"Where is that mare?" I questioned aloud.

I had been standing in the same field for the past three hours, waiting for Fluttershy. She hadn't come back since I told her to go get the others, and there hadn't been the sign of anything else since I got here. Everytime the wind made the leaves of the trees rustle, I looked over hoping to see the butter cream mare with everyone else, only to find nothing. I expected her to take a while, but three hours? How far away was everyone else?

Eventually, Fluttershy showed up. She had a necklace on her that looked like her Element of Harmony. When did she get that?

Behind her was Zecora and Renkinjutsu, but no sign of Urahara. Where was he?

"Hey," I called out to them. "Is everything okay? You kind of left me for three hours. Why'd it take so long?"

"Because we thought you had died. We are sorry for the doubt," said Renkinjutsu. Wait a second, when did he speak English... er, Equestrian, normally?. Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that they were the same here?

"Hold up, when did you start speaking normally?" I asked. "Last time I checked, you spoke in haikus."

"I've been helping him with his Equestrian," Fluttershy said. "It's how we passed the time. I taught him proper Equestrian, and he taught me a little Japoneighse."

"Okay then. So, did you all pack up?" I asked. "I told Fluttershy to tell you all that we were leaving. Speaking of Flutters, where did you get that necklace?"

"Oh, this?" Fluttershy said, pointing to the necklace in question. "Renkinjutsu made it for me.... He's been really nice and all...." She shuffled around and got closer to Renkinjutsu, then he draped a wing over her and nuzzled her. What was going- Oooooh.

"Was it part of some courting ritual?" I asked. "Because of how you're acting, I can only guess."

"Hai," Renkinjutsu said. "Watashi wa shin'ainaru Fluttershy o kamoshite iru."

"One sec," I said, pulling up the little screen on my arm. I hadn't really messed around with it until now. Well, no time like the present. The screen came to life, and apparently had already done what I was about to try to get it to do: Pull up Google Translate. "Oh, so it was. Well, good for you two. I wish you luck in what comes. Right now, however, we need to get moving. Come on!" I started running for the portal and jumped through, followed by everyone else.

On the other side of the portal, my friends were shocked to see a petrified trio of ponies.

"What happened here?!" Fluttershy questioned.

"What has happened? These ponies here seemed to have met there end," Zecora said.

"Well, I'm not completely sure about that," I said. "And trust me, it gets worse. Just follow me, and don't touch them."

The others followed down the corridor without complaints. After about an hour of solid walking down the old hallway, we eventually came out to the Tree of Harmony.... as well as the former Element Bearers. Fluttershy immediately broke down into tears.

"Girls!" she sobbed. Her friends meant a lot to her, to see them petrified must have been horrible to her. I could have sworn they could move, however, as they just sort of sat there looking at us.

"Okay, fun time's over," I said to them. "If you don't stop scaring her and making her cry, I'm going to smash all of you."

That comment got them on the move again, all except for Applejack, who was still in the corner looking sullen. Rainbow Dash went to the entrance of the 'cave' that the Tree of Harmony was in. Twilight started wandering around. Rarity went to try to console Applejack. Pinkie Pie stood there with us.

"Fluttershy!" Pinkie screamed before pouncing the poor mare. The look on her face as she got pounced by a stone Pinkie was priceless. It was the perfect combination of 'Holy Crap', 'Yay', and 'I think I just shit my pants'. All in all, I burst out laughing.

"P-p-p-Pinkie?" Fluttershy stuttered out. "I-is that you?"

"Well of course it's me, silly," Pinkie said in reply. "I mean, who else would it be? Oh! It could be Inkie, or Blinkie, but their on the farm, or it couldbeMaudbutshe'sgonetoooritcouldbemyparentsorIknowPrincessCelestiaor-"

"Okay, fun time's over," I said, muzzling the stone known as Pie. "I swear, I was getting a horrible migrain from that."

"FMRRY" Pinkie said through the muzzle that was my hand before licking it. Ew, stone spit. "I mean, sorry."

"Gross," I said. "Promise me you won't lick me again and I'll accept that."

"Okie dokie lokie!" She said.

Alright, gang's back together," I said, pushing the still terrified Fluttershy towards her petrified friends. "Now, I have a plan, just let me do something." I started climbing up the Tree of Harmony, coming to sit on a branch. I reached over said branch at a crystal embedded on it. I was able to grab it and pull it free, but I fell out of the tree doing so. "Ow. I got it!"

"But that's my Element of Harmony," Fluttershy said. "What about the tree?"

"The tree is already full on energy," Twilight said matter of factly. "Plus, when we defeated Tirek for the first time, the power that came from the tree to give us those weird rainbow abilities destroyed the plunder vines and the seeds for them."

"Okay, now I have a plan," I said. "Flutters, can I see that necklace of yours?"

"But it was from Renkinjutsu!" she said. "I can't just hand it over!"

"Don't worry, it'll be fine," I reassured her. She reluctantly handed over her trinket, only for me to break the stone that was set in it out. Heh, now that I've gotten a feel for it, the stone was made of a pink marble. Honestly, pretty nice stone, not really an engagement item, though.

"Anata wa nani o shite iru nodesu ka?!" Renkinjutsu exclaimed angrily. "Sore wa kanojo to watashi no kyūai no saindesu! Anata wa sore o hakai suru koto wa dekimasen!"

"Don't get your tail in a knot," I said. "I'm just giving it a proper stone." And with that, I imput Fluttershy's Element of Harmony into the necklace, it glowed for a second before I handed it back to her and the stone to Renkinjutsu. "There we go, now it's propper, and you can keep this stone, set it into a ring or something."

"Why would you do what you did? The stone it had was alright," Renkinjutsu said.

"I'm with him on this," Fluttershy said. "Why would you do that?"

"Because, your friends have to keep the elements of harmony together to stay active," I said. "This way, everyone can move. I'm sorry that it means you have to go with them, but it's how it has to be. At least I left the stone with you, that way you can make another necklace."

"Alright then," Renkinjutsu said. "I shall make another one. But you must assist me."

"Very well then," I said. "Well, I have another plan in the meantime. I want all of you to go to the room with the Organ to the Outside and see if the Elements will animate the ponies in there like they did you."

"Alright," Twilight said. "Who's in there, if I may ask?"

"Your brother, Luna, and Cadence," I said. "If they can become animate, then good, if not, our base shall be set in that room."

"Sounds like a plan," Rainbow said, walking over. "One problem, though. I think they know we're here."

"What makes you say that?" I asked the stone pegasus.

"There's a guard over at the entrance," she said. "He's calling out for you, says he has a message for you."

"Okay then..." I said. "You guys go ahead, I'm going to go see what he wants."

"Is that really a good idea?" Twilight asked. "I mean, he works for Celestia, and she's not right currently. Something's off about her. I just can't put my hoof on it."

"Yes, it is," I said. "If it's one guard. If he tries to start trouble, then I can take him, if not, well...."

"Alright then," Twilight said. "Come on girls, we're going inside."

I watched as the entered the hallway and disappeared before walking to the 'cave' entrance. There was a guard standing there, just as Rainbow said, but something seemed off about him.

"Are you Dox?" the guard asked. The voice sounded feminine. So that's why I thought she was off, it wasn't a male guard as I'd seen everywhere else!

"Yes, and who are you?" I asked in return.

"I'm Sergent Halberd," she said. "I have a message from the Princess for you." She handed me the message... but she seemed kinda shifty. Almost like something was up.

"Is everything alright?" I asked.

"Y-yes. Everything's fine," she said. I didn't believe her act for a second.

"Really?" I asked. "Well, you're standing in front of Equestria's current most wanted. Someone who's wanted dead, not alive. To be sentenced to death on the spot... and everything's fine?"

"NO!" she screamed at me. "Everything's not fine! Something's up with the Princess. I don't like it! I saw her taking in the guards a couple days ago for what she called a 'routine check'. They all came back with either glassed over eyes or weird faces. I don't know what's going on anymore! I told her I wouldn't go in and she sent me to find you and give you a note, so there it is."

"Alright then," I said. "Are you okay?"

"No..." she said. "Something's not right. I don't want to be a part of this anymore if it means being part of the wrong." This gave me a plan.

"Alright then, join me and my friends," I said. "We can keep you safe, all you have to do is find Celestia and tell her you found me and gave me the note. Say you found me at the base of Canterlot Mountain, that I had made camp there."

"Okay," she said. "But the note asks for you to show up. She'll know something's up if you don't show with me."

"Really?" I asked. "But why would she want to see me?"

"I don't know," the sergent said. "I don't like it, though."

"Okay then, here's the plan," I said. "You take me to the palace, then leave. Say you're taking your leave for a while, that you need a break. Then you come here and hide with my friends. Is that okay?"

"Yeah," she said. "Listen, I'm not going to lie, but I'm scared. This is considered desertion. I can get killed for this."

"Well then," I said. "We'll protect you."

"Okay," she said.

And with that, we started the trek to Canterlot Palace.

Author's Notes:

So yeah. Up next, a crossover, hopefully.
Also, a lot of things will be explained in the next chapter. The villain will be revealed, the plot will thicken, and someone is going to get hurt in the conflict to come.
Now, before I go, I have to explain something. The bad guy is not an admin. I will not make them an admin, nor will I ever. To me, that would be saying bad things about the admins, and I refuse to do that. I like the admins, they do a good job and are fair and nice (at least as far as I've seen). So yeah. As such, I must ask that you all stop thinking the bad guy is one. The bad guy is a fell shadow, an evil spirit. It'll be explained who that is later, however.

Until then, this is Music Mod, signing off.