognizing it quickly.

“The famous mare musician? Yeah, I heard of her. Even back in Althera we know who she is.”

“Apparently, she graduated from the school a few years back, and made it big with the skills she learned there. That year, she wanted to get with the judges and find out which graduating senior would be worth taking on her tour as a back-up dancer and coordinator. But instead, she caught my act, from beginning to end. She thought I was so amazing, she came right up on stage, ready to sign me then and there. I was shocked. A famous musician like her, wanting me to travel with her? I was blown away.”

“So, what did ya do?” Gilda inquired, her interest peaked now more than ever.

“I turned her down.” The griffin almost fell over with surprise, never expecting to hear that sort of response. “I didn’t want to be tied down to one type of performance. I wanted to explore every type of way to make ponies happy, and that would let all my other skills I learned go to waste. I turned her down, but I told her I knew who’d be perfect for her show. I went back stage to get Carousal out of the dressing room and introduce her to Sapphire, but when I got there... the dressing room was trashed. Mirrors were broken, the outfits were off their hangers and tossed around the room, everything was a mess. Then... I saw Carousal.” Turning away from Gilda’s gaze Pinkie sniffled some more, bringing up a hoof to wipe her eyes before continuing.

“She... slapped me across the face. I just stood there. I... I couldn’t believe she would do that. She was furious with me. She claimed I knew Sapphire would be there to choose one of the graduating class to join her on her tour, and that I planned it like I did to upstage her on purpose. Before I could explain, she stormed out of the dressing room and out of the building. I... I never seen her again after that. She even missed the graduation ceremony. She just... disappeared.” Gilda’s stared, wide-eyed at the in disbelief. She’d only known Pinkie for a short time. Well, personally, at least. Even SHE knew the partymare was incapable of betraying anypony else in that way. Clearing her throat, Gilda found the courage to ask what was on her mind.

“Well... what did you do, then? Um, about Sapphire Shores, I mean.” Pinkie shrugged, shaking her head.

“I still turned her down. After I graduated, I went home for a while. My dad had a friend from college named Carrot Cake, who became a baker in Ponyville with his wife, Cup. They took me in as a board and trained me to run the bakery and organize events for them. That’s where I met all the friends I have now, and how I became the Element of Harmony and... well, you can guess the rest. I put that day with Carousal behind me... until I saw her with the Killjoys.” Pinkie turned to Gilda, mane drooping low out of it’s natural bounce. “Gilda... I’m responsible for her turning out this way... it’s... all my fault...” The pink mare now sobbed openly, falling forward on the ground as she buried her face in her forelegs. Despite the cool facade Gilda constantly tried to display, the griffin embassador found herself starting to tear up as well. She clenched her eyes tight, coughing to try regaining her composure as she lowered herself down to lay in front of Pinkie.

“Hey, Pinkie? Pinks?” Gilda said, trying to get her attention. However, Pinkie Pie just continued crying, unaware of her friend’s attempts to comfort her. Finally, Gilda reached out a claw, taking hold of the mare’s hoof and shaking it slightly. “Pinkie... whatever happened to that Carousal to turn her into Tumbler couldn’t have been all your fault. Really, who knows what that Bedlam screwball did to her.”

“Yeah, but what I did couldn’t have helped matters any...” Pinkie said into her foreleg.

“Look,” Gilda said with an exasperated sigh. “I may not have known you as long as your other friends, but I DO know you’re the kind of pony who would never dream of hurting another pony in any way. And if that Carousal that you knew back in school is still inside that crazy Tumbler, then that very well may be the case.” Pinkie finally raised her eyes up to meet Gilda’s, finally showing the weak beginnings of a smile again.

“I...(sniff) I really hope so.” Pinkie asked.

“Hopefully, between us, Twilight, Midnight and the Princesses, we’ll be able to stop Bedlam and his goons, and you’ll actually be able to talk with her again. Ya know,... without her trying to kill you.” Much to Gilda’s surprise, Pinkie actually chuckled a bit at her dark humor. Collecting herself, Pinkie stood up, sniffling a few final times before wiping the few remaining tears from her eyes.

“Thank you, Gilda. I actually feel a little better now that I told somepony.” Pinkie paused, then giggled to herself. “Or, somegriffin, rather.” Gilda laughed at Pinkie’s correction, content that her first real attempt at comforting another creature was a success.

“No prob, Pinkie. Ya know what? I’m actually glad I could help.” The two looked out across the wide open sky, Luna’s moon already nearing the midnight point. Gilda thought about taking off right then and there, her work now complete. However, the new, sensitive Gilda suddenly had a wonderful idea. “Hey, Pinkie?” The pink mare turned to her companion, noticing one of her wings outstretched across the ground towards her. “Ya know, those of us with wings don’t usually do this. We don’t want others to suddenly think us as an air-borne taxi service. But you’ve been through a lot tonight, so... I’ll give you a ride back to your room.” Immediately, Pinkie’s face lit up, any remaining traces of her sadness vanishing as she bounced merrily over to her friend and climbed on her back.

“Oh, thanks so much, Gilda! This is so super nice of you!” Gilda felt glad Pinkie’s view was blocked as she blushed from the praise. With a single beat of her powerful wings, the griffin leapt into the air, letting the slight currents around the tower to carry her in a spiral down back towards Pinkie’s guest bedroom balcony.

“Don’t worry, Pinks.” Gilda said through the rush of the wind. “You’ll get your chance to see her again, then everything will be all cleared up.”

“I hope you’re right.” Pinkie said in reply, her forelegs wrapped around Gilda’s neck. “I know it sound bad but...somehow, I think I created a monster...”

***

“I don’t give a buck what you created. Will it work?” Tumbler asked, the annoyance easily evident in her voice. Klokwerk puffed up with pride as practically waltzed over to the tarp covering Project Horsepower, humming happily as he checked the cable connection on the table. His enthusiasm was not shared, however, by Bedlam and the rest of his teammates. Even now, Grimdark, Tumbler, Crash and Burn were watching with rapidly deteriorating patience.

“What?! Of COURSE, it will work!” the mad doctor shouted. “You’re speaking to a true super-genius, here.” The modified earth-pony trotted around the room, removing different tarps from various structures he built against the walls, each with a throw-switch beside it and length of wire leading from the top to a large coil over his central creation. “The only thing this... pure work of ART needs, is it’s marching orders. We have only to sit in these respective chairs for at least half a day for our memories are transferred properly, then my creation will be complete.” A collective groan rose out of the group, Bedlam being the only one to remain stone-faced upon this news.

“Half a day? What the hay are we supposed to do in these chairs for all that time?” Burn asked, flicking her mane to one side as she leaned on her brother.

“Yeah, Doc. We should be preparing for the next attack instead of getting hooked up to your little science experiment.” Crash said, echoing his sister’s sentiment.

“Listen, I don’t like it anymore than you do, but there’s simply no other way to accurately transfer our memories without excruciating pain.” The engineer pony sighed, rubbing his temples with his hooves.

“Well, I’m sorry this is all such an inconvenience to you all.” The five warriors all turned to their master, the obviously angry look on his face immediately making them regret their complaining. “Ya know what’s an ‘inconvenience to me?” The draconequus leaned down, grinning madly at his cohorts, each of them nervously smiling back as she shook their heads. “EVERY SECOND I HAVE TO STAY IN THIS BACKWATER COUNTRY, ON THIS MUD-BALL WORLD, IN THIS PLOT-HOLE DIMENSION!!!” The walls of the deteriorating castle shook under the roaring of the chaos god’s words, the five Killjoys freezing in fear as he crawled to the center of the room. “I... HATE this pony-run country, my dear maniacs. In all the nations of all the world in all the dimensions I’ve ever been to, Equestria is the most orderly, clean, sweet, peaceful and happy one yet! I DESPISE those two Princesses for that, and I despise Midnight for standing in between me and destroying this world! Now, I have been EXTREMELY patient in waiting for this project to get done. But, as it stands now, I got a captured demonic alicorn in the basement, a castle falling down around my horns, and a planet BEGGING TO BE COLLAPSED IN ON ITSELF, AND I WILL BE DENIED NO LONGER!” Standing in the enter of the room, Bedlam snapped his fingers, causing each one of his followers to levitate off the ground.

“Whoa! M-master? What are you doing?!” Grimdark asked shakily, the direwolf trying to run in place. Bedlam ignored the question, continuing with his speech.

“The fact that Luna is currently still the weakest god in this world is of little consolation! If not for the stroke of luck we had in capturing Nightmare Moon, I would never have enough power to capture and contain even her! But I’ve spent too long on this planet, in this country. Oh, how I dream of the moment I can cut through the dimensional barrier and shake the dust of this world from my paws and move on. But first...” The hovering Killjoys flew one by one against the seats of the contraptions Klokwerk built into the wall. As each settled in their seat, leather straps and rusty chains sprang from the walls, securing them in place.

“Master! W-what is this?! P-please, allow me to-”

“Oh no, Klokwerk!” the beast interrupted. “I’ve given you more than enough time to prepare! Now, we’re doing things MY way!” From seemingly nowhere, a throw-switch appeared in mid-air beside the draconequus. Bedlam scanned over his already panicked subordinates, a sly grin forming on his face. Reaching up, he grabbed the switch in his paw, throwing it down with a cry of ‘BOOM!’ The five subdued creatures cringed, then... slowly opened their eyes in confusion.

“Klokwerk? Um... nothing happened.” Grimdark noted, opening one eye and cautiously looking around. The other’s looked around in relief, Bedlam pondering the lack of results before his face lit up again.

“Of course!” he shouted. “I forgot a power source! Silly me.” The centaur-like beast pointed a talon at the center coil connecting the five contraptions. A bright blue bolt of lightening shot forth, sending incredible waves of energy through the wires and into the helpless Killjoys as they sat strapped to their seats. The five creatures writhed and shook, some gritting their teeth, some screaming as memories of their battle in the Canterlot marketplace surged through their minds. Bedlam leaned lazily against the wall of the chamber, smoothing his claws with a hoof file as his followers underwent the most painful experience of their lives.

“M-M-M-MASTER!!! PLEASE, T-TURN IT OFF!!!” Klokwerk’s pleading went unheard, his master now bouncing a red rubber ball with one paw while collecting jax with the other. Smoke started to fill the chamber, the fur and feathers of the Killjoys starting to singe from the intense heat and electrical current running through their bodies.

Bedlam laid sprawled across the floor, absentmindedly playing with a paddleball as a kitchen timer floated in orbit around his head. Ticking down to the zero, the loud ‘ding’ alerting him that his latest pet project was finally complete. Bedlam quickly stood up, promptly causing the jax, ball, hoof file, paddleball and timer to vanish. The old throw switch hovered closer to the draconequus, stopping withing paw’s reach. The creature grabbed the switch, throwing it down and effectively killing the power to the cables connecting the Killjoys to Klokwerk’s creation. In a puff of smoke, the chains and bindings holding them in place vanished, causing each of the five to slump forward, each falling to the floor with a heavy thud. Bedlam hummed as he slowly strolled over to the still smoking Klokwerk, leaning down as he gently spoke into his ear.

“I thought you said you needed twelve hours to download your memories, Heir Doctor.” The scorched earth pony raised a hoof weakly, coughing out a puff of smoke before answering.

“(cough, cough)... that’s... that’s without causing... excruciating pain... twelve... hours...” he managed to whisper out, one of his mechanical wings twitching slightly underneath him, small sparks flickering from his false horn. Bedlam raised an eyebrow, nodding knowingly.

“Ah. My mistake. Oh, well; Live and learn, I suppose.” Bedlam snapped his fingers, levitating the five warriors up off the floor into standing positions. With another snap, their burnt fur and energy-ravaged bodies were restored, appearing as healthy and fit as they were before their ordeal. For their part, the five Killjoys stood for a moment before examining themselves in silent disbelief. All at once, they looked up to their master, standing beside the center table with a wide smile. “A quick restoration spell, children. Don’t expect to ever get it cast on you again, though. I merely wanted to prove a point. As inconvenient as you think performing tasks in my name may be, believe me, I can make you infinitely more uncomfortable in a moment’s notice. Keep that in mind, my pretties, the next time you wanna start complaining.”

Four sudden loud clangs echoed through the large chamber, causing all but Bedlam himself to jump from surprise. Cooly, the mis-matched monster turned, regarding the large tarp as it settled on the floor at his feet. His eyes rose to meet the cold, dark stare of the form under the tarp, fully animated and standing at attention before the figures in the dark chamber. At once, Bedlam’s expression lit up, the patchwork creature letting out a shout of sheer delight.

“YES!!! It’s alive!!! ALIVE!!!” Bedlam scooped up the still disorientated Klokwerk, tossing him up in the air and catching him in a tight bear hug. “Klokwerk, you mad, mad, mad, mad scientist, you!!! Oh... it looks amazing...” the beast said, flicking a single rogue tear from his eye. Releasing his grip, he dropped the doctor to the ground, the dizzy Klokwerk barely managing to land on his hooves as Bedlam moved closer to inspect the newest member of the team.

“And... this wonderful piece of work does EVERYTHING you initially said it would?” Bedlam asked, a fiendish smile playing across his face.

“Y-yes, master. Everything, plus it has an in-system ability to adapt to it’s situation.” Klokwerk said in response, inching back closer to his still recovering teammates. “I-it’ll never run out of ways to kill, master. And it should... actually, be ready to go at any time.” Bedlam slapped his paws together with a loud “YES!,” marching toward the door with a spring in his step.

“That’s all I needed to know! Grab your gear, my Killjoys; we attack immediately!” the mis-matched creature stated with a throwing his arms up and spreading his wings in a grand flourish. The display did nothing to motivate his disciples, however, the five staring in shock at the order.

“Um... pardon, Master Bedlam, but... immediately? As in... ‘right now,’ immediately? It’s the middle of the night and...” Burn timidly squeaked out, stopping abruptly as she noticed his look.. Bedlam was regarding the unicorn mare with flaming eyes, causing her to cringe under his angered gaze.

“Yes, as in ‘right now,’ immediately! Those simpleton ponies will never see it coming!” Bedlam rubbed his paws together, imagining the attack already. “We’ll storm in and plow through those rookie Night Guards in a matter of moments. And with Celestia, the Elements and Midnight sound asleep, we’ll be in and out before they know what’s happening! Hell, we might take out a few along the way!” The mechanical creation of Klokwerk’s lumbered forward, steam hissing and gears clicking as it approached Bedlam.

“See?! Even your toy is down with this plan! It’s settled, then!” The draconequus stood aside, beckoning the newly animated monster out the door into the ruined castle. He then turned back to his minions, instantly teleporting behind them as he threw his arms over their shoulders and pulled them all close.

“Get yourselves ready, children! Tonight, we take Princess Luna! Tomorrow, the world!”

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It's on now, son! With the newly animated Project Horsepower finally up and running, Bedlam and the Killjoys are on their way to storm Canterlot Palace in a bid to finally get their hooves on Luna and complete the mad Chaos god's plan for global destruction. And to make matters worse, with Twilight and Midnight miles away in Ponyville, Princess Luna is left alone, without the protection of the Elements OR her champion. Will Twi and Midnight make it back in time? Will Bedlam finally get his claws in Princess Luna? Will Trixie and her team's first true battle be their last? All this and more in "Night of Fire," the next exciting chapter of...

"STAR CROSSED!!!"

p.s. - do I even need to tell you to comment, like, follow or favorite anymore?

T.T.F.N. - Ta-Ta for now! Next Chapter: Night of Fire Estimated time remaining: 3 Hours, 24 Minutes