The next few days aboard the train were pretty uneventful for the traveling group. Trill at least managed to keep herself from being revealed, even though she kept getting looks from Applejack. To stave off their boredom, Pinkie had brought along board games, none of them having any clue how she managed to stuff them all in her bags. At least they were entertaining, even if Pinkie had kept winning them all out of sheer luck.

The locomotive had finally arrived in the desert region of Saddle Arabia, a large expanse of sand as far as the eye could see, along with the intense heat of the sun beating down on the inhabitants and animals that thrived in the hot sands. The train began to slow down to the station, right in front of the massive city bustling with many creatures from across the kingdom. Even though the Saddle Arabians were as tall as Celestia, there were some who were born Equestrian, though kept to the customs of the city's culture.

They got off the train, staring in awe at the highly populated and wondrous desert city. Though Rainbow, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Applejack had seen a couple ambassadors from Saddle Arabia come to Ponyville to welcome them to Equestria, it was the first time they had ever been to the city.

"Wowee! Saddle Arabia is huge!" Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing in place as her first sight were the different restaurants and bakeries there were on the current street.

"And so is the desert." They stopped by a nearby restaurant, ordering their specialty dish as Solaris pulled out the map. He looked over the region of Saddle Arabia, finding the grand city they were in now, but the mark where his test was seemed to be out in the middle of the desert. "And according to the map, my test is somewhere out there, northwest of the city."

"Then let's find it and get a move on!" Rainbow said, feeling anxious just sitting around. "We just keep going northwest, right?"

"Aunt Rainbow, the desert is a dangerous habitat to travel in," Solaris lectured, Rainbow groaning in annoyance as he droned on. "There's no clouds that can give any rainwater, the constant heat of the sun always beating down on the hot sands. There may be some oases scattered around if we travel in certain directions, but not during the day. And traveling at night might be torturous, since it gets really cold during evening. Easier way to travel, changing up our sleeping habits so we would end up being nocturnal for a while."

"Solaris, I stopped listening as soon as you said my name," Rainbow said, already bored and stuffing her face full of the spicy cuisine of Saddle Arabia's culinary delights. "I'd rather get this over with soon before Lucifer decides to do anything worse."

"Rainbow Dash, we are not gonna wander around in a desert and die of thirst!" Applejack scolded the brash pegasus. "If we're gonna have to travel at night, then Ah can handle that."

"Urgh...Fine then." While the others ate their lunches, one of them was missing from the table. "Uhh, where did Evergreen go?"

"Here I am!" Trill pranced up to them, a pair of saddlebags filled to the brim with some souvenirs from the hidden shopping spree she went on. She pulled out a tour guide map of the region, placing it down next to Solaris's map. "I figured maybe you could get some more info on where that next test of yours is."

"Thanks. This is just what I needed." Solaris looked closely at the two maps, making detailed notes with his magic as he compared both of the maps' difference in size for the actual distance to where his test lies. It took him a while, but he finally managed to figure out exactly where his second trial was located and how far it was from Saddle Arabia. "I got it! My next test is only fifteen miles to the northeast, and judging by this tour guide map, it's in the ruins of an ancient civilization from thousands of years ago! If we leave this evening, then we just might make it there by morning."

"Wow. Guess you're not much of a cavepony if you have a huge brain," Trill complimented, or tried to compliment, Solaris's eye twitching as she called him a cavepony.

"Hang on a second," Applejack said. "How exactly did ya pay for them saddlebags?"

"Oh, I had a way," Trill said.

Applejack thought Trill might have stolen the bags and whatever else she "bought", only when the waiter brought out their check. She reached into her bags to find her bit pouch, but she only pulled out five bits, not enough for the twenty bit bill for the food.

"What in tarnation!? Ah know Ah had more than this many bits when we got off the train!" Rainbow, Pinkie, and Fluttershy checked their bags, finding their saved bits were also withered down to less than substantial for supplies. Applejack's eye twitched, leering at the disguised changeling princess. "Hey! Ya'll took our bits!"

"Well, how else was I supposed to buy this neat stuff?" Solaris facehooved as Trill just shrugged off her thievery like it was a normal thing.

"Are you serious!?" Rainbow shouted, nearly flapping out of her seat to beat the living tar out of the teen. "All of that money we had saved was meant only for supplies on our long journey, and you decided to just spend it all on stupid stuff!? What's wrong with you!?"

"What!? I left enough for the bill, right!?" Trill said, somewhat offended, but Solaris had to remind her, shoving his hoof in her mouth.

"Evergreen? Remember what I told you the other day about opening your mouth and saying something stupid?" he said rhetorically, knowing exactly what the answer was supposed to be. "Well, now I have to tell you not to do ANYTHING stupid, like spending all my aunts' bits that are only used for supplies, WHICH WE NEED TO TRAVEL IN THE DESERT!"

The ponies glared at Trill, even Fluttershy was angry with her. There was nothing she could have done to make it up to them, no time for them to find any odd jobs to earn back what bits they had lost because of the changeling's negligence and theft. The older mares pitched in with their bits, which was just enough to pay the bill and leave.

They soon exited the city from the northern entrance, setting up their tents near an oasis a quarter mile away from Saddle Arabia. At least there wasn't a law for travelers to set up camps near any of the oases, as long as they don't claim the watering hole as theirs. Trill sat far away from the group, none of them wanting her anywhere near them for fear of them wanting to steal their tents and pawn them for something more ridiculous than whatever she bought with their money.

After everything was set up, they all crawled into their tents to escape the heat of the sun, leaving Trill outside. She didn't really mind the heat, it was the cold she hated, but her trust in the others had begun to dwindle greatly after swiping their money. Even Solaris was more upset with him than her prank. Trill approached his tent, intending to apologize for her mistake.

"Hey, Solly?" she asked.

"Go away, 'Evergreen'!" Solaris said, definitely in no mood to speak with Trill.

"Look, I'm really sorry! I couldn't help myself..." Trill began rummaging through her new bags, hoping there would be something to make up for getting everypony mad at her. "I thought maybe you all would-"

Trill was suddenly pulled into the tent by Solaris's magic, but as she recovered from the grab, she looked up at the hateful gaze of the alicorn. "Don't you ever have any self control, Trill!? Seriously!? Stealing from my aunts!?"

"I'm not a thief, though..." Trill said, her ears drooping as she was scolded.

"Then what do you call stealing their money out from under their noses and using it without permission!?" Solaris said, almost screaming, but not loud enough to catch the others' attention. "You're making things more complicated for me than ever! I'd rather have Lucifer find me, kill the rest of my family, then torture me until I can't take it anymore and commit suicide than to have you around!"

"B-But I-" Trill tried to apologize, only for Solaris to keep her mouth shut, using both of his hooves to roughly clamp her muzzle shut.

"I don't want to hear any of your excuses!" He was close to strangling the changeling right here in his tent, finishing the deed that Applejack should have, but he held himself back. "This is a very serious task I have to do, and you keep thinking everything's a joke. You didn't take my feelings into consideration when I was upset, but I forgave you because you helped me before I could suffer from a heart attack far before I turn sixty. I saved your life from Aunt Applejack because I wanted to give you a chance. Now, after this...Maybe she was right.

"Maybe, what you've been telling me that made me feel pity for you and your hive, I think you were just spouting lies." Trill began to feel a slight pain in her chest, feeling more hurt with every word Solaris spoke. "I think it was a mistake for me to run into you back in the Everfree Forest. And calling you my friend was the biggest one I've ever made aside from getting my uncle killed." She felt tears well up in her eyes, the pain growing worse and worse as she whimpered. "...I don't want to see you again. Go back to your hive, and stay away from me and my family..."

Solaris turned away, letting Trill exit on her own. She wanted to help, she wanted to fix what mistakes she made, but it was too late to change his mind. Her tears finally began to spill down her cheeks, her voice silenced as she tried to apologize and beg for forgiveness. She left the tent, not even turning back and hoping he would apologize to her for yelling.

Trill headed back into Saddle Arabia with a heavy heart, leaving her bags back at the oasis, no longer interested with what she had bought. She couldn't explain why she was feeling so miserable. All she blamed was herself and her ignorance to the pony who had actually trusted her and his feelings. She felt bad for him when he got upset back in the forest and wanted to help him. He was starting to like her, and they were becoming good friends back on the train. Now she just made their situation worse, her deceit and lies causing more spiteful tension against her, already unable to be trusted just for being a changeling.

While wandering around the city, she bumped into somepony, not paying attention to where she was going. She looked up and saw a noble, native to Saddle Arabia, and by the air he had around him, he was the kind of rich equine who flaunts his money, treat those lesser than him like dirt, and doesn't care about anyone but himself.

"Watch where you are walking, you foal!" he said, brushing off the "dust" he got on his fancy clothing. "Do you know how much this costs! More than your own life!"

"Sorry..." Trill got up and continued her sad walk.

As she walked away from the Saddle Arabian, he got a closer look at the disguised changeling, more specifically, her behind. His smug grin grew wider, a sick idea growing in his head.

"Miss, stop!" Trill did as he said, turning her head to look at him. "You'll have to pay dearly for getting my outfit all filthy."

"I don't have any bits," she said.

"A shame...although, if you're looking for a way to get some money, I might have an idea." The equine chuckled, teasing the teen as he held up a large bag of bits, probably enough inside to pay back the money she took from Solaris's aunts.

"R-Really? What do I have to do?" Trill asked, growing hopeful as she found an easy job to do, which would pay a lot, and maybe win back the others' trust.

"Hmhmhmhm. Follow me to my manor, and if you do as you're told, you'll earn your keep." He lead the way and Trill followed. Little did she realize what he actually had in store for her as soon as they got to his home.

The temperature in the air began to grow colder as the sun had began to set and the moon took its place. Many of the denizens of Saddle Arabia were in their homes and the stores were closing up for the day. Outside of the city, Solaris and his aunts were just waking up from their long afternoon nap, prepared to make their way across the desert under the full moon. They didn't see any sign of Trill as they put their tents down, but they didn't seem to care much since she pretty much wasted their bits and don't have anything to pay for supplies they might need in the future.

"Where did Evergreen go to?" Fluttershy asked, noticing her saddlebags laying near the water's edge.

"Who cares?" Applejack said. "Ah knew she was trouble from the beginnin'. Ah should have just tossed her out of the train."

"Applejack, I know she took our bits without asking, but that doesn't mean she had to be thrown out!" Fluttershy said, appalled at her friend's words.

"Fluttershy, trust me. If Ah didn't keep mah promise, then Ah would have told ya'll why I don't trust her." Applejack stuffed her collapsed tent in her bags roughly, still fuming at what the changeling princess had done.

"What promise?" Rainbow asked, wondering what her best friend and rival meant.

After they finished packing up, Solaris spotted Trill, still in her Evergreen persona, walking along the sands toward them.

"Oh great," he muttered.

Solaris turned away, his warning unheeded, but his ears perked up when the sound of bits in a large pouch rang in the silence. He turned to find said bag land in front of her, Trill looking at them apologetically.

"Uhh, hey." There was an awkward pause, none of them greeting the changeling. She expected them to ignore her, and it was going to be harder to win their trust back if she told them how she got the bag of bits they were looking at. "So...I want to apologize for...stealing from you. I hope that this will be enough."

Using her magic, she levitated the bag toward them, gently setting it down in front of the adults.

"Did ya steal this too?" Applejack questioned.

"No. It's a funny story, actually," Trill said, wondering how she could explain what happened without leaving any hints of a lie in front of Applejack.

Trill followed the Saddle Arabian stallion through the streets filled with equines going about, observing the many items on sale while shoving others out of the way for the better deals. After finally getting out of the huge bazaar, they entered the district where the nobles of the city lived, far from the lower quarters and the shopping district.

She soon found herself in the lobby of an expansive mansion, sparkling and expensive vases held on podiums, paintings of the stallion in different poses were scattered throughout the walls. It was obvious this Saddle Arabian was definitely full of himself, Trill noticing some of the ponies working as his servants hiding their disdain toward him. She began to have an idea why he decided to bring her here, and paying her handsomely when he didn't explain what she was supposed to do for him.

"You sure do have a big manor," Trill said, trying to spark up some conversation out of the awkward silence they had as they walked. "What exactly do you do to afford a place like this?"

"I am the sultan's royal vizier. I am actually on a little vacation, as the sultan is away for a meeting with the minotaurs." The stallion felt annoyed as he was questioned, not wanting to speak with Trill, who he deemed as far below his social standing to even say a word to her. "Something about your ruler threatening Saddle Arabia. His soldiers keep growing in number, and they are more insufferable than that unicorn."

"Well, none of us like him either." They made their way upstairs and into one of the many rooms, this one obviously the vizier's master bedroom. "So, what exactly do I do? Cleaning? Foal-sitting?"

"Nothing like that. Just climb up on the bed and lie down," he said, licking his lips.

Trill knew it was what she thought it was. The sultan's royal vizier, a right-hoof stallion who helps the ruler he serves with decisions for their kingdom, had actually tried to lure an underage filly to his home, and pay her to sleep with him. She felt disgusted, even for a changeling, hearing somepony would actually stoop that low to be a pedophile.

"...Are you serious?" Trill asked, not falling for his sly and sickening ideas. "I knew I found it a bit odd that I would be given a large sum of bits without being told what I was supposed to do."

"You are desperate for money, no?" the vizier asked, slowly approaching the defiant young mare, not going to take no for an answer. "If you want this and to make up for scuffing my robe, then you will do what I say."

"Either you wanted to pay me to have sex with you, or you intend to keep me as a slave," Trill said. "If you can't make up your mind, then you don't deserve to be a vizier for your sick and twisted mind! I shouldn't have agreed to come with you after feeling guilty for stealing my friends' money!"

Trill attempted to leave, only to be slammed hard onto the bed by the angered vizier, pouncing on top of her to keep her from escaping.

"You are not going anywhere, you little harlot!" he said. "I will take what is mine, and there is nothing you can do about it!"

"...Oh, you just ticked off the wrong pony, buddy." Trill hacked up some of her webbing, spitting it in the vizier's face. He panicked, trying to wipe it off his covered eyes, giving the changeling enough room to get out from under him. She dropped her disguise, shooting out beams of magic at his hooves, creating a green ooze that began to stick his hooves together. In his blind panic, he fell on the bed, unable to move from his tight bindings. As he struggled, Trill ripped off the loogie of green webbing with ease, his eyes widening as he stared at the changeling. "Surprise, mother bucker."

"A-A changeling!?" he shouted.

Before he could call out for help, Trill shot more of her magic at his mouth, sealing his muzzle with the same goop that bound his legs together. "Don't even try it, sicko. And don't worry about me trying to drain you of your love. You don't have any that I can actually eat." She shoved him off the bed, hearing him grunt, unable to defend himself or flee. She wanted to laugh at how terrified he was, but she wanted to get out of this manor as soon as possible. "Now, I have a little proposition for you, mister.

"I can get you into a lot of trouble if you're ever caught with a minor in your bed. But what if, instead of a teenager, I was actually a little filly." Trill's body was enveloped in flames, her body shrinking to the size of a small filly, the same color scheme for Evergreen Forest. "'The bad pony touched my no no area and was gonna do stuff to me.' Doesn't sound good, does it?" She watched as he began sweating bullets, shaking his head rapidly, definitely not wanting to get in that much trouble. "What's worse is that anypony would believe a little filly who was so pure and innocent, only to be soiled by those who are like you.

"Lucky for you, I'm not going to do much to you." Trill's body grew in size, returning to her original height as a teen, looking at the bag of bits the vizier teased her with. She opened it up, counting out the amount of bits inside, definitely a lot more than she imagined him to pay a random teenage filly for a sickening romp with him. "I think I'll be taking this as compensation for trying to rape me." He gave Trill a leer, his muffled voice blocked by the ooze. "And don't give me that look. Yes, we changelings may have to sleep with others to get some kind of love, but we have standards! Rape is not considered fuel for love energy. It's disturbing lust, which brings pain to the victim and a disgusting satisfaction for the rapist." Before she decided to leave the Saddle Arabian to wallow in his predicament for the next few hours, she blasted his forehead with a beam of magic, causing his eyes to turn green and pass out a moment later. "Just to make sure you don't remember me when you wake up."

Taking her compensation with her, she skipped out of the room, feeling a little relaxed after releasing a bit of steam. Despite being a changeling, she always hated how her mother's soldiers would always mention some of their love-stealing victims were dealt with the same predicament she almost got in. Even her mother is disgusted with the notion of rape, the most distasteful of acts anypony could do, whether they were male or female.

"Miss?" Trill walked down the stairs, noticing one of the vizier's servants approaching her. "Where is the vizier?"

"Oh, he's taking a little nap," Trill said. "Oh, also, if you have any daughters, don't bring them here. He kinda tried to rape me, but I knocked him out before he could do anything to me."

"What!?" The mare was appalled, looking back up at the second floor where her master was "resting".

"Have a nice day!" Trill said, ignoring the shocked expression on the mare's face and exited the manor."

Trill laughed nervously as she finished her description of how she got the bits, everypony staring at the disguised changeling with pure shock, their jaws dropped, with Pinkie's literally hitting the sand. She left out the part about her as a changeling and tying the vizier with her magical ooze and replaced that little bit with her evading him and bucking him hard in the family jewels. Solaris had flinched when he heard that part, his tail instinctively pressed against his privates, not really knowing how painful getting hit there would be and NEVER wanting to know how it felt.

"...Evergreen, didn't your ma ever warn you about talkin' to ponies ya don't know about?" Applejack asked after breaking out of her stupor. "Especially shady stallions who only see ya as eye candy?"

"Heh...I guess not," Trill said. "I wasn't really taught well by my mom, which was why I was by myself in the Everfree Forest before I met Solaris. She didn't really...care much about what I do outside my home, as long as I can defend myself."

As Trill told them what had happened, Applejack knew she twisted some parts around, but she didn't care about what she did. Even though she was a changeling, she was still considered a child, no telling what might happen if Chrysalis ever found out what happened to her daughter...if she truly does care. She was glad the young princess of the love-sucking bug ponies was ok, wondering what had caused her to get in a dangerous situation just to pay back the bits she stole.

Rainbow took a look at the contents of the bag, her eyes widening at the amount. "Whoa! There's gotta be at least 500 bits in this bag! More than what all of us had combined!"

"Lemme see that bag!" Pinkie snatched the large pouch, going through each bit as her ears twitched, sounding like a counter clicking with every bit her eyes saw. After a while, she had gone through all of them, her ears perking straight up. "There is exactly 572 bits inside of this large pouch meant to carry 999 bits at a time...Wowie! That IS a lot more than we started out with, if you want to include that expensive private car to Saddle Arabia."

"I guess there was a lot more interest inside than I thought..." Trill looked at Solaris, feeling nervous over what he was thinking. She could only hope he could forgive him and swear she can change. "I know I keep getting on your nerves, Solaris, but I didn't really mean to go that far. I don't know any better...You know me a lot more than your aunts." She felt that same pain in her chest, prepared to take another verbal scolding. She couldn't even look at the alicorn anymore. "I hope you can forgive me, and give me another chance..."

Solaris was silent as he heard Trill's apology and begging him to forgive her. Applejack, Pinkie, Rainbow, and Fluttershy were confused, not knowing the two had talked when they all ignored her. After a full minute of silence, Trill felt her hope dwindling as he refrained from answering. She nearly jumped when she felt something land on her back, which happened to be her saddlebags she bought filled with her stuff. The changeling looked up at him, confused yet hopeful.

"...Maybe I was a bit harsh when I said those things earlier today," Solaris said, now the alicorn feeling guilty for lashing out his frustration on her. "All of Equestria depends on me to rescue them from Lucifer's tyranny, and all of this pressure, along with everything that's happened to me, has gotten me more stressed than ever. I want this journey to go along perfectly, without any problems, and avoid being caught and getting killed. What you did this morning was by far the dumbest thing you ever did." Trill winced as her hopes were immediately dashed. She was suddenly pulled into a tight embrace by the alicorn, feeling her face burn as he held her close. "But you tried to redeem yourself, and you at least got our money back, even though you were almost raped...I accept your apology, and I hope you can forgive me and all the mean things I said to you."

Trill felt tears welling up in her eyes, returning the hug as her guilty conscious was finally cleared. "Y-You don't have to apologize to me. I deserve every hurtful word you said."

"I don't want to lose the first friend I ever made." Solaris pulled away as Trill dried away her tears, glad to know everything between the two had been rekindled. "Alright, let's get going. We're burning moonlight."

Solaris lead the way and the mares followed, trusting his navigation toward his next test at the ruins of an ancient Saddle Arabian civilization. The air was pretty nippy, but they were able to tough the slightly chilled air, all except for Trill. She could handle the hot and dry climate of the desert when the sun was out, but when it gets cold, it was torture for her. She tried her best to hide her weakness from the others, even though her shivering would eventually show. Applejack walked next to her, both of them falling back as they continued following the alicorn's lead over the dunes.

"Ya know ya could have gotten yourself hurt wanderin' around a city by yourself, right?" Applejack asked.

"I-I needed to think...S-Solaris really hated me, a-and I felt hurt," Trill said, her teeth chattering, going through her saddlebags until she pulled out a green scarf, quickly wrapping it around her neck for some warmth.

"Are ya feelin' ok?" Applejack asked in concern.

"Y-Yeah. Changelings don't really like to be in cold environments. We're kinda like scorpions in the desert: dangerous, always hiding, and only able to thrive in warmer climates," Trill said.

"Alright..." Applejack had noticed Trill's odd behavior when she was with Solaris, especially with how relieved she was after whatever argument they had. "Mind tellin' me what ya'll fought about? Went over our heads when ya both began apologizin'."

"Oh..." Trill watched Solaris as he began pointing out the different constellations, describing them to Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow, mostly boring the latter of the three mares. "After my...theft, he really didn't like me. I always kept bugging him, getting on his nerves and called him a cavepony, only because he was raised in a cave, not insulting his intelligence."

"Well, he hasn't had any contact with other ponies aside from us." Applejack said. "He's always pretty serious, but he does have some humor when Pinkie's involved. Since a few years ago, he's been growin' distant from the little colt who was always eager to show his aunts and uncle what he learned. He asked about his ma when we came to visit him, gettin' more and more upset with each day. Solaris bottled up his emotions, letting his anger out through his hooves and beatin' somethin' up. He's still just a colt, and he shouldn't have to go through all of this."

"Yeah...I could tell just how bad he was feeling when we met." Trill still remembered the horrible taste in her mouth, hoping she wouldn't have to do that again if he had another panic attack. "I really want to help him, but my sense of humor kinda made things worse for him. After he yelled at me, I felt like I died on the inside, my chest hurting badly and it didn't go away until after he forgave me."

Applejack's eyes widened, now able to see why Trill is acting so strangely when she's around Solaris. "...No way..."

"What?" Trill asked. "Did I do something wrong?"

"N-no...But, how does that make sense?" Applejack muttered. "...Do ya...love Solaris?"

"Huh? Love him?" Trill asked, greatly confused.

"That pain in your chest didn't go away until he forgave ya, right?" Trill nodded her head. "Does your heart race when ya think about him, or if he touches ya?"

"...Actually, yeah..." After a moment, the changeling's pupils shrunk, glancing back and forth between Solaris and Applejack. "Wait, am I really...!?"

"It sure seems that way, sugarcube," Applejack said, finding it strange that a changeling could ever fall in love aside from eat it. "This is just as strange to me as it is to ya'll."

"T-There's no way I'm in love with Solaris!" Trill said, blushing as she tried to get the stallion out of her head. But no matter how hard she tried, every time she looked forward, she would see him too busy looking at the night sky while keeping themselves on track to the ruins. She kept gazing at his golden hair, his blue eyes, his coat, his muscles. Her blush kept intensifying as her thoughts kept running rampant, her heart pounding in her chest. Even that strange magical burst back on the train when she kissed his cheek didn't make sense, until what it could have possibly meant. "...Oh gosh...What if I am? My mom would kill me if she found out about this. At least she doesn't know everything since I'm not connected to the hive mind at the moment."

"The what?" Applejack questioned, raising her brow at the strange term.

"It's how changelings work together as a unit. We all know what every changeling thinks, and only the royals can freely turn it on or off like a switch," Trill explained. "Why do you think my mother was able to stop you guys from getting to the Elements of Harmony by sending her army to where they were hidden back then?"

Applejack couldn't find a reason to argue with that fact. Though how hundreds of them were able to communicate together through mind reading cluttered by the same hundreds of voices would have given her a headache.

"Ah see..." Applejack gave Trill a stern glare, making the changeling princess fear a possible beating from her realization of being romantically in love with Solaris. "Now, Ah want ya to listen closely, Evergreen."

"Uhh, my name's actually Trill," the changeling corrected.

"Not while you're in disguise." Applejack moved closer to the teenager, making sure the others didn't notice them a bit far behind. "If ya really care about Solaris, then Ah suggest ya be there for him if anythin' happens. He'll need all of our support to help him through the rough patches."

"And...if he likes me back?" Trill asked.

"That's up to him." Applejack sighed, watching Solaris trying to lecture Rainbow on the constellations and their stories. "Ah don't really approve of you two bein' together like that. And Ah'm sure the others would agree with me. But, if he really does have feelin's for you, then Ah won't argue about it and learn to accept it. He needs somepony he can really trust to make him happy and pick him up when he's down, and he trusts you more than us after hidin' everythin' he was kept away from for his own protection.

"Just don't ever hurt him if ya'll do get together," Applejack warned. "If ya ever so much as break his heart, ya'll are gonna be dealin' with Bucky McGillicuddy and Kicks McGee."

Trill looked back at Applejack's hind legs, which she found odd that she named them, taking the threat to heart. She was already scared enough being around four of the Elements of Harmony, her fear heightened by the overprotective farm pony ready to hurt her if she hurt Solaris.

They continued trekking through the endless expanse of sand, the moon setting and the sun beginning to rise along the horizon, warming the land up. Solaris checked the map, knowing they must be getting close by now.

"We're almost there," he said as they climbed up a tall sand dune. "If my calculations were correct, then we should be seeing the ruins at the top of the-" They reached the top, but the instant they saw the ruins, they all looked in shock. "-dune..."

Down below, the ruins were being guarded by at dozens of Shadow Knights, a couple airships and dozens of tents settled around the massive temple that once housed the ancient civilization of Saddle Arabia. They were only a half mile away from the ruins, and they could see Lucifer's army was protecting every single square inch of the area. Wherever Solaris's second trial was, it would be impossible to sneak in without getting caught, and they couldn't afford to get the alicorn spotted by the enemy.

"Whoa nelly..." Applejack said. "This is not gonna be easy..."