The puddle jumper sat down outside of Ponyville, it was still early morning and not a whole lot of ponies were out yet. A gentle,” Thunk, Thunk” Sound could be heard from the direction of Sweet Apple Acres where Applejack was busy bucking the trees. Disembarking from the vessel Mistress and Jeff made their way inside. LtCmd Sparkle, and Nuada took off to Starswirl’s place, they left though the ring of stones and blue portal that collapsed in on itself leaving nothing behind.

“Knock knock! We’re home and it's time to get up for muster Duncan!” Mistress called, having returned to her ‘Morning Glory’ persona, although with Jeff still tired, her mane was a little more droopy than normal. She went to the kitchen and began making breakfast, letting Jeff slump in a chair.

There was a murmured response yelled from upstairs. After a few moments of restful silence Duncan found his way downstairs. He looked a little worse for wear as some of the singes of magic burnout healing nicely.

“Have a good night? From what Gilgamesh told us on the way here, you were being a regular little hero yesterday.” Mistress joked sliding some eggs and french toast onto a plate and serving him, then doing the same around the rest of the table.

“I feel like someone pushed me under a steamroller, can I call in sick?” He asked slowly chewing on his food.

“You know the military doesn’t work that way. Although based on what happened yesterday, you guys are likely to have a light day. It’s Friday anyways.” Mistress responded.

“Ugh I know, just hurts, where is Gilgamesh?” Duncan asked, causing Mistress to look away, in shame.

“I kinda did something stupid and he left and went home. Totally my bad and I don’t blame him. Anyways we should move on. So I’m going to wander over to visit with Avarice for a few days, why don’t you check in for muster and see what is going on?”

“That sucks, well I learned a lot and maybe I can talk to him later.” Duncan replied enjoying his breakfast. “Your cooking is a lot better than before. Speaking of which you really need to take me out to visit Starswirl and tell me what you learned about going home.”

Mistress flinched a little at the mention of subjects, “I know, it’s just hard for me and you know how much I hate talking about feelings. Let me have a day off away from emotional breakdowns and we’ll go check it out. Promise, Pinkie Promise even, cross my heart hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” Mistress went through all the pantomimes to go with the promises.

“Forever!” A high pitched voice called from out a window, and then yawned. “Wow you ponies are up early.”

“Pinkie Pie, would you like some toast? Then why don’t you head home and get some rest.” Mistress offered opening the window and holding a piece of toast for her.

“Thanks, take care Morning Glory, have a safe trip and see you later.” Pinkie grabbed it before dashing off in a pink cloud.

The two siblings stared at each other for a moment before laughing it off.

“So how does she fit into your whole, Displaced word seal thing?” Duncan asked.

“She doesn’t, I tried to write the world spell so that everyone was affected, however apparently a few people haven’t been, either they are anomalies, or the magic is starting to fade. Turns out that is why Bon Bon originally moved to Ponyville, in this world Lyra is someone who knows about the Displaced and can freely speak. So Bon Bon is her keeper, although it's not like Lyra doesn’t know. She is also a operative who partners with a Displaced Gunjou some headphone magic caster.” Mistress rambled on, eager to change the subject.

“Nice, I think I remember that one. So there lots of operatives? Also when do you learn all this stuff, it's been like a week?” Duncan asked finishing his food and placing it in the sink.

Mistress smirked arrogantly, “Don’t sleep sometimes. Since I control my physiology, I can make it so I don’t have to sleep as much, so sometimes I just skip a night. Also yes, there are lots, a lot more than I expected, there are at least a team of 10 ponies in each major city, and 1 in most small towns like Ponyville.”

“Got your own army finally, good on ya.” Duncan commented as he nommed on his toast.

“Well I am also an admiral of the Equestrian Army… well two personas are anyways.” Mistress placed her dishes in the sink as well. “Alright I’m off why don’t you get going.”

“See ya MC have a safe trip.” Duncan answered on his way out.

At morning muster….

“Alright everypony, after the visit from Admiral Gilgamesh yesterday, we believe everyone is understandably sore and tired. Many of you are still suffering from first degree magic overload, and despite healing, recovering from your many wounds.” Chief Phantom called out, he paced back and forth in front of everypony. “So we decided to give you a present, no training today.”

There were many cheers as ponies planned for their long weekend. Chief just smiled waiting for everypony to quiet down, which once they noticed he was smiling they all did.
“Instead we will be having a fieldday all day today. All of Ponyville, after the events of the past few days, we have rubble in the streets, and holes in walls. So everypony will be helping with relief efforts. Grab a cart and start cleaning, dismissed!” Chief finished with a large grin.

It was so silent the sound of a pin falling on a feather bed could be heard. Slowly one by one everypony fell out mostly in groans and murmured curses. Boom De-yada remained in the courtyard eyes wide. What most people don’t realize about the goofball, is that he is almost as good at planning parties as Pinkie Pie is. In the span of assuming there would be a three day weekend he had mentally prepared a party to start Friday night, and last to Sunday morning.

His plan was elegant involving a rotating DJ watch list, calling in many favors from friends in Canterlot, and possibly a Displaced or two. He had contingencies for almost any reasonable event to cut the party short. Games for foals even, though he intended to get Pinkie to help on that side. Oh the pyrotechnics involved, and music, he was so inspired and worked up from the previous day that he couldn’t help but celebrate.

Now his plans were smashed, there was no way to fit it all, no time to set it up. Sure he could do a standard saturday night party, but those aren't legendary.

“NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!---”

“Stuff it De-Yada, get cleaning.” Chief cut him off throwing a broom at his face, before walking away to supervise the cleanup of his sector of the town.

“If only there was some impossibly convenient way to clean up the town faster~!” Boom De-Yada pitifully bemoaned as Duncan approached with a shovel.

“Hey Boom, if I could I’d just use Dash and Power to get it all done quickly, but I already have 2nd degree magic burnout. Besides some hard labor is good for ya.” Duncan stated, silently wishing that Boom De-Yada’s plea would have been heard. ‘Unless, the one to answer was a dangerous Displaced, or an evil genie.’

“Well great! I’m grouped with the bozos!” Came the scratchy high-pitched voice of somedragon the two really didn’t care for, especially at the moment as the orange scaled and purple spined baby dragoness dragged a large tarp behind her, her purple eyes and fanged scowl really highlighting just how much she hated them. “Like being 2-foot-nothing wasn’t bad enough, I get to work with the two most obnoxious losers on my crew for the day.”

“Wow, what crawled up your tailhole and died Twisted?” Duncan sneered at the little dragoness, who snorted smoke.

“What did, so not only am I a bucking dragoness still. I get up this morning hoping for a normal day, then we have Chief buck us over. I figure fine, some alone-time to work, and along comes Ensign Song telling me to come work with you two. Thats what, now grab a cart so we can start shoveling and get this day over with!” Twisted yelled getting closer and closer to Duncan’s feet, glaring up at him from by his lower thighs since she was so short. Duncan at first started to get really angry, clenching his fist he took a deep breath to calm himself, ‘Getting angry leads to mistakes.’

Instead he helped Boom hitch up a cart and made lead the group to a sector of town that was away from most of the other ponies, several civilians were out and about doing their own repairs. Digging into some rubble Duncan started to load the cart, Boom unhitched himself, and Twisted caught up, the three worked in silence for a few minutes.

“Hey Boom, want to hear a song?” Duncan asked, keeping a bored expression on his face.

“After karaoke night, I’m not sure I want you singing again, but sure let's hear it?” Boom joked back. Throwing a large boulder into the back of the cart. Twisted rolled her eyes and tried to tune the two out.

"This is the song that never ends..."

“NO! Buck no! Spike already told me how this one goes, don’t start!” Twisted growled as she paused from using her claws to dig some rubble that had buried into the street out.

“Too late~! The magic is kicking-.” Boom taunted. Tossing two rocks into the cart in time, creating a bit of a beat. One of the civilian ponies, followed suite.

“I’ve got this old guitar~! The strings are rusty but it’s all~ I need~!” Twisted interjected with a surprising falsetto voice, changing tracks, and completely overtaking the original song with a victorious grin. She even pulled out a real guitar, and started strumming, missing a few chords being new to the claws still.

Boom smirked and pulled out a set of drums, that he bounced rocks off of, stealing the beat back. “It goes on and on my friends, oh yes my friends.” The town ponies switched beats bouncing back to Boom’s song.

“Bring in the kick drum it can back the beat, let’s gather round and sing a song~!” An old stallion pulled out a kick drum and set it down for Twisted to use. She started stomping the pedal leading the ponies back to her as the old stallion took up the guitar with skill.

“Some ponies started singing it not knowing what it was.” Boom belted out bucking some rubble into a cart. Duncan pulled out his sword and started hacking at a ruined wooden beam in time with the beat.

“I got a shaker too! The kinds of sound that want to make, ya move~!” Came a periwinkle mare with a maraca.

“Bring in the uke it will complete the groove! Let’s gather round and sing a song~!” A teen colt added as he tossed a ukulele to Twisted, who took it up much easier thanks to it’s smaller size than the guitar while the colt kept up the drum beat.

“There’s no worries on the earth~ tonight! We’re all walkin’ off the world~ tonight!” Twisted sang out beautifully, getting Duncan and Boom to gawk at her before she got a vicious grin. “C’mon now everyone yeah, c’mon now everyone! We’re like a locomotive, under the big hot sun-we’re chained to the gang of rhythm, the song is never done. C’mon now everyone yeah, c’mon now everyone~! C’mon now everyone!”

Boom decided that admitting defeat here was for the best, started singing along. Duncan stayed off to the side, shocked that he seemed to know the words, despite having never heard the song before. He couldn’t help tapping his foot to the beat. Before any of them knew what was going on, the song ended on what seemed to be a sad note, and when the impromptu band and immediate crowd came out of the magic stupor, they realized almost all the restoration work to be done in the area was finished.

“Wow, who would have thought music really worked that way.” Duncan stated looking dumbstruck as ponies finished hauling carts away and going back to their normal days. Twisted returned the uke, drum, and got her guitar back. The old stallion had a headless bat as a cutie mark, and had long black hair.

“Well chap, music has always had power in this world. Never doubt it. Or you’re just another hapless passenger on a Crazy Train.” The stallion said with a slightly slurred voice as light reflected off his orange round spectacles, and the elder trotted off as enigmatically as he appeared.

“Good work you three!” Came the voice of the Chief, who slowly strolled up to the bemused three. “Not bad, using the power of song to speed things up. Guess this fieldday is over already. You three did alright getting all the others perked up, see if you can keep it up more often. When! It is called for. Dismissed.” Chief informed as he sharply turned and continued moving around town, leaving the trio blinking in bemusement before Boom beamed.

“Hey, thanks for the help Twisted. Your voice is really beautiful.” Boom praised, getting the orange dragoness to blush brightly.

“Sh-shut up! I just didn’t want that stupid song to drag on forever!” The way her ear-fins wiggled and her tail flicked indicated that while trying to look angry, the little dragoness genuinely appreciated the praise.

“I don’t know Twisted. You have a really good singing voice considering you used to be a stallion. Is there anything else you’ve gotten really good at since your change?”

“Well, there was the resilience and stamina increase, the fire breathe, gems taste really good, so do bugs now. Wait, why am I bothering to tell you two dweebs! Buck off! I’m going home to do push ups and get a real workout.” Twisted fumed after absently listing things, and stomped away, the little baby dragon disturbingly leaving little indents in the hard packed dirt of the street.

“Don’t forget to tell Spike the latest edition of Batcolt’s coming out in two days!” Boom shouted after her.

“SHUT UP!” Twisted screamed back at them, getting Boom to snort.

“Poor filly, doesn’t get that it’s okay to lay around and read comics with a friend.” Boom teased, getting a rock to pelt him on the head from far away.

“That’s it!” Duncan exclaimed, charging forward Duncan grabbed a rock from the ground and threw it at the small dragoness, who caught the rock with ease. “Your crappy attitude towards my friend and I is really pissing me off you brat. Why don’t we finish that duel from the other day?!”

“Yeah, sure. A ‘duel’. Pfft, as if you’re worth my time.” Twisted growled as she tossed the rock into her mouth, shattering it with her teeth, and smiling evilly as she purred, a deep rumble rising from her chest as Duncan took a step back and Boom inched away. “But sure. I’ll show you what I’ve been working on.” Twisted quickly grabbed a few more rocks from around her feet, quickly eating them and swallowing the rocks, disturbing Duncan and Boom, whom had quickly decided to run off to get help upon sensing genuine danger. “Urf, rocks taste horrible...but….”

Twisted convulsed, and looked sick, before she barfed up lava as orange as her scales, which she easily touched as if it were just mud, the orange molten stone pooled under her, dripping from her panting mouth as she glared at the shocked and worried Duncan with determination. “They make great fuel for my new technique; Magma Mauling!” Twisted rolled through the thick orange and black molten earth, it clinging to her scales with ease, and lunged at the now-panicking Duncan, who turned tail and ran. “GET BACK HERE!”

“NOT A CHANCE YOU CRAZY DRAGON! I CAN’T EVEN USE MAGIC RIGHT NOW!” ‘Why did I have to lose my cool?! I’m going to become dragon chow!’

“THEN YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE POKED THE DRAGON!” Twisted screamed in a fairly accurate statement.

“Look I’m sorry! But you were in the wrong! I couldn’t just let you hitting Boom slide!” Duncan reasoned as he bolted around the corner of a house, the lava-coated baby dragoness giving close chase, thankfully none of the lava she was trailing did more than glass the dirt and sand of the roads they were running on.

“That insensitive dolt was mocking me! This change hasn’t been easy on me!” Twisted shouted as she panted, and had to slow down as the lava was cooling into rock, making her growl. “Dang it, running around cooled it quicker. Screw this! I’ll just rip your heart out and-oh~...I don’t...feel so good….” Twisted stopped dead, right next to an old well, and her cheeks puffed out before she tottered to the dried up well and vomited up another course of lava into it’s depths. “Oh~...I forgot how sick doing this made me.”

Duncan cautiously moved towards his former pursuer, and nervously moved to the opposite side of the well. “Hey...you okay Twisted?”

“...*sniff*.” Duncan blinked at hearing the wet sniffle, and noticed how she was trying to hide her face with her arms. “No, no. I’m fine. I’m….” Her arms went slack, and Duncan was surprised to see her eyes bloodshot and holding back tears. “I...I just want to go back...back to how I used to be….” She childishly lashed out at the old well with a slash of her claws, leaving deep gouges. “I was just a stallion! I wasn’t some complicated, muddled up little thing of hormones and who-knows-what! I hate this! It used to be where all I had to worry about was my guard work and my downtime. Now, I’m having trouble deciding what I even want in life anymore!”

“Well, everyone can change, in more ways than you can expect. Maybe this outer change needs you to change with it.” Duncan gently suggested, the former stallion looking up at him forlornly.

“But that’s just it dork...I don’t want to. If I do. I...I’m scared. What’ll happen to Twisted Spear, the Stallion and Guard? If I accept what I am, and start to make it who I am. I won’t be Twisted anymore. Who will be the dragoness I see in the mirror?” Twisted asked brokenly, hugging the rim of the well and staring down into the tiny puddle of lava glowing at the bottom of the well.

“Hmph, idiot. You’d still be you.” Duncan bluntly interrupted her defeatist thoughts, getting her to blink at him. “It doesn’t matter what you do, how you change, you’re still who you choose to be. If you reject what you are, you’ll only be hurting yourself. You need to just embrace it. Who says Twisted Spear is gone? I’m looking at her right now.”

“...You suck at pep talks.” Twisted barbed with a small smile.

“Ya, not my strong suite..” Duncan grinned, and the two snorted in laughter together for the first time in friendship, although Twisted would be loathed to admit it.

“Still hate your guts and will try and kill you when we duel next.” Twisted stated wiping her nose on her arm she flipped Duncan the middle claw and walked away.

At Sugarcube Corner….

“Wait, so you two are friends now?” Boom De-Yada asked Duncan and Twisted in shock as the two were sitting at a table and enjoying their orders of sweets, Duncan was snacking slowly on a Bayston Cream while Twisted was having a cookies-n-cream milkshake.

“Not a chance. We’re just...enemies with an understanding.” Twisted offhoofedly said as she rubbed her purple-banded tummy. “Also, he offered to buy me something to help with the lava indigestion, and Twilight told me if I ever got too hot to eat ice cream. Spike doesn’t just enjoy ice cream, he and I guess now I; both use it to help regulate our core temperature. Not sure how normal dragons handle so much hot stuff in their bodies in my opinion.”

“Yeah, so we’re getting along now, but once the truce is over we’re back at each other’s throats.” Duncan nodded as he reinforced Twisted’s statement.

“That just means you’re frienemies sillies!” Pinkie Pie suddenly injected into the conversation, popping out from under the table, startling them, especially Boom, who didn’t see her under the table just a second ago from his angle. “Your enemy can still be your friend. Now then, how’s the milkshake treating your tummy Twisty?”

“Um, really well Pinkie Pie, thank you.” Twisted replied earnestly before taking a long sip of her treat. “I’ve never had a milkshake before, how’d you know I’d like this flavor so much?”

“I know everyone’s favorite flavors of everything silly! You just enjoy the sweet sweetie.” Pinkie beamed as she pranced away, Twisted watching after her with an intrigued expression.

“That mare, she’s just so...nice.” Twisted commented, at a loss for words to describe the pink pony as she sipped the shake again, still staring at the pink party pony as she went around just asking how things were with everypony in the building.

“Yeah, that’s Pinkie Pie, you already know her Twisted. What’s up? You never gave her more than a wave or a hello, why’s she so interesting now?” Boom De-Yada asked the dragoness who seemed fascinated with the mare.

“I don’t know...I guess it’s a dragon thing. I’ve got this hot, but not painful, feeling in my chest whenever she’s around. It’s been happening since the change, so maybe she just has that effect on dragons? I’ll ask Spike.” Twisted responded in bemusement, shrugging as she returned to her shake, while Boom and Duncan both glanced at each other in surprise, subtly grinning while the dragoness was closing her eyes to savor the treat.

“Does she…?” Duncan whispered at Boom, who nodded.

“Totally.” Boom mouthed to Duncan.

“Hey! What’re you two whispering about over there! Don’t make me burn you!” Twisted shouted upon noticing the two whispering to each other.

“Nothing, just wondering what about dragons could cause that kind of reaction to Pinkie Pie.” Duncan easily half-lied, getting the femme dragon to leer at him, before snorting out smoke and returning blissfully to her milkshake.

“So Twisted, what was that you mentioned earlier about not knowing what you want in life anymore?” Duncan asked conversationally, and the little dragon lady glared at him.

“I’ve talked enough about my feelings today, I’m out.” Twisted slerped the last of her milkshake and walked out of the store.

“Don’t be a stranger Twisty~!” Pinkie called out, causing Twisted to jolt, before scurrying away. “Huh, guess she got chills from the shake.”

“So Pinkie, any party plans for this weekend?” Boom asked, still sore over the loss of time to make his epic 3 day party.

“If I can get some help, then I want to do a ‘Yay Ponyville is saved’ party.” Pinkie lamented as she packaged 7 orders of cupcakes, handing them to different customers. All in the span of thirty seconds.

“Don’t you mean, a ‘Yay Ponyville is saved for the some-odd time again’ party?” Duncan asked with a quirked brow.

“Naw, too much of a mouthful.” Pinkie dismissed casually. She tapped her chin with a hoof in thought. “Now if I can only get someone who knows pyrotechnics, and music. Vinyl is in Canterlot so I can’t get her, hum.”

“Boom knows a thing or two.” Duncan volunteered pointing at the suddenly blushing stallion.

“Oh, sure. But don’t you have guard work to do Boomy?” Pinkie asked hopefully, her ears wilted at her worrying that he might be busy.

“Ahk,Nope! Twisted basically made today free, and Chief gave us the rest of the weekend off!” Boom cheered nervously.

“Great, meet me here after 6pm when I get off. Oh I mean 18:00, silly military ponies, anyways I’ll show you my secret cave. Bye” Pinkie rattled off at top speed before disappearing to the back room.

“Alright, I’m going to go home and read for a few hours before crashing. Have fun with Pinkie, in her ‘Secret cave’. “Duncan waved to his friend before leaving, with a smirk on his face.

“What? What’s so weird about a secret cave?” Boom asked obliviously.

Author's Notes:

Thank you all for your Patience, expect the next few updates a lot faster.

Also huge thanks to Demon Wolf, and GameJunkie7. For their help in finally getting me over my writers block.(Meaning they helped write a portion of the chapter.)

As always leave a comment and let me know how it is!