Later that night, the ponies had already finished making camp. Then, Applejack banged on the triangle as she said "Come and get it!" She pushed a big pot full of grease, and places some of them on Big Mac's tray as she said "For the appetizer, caesar salad." She placed some grease on Rainbow Dash's tray as she said "Hay burger." She placed some grease on Bubble Berry's tray as she said "And your apple fries." Rainbow Dash groaned in disgust as Bubble Berry said "Aw! I wanted the hay burger!" They traded trays as Rainbow Dash said "Knock yourself out." Once she placed the grease on Cheese Sandwich and Granny Smith's trays, she went over to Dusk Shine, and gave him a tray as she said "There you go, Dusk. Put some food on your bones." She placed the grease on Dusk Shine's tray, and he said "Thanks, Applejack. That looks greasier than usual." "You like it?" Applejack asked as she poured the grease into Dusk Shine's tray. "Well have some more. Ya'll are so skinny, if you turned sideways, and stuck out your tounge, you'd look like a zipper." As they began eating their meal, Big Mac said "You know, we've been pretty tough on the colt. What do you say we cut him some slack?" Rainbow Dash thought for a minute, and said "Yeah, you're right." She looked at Dusk Shine who was studying the Crystal Journal while eating, and said "Hey, Dusk Shine! Why don't you come sit with us?"

"Really?" Dusk Shine asked as he began to walk over to the group. "You don't mind?" "Nah. Park it here." Rainbow Dash said as she pointed at a rock between herself and Big Mac. "Gee, this is great." Dusk Shine said. "I mean, you know, it's an honor to be included in your-." He was interrupted when he tried to sit on the rock, only to sit on a whoopie cushion that Bubble Berry placed on the rock. He laughed himself silly as Big Mac, Rainbow Dash, Cheese Sandwich, and Granny Smith glared at him as they said "Bubble Berry!" Bubble Berry finally stopped laughing as he said "Ah, forgive me. I could not resist." "Hey, Dusk Shine." Rainbow Dash said as she looked at Dusk Shine who was studying the Crystal Journal. "Don't you ever close that book?" "Eeyup." Big Mac said. "You must've read it a dozen times by now." "I know, but this-this doesn't make any sense." Dusk Shine said. "See, in this passage here, Star Swirled The Bearded seems to be leading up to something. He calls it the Heart of the Crystal Empire. It could be the power source the legends refer to." He turned the page to see that a page was missing from the journal as he said "But then it just...it cuts off. It's almost like there's a missing page."

"Colt, relax." Cheese Sandwich said. "We don't get paid overtime." "I know. I know." Dusk Shine said. "Sometimes I get a little carried away. But, hey, you know, that's what this is all about, right? I mean discovery, teamwork, adventure. Unless, maybe...you're just in it for the bits." "Bits" Rainbow Dash said. "Bits." Granny Smith said. "Bits." Big Mac said. "Bits." Bubble Berry said. "I'm gonna say...bits." Cheese Sandwich said. As he rubbed his neck with his hoof, Dusk Shine sighed, and said "Well, I guess I set myself up for that one." He grunted as Big Mac went up to him from behind, and said "What, is something wrong with your neck?" "Oh yeah." Dusk Shine said. "I must have hurt it when-." He suddenly yelped in pain when Big Mac grabbed his neck, and twisted it from side to side. "Better?" Big Mac asked. "Yeah." Dusk Shine said as he rubbed his neck. "Hey, how'd you learn how to do that?" "A Arapaho medicine pony." Big Mac said. "Get outta here." Dusk Shine in disbelief. "Born and raised with them." Big Mac said as he showed Dusk Shine a picture of him as a baby foal with his parents. "My father was an army medic. He settled down in the Appleloosa territory after he met my mother." "No kidding." Dusk Shine said. "Nope." Big Mac said as he showed Dusk Shine his necklace. "Ah got a sheepskin from Howard U. And a bearskin from old Iron Cloud. Halfway throught medical school, Ah was drafted. One day, Ah'm studying gross anatomy in the classroom, the next Ah'm sewing up rough riders San Apple Hill." Then Applejack went up to them as she said "Main course!" "I couldn't eat another bite." Cheese Sandwich said. Big Mac, Dusk Shine, Bubble Berry, and Granny Smith shook their heads no as Rainbow Dash said "Thanks anyway, but I'm watching my weight." As Applejack walked away, she said "Hahaha. Don't you worry, sugarcubes. It'll keep and keep and keep." "Thank Celestia Ah lost mah sense of taste years ago." Granny Smith said as she and her friends dumped their food into the cylinder, and put the fire out.