"Rainbow Dash! I can walk on my own!" Twilight shouted as she found herself pushed toward the local swimming hole.

"You walk almost as slow as you fly, Twilight," Rainbow countered. "Besides, this isn't something that can wait, so come on!"

"It's not my fault! I only recently got my wings!" Twilight gave Spike and Fluttershy a pleading look as they followed along, barely contained smiles on their faces. "Help."

The two of them shook their heads, each trying to keep from snickering at her.

As they approached the lake, Twilight could see that a recent addition had recently been built. From her viewpoint, she could see it was a large slide, and there was a fast-moving, pink blur near its base.

“What is Pinkie Pie doing?” Twilight asked Rainbow Dash. As she watched the pink mare zip around the newly built slide, a feeling of trepidation came over her. Memories of the last time Pinkie was so energetic made her hackles rise.

Rainbow Dash smirked. “It’s not just Pinkie Pie. She and I got an idea after the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ last attempt at getting their cutie marks.” She smiled, lifting her chin. “And I say we outdid ourselves this time.”

“What were the Cutie Mark—” Twilight started to ask.

Rainbow Dash held up a hoof to stop her. “You don’t want to know,” she said dryly. “It involved a water pump, that's all I’ll say.”

An incredulous eyebrow shot up. “A water pump?”

Rainbow Dash wouldn't be baited. “Come on you three, they should have it done by now,” she said, pushing them along the path.

When they got to the swimming hole, they could see the slide was a simple, straight-down slide that turned upward sharply at the end. The slide was wide enough to accommodate a fully grown pony. Seeing it stand about two stories tall with an impressive incline, Twilight could imagine Rainbow Dash’s excitement. She noticed her friends Applejack and Rarity were there as well, the former hammering the last of the nails into the slide and the other sunbathed on a nearby bench.

“Afternoon, Twilight, Fluttershy, Spike,” Applejack said as she wiped the sweat from her brow “‘Bout time ya got here, RD. What kept ya?”

Rainbow pointed an accusatory hoof her and Fluttershy’s way. “They were trying to hide out at the cafe.”

“Hiding? I thought we were having lunch?” Twilight asked Fluttershy, a faint smile on her face.

Fluttershy did her best to stifle a giggle.

“Twilight! Have you seen what we’ve built?” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, appearing next to Twilight, lifting her in a bone-crushing hug. “It’s going to be a giant water slide!”

“I can see,” Twilight grunted as she was unceremoniously dropped to the ground.

“Oh, when it’s done, we’ll have a big pool party. It’s gonna be fun!” Pinkie bounced in placed so fast that she seemed a blur of pink and blue eyes.

“When it’s done? It’s done now,” Applejack said as she drove the last nail into the platform. “Rainbow, bring up that hose, won’t ya?”

“You got it.” She flew over and hoofed over the hose.

As Applejack set the hose in its designated place, she called down to Twilight, “Can ya put that other hose in the lake, Twi?”

“Of course,” she said, using her magic to levitate the other hose over the lake before dropping it.

Applejack nodded. “All right Pinkie, let ‘er rip.”

“Okely, dokely!” she hollered before flipping the switch on the large machine.

The machine roared to life and began draining water from the lake; bringing it to the top of the slide. Twilight could see the machine was putting out enough water to provide a good steady stream.

“Yee-haw! It works.” Applejack reared up in triumph.

“All right!” Rainbow Dash cheered, giving Applejack a high-hoof.

Twilight nearly jumped out of her skin when Pinkie Pie’s show of excitement was a blast of confetti from her trusty party cannon.

The only one to show no real excitement was Rarity, who only lowered her sunglasses enough to see what the commotion was. She sniffed dismissively and pushed her glasses back to their place and returning to her sunbath.

Twilight looked at the water slide with a smile, amazed to see the machine put out enough water for the slide. “Where did Apple Bloom and her friends find the pump, Applejack?”

She shrugged. “Who knows where they get half the things they get. It’s one’a them things where yer better off not askin’.”

“Fair enough.” Twilight shrugged, finally letting the topic go.

“So who’s going first?” Applejack asked them.

“I will!” Pinkie shouted, already mid-leap over the slide’s start. With a high pitched “Whee!” she slid down the slide. Flying over the lake, she splashed down with an impressive cannonball.

Twilight’s eyes shrank to mere pinpoints as the resulting wave towered over them. With a squeak, there wasn’t enough time to use a spell to save herself. The resulting wave soaked everypony, including an unaware Rarity.

The unicorn sputtered as she shook off the water, a horrified expression on her face. “P-Pinkie Pie! My-my hair!” she declared, her hooves darting to save her curls.

“Oops, sorry, Rarity,” Pinkie said as she floated in the middle of the lake, a not-so-sorry expression on her face. “You should come swimming with us; it’s a whole lot of fun.”

Rarity scoffed. “Fun? Darling, I fail to see how swimming in a dirty old lake could possibly be considered fun. You girls go ahead and have your fun; I’ll enjoy my time in the sun.” With that, she used her magic to dry her hair—which promptly settled back to its normal state—and returned to her sunbathing.

The other mares shared a small laugh and turned to have fun with the new slide. Even Fluttershy gave it a try, after a lot of coaxing from her friends. It soon became a contest between Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie on who could make a larger splash. Though none got close to Pinkie’s first cannonball, they didn’t lack for trying.

After Applejack’s last attempt, an impressive splash that reached well into the air, Rainbow Dash zipped up to the top of the slide and stretched her wings, acting as if she were preparing for a big race. With a confident smile, she leaped into the air then turned a sharp one-eighty and descended. With her wings tucked to her side, she zipped down the slide and soared over the lake. She did a few midair flips before splashing down with a loud, “Yeeeaaah!”

The splash nearly outdid Pinkie’s, the resulting wave soaking everyone along the shore save Rarity, who saw it coming and used her magic to shield herself from the water without a hair out of place.

“Yeah! That’s how it’s done!” the cyan pegasus cheered from the water’s surface. Her friends cheered as well. When Rainbow turned to Twilight, she felt a cold feeling in her stomach as the pegasus smiled a mischievous smile.

“All right, Twilight, it’s your turn. I want you to do the same thing I just did.”

Twilight blinked. It took her a moment to respond. “You want me to dive from the air?” she asked.

“That’s right. It’ll be your flight lesson today,” Rainbow said as she landed on the shore, shaking the water from her coat. “There’s nothing to it, just tuck your wings in as you dive and you’ll build up the speed you need to make a great cannonball.”

Her jaw slack, Twilight couldn’t begin to mouth a protest.

“You’ll be fine,” Rainbow said to her look.

With a defeated sigh, Twilight took off and hovered above the slide, looking down at her friends as they turned to watch her.

“So, I just tuck them in?” she called down.

“Just do it, Twilight!” Rainbow yelled, impatience making its way into her tone.

“You can do it, sugarcube!” Applejack called up, waving her hat around.

“Yay! Twilight! Whoo!” Pinkie Pie added.

Fluttershy looked on, eager to see how Twilight did. Rarity lowered her sunglasses enough to view the spectacle. Spike, of course, looked on with a hint of worry.

With a calming breath, she tucked in her wings as Rainbow had taught her—the wind whooshing past her ears as she descended. She hit the slide and sailed out over the lake… and beyond.

“Twilight! Look out!” Spike called, mirroring other shouts from her friends.

With a panicked scream, Twilight tried using her wings to stop herself, but it was not enough to keep her from crashing into a tree.

Her friends rushed over and called up into the tangle of branches.

“Twi, you alright?” Applejack asked.

“Ugh… never better,” came the sarcastic response.

Her friends let out a relieved breath. “Ya had us worried there, sugarcube.”

“I had myself worried.” Her surprised yelp was followed by the resounding thuds as she bounced off each branch the whole way to the ground. She sat dazed a moment, and shook her head to clear the dizziness.

“What did I do wrong?” she asked, rubbing at the side of her head.

“You had your wings out for too long,” Fluttershy said, helping her to her hooves. “When you got to the slide, you should have had them at your side.”

“You couldn’t have told me that before I dived headlong into a tree?” Twilight said. She winced as she saw the pegasus duck behind her bangs. “Sorry, Fluttershy, I didn’t mean to snap.”

“It-It’s okay.” Fluttershy smiled as she emerged from behind her bangs. “I understand.”

“Really, darling, you shouldn’t let Rainbow Dash talk you into doing every crazy stunt she does. Not until you’re a bit more experienced.” Rarity said, and then added as if an afterthought, “No offense, Rainbow Dash.”

“Oh, none taken.” Rainbow Dash said, far too easily.

Even Twilight recognized that tone. She turned to see an impishly grinning Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, who quickly grabbed Rarity before she could turn to run and lifted her above their heads.

“Girls! No! What are you doing? Put me down this instant!” Rarity yelled, struggling to escape.

“Oh, we’re not doing anything,” Pinkie Pie chirped as they carried her towards the lakeshore.

“No! Girls! No, not the lake! My—” Her remaining protests were lost in a scream as she was tossed into the lake.

She came up sputtering, her makeup running and her hair soaking wet. No easy magic was going to fix it this time, Twilight knew. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie quickly dove in to join her, soaking her once again.

Rarity glared at them so fiercely that the water on her fur seemed to evaporate. “It. Is. ON!” She promptly dunked Rainbow under the water.

The girls and dragon all shared a laugh and enjoyed the rest of the day at the lake. That was until Spike gave a sudden belch of flame. The flames turned into a rolled up parchment that bore the royal seal.

"A letter from the Princess?" Applejack asked as she donned her hat again.

Twilight nodded as she took the parchment in her magic. "Thank you, Spike." Her eyes scanned the page before she gasped.

"Uh oh, what is it this time?" Rainbow grumbled, crossing her arms in an annoyed huff.

That same day, Princess Celestia sat out on the balcony overlooking the city of Canterlot. Her gaze lost as she looked to the horizon. The last she heard from her sister was a few weeks ago; Luna had said her expedition had found the temple and to expect her home soon. Today was the day Luna was expected back, and Celestia would finally learn if her fears were well-founded.

It had been months since she had they hard heard his scream of rage, but after that initial touch, there had been nothing else from him. It almost seemed as if he had disappeared as quickly as he had come. Luna had claimed that she would hunt him down on her own, but Celestia had insisted that she take a squad of guards with her to investigate the lost temple and find clues to his whereabouts. Luna had argued that if she was alone, she could have been to the temple and back within a few short weeks, but with the extra protection—and their lack of magical travel—Luna's expedition had to take a long way there—despite the Lunar Princess's grumblings.

Their form of communication was not consistent as it was with Twilight and Spike, and Celestia wished now more than ever that she and Luna had a similar way to communicate over long distances. Their magical sendings were much more difficult to send and maintain. Thus the sisters had agreed to share the final news in person.

As her gaze focused on the horizon, she let out a slow breath. ‘I pray that you found him, Luna, and sealed him away before he could cause anyone misery.’ Her eyes closed as she shifted her weight. ‘Please be safe, Luna.’

Her thoughts drifted once again. Equestria had only just begun to settle into a state where there was little fear of an outside threat. Nightmare Moon was defeated, Discord reformed, the changelings imprisoned, and Sombra defeated. It had seemed that peace and stability had finally settled over her kingdom. With a newly crowned princess, her ponies were happy.

‘I fear though, that if he gains his power back...’ Her gaze hardened as she stared at the sky. ‘I will not let that happen again. Never again.’

She jerked at the sound of a horn that was near the city gates. Turning her gaze in the direction of the sound, she saw her sister leading her squad through the gates, her guards pulling a wagon along.

Taking in a steadying breath, Celestia made her way back to the throne room to await Luna’s arrival. She quietly hoped that news would be good, and her fears put to rest.

She did not have to wait long as Luna made her way to the throne room. When she arrived, Celestia saw she was followed by a pair of guards pulling a canvas-covered wagon. Accompanying Luna was a worn-looking blue-green pegasus with a three-coin cutie mark. Celestia looked at the pegasus—a cold feeling gripping at her chest at the expression the mare wore—before her gaze settled over the wagon.

Pushing aside her worries, for now, she stood straighter and said, “Welcome home, sister. I hope you and your expedition are well?”

“We are indeed, sister.” Luna replied. “But I fear the news I bring is most dire.”

Celestia felt her heart sink. “It is true then?”

Luna nodded, her brow furrowing. “We found Tourmaline—” she motioned to the pegasus, “—at the fringe of the jungle in ill health and delirium, but we were able to determine she knew where the temple lay hidden. We nursed her back to health, and she agreed to show us where it lay.” Luna turned to the pegasus. “Come forward, young one; please tell my sister what you have told me.”

The pegasus stepped forward on shaky legs and bowed.

“Princess Celestia,” she said, her voice quivered as she spoke.

A gentle smile tugged at Celestia’s lips. “It is all right, my little pony, it is safe here. Your name is Tourmaline, yes? It is a beautiful name.”

“Y-Yes, Princess,” the pegasus replied, standing taller.

“Can you tell me what you witnessed at the temple?”

Sorrow crossed Tourmaline’s face as she looked at the canvas-covered wagon. “I wish we had never found it.”

She told Celestia all of what occurred at the temple that day. Telling of Wanderer, her brother, Tormod, the crown, the scepter, and the awful stallion that Wanderer had become.

“Can you describe what this stallion looked like?” Celestia asked when Tourmaline came to that point in her tale.

Tourmaline closed her eyes a moment. “It was hard to make out really—it was dark, and we only had the one lantern—but his coat was a velvet color, and his mane had a golden streak through it. He had gold armor on his chest, and he had the crown and scepter we found.” She shuddered. “But it was his eyes I remember. The three of us battled monsters before, some of them very dangerous, and I never hesitated against them. But his eyes, I looked at them couldn’t move, and that was when Tormod—” She choked back her next words, looking to the wagon again with a look of shame, unable to continue speaking.

Celestia turned her gaze to the wagon and with a soft glow from her horn, the canvas lifted; uncovering a still-petrified Tormod. Celestia’s eyes widened, and she looked to Luna for an explanation.

“I have been unable to undo what was done to him,” Luna said, her expression darkening. “He dreams, however, and I have visited him there. He has relayed much the same to me.”

Celestia nodded, a pensive frown crossing her face as she approached the petrified unicorn. Taking in a breath, her horn grew much brighter, and the same-colored aura surrounded the statue. The glow brightened for a moment before it dissipated. When she opened her eyes, she saw that the unicorn remained petrified, despite her effort.

She turned and looked to the worried Tourmaline. “You are tired, Tourmaline. You and your brother will remain here as my guests in the castle. I promise you I will do all I can to cure your brother.”

Tourmaline bowed again to her. “Thank you, Princess Celestia.” She turned her gaze to Luna. “And you too, Princess Luna, for helping me and my brother.”

Celestia tilted her head when Tourmaline looked back at her only to avert her gaze again.

“What is on your mind, Tourmaline? You can speak with me.”

Tourmaline gulped before speaking. “Can… can you save my friend, Princess? Wanderer, he’s been our best friend since we were foals.” She lifted her violet-eyed gaze to her. “You can save him too, right?”

A smile made its way onto Celestia’s face. “Rest assured, Tourmaline, we will do everything we can to save your friend as well. Just have faith, my little pony.”

“Thank you, Princess Celestia,” she said, relief making its way into her tone.

“You are most welcome.” Celestia looked to a guard who stood by stoically. “Please show her to the guest rooms.”

After Tourmaline had left, Celestia turned back to her throne in quiet contemplation; Luna stood next to her, allowing her sister time to mull over the news.

“You saw the aura that still surrounded her brother, yes?” she asked, glancing at her sister.

Celestia nodded, her gaze holding a far-away look. “I should have foreseen this, Luna. I had hoped, prayed, that this wouldn’t have happened.” She sighed. “But it did. And now two of our subjects suffer because of him.”

Luna rested a hoof on her withers. “One cannot predict the future, sister. You are not at fault for his return.”

Celestia lowered her head. “I know this, but I dread what he is capable of now. He has had centuries to focus his power despite his imprisonment.”

“He has been released for a few months now, and we have neither seen nor heard anything of him. Perhaps he is weakened instead and is unwilling to face us as of yet,” Luna suggested.

“Perhaps,” Celestia allowed. “However, it is not in his nature to act rashly. When he does reappear, he will be prepared, and he will come for us. We cannot let him harm our subjects in his goal for domination.”

Luna’s gaze hardened. “Until he acts, we can do little but prepare for that day.”

Celestia nodded standing straighter again. “We will have to warn Princess Cadence and Princess Twilight, and advise her friends to have the Elements of Harmony at the ready. We will also have to inform Discord; he might be able to provide more information we can use.”

Luna winced at the thought. "Let us hope that if he does, it will make even a sliver of sense."

In another part of Equestria, south of the Applelosian Mountains and past the forest of Leota, sat the remains of a recently destroyed castle. The remains of the small town surrounding it had long since sat abandoned. Inside the castle, it was as still as night. It was not until one came to its lower confines that one would hear a sing-song voice happily repeating the same tune over and over again. The singing broke long enough to recite a poem before breaking out in song again, a routine that was maddening to any subject to it with no means of escape.

The Queen of the Changelings, rested her foreleg over her eyes. “A year… a whole year listening to that insufferable costume!” she shouted, earning quick, worried looks from her changelings nearby. She bristled and glared at the obnoxiously large costume that resembled Pinkie Pie as it blocked the only way out of their prison. “What foul spell has she put on you? How do I make you shut up!” Ever since that fateful night of the comet and the battle with Twilight and her friends, the queen had to hear that insufferable song and rhyme repeated in the voice of the pink earth pony.

‘I can’t take it anymore…’ she groaned as the costume once again started up its song.

She and her minions tried in vain to not only dig themselves out but also to solve the riddle of the enchanted costume that blocked the exit. She remembered blasting the costume with every bit of might she could conjure, but the costume remained unscathed.

‘If only I could feed, I could have gotten us all of out here.’ She glared back at the costume. ‘If only I could go for one hour without it talking. I would be in heaven.’

“M-My queen,” said one of her minions, her lieutenant to be exact, distinguishable only by the armor he wore that the others did not.

Her eyes blazed with rage. “What?!”

He flinched at her tone and lowered his gaze to the floor. “We have tried digging at a different section of the antechambers, my Queen, but the ground is so hard we can’t get through.”

She scoffed. “You tell me nothing I don’t already know. Do not come back to me unless you have found something that will get us out of here!”

He bowed and backed away. “Yes, my queen,” he said, skittering away from her as quick as his wings would allow.

After he left, she looked around, and her shoulders sagged. There was no way out, she knew. At least not until Twilight herself came back to release them, and she knew the possibilities of that were slim. She plopped down on her dais, her hooves over her head, trying to drown out the possessed costume’s rambling.

Then it happened, the costume stopped its singing, almost like a hesitation. The queen perked up, as did her nearby minions, the silence that followed almost seemed louder than the singing had been.

Her ears perked up as a faint glimmer of hope sparked in her chest. ‘Did it stop? Is she going to let us—’

Her jaw dropped as the costume took up its song once more. Clenching her jaw, she shouted, “Curse you, Twilight Spark—”

The resulting explosion of shredded material caused a startled squeak to escape her as she and the changelings lifted their forelegs to shield their faces.

At the sound of clopping hooves, Chrysalis sneered past her forelegs back at the doorway. “That was a tad extreme way of dispelling your own spell, Twilight Spar…”

Her words trailed away as a pony other than Twilight Sparkle stood in the doorway. Kicking aside the remains of the costume, the tall earth pony stepped through the door. Chrysalis sucked in a breath as he glared down at them with amber-colored eyes. The gold chestplate he wore seemed a stark contrast to the velvet color of his fur.

“Who?” Chrysalis managed to utter past her shock.

His eyes traced to her and she saw a small, arrogant smirk tug at his lips. Lifting his golden, manticore scepter, he rapped it on the floor—the sound of the metal hitting the stone sending a shiver up her spine.

“You are the queen of this hive, I presume?” he asked in a voice that was smooth as silk, yet held a commanding undertone to it.

Chrysalis bristled. The way he carried himself, as if the world bowed to him, made her wonder if she had been better off with the singing costume.