Shadows moved over the vast sea as the sun reflected off the surface of the blue water, its rays of light warming the tide. The ocean’s waves rippled and drifted along as the strong winds whistled past four carriages that were flying over the neverending tides of aqua. These carriages flew above the sea, the largest one being pulled along by four pegasi in golden armor that gleamed from the light of the sun, the three smaller ones being tugged across the sky by two other pegasi who wore the same uniform, signifying them as members of the Royal Guard.

Their cargo that they hauled over the ocean contained the group that was being flown to an island located some distance off the coast of Equestria which rested on the border between their home and The Crystal Empire. An hour had passed since the beginning of their journey to the Neighland-Yupony facility that sat on this island, which was not located on any Equestrian map Princess Celestia could find except for their up-to-date atlas in the conference room. As the trip went by, Rarity stared out at the vast expanse of water, a hoof resting against her chin, and scanned the sea below her. She sat with her back slouched.

She gulped, licking her lips as she waited to arrive at the destination. Her mouth felt dry, and she swallowed more of her saliva to alleviate the unbearable dryness. It was not the salty air that had absorbed all the fluids inside her mouth, although the taste of sodium did leave a flavor that she disliked. It was rather the thoughts that spun in her mind about the creature that she would never name again that gave her a case of cottonmouth.

Ever since the tragic event that this monster had caused last month, Rarity had done her best to suppress any thoughts about that nightmare. Although she was fairly successful in that attempt, the beast had always managed to find a way back into her subconscious, wreaking havoc in her dreams and causing her nothing but night terrors. When information led to the possible resurrection of this animal, not to mention that it was the parasite that was implanted into her own body, she almost blacked out from the shocking news.

Now she and her friends were on their way to a Neighland-Yupony facility that was allegedly located on an island out in the middle of nowhere. Rarity did not enjoy the thought of coming face to face with this creature at all again. But if it was alive, then she and her friends would see to it that it was killed once and for all.

“What’s taking these ponies so long?” Rarity flicked her ears up, sitting upright as she turned to face Rainbow Dash while the blue pegasus grumbled. She crossed her fore legs and slouching in her seat, her eyes squinting a little as her friend glared out into the endless expanse of water. “I could’ve already be there by the time these guys even showed up, even with this strong headwind.”

“Just hold yer horses there, sugarcube. I’m just as anxious as the next pony ta get ta this island, but Princess Celestia told us that we have ta be patient.” Applejack leaned leaning to the right side of her seat. “This is an investigation we’re conductin’, and we have ta look like a formal inspection group. Otherwise we all might raise suspicion if we all just charge in. That’d be more of a mess than trying to herd cats into a corral.”

“But the sun is almost all ready for Celestia to lower it, and I’m not looking forward to spending the night over there, especially if they have that alien somewhere in their facility.” Rainbow threw her hooves into the air.

“How do we know it’s actually in there? If it is, then that gives us all the more of a reason ta get this varmit. But if there’s not a single trace of the animal, then there’s no need ta go barkin’ up the wrong tree.”

“She has a point, Rainbow Dash,” Spitfire said, sitting across from Rarity. “We have to proceed with caution. Otherwise we’ll be sending the wrong message to these ponies.”

“Applejack and Spitfire are right, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said. In truth, she hoped there was no trace of that creature she would not name. Yet, if there was such a chance that it was there, then hopefully that would be all the evidence they would need to indict this company. “We simply cannot infringe on this facility’s grounds whenever we want to, even with Princess Celestia being the head of this investigation. This has to be a precise and orderly survey that has to follow certain regulations that any inspection must proceed by.”

Rainbow Dash sighed, rolling her eyes as she shook her head. “Fine, fine. I’ll go along with this ‘inspection’ that we have to follow.”

“Yah goin’ ta be alright there, Rarity?” She opened one eye and looked at her friend, seeing the farmmare’s eyes glimmer for a moment. Was Applejack this worried about her? “Everypony knows how much yah despise that critter. Ever since yah were put into that ‘situation’...” Why did everypony have to constantly bring up her impregnation? It was the worst moment in her life, and Rarity, quite honestly, was sick of being reminded about it. “Yah’ve been growin’ distant and hidin’ away in yer boutique ever since that day happened.”

“What about you, Applejack?” Rarity retorted. She threw her a venomous look. “Everypony else knows that you have convinced yourself that there is no longer any free time for you. I may stay in my boutique all day and work on my projects, but you are no better than I, working on your farm all day when you can arrange a simple ‘get-together’ if you wanted to.”

“Hold on now, you two. There’s no reason to start blaming each--”

“But that’s different. Mah brother was killed by that monster. Ah ain’t got anymore time ta fool around ‘cause we’re short hoofed as it is.”

“Rarity’s got a point there, AJ,” Rainbow Dash added. “You never have time for any of us now. I’ve tried getting you to arrange a day off of Sweet Apple Acres just to hang out, but you always say there’s no time for any nonsense.”

“Look here, ya’ll.” Applejack’s voice rose up as her eyes darted between the two ponies. “Ah’ve been workin’ my flank off till the roosters are crowin’ each sunset thanks ta mah damaged shoulder.” She pointed to her right shoulder, where the Xenomorph had almost completely ripped her right fore leg out. “There’s no time ta fool around because Ah have too much on mah plate ta do as it is.” She moved her gaze to Rainbow. “What about you, RD? Yah never seem ta quit workin’ on yer skills and practically drainin’ the energy out of yah until you can barely even stand up.”

“I almost lost Fluttershy to that freak, Applejack!” Rainbow Dash flared her wings slightly as she glared at the farmmare. “I was too slow and that almost cost us Fluttershy. I promised her that I wouldn’t ever be sluggish again. Even if I push myself to my limits, I know that’s a sign telling me that I’m getting faster.”

“That sign, dear, is you overworking your body. You cannot seriously think any of that is healthy for you. Surely there must be some way that doesn’t involve you injuring yourself in the process of working out.”

“But how else am I going to succeed in getting faster!? You tell me that, Rarity!” Rainbow yelled.

“Enough! All of you!” Spitfire intervened before the argument could take a turn for the worse. “I may have not gone through any of the events that were described in the newspaper, but I can see that there is no need for all of you to bicker at one another.” She looked first at the two ponies to her left, then at Rarity who had turned her eyes away from everypony else. “Right now, we have a job to do, and that is to survey this Neighland-Yupony facility and make sure that this creature isn’t in the wrong hooves. Not only that, but we have to see if they are responsible for all the disappearances. Okay?”

Silence gained its foothold over the four as their argument had finally ceased. Rarity had felt quite a blow to her heart from these accusations; she guessed that the others felt that way as well. She sighed as she moved her gaze to the world outside the carriage. Truthfully, she hoped with all her heart that there was no creature there, and that Blueblood’s journal was filled with lies and didn’t really allude to any evidence that the monster would be alive.

“Woohoo!” Pinkie Pie yelled as she bounced up and down in her seat, a bright smile on her face. Next to her were Soarin’ and Fluttershy. “This trip is going to be so much fun!” She cried again, clapping her hooves together. “Aren’t you both excited? I mean, we get to head somewhere else for a change. Of course it may involve a nasty and scary monster we all thought was dead, but what’s stopping us from having a good time, right!?”

While Pinkie Pie was ecstatic to go someplace else for a change, even if it was an island just off the coast of Equestria, Fluttershy herself had worried through this whole trip. It still felt like the events that took place only a month ago happened just yesterday, and now they were being called to action in order to see whether these Neighland-Yupony officials had this unspeakable creature within their confinements.

“I’m more nervous than anything. What if that thing really is back? I don’t think I could handle going through another tragic event like what happened last month.”

“Aw cheer up, Fluttershy.” Pinkie Pie rested a hoof on Fluttershy. “If it’s anything like that week, then old Pinks will be here to keep your smile bright and help you stay cheerful.”

“Don’t worry over it, Fluttershy. You’re going to be fine.” Soarin waveda hoof and leaned back in his seat. “All of your friends are here, and Princess Celestia, the Royal Guard and the Wonderbolts are sure to be enough if something does get out of hoof.”

“Oh, of course, Soarin. I’m just afraid of what will happen to everypony else. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity and Twilight were all affected so horribly. I can’t imagine how they would feel, knowing that the alien we all faced is still alive,” Fluttershy said as she faced the stallion, her eyes glimmering with fear as she worried about her friends.

Pinkie flattened her ears as she looked at her troubled friend. After the events of what had happened last month, she had done all she could to keep the spirits alive in her companions. Although it wasn’t an easy task, she was able to maintain that cheerful nature that the others seemed to lose. However, she herself had kept some of that stress away, knowing that it was her duty to make others laugh. “So long as everypony remains together, I don’t think there’s an obstacle that our friendship can’t overcome.” Pinkie’s smile brightened, and Fluttershy nodded with a smile.

“Besides, the problem we should be worrying about is what happened to all those ponies who went missing.” Soarin brought the conversation back to why they were heading to this facility. Pinkie Pie, as well as the others, knew ponies were disappearing; however, the reason for these ponies vanishing into thin air still remained a mystery. “The only evidence we have of the culprit is a badge, but I don’t have to be an expert to know that it isn’t enough evidence to blame these ponies.”

“So… what’s it going to take if they really are guilty of kidnapping?” Fluttershy moved her hooves on her stomach after asking, her focus never moving from the stallion.

Soarin moved a hoof to his chin as he thought, looking up to the ceiling before answering. “It has to be something that is conclusive. Whatever evidence we can gather would ultimately help us in the end.”

Pinkie Pie looked out the carriage. “Well, whatever we’re planning on doing, I hope everypony else’s experience doesn’t hurt us.”

“What do you mean by that, Pinkie Pie?”

“There’s an odd vibe coming from the other carriage: the one that Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Spitfire are sitting in,” Pinkie Pie murmured as she pointed to the coach. “They’re still all upside-down from the incident. I don’t think putting them in the same chariot is such a good idea.”

“Why do you think so? It’s not like they’ve ever been at each other’s throats before,” Fluttershy pointed out.

“I don’t… know. It’s not my Pinkie Sense. I can just feel it I guess..” Pinkie shrugged, looking back out to the other carriage that flew some distance away from their own. Ultimately, she had done her best in trying to keep the spirits of her friends up, giving them reasons to laugh and trying to make sure their fires didn’t burn out from the waves of tragedy crashing down upon them.

A pressure rested on her shoulder. She turned to face Fluttershy. “I think that they’ll all be fine, Pinkie Pie. I don’t believe that they would argue over their pasts.”

“You're right about that, Fluttershy.” Pinkie Pie murmured. ‘I really hope so.’

Pinkie Pie, unfortunately, was half right. While her friends had ceased their bickering in the carriage directly to her right, the first team leading the coaches had flown up in front, a much larger mode of transportation that gleamed brighter in the evening sunlight. Four pegasi pulled the royal car above the sea, the headwinds slowing them down only so much as they kept their gazes forward, unmoving as they continued on towards the island that held the Neighland-Yupony facility.

Inside the much larger coach sat four ponies, separated by a few feet within this sizeable car. The two sections were divided, as the height of the first set of seats was raised up above the second. There, Daring Do sat adjacent from Princess Celestia, who was asking questions on the adventurer’s mission.

“Who were your suppliers for the mission? I can only assume somepony wealthy had to assist your trip to the Tenochtitlan Basin,” Celestia asked. She sat perfectly still in her seat as she gazed at the pegasus, her eyes glimmering with a calmness that continued to unnerve Daring.

“The pony who helped us get there is named Fancy Pants. He arranged an airship for us to take to the basin. There, me and my team went along to find Dr. Caballeron and retrieve the Xenomorph, which only Crystal Rune knew at the time.” Speaking the name of her deceased friend made her heart skip a beat. She glanced to the princess in front of her, seeing her shake only a little. Her eyes flickered for a moment, that sadness even hurting her as well, yet her composed expression didn’t show that pain dwelling inside her.

“Was Fancy Pants aware of this at the time he lent you his help?”

Daring brought a hoof to her chin, thinking for a moment before bringing it back to her side and answering. “Not that I know of. But I don’t believe so because he did ask me what I was being sent after. If he didn’t know it was the Xenomorph, then he was being used like the rest of us.”

“I see…” The elder princess closed her eyes and sighed, then soon became quiet.

Daring shuffled her wings, the awkwardness of this situation seeping in as she waited for the regal pony to speak again. However, Princess Celestia was deep in thought. She was angered and hurt that her own nephew would betray her, at her ends as to why he had to involve so many ponies to gain what he wanted, costing the lives of those who were dragged into this tragic event. She opened her eyes and murmured, “What about your friends? Were they aware of what Dr. Caballeron had?”

“Nopony else except Crystal Rune knew about the Xenomorph. She was the only one aware of its existence at the time.” Daring said, glancing away as she recalled the anger she felt. ‘Yet she turned out better in the end. Why did she have to die like that?’ Daring herself was rather surprised by the way the unicorn had turned out at the end, but it was a change that came too late.

“I hope this question doesn’t bother you, Daring Do.” Daring brought her gaze back to Celestia’s as she spoke. “But what were your friends like?”

Her stomach churned at the thought of recalling her friend’s personalities. When she was rushing back to Canterlot after destroying the facility and the Predator, her friends’ images had never faded away. Knowing that they were dead and to even think about them almost brought her to tears when she was trying to hurry. “Well… there were four ponies in our group,” she began, breathing in and out as she went through by recalling the least painful to the most. “There was an earth pony from Stalliongrad, named Rugged Muzzle. He was the quiet one of the group, never talking and always giving everything and everypony a harsh look.”

“That is to be expected,” Celestia spoke up as she gazed out at the sea. “Ponies from there are always ready to get into a skirmish. There are some who are like us, but I feel that not many of them show their true feelings.”

“Right… he, however, did seem to care for everypony. I just wish he hadn’t died the way he did.” Daring winced at the memory of Crystal and Roughneck arguing after they found Rugged’s headless body left in the Tenochtitlan Basin thanks to the Predator’s spine-chilling obsession with collecting the skulls of its victims. Knowing she had done her best to explain Rugged, she moved onto the next pony. “Then, there was the pegasus from Brumbalia, Black Arrow.”

“I heard you speak his name before… he was a royal guard in Canterlot for quite some time,” Celestia murmured, closing her eyes as her breath faltered at the memory of sending him away.

“Yes… he was a little quiet, but when he did speak, it was usually to get his point across or explain something. He was rather blunt, but he did care for everypony as well.” Daring paused a little, breathing in and out before going on. “The Predator impaled him when Crystal tried to stop the Xenomorph, saving her life by giving his.”

It hurt, knowing that she had discharged Black Arrow. The reason she did was to keep other ponies safe. But to hear his fate, especially saving a former pupil of hers made her regret dismissing him. However, she kept her emotions under control. “I am glad to hear that he put somepony else’s life ahead of his own. It pains me to hear this, but I am grateful he still cared for another pony’s existence.”

An image appeared in Daring Do’s head as she recalled the third pony, seeing the stupid grin of the pony she was closest to. “Then there was another earth pony, Roughneck, who was a very close friend of mine. His life was tragic; he lost his parents to sickness. Two of his older brothers were sent to jail, and the eldest left the family. His little sister was taken away by the Foal Protective Services, and he was left alone in Manehatten.” As Daring spoke, she closed her eyes, shaking her head as she forced the tears to stay inside her eyelids. “He was obnoxious and pretty full of himself. Even if he was a thief, he gave to the poor and wanted to give everypony else’s life a little more light.” She choked a little, her voice catching in her throat before willing herself to go on. “He was killed when the Predator stabbed him. He gave me his daggers that he always carried around, and wanted me to tell his sister that he loved her and missed her so much.”

Daring opened her eyes, shivering as she saw the princess before her rubbing her eyes. Was she really trying this hard to suppress her emotions? “I am sorry for your loss… Daring Do.”

“I… thank you.” Daring nodded, breathing in and out before speaking. “And finally, Crystal Rune, the only unicorn and leader of this group.” She heard a choking cry, focusing back on Celestia. She saw tears leave her eyes, finally seeing this shell of stoicism breaking apart at the mention of a former pupil. “She was definitely the coldest of the group, uncaring and pretty much heartless. But then something changed… she wasn’t the same pony I met before leaving for the mission. She showed me her true personality… caring and kind, intelligent and compassionate. It was like a whole new pony appearing right in front of me.”

“That was how she was before… until Sunset Shimmer said something terrible to her,” Celestia murmured, her voice cracking only slightly as she wiped her eyes again. “I was heartbroken to see her change so dramatically. She reminded me of Twilight, no friends and only looking out to study spells. Sunset changed that around, and the two ponies seemed to have adjusted to the idea of friendship. Yet after Sunset left, Crystal looked so alone and unhappy. I didn’t know what to do, and it was only after graduating did she disappear.” That frown that Daring saw disappeared, being replaced by a sad smile. “I’m glad to hear that she was able to discover the true meaning of friendship… even if it was too late for her to truly understand how these relationships helped one another.”

Daring couldn’t help but wonder if Crystal had managed to survive the Predator’s bomb and if she did find a way out of the crumbling facility. If there was ever a chance that her friend had, she hoped that the mare was safe and sound.

As the adventurer moved her focus to the world outside, Twilight Sparkle looked to the floor beneath her hooves as she had her back to where her friend and former mentor sat. She glanced up as Flash Sentry shifted over to look out at the other carriages. Sitting back here with the stallion was difficult to say the least. She couldn’t figure out why he had taken her brother’s job after his death.

She understood that the Royal Guard were going to appoint a new leader, but why did they have to replace her older sibling so soon? Was all of his effort and work really that meaningless to these ponies? Yet she also couldn’t shake that her brother’s death was still her fault. She and everypony else kept saying that there was no way that they could have gotten him out of there in time and that it was too late for Shining Armor, but a voice kept whispering in her mind that told her actions had caused this. She was the one who had fired the spell to put him out of his misery. She was the one that had killed him, leaving poor Cadance to care for the baby on her own. ‘Is it… because of me?’

“Twilight?” Flash said. “Are you alright?”

She looked up, fumbling her hooves together as she murmured, “Yeah, I’m fine.”

It was quiet, a silence overshadowing the two ponies before Flash spoke up again. “Do you want to talk with me about it?”

“I… I don’t feel like talking.” Twilight curled up, not bothering to face him as she talked.

“Look… is it about me getting promoted to captain of the Royal Guard?” Flash asked as leaned forward in his seat. “Because I’m sorry for what you’re feeling. I know how wonderful and heroic your brother was, but the Guard decided it was time for us to declare another leader, and they chose me because I was best suited for the job.”

‘Best suited?’ “But why did they pick you after it was only a week since Shining Armor’s death? Couldn’t they have waited for a little more before deciding?” She inquired, finally giving her full attention to the stallion.

“I… don’t know why. It’s just that they decided the time for mourning was over.”

‘The time for mourning was over? Who do these ponies think they are!?’ “Time for mourning was over? Was his actions and accomplishments really that meaningless to the Royal Guard? Do these ponies even care about my brother?”

“Yes, yes they do, Twilight,” Flash reassured her, gently cupping Twilight’s right hoof with his left as he continued. “We all cared for Shining Armor. He was one of the greatest captains we could ever have asked for. There’s no mistaking that. I… don’t know why they picked me but they did.” So this was how her brother was rewarded for his acts of valor and bravery, she thought, by being replaced with another pony after the first week of his passing. “I know how much pain you must be feeling… but I’m here to help if I can, okay?”

“Help? You think you can help me??” Twilight spat, all attempts to remain calm flying out the window as she swatted his hoof away. “I lost my brother… He was one of the few ponies I was ever really close to, and you think you know how much it hurts to lose somepony close to you?”

“But Twilight, I--”

“How dare you try and compare yourself to me! You don’t know the pain I’m going through, Flash,” Twilight said. “Since when have you ever lost somepony so close to you?” Acting as if he knew how terrifying the events of Ponyville were... It was sickening.

“Look. I’m trying to be nice and help you here,” Flash fired back. “I want to help by cheering you up. Why are you trying to push me away?”

If only he could understand. If only he knew how far she had gone to hide from this. To escape the reality that she had killed her brother. The ache in her chest had never left since that day. Yet he couldn’t. He had not seen see a family member die right in front of him. He had not watched as ponies died right in front of him. “Why? Because you’re just like the others. You think that this problem is easy and can be fixed, but you. You. Weren’t. There. You can’t understand the situation I was in. You can’t understand how awful it was to kill one of my own!”

“Maybe not, but at least be thankful he didn’t die a more painful death. You ended up doing the job for that creature.”

Twilight brought a hoof to her mouth. ‘He doesn’t care… he really doesn’t...’

Flash seemed he realized what he said too, extending a hoof out as he said. “Twilight… I didn’t mean to--”

She turned away, moving over to the farthest corner away from Flash and facing her back to the stallion. All her suspicions may have not been correct, but it still hurt anyway. She heard the stallion mutter something, but she didn’t pay attention as she shook slightly, tears trickling down her eyes as she silently cried. Twilight didn't foresee that this trip was going to be a long one, but she had never expected something like this to happen. This expedition was to be a tedious and depressing adventure, and she had to be next to Flash for all of it. For now, all she could do was wait. Wait and get off the coach as soon as possible. Hopefully this trip wouldn’t be much longer. Hopefully, she thought.