Author's Notes:

And now we begin The Weather Machine Saga!

Comments welcome, especially if you see any spelling or grammatical errors. Go ahead and give your two bits, please!

After the reading of the letter, Fluttershy rushed off to summon Rainbow Dash. As the manager of Ponyville’s weather team, she would be one of the ponies responsible for trying to break up the sudden snow storm, if she could. Fluttershy was given Princess Luna’s summons as answer for the storm and why she was called to arms.

Applejack, meanwhile, helped her family secure their orchard, setting barrel fires aplenty amongst the rows. Canvas oil cloths were spread over the still burdened branches, to retain heat and prevent a frost upon their produce. After completing that task, AJ went and grabbed her winter gear, including her double headed battle axe, her zweihander, her old infantry armor, and a heavy cloak. She also loaded up a cart, a newly built covered wagon not unlike Pinkie’s Vardo, and packed it full of provisions.

Fluttershy returned with Dash soon enough and the prismatic mare was madder than a hen. The fact that a sudden snow had crept up on her and ruined a perfect day, and finely scheduled summer weather, infuriated her to no end. She had read the letter, though; she had stopped by her cloud condominium to equip herself for the cold and a long journey. And as a Pegasus, the cold didn’t affect her or Fluttershy nearly as bad as any Earth pony or unicorn. Which is why she and Applejack had concerns about Twilight and Pinkie coming along.

“Outta th’ question!” AJ exclaimed, “This ain’t no damned vacation we’re takin’ on; this here is a mission from The Crown! Sol take ya if wanna come but Ah expect some heavy combat and make no mistake. There gonna be blood drawn here.”

“No kidding,” Dash confirmed, “as much fun as you two are normally, this is an adventurer’s quest! We’re going to fighting gnomes, orcs, maybe even some other nasties, like windegoes. I don’t think unicorn magic or Earth pony strength is going to help out here. No offense, AJ.”

“None taken,” AJ replied.

“Oh, come on!” Twilight cried, “we’ve been through scrapes before! Not just Solar Flare, but Discord, and Queen Chrysalis! And if this is magical artifice, who amongst you would know how to defuse or deactivate?! Endymion may be your mage, and I’m sorry if I insult, but he’s only a level one mage. I’m a level five, one of only six in the known history of the kingdom! As much as I don’t want to boast, I am right up there with Starswirl the Bearded! I have to go!”

“But-” Dash began only to be cut off by Pinkie Pie, “I’m going, too. As Endy’s Alpha, it’s upon me to make sure he stays safe and healthy. I know Fluttershy’s a good cook and a great healer, and her body would keep him warm at night, BUT HE’S MY STALLION! And as Sol as my witness, I WILL FIGHT FOR HIM AND WITH HIM IF I HAVE TO!”

“Wow, Pinkie,” Twilight breathed, “you really care for him.”

“And I know you do, too,” Pinkie beamed, “and I just KNOW you all are going to to need me. END OF DISCUSSION.”

“Well, Ah’ll be damned,” AJ mused, “a’ight, you two are comin’ along. But yer responsible for protectin’ yerselves. We ain’t got the time or energy to be foalsittin’, ya here?”

Twilight and Pinkie nod their ascent.

“Okay, okay,” Dash said, “can we get going now? These storms are startin’ to give me the willies…”

“Storms?” Endymion asked, “You mean there’s more than one?”

“Are you bucking soft in the head?!” Dash replied, “Yes, storms, plural! This isn’t just one thunderhead dumping the white stuff, it’s whole wings of them! I get a letter from Cloudsdale about a winter weather advisory. They’re in a complete tizzy at the Weather Factory! They didn’t start this storm and they can’t seem to stop it. Weather crews across Equestria are getting hammered. I even got a missive from Griffonstone of all places; they’re in a panic over this sudden climate shift. We need to get this cleared up and fast or all of Equus is going to get buried in snow, literally!”

“A’ight, then,” AJ exclaimed, “let’s go!”

Pinkie walked toward her Vardo, which had remained parked at Sweet Apple Acres, and she looked inside of it. Before anypony could say a thing she reached into her mane, pulled out a bit bag, and counted the bits there. Nodding that it looked good, she looked at AJ and Rainbow Dash.

“Imma gonna go over to Barnyard bargains, and see about getting some more supplies. Food, winter coats that should be on clearance, and some more blankets, maybe fill up the coal box.”

“Yer gonna haggle with Spoiled ain’t ya?”

Pinkie grinned, “Oh, I thought that I might, although if Dashie wants to go with, I know she’ll just give it to me at cost in order to get her out of the store.”

“That was just once! Just Once! I didn’t even know it was her bit purse, and I gave it back!”

“Dun’t really matter Dash, Pinkie’s got a point. Spoiled Rich will try ta get ya out faster, and if’n it means selling things in there at cost she’s a gonna do it. Maybe ya oughtta go with her. Tartarus, maybe Ah oughtta take ya with me when Ah go shopping there.”

Rainbow Dash grumbled as she trotted along Pinkie who was pulling the Vardo. The two of them walked up the road a couple of miles and soon they saw Barnyard Bargains sitting there. Pinkie Unhooked herself, and together she and Rainbow walked into the store to hear a very scripted response from a very uptight mare.

“Welcome to Filthy Rich’s Barnyard Bargains. We have all that you need, and can order in more if you wish…. What are you doing here?!”

Rainbow looked at the purple maned earth pony mare. She stared at Rainbow with utter contempt, her eyes glaring at her in such a way that Rainbow knew she’d happily toss her out of the store if it wouldn’t make her look bad.

“I’m just here with Pinkie Pie to get some provisions.”

Spoiled cleared her throat, trotted around the counter, and looked at Pinkie, “Let me make this perfectly clear… You are welcomed here. You may spend your hard earned bits here, but that… that… kleptomaniac is not to touch a single item in this store!”

“Actually… I was going to ask Dash’s advice on a few things, see, I’m going with my stallion on an adventure, and I need her to help me look at it all, although… If you’re willing to sell it at… Oh, cost, I will personally guarantee and give a pinkie promise, that Rainbow will not take a single item from your store without first paying for it,” Pinkie smiled brightly, “Or you could take your chances and I might not be able to make certain that she does or doesn’t.”

Spoiled Rich looked like a vessel was about to pop in her forehead. She seethed, looked at Pinkie and gave a fake smile, “Fine, as long as you pinkie promise, I will sell everything at cost, but only if I may gather the items you need, and bring them to the front counter.”

“Okie Dokie Loki!” Pinkie said as she pulled a list out of her mane, “Here’s everything.”

Spoiled Rich, wife of Filthy Rich, mother of Diamond Tiara, looked at the list Pinkie handed her. At first, she mistook it for a paltry ten items but when she saw a flap at the bottom of the page and tugged it… It broke a seal of rubber cement, unfolding, accordion style, a list no shorter than fifteen pony lengths. A blood vessel was going to pop soon, she knew it, but, as a mare of her word, she would gather those items personally. It was a big sale, an even bigger commission, and Sol only knew how much she liked the sound of bits exchanging hands.

As there was nothing doing but the doing it, Spoiled set off on the errand. Snowshoes, winter cloaks, tinder for a fire, canvas tents and tarpaulin, enough spices and ingredients to cook for an army, she gathered. Ten penny nails, sleeping bags, hot water bottles, a count of six five-pound bags of coffee, another count of six five pounds bags of white rice, two ten pound bags of potatoes, salt, kerosene, candles, matches, oil lanterns, high tensile rope… Spoiled had to look at that one twice. She had seen Pinkie in town on numerous occasions. In her head, the Romani was a simple filly, full of mirth. But given the number, and specificity, of the items she requested, maybe she wasn’t some simpleton after all. Yes, Spoiled thought, Pinkie Pie was some idiot savant, or maybe worse, a true genius that hid her exceptional mind in parties, song, and smiles.

Whatever the case may be, Spoiled Rich scrambled to acquire the Roamani mare’s listed items; it was like the Cerberus guarding Tartarus was on her fetlocks. It took time to gather everything, or at least it seemed that way, and as those items were gathered, Spoiled ran an inventory in her mind. Her husband was always the business type, but he was lucky he could add two and two together. She was the account of the family and already, she was racking up the interest payments on this haul. A sizable commission indeed.

She tallied the cost up, and even at cost, which was what she agreed on, it was going to be right around eight hundred bits, Or she’d accept two dozen magic batteries, since she could easily sell them for that or more. She handed Pinkie the bill of sale, and Pinkie grinned, dug into her bit bag, and Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened.

Pinkie pulled out not the normal blank bits that normally circulated, but two silver moon bits. The coinage wasn’t rare, but it wasn’t often anypony really spent them. Each moon bit was worth two hundred bits. Any store that could claim to have been paid in moon bits would be automatically given at least a three hooves rating by Brand Loyalty, the retail shopper’s best critic. She pulled out one more moon bit, and finally there was two Sol bits. All in all it added up to the eight hundred, and Spoiled was more than happy to accept.

She could practically taste the good review that Brand Loyalty would be giving them.

“Oh, ya know, I’ve actually got the individual bits!”

Spoiled’s face fell as she saw the bits starting to go back to the purse, “Wait… Wait, ummm… I can load this for you, if you want to use those bits.”

Pinkie rubbed her chin, “I dunno, I could load them easily enough… Although… I wouldn’t mind spending these bits, these right here, if Dashie is able to get a few provisions she needs, completely on the house.”

Spoiled looked at the Pegasus. Memory served her well enough to remember that personally Pegasi were fairly simple, didn’t really have a good mind about supplies, and had to be guided by the hand by a pony that knew better on what to pick out. Why, with any luck she’d just grab two canisters of candy and be done with it. It’d be a minor loss, and the potential critical acclaim Barnyard Bargains would get would more than make up for it. But, it would also mean allowing that kleptomaniac to go through her, well her husband’s, store and touch things. She looked at her again, she wasn’t wearing loose fitting clothing, and that meant she’d have to drop her pants to hide anything… No, it wasn’t worth it. Perhaps she could get Pinkie Pie to part with at least one of the better bits, and she’d accept the plain for everything else. She’d even leave loading her wagon on the table. No pony liked to do work they could have somepony else do.

“No, I’m sorry, but that is not acceptable; however, because I am feeling generous, should you decide to pay with at least one of those bits, I’ll still gladly load your wagon for you.”

Pinkie shook her hand, gave her a Sol, and seven hundred plain bits. She then watched as Spoiled put them into a safe, and began working toward carrying the bits out.

“Pinkie, did you just pay cost, use a Sol, and get the most stuck up mare in all of Ponyville to load your Vardo?”

“Yeppeprooni! Although I would have spent the others if she really would have let you get your equipment updated.”

Rainbow looked around, made sure that nopony else was looking, and hugged her, “Thanks Pinkie. Don’t go telling AJ, but I think that you’re my best friend.”

They walked outside to see Mrs Rich attempting to load everything into the Vardo, and part way through she had to stop, actually look at it all, and then go back into the Vardo and rearrange it again. Pinkie knew what was going on. She had originally thought to just load it where ever, but doing that caused things to get too cramped, and she had hoped that Spoiled Rich was enough of an orderly pony that she couldn’t handle leaving things in a mess. So, she’d have to put it all away exactly where it needed to go.

It took a good thirty minutes, and certainly far more trips into, and out of, Pinkie’s Vardo than Spoiled first believed, but at the end of it all the goods were loaded, the store had made a tidy sum, even at cost, and she would get to announce the fact that a Solis coin was used at Barnyard Bargains. While it wasn’t a Lunestra, it was more than impressive, and certainly more than enough to get Brand Loyalty to give the store his three hooves approval.

Just as Spoiled Rich was prepared to see Pinkie Pie off, she witnessed Rainbow Dash, that thief, walk out of her husband’s store with an armload of gear and a full, bulging knapsack. She was furious that the prismatic larcen had brazenly walked into and raided the place. She would have given the mare a thorough tongue lashing, and a flogging, but Rainbow proceeded to produce a receipt. This stopped Spoiled in her tracks.

“Read it and weep,” Dash boasted, “paid in full. I may be a ‘featherbrain’ to you, but I know what I need and when I need it. Oh, and you might wanna stock on winter gear. There’s going to be a rush for it within the hour.”

“Wha- what do you mean?” Spoiled stammered, “You- you crook!”

“Hey,” Dash rejoindered, “I paid for this, in bits! And in case you haven’t noticed, it’s snowing, in summer. My team can’t handle this; these storms are not natural and they don’t originate from the Everfree. If they did, we’d buck them back or break ‘em up. As it stands, we can’t do a feathering thing. So take my advice, Spanky, and resupply your winter gear. You are going to need it.”

With that, Dash sauntered off with the Roamani mare. Spoiled was fuming, getting told off like that by some feathers-for-brains cloudhopper. She stamped her hooves and growled for a bit; she was fit for a good tantrum at this moment. She would never get the chance, as a rush of ponies came trotting in, ice and snow be damned. The rush was on!

Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash returned shortly before Twilight did. Endymion and Applejack were already equipped and ready to roll, Fluttershy was now wearing a shawl Dash had given her as a Hearth’s Warming Day present, and when Twilight arrived, she was clad in a parka and flannel leggings. Yet, the most interesting members of those gathered at Sweet Apple Acres were Ms. Ditzy Do and a Pith helmet wearing mare in a goldenrod coat and monochrome grey mane. Stitched on the breast pocket of her coveralls was her cutie mark, a compass rose.

She looked at the group, then at the two arriving mares, and finally she cleared her throat.

“My sister contacted me, and let me know about what was going on. You’re going to need another adventurer, and somepony that’s messed with magical and mystical artifacts before. I’ve dealt with several, and I know the dangers. Plus having another pegasi along won’t hurt.”

“Ms, we can’t simply invite you on a royal order. If you travel along with us, it will be at your own peril,” Twilight said, “especially if we don’t even know who you are, besides Ditzy’s sister.”

“The name is Daring Do,” the mare proclaimed and both Dash and Twilight’s eyes alighted at the pronouncement, “and of course I wasn’t invited. I’m under orders. Princess Luna let me know via dragon fire what this operation is about. My sister was the one who told me where I should get started. Although, flying with the crown prince? Heh, I’d do this pro bono if I had known he’d be here for this.”

“Hey, hooves off,” Pinkie growled, then pointing between herself and Twilight, “he’s ours!”

“Oh, and mine too, maybe,” Fluttershy murmured.

Daring Do looked between the beings and sighed, “It’s always the good ones that get taken…Oh well. Come on, ponies, we got work to do. Adventure awaits!”

The trek itself began not with going back out toward Ponyville, but rather crossing the Fire Swamp. The huge boggy area was home to some of the more dangerous creatures in Equestria, and of course also home to a few swamp ponies that wanted to live their lives away from other ponies. AJ began pointing out that the Chimera would most likely be awake. Although she also mentioned that it would be crankier than usual since it was so blasted cold out.

The first bit through the swamp didn’t seem too exciting, until there was an area full of small bubbly looking areas around them.

“Alright, this here is what gives the fire swamp its name,” AJ called out, “Those places are called Jack’s Lanterns. Ya step on one, and it shoots a flame up in the air that’s at least three ponies high, and two ponies wide. Ya can get past it, but yer gonna have ta take yer time. Those of ya that can fly… Don’t think ‘bout it. There are Rock Doves here. They don’t look like much, but they flock toward whatever is moving and warm. And they hurt, a bunch. It’s kinda like gettin’ hit with a rock bein’ thrown by a professional hoofball player.”

“Isn’t this also the one land in Equestria known for rodents of unusual size?” Endymion asked.

“Eeyup,” AJ replied, “an’ there’s some kinda weird flower round these parts that’ll knock enny unicorn on their flank if they get too close.”

“The Floom plant?” Twilight inquires, “they grow here? In this swamp?”

“Wow, I did not know that,” Endymion comments, “I thought those things only grew on Mount Gloom. Supposedly, the frosty and dark conditions of that mountains cave system are just perfect for the Floom to thrive in.”

“Eeeeyup, they originated from there, sure enough, but they were transplanted here in this swamp. Ah ain’t sure who dun it, but Granny says that it was done way back, ‘fore Sweet Apple Acres was even started. Now, according ta her our ancestor Sandow Apple, A Clydesdale Pegasus, had settled around here with his two wives. Now, Ah ain’t sure ‘bout all of it, but what Ah know is that Sandow swore he dun saw Solar Empire Supporters carrying seed pods from the Floom Plants and plantin’ out there in the swamp.”

“Wait, wait, you’ve got a Pegasus in your family?! And you never told me?!”

Rainbow Dash looked hurt and AJ rolled her eyes, “Sandow weren’t no normal pegasus Dash. From what Ah remember Granny tellin’ us Sandow was half Earth Pony. He couldn’t land on clouds or bust ‘em or anything. His body was too much like an Earth Pony, and while he had Pegasus magic, it only worked ta make ‘im fly. Mostly he still had Earth Pony strength and magic. Granny said he was a durn good farmer, made a little section of the orchard that we still use today.”

“Still, how awesome is it that you’ve got Pegasus in you!”

“Sure Dash, purty awesome, not that it matters none though. We’ve got a long ways ta go, and we’ve all gotta be careful ‘bout where we step.”

A whoosing sound erupted and they looked to see the form of a rock looking creature. It looked like a bird, and it had landed on one of the Jack’s Lanterns.

“Aw, cornsarn it! The Rock Pigeons are flocking down to the Jack’s Lanterns. Alright, everypony we’ve got ta get through this, and quickly, ‘fore the whole flock decides this looks like a good nestin’ place.”

They began moving, slowly trudging through the area, watching their step, trying not to step on any of the Jack’s Lantern when a grating sound caught their attention. It was slight, small, something that might have been looked over, and it was close. AJ turned her head to see the Rock Pigeon from earlier. It was watching them, its stone eyes following their movements, and hopped closer, using the magic that formed it, magic from the now reformed avatar of Chaos, to fly low to the ground.

“Oh for Sol’s sake… Everypony… Run!”

The movement was quick and Jack’s Lanterns began erupting around them as they ran past them. The Rock Pigeon called out to the flock, and soon well over a hundred hoofball sized rock birds were flying toward them.

“Twilight, Endymion, one of y’all throw up a Sol Damned shield!”

“Everypony get close!”

Twilight’s horn lit up, and a shield formed around them, and outside of it they could hear the sound of thumps and bangs from the rock pigeons. Finally the birds were stopped, seemingly no longer interested in them.

“What do we do?”

AJ shook her head, “We move, Twilight or Endymion throws up a shield when we need it, and they keep it up until they ain’t interested in us no more. It’s gonna take a bit longer ta get through the swamp than we thought.”

“No, wait,” Endymion countered, “I got a better idea.”

“I hope it’s not one of your harebrained schemes like last time,” Dash scowled, “I told you, nopony can eat rice like that.”

“I admit, it was a dumb idea, mixing rice in my stomach like that, but this not that kind of idea. Now think, everypony, these swamps are filling with brimstone, right? That’s why is smells so bad?”

“I don’t think it’s just brimstone,” Twilight began, “I think it’s sulfur and- something else.”

“Methane,” Daring Do added, “it’s the same stench one gets if you’re trawling in the sewers.”

When everypony looked at her, she shrugged, explaining, “Hey, not all treasures are above ground. The Solar Grail had three clues I had to find and the second one was buried in a catacombs that were connected to the sewers of Neighples. It was rank… full of rats…”

“Wait, I remember that book,” Dash said, “wasn’t there a fire in those catacombs?”

“That’s right,” Daring answered, “some of the methane had liquidized down there. Somepony lit that up while I was down there and I had to escape through an underwater passage built into the catacombs.”

“Okay, okay, getting off-topic a little,” Endymion cut in, “what I’m saying is, if the Jack Lanterns are made of methane, and they’re flammable…”

Pinkie gasped and said, “We could turn this entire field into a gigantic party cannon! And those rock ravens can’t fly very well, so they would get blown up!”

“Um, not to rain on the parade, everypony,” Fluttershy piped in, “but, uh, wouldn’t we- we get blown up, too?”

“Hmm, point,” Daring stated.

“Well, we might get blown up,” Endymion replied, “or we might be able to create an interdiction between us and the explosions; if it gets too hot, Twilight could teleport us away to somewhere safe. Right?”

“I’ve- I’ve never teleported so many before,” Twilight stammered, “but I’ll try.”

Endymion squeezed his Twily, saying, “That’s my filly!”

“So how do we do it?” Applejack asked, “How do we light the Fire Swamp up?”

“Pinkie, spare a lantern?” Endymion asked.

“I can always spare something,” Pinkie replied, with a cheeky grin.

The pink mare then vanished into her Vardo only to come out a moment later with a lantern; she pulled a matchstick from her mane a second later.

“Filled, wicked, and ready to light,” Pinkie declaimed, “fire at will, Gridley!”

“Who’s Will?” Dash asked.

Endymion groaned adding, “Doesn’t matter. Pinkie, light it.”

“Ten-four!” Pinkie exclaimed, taking lit match to wick and igniting it.

“Now, we wait until the pops start,” Endymion explained, “when those pops get close enough, we toss the lantern in the direction of the last pop.”

Daring gasped, “And when the lantern breaks, the gas from underneath will catch, igniting the pressured methane, causing a massive explosion!”

“Eeyup,” AJ confirmed, “Ah ain’t seen it done, but Cousin Sandow done tried it once. Fried off must o’ his tail doin’ it, but it did get rid o’ them rodents.”

“Speaking of rodents,” Daring said, “are the rats supposed to be the size of timber wolves here?”

“Thereabouts,” AJ said, “why ya’ll askin’?”

“Because,” Daring said, pointing past them, “I think they’re here and they aren’t happy with us!”

Crawling out from underbrush and moldy logs, crawled massive rats, beady eyes as big as a fist, tails like whips lashing at the air, bristly fur standing on end, and sharpened buck teeth prepared for gnawing. Endymion cast his own shield charm to assist Twilight as the fanged omnivores struck. Despite their gnashing teeth and unearthly screeches, they could to break the party’s defense. And coming closer were the pops of the pressurized methane.

“Wait for it,” Endymion coached, “wait for it. Any minute now… Now, Pinkie, lob it!”

“Okey-dokey-loki!” Pinkie exclaimed, lobbing the lantern through an opening in the shield; it sailed past a break in the Rodents of Unusual Size and landed on a patch of broken ground. As it broke, a pop was heard underneath it. Then followed a rumbling beneath the earth, causing both rock raven and monster rodents alike to scramble for whatever shelter could be found. And just as the earth broke open with a massive concussive wave, Twilight’s horn flashed and everypony was winked out of existence for a mere moment- only to be transplanted into another part of the swamp. All were present and accounted for- save Endymion!

Explosion, heat, and then freefalling were the next few things that Endymion saw before he hit a tree hard. He fell, practically hitting every branch on his way down until he landed in a lump. He groaned, and his eyes were open for just a second as he saw a huge creature. He tried to move, but it hurt, everything hurt. After a few moments his eyes closed and he accepted whatever was coming as his fate.

The large, bearded earth pony looked at the exotic stallion that fell from the skies. He walked near him, and waved his hand.

“Sol Damn, smells like ya dun went runnin’ through an entire patch of Jack’s Lanterns!” he said as he knelt down near him.

The earth pony was obviously well fed, his body covered in fat and muscle, and he seemed to be looking the poor soul that fate decided to drop in on him. His sleeveless flannel shirt seemed soaked with sweat despite the freezing temperatures, and perhaps that was because he was currently cutting up some dead trees for the fire back at his home. He slowly touched the strange stallion, making sure that nothing was broken, and it wasn’t until he came to the ribs he could tell something was a little off.

“Alright fella, Imma gonna git ya outta here, and take ya home. I dun know that Charm is gonna throw a big o’le hissy fit ‘bout it, but it ain’t right ta leave ponies out here in this kind of weather. Ain’t the earth pony way.”

He scooped him up, careful not to disturb anything, and carried him deeper into the swamp. As he got deeper a clearing began to take shape, and then there was an old rotted and broken down vardo that had vines and weeds growing up through it. The carriage looked to be similar to a vardo, but it had been left behind, obviously broken and useless by the original ponies that owned it, yet the earth pony moved past the testament of ponies past and moved toward a small cabin.

It was something that would fit in an old horror story, a cabin that had a front almost looking like a feral animal. The door hung open like a waiting mouth, and the earth pony stepped through. The large earth pony adjusted his hoofball cap. The phrase G’ver (referring to the captain of the Canterlot Knights’ hoofball team) clearly stitched into it. The old so dirty green it was now black cap rested on a table.

“Muddy, it’s about Sol damned… What in Luna’s tight snatch is that?”

“I couldn’t jest leave ‘im out there. He just sort of fell outta the sky and got hurt Charm. Wouldn’t be right ta leave the fella.”

“Damn it, Muddy! For feck’s sake, that’s how we met that girlfriend of yers. Not that she’s not a nice mare, she is, but she’s always movin’ my things around. I dun got stung by hornets last time. Hornets, Muddy, Lots and lots of hornets that were in a log, all because she went and moved my saw, and it took me an extra two hours to find it.”

“Charm, my moving that saw didn’t make you get stung. You not checking the log because you were angry about my moving your saw got you stung,” a voice said.

She walked out, her bangs pulled into a strange frontal ponytail, her hair reaching down her back to right above her flank, and her thick eyebrows lifted in surprise as she looked at the exotic stallion lying there.

“Muddy… That… that’s the crown prince!”

“Muddy! Sol Damn it! Seriously?! Ya had to bring royalty out here?! I don’t want the royals knowing about this place, or my medicine! Of for feck’s sake!”

“Imma real sorry Charm, I didn’t mean ta go and ruin what yer a doin’.”

“You haven’t ruined anything, Charm, shut up.”

“You shut up!”

“Don’t tell her to shut up.”

“Muddy, you’re gonna choose your marefriend over me?”

The larger earth pony looked hurt and his ears laid flat.

“No, he’s not choosing anypony over anypony.”

“M… Moondancer’s right. I ain’t choosing anypony over anypony. Side’s it was right ta help him. It’s the earth pony way and ya know it.”

“Fine… Let’s take a look at him.”

The other stallion, Charm, stood. His dusty yellow coat looked something like the color of an old faded mustard label. His black mane was thick, but he didn’t have a mustache or beard, no he was just a simple, nondescript earth pony. An earth pony that could feel the thrum of magic rolling off of the crown prince. Being half unicorn meant being able to feel things, experience things he wouldn’t have been able to feel as an earth pony. His old faded bowling shirt had his name loosely stitched into it, his overalls had one clasp broken leaving half of the bib hanging open. He moved toward the crown prince, pushing past Moondancer, which he noticed she was wearing one of Muddy’s shirts as a sleeping shirt. Obviously the two of them had been playing plow the field earlier. Didn’t matter to him, Muddy loved her, and even though he wasn’t real fond of her, he’d put up with her for Muddy’s sake.

“Wow… He’s purty banged up.”

“How bad?”

Charm felt down his torso, “Bruised ribs, one almost knocked loose, torn tendons, torn muscles, he’s durned lucky that he ain’t bleeding internally.”

“I still don’t know how you can do that.”

“Ya ain’t the only one with magic ‘round here Ms. Smartybritches.”

“Hey, ya’ll, what’s this here doohickey?”

“I think that’s his wand, Muddy.”

“Naw, Imma thinkin’ that there is somethin’ else.”

Moondancer looked at Charm incredulously and asked, “How would you know?”

“See this here?” Charm said, pointing to the end of item, “looks like somethin’ come outta there. Danged if I know what it is, but there is plenty o’ magic in it, y’ssir.”

“So, what is it?” Moondancer asked.

“The Flame of Righteous Indignation, Illumina,” said a deep voice, one that caused all three ponies to turn to the crown prince lying on their threadbare carpet, “oh, my bucking grandmother, do I hurt! I very much hurt!”

“Whoa, there, fella,” Muddy cautioned, “ya’ll is all kinds o’ banged up. Gotta rest a spell, getcha better soon.”

“Where?” Endymion asked.

“You’re in the deepest part of the Fire Swamp,” Moondancer replied, then bowing, “Your Highness.”

Endymion looked upon the bowing unicorn and the two roughneck Earth ponies, then back to the unicorn. The glasses seemed familiar to him.

“Hey, I know you from somewhere,” Endymion stated, “you two, I don’t know from Adam, but your unicorn friend… Moonie, is that you?”

“Huh?” Muddy said, “Moonie, does this feller know ya?”

“Uh, yes, but it’s been years and years since I last saw him,” Moondancer answered, “he, Twilight Sparkle, and I all attended The Magic Academy together…”

“So he’s a mage?” Charm asked, and when Moondancer nodded, “he said, “Dang, no wonder there’s so much magic in ‘im!”

“What?” Moondancer said, “Endymion is a Level One mage, and I’m a Level Four! I think you’re picking me up-”

Charm shook his head, adding, “I know what yer magic is like and how it feels; this here Endymion- he has magic, an’ lotsa it, but I don’t know how he gots it. No horn, no hooves, no wings… He’s like that place out yonder, that old unicorn rook- Wazziz his name again?”

“Oh, you mean the ole Stargazer place?” Muddy asked, causing Moondancer and Charm to look at him funny, “What? I’m good with names.”

“And trivia, literary errata, hoofball scores,” Moondancer numbered off, “but can’t wash your own clothes. Are you sure you aren’t part unicorn?”

“Perty sure,” Muddy said, “but ya know ya love me.”

“Oh,” Moondancer squealed, zipping over to Muddy and squeezing him tightly, “of course I do. Such a cute little, foalish face…”

“Come on, ya’ll, I just ate,” Charm spat.

“Same here,” Endymion moaned, “can I get moved to a chair or sofa please? This point of view is rather tiring.”

“A’ight, yer highness, we’ll getcha up,” Charm said and with the help of Muddy the pair lifted Endymion onto a battered easy chair.

“So, uh, Endymion,” Moondancer began, “how did you end up here?”

“Royal summons,” Endymion groaned, “drastic weather change, big machine, Jack’s Lanterns, boom!”

“I- I ain’t got no idea what he’s talkin’ ‘bout,” Muddy said.

“A royal summons,” Moondancer said, “that must mean that The Prince is on a quest, to fix this sudden shift in climate!”

“‘Bout time somepony get on that,” Charm rejoindered, “but what the Clown Prince doin’ all the way out here?”

“Crown Prince, Charm,” Moondancer rebuked, “and it does bugger the question what he is doing out here.”

“We could ask him,” Muddy said, and Endymion added, “yeah, I’m right here.”

“What you said made little sense, Endy,” Moondancer retorted.

“I was summing up,” the prince replied, “but, yeah, Mother sent me and my friends out to figure what was going on with the snow and all. Trotted out here, to the Fire Swamp, on account of Daring Do. Mare seems to know what is causing this and she was on order, too. We got got caught between a rock and fuzzy place, and I suggested we use the Jack Lanterns to take them both out.”

“Rock an’ a fuzzy place?” Muddy asked.

“Rock ravens,” Endymion answered, “and Rodents of Unusual Size. See?”

“By Sol,” Moondancer murmured, “rock ravens and ROS in the Lantern Fields…! And you blew them up?!”

“Part of the plan,” Endymion groaned, “didn’t figure on getting blasted away from my party, though. Did anypony see my pack?”

“Yer pack?” Muddy asked, “uh, no, I didn’t see anythin’.”

Groaning, Charm asked, “Where’d you find him?”

“Lone Spruce,” Muddy answered, “out in the Westfold.”

“I’ll have a looksee,” Charm replied and he left the shack.

Endymion groaned as he tried to get comfortable. The old easy chair was certainly far more comfortable than that cot he’d been on, but at the same time everything on him was sore, and hurt. He tried to move his leg only for the feeling of pain to spread throughout his entire body.

“Oh Sol Damn it…” he growled.

“Careful, ya dun’t need ta be doing too much. Charm said ya dun went and got bruised ribs, torn muscles, torn tendons, and that yer purty lucky not to be bleedin’ on the inside.”

He leaned his head back, knowing that right now his mares had to be worried sick.

Twilight was sitting on the ground, her horn glowing brightly, her eyes clenched shut, and her mind completely focused on one task. She was desperately trying to find Endymion’s magical signature. She knew that Princess Luna, and Princess Celestia apparently, could sense ponies from halfway across the globe. To be honest she’d been practicing, and she could sense them from as far out from the library to just past Fluttershy’s cottage. Right now she was hoping that Endymion was in that range, or that she could push herself further and find him.

She had to hope that she could find him, that she could sense him, that she could feel his presence, because the alternative was too painful to even consider. There was a part of her that had considered that thought and the beginnings of a panic attack were in the offing because of it. Yet, she persisted, hoping beyond hope that she could detect him somewhere in that marshland.

“He has to be okay,” Pinkie whimpered, tears flowing freely since everyone recovered from their jaunt, “he just has to be.”

Fluttershy had been crying, too, but her voice was far more confident, “He will be, Pinkie, he will. He’s my Sol-”

“DON’T YOU START WITH NONSENSE AGAIN!” Pinkie roared.

“I’m sorry,” Shy squeaked, then, “I’m sure he’s okay. If not, his mother would down here and she would be very put out.”

“Fluttershy’s right,” Twilight confirmed, “Princess Luna has- spells that- would pick up- Endymion’s life- signs. If his heart- beat were to- stop- she would be here- in an instant.”

“Is that what you’re trying to do,” Daring Do asked, “track the prince with his heartbeat?”

“Something like- that,” Twilight answered, “Endymion- has- a unique- magical sig- sig- signature. Been practicing- the spell- hoping I can- find- him. Range- is- limited…” Then Twilight gasps, “I FOUND HIM!”

Pinkie and Fluttershy gasp simultaneously, while Applejack and Rainbow Dash rise up, their ears perked. Daring, who had been resting on AJ’s wagon, sits up and places her Pith helmet back on.

“Where is he?” Pinkie asks breathlessly, “Where is he?!”

“It’s faint, but I sense him. I sense him deep in the fireswamp, and there’s two other magical signatures with him. One feels odd, like an Unicorn mixed with something else, but the other is just an Unicorn… I… He’s really deep in the swamp, at least a two day trot from here.”

“Could ya go and teleport us there?”

She shook her head, “No, I don’t want to try that again. Last time I lost Endymion, I don’t want to lose anypony else.”

“Twilight, could you teleport there?”

She looked at Pinkie, at her herd mate, and she nodded. It’d be easier to teleport there, but the problem would be that she’d be tired when she got there, and there wouldn’t be a chance at all for her to get right back to them and let them know where they were.

“I could, but I’d need to rest right after. That means everypony would have to wait for at least half a day before I could get back to any of you.”

“Look, I don’t want to be the downer here, and I understand this is your traveling companion, and stallion in a couple of cases, but we still have a job to do. We still have to reach the machine, turn it off, and arrest the unicorn responsible for it. I don’t like being an insensitive mare, but we really don’t have a choice. For now, we just need to hope that he is in good hands, and leave his fate to Sol,” Daring Do said.

“No.”

Pinkie looked at them, and then at Twilight, “My Endy comes first before anything else. I love everypony, but I’m marrying him. I’m going to go, find him, make sure he’s okay, and then go on to where Princess Luna wants us to go. Nopony else has to.”

Twilight looked at the others, and then at Pinkie, “I’m sorry, but Pinkie’s right. My first and foremost responsibility is to my herd, and everything else is secondary.”

“Twi, not that Ah mean nothin’ by it, but we can’t do this if’n ya ain’t there. We need your or Endymion ta figure out how ta stop that machine. Even if we all go there we cain’t go and shut it off.”

“She’s got a point. We need a magi there to do this correctly, because if we just try to smash it who knows what kind of energy we could unleash?”

“Ya know, I might not always be the smartest one here, but all of you are being pretty bucking stupid.”

Everyone turned to Rainbow Dash.

“We’ve got three Pegasi, two Earth ponies, and Twilight is an Unicorn. Twilight teleports over, rests, sends up a flare, we carry Pinkie and AJ, land, find Endymion, make sure he’s okay, and then we bring everypony back, and Twilight teleports with Endymion. Easy.”

“That… Dash, that’s a purty good idea.”

“Tartarus, it’s got my vote,” Daring said.

“Okay, let me just focus on him,”

After a moment there was a bright flash, and Twilight was gone.

The entire room turning a deep lavender color was unexpected, an Unicorn appearing in mid air and falling on her rump was even more so. Twilight groaned, and looked around. She saw Endymion and her first reaction was get up, rush over to him, and pepper his cheeks with kisses as she said she was sorry over and over again.

“Twily, I’m okay, well mostly… Twily?”

A soft snore was his answer. He smiled and held his bride to be. It hurt, having her leaning on him, but it felt so good to know that she was okay.

“Charm is gonna be throwin’ a big ol’ fit.”

“He’s going to be fine,” Moondancer said as she neared the passed out mare, “That’s Twilight Sparkle…”

Endymion nodded.

“Hmmm… Lets get her laid down so she can rest, and when she wakes up I’ve got a few questions for her. Like why she decided to forget that her friends back in Canterlot even existed.”

True to his character Charm did have a minor cursing episode over Twilight being there, until he learned that it was Endymion’s bride to be. At which point he realized that she came looking for him, and her looking for him meant that the Princess wouldn’t be. Which was fine with him. The hours passed, and Twilight finally found herself awake, slowly she got up, feeling a little woozy from the magical strain of teleporting so many ponies at once, and then teleporting herself again so quickly.

She realized that Endymion was fine, and that was a huge relief. She then looked at the other ponies here. Two of them seemed to be country ponies, maybe even more countish than Applejack. The term hillfilles came to mind, and she almost had a chuckle over it. Granted they were colts, but they reminded her of one of Flintheart’s lessons.

He’d taught them that almost all modern potions came from fillies and colts that had lived in the great wilderness, out in the vastly unexplored bits of Equestria. These hill ponies had lived directly off of the land, and they were responsible for the healing potions, growth potions, pain numbing potions, and an entire slew of other potions that most ponies take for granted.

Zecora was one of the few ponies, well Zebras, that she knew that actually still lived like that.

“Twilight.”

She looked at the voice and saw Moondancer. She looked at her uncertain of who she was for a moment.

“Don’t worry. I didn’t expect you to recognize me, one of your best friends, right away.”

Twilight tried to put a name with the face, but she just couldn’t. She slowly sat up, her head still feeling off.

“I… I need to send up a flare, let the others know that I’m here… Oh…”

She almost collapsed.

“No, you need to rest, and we’re going to have a talk, but I’ll send the flare up for you.”

With that Moondancer walked outside, focused on sending up a single signal flare, and after a moment, it soared into the air, burning a brilliant purple. It wasn’t easy changing the color of the spell, but she wanted Twilight’s companions to realize that it was meant to be from her.