As they headed back to Blueblood's manor, Fluttershy began to seek the Guado out while the others waited outside. While waiting, Rainbow noticed Rarity fanning herself, panting heavily. She had no idea why she's freaking out, the mare not as tough as she claims to be. As much as she wanted to find out what was wrong with the experienced guardian, she didn't want to risk getting scolded by her, knowing how scary she can be.

And Orion's sudden appearance from the Farplane was a mystery as well. Everypony was told he had passed away, though the knowledge of his sending wasn't known. He somehow comes back to life, leaving the Farplane as a zombie, which must have meant he clearly wasn't sent. But he was supposed to turn into a fiend, not retain his normal self while having the mindset of a fiend.

"Urgh. This is so confusing..." Rainbow wandered around Guadosalam, too confused and emotionally distraught from earlier to think straight. The Guado city was pretty boring, none of the citizens having anything useful to say or any good wares to sell in the stores. While the pegasus wandered about, she headed down to the pathway leading in and out of Guadosalam from both sides. She soon noticed Coco near the exit leading to a place called the Thunder Plains. "Coco?"

"Oh, hello. You're one of Lady Fluttershy's guardians," the acolyte said. "Where is the Lady Summoner?"

"At Blueblood's, trying to find him," Rainbow grumbled, loathing the disturbing stallion.

"But, I just saw Maester Blueblood head out toward the Thunder Plains," Coco said. "He's going to the temple in Macalania. He's also the high priest of the temple."

"Are you serious?" Rainbow groaned as they waited around for nothing. She thanked Coco and headed back to the others, where Fluttershy left the mansion, having no luck finding the stallion. "No luck finding Blueblood?" Fluttershy shook her head. "Well, that's cause that jerk's already gone. He's down at some place called 'Macaroni'."

"Macalania," Twilight corrected.

"Whatever! Point is, he ran off, and didn't bother telling us where he went!" Rainbow scowled.

"Rainbow, are ya feelin' alright?" Applejack asked. "Ya seem a bit...ornery after we left the Farplane."

"I'M FINE! I'M NOT ANGRY! I'M JUST IRRITATED! DO I LOOK ANGRY!?" Rainbow growled, her eye twitching as she scowled at the others.

"...I'm gonna say maybe," Pinkie said.

The others walked on ahead, though Rarity stayed behind with the seething pegasus. "You saw your mother, didn't you?"

"...None of your business." Rainbow sulked away, quickly pulled back by her tail. "Leave me alone!"

"Stop running away from everything, including your emotions," Rarity warned.

"Stop telling me what to do." Rainbow grabbed her tail out of Rarity's aura and followed the others, the unicorn shaking her head in disappointment.

The next road the party would have to traverse is the Thunder Plains, a road that seemed to break Rainbow out of her sour mood. The whole pathway had storm clouds all across the sky, lightning striking erratically all across the mile long road, striking the ground with incredible force. All along the route were towers that absorbed the lightning bolts, giving safe travel to those who dared to step hoof in this dangerous place.

As the others didn't seem all that startled by the flashes of thunder and the cracks of lightning striking the earth, Pinkie shuddered violently, her ears pressed against her skull at each bolt. "N-No...N-N-Not here...Not this place!"

"Ok, this place is so weird," Rainbow said. "How do we cross this place?"

"As long as we stay close to the towers along the path, we won't have to worry about getting shocked," Twilight explained. "Just don't stay out in wide open spaces far from them."

"Psh. Yeah right. Lightning can't strike that accurately." Rainbow trotted out, unable to be warned in time as a lightning bolt flew down, shocking the pegasus, and sending her flying back to the group, her body slightly singed as her body twitched from the electrical shocks. "...Ow..."

Rarity began to giggle, laughing at Rainbow's shocking surprise. "You should have listened, Rainbow." After recovering from the lightning strike, the pegasus glared at the unicorn. "Your father thought he was invincible when we passed through the Thunder Plains ten years ago. He had to show off to us, getting his just desserts for having his ego get in the way of rational thought."

A younger Rarity, no scar over her eye or glasses worn on her snout, stared blankly out in the stormy fields of the Thunder Plains with Kindred Heart sitting next to her under the safety of a lightning tower. The pegasus summoner held a sphere in his hooves, recording Jet Stream out and away from the safety of the towers.

"Remind me why we're doing this again, Lord Kindred?" Rarity asked.

"Well, he wanted to prove he can dodge infinite strikes of lightning here in the Thunder Plains," the stallion said. "Might as well indulge him. Pegasi are able to tolerate a few lightning strikes if they connect."

"HEY! Keep that thing on me! The show's about to start!" Jet shouted, getting both of their attention. A flash blinded the ponies as Jet Stream managed to avoid a bolt. "Hah! That's one!" Suddenly, more kept striking down, pinpointed directly on the cocky pegasus. "Oh. Oh jeeze! Too much! Too much!"

Jet was suddenly bombarded by lightning strikes faster than he could blink. He got hit a few times, sent sailing back to Rarity and Kindred under the safety of the tower. The summoner couldn't hold back his laughter as Jet's body was scorched, his limbs twitching as he fell unconscious. Rarity, on the other hoof, groaned at the pegasus's immaturity, despite him and Kindred being a few years older than her.

"What an idiot," she muttered as Kindred ended up falling on his back, still laughing and clutching his sides.

"He was so confident, he thought he could defy avoiding nature striking him down, and he gets burnt to a crisp." Rarity giggled at the hilarious memory, even though she didn't really laugh back then.

"Ha ha. Hilarious," Rainbow said sarcastically. "He was probably drunk when he did that, right?"

"No. He just wanted to show off. Now, let's get moving." Rarity walked on ahead, sidestepping lightning bolts as each one set off to try and hit her, Rainbow hoping she had gotten hit.

The group trekked through the dangerous pass, dodging lightning strikes or staying close to the nearby towers. Pinkie was a frazzled mess as each bolt struck, leaping out of her fur, a few times literally, staying under a tower until screaming like mad running to the next. After reaching the halfway point, another bolt of lightning nearly struck Applejack, having quickly backed away right as it struck where she stood.

"Hoowhee! That was a close on!" Applejack chuckled at the close call.

"Hehehehehehehe..." Pinkie laughed eerily. The others turned around to see the lagging mare, growing cautious as her mane went straight again, her hair hiding her terrified gaze as she stared at nothing. "Ehehehe...hehe....he..."

"Uhh...Pinkie? You ok?" Rainbow asked, everyone afraid to approach the random earth pony.

Another lightning strike, and Pinkie immediately crouched low to the ground. Another flash made her skitter like an insect toward the others, none of them knowing if she's gone crazy or is going to try attacking them. Pinkie grabbed hold of Rainbow Dash tightly, scared out of her mind as she squeezed the life out of the pegasus.

"I wanna go home! I don't wanna be here anymore! I hate lightning and thunder!" she cried, her shuddering making Rainbow shake too. Looking past the suffocating pegasus, she spotted one of Hoity Toity's travel agencies, protected by a tower to shelter weary travelers, or those who got shocked one too many times by the lightning. "There! Shelter! I'm saved!"

Pinkie sped off to the Al Bhed inn, taking shelter from the never-ending storms. "That filly's more messed up than a Tonberry in a rack of animal plushies."

"If she's hoping the Thunder Plains will stop storming, it won't ever happen." They approached the inn while avoiding lightning, Pinkie trembling in fright as she pleaded them all to stay. "Pinkie, it's faster to make it through the Thunder Plains as soon as possible, not spend an entire afternoon here. Learn to grow up and face your fears."

"B-But I hate lightning!" Pinkie said, flinching as another flash blinded them.

"Then we're leaving you behind," Rarity said cruelly.

"What!? NO! Don't!" Pinkie begged as the others followed Rarity, all of them wishing to get out of this path before getting struck by lightning more than they ever should in their lives. "You guys are mean! I don't want to die!"

Pinkie's whining grated Rarity's ears as she grinded her teeth, growing irritated until she finally caved in. "ALRIGHT, FINE! We'll...stay."

"YAY! I'll get us rooms!" Lightning struck again, Pinkie running straight inside out of fear as Rarity growled.

Deciding to rest because of Pinkie's fear of lightning, the all headed inside the Travel Agency. "Umm, I'm feeling a little tired," Fluttershy said.

"You alright, Fluttershy?" Rainbow asked, getting a little worried.

"I'm just...a little exhausted." The summoner headed for her room, leaving Rainbow curious to her sudden behavior.

"No choice but to stay now," Rarity grumbled, leering at the quivering earth pony huddled in a corner.

"Hey, Pinkie, what's with you and lightning anyway? As long as you stay by the towers, it won't hit you, right?" Rainbow questioned, curious about the pink mare's fear.

"W-When I was a filly, my sisters and I were playing on the beach," Pinkie said. "We were attacked by a water fiend, and my older sister, Maud, tried to use magic to stop it." Lightning flashed, making Pinkie yelp. "I got in her way by accident, trying to distract, and I got hit instead! By a Thunder spell! I've been afraid of lightning ever since!"

"Thunder works well on aquatic fiends," Rarity said. "Though, the next time you try to distract a fiend, don't. Magic spells take full concentration, and one wrong move could redirect the attack and either miss or hit a different target." Another flash, Pinkie cringing as she curled up in a ball. "You're more of a pain than the storm..."

As they waited for nightfall, Rainbow kept herself occupied, reading through the Al Bhed Primers Hoity Toity generously gave her back on the Mi'ihen Highroad. It looked pretty simple to learn on the pages, though practicing them out loud was not a good idea with Applejack around. She didn't want Twilight to see these either, otherwise she would take them and keep them to herself. Growing bored studying the Al Bhed language, she decided to turn in, heading off to her room.

While passing by Fluttershy's room, Rainbow thought she heard something going on inside. It sounded like an elder stallion, though his voice seemed a little bit staticky. Leaning closer to the door, she pressed her ear against it to try and hear better. Unfortunately, the door was slightly ajar as she pushed, sending her tumbling into the room with a yelp, surprising the yellow pegasus.

"R-Rainbow Dash!?" As the cyan pegasus sat up, she caught sight of a recording of Orion Guado saying something, only for Fluttershy to quickly shut it off.

"Sorry. I thought I heard something," Rainbow said, feeling a little embarrassed at the fall. "Hmm...Wait, wasn't that that Orion Guado pony?"

"...Y-Yes. It's his will," Fluttershy said. "He said...'Take care of my son.'"

"Blueblood?" Rainbow groaned. "I know how to take care of that guy; a good pounding to the face."

Fluttershy excused herself and walked out of her room, which was odd to Rainbow as she couldn't go anywhere else. Curious, she looked at the sphere where she saw Orion, slowly walking up to it as she wondered what was going on and where it came from. She was too focused on the sphere to hear Applejack walk in, an irritated look on her face as she watched her 'barge in'.

"What in tarnation do ya think you're doin'!?" Applejack pulled Rainbow into a tight headlock, the pegasus struggling to break out of her hold. "Ah swear, one minute ya disappear, and the next, ya'll are doin' somethin' stupid like stalkin'!"

"F-Fluttershy...was acting weird!" Rainbow said as she struggled to breath.

"She'll tell us if anythin's wrong WHEN she wants to! So keep them shorts of yours on until then!" The orange earth pony finally let go, Rainbow gasping for breath as she clutched her neck.

Admittedly, Rainbow did deserve that for snooping around, but she wanted to know what Orion was saying. She forgot about it, not wanting to risk getting into trouble, heading back to her room to get some rest.

Morning greeted everyone, though it would be hard to tell with the Thunder Plains constant storm clouds striking the land beneath it. While everyone else was raring to go, Pinkie was still terrfied, cringing more as lightning flashed and crashed.

"Why is it not stopping?" Pinkie asked herself.

"It never stops," Rarity said. "You'll be detrimental to Fluttershy's pilgrimage."

"You can at least try to help me instead of being a big meanie!" Another clap of thunder and the pink mare cringes. "...I'm not scared! I ain't afraid of no flickering lights and sounds of bowling balls crashing into pins!"

She yelped as another bolt struck the ground, Rarity rolling her eyes as they continued on their way down the path. The Thunder Plains were highly dangerous to pass around the northern section, especially when fiends can ambush them at certain points. Many of them practically thrived on the lightning striking them, which Twilight easily took care of with Water spells.

"Umm, everypony?" The guardians stopped and turned to Fluttershy. "I have something I need to say."

"Here!? Now!?" Pinkie asked in a panic. "Can we not until we get somewhere where there's no lightning anywhere!?"

"But it's important," the summoner said. Pinkie pointed out a sheltered tower nearby, everyone hurrying next to it before any of them were zapped. "...I-I...I've decided to marry Blueblood."

Rainbow groaned in disapproval. "Seriously, Fluttershy!? Is it because of Orion's will on that sphere or something!?"

"What sphere?" Twilight asked, Rarity quickly approaching the young summoner as the others wondered what Rainbow meant.

"Show it to me," Rarity almost demanded.

"I can't. It's...really personal. I want to speak to Maester Blueblood first," Fluttershy said.

"...As you wish, darling." Rarity turned away, looking back at the summoner as she turned her head. "But-"

"I won't quit my pilgrimage, if that's what you're going to ask." The white unicorn nodded her head in understanding.

"What!?" Rainbow looked over at the others, who were actually agreeing with Fluttershy's decision. "Guys, come on! You aren't going to stop her!?"

"Rainbow," Rarity said, catching the pegasus's attention. "As long as she continues her pilgrimage, it doesn't matter what we say. Her decisions are final with her personal views."

Sighing in defeat, Rainbow Dash looked down at the ground. She wasn't the only one who was upset at the idea, Pinkie having the same feelings about this as she was.

"Fluttershy..." She reached out to grab the yellow pegasus's shoulders, freezing up as another bolt of lightning crashed. Pinkie looked up at the clouds and glared at it through her straightened mane blocking one eye. "Hey! I'm talking here!" As comical as it was to see Pinkie yelling at nature, it didn't lift Rainbow's spirit up. "...I wish there was some way we could help you."

"I'll be fine, Pinkie," Fluttershy said, hoping to ease her friend's worries.

Rainbow Dash grumbled to herself as they continued down the remaining path of the Thunder Plains. She didn't have much of a choice anymore, thinking Fluttershy would end up saying no to the proposal. She wanted to do this for Spira's happiness, not her own. The summoner was going to be wed to a stallion, who looked like a sleazeball just by his appearance, and his smug attitude held every single hint of bad news that no one else seemed to notice except for Rainbow and Rarity. Pinkie thinks she was being jealous, and it could be the case, but the cyan pegasus mare was more worried about protecting Fluttershy from harm, as her friend, not as her summoner she was sworn to protect. Next Chapter: Chapter 26: Jet's Sphere Estimated time remaining: 7 Hours, 49 Minutes