A thirteen-year-old Swift Justice ran through the gardens, and went through countless exercises, all while his father watched from a distance with an amused smile on his face.

"What are you doing, my son?" Goldheart asked the young Swift.

Without breaking from his hoof pull-ups that he did from the top of a large boulder, he replied, "Training my body to lift that belt, Father! I will show you that I can do it!"

Goldheart stood there for a moment, before bursting into laughter... much to Swift's bemusement. "What's so funny, Father?"

With a smile, Goldheart lifted a bag of apples that he was carrying, and then replied, "A good body must be maintained properly, my son! That means you need to eat, as well!"

Swift continued doing hoof pull-ups, then chuckled nervously. "D-don't worry, Father! I'm not even hungry, yet!"

As he said that, however, his stomach decided to contradict his statement. "Darn it..."

Goldheart chuckled, before throwing his son an apple, which he took and began eating while he continued exercising.

"Thank you, Father!" Swift said with a light laugh. "You're the best!"

As a flash of one of his old childhood memories went through his head, Swift, fueled with merciless rage, pierced his spear after his father.

What he didn't expect, however, was for the snow from the ground to lift up with Goldheart's glowing silver necklace, and deflect the spear.

With a gasp, Swift jumped back from the snow, and then dodged a few blasts of ice that Goldheart cast towards him; each one that flew into either the bubble that surrounded them, or his tower shield, getting shattered.

Then, after dodging an eighth ice chunk, Swift attempted another thrust with his spear. This time, however, it didn't get deflected. Instead, a line of snow caught it, and managed to yank it from his hand, causing him to jump back as his spear was turned around, and thrust back towards him like a harpoon.

After dodging the spear, however, he noticed the snow below him starting to shake. Before he could react, a large clump of ice rose from below the ground and surrounded him. Then, in the blink of an eye, the ice barrier closed, and began to lower to the ground level, causing the group outside the bubble to gasp.

Then, Swift managed to kick through the ice with his golden-plated hooves, and dodge the next wave of ice blasts with ease.

"I see you've improved in your running, son... why, so you can run away from your problems even quicker?" Goldheart asked, only for Swift to run towards him, draw his sword from the back of his belt, and attempt to slice at him.

"See Father?! I'm getting stronger!" Young Swift commented, as he revealed the pile of rubble that was once the boulder that was in the garden.

King Goldheart chuckled heartily at his cheerful son. "Well done, my boy! I knew you would make progress!"

"But is it enough, yet?" Swift asked, as he walked towards the belt. When he tried to lift it, though, it proved to be useless, which made him grumble and complain.

"Seriously?! Darn it!" Swift complained, causing him to kick the belt... and then bounce around on his injured hoof.

His father chuckled before rubbing his son on the mane. "Not making as much progress as you'd like?" Then he rubbed his chin in thought. "Hmm... I think I may have a solution there, son!"

Then his son's smile beamed back up on his face yet again. "R-really? Yes-sir! I'll do it!"

Goldheart chuckled again. "I haven't even told you what it is yet, lad! You could end up doing things you don't want to do if you agree to do something blindly! Remember that one!"

Swift nodded his head, then apologized. "Sorry, Father... what is it you have in mind?"

Then his father turned to a guard that was standing behind him and held his hand out. With a nod, the guard brought him an assortment of belts strapped in a chest's pillow.

When Swift noticed the belts, he raised an eyebrow. "Wait... there's ten belts here!"

Goldheart nodded his head. "Indeed, and each one in order from least heavy to the most heavy!" Then he pointed at the belt that rested on the ground for a little over a week. "That one over there is one step above the heaviest of this chest! I want you to wear the one that proves to be a challenge for you, and then, once you get used to the weight of that one, you can move on to the next!"

Swift smiled and nodded his head. "Yes, sir!" Then he attempted to lift the heaviest in the chest... but he couldn't even make it budge. The runner up couldn't budge... and the runner up of that one. When it came to the sixth one, however, he was able to lift it up, but only for a second.

"That's the one!" Goldheart chuckled, causing Swift's eyes to widen.

"Y-you're joking, right?!"

Goldheart shook his head. "No joke, my son! I believe you can handle the sixth one first!"

With a tired grunt, Swift nodded his head and slowly lifted the belt. Then, once he clamped it over his waist, he started to run... which ended up being cautious walks in the end. He continued running through the garden, while his father smiled at the progress he's been making.

Swift tumbled through the snow, as the ice continued to batter his armor, and relentlessly strike at him, while he raised his shield to defend himself from the assault of ice blasts.

Even a shield has its limits, though... he learned that one the hard way.

After his shield broke, he quickly tossed it towards Goldheart, only for more snow to send it away, and towards the end of the bubbled area... much like his sword.

Goldheart chuckled at his son. "Well... it looks like you're out of options, son... you no longer have a weapon!"

Then his necklace glowed, and up raised a silver conjured spike (the same kind that stabbed Boulder the Rock Golem) that aimed towards Swift's chest.

"You... lose..." Goldheart venomously stated, before the spike flew at an alarming speed, and pierced through Swift's chest.

"At long last! You have trained well this past year!" Goldheart chuckled to his teenage son who, at this point, was wearing the belt that he was training so hard to merely lift off the ground.

"I wouldn't have done it without your help, Father!" Swift replied, before giving him a salute.

Goldheart chuckled, before gently placing his left hand on Swift's back. "My boy... please... don't pretend to be someone you're not."

Swift thought for a moment, before nodding his head. Then he scooted up to his father's side, and wrapped him in a warm hug, which he returned with a smile.

"So, is it time, yet?!" Swift asked eagerly.

Goldheart burst into laughter, before shaking his head. "Good heavens, no! You just now managed to wear that belt... I want you to do what you did with the sixth one with that one, my son!"

"Wear it to the point where I can skip the next three?" Swift asked curiously.

Goldheart rubbed his son's mane. "You got it, lad!" Then, after a moment of silence, he added, "I'm proud of you... my son."

For some reason, those words always made Swift's eyes tear up, and his mouth to quiver in a smile. Then, the two of them wrapped in another hug, while Celestia's sun started to set.

Gilda's eyes widened at the sight of her ally being impaled. "SWIFT!"

Then, she gasped when she saw the helmet of Swift's chest piece fall to the ground... empty. "What the...?" Gilda stared confusedly at the battleground, until she looked up to where the mountain of ice was formed from the failed close-in attack that Goldheart attempted. Then she gasped when she saw Swift... and for the first time, she could see what he looked like behind that armor.

He was a medium-built, white-coated stallion with a long, two foot tall blonde ponytail for a mane that blew within the breeze. His eyes were an emerald green that appeared youthful, and sparkled in the daylight. His legs were covered in a pair of black slacks, and around his waist, he still wore the golden belt that his father gave him all those years ago. For some reason, though, he was shirtless.

His father chuckled, before saying, "Well... it looks like you've finally come out of your shell, now! Too bad you won't be able to take any hits from me!"

"Father..." Swift began, before pointing his right finger down, and towards Goldheart's eyes. "You leave me no choice, but... it's time... to finish what we started!" Then, he punched the center of the golden belt, causing it to fall loosely down the thin ice mountain that he stood on top of.

The second the belt landed, however, the entire inside of the bubble was covered in snow, and a loud explosion-sound boomed through the area, causing the entire group's jaws to drop... save for Nightshade, who merely rubbed the back of his head with wide eyes.

When the smoke inside the bubble cleared, a crater was formed where the belt landed. Swift, however, still stood on top of the ice mountain with a serious expression on his face, as his fists were balled up.

His father roared, and shot a few ice blasts after him, only for Swift to leap in the air... and disappear before their eyes.

Then, in the blink of an eye, he appeared directly behind Goldheart and attempted a punch, which was deflected by the snow. Goldheart turned to retaliate, only to find Swift disappear and reappear behind him again. At this point, he glared nervously at Swift, while Swift continuously blurred into thin air, only to appear in another spot, inching closer to Goldheart by the second.

Finally, after another thirty seconds of constant mind games, Swift appeared in the air and attempted to kick Goldheart with both hooves. Seeing this as his advantage, Goldheart attempted to catch Swift's hooves for a counter-attack, only for Swift to vanish, and appear directly behind him, much to his shock.

Before either Goldheart or his shield could react, Swift kicked both of his hooves into Goldheart's back, sending him flying up in the air. Then, once he was around twenty meters in the air, Swift appeared in the air over-top of him, spinning forward, and curled up. Finally, when Goldheart was within reach, Swift gave out a loud battle cry, before launching Goldheart into the ground with his right hoof.

The impact caused another large crater to form, with a large strand of snow flying in the air where Goldheart landed. Swift, at this point, landed in the opposite side of the battlefield. When Goldheart regained composure, he growled furiously, while Swift raised his arms in a defensive manner and growled in return.

Swift, at the age of sixteen, stood tall, and watched as a group of soldiers ran past him. He, of course, was walking the opposite direction that they ran.

"Commander Swift! Where are you going?!" one of the guards asked, followed by a roar from the direction Swift was headed.

With a grin, Swift replied, "Well, I'm going to deal with the Manticore, of course! Isn't that what we were assigned to do?"

The guard shook his head and replied, "N-not alone, sir! Those things are-"

"Dangerous?" Swift completed for him. Then he smiled and continued moving onward. "Exactly why we should deal with it!"

The guard nervously watched, as the bold prince's walk soon turned to a run, and before they knew it, he was clashed in an arm-lock with the Manticore that was terrorizing the village they were in.

After the Manticore made a few snaps with its teeth to end Swift, Swift quickly lifted the Manticore up, and slammed its head into the ground; leaving a mark of red where its face landed. Then, before it could even stand back up, he quickly lifted his right boot, and jammed the Manticore's head into the dirt, caught its scorpion-like tail that lunged his way, and then ripped it off with his bare hands.

After a short moment of nonstop bloodshed, the Manticore's clawing ceased at once, while Swift stood there; unscathed. Then he walked towards the guards who stared at him wide-eyed, and said, "That's how you kill a Manticore, my friends." Then, he walked on, to where his father watched from a distance. He had a stern look on his face.

"What's wrong, Father?" Swift asked, before Goldheart shook his head, and smiled again.

"Nothing to worry about, son... good work, as usual!" Then the two went back to their chariot, where they flew back to the castle. At that point, Swift was starting to worry about his father's health.

Swift continued to dodge the blasts that Goldheart attempted to throw at him, but each time he would get close enough, Goldheart's shield would take effect, making him have to move away to avoid getting caught.

Finally, after dodging a few more of the chunks of ice, Swift chuckled. "Getting too slow, old man!"

Then, the unexpected happened. Despite his constant misses and failed attempts at hitting him with the chunks of ice, Goldheart burst into hysterical laughter. "Oh, did I? Care to examine your surroundings... a little closer?"

Swift raised an eyebrow out of confusion, before looking around. Then, his eyes widened when the realization hit him. The entirety of the bubble was surrounded by the glaciers of ice that was thrown at him... and each one of them appeared to be too sharp to merely punch through. Worse than that, they covered the entire area, meaning a closed-in attack could, without a doubt, be fatal.

While distracted, Swift didn't even notice, nor have time to react to, his father rushing towards him with his right fist in the air. Then, his heart skipped a beat as his father's fist collided with his skull, and sent him flying several meters away, landing on his back, and sending a gush of blood out of his mouth.

He looked to his right, and noticed Goldheart didn't stop there. Instead, he was coming in quick, with both hands in the air for a ground pummel. Sparing no second, Swift managed to dodge it at the given moment, and attempted a counter-punch with his right fist.

Before it could reach Goldheart, however, he caught his fist mid-punch; nullifying his movement instantly. Then, with his left arm, Goldheart thrust his entire arm up, and bent Swift's elbow backwards, to the point where the cracking noise could be heard from a good distance.

Letting out a scream of pain, Swift attempted to pull his arm free, only to be thrown into the ground even further away. The group watched in horror at the scene before them... but no matter how many times they tried, nobody could get past the barrier to help their friend in need.

After taking a few more painful punches from his father, Swift made another attempt to kick Goldheart at a hyper speed with his right hoof... but before his hoof could make contact, it was soon caught in the snow; rendering his movement useless once more.

Then, Goldheart took his left hoof, and bent Swift's left knee backwards, which like his right arm, cracked loudly, and caused him to scream in pain yet again, before his right hoof was caught in Goldheart's hands. After a few spins, Goldheart threw Swift into the air, and used his magic to send the ice chunks flying his way.

Unable to dodge effectively, Swift made one last attempt to stay alive. When the ice was within reach, he managed to use his right hoof (his unbroken one) to kick himself further to the left, and dodge most of the rocks... but when he landed, he made another scream in pain, and looked to his right.

...His arm was caught inside the ice, and pierced into the ground.

He tried pulling free, but it only resulted in more sheer pain, as the temperature of the ice began to feed through his bloodstream. Quickly, he was starting to feel increasingly cold and hurt, but at the same time, he was unable to do anything at that point, but watch as his father dashed his way.

"It's over now... YOU'RE FINISHED!" Goldheart shouted, as he raised his spear up, and continued to run towards his son.

Swift started to panic, as his vision began to blur with a mixture of blood loss and tears. Then... just a split second after his vision cleared up, he noticed a glimmer of light next to him... his longsword.

Taking a deep breath, Swift started reaching for it, and could hear the sound of his father's hoof steps getting dangerously close.

When his middle finger began sliding the longsword, his father was already within reach. Then, in a loud cry, Goldheart made his final jab with the spear.

"You wanted to talk to me, Father?" Swift asked curiously. (This was two months before he went to face Grimsley.)

Goldheart nodded his head and let out a hacking cough. "Yes, son..." Then he slowly stood from his throne and motioned for Swift to follow him.

When they were in the library of the castle, Goldheart pulled a book out from one of the shelves. "Have... have I ever told you about... the story of Nightmare Moon?"

Swift nodded his head. "I've heard about it, Father... but why do you ask?"

Goldheart coughed a few more times. "You remember... who she was though... right?"

Again, Swift nodded his head. "She was the sister of Princess Celestia... but Father, I don't understand why you ask me. What's going on?"

Goldheart weakly smiled at his son, then brought up a subject that caused Swift's heart to skip a beat. "Do you... know about the curse... of the 'Black Heart'?"

Swift's eyes widened at that statement. "Father, you just got done telling us that you weren't hit by the Necromancer! Was... was that a lie?!"

Goldheart's smile turned to a pained expression, as he closed his eyes. Then, a tear fell from his left eye. "I do not know how much longer I have, son... until I fully lose control... the way Princess Luna did. But... here's what I do know."

"No, Father... please, don't ask me what I think you're about to ask me!" Swift' eyes filled with tears, as he rushed up to his father, and braced him in a hug. "I... don't think I have the willpower... to do so!"

His father patted him on the back of his shoulder, before replying, "I know... it's difficult... but you know good and well that... the only cure for the Black Heart... resides in Equestria. And furthermore, you know what would happen if one were to be fully changed before the Elements of Harmony would even be used... right, son?"

Swift sniffled through his tears, and nodded his head. "It wouldn't be able to save the soul who was inflicted with the curse, anyways..."

Then, Goldheart nodded his head. "I... don't want you to kill me right away, though... I just... want to be able to see you... as long as I can."

Swift nodded his head in understanding. "Y-yes... yes, sir."

Goldheart smiled again. "But... when the time comes... I want you... to be the one who... makes it right. For all of us..."

Swift closed his eyes and nodded his head. "But... there has to be a cure! Maybe we can focus on Druathica, ask them for help! M-maybe they'll have something!"

Goldheart weakly chuckled, before coughing a few more times. "I... appreciate the concern, but... I don't want you to chase fantasies, boy!"

Swift stepped towards the entrance of the library, and began walking out. Before he crossed the doorway, he turned left, and faced his father again. "I'm not, Father... I'll do my best to ensure that you remain safe!" With that, he headed out the door, and into the main lobby, where he checked a flight to Druathica... where he would stay in the outpost built in Druid Lake for the next two months.

After the fog of war began to clear up, the group looked at the scene before them. Gilda was the first to notice the scene, and gasped, before covering her beak with both of her talons.

Goldheart stood tall, but his back was arched upwards. Swift was behind him... with his longsword plunged backwards through Goldheart's chest through the back. His right arm, though... wasn't on him. Midway down his shoulder, a few thin streams of blood fell from the stump that remained of his right arm, and painted the snow below them red.

His eyes were covered in tears, as his breathing remained heavy. Goldheart, on the other hand, was choking, and spitting out blood.

Without even turning around, he coughed a little more blood, before smiling. Then, his back began to arch down again, as he weakly muttered, "W-well... done... m-my... son..." After that, the two of them fell to the ground, and lied there for a long time.

As they lied there, the bubble faded away in an instant, giving the entire group enough time to rush to their friend's aid.

"SWIFT?! SWIFT! ANSWER ME, DAMMIT!" Gilda shouted at the top of her lungs, as she rushed up to him, and began feeling for a pulse.

"Don't do this, Swift... DON'T YOU BUCKING DIE ON US NOW!" She couldn't control the tears that fell from her eyes. "You... you bucking IDIOT!" She raised her right talon in the air, balled up in a fist. Instead of hitting him, however, her fist quivered, and ended up landing on the snow.

The rest of the group slowly circled their friend, who merely lied there motionless.

Suddenly, from the center of where the battle took place, a pair of paws and claws broke through the ground. Then, the sound of two familiar males' voices echoed through the valley.

"Damn it! Why the buck do we always miss the..." Stealth Paws grunted, until he noticed the castle in the foggy distance. "BLOODY TARTARUS, MATE! WE ACTUALLY MADE IT!" he then shouted, before he flew into the sky by a cheerful-looking Gryphon.

"About damn time, ya stupid navigator! Maybe next time, we'll..." suddenly, he noticed the rest of the group gathered around in a circle, staring at a lying form on the ground.

At first, he didn't realize what was going on, but after catching a glimpse of the all-too-familiar chest plate lying on the ground nearby, his heart jumped. He turned to the group and, sure enough, recognized the figure lying motionlessly, and with his head rested in his sister's arms.

"SWIFT!" he shouted, before running a full sprint towards his fallen friend. "Oh, no... no, NO, NO!" At once, he wrapped his right talon behind Gilda's shoulder.

For the first time since he could remember, Gilda didn't even push his arm away, though. Instead, she buried her head in his chest, and returned the hug, while the two Gryphons' eyes filled with tears. Before they knew it, the rest of the group's eyes were also watered up.

"Step aside, mate!" Stealth called out, before quickly rushing between the Gryphons and the Horse.

He then thoroughly examined the wounds that Swift had, and placed his saddlebag on the ground in front of him. Before he could even open it, however, he was lifted by Gilda who, at this point, glared daggers at him. "DON'T YOU LAY YOUR THIEVING PAWS ON HIM!"

Stealth, instead of stare nervously at her, glared back and shouted, "CHILL OUT, MATE! I'M HERE TO HELP HIM!"

Gilda's eyes widened at that statement, before she released her grip, and watched as he "worked his magic".

When he opened his saddlebag, Stealth began pulling out random metal objects of different shapes and sizes, while he turned to Zula. "Zebra girl!"

"Zula."

"Right, Zula! I need you to get him something to stop the bleeding at once!"

Zula nodded her head and rushed up to them. Then, she pulled out her bag of green powder, and sprinkled it over Swift's right stub. Quickly, it was covered in a green foam similar to the one Quill's wound was covered in.

Then, Stealth pulled from his saddlebag an inch-thick metal circle with a few needles sticking from the center of it. On the other end, it had three circles within it, and circled the center in a "Y" formation.

When he examined it carefully, he nodded his head and aimed the needle at Swift's green-coated stub. "You're lucky you've got that foam there, mate... otherwise, this would hurt like Tartarus." Before anyone could ask, he jammed the thick needle into Swift's arm socket, and twisted it a few times.

Before a second could even pass, the circles of the metal device opened up, and out protruded three curved metal bars that, when completely out, merged in the center, and extended further out, before combining where his wrist would've been. Then a series of plates covered the stub of his arm and reached up to the top of his shoulder; covering his exposed flesh in metal, before the circular area around where his metal wrist was opened up, and created five mechanical fingers.

In the matter of seconds, Swift had a complete mechanical right arm.

With a shocked expression, Gilda stared at Stealth, then at Swift's mechanical arm. "W-what... how did-"

"I'm a first-class Thief, but a second-class Inventor, mate. Don't ask, because I honestly don't have an answer for it." Stealth interrupted.

Then Zula knelt down to Swift again, and felt his left arm. With a smile, she said, "Thank Celestia! We haven't lost Stealth! We still have time to get him to full health!"

Gilda's eyes widened at that statement. "W-what?! Oh, thank Celestia!"

Then Zula pulled a red herb from her saddlebag, and started crushing it in her hands. "A Fire Herb... it should help keep his blood temperature normal." After she finished crushing the herb, she sprinkled the dust around Swift's body, and smiled. "I believe... he will be fine, now."

Suddenly, they heard the sound of hooves clopping their way. When they turned around, they noticed Thor'lok walking their way, carrying two unconscious figures over his shoulders. They instantly recognized them.

"Justin! Ruby!" Pinkie shouted, before running up to the two. Then, her expression froze when she realized that they were not responding.

Gilded ran up to them, and gasped. "They need medical attention, also! We need to get the wounded to the ship, now!"

With a nod, Thor'lok and Storm Light (both Minotaurs of the group) carried the three back to the Snowflake and, as fast as the ship could go, they were headed back to Port Greenhold.

In the dark area surrounding him, Justin stood firmly, trying to overcome his fears... his fear of pain, which he physically felt, despite being in a dream-like state, his fear of heights, and his fear of spiders. Eventually, he managed to overcome each and every one of them.

Then, the fourth, and final fear always showed up... which he would fail to overcome, resulting in the process repeating itself.

...His fear of losing his daughter, and being unable to do anything about it.

Every time he faced his fears, they came in different appearances, whether it be that he lose her in a court case, or that she would be dragged away, and murdered, while he would be held against his will, or even spirit-like, and unable to even feel her, or her captors. And every time he heard her cries for help, he would burst into tears, and fall on his knees.

"You have to face your fears, Justin! It's the only way for you to awaken!" the voices called out.

Justin turned around and tried to find the source... only to find more obstacles that involved pain headed his way.

"WHY DO I HAVE TO FACE THIS BULLSHIT?!" he finally snapped, only for the countless blades that surrounded him to stop in place.

Then, the voice replied in its usual calm voice, "Because if you can't... then your daughter never will!"

"What?!" Justin asked, only to notice his daughter appearing in a projected image... instantly, he recognized a few of the figures that she was looking at... a few nightmares that she had when she was just a baby. Like him, she was excelling at passing through the obstacles with ease... but then, when she was in the last one, she burst into tears, as she saw an image of Justin... leaving her alone, and not looking back.

At the sight of that, Justin's fists balled up... but instead of crying, he muttered to himself, "I... would never even do that!"

Suddenly, the voice said, "Well done... you have passed."

Before he could even ask what happened, everything around him faded to white.