Author's Notes:

FINALLY! After a months wait, I finally stopped procrastinating and got episode twenty done. This is a wild one, and one of my personal favorites. Hopefully my next chapter doesn't take as long to write, lol. Only six more to go now! We're in the home stretch everypony!

One by one, every light in the behemothic Horse Field fade to nearly complete darkness, casting an eerie feeling upon the excited ponies in attendance. Murmurs pass throughout the rows, everypony wondering who's going to play the festival's big finale. They've already seen all the headlining acts, from Forest Rain to Octavia Melody. MicTheMicrophone and Feather. Even BlackGryph0n and his brother Baasik. And of course there was the always entrancing sounds of DJ Pon-3 and dBPony. Soon, the chattering slows to a halt as the beautiful sounds of a grand piano begin to echo throughout the stadium. A gloriously alluring sound ringing in everypony's ears, capturing their attention and pulling their gaze to the stage. A spotlight bursts on, encasing the large, ornate grand piano and the mare playing it.

Octavia Melody, the famed concert cellist, sits there, softly entrancing the crowd with soothing melodies and symphonic sounds. A camera is set up against the front of the piano, showing the mare's stoic, but focused, face to the crowd via large screens set up around the arena. Not too far from the stage sit four special ponies, there due to winning a contest many months back. Bri, Star, and Scatter all watch in awe and interest. Agelian, however, remains in a state of sorrow following the events that had transpired only a couple days ago. Though he enjoys the music greatly, he cannot take his mind away from the terrible acts of mortifying evil that he had unwillingly committed to his own fiancée. And although his friends try to sooth his depression, claiming that it's not his fault due to the possession that had overcome him, that is was an accident, he knows what he did. Though they call it an accident, it was murder, pure and simple. A rose by any other name, as they say.

The euphonious tones of the piano continue to cascade through the audience, sending a wave of harmony crashing down upon every mare, stallion, filly, and colt there. Like a fine mint after a savory meal, it's the perfect palate cleanser to end off the amazing festival they had attended over these past few days. Suddenly, however, the sounds of the piano fade off into obscurity, and silence once more fills the arena. It can't be over yet, it's only just begun. A grand finale couldn't end this quickly. They watch both the stage and screens, hoping to see something happen. Octavia looks down at the keys she had been pressing, and a sly smile spreads across her face. That's when something happens that nopony would've ever expected.

In her thick Trottingham accent, Octavia speaks out three words that completely turn the performance on it's head. Three simple words that send a continuous chill of excitement through all the ponies watching, even gathering the attention and interest of Agelian. Three words that nopony would have ever expected a high society Canterlot pony to ever say. With that smile across her face, Octavia quietly speaks out, "Drop the bass."

In that very instant, as another spotlight appears, shining down upon a blue and purple turntable. On the front of it is one simple word, "wubs", and behind it stands a pony who had never before performed a duet with Octavia before. Right as Octavia speaks those three words out, right as the lights shine down onto the turntable, the pony behind it begins to work her magic, and the sweet, dulcet sounds of classical music are replaced by the explosive beats of DJ Pon-3's own special brand of music, PonStep. The crowd explodes into cheers, twice! Even Agelian forgets his troubles, screaming enthusiastically along with everypony else as his favorite music artist screams out, "Crank it to eleven, Tavi!"

Octavia once more begins playing her piano, harmonizing its beautiful tones with the erratic wubs of DJ Pon-3's turntable. In a completely unexpected turn of events, both completely different styles of music blend perfectly. But before long, both stop. For only a moment, the crowd watches with bated breath, then, as pyro shoots off into the open top of the arena, both of the musicians erupt into a crescendo of musical brilliance. Neon signs light up on the back of the stage, spelling out, "Tavi & Scratch: The Wubs Concerto". The screams of the audience escalate to a deafening volume and the two mares give it all they have got, finally performing together to everypony's surprise and elation. And for the first time in days, Agelian finally finds something to smile about.

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The over packed stadium slowly begins to empty out following the fantastic, and completely unexpected, closing performance put on by the duo of Octavia and DJ Pon-3. Amongst the joyous crowd are the four friends who, over the past few months, had lost so much in their lives. Friends, family, and hope; all gone. It felt like nothing was going to change, especially with the terrible loss suffered only days ago. However, one thing they can all agree on now is that in the end, Bri was right. In the midst of all the heartache and pain they've been suffering, they needed this to give them a little happiness...and it worked.

They have not forgotten Dinky, and never shall. For Bri, Scatter, and Star, she was a good friend. Always there when needed, and always willing to help. Her kindness could give Fluttershy a run for her money, her gentle soul brightening up whatever room she happened to enter. To Agelian, she was the love of his life, the light that brightened his soul and gave meaning to his existence. She was his everything, and it kills him inside to know how she died. It's a terrible truth he shall never be able to forget. One that will haunt him until the end of his days.

Even despite all of this pain in his heart, a smile still rests under his muzzle as he chooses to look to the bright side. This festival, and the fellowship he had with his friends during the course of these days, have made him realize what she would have wanted him to do. She'd tell him not to mourn over his losses, but to work to make sure more don't occur. She'd tell him to save Equestria, and everypony within it. She'd tell him to soldier on and make sure her death was not in vain, and that's exactly what he's going to do. Moping around won't help anypony. So instead, he's going to make a difference in this world that's on the brink of Oblivion. He's going to save everypony he can, and make sure nopony has to undergo the same sorrows he has. That's his mission, and he chooses to accept it.

While his friends discuss the amazing performances they saw and heard over the course of the weekend, he thinks about what he can do to protect those he loves. It makes him think of his hero, of Rainbow Dash. Her loyalty always shone through, and she'd do anything to help her friends. Utilizing her skills in flight, she'd rush any enemy to protect them. She'd turn her flight tricks, such as the Sonic Rainboom and the Fantastic Filly Flash, into methods of attack. So he can do the same. The moves he would practice with Dinky's help, the many smoke capsules and tricks he would perform. All of them can, and will, be put to use in this battle against an evil the likes of which hasn't plagued the world in many generations.

Suddenly, he stops and turns to face his friends. Through their laughter as they discuss the festival, the three's lack of attention cause them to nearly run into the stoic stallion as he stares at them with intensity and purpose. They give him a questioning gaze in response, and with a voice carrying the hardened tones one would normally hear in a war veteran, he tells them, "We had our fun, and I won't lie, it was a blast. However, Oblivion won't have taken a break as well. His terror is still active within the hearts of Equestria's citizens. Princess Aurora is still missing, and we must lend our hooves to the search."

"Wait, didn't Oblivion say something about attacking the music festival?" Scatter asks, looking to the others who all nod in agreement.

"What he said," Agelian responds, remembering from when the demonic presence of the former unicorn king had possessed him, "was 'You're on your way to the Detrot City Music Festival. Be prepared for it to be more exciting than you ever could imagine. I hope you have a fun time.'"

"But nothing happened," Bri pipes up, her normally cheery voice filled with uncertainty and consternation. The other two echo the statement, noting that the festival went off without a hitch. Even Agelian nods, knowing that something seems off. Oblivion usually wouldn't make empty threats, especially ones on this grand of a scale. Did something happen that they're just unaware of? Something a lot more subtle? No, that can't be it. He said that it'd be more exciting than they could ever imagine. It has to be something big. But the festival is over, and nothing happened. This makes no sense.

As they ponder these thoughts, the sounds of exasperated gasps and shrieks of excitement begin to explode around them. At first they think nothing of it, at least not until they hear the sounds of a mare screaming out, "HELP! SOMEPONY HELP!" The ecstatic cries turn to confused murmurs, and turning, the four of them see a tearful, mortified looking DJ Pon-3 galloping in their direction. Looking in shock at the caterwauling mare, Agelian sees something all too familiar to him; fear. A shaking, horrifying fear encompasses the musician as she begs for somepony to help her, and not another second of thought goes through his head before the pegasus bursts from the ground, flying at top speed to meet her.

"What's wrong!?" he asks DJ Pon-3 as he lands directly in front of her, scaring the bejeezus out of the mare, "what happened!?"

After the initial shock subsides, the mare falls to a seated position and sobs hysterically for a moment. As the other three gallop up as well, she wails out, "It's Tavi! She's gone! Tavi's gone!"

Agelian looks to his friends in concern, then without even giving it a thought, hugs the mare to console her. She wraps her hooves around him and lets it all out, crying in miserable sorrow as a crowd begins to gather around them. For almost a half hour, she just continues to cry into the pegasus' shoulder. Eventually though, she is able to calm herself down. Thanking Agelian, she wipes the tears from her eyes as he asks her, "What happened, Miss Pon-3?"

"Vinyl," she corrects him as her heavy breathing begins to slow, "my real name is Vinyl Scratch. DJ Pon-3 is only a stage name. And I don't know what happened. After the performance, I went to meet her at her locker room. We were to go out for a drink, as we always do following a show. But when I got there, the door was broken in, her cello lay smashed on the floor, and the entire room was a mess. I tried searching for her, but couldn't find her anywhere. You have to help me, she's my best friend. I can't imagine what she's going through right now."

"We can," Agelian tells the mare, causing her to look up in shock and confusion, "we had been ponynapped by Oblivion not long ago. And if Octavia's suffered the same, then she's in real danger. Don't worry Miss Scratch, we'll help you find her. We just need to know more about what's going on. Was there any camera footage, or a ransom note of some sort?"

"Oh!" she cries out, having just remembered, "yes! There is a note!"

Reaching into the pocket of her stage outfit, Vinyl pulls out a folded piece of paper, which she gives to Agelian to take a look at. Unfolding it, he reads aloud, "Dreams, Faith, Energy, Love. Four traits that give hope to the naïve. You think that you can stop Oblivion? You say you can save the world? Here's the question, my little ponies. Can you save Octavia Melody? You'd better hurry, because the sale is about to happen, and it's on a piece by piece basis. With love, The Harad."

Over the course of the next hour, the five ponies comb Horse Field, asking ordinary ponies and celebrities alike if they've seen or heard anything about Octavia. They ask Rising Star, better known by his stage name Neon Lights, Kid Trot, Brave Grohl and the Hoof Fighters, and even Aviators. They scour the area, asking everypony they come across as well. However, to their chagrin, nopony seems to know anything. Taking a seat beside the giant hoof statue, they begin to wonder what to do now. Not a single lead from anypony, the letter doesn't give them even a slight hint, and the camera footage back at Horse Field has mysteriously been erased. Vinyl, on the verge of depression, lays there on the ground as tears begin to fill her eyes once more.

"Miss Scratch," Agelian suddenly speaks out, getting her attention, "maybe there's something we need to know about Octavia herself. Maybe the clue is in who she is. Can you tell us more about her?"

"Well, I can tell you about how we first met."

"Anything will help."

Breathing in, she begins to tell them the story she hadn't thought about in a long time. "We were both budding young musicians. She was this up and coming concert cellist in Canterlot, making a name for herself in the high class world of those fancy pants ponies up there. I was from Ponyville. I'd never been interested in the Canterlot life. My only love since fillyhood was music. I would use my allowance as a child to get the best albums from the music shop, and on my tenth birthday I was given a small turntable by my parents. I had no idea what it was, but when I put that record on there and scratched it for the first time, my world lit up. That's when I got my cutie mark. But even though I discovered my passion in life, I was lonely. I didn't have any friends. When I turned eighteen, my parents bought me tickets to an upcoming concert by Octavia Melody. I had begun to try and make a name for myself around Ponyville at this time as well. I had become friends with Pinkie Pie, and would perform at some of her parties, but something was still missing in my life."

"I didn't want to go to Tavi's concert back then. I wasn't a fan of classical music. But I didn't want to disappoint my parents, so I went anyways. When I saw her up on that stage, something clicked. I can't quite describe it. After the concert, she was signing autographs, and I wanted one. Unfortunately, the only thing I had with me was a flier for my next performance at the upcoming Summer Sun Celebration party in Ponyville. When I finally got up there, I handed her the flier. She looked it over and smiled, telling me that she'd be there. She didn't know that I wanted her to sign it. She thought I was inviting her. Yet I didn't care. She just told me that she'd be attending my performance."

Agelian and the others watch in keen interest and wonder as Vinyl continues, "When the night before the raising of the summer sun finally arrived, I was getting my turntable set up in the town square. That's when I saw her. Trotting up, she wore a beautiful hoof-woven scarf and a pair of purple glasses. I was nervous, and my performance probably suffered for it. But when it was all said and done, she came up to me and told me that it was "wonderful" and "lovely". I made a fool of myself, laughing nervously. But she just smiled and...and...she took off her glasses and gave them to me." The mare tears up as this memory floods through her mind, filling her with heavy emotion.

"We went our separate ways after that, and I began idolizing her. I'd go to her concerts, and I wore the glasses everywhere I went. They soon became part of my look, just as her bowtie was a part of hers. A couple of years later, the year that Ponyville was hosting the Summer Sun Celebration, I received a letter in the mail. It was from her. She wanted me to invite me to Canterlot's party for the celebration where she was performing, just as I had unwillingly invited her to my own performance. I took the next available train, and on the day before the celebration, met with her at the Wonderbolts Stadium. I got to see a show with her in the boxed seats, and we went to a fancy restaurant after. We began to talk about ourselves. I learned that her parents moved to Canterlot from Trottingham a couple years before she was born. And she picked up her accent from them. I found out that she too had a deep love and passion for music from fillyhood, and that she got her cutie mark the first time she strummed a cello."

Smiling, tears well up in her eyes as she continues, "After dinner, she told me that we should hang out more often, and we did. We became quick friends. I'll never forget what happened next. She asked me to open for one of her concerts, and I naturally agreed. We were signing autographs after, and some heckler began saying that her credibility was going down the drain, having somepony like me open for her. It hurt me, and I felt like crying. But she stood up, looked that stallion right in the face, and told him, "Perhaps we're not so different, she and I. Genre be damned. It's the music that drives us, the harmonies that bind us, the friendship that found us." She defended me in the most amazing way, like nopony had ever done for me before."

"My parents ended up kicking me out of the house not long after. They wanted me to go into a well paid, respected field such as becoming a doctor or lawyer. Though they had supported my love of music in the past, they wouldn't support me going after it as a career. I went to Canterlot, and to Tavi's home. I told her what had happened, and without a word she got up, walked over to a bedroom, opened the door, and ushered me in. She gave me a home when I had none. She cared for me more than anypony, and now she's gone. We have to find her, we just have to!"

Tears now cascading down the cheeks of Agelian and the others after listening to the amazing story, they wrap her in a hug and promise that they'll find Octavia no matter what it takes. After releasing her, they sit there and begin to think upon what they had heard, wondering if anything in there could possibly hint to where this "Harad" pony has taken her. That's when a thought comes to Scatter. Turning to the others, he tells them, "We've been asking the wrong question. What we need to know more about is The Harad himself! If we can learn something about him, then we can find out where he might have taken Octavia! Vinyl, do you know anything about who this pony is?"

"No, I don't. I've never heard the name before."

"Didn't think so," he quietly says, "I'm guessing that this is another Agent of Oblivion. I don't know too much about this city, but from my work with Babe Chenko, I do know of a Brotherhood member stationed here who might be able to help. His name is Ratchet, and he's supposedly got an encyclopedic knowledge about this city and it's citizens. I've never met him personally, but I bet you anything that he has the information we need. So let's go and find him, so we can find your friend, Vinyl."

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Suddenly, a cool breeze flows into the Canterlot Castle as the Wonderbolts, Devlin, and Chupa fly in through the open window, returning from their most recent trek across Equestria. For the past few days they've been in search of the missing Princess Aurora, who had disappeared following everyone's return from the dungeon in the Badlands. It's obvious that she was ponynapped by the Agents of Oblivion, but as to where they were taken, one can only guess at this point. As the group lands, the wings on both Devlin and Chupa disappear, the twenty four hour limit having just run out. It seems they returned right on time. Unfortunately, their search had been in vain, and over these past few days, none of their searches have even given them an idea as to where the princess could be.

Stretching out, they stand there as the ground team trots up, having returned hours before them. Captain Everglade, Terra, and Meteor all look as solemn as the flight team, revealing to their friends that they hadn't gotten anywhere in their searches either. A deep sigh echoes around the room, and the two groups report their findings, or lack thereof, from their searches. Everglade notes that the ground team scoured the remains of the base in the Badlands, and while they didn't find anypony alive there, they were able to locate a sheet of parchment on which is scribbled an unknown spell.

"We brought it to the Arcane University," she tells them with another sigh, "unfortunately, not even the Arch Mage knew anything about it. He warned us against trying to cast it though, and took the parchment for research purposes."

Grunting loudly, Terra complains, "This is all THEIR fault! If they hadn't abandoned us and went to their silly little music festival, we probably would have had better luck in finding her majesty! I should've called out a cancellation on the entire festival!"

"That wouldn't have solved anything. Even with their help, it seems like this search would've remained a lost cause. Oblivion is smart, and I believe that after our infiltration into the Badlands base, he'll have made sure we will never find his new one," Meteor tells the former Captain, looking down at the ruby carpet covered stone floor beneath him. However, despite Meteor's words, Terra continues to show his disdain for those he once called his friends. His anger boils over, flooding out of him on the verge of exploding.

Suddenly, Wonderbolt Captain Scootaloo walks up with a smile and places a hoof on the stallion as she tells him, "Sometimes ponies need a break. Try to see it from their point of view, Terra. They've been under so much stress and pain lately. They've lost so much, and unlike you, they aren't used to all of this. After all these traumatizing experiences, they needed something to make them smile again. Something to raise their spirits and bring them out of the darkness that's been plaguing their lives."

Rubbing his temple, Terra drops the subject. He wants to understand their side, he really does. He wishes he could understand their need for this, but he just can't. It angers him to have seen his friends abandon him when he needed their help, yet for some reason, as he thinks about them, he can't stay angry. He misses them so much, and just wants them all to be ok. Bri, Star, Agelian, Scatter, and Dinky. Despite his anger, he wants them all to come back safely. He wants to apologize for the hurtful things he had said back then. For now though, he has to return his focus to Princess Aurora. That's the priority.

"So what's Plan B then?" he asks Captain Everglade.

Almost on the verge of tears, the Captain shakes her head and sorrowfully replies, "I...I don't know. I have no idea what to do now. This has never happened before."

"But what about sixteen years ago, when all the princesses disappeared suddenly?" Meteor asks.

"It was different, I wasn't Captain of the royal guard back then. I've never had to handle anything like this. I'm terrified. Who knows what they've done to the Princess."

Devlin goes up to the now crying mare and hugs her as he gently replies, "It's alright, let it out. I got a chance to really know Princess Aurora, and don't worry. She's stronger than even she knows. She'll survive. Besides, I doubt Oblivion wants her dead. If he did, he wouldn't have gone through all the trouble of ponynapping everypony just to cause a distraction so he could get to her. He needs her out of the way. If anything, it's a way to cause panic amongst the citizens of Equestria and throw us off of our game. We need to soldier on and do everything we can. Until we've expired all of our options, we cannot give up."

"Here here!" Brightwing Blitz of the Wonderbolts yells out, a few others echoing her, "besides, I've got an idea! I know somepony who's studied the events from sixteen years ago many times over. He's probably gone more in-depth with it than anypony else, and might know something more about this all. He could help us!"

"Who?" Everglade asks, wiping her tears away as she thanks Devlin for his helpful sentiment.

"My brother, Conan Royal."

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The very sight of the high-end Detrot cafe before them surprises the five friends. It's beautiful, well kept, and a welcome sight after having passed an elderly, homeless stallion playing a saxophone for money only moments ago. It's so wonderful and awe-inspiring to see something like that in a city like this. However, confused by it all, Bri turns to Scatter and asks him, "Why would somepony from the Brotherhood be working at a cafe here in Detrot anways? It just seems a little weird, especially with someone from the Brotherhood."

Laughing, Scatter looks back at the cafe, and with a wide grin spreading across his face, replies, "Look at the sight before you. This dazzling, beautiful cafe rests in the middle of a city that's been plagued by thefts, murders, and so many other horrible crimes. Amongst all the pain and suffering that this city undergoes on a daily basis, this simple little building stands as a beacon of light in a dispiriting city of darkness. It's hope, Bri. This cafe is hope. Our Brotherhood is dedicated to bringing hope, peace, laughter, and happiness back to this broken world. That's why we're trying to find Pinkie Pie. This cafe is a sign of things to come, a glimpse into the future that we're trying to make into a reality. That's why Ratchet works here."

"Not to mention, it's got to be a great place to get some good information," Agelian suddenly adds, earning a narrow-eyed glance from Scatter and blank stares from all the others. Shrinking down, the pegasus returns to silence as the others return their gaze to the cafe resting in front of them.

They begin to trot in, entering through the open doors, when they are instantly greeted by this beautiful young mare acting as a server. Cheerfully and politely, she asks the five of them if she can escort them to a table. They smile at the kindness shown, and turning to the others for a moment, Scatter then nods and turning back to her says, "Why not?" So they follow her and soon reach a nice-sized table near the back of the restaurant, where they take their seats on the plush, comfortable chairs. All around them are beautiful, glossy, polished floors and tables, gorgeous decor, and the sight of friendly ponies and servers talking, laughing, and just having a good time. It's almost as if they were oblivious to the terror happening in Equestria right now.

Smiling, the young mare asks them if they'd like to begin with something to drink. After ordering, they thank her as she trots away. However, Agelian doesn't seem as keen to enjoying this time. More focused on the mission they're undergoing, he asks Scatter where this Ratchet guy is, telling them all that they have to save Octavia, and that they can't let her die like Dinky had.

A sorrowful sigh escapes Scatter at the reminder of Dinky's death, but he gestures to the front counter and tells them all, "Look right over there." Standing there, talking to one of the customers, is a stallion with a dark brown coat and lighter brown striped patterns on it. His mane is black, and although is messy in the front, bangs hanging down over his forehead, the back is braided quite intricately, apart from a small tuft right at the bottom of it. They notice that his tail is also braided, and also has a small bit hanging out at the end. He has grey eyes and a stern, but joyful expression on his face as he laughs along with what the customer is telling him.

"So then, how are we going to get him to come over here and talk to us?" Bri then asks, quieting down as she notices the server coming back. Setting their drinks down, the mare smiles kindly at them all and is about to head off when Scatter stops her. Thanking her for the lemonade, he points out Ratchet to her.

"Excuse me ma'am. I'm a good friend of Ratchet's, and I haven't seen him in a long time. Would it at all be possible to get him over here? I'd love to catch up with him again."

"Of course. I'll go tell him you're here," she replies with a smile.

As she then happily trots off, Scatter turns to Bri and the others with a cocky grin on his face, almost as if he were bragging about what he had done. Shaking their heads, they look over to where they had seen Ratchet. The server walks up to him and the two begin to talk. As she motions towards their table, they see the stallion glance suspiciously over at them and then begin to walk over.

As he closes the distance between himself and the table, they all notice his large, muscular frame. He almost has the appearance of a body builder, or some kind of athlete. He has a stern, speculative expression upon his face, and as he reaches them, he glances down with a raised eyebrow. For the next few moments, he just stares curiously at them all, glancing from pony to pony. That's when a sudden smile replaces his distrusting look, and with a burst of excitement, he shouts out, "DJ PON-3!"

Everypony in the cafe turns to look towards them, curious at the sound of the famous pony's name. Vinyl herself cracks up as Scatter looks down at the table in embarrassment. Smiling widely, the large stallion tries hard to keep himself from geeking out any further as he tells her, "It's such an honor to meet you! I'm a big fan! Saw your performance the other day, and it was amazing! Unfortunately I've had to work all day today, and wasn't able to catch the finale. I heard that you and Octavia Melody performed together for it. That would've been so awesome to see!"

"Listen Ratchet," Scatter grunts, irritated by how this has turned out, "we need to talk."

"No need to be so salty," the stallion laughs. However, his expression suddenly turns serious again as he adds, "what can I do for you? And how do you know who I am anyways?"

Without a second’s hesitation, Scatter swiftly rises from his seat, getting into Ratchet's face and staring him in the eye. The stallion once again raises an eyebrow as Scatter then proceeds to quietly and calmly ask him, "What is the meaning of life?"

Though all the others seem confused by the weird code used between the two, Ratchet simply smirks and replies, "Happiness, pure and simple. So, what does Babe want me to do then?"

"Actually, I'm the one who needs your help here. You see, Octavia's been ponynapped and we've agreed to do everything we can to help Vinyl here find her. Unfortunately though, the only clue we've been able to get so far is that the pony who's taken her is apparently called The Harad. We were hoping you could shed some light on who he is, and give us some information," Scatter says as he hands the ransom note to his fellow Brotherhood member.

Looking over the note, he brings a hoof to his mouth and begins to ponder everything for a moment, almost as if he were scanning through his "encyclopedic mind" for the specific information he needs. For a couple minutes, he just continues to stand there and mull over everything he's read in the letter, and what he was briefly told by Scatter. Then, with a smile, it comes to him suddenly. Looking back at them all, eyes focused on Vinyl, who appears hopeful but still sad over everything, he reveals everything he knows.

"Well, to be honest I don't know of anypony named The Harad, but that does sound a lot more like a code name anyways. I doubt anypony would name their child THE Harad. That being said, there IS somepony that I know quite a lot about actually with the surname of Harad, if that'll help."

"Any information will help. Please tell us what you can," Scatter replies in a thankful tone.

"Well, Bran Harad was a high-level business pony here in Detrot around two decades ago. He ran Horse Field, and even owned the Detrot Lions hoofball team. Later on in his career he ran for the office of Detrot Mayor, and won by a landslide. He seemed like the perfect politician. He was kind, charitable, involved, and did everything he could for the community. The city was seeing a lot of prosperity and seemed to be picking back up. However, everything changed right around sixteen years ago."

"Without warning, he stopped donating to charities and became a lot more secluded. It was soon discovered that he was embezzling money from the city to use for his own personal uses. However, most of the money's uses were never discovered. Because of this, he was booted from office, and was set to be tried and convicted. But before he could even stand trial, he mysteriously disappeared and hasn't been seen or heard from since."

"So he went bad and disappeared around the same time that all the princesses went missing, and all those horrible deaths occurred," Star suddenly notes, which prompts everypony else into a deep thought, "and the fact that he just vanished like that. We've already come to believe that Oblivion was behind those incidents sixteen years ago, and if this is true, then maybe Bran Harad could have been involved with it all. Maybe that's why he was stealing money from the city, and why the whereabouts of a lot of the money were never discovered. It may be a long shot, but could he be an Agent of Oblivion?"

"That would actually explain quite a lot," Agelian responds, "such as that message Oblivion told us before the festival began. If The Harad is indeed this former mayor, then we can assume that Octavia's ponynapping was what Oblivion told us about. He said that the festival would be more exciting than we could ever imagine, right? This has to be what he was talking about."

Nodding, Ratchet notes that he's been thinking that Bran Harad might have defected to Oblivion's side as well. He says that it would make perfect sense, and fit with all the pieces of the puzzle. However, before anypony else can begin to speak on the subject, a huge explosion suddenly rings out through the city. A large shockwave hits the diner, knocking many ponies off their hooves and out of their seats. Dishes fall to the floor and shatter, and cries of shock and confusion echo around the building.

The five ponies seated in their chairs leap to their hooves, and alongside Ratchet, rush quickly to the front door. As they exit the building, they look around in confusion and notice a giant plume of black smoke rising above the buildings in the direction of Horse Field. Screams resonate all around them and without a thought, the ponies run off to find out what happened.

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Hastily running up to Horse Field, the six ponies look upon the terrible sight before them in shock. The entirety of the massive stadium is engulfed in blazing flames. The building itself crumbles to pieces, stone and metal falling to the ground below as the black smoke billows up into the sky above. All around them are ponies running around frantically in fear, attempting to escape the danger of the scene. That's when one stallion running by stops and sees them just standing there, unsure of how to react at this point, or what to do in general.

"What are you doing!? Horse Field just exploded, you've got to get out of here! There might be another bomb!" the stallion yells to them. They look over, but only for a moment as the loud crashing of the large neon sign falling to the ground brings their attention back to the destruction. The stallion runs past them as ponies continue to panic and run about without any real aim or goal other than to escape the mortifying situation.

At that moment, a voice rings out as clear as day amongst the sounds of the ensuing chaos. Even rising above the volume of the destruction and screaming ponies by a large scale, a deep male voice echoes loudly throughout the city as it's owner yells to the six ponies standing there, "Welcome to the show, my little ponies!"

They look around them in confusion, but are unable to find the source of the voice. However, suddenly rising out of the stadium, cloaked in black with glowing red eyes showing beneath his hood, they see a stallion who they can only assume is The Harad. Cackling evilly, the cloaked pony rises above the burning stadium and then motions with one hoof to the stadium. Another bomb explodes in Horse Field, shooting the already broken up debris outward at the city. A support beam shoots through the air at an inexplicable speed, and as it comes down, the end flies right into an unexpecting mother. As she tries to help her child escape, the beam shoots right into her body, impaling her upon impact.

Covered in his mother's blood, the young colt looks in shock and screams out at the top of his lungs. Tears cascade down his eyes as he shakes his mothers lifeless body, yelling for her to wake up and be alright. Turning from the sight, Vinyl throws up on the rubble covered street, horrible thoughts swimming through her head about how horrific it'd be to find Octavia having suffered a similar fate. The explosion sends one of the letters from the Horse Field sign out, slamming partially into a stallion. As the sign continues to fly onward, it takes half of the stallion's body with it, leaving the rest to fall to the ground with blood and innards pouring out.

Everywhere they look, ponies are dying from the explosion and spreading of debris. A cart that was near the field crushes a mare and her coltfriend as they try to escape. A small child trips on some of the rubble, and is proceeded to be trampled by an oncoming group of ponies running away. The body count rises and rises as the paralyzing horror builds within the six friends’ hearts. They can't believe what they're seeing. This is ghastly, horrifying, blood-curdling! It's the scariest thing they've ever witnessed, and there's nothing they can do to stop it.

"Fortunately for you all," The Harad suddenly yells out, regaining their attention as he just somehow floats there in midair, "you've made it just in time for the grand finale! It would've been so sad if you weren't able to see this. Let the party commence!"

The Harad raises his hooves upward. His eyes glow brightly and he begins to chant something just loud enough for them to hear but not actually understand. Unanticipatedly, ponies begin to appear in mid-air. Average sized with coats of varying color, but all stained with blood. Their eyes are as blank as an empty canvas, and fangs protrude from their mouths. All of them have these demonic looking wings and points at the ends of their thin, hairless tails. It's clear that these ponies are not your everyday inhabitants of Equestria. It's confirmed as The Harad orders them to attack, referring to them as Hellions.

Shrill screeches, louder than anything else going on, begin to come from the throats of the Helliions as they suddenly begin to divebomb the city. Agelian watches the horrible sight with widened eyes as the creatures fly into the streets, indiscriminately murdering the Detrot citizens with extreme prejudice. Above them all, The Harad laughs maniacally at the sight and makes hoof movements as if conducting an orchestra. Not far away, Agelian notices a mare running from one of the monstrous ponies. She has an off-grey coat and a dark blonde mane. Though not quite the same, she shares similarities with Dinky. The Hellion catches up to her and with one quick flick of it's tail, decapitates her.

The head of the mare flies towards Agelian, falling right in front of his hooves. Her blank eyes stare straight up at him, and something in his brain finally snaps. Screaming out in a mixture of rage and sorrow, he bolts off into the air. As he goes at top speed, he rushes The Harad with everything he has. He didn't know that mare, or any of the victims. However, he still wishes to make sure their deaths aren't in vain. He has faith that he will do their memories proud and stop The Harad and his act of terror. As he does this, the other five ponies begin to attack the Hellion army, trying to stop them from attacking and killing innocent ponies by fighting them off with everything they've got.

Smirking as Agelian speeds up, The Harad swats the emotionally distraught pegasus away with ease, sending him flying in the opposite direction. He notices that the others have begun attacking his army, and laughs frenziedly. He opens his mouth widely and, as Agelian gets his composure back, shoots a jet-black stream of flames out at the ponies. Watching in horror, Agelian's heart drops as the flames hit Star head on, sending her into the brick wall of a nearby building while burning her dark blue coat.

Angrier than before, a furious scream escapes Agelian's throat as he once more blitzes the cloaked pony. This time he is able to connect with his attack, ramming right into the distracted villain. He maliciously tears at The Harad, ripping his cloak right from his body and revealing his true form. A dark red coat with wild orange hair. He's a pegasus, though he isn't flapping his wings as he just levitates there. A psychotic expression rests upon his face as he grins at his attacker. However, the force of the attack manages to knock The Harad to the ground, where Agelian pins him down and begins to brutally attack him with unyielding punches and even biting. The ferocity of his attacks only grow with each passing second.

Vinyl and the others, who have succeeded in taking down a good number of the Hellions, notice the merciless attack and run over to stop him. Star, recovering from the flames that The Harad had spit at her, comes as well as they all work to pull the enraged pegasus off of the Agent of Oblivion. They don't want him to act like this, to show himself to be no better than the enemy. They manage to get him off right as Star walks up. Seeing that she's fine, Agelian breaths a sigh of relief and calms down a bit. However, Vinyl then switches places with him, storming up to the downed Harad and yelling out, "Where's Tavi!? What have you done to her!?"

"You poor naïve little pony, Octavia's exactly where she has been this entire time," he laughs, baring his fangs with a wide eyed grin, "back in Horse Field, the basement level to be precise. I never took her out."

Without a seconds hesitation, Agelian turns to everypony else and yells, "GO! Go now and save her! I'll take care of this one, you just go and find Octavia before it's too late!" The others all nod in agreement, and along with Vinyl and Ratchet, Star, Bri, and Scatter rush towards the continuously burning building. As they approach, they find the only available entrance blocked by the remaining fallen letters of the sign. Conjuring up her magic, Vinyl throws the letters to the side to unveil a tight space through which they can enter the building.

Forcing their way inside, they find themselves standing amongst the ruins of the once great arena. Flames lick at their bodies as they begin to search around. While there over these past few days, they had no need to enter the basement level. They were on the ground level the entire time. Ratchet soon locates a staircase going downward, and calls out to everypony else. As they all run up, Vinyl screams out Octavia's name and leads the charge down to the basement level. Burning rubble falls all around them, however, Vinyl summons up her magic once again to create a protective shield around them all. The rubble falls atop the shield, but doesn't break through as they soon reach the lowest level of the stadium.

Within little time, they step out into the nearly destroyed basement level and begin to thoroughly search the entirety of it. Rooms upon rooms, all of those they can access and with the help of their strength and magic, even the ones normally inaccessible due to this horrible destruction. Bursting through doors and even into the open arena portion of Horse Field where the seats and previously set up concert stage are sitting. However, through none of this they are able to find Octavia.

Suddenly, as all hope seems lost, a loud scream echoes around them. Star, Bri, Scatter, and Ratchet run to where the sound came from to find Vinyl standing by where an exit door once stood. Now it's covered in the fallen pieces of the building. Underneath some of the rubble is Octavia, unconscious and unmoving. Frantically, the terrified mare begins to throw pieces of the destruction off of her friend. However, she finds it too hard, especially with her magic being worn out. Running to her aid, the others begin to help move the rubble as well, and soon, they uncover the mare and pull her from the wreckage.

"WAKE UP TAVI!" Vinyl yells out with bitter tears flooding her eyes as she cradles Octavia in her hooves. Untying her body, she begins to violently shake her as she sobs hysterically. For a minute or two, Octavia remains still and lifeless, but soon enough, her eyes begin to flutter open, and her body moves slightly in Vinyl's grasp. Looking down in joyous shock, she smiles as she watches her friend’s consciousness return to her. Overwhelming elation overcomes her and she hugs her friend as hard as she possibly can.

Looking around in confusion, Octavia rubs her throbbing head and asks, "Vinyl? What happened, where are we? Are you alright?"

For the next few minutes, Vinyl and the others explain what happened. How The Harad had ponynapped Octavia from her dressing room and hidden her down here. How Vinyl freaked out and went looking for help, and how the four friends from Ponyville helped her find and rescue her best friend. The entire story seems to be a bit much for the mare, but she listens intently as Vinyl continues to shower her with affection.

"Thank you all," Octavia tells them, looking around. She then turns to Vinyl, and adds, "and thank you for working so hard for me." Suddenly, Vinyl and Octavia's lips meet, and for a moment, they share a passionate, beautiful kiss, not as friends, but something more. As they finish, however, Octavia passes out once again from the pain after having been covered in all that fallen rubble. Levitating her onto her back, Vinyl leads the charge once again, telling the others that they have to quickly get out of there for Octavia's sake.

Running back to the staircase, they quickly ascend to ground level again and through the continuously falling building. They dodge the falling debris of the stadium and eventually force their way to the outside again. As they run out the same door they had entered through, Vinyl raises her glasses to her forehead because of the dust and smoke clouding her vision in them. Marching forth and away from the arena, she finds a safe place away from the ruins of Horse Field and places her friend down. The others follow behind and watch with smiles as Vinyl plants another kiss on her unconscious lover.

A scream and explosion ring out, turning their attention to the ongoing battle in the air. Agelian and The Harad fly around at their top speeds, attacking each other and exchanging heavy blows. Both of them are bruised and bloodied from the violent battle they've been undergoing since the others had ran into the arena. Seeing the sight of his friends out of the corner of his eye, Agelian looks down to see them all safe and sound. He then turns back to his opponent and demands to know, "Why did you reveal where Octavia was so quickly and easily!?"

"Because, my dear Faith, it wasn't important in the slightest. Whether she lived or died, it didn't matter to me, or to the Master. It was just a mere distraction. Funny, it seems like you and your friends have been falling for a lot of those lately."

"Distraction!? For what!? You've already got Princess Aurora, what more could you want!?"

A disturbing laugh comes from The Harad as he floats there with the same wide-eyed grin on his face and replies, "I guess there's no harm in telling you. It's not like there's anything you or any of your dumb little pony friends can do to stop us now anyways. Let's just say we needed all of you out of the way. We've found the remaining Elements of Harmony, and because of these distractions, we were able to secure them."

Surprised by this sudden news, Agelian lowers his guard for a moment, allowing his opponent to land another heavy blow into him. The force of the brutal attack sends the pegasus crashing down to the ground. As he lands, he looks up angrily. His friends come to help him and look at The Harad as well. Without warning, the Hellions who had been attacking the city disappear. As they all vanish into thin air, The Harad does the same. The fireponies finally arrive and begin to put out the flames covering the ruins of Horse Field. The survivors of the attack gather near the Lobo Center, and the seven ponies remain by what's left of the stadium as Octavia awakens once again.

Agelian begins to tell everypony what The Harad had told him regarding the Elements of Harmony. Fear sweeps over them all, but Bri tells them to focus on the here and now, and that they'll worry about everything else when they return home and re-allign with the others. Vinyl and Octavia walk up, and take a quick moment to look around. They then look into each others eyes with smiles spreading across their faces and tears welling up.

"Thank you oh so much for helping Vinyl and me," Octavia tells them all, "I probably wouldn't have made it if it wasn't for all of you. We can't show our gratitude enough for what you did."

"You were all absolutely wub-tastic! If you ever need our help, with anything, feel free to send a letter! We'll do whatever we can to help ya!"

Sighing, Agelian looks down at the ground beneath his hooves, then to the destroyed city around him as he says, "Unfortunately, that might be sooner than we'd want."

Episode 21 Preview
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"I'm not like anyone else, ‘cause they just wanna hurt me, stop me, and torture me. But that's alright. Cause I know who I am, but still no one believe me."

"I will defend your sanity, your dignity, your honor."