The smell of breakfast was what woke Skyward from her slumber. Her eyes blinked slowly open and she yawned, licking her lips and turning her head, inhaling the smell of frying potatoes, baked apples...she really hoped it was her sire cooking and not her fluffbrained brother, he always burned the hay bacon...

Her eyes snapped open when memory rushed back and she sat up in the bed she was lying in, glancing around. Sadness touched her visage when she remembered she was no longer in Hayrule, and she bowed her head, biting her lower lip as she slowly got out of the comfortable bed she was in. She crossed to the chest of drawers and the mirror above it, and picked up the brush there, combing her unruly mane and tail out--she always got 'bedmane', most of the time. She braided part of her mane away from her face, picked up her armor...

A few measured raps came from the closed portal. "Skyward? Ya awake in there?"

Skyward turned her head to the door. "Aye, I am awake, Applejack. Please come in, if thou wish?"

The orange farmpony did come inside, and cocked an eyebrow at the armor Skyward was holding in her magic. "Do ya wear that all th' time?"

Skyward nodded her head in return. "Every day, aye. Hayrule is a dangerous place--I've been trained to fight ever since I was able to light my horn proper as a filly."

Applejack chuckled and gestured for her to follow. "Listen, why don' ya leave that stuff up here, come on down an' have somethin' to eat? Ya won't need it 'round here on the farm."

Skyward considered this for a few minutes before nodding, leaving her armor, helm and hoofcovers near the chest of drawers, along with her sword and shield. She followed Applejack down the stairs and to the table in the dining room. Zecora was already there, and so was Apple Bloom. There was also a big red stallion with an orange mane and a cropped tail--his cutie mark was that of a huge green apple with a slice taken out of it, showing the flesh and seeds. His eyes were green, akin to Applejack's. There was also an elderly mare seated at the table--she had a pale lime green coat, and her eyes were an orangish red. Her mane and tail were pure white, but at some point, they had to have been some other color--blond, perhaps? Skyward froze upon seeing the elder mare; the old pony's visage changed from kind looking to a gnarled grimace of pure evil--pale lime fur turning sickly rotten green, those gentle orangish-red eyes becoming sunken embers of hatred and dark rage...

"Skyward? Are ya all right over there?" Applejack looked at her with confusion and Skyward shook her head, giving her a hasty nod and mustered what she hoped was a passable smile.

"A-aye, I am fine...just my leg aches a bit still, that is all."

"Well, Zecora'll have ya up an' runnin' in no time. Ah don' believe ya met the rest of the family...Apple Bloom ya know. This's my big brother, Big Macintosh--Big Mac fer short."

Big Macintosh looked over at their visitor and nodded his head at her in greeting, part of his mouth turning upward--Skyward inclined her head, giving him a smile.

Applejack pointed at the lime green old mare next. "An' this is Granny Smith, our grandmother. She's been 'round for as long as Sweet Apple Acres has."

Granny Smith leaned closer, her rheumy eyes blinking at the newcomer. "Well, its nice t' see a new face 'round 'ere. Eh...whut did ya say yer name was again?"

"My name is Skyward, Matriarch Granny Smith."

Applejack laughed as she walked past Skyward, giving the Haylian unicorn a friendly nudge. "No need t' be so formal, Sky--g'wan, sit down an' eat!"

Skyward tucked her ears back, looking sheepish. "Forgive me...she is the head of your clan and deserves respect, does she not?"
The blond farmpony nodded at her; she was pleased with the show of respect nonetheless. "Well, yeah, technically, but ya don' need t' worry too much 'bout that."

Breakfast was plentiful--oatmeal with honey and cream, fresh apples, toast with zap apple jam and fresh butter, fried hashbrowns and hay bacon, apple juice and milk, apple pie and sliced cheddar cheese. Afterwards Skyward helped clean up, then walked outside onto the porch with Zecora and Applejack. Big Macintosh had been bullied back upstairs to rest by Applejack after taking his first dose of medicine from Zecora, and his snoring could be heard from the floor above the porch.

"So...what are ya fixin' t' do now, Skyward?"

"Visiting Twilight is the next thing we should do/For Skyward's princess certainly faces a deadly coup."

Applejack nodded her head at the wise zebra, and glanced at Skyward. "C'mon; we can take a look 'round Ponyville while we're at it--wait, where are ya going?"

"I told you, I need my armor."

"Now wait jest a second..."

Zecora put a hoof out to stop Applejack and shook her head. "That armor she wears like a second skin/In her lands, danger is close, just like next of kin."

The farmpony huffed, shaking her head in exasperation. "Meaning whut exactly? There's nothin' here that could hurt us!"

Zecora regarded the bearer of Honesty with a raised eyebrow. "Would you go anywhere without your hat? Her armor is akin to that."

Applejack paused to think about this, then she nodded when she saw the resemblance--she never went anywhere without her father's Stetson...for Skyward, wearing that armor was like her wearing her hat. Skyward came out...she cut an impressive figure in her gleaming armor, but her helm wasn't on...it hung by her side. The three mares walked down the road towards Ponyville, Apple Bloom tagging along until they dropped her off at the schoolhouse--Skyward had to grin at her antics; little Apple Bloom reminded her of one of her own friends back home at that age.

Most of Ponyville was thatched roof houses, or ones with slate roofs--much nicer than the Bridleriko Village ones. But it had a cheery, homey atmosphere Skyward found she liked--never mind her own painful experiences. She shoved those thoughts out of her head as they entered Ponyville proper--ponies going by on their daily routines, some giving Skyward odd looks because of her armor.

"So...whatcha think of Ponyville?"

Skyward cast her gaze once more about the town, a wistful smile touching her muzzle. "Peaceful. Shame mine own village is not as such. We have to constantly be on guard these days."

Applejack shook her head. "Ah can't imagine havin' to fight most of th' time. Ya had it pretty rough, huh, Skyward?"

Skyward solemnly nodded her head in reply. "Aye. This place is idyllic compared to mine own home. Though, the victory celebrations we hold can be quite the spectacle."

Zecora grinned and winked at the other two mares. "Haylian parties can be quite a sight/Skyward told me they can last at least three days and a night."

A blur of pink caught the farmpony's eye off to the left and she grinned. "An' speakin' of parties, there's a pony who throws a good 'un. Hey, Pinkie Pie!"

The pink earth pony in question turned around and waved at Applejack--she had apparently been shopping, considering her saddlebags were filled with streamers, noisemakers, confetti and prank materials considering part of a whoopee cushion was sticking out of her bag. "Hey Applejack! Hiya Zecora! I ran out of party supplies so I had to go restock just in case! And don't tell anypony--Rainbow Dash is gonna get a big surprise when she gets home: hee hee! Hey, you guys wanna come to Sugarcube Corner; I got this new cake recipe everypony needs to try! It's triple chocolate sundae surprise! Hey, who's she?"

"Maybe later, Pinkie, Oh, this is Skyward. She's new t' Ponyville. We're on our way to Twilight's, wanna come along?"

Pinkie Pie stared at Skyward for a full five seconds before she gasped dramatically, simultaneously jumping clear off the ground and took off like a pink cannonball freshly shot out of a loaded cannon, leaving the other ponies in a pink cloud of dust. Skyward stared where Pinkie Pie had just been less than two seconds ago, then looked at Zecora and Applejack, a completely bewildered look on her face.

"...could somepony explain what the buck just happened?"

Applejack looked sheepish, chuckling a little, while Zecora was laughing openly. "Eheh...Ah should've warned ya about Pinkie Pie. Whenever a new pony comes 'round, she throws a party for 'em to welcome them to Ponyville."

Skyward glanced back at where Pinkie had been and chuckled, shaking her head. "One wouldst think she and Mille Feuille would get along quite nicely."

"Who's that?"

"Princess Zelda's personal pastry chef. She loves baking all sorts of sweet treats--and playing pranks to boot."

"Really? What kind of stuff did she make?"

"All kinds of things, but the Princess's favorite happens to be her country apple pie."

"Seriously? All that fancy stuff an' all she wanted was apple pie?"

"...Sometimes 'tis the simplest of things that makes one happy, Applejack. You and Zecora, both of thou know this best, aye?"

Applejack gave her a warm smile and Zecora nodded her head. "Yer right 'bout that. Listen, Zecora, any chance that..."

But the rest of the farmpony's sentence was cut off by a strong gust of wind that blew their manes and tails back, and a blaze of colors washed past Skyward's squinted eyes against the backwash of wind.

"Yo, AJ! Hi Zecora! Whoa hold on...who the heck are YOU?"

Skyward looked up to see a cyan colored pegasus mare with a rainbow hued mane and tail, magenta colored eyes staring at her with her mouth open. She cocked an eyebrow--she had seen quite a few pegasi with odd coloration but this one took the puffball cake for certain.

"Wow, what's with that getup? You come from a costume party or something?"

Skyward laid back her ears in annoyance--this rainbow maned pegasus mare reminded her a little too much of her own brother, only Tempest Wing was less of a loudmouth. She opened her mouth to return the mare's question with a sharp rejoinder of her own, but Applejack beat her to the punch.

"Rainbow Dash, quit raggin' on Skyward; she's brand new to Ponyville an' she needs t' see Twilight. An' never ya mind what she's wearin'...where she comes from, that's outta necessity."

Rainbow Dash scratched her head with one hoof, looking puzzled. "Outta necessity? Where ya from anyway?"

Zecora intervened quickly, nudging Skyward to remain quiet. "Very soon you shall all see/But this story should not be spoken too freely."

The farmpony nodded in agreement, glancing around to see if anypony was watching/listening. "Yeah; we better head t' Twilight's before anypony else starts askin' too many questions."

Rainbow nodded her head as she began flying at a lazy pace overhead to stay with the group. "I'll come with ya. I gotta return this Daring Do book anyway. I hope Twilight's got the next one in the series. Hey, where's Pinkie Pie at?"

Applejack laughed. "Probably getting ready for a party since she saw Skyward an' took off like a bat outta Tartarus. Ya know how she is when a new pony comes t' town."

The rainbow maned mare did a hoof-pump and moonwalked in midair at this news. "Another party? Sweet! Oh man, you should've been here for the last bash she threw for Big Mac's birthday two weeks ago--it was AWESOME!"

Applejack nudged Skyward--she'd noticed how the other mare's ears were slightly drooping a bit now instead of being laid back in annoyance. "Ya okay there sugarcube? Ah know Rainbow can be a bit much at times...she didn' mean anything by it."

The Haylian mare nodded in return. "...I know. She...reminds me of my brother. Same brash nature, yet..."

Skyward looked up at Rainbow Dash, who was telling Zecora about her latest stunt, and shook her head a little. "Nay...nearly the very same save for him not being a loudmouth."

Applejack snickered, but quietly so Rainbow Dash wouldn't hear. "Don' let it bother ya none. RD's as loyal as they come. Trust me on this."

"Hey! You two coming or what? We're already here!"

Skyward looked up to see that the other two ponies were standing at the door to a stocky looking oak tree...but the tree clearly was more than just that. This tree had been literally made into a living house--there were windows, balconies, a chimney...a nice little home tucked away in the midst of a library. There were also three more ponies in the library--a butter yellow pegasus with a soft pink mane and tail, a white unicorn female with a violet mane and tail, and a purple unicorn with a tri colored mane and tail--dark blue was predominant with streaks of magenta and indigo respectively. All of them were also mares. Upon entering, Skyward inhaled, taking a deep breath; the smell of parchment, ink, and books filled her nose--a scent she was familiar with herself from the Royal Archives. And there were indeed books everywhere, neatly aligned along the shelves. Everything looked neat and tidy, cozy nooks begging to be settled in with a tome or two, a small purple dragon dusting the...

Wait.

WHAT?

"Hey, Twilight, I'm almost done with the Fiction section, did you want me to..."

"Dragon!"

Skyward's sword flashed out of its sheath and she lunged at the small purple dragon holding a featherduster, angling her sword for a strike...

"SPIKE!"

The purple unicorn's horn burst into magenta light and she shot a beam at the strange armored unicorn mare that was trying to get to Spike. Skyward twisted herself to avoid it and turned to face her instead, taking a battle stance as she unleashed a beam of her own in return. Magenta and silver magic warred for dominance as the two mares vied for mental advantage...

Until Rainbow Dash shot down from the rafters and rammed into Skyward...who twisted herself, bucked her off and missed with a shield bash when she flew out of range.

The white unicorn mare looked mortified. "Well! I have never seen such a barbaric display in my entire life!"

The butter yellow pegasus mare flew over to where the dragon was hiding under a low table. "Oh, Spike...are you okay?"

"Y-y-yeah...t-t-totally fine. S'not like anypony didn't just try to kill me, or anything," the purple dragon replied shakily from where he was hiding under a chair.

"What the buck is your problem with Spike anyway?!"

Skyward sheathed her sword with a sharp 'click' and glared up at Rainbow Dash. "Where I come from, dragons EAT ponies, thou arrogant upstart!"

Rainbow sneered openly at Skyward in return. "Oh yeah? Well I think you're nothing but a big coward! Bet the only dragon you ever faced was a fighting dummy!"

Skyward's royal blue eyes blazed with rage and her horn began to flare silver at the insult as she drew her sword again; enough was enough, she was going to let this pegasus bitch have it...

"EVERYPONY FREEZE!"

Everypony did indeed freeze--the thunderous shout had come from Applejack, who was glaring at everypony in the room.

"Now, before ya'll start gettin' outta hoof again, let's start over. Skyward, Spike don' mean no harm to anypony. He's Twilight's assistant, and her 'little brother' so to speak. And Rainbow Dash, ya better apologize fer what ya said to Skyward. Believe me, she ain't a coward. Back where she comes from, she faced a three headed hydra with ten other ponies and sent it runnin' fer the hills."

Skyward lifted an armored hoof. "In truth, Applejack; we killed it. The cursed thing had devoured half a village near Shadeleaf Swamp, never mind the nest it had in the swamp proper. We were dispatched to deal with the threat before the eggs could hatch."

Rainbow Dash laughed and waved a hoof in dismissal. "Pfft, yeah; like anypony's gonna believe that load of horseapples--HEY! Watch it with that!"

Skyward had taken a swipe at Rainbow with her blade, and Applejack stomped a hoof, making the floorboards shake. "Skyward, put that pigsticker away before ya really hurt somepony. An' Rainbow; cool it with th' name-callin'. I swear on mah pappy's hat she ain't a liar an' she sure as hay ain't no coward either."

"How do ya know she's telling the truth Applejack? For all we know she's some certifiably crazy pony in armor and carrying a sword!"

Applejack scowled up at Rainbow Dash. " 'Cause Zecora found her out in th' Everfree Forest less than six days ago, lookin' like death warmed over, an' had some pretty bad injuries t' boot; broken leg, burn marks, t' name a few. An' Zecora used...what wuz it ya used, anyway?"

"The Mists of Truth this potion is called/When the tale told may be quite tall. But the tale Skyward told is indeed true/That is why we came to visit you." Zecora pointed at Twilight Sparkle with one hoof, and she looked confused. "What do you need me for?"

Applejack shoved back her hat, keeping an eye on Rainbow Dash in case the multihued pegasus decided to try something rash. She knew Skyward was watching Rainbow and if she felt threatened she wouldn't hesitate to take another swipe at her either. "Skyward ain't from Equestria, Twilight. She's literally from another world. They take honor and honesty seriously; Skyward's lookin' t' get back home because her own realm is in a heap o' big trouble. Last she knew, her kingdom was under attack by a bunch of monsters, and her Princess was being attacked by some crazy desert pony lookin' t' take some sort o' magical relic, am Ah right?"
Skyward nodded her head, but she didn't take her gaze from Rainbow Dash, who was hovering well out of reach. "That is it in a nutshell, aye."

Twilight Sparkle approached the armored mare slowly--she was wary, considerably so, but she trusted Applejack and Zecora. "From what kingdom do you come from--umm...Skyward, was it?"

In answer, Skyward removed her shield from her back and turned it round for them all to see. Twilight Sparkle frowned as she came forward to look at it closely--it was a real shield all right, she could tell just by trying to lift it with her magic--pretty heavy.

Twilight lowered her head to examine the shield closely, poking at it with one hoof as if to test its solidarity. "Hmm...I don't recognize that heraldry..."

The white unicorn mare also came to take a look herself. "I must say though...this design is truly intriguing. Blue and red and yellow...all bound in silvered steel...it almost seems--mm, poetic...look how the alicorn is reaching for those golden triangles..."

But Rainbow Dash, who did read a few other books than Daring Do when there wasn't anything new around; instantly recognized the heraldry, and her mouth fell open. She knew Applejack wasn't a liar and neither was Zecora; which meant...

"No bucking way!"

Everypony in the room looked to Rainbow Dash, who was staring at Skyward as if she had seen a ghost, earning a 'what the buck' look from the unicorn in question. She slowly lifted a shaking hoof and pointed at her.

"You...you mean to tell me..."

Rainbow Dash shot over to another section of books, dug through them (knocking several right off the shelf much to Spike's dismay) and whizzed right back over to Skyward, all but shoving the book in her face.

"You mean to tell me THIS is real?"

The book Rainbow was holding was a Legend of Zelda nann-ga from Neighpon, titled 'Ocarina of Time'. Skyward took the book in her magic, opening the small shiny tome and studied the pictures for a few moments before looking up at her and nodding her head--she couldn't make sense of the writing--it looked like gibberish to her, but the pictures she could understand.

"One of the many stories passed down by our elders and lorekeepers; aye, this is accurate...but one must say; this is a first. I hath never seen books like this...this thing is backwards...how doth one read this anyway?"

With the exception of Applejack and Zecora, the others exchanged completely dumbfounded looks. Rainbow Dash leaned in closer, making Skyward twitch a little as she struggled to not 'reach' for her sword a fourth time. "Can I...can I ask ya something?"

Skyward didn't know what to make of this mare--one second she was ready for a fight and the next, she was acting like an overexcited filly. "...What is it thou wish to know?"

"Does...Does the Master Sword exist?"

Skyward nodded her head, still trying to keep her distance without being rude. "Aye, it does. But only Princess Zelda knows where the Blade of Evil's Bane rested last. According to the legends and what the Princess herself told me, that sword belongs to the Hero of Time alone. Nopony else can claim that legendary blade."

Rainbow Dash's eyes went to pinpricks and she squealed, doing loops in midair and leaving her signature rainbow trail behind her. "This...is...SO COOL! A real Haylian pony! Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh...Wait! Are you Time Link's daughter or something?"

Skyward scowled, stomping an armored hoof on the floor. "Nay! Nopony knows who his descendants are and, even if they did know, they wouldst not go running their muzzles about the whole affair! Especially considering who is after the Triforce even now!"

Having listened to the entire exchange so far; Twilight Sparkle was definitely not a stupid pony, and Skyward's words was the final piece of this bizarro puzzle that had begun to fall into place. What was more, Applejack was the Element of Honesty and Zecora had never once lied to any of them--which meant only one thing. The odds were astronomically high but...

"So if...if you're actually from Hayrule, which does in fact exist; and--your kingdom is under attack..and this desert pony is trying to...wait. It's not..."

Skyward looked Twilight right in the eye and grimly nodded her head. "It is. Believe me, one wishes thou could'st call me 'certifiably crazy' as thy rainbow maned friend put it. But one can assure thou...I am telling thee the truth. Hayrule has been at war with the Gerudo tribe for five years, and I've the scars to prove it for the last two when demons and dark beasts from the Dark Realm were summoned into the fray. The war ended ten days ago, however, t'was all a grand ruse by Ganondorf to allow his tribe to infiltrate Hayrule Castle Town...and the rest is bloody history. I need not elaborate on what happened next."

Zecora came forward, gesturing at Skyward. "I found her in the Everfree, her wounds severe/Near death's door she was I feared. The Royal Sisters must be told/Before Skyward's enemy grows ever more bold."

Fluttershy nervously spoke up from where she was still by Spike, who had come out from under the table at this point. "Um...but how are we going to tell the Princesses about this?"

Rainbow Dash's ear flicked from where she was hovering, muzzle buried in another Legend of Zelda nann-ga (Oracle of Seasons) and she looked over. "Oooh...Fluttershy's got a good point there. They'd probably think we're crazy! Uh...no offense, Skyward."

A shrug from the armored mare. "One hath been called worse."

Applejack whistled at Rainbow Dash, who looked over her book at the farmpony. The orange coated mare gave her a meaningful look and pointed at Skyward, who had ambled over to the shelf that held the rest of the Neighponese nann-ga and was looking curiously at them while the others continued discussing how they were going to go about telling the Royal Sisters. Rainbow Dash sighed, but she knew she had upset Skyward with her words, and she fluttered over to where Skyward was trying to figure out how to decipher the backwards picture books. "Uh...hey."

Royal blue eyes met magenta and Rainbow Dash fidgeted, looking at Skyward nervously. Skyward raised an eyebrow in silent inquiry, and Rainbow Dash coughed, before she landed on the ground and began to speak. "Look...I...I wanna apologize for calling you a coward. And...you're obviously not a liar either. I shouldn't have been so mean to ya. You've obviously got the scars to prove you've been in fights before. And ya didn't know Spike was friendly."

Skyward put the odd book back onto the shelf and looked at Rainbow Dash. "One accepts thy apology. But I owe Twilight Sparkle an apology as well for attacking her...ah...assistant. A dragon...one that is friendly to ponies. Goddesses...will wonders never cease?"

Rainbow Dash flipped a few pages and showed her the image of the dragon Volvagia from 'Ocarina of Time'. "So dragons actually eat ponies in Hayrule?"

"Aye...'Tis rare for them to venture from the depths of Death Mountain Crater, but when the wretches do..." Skyward shuddered, making her armor click in the relative quiet, aside from the others talking heatedly about how to contact Celestia and Luna. "They leave nothing but ash and destruction in their wake, and they art active hunters."

Rainbow Dash shivered, and she turned to gesture at Spike with her left wing. "Well, Spike's not like that. Seriously; you should sooo get to know him! And...well...you might wanna apologize to him too. After all, ya did try to chop his head off."

Skyward looked over at the small purple dragon who was speaking to Fluttershy, and nodded her head. "Thou are right...I should. Hm..."

Skyward lit her horn and drew her sword once more--she focused on the pommel, hilt and crossguard, which held a large star sapphire in the center of the crossguard. A couple of wiggles and magically heating the metal setting so it softened just enough, with a 'schnick' it came loose, and she re-sheathed her blade, walking over to Spike. Fluttershy saw her coming and flew around Spike, barring the way with wings and forelegs spread wide and (much to Skyward's surprise) a VERY fierce look on her face. Farore's flowing mane, this mare's scowl was equivalent to the gimlet glare of the current Captain of the Haylian Army--Booming Roar.

"If you think you're going to hurt Spike again, then you've got another think coming..."

"Peace, Fluttershy. I am not going to harm him. I wish to apologize to him."

Fluttershy blinked, pausing to regard Skyward suspiciously--Spike peered out from behind Fluttershy--he was nervous and had every right to be considering, but he came out and stood in front of Skyward, who bowed to him in a formal manner. "I am truly sorry for my mistake, Sir Spike. One prays thou wilt forgive me for my rash actions; I saw thee as a threat, yet clearly it hath been shown to me that thou are no such thing. Honor demands one offers thee a tribute, and I pray this will suffice?"

Skyward levitated the large gem in front of Spike, who stared at it, then back to the half kneeling unicorn mare. "Um...sure! That's nice of you--uh...Skyward, right?"

Skyward nodded, and Spike smiled at her as he accepted the gem into his claws. "No worries. Besides, you've never met a nice dragon before, have ya?"

Skyward shook her head, regarding Spike with a gentle expression. "Nay. You art the first. Most dragons back home prefer to torch everything than talk."

Spike snorted as he looked the gem over, drool already gathering in his mouth--this gem was of high quality and it looked oh so tasty! "Oh ho believe me: I know a couple of dragons who'd fit just fine with that bunch."

He sniffed the gem, poked it and licked it, and his eyes widened in delight before he greedily bit down into it, acting almost like Twilight with a deluxe hayburger combo. "Mmmmmm! This is (munch) the best (crunch) sapphire I've ever (splutter) tasted!"

Skyward blinked and regarded Spike curiously as he continued to devour his treat. "Huh...so 'tis true then...dragons do eat gems."

Twilight Sparkle heard her musings and came over to the Haylian unicorn. "Of course they do; Spike's diet requires he eats gems on a regular basis. They make up part of his physiology--as he grows, his scales need reinforcing and so does his skeleton as he gets older."

"How old is the lad anyway? One cannot tell considering he is certainly no muscle bound scaled brute, but he certainly is no bumbling foal either."

"Technically by dragon years he is still a baby, but you wouldn't know it sometimes considering how he acts."

Skyward paled visibly at this-- she had almost attempted to slay a mere baby? She was about to say something when--

BUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRP!

Dead silence filled the room after that epic competition worthy belch. Everypony in the room turned to look at Spike, who grinned sheepishly as he popped the last piece of the sapphire in his mouth, swallowed it down and smiled hugely in response. "Um... heh heh...'scuse me?"

Rainbow Dash and Applejack doubled over howling with laughter while Rarity looked mildly disgusted and Zecora smirked faintly--Twilight eyed Spike with a disapproving look. "Spike..."

Spike threw his claws up in exasperation. "Hey, I said excuse me! That sapphire was just super! Best one I ever had! Hey, Skyward, ya wanna tell me where'd you...hey, you okay?"

Skyward had bowed her head almost to the floor, eyes tightly closed and she had a tormented look on her face. "....I am not worthy of this sword or my armor. I attempted to kill you...a mere child..."

Spike came over to Skyward and lifted her muzzle so she was looking at him. "Hey, look. You didn't know about me being a kid...well, a kid in dragon years: and besides, Twilight and the others set you straight. And everything's okay now. You told me you were sorry and you were sincere about it. Sure you gave me one of the best gems I've EVER had, but I know you meant what you said. That's what matters. And besides--friends forgive one another. Really, no hard feelings, Skyward. Okay?"

Spike offered her one claw...Skyward regarded him for a minute or two before managing a smile and placing her armored hoof in his claw. "Very well, Spike."

Twilight smiled and crossed over to them. "Why don't we start over? I'm Twilight Sparkle; it's nice to meet you, Skyward."

Skyward smiled and bowed her head in response, sweeping her right foreleg out. "Hail and well met, Twilight Sparkle. I am Skyward, of Fiador Village."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, trying not to gag at the sight. "Okay, okay, okay, not to break up the hugfest but we gotta find a way to tell Princess Celestia and Princess Luna about this without sounding like a bunch of losers!"

Spike licked his claws for any gem residue and looked at Rainbow, shrugging his shoulders at her. "What if we just went to Canterlot?"

"Um...that might not be a good idea." Fluttershy murmured, and Applejack rolled her eyes, huffing a little. "Why the hay not?"

Rarity shook her mane away from her face, tossing her head and gesturing at Skyward. "Oh, do think about it, Applejack...Skyward's menacing appearance would demand instant response from the Royal Army! Not that you don't look positively magnificent in that armor--who made it for you, one might ask?"

Skyward indicated her helm, turning it so the sunlight shone on the silver washed metal. "The royal blacksmiths made it for me, per Princess Zelda's request."

Twilight nodded in agreement; Skyward's fearsome appearance in full armor plus that shield and sword of hers would definitely scream 'threat right here'. "Yeah--they definitely wouldn't like that. They've been on edge ever since the whole mess with the Changeling attack on Canterlot."

Rarity began circling Skyward, who was utterly confused at the fashionista's movements and shifted nervously. "Oh, please don't move, darling! Your armor is amazing to look at! The design is sleek and efficient, yet oh so flattering...it shows off your mane and tail colors, and it's so shiny! How ever did they do that? It's almost like fluid diamonds..."

"The blacksmiths had it silver-washed and the princess enchanted it herself. One of the components for the spell was diamond dust, so..."
Rarity clapped her hooves together, looking excited as a schoolfilly. "I have so many ideas for a brand new dress...oh my goodness! My dear Skyward, where is your cutie mark?"

Skyward's ears flattened to her head and she sighed--she knew sooner or later somepony would notice. "I hath not earned it yet Rarity, and until then, my name is not completed."

Rainbow Dash looked completely lost at this point, staring at Skyward with a 'Huh?' look on her face. "Say what? Somepony wanna explain that one to me?"

"By Haylian custom --a Haylian pony must earn one's cutie mark to complete one's name and to ascend to adulthood. For example..."
Skyward summoned the image of Golden Marble once more, this time without his armor, gesturing to the cutie mark on his flank. The mark looked like a piece of white marble shaped like a foreleg in a muscle pose.

Rarity gasped, Rainbow Dash cocked an eyebrow, Fluttershy blinked and Applejack grinned a little bit. Twilight Sparkle tilted her head in thought, examining the image of the Haylian stallion.

"One of my comrades, Golden Marble did not earn his name until he earned his cutie mark. He won the Strength of Din competition ten years ago, and was only known as 'Golden' until then, that, and he was considered an adolescent until he gained his mark and his name."

Rainbow Dash glanced at Golden Marble's image, then back at Skyward. "So...you're only known as Skyward until you get your cutie mark?"

The armored mare nodded in confirmation. "Aye, that is the way of it. And if not for mine status as Princess Zelda's student in Nayru's Arts, I would still be treated as an adolescent myself. Honestly one could care less--there's worse things to worry about now."

Twilight looked bemused as she picked up another of the nann-ga books, leafing through it rapidly. "But none of the nann-ga published says anything about this..."

Zecora shook her head at her friend. "Those books do not hold all the lore/Only Skyward can tell you more. Foals' books these may be/The difference lies in reality."

Applejack suddenly stomped a hoof, but not as hard as she initially had done before. "How about this, ya'll? Twilight, send a letter to th' Princesses an' ask 'em to come down to Ponyville and it's an emergency, which, technically, it is. Then we can explain everythin' when they get here, an' it'll all be kept private like."

Twilight perked up at this instantly. "That's a great idea, Applejack! I'll get right on it. Spike?"

Spike grabbed a quill, uncorked an inkwell and grabbed a piece of blank parchment. "Ready, Twilight!"

Dear Princess Celestia
There is a matter of grave importance that has arisen in Ponyville that requires the attention of both you and your royal sister, Princess Luna. This is an emergency--please, come as soon as you are able, and we can let you know more of what is going on when you arrive. Please take note that this is to remain a secret.
Your faithful student
Twilight Sparkle

Spike finished the letter, rolled it up and huffed a spout of green flame over the entirety. Skyward looked utterly confused as the message dissolved into a wisp of golden smoke and drifted out of the window. "Spike, why didst thee burn the letter? Dost thou not have pegasi couriers?"

Twilight Sparkle laughed. "Spike can send letters to the Princess using his fire. So we don't really need a pegasi courier, or in our case, a mailmare."
"But if she did, heh, I'd have that letter there in ten seconds flat! Lot faster than Ditzy Doo for sure." Skyward raised an eyebrow at Rainbow Dash and chuckled, shaking her head--Rainbow Dash looked down at her with a confused frown. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing. Thou remind me of my elder brother, 'tis all."

Twilight glanced over to Skyward, tilting her head in inquiry. "Oh? You have an elder brother, Skyward?"
Skyward lit her horn once again and conjured an image of her elder brother Tempest Wing. "This is Tempest Wing, my elder brother. My sire's grandmother was a pegasus herself, you see."

"Huh. He seems like he's a fast flier, but I betcha he ain't as fast as me." Skyward smirked at her, a wicked gleam in her eyes. "I woulds't not count on that, Rainbow Dash. In all the village races, my brother wins every one--nopony can catch him in the skies. When it comes to speed and pinpoint attacks, none can match my...brother..."

Skyward's voice trailed off and she looked at the floor--given what she'd been through as of late she hadn't been thinking of her kith and kin much, but now, bragging about her elder sibling's aerial skills...she realized then just how much she missed her brother. His laughter, the jokes he would tell, friendly scuffles, sharing a snack or two while they talked about various topics, teasing her about her lack of a cutie mark, but then kicking the flanks of ponies that made fun of her for it...

"Ya miss him, don't ya?" Skyward nodded mutely, turning to rub her eyes with one hoof as her ears turned downwards, and Applejack came over to lean against the Haylian pony as a gesture of comfort. "You'll see him again, don' ya worry."

The whole time, Rarity hadn't taken her eyes from the image of Skyward's elder brother. "I for one wish he were here! It would be simply delightful to meet him! He looks like quite the gentlestallion..."

Skyward tried unsuccessfully to hold back a snicker at that as she dispelled the image. "One must apologize, Rarity--when last I looked, he hath his eye on a female pegasus named Arctic Flash."

The fashionista made a 'moue' of disappointment and flipped her mane. "Mmm...oh well. A lady can dream, can't she?"

Applejack was about to make a rather crass joke regarding said 'dream' when there was a knock at the library door.

"Twilight Sparkle? May we come in?"

Spike quickly rushed over and opened the door--Skyward took a deep breath, falling back on her training to hold her ground even though she wanted to paw at the ground with one hoof out of nervousness.

She silently prayed to the three Goddesses these princesses could help her; if they could not aid her...

Who then could?