A New Era

by Shadowmane PX-41

First published 15th of December, 2016

After Chrysalis's latest scheme, Celestia sends the Mane Six on a mission far away from Equestria...

Following Chrysalis's scheme to capture every important pony in Equestria and replace them with Changelings, Celestia came to the conclusion that it was time for some new heroes to arise. Some who would take up the mantle whenever the Main Six or Starlight Glimmer and her friends were unable to assist.

She sends Twilight Sparkle and her friends across the ocean to make some new friends, some who would hopefully be able to fight against the forces of darkness and save the world from any new threats that might surface.

Little do they know that it's not going to be as easy as they think...

Prologue

Celestia walked down the castle hallways, gently flapping her wings against the light draft that lingered within the air. She had always been a steadfast and strong leader—even if she was unable to defend her people. Whenever the forces of darkness threatened Equestria and its' subjects, she and her sister Luna were always the first ones to stand up to whatever might have bared its' fangs at the kingdoms of their continent.

However, after Queen Chrysalis's latest attack on Equestria, security had increased thousand-fold. Every castle in the land needed a royal guard, with no exceptions from anyone. Not that anyone objected, though, given how close she had come to succeeding in the end. Not even Princess Twilight Sparkle, who had always been adamant in her own roles had denied Celestia's decrees.

She pushed through the double doors leading to the throne room, staring at Luna, sitting calmly on hers. Slowly, Celestia cantered towards her own throne and sat down on her haunches, letting out a heavy sigh as she looked out at the rest of the gilded room.

"What is the matter, sister?" Luna asked, peeking over at Celestia and her loosening muscles.

"Luna. This world is in a state of crisis." Celestia gazed over at Luna, her eyes meeting with that of her sister. "Chrysalis's last attack nearly destroyed us and the Magic of Friendship along with it."

"Do not stress yourself too much, sister. The Changeling hive in the Badlands now serves under the rule of King Thorax." Luna looked over at the stained glass pictures on the walls of the room. "Day by day, Chrysalis is having less space to hide in. It won't be long now until she's fully exposed and ready to be met with swift justice."

"It's not just that, Luna." Celestia took some deep breaths and exhaled through her snout. "Her plan involved kidnapping all of the most powerful ponies in Equestria—Twilight and her friends included. If ponies like those six can succumb to Chrysalis's attacks then what are we supposed to do about it?"

"There still exists that unicorn Starlight Glimmer and her band of allies." Luna nodded as her gaze turned to the latest picture, which showed Starlight saving everyone from Queen Chrysalis's plans. "Now that Chrysalis is on the run, it should be easy for them to nullify and neutralise her out in the open."

"What if they get captured as well?" Celestia's eyes went wide. "What can we do if every pony in Equestria falls to that horrific creature? Would it be safe to assume that this continent would be in ruin?"

Luna recoiled at Celestia's grim take on the future. "I... didn't really think about that. I suppose I have been slightly less focused since the Changelings reformed themselves." She shook her head and scratched her chin. "So you ask me, dear sister. What are we supposed to do should that time come?"

"That is the whole point, Luna." Celestia stood up. "If Chrysalis or some other villain tries to take over Equestria and doesn't hesitate to cut corners, then we might be in greater danger than we think. In a time where not even Twilight Sparkle and the Magic of Friendship can save us, we will all fall." She raised a hoof, barely even noticing that it was trembling. "But that time is not now. There is still time for us to prepare for another mass attack."

"But how?" Luna tilted her head.

"There is a kingdom far beyond here. Somewhere that even I have not visited, but it has been hailed for how powerful its' ponies are." Celestia used her magic to create a small hologram of the place that she was describing, complete with a castle with five towers. "I know not of the ponies that live there, nor do I know the traditions. But, I do know its' name: White Wings."

"White Wings?" Luna looked at the kingdom. "'Tis a rather alien name, is it not, Celestia?"

"Legend has it that there are five ponies there that are regarded as some of the greatest heroes that their side of the world has ever seen, slaying countless monsters that ravaged the lands, and foul ponies dead-set to bring about the end of all living things," Celestia continued. "Again, their identities are obscured, but if I am to believed correctly, then they might just be the ponies who will safeguard Equestria from any future threats like Chrysalis."

"It seems like you are simply betting on something that is not entirely true, Celestia." Luna stood up as the hologram vanished. "What if this White Wings place is not what you believe it to be, or that these five ponies won't even raise a hoof to help us out?"

"I'm sure that they won't say no to what we have to say." Celestia walked towards the closest regular window that she could find and looked down on the town beneath her. "Henceforth, I shall be sending Twilight Sparkle and her friends to handle this mission."

"Can't you go and aid them?" Luna raised a brow. "If these are cries for help coming from the highest authority in Equestria, then I'm sure that they would much rather hear them from you instead of Twilight." Luna ran over to Celestia and stood by her side. "The poor thing just became a princess over two years ago. She's not ready for something as big as this."

"You keep saying that, yet she managed to stop Lord Tirek and Starlight Glimmer of her own accord." Celestia turned towards the door. "I'm certain that Twilight Sparkle will be able to handle this. In the meantime, I want you to train the Royal Guard and the Night Guard three times as hard, make sure that they are as vigilant, strong, powerful, and dependable as possible. We don't want to risk another Chrysalis attack."

"I still think that there are better ways of going about this, sister." Luna followed Celestia out of the throne room and down the hallways.

Later, at the Ponyville Train Station, Twilight Sparkle and her friends had suitcases and bags filled with goods and essentials that they had packed. One by one, they all climbed onto the train, showing the conductor their tickets as they left their stuff in the luggage compartments. Starlight Glimmer and Spike were the first ones on after Twilight, as they had much less stuff to carry compared to their other friends.

"I still can't believe that we're going to White Wings!" Rarity sat down once she had dropped off her bags and looked out of the windows. "I've never been myself, but I've heard that their sense of style is absolutely gorgeous! I might just have to jot down some new ideas while we're there!"

"Calm down, Rarity. We ain't there for pleasure." Applejack sat down next to Rarity and gently pushed her hooves down to her sides. "Besides, if we were, I'd treat myself to some of the town's cider. It's incredibly rare to find in Equestria these days, and I've heard from my fellow Apples that it could put the Apple Family's cider to shame."

"Technically, speaking, it never leaves White Wings." Twilight Sparkle pulled out a book and began flipping through the pages. "I've heard tales of this White Wings place from Starlight. It's a place that barely shares its' history with any outsiders. And if there are books published about the place, they usually never leave the kingdom."

"My parents took me and Sunburst there when we were kids, and she gave me the book as we were leaving." Starlight Glimmer sat down next to Twilight. "Of course, we did have to keep it secret and avoid showing it to anypony there as we left. The ponies there get really defensive about their cultures, saying that it has to be seen to be believed, instead of just written down for the world to see."

"I don't get it. A place that wants to hide from the rest of the world?" Rainbow Dash flapped over her friends and lowered her eyelids, darting her eyes left and right. "Something seems fishy about that."

"Rainbow Dash, I can guarantee you that White Wings is not a hostile or shady place." Twilight stared at Rainbow Dash.

"Yeah, and if there is danger, then we'll whoop its' tushy into next year!" Pinkie Pie bounced onto her chair so vigorously that it almost flung Twilight and Starlight right off. "I mean, it's not like it's our first time fighting evil. We've done it like ten or twenty times already!"

"Don't get overconfident, Pinkie Pie." Twilight shook her head. "We're going somewhere we've never been before in our entire lives. There's bound to be something out there stronger than us in some way."

"I'm sure it's nothing you girls can't handle." Spike climbed up onto his seat, wiggling his legs as Twilight helped him up. "I mean, given everything you've already had to fight already, this mission in White Wings sounds pretty simple, right?"

"I don't know about the rest of you girls, but I'm awfully nervous to go on this adventure." Fluttershy slowly hobbled forward and sat down. "I mean, White Wings isn't even technically part of Equestria. We'll be total strangers to the ponies there. No-one'll know our names, and they may be a bit rude to us."

"I don't think that White Wings would be that kind of place if that was true." Starlight tipped her hoof towards Fluttershy. "I've been there. I know what it's like. There was hardly any pony that was rude to us." She then stopped to look up at the ceiling of the train. "But then again, I was just a filly back then. Times have probably changed."

Suddenly, a loud whistle ran through the train, sending shocks down the spines of the ponies and dragon.

"Next stop: Port Maretime!" The conductor called as the doors of the train began to close.

Once everything was checked and stowed away, the train slowly began to move. Steam blowed from the chimney and smaller whistles erupted as the massive vehicle stormed down the tracks, gathering momentum the more the wheels turned. It started out small, but soon picked up until the train was moving at a fast and steady pace.

"Well, there's no turning back now." Applejack looked out the windows and watched the world pass by. "White Wings, here we come."

"I still don't know why Celestia would send you instead of go herself." Spike shrugged and opened up a comic book. "If it's somewhere we've never been and barely even heard of, shouldn't she go herself?"

"Celestia's been incredibly busy as it is, Spike," Twilight said. "After Chrysalis's last attack, Canterlot's security's been the highest it's ever been. At least a couple hundred ponies had to join the Royal and Night Guards after we all got captured by her."

"I bet she's probably just too lazy to do it all herself." Spike deadpanned.

"Spike! Celestia isn't lazy. She's just..." Twilight had trouble finding the right word to finish her sentence.

"Incompetent?" Spike rolled his eyes.

"Spike!" Twilight spluttered. "Don't take Princess Celestia's name in vain!"

"But she is, Twilight. She's just let herself get defeated by Nightmare Moon, Chrysalis, and Lord Tirek." Spike used his fingers to count the different times Celestia had to fight in her life. "I know you think highly of her, but I'm just not seeing her as great of a ruler as she's meant to be."

"No matter what you may say or think, Celestia's still the proud ruler of Equestria." Twilight glared at Spike. "Regardless of her power or whether or not she can fight a villain, she's still the cornerstone of our country and its' cultures. Without her, Equestria would be wide open for more attacks."

"It's going to be open either way, so we've gotta befriend these new ponies in White Wings as soon as possible." Starlight nodded. "If they're really as powerful as the townsfolk say they are, then Equestria could be in good hooves."

"Let's just hope you're right, Starlight." Twilight put her hoof on her friend's shoulders and looked out as the town of Ponyville was no bigger than a speck. "If we can't make some new friends in White Wings, then there's no telling what could be in store for the future of Equestria..."

Author's Notes:

And so it begins. A new story. But not just any story, no, no, no. For this, folks, is my 50th story in total on this site!

Yes, after three long years of hard work, editing, and other such stuff, this story is the fiftieth one that I've put out, and I hope that yo do enjoy it for what it's worth.

I've written adventure stories before in the past, but I'm slightly nervous about how this story's going to play out. Adventure's a rather interesting subject. A lot of showing rather than telling. I want to be able to show White Wings in the next few chapters instead of just say that it's a place.

And if you like this story, then be sure to favourite it, give it an upvote, share it with your friends, and comment on it. It all motivates me to make more.

Have a nice day!

Chapter 1: The Voyage

At the docks of Maretime, a large ship with white walls and multiple decks stood proud against the marine breeze. With multiple balconies and windows on each side, it was capable of accomodating a large group of ponies. There were multiple flags on the top deck with colossal fins near them.

The Main Six, Starlight Glimmer, and Spike all carried their things towards the boarding ramp, where there was already a lengthy queue of ponies waiting to get on. They all went through a single file check and met with ponies dressed in white and black uniforms with sailor's hats on each staff member's heads. Bags were being checked on a table, and unicorns walked through a machine that scanned their magic and coated the ponies in white auras that faded away shortly afterward.

"Geez, for such a small place, a lot of ponies want to go there." Spike climbed on Twilight's head and looked out at the line of ponies going through security. "Whatever this White Wings kingdom's like, I bet it must be really popular with the tourists."

"Well, according to this magazine I pulled from the stand, White Wings is one of the most popular travel destinations in the whole planet." Rarity showed her friends the magazine. "The kingdom itself is home to over a thousand ponies, with various different schools in unicorn magic, pegasus flight, earth pony horticulture, and many more."

"I haven't really had much time as I've liked to have had to study, but I did pull some important facts from the books that I've been reading." Twilight moved up, as the queue proceeded to let ponies on board. "The five ponies that saved the kingdom multiple times were said to have been hailed as champions, with many others writing stories, poems, and songs about them. No-one outside of White Wings is allowed to say their names, however, as it is said to be blasphemy to use their names to strange ponies."

"So, who are they?" Applejack asked.

"I wish I knew." Twilight shook her head. "White Wings is incredibly secretive. The only way you'd be able to get some stuff from them is if you imported it overseas. And even then, the price is just highway robbery."

"Well if they're heroes, then I'm sure they'll recognise us once we tell them the awesome tales of how we saved Equestria, right?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yeah! Given that we stopped a super-freaky night-bringing princess, beat a chaos-wielding draconequus, and a magic-hungry centaur, I bet the ponies of White Wings would throw us all a party in a snap!" Pinkie smashed her hooves together.

"Don't get too ahead of yourself, Pinkie Pie." Starlight Glimmer gave Pinkie a gentle back massage. "The ponies of White Wings have probably seen some deeds better than what Twilight and her friends have done. They might think that we're all average compared to them."

"Whatever they think of us, we should try our best to act polite and accepting of them." Twilight nodded as she walked towards the scanner. "If we're going to try and make friends, then we should be on our best behaviour."

"Oh! Hang on, Princess Twilight." The guards stood aside. "You can go ahead. No need to restrict an Equestrian Princess."

"Thank you." Twilight gave the stallions smiles and walked onto the boat.

"We're still gonna have to check your friends, though. Are you alright with that?" The other one asked.

"Of course." Twilight gave them nods. "Check them as much as you want, and make sure that they're back to normal once we get to White Wings."

"Will do, your highness!" Another security pony bowed quickly.

Everyone else in the line walked through the security check at a relatively smooth pace. There were no hold-ups or issues for any pony and within a few minutes, everyone was admitted onto the boat as the ramp was pulled from the docks and back onto the vessel. With a loud blast from the ship's horns, the boat slowly began to depart from the docks and across the seas.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were up on the top deck, where there was a bar serving drinks, a pool with ponies relaxing alongside it, and various other passengers looking out onto the endless stretch of ocean. Everyone around was smiling, enjoying their time on the ship as they struck up multiple different conversations.

"Y'know, I still don't get many things about this whole White Wings place." Rainbow Dash looked at the pamphlet of White Wings that she had been assigned when she got on the boat. It showed off all of the major parts of the city, as well as a tidbit of history about each place. "It says that there's some ace team of pegasi that are so good that they make every other pegasus team look like crud." She slammed the paper shut and threw it down. "How could anypony possibly be better than the Wonderbolts?"

"White Wings are incredibly secretive." Fluttershy softly raised her hoof and picked up what Dash threw away. "I would be too if somepony else came from somewhere I'd never heard of."

"I mean, if someone wants to challenge the Wonderbolts, I'm game for that. There's nothing that could beat us when it comes to flying." Rainbow shook her head and looked out at the ocean. "See, that's not what really bugs me. What does bug me, though, is that every pegasus on their squad can do a Sonic Rainboom! I patented that trick! It's a Rainbow Dash exclusive!" She threw down her hooves and stomped on the deck. "Nopony else can even pull it off! It's like, one of the hardest tricks ever!"

"Don't worry about it, Rainbow Dash." Fluttershy walked up to her friend and massaged her shoulders. "Nopony in Equestria knows about White Wings or their pegasus squad. You've got nothing to worry about."

"I do too have something to worry about!" Rainbow snapped her head around. "What if they actually are better than the Wonderbolts? How am I gonna compare with a group of ponies I've never met before?" Her forehead muscles twitched as she darted her eyes around the ship. "I might get totally humiliated!"

"Oh, I'm sure that they would never mean to hurt you." Fluttershy watched Rainbow's lower lip quiver and gave her a gentle rub on the back. "As long as we're your friends, it doesn't matter whatever they may say or do. We'll always be able to help you get over it."

"You say that now, Fluttershy, but I'm still not so sure." Rainbow Dash merely looked out at the ocean and pondered about the future as Fluttershy petted her.

On the other side of the ship, Twilight and Spike were looking out at the ocean, staring at the waves that rolled beneath them. The both of them had a lot of thoughts running through their minds as they travelled across the water, mostly on why Celestia would send them somewhere they'd never heard of before.

"So, this whole White Wings place. What's so good about it?" Spike shrugged and picked up a drink. He took an idle sip of it and looked over to Twilight.

"White Wings supposedly has zero crime rates but many reports of monsters attacking." Twilight turned her head to Spike and unfurled her own pamphlet. "It says here that the city's kept safe by five ponies who prefer to keep their names secret. They use some of the highest level magic and most complex pegasus flight techniques to vanquish anything that tries to destroy the kingdom." She levitated it over to Spike and laid it down by his side. "I've personally never been, so I've yet to see if they're just bragging to attract tourists."

"Well, are there any leads or clues as to who those ponies might be?" Spike pulled some sunglasses off of his face and lifted one of his brows at Twilight and Starlight. "I don't wanna have to look around the whole place to find these ponies."

"Spike, I think you should know by now that White Wings itself is a very quiet and off-radar place." Starlight Glimmer looked out at the ocean. "Heck, my family were lucky just to get the stuff through customs! What makes you think that they'd explain who we're supposed to be looking for?"

"I dunno. Wild hunch, I guess." Spike shrugged and took another sip of his drink and leaned back into the deckchair. "Whenever we go out on these big adventures together, we always seem to find who we're looking for straight away."

"No-one else in Equestria's heard of this place before, Spike." Twilight stood up and leaned herself over Spike's body. "If Celestia and Luna gave us this task, then it must be important in some way—even if it is just a little tiny problem."

"Yeah? Well I still think that you're just doing Celestia's work again." Spike tilted his head and looked into Twilight's eyes. "How many times has she asked you to do the heavy lifting? How many times has she just sat back and let you do the work when she could've done it herself?" He sighed and shook his head, getting up from the chair. "Sometimes, I just feel like you should be the ruler of Equestria instead of her."

"Spike, Celestia tries her hardest to look after her subjects. And she certainly wouldn't have sent us if she didn't think that we could pull it off." Twilight stood proudly and puffed out her chest. "I might be royalty like she is now, but she has the final say in everything in Equestria." A devious smirk crossed her face. "In fact, if she hadn't given us this mission, we'd be back in Ponyville sorting books and dusting the castle from top to bottom. Doesn't it feel better to get out and get some fresh air?"

"Oh, definitely." Spike nodded and laid his arm against the rails of the ship. "That castle's much harder to clean than it seems these days."

"Trust me, Spike. Once we get to White Wings, everything'll be just fine." Twilight stroked Spike's back and led him towards the front of the ship. "I'm sure that there'll be some ponies there that can enlighten us."

"You sure about that?" Spike coiled his claws as he walked towards the bow.

"I'm positive about that." Twilight gently bobbed her head up and down as she took strides towards the ship's front. "If they're so highly-praised, then it shouldn't be hard to find them, right?"

In a dimly lit room littered with candles, a lone hooded unicorn levitated multiple books at once, hastily flipping through the pages and snapping the books shut once they had found what they needed. The aura wrapped around all of the books was a dull shade of purple and hastily vanished as the read books slid back into a vastly expansive bookcase, which stood tall above the pony.

The door creaked open, bringing a blinding flash of light into the room as a pale blue earth pony ran into the room. She had a purple bowl-cut hairstyle with a golden sun-shaped hair clip sitting gently above her ear. Her Cutie Mark bore the symbol of a purple-tinted cloud pouring rain. The new pony walked up to the one in the cloak and gave her a gentle poke on the back.

"Excuse me, Sugarcoat? Can I ask a moment of your time?" She asked in a refined and lady-like voice.

"Had you come at the optimal time, I would've said yes, Sunny Flare." The mare in the cloak looked through more books. "I'm trying to refine my spellcasting and push my limits even further. These attacks are coming one after another and if I don't prepare, I might falter and let the entire kingdom down."

"Well, even if it's a good time or not, I have to inform you that there is a ship approaching the docks, bringing some emissaries from some place called Equestria." Sunny Flare stood adamantly and continued to watch Sugarcoat shuffle through her books and identify the spells she needed. "Apparently, their ruler has sent some dignitaries to try and forge an alliance with White Wings."

"Order the ship away from the docks. White Wings is strictly off-limits until the rebellion dies down." Sugarcoat waved a single hoof in the air, not fazed by Sunny's words at all.

"See, Sugar, you spend too much time in your books." Sunny Flare pulled the cloak clean off, revealing a grey mare with long silver hair tied up in elongated pigtails. "If I was to send them away, I would need the queen's permission to do it. She doesn't seem bothered by the news, unlike you."

"Well, maybe that's because we don't need anymore casualties." Sugarcoat gruffly took the cloak and covered herself back up with it. "I am one of the most powerful unicorns in this kingdom and I'll be damned if I let some foreigners die on a trip from some country that pales in comparison to ours."

"Ouch. Brutal honesty, much?" Sunny Flare winced at Sugarcoat's mini-rant.

"Lies only spread when uttered. They root deep within your system and plague what was once an already perfect mind." Sugarcoat brushed some of her hair back and resumed scanning the books. "I abstain from all forms of lying, be they little and white or big and anarchist. Lies are a disease and I am the cure. A cure that has kept White Wings in a utopian state for the time being." She lightly inhaled some air through her nostrils. "Tell me, Sunny. Would you rather lie to save your friend's life and take a massive punishment, or be brutally honest and take a fraction of the penalty instead?"

"Why, you..." Sunny began to choke on her own words as she brought her hooves to her face and shook them. With a groan, she slid them across her face and turned towards the door. "You know what? I'm ignoring you. These ponies should come and see White Wings for what it really is!"

With a bolt of magic, Sugarcoat slammed the doors shut. "No. There is to be no more chaos. These Equestria ponies should just take my advice and leave immediately. There is no place for them here at White Wings."

"Sugarcoat, why are you being so hard on me? We're friends, right?" Sunny Flare turned back towards Sugarcoat, not even noticing that the candles were beginning to fizzle out in the darkness.

Sugarcoat took a deep sigh and dropped the books. "You're banking on something we don't know on. These ponies might be disruptive of our peace and goodwill. I don't want to see anyone suffer. Trust me when I say that what I'm doing is for the good of all of White Wings."

Suddenly, the doors were pried open by some more unicorn magic. It was wrapped in the same purple aura as Sugarcoat's magic, but it came from a unicorn with purple and green hair and a yellow coat. She had freckles on her cheeks and her mane was styled into the shape of a ponytail. Her Cutie Mark was a heart with a transparent diamond on top of it.

"Sugarcoat, Sunny. It's past nine-thirty!" The mare shouted from the door much like a drill instructor, but then used her horn to light up the room as her face melted into a smile. "It's time for bed. The queen's expecting us up early tomorrow to set up the festival. You don't want to look like you've pulled another all-nighter, Sugar."

"We'll continue this discussion tomorrow, Sunny Flare." Sugarcoat put all of the books back into the bookcase and trotted towards the mare at the door. "But I still think that it's suicide to welcome these new ponies in, given the state of the kingdom right now."

"Give them a chance, Sugarcoat. They're just tourists." Sunny Flare walked out of the room and shut the doors behind her. "Why not let them get settled in before breaking the news?"

"Because I find it a waste of time," Sugarcoat deadpanned. "And you should too. I already made it clear the position White Wings is in, didn't I?"

Sunny Flare sighed and hung her head as she walked through the corridors with the two unicorns. Whoever these new ponies are, I just hope that they can shed some light on us. We're not what we used to be anymore...

The next morning, Twilight and her friends all stood on the ship's bow and looked out at the incoming landmass ahead. There was a tall castle that loomed over the rest of the kingdom with a massive pair of wings sprouting out of the sides. The town itself had a variety of different houses all surrounding the colossal stronghold of a castle. The ponies could just make out what looked like a market beyond the pier, with many different stalls of all shapes and sizes being perused by the kingdom's subjects.

"Whoa... So this is White Wings?" Rainbow Dash looked at the kingdom and squinted her eyes at the castle. "It's huge!"

"I bet the ponies here would really love it if I threw them a We're-Here-On-a-Vacation-and-To-Save-the-World party!" Pinkie Pie pulled out her Party Cannon and launched a volley of confetti and streamers into the sky.

"I myself do have to wonder what kind of fashion these ponies have." Rarity poised herself against the front of the ship, feeling the wind blow against her mane. "For such a gorgeous place like this, I would assume that their style would be nothing short of heavenly!"

"Girls, girls, girls." Twilight chuckled and pushed her friends' hooves down. "We only just got here. Remember that we're on a mission to form an alliance with these ponies, so I want you all to be on your best behaviour."

"White Wings does have some very strict laws from what I remember..." Starlight Glimmer took a brief glance at the castle before turning back to her friends. "I don't want to get into much detail, as some of the punishments are very cruel and unusual here."

"Well, whatever happens, we need to get on these ponies' good sides before we do anything." Twilight nodded to Starlight and eyed up her friends. "So, for the time being, no showing off, no weird stuff, and no questioning these ponies' ethics and traditions. We're just tourists after all."

"Yeah, but we're tourists here on a super-awesome mission, right?" Rainbow Dash fluttered up to Twilight. "I bet'cha that once we get the ball rolling, it's gonna be a great adventure!"

"Well, there's only one way to find out, isn't there?" Twilight saw the ship approach the docks and slide gently in between the wooden platforms. "Gather all of your stuff and let's get going. No need to keep the ponies of White Wings waiting..."

Author's Notes:

I'm so sorry for the elongated wait, but I was just so caught up with college work that I did partially get a bit side-tracked with this story. But, lo and behold, here is a new chapter of A New Era.

Also, I want to give a big shout-out to my first Patreon Patron, ThePegaKris! If you've never heard of him, he's one of my bestest friends and one who I've suffered, laughed, and cried with many times before. Give him a follow and check his stories out, and maybe ask him to do a few guitar solos for you. He's really good at them.

And if you want to consider donating to my Patreon, then click the giant button below. And if you want to spread the word about this story, then please do so and tell all of your friends and followers about it. And remember. The more upvotes that this story gets, the more prominent that this story will become and the faster I'll update.

Chapter 2: White Wings

The cruise ship docked at the port, with the ponies on land securing it tightly to the solid stone posts. After a wave from the crew on land, the ship opened up the disembarkation doors and ponies began to file out of the ship, taking all of their personal belongings with them.

The Main Six stepped off of the cruise ship last, with the guards restoring Starlight and Rarity's magic once they had all passed through security. Carrying their suitcases, and saddlebags, the group all left the ship behind and walked into the village of White Wings.

"This is a whole new level of elegance!" Rarity looked around at all of the tall buildings. Each and every one of them were hoof-crafted from pure cobblestone with plain wooden doors and knockers. There were windows on each and every one of the towering houses with golden frames surrounding the small rectangles of glass. "Why, if the place looks this fabulous, I simply tingle with the thought of how the ponies dress up here!"

"Focus, Rarity." Twilight gave Rarity a simple wave and pushed down gently on her friend's shoulders. "We're trying to find the five strongest ponies here and forge an alliance with them—not gawk about some clothes."

"Yeah, Rarity." Spike reclined on Twilight's back and crossed his legs. "This is an important mission from Princess Celestia, for crying out loud. I'm sure that you can stop thinking about dresses for just one day."

"I'm sorry, Spike. But I simply can't deny the chance to pass up some new ideas for my boutique. This White Wings place is already giving me tons of inspiration!" She lit up her horn and pulled a notebook from her saddlebags, jotting down whatever she could see and what properties it had in her line of business. "I just wish I had this on me for when we went to the Breezie Homeworld. Creativity strikes when you least expect it, after all."

Twilight rolled her eyes and turned towards Starlight. "Well, Starlight? What do you think of White Wings? Is it as good as you remember it being?"

"All that and more, Twilight." Starlight ran over towards a nearby food cart with a red and white roof. A warm cinnamon scent wafted from the food on display and right up her nostrils as she eyed up all of the products on sale. "Fried Gold Buns, Sensational-Scented Sweets, Marigold Magic! The food hasn't changed a bit!"

"And it's all yours, miss." The pony behind the counter flashed Starlight and her friends a toothy grin as he showcased all of his wares. "Provided that you and your friends can offer me some shekulas in return."

"Shekulas?" The Main Six all spoke in perfect harmony and tilted their heads at the cart pony. "What are those?"

"I take it you're tourists, so I'll make this a bit easier for you." The pony opened up his cash register and pulled out some coins of varying shapes and colours with numbers on the centre of each. "Shekulas are the currency of White Wings. If you want to trade in the money you've got for some, I can even point you in the direction of the bank."

"I take it that you don't take bits?" Twilight opened up her bags and pulled out some small gold coins. "That's the currency we have back home in Equestria."

"Nope. Sorry." The pony shook his head and gently pushed Twilight's hoof away. "As much as they do look similar to some of our shekulas, if they ain't got the numbers on 'em, they ain't welcome here."

"Oh. Alright." Twilight slipped her bits back into the bag and closed it up tight with her jaws. "Well, can you tell us where we can get them exchanged for some shekulas then?"

"Sure." He nodded and pointed down behind them towards a fountain and some steps. "That road'll lead you up to the high street. In amongst all of them shops and markets, you'll find the bank. They'll change those bits of yours into official White Wings Shekulas. Just look for a place that looks like a giant safe. You can't miss it."

"Thank you, sir." Twilight walked away from the stall with the rest of her friends. "We'll be sure to get that sorted out right away."

"Once you do, come on back. I'm always here." The stallion waved the Main Six off and watched the begin to climb the steps up towards the high street. "Yep. Always here..." Once he saw them disappear, he began to put out some new goods.

The ponies' trip through the high streets of White Wings took them through a wide street with shops of all different themes laden alongside the paved road. There were bakeries, clothing stores, haberdasheries, antique stores, and even the occasional health store. All of which had window displays and signs showcasing off the various discounts that they all offered.

"There's so much variety here." Applejack tipped her hat at all of the shops and businesses on the high street. "Why, it's almost enough to make Canterlot's shopping districts seem plain and boring."

"It's almost like we've entered a whole new world." Fluttershy walked towards the stores, reaching out for some of the products inside. "I know that I'm shy and worried about a lot of things, but you have to give these ponies credit where it's due." She smiled and pulled some hair out of her face.

"Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Do you think they have a party store? That would be super-duper amazing!" Pinkie's tail wiggled vibrantly as she ran towards the shops further down the street. "I'd be able to throw ourselves a 'Welcome-to-White-Wings' party to celebrate!"

"We'll find some time to explore this place later, Pinkie Pie. But right now, we should just get our bits converted into shekulas, get some grub, and book into our hotel for week." Twilight overtook Pinkie and led the group once again. "Speaking of which, I see the bank right there."

Twilight pointed her hoof towards a large steel building that was the spitting image of a colossal safe with a giant steel wheel on the top. There were large golden bolts forming a square around the front side of the building and a pair of solid glass doors with silver handles on them. The rest of the building was barely as tall as the other buildings but was still fairly sizeable.

The group all walked into the bank and walked across a red velvet carpet before standing behind a couple of ponies that were about to be served. Their eyes were drawn towards the spotless white walls that had special custom lights welded onto them that shone both up and down. There were a few couches for ponies that weren't standing in the queue and a few magazines dotted around on the tables around them.

"I wonder what the conversion rate for bits to shekulas is." Rarity's eyes veered around the room. She wasn't especially taken with anything as she patiently stood in line with the rest of her friends.

"Ah just hope we're gonna get enough to last us the whole week." Applejack crossed her forehooves and looked towards the desk in front of the pair of ponies picking up a pen to write their names on the paperwork. "Ah don't want our bits to be made into some small money that'll barely get us anything."

"Don't worry, Applejack. I highly doubt that such a wonderful place like White Wings would give us some short change." Rarity bounced the curl on her hair with her hoof as the ponies in front left the line and walked out. "With how nice it looks, I'm sure that they'll be kind to us and give us a fair amount of cash."

"Hello, there! Welcome to White Wings Bank!" The mare behind the counter said, waving her hoof at the Main Six. She was pink and had dark blue hair twirled up into a small swirl. "How may I help you all today? Wanna open an account? Deposit some valuables or shekulas?"

"It's very nice to offer, but we're just here to exchange our Equestrian Bits into White Wings Shekulas if that's possible." Twilight retrieved the coins from her bags and set them down on the counter. "I trust that it won't be too much of a hassle?"

"Oh, it's no problem at all, miss." The mare scooped up all of the gold coins with her hoof and slid them into a bag before using her magic to toss it into a massive vault behind her. "Now, if you'd be so kind as to tell me how many bits you had, I can work out the exchange rate for the shekulas."

"Well... at my last count, there were at least two-hundred bits in there. Enough for all of us to get ourselves a hotel room and get some food before we started on our business tomorrow." Twilight pointed over to the sack in the vault before the mare turned towards it. "How many shekulas can we get for that many bits?"

"Well, ladies, I think you're in luck. We barely get any ponies from Equestria anymore, so these bits are hard to come by these days." The mare took some of the other coins from the giant cache behind her and put them all into another sack. "So, I'd say that—given the conversion rate and all—you girls have got a thousand shekulas! Lucky you, right?"

"A thousand shekulas?!" Applejack looked inside the sack and saw the dozens of coins inside. All of them glistened off of the lights and twinkled in the eyes of Twilight and her friends. "Why, ah feel spoilt!"

"My advice though, don't spend it all on sweets." The mare began to tap away at a device with varying different keys before a small slip of paper was printed out before the girls. "Here you are. A receipt to confirm that your transaction was valid. If there's nothing else I can do, I wish you all a swell day in White Wings!"

"Thank you so much, miss." Twilight took the sack and walked out of the building with her friends. "You have a nice day yourself."

The ponies took their sack of shekulas out of the bank and walked out onto the high street. Already their minds were buzzing with the things that they could purchase with the money that they had accrued. Each of them chattered among each other with a smile on their face as they looked at the displays in the shops.

As they were about to go to a shop, they heard the sound of jets get louder and louder. As they craned their necks skyward, they saw a sqaudron of pegasi shooting through the sky, leaving behind trails of clouds behind them. Due to how low the winged ponies were flying, their pass caused a small gust of wind to travel through the streets and blow through Starlight and the Main Six's manes and tails.

"Who in the world were those?" Spike almost jumped due to the roaring noise and put his chin on Twilight's head. He could see the ponies flying clearly now, swooping around the kingdom like hawks.

"Those are the Silver Bullets. The best flying team on the planet." A nearby filly answered Spike's question, attracting the attention of the Main Six. She was a pegasus himself, with a grey coat, orange hair, and a Cutie Mark depicting an 'X' mark in the center of a circle. "And someday, I'm going to join them!"

"The Silver Bullets, eh?" Rainbow Dash flapped over to the pony and leaned in close to his ears. "Tell me, kid; how good are they, exactly?"

"Oh, they're the best pegasi to ever grace this world." The pony nodded and pointed to the airborne group. "In the battle against Dark Lord Kha'rel, the Silver Bullets were able to puncture through his forcefield! The explosion was so super-radical and awesome that it knocked back a large portion of his army in the process!"

"That's... actually incredible." Rainbow's eyes diluted as she dropped her jaw. She had never heard of the Silver Bullets before and they were already outclassing her Wonderbolts back home. "Can you tell us anything else about them?"

"Sure! The team's led by a pony called Indigo Zap." The filly reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a picture showcasing a pegasus with orange skin and a buzzsaw haircut of multiple shades of blue. "As a kid, she always had big ambitions of becoming a Silver Bullet herself, and after some hard work and lots of time at school, she earned her stripes by saving the queen from a landslide, destroying the rock that was about to flatten both of them with a single dash!"

"So, I'm guessing that by that logic, she's one of the five ponies who we've come to meet, right?" Twilight walked up to the filly and knelt down before her. "Thank you for the help, little one. What's your name, exactly?"

"My name's Crosshairs. Soon-to-be Silver Bullet and fastest flier in elementary school." She fluttered her wings and kicked herself off of the ground. "Have a great day, girls!" And without any hesitation, she darted off down another road, passing by some townsponies along the way.

"She seems like a nice kid." Rainbow Dash watched Crosshairs fly off into the distance. "Hope she does well."

"Looks like we have our first of the five ponies." Starlight cantered off down another path. "C'mon, girls. We should get ourselves booked in so we can drop off our luggage. Then, we can focus on finding out where Indigo Zap and the Silver Bullets go."

"Sounds like a plan." Twilight smiled and followed after Starlight. She used her hoof to motion the other girls into following her. "Let's get it done quickly. We've only got a week before we have to go back to Equestria."

As Twilight and her entourage walked through the streets of White Wings, the Silver Bullets that had flown overhead were making another lap around the city. Their leather suits and goggles were unfazed by the wind blasting against their faces as their wings propelled them through the air.

"Hmm..." Indigo Zap looked down on the Main Six and nearly slowed down as she examined each of them. "Hey, Hypersonic? Where did those ponies come from?" She pointed down towards them.

"Huh? Which ones?" A stallion looked where Indigo was pointing and saw Twilight and her friends walking down the streets, talking to each other with big smiles on their faces. "Oh! You mean those ones? Can't say for sure. But I definitely know that they're not from White Wings."

"Do you think they might be important?" Indigo asked.

"Nah. At least, not to my knowledge." A pegasus mare flying on the opposite side shook her head and continued flying forward. "For now, we should report back to the queen. Let her know that the Black Fangs haven't committed any crimes yet."

"Yeah. I guess you're right." Indigo flapped up and turned back towards the castle. As she flipped her body around, she heard the rest of her companions do the same as she charged off towards the castle's front doors. Who are those ponies? And what are they doing here? Don't they know they've gone and gotten themselves into a war? If they don't get themselves outta here soon, they're gonna be in real trouble...

Chapter 3: The Castle

After leaving their luggage behind at the large hotel behind them, the Main Six, Starlight Glimmer, and Spike were now on the streets of White Wings once again. Their faces met with all of the sights and smells for the third time that day and the ponies that accompanied each and every one.

"So, we just have to go up to the castle to find the Silver Bullets?" Twilight pointed towards the towering stronghold and the massive white wings on each side.

"Yes. According to all of those visitor pamphlets, White Wings has a variety of different military forces—each specialising in the three different races of pony." Starlight Glimmer nodded and pulled out a purple card, opening it up to show the girls each of the groups. "The Silver Bullets are the most elite pegasi chosen from the people of White Wings. Fast, accurate, and capable of controlling all forms of weather, they serve as the aerial defenders of the kingdom."

"Eh, they're alright, I guess. But nopony flies better than the Wonderbolts do." Rainbow Dash shrugged and put her hooves behind her head. "These guys and gals can try, but I don't think they'd be able to beat us."

"The earth pony group is known as the Forces of Nature." Starlight tapped at the pony on the cover. It wore bronze-plated armor with a face guard and strong greaves on each of their legs. "Unlike regular earth ponies, these ones have gone through intense physical training and are practically the strongest ponies in all of White Wings. They can lift a boulder ten times their weight without any hassle and hurl it a fair distance away."

"Ah'll admit that that's a mighty fine feat, but how does that make them the best exactly?" Applejack cocked one of her eyebrows at the pony on the pamphlet. "Raw strength don't make an earth pony. They also need to be good at farmin' too. Otherwise, they're not really providing anythin' good for the people of the kingdom."

"Applejack, not all earth ponies are known for their farming talent." Twilight turned to face her friend and tipped her hoof.

"It's true!" Pinkie Pie burst in front of both of them, almost knocking them both onto their haunches. "I'm an earth pony myself, but instead of getting my hooves into that icky brown soil, I instead make delicious treats like cupcakes and cookies!" She reached into her mane and pulled out some of the aforementioned foods. "Speaking of which, do you girls want some? I've got plenty up here."

"Maybe later, Pinkie." Twilight shook her head and watched Pinkie put them away. "Thanks for the offer though." She then turned back to Starlight and laid her eyes on the informative paper once again. "What about the unicorns? What are they useful for?"

"The unicorns in the group are called the Other World. They're required to learn every spell in their books to maximise their combat efficiency as the queen puts it." Starlight used her hooves to air quote their power. "While most of the ponies of White Wings like to keep their names secret, the one here doesn't seem to follow that rule." She tapped on the final pony on the page. "Her name is Sugarcoat, and she's the most advanced unicorn of them all. She spends practically all of her time in her private study, never joins the others for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and prefers that everyone leave her alone unless the kingdom's in crisis."

"Kinda like you, huh, Twilight?" Spike jabbed one of his claws at Twilight's eyes.

"Spike. I'm sure that this Sugarcoat mare must have a good explanation as to why other ponies shouldn't intrude on her business." Twilight's gaze met with Spike's as she put him down on the ground. "I mean, if I wanted to learn every spell in the known world, I wouldn't want anyone interrupting me."

"Not that we'd plan to." The other girls chorused in harmony.

"Yeah. Thanks, girls." She smiled at them and walked off towards the castle. "Anyway, first things first. We need to see Indigo Zap and the Silver Bullets and ask them about the five ponies who keep saving this place time and time again. If anyone knows anything about them, it's going to be her."

"Ooh! Ooh! Maybe on the way back, we could get some of that food that the stallion was selling back there!" Pinkie waved her hooves and desperately tried to keep up with Twilight. "If ever there's a scrum-diddly-umptious smell in the air, I've GOTTA try it!"

"We'll see, Pinkie." Twilight gave her a wink and kept her eyes locked on the path ahead. "For now, though, let's just stay focused on the task at hand."

The castle of White Wings was even larger than the girls had been expecting from first glance. The towering structure was made entirely out of pure stone, with each of the massive bricks sanded down so that they were smooth to the touch. There was a colossal moat around the castle with water flowing in a smooth ring around it before trickling down the waterways that led to each corner of the kingdom. The bridge that the girls were standing on had been heavily reinforced by pure steel and was wide enough for a parade float to cross without any issues.

The front doors of White Wings' castle were a completely different story. They were a mixture of silver and gold, with various different crests on each door. A pair of massive knockers could be seen on each with a pair of ruby eyes on top of them. When the Main Six tried to push them, they would not budge an inch—even if they all tried moving them together.

"Great! Now how are we supposed to talk to them?" Rainbow Dash groaned and turned away from the door. "This thing's heavier than anything I've ever seen!"

"You don't. No-one gets into the castle without a good reason."

Suddenly, a small hatch on the door opened up, revealing a pair of purple eyes. They glared daggers at each of the Main Six as they walked up to them.

"State your business at White Wings' castle," said the eyes. "And don't you give me any lies. The queen doesn't like any liars in her company."

"Hello there, miss. My name is Twilight Sparkle." She bowed before the eyes, showing off her wings and horn. "As you can see, I am an alicorn princess from the faraway world of Equestria. My friends were sent here by our ruler, Princess Celestia so that we can join forces with your country. Now, would you be so kind as to—"

"Denied," the mare on the other side of the door said simply.

"Wait, what?! See the horns and wings? I. Am. An. ALICORN." She pressed her eyes against the ones poking out of the small door.

"And I. Don't. Care. Queen Abacus Cinch is an alicorn herself, and her power far surpasses that of ANY other; from White Wings or not!" said the door mare. Now, this is the sweet side of me talking. If you don't leave my sight right now, I'll have to hurt you. You wouldn't like to get hurt now, would you? I'm told it's very painful..."

"Hey, Sour Sweet. What's going on here?"

On the inside of the castle, an earth pony mare with pink skin and green hair walked up to Sour Sweet. She wore a pair of pink headphones around her neck as she stepped onto the red carpet and approached the door. Her Cutie Mark consisted of a number of slice lemon rings forming a crescent.

"Lemon Zest? What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be looking after those children?" Sour Sweet turned from the door to meet glances with the new pony. "I'm sure that that's a better job than asking what I'm doing here."

"Hey, hey, chillax, girl. Those kids are all tuckered out now. I'm free for the next few minutes." Lemon Zest walked up to the door and pushed Sour Sweet aside. "Now let's see who we've got here. Better not be some of those dumb salesponies again." She looked through the small hatch and saw the Main Six standing outside. "Hmm. You look new. Have I seen you somewhere? One of those festivals, perhaps?"

"Who are you?" Fluttershy walked up to Lemon Zest's eyes and tilted her head. "Are you going to shut us out as well?"

"Nah, girl, I wouldn't do that to you." Lemon Zest brushed back her mane as she examined the other ponies. "Don't worry about Sour Sweet. She's just a bit loco in the coco after Wolf Sheep tried to disguise herself as a pony and bring the castle down from the inside. I'm much more chill than her."

"Well, we're here because we wanted to have our country join forces with your own, but I see that not all of the ponies here are really up for such an idea." Rarity stepped up to Fluttershy's side. "If you're going to lead us on our way as well, I suppose that we might as well come back later when someone less stuffy is working the door."

"Oh, I wouldn't call Sour stuffy." Lemon Zest shook her head and looked back at her. "She's just a bit weird. One second, she's gleeful and full of cheer and the next, she's a monstrous brute of a pony. She usually does criminal interrogation, but Queen Cinch decided to put her on door duty for the day. How crazy is that?"

"I know, right? That's like giving an earth pony the job of changing the weather!" Pinkie Pie slid up to Lemon Zest and gave her a goofy grin. "But then again, give an earth pony those glowy butterfly wings and I guess they could do it..."

"Y'know, I think I'm gonna let you in because I like you." Lemon Zest slid the hatch close and opened up the door, revealing her full body to the Main Six, Starlight, and Spike. "That, and I think that with Sour Sweet on the door for any minute longer and you would've been stiffed. So anyway, I apologise for her rude introduction, but I hope that we can still be pals." She stepped aside and motioned for the girls to come inside. "It's just wrong for someone on White Wings to be rude, right? I hope that this makes up for Sour's totally uncool attitude."

When the Main Six walked into the castle, they were met with yet another otherworldly sight. The audience chamber before them was gigantic, with the ceilings towering higher than the various banners draped around the room. There were suits of armour by the pillars on each side of the room with spiral staircases beyond them. A large picture of an alicorn with pale blue skin and amethyst hair could be seen above a golden throne with red velvet lining the seat.

"Anyway, welcome to White Wings. It's nice to meet you. My name is Lemon Zest." She went around the group and began to shake each of their hooves. "I'm in charge of taking care of the kids of the royal family, but in my spare time, I love jammin' out to some killer beats on these bad boys." She showed the girls her headphones. "Pretty cool, huh? Wireless. Top of the line."

"They're a lot like Vinyl's headphones!" Pinkie came up to the pink device and slipped them onto her head. She felt her ears slide into the holes effortlessly and was met with almost absolute silence before she pressed a button, causing loud music to pour out into her ears. She jumped from the noise and unintentionally threw them off, watching Lemon jump up and catch them. "Only they're much louder than I was expecting..."

"Yeah. That's what everyone says the first time they try 'em." She gave Pinkie Pie a pat on the back as she took put them around her neck again. "You'll get used to them, though."

"It's very nice to meet you, Lemon Zest." Twilight walked up to Lemon and gave her a small nod. "I hope that we're not a burden to you or the other ponies here."

"Oh, it's no trouble." Lemon Zest waved her hoof and looked towards the stairs. "So, now that we've cleared that little hitch with Sour Sweet up, what can I do for you all?"

"Well, we're on a mission from Princess Celestia over in Equestria. She sent the eight of us specifically so that we could meet with the ruler of White Wings and forge an alliance between the two countries." Twilight took a deep breath and exhaled towards the ground. "See, recently, Equestria was invaded by these creatures called Changelings, who captured every ruler of the kingdoms and every other important pony, replacing them with their own horrific kind. We wanted to join forces with you to prevent any future attacks that might jeopardise our home if we can't defend it ourselves."

"Well, I'm not the right girl to talk to about that. I'm just a royal caretaker." Lemon Zest rubbed the carpet with the tip of her hoof as she shook her head. "But, if you want, I could take you all on a tour of this castle, ending with a visit to the head honcho herself, her majesty, Abacus Cinch."

"A tour of White Wings' castle?" Rarity's eyes seemed to light up at Lemon Zest's proposition. "I feel flattered, miss Zest. If it's all the same with the other girls, I would like to accept your request."

"Ah can't argue with that." Applejack's shoulders jolted up and down as a small smile crept onto her face. "Count me in too."

"Me too!" Rainbow Dash waved her hoof.

"Me three!" Pinkie Pie bounced up.

"And me." Fluttershy nodded meekly, causing some of her hair to fall in front of her left eyes.

"Looks like it's a unanimous decision." Twilight smiled before turning towards Spike and Starlight Glimmer. "What about you two? Do you want to see this castle?"

"Do you even need to ask?" Spike stepped towards Twilight and laid his claws gently on the side of her leg, brushing his chest with the back of his other hand. "Count me in too."

"Well, if you're all going, it would be silly of me to say no." Starlight walked up to the Main Six as well, stepping behind them. "I'm in as well. Lead the way, Lemon."

"Alright. Looks like it's eight yeses, so let's get started with this room here." Lemon Zest stretched out her hooves to show off the audience chamber. "This is the main gathering room for all of Abacus Cinch's big announcements. Whenever she wants to add a new law, declare that her kingdom's at war with someone else, or even to celebrate her birthday and other celebrations, she says it all here from that throne over there." She jabbed towards it. "In the past, it was used by many different rulers who have either stepped down, are no longer with us, or who were pulled due to some unhappy townsponies." She walked over towards the stairs and watched the girls follow her. "Now then, let's move on to some other areas. We'll start with the kitchen."

"Kitchen?" Pinkie pricked up her ears and beamed at the sound of the destination. "You have a kitchen?"

"Not just any kitchen." Lemon Zest flashed Pinkie a toothy grin as she walked up the stairs. "You might want to bleach out every other kitchen from your mind, girls, because this one's gonna blow you away..."

As the girls all chattered among themselves, the audience chamber fell deathly quiet. The silence that shrouded the room was then broken by a ghastly black smoke that flew by the other side, past the other set of pillars. A pony in a black cloak appeared when the smoke crashed down by the other set of stairs and walked up, leaving no sound behind except the clopping of their own feet.

Chapter 4: The Five Ponies

The Main Six, Starlight Glimmer, and Spike followed after Lemon Zest as they all walked through the stone corridors of the castle, passing by multiple windows and doors on their way. They all walked on regal red carpets lined with gold around the edges, with suits of armour accompanied with the portraits of the ponies that wore them behind each one.

"So, girls. If I can be a bit professional for a second." Lemon Zest stopped and turned her head around, raising one of her eyebrows at Twilight and her friends. "What exactly are you all here for?" She stepped around the girls and pushed her bulging eyes into their furs. "Because you don't really seem like the normal kind of tourist ponies we get."

"Lemon Zest. We came to White Wings looking to create an alliance with the country. That's all." Twilight nodded her head and looked back at her friends, who all nodded with her. "I'm sure that you and your people could use some new friends, just as we could use some of our own."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I get that. You've had a bad time with some evil monster rulers." Lemon Zest shook her hooves and stepped back in front of the group. "But there's gotta be more to it than that, right? No-one just decides to come to White Wings to try and form an alliance with the country these days. Besides, we've got a lot of problems of our own on our hooves right now."

"Problems?" Fluttershy stepped forward and almost brushed Lemon's side with how close to her fur she was. "I don't think we've seen any problems yet here in White Wings. The ponies in your kingdom are all so lovely and caring."

"Yeah? You've only just scratched the surface of the matter, Fluttershy." Lemon Zest then heard the muted sounds of conflict and pricked up her ears. Wasting no more time, she darted over to the window and looked out. "See that out there? That's one of the problems we've got."

The ponies all gathered around and gazed out the window towards the streets of White Wings. Their eyes were immediately met with a sight that made their faces curl up and revile as they watched was was unfurling.

A group of ponies carrying picket signs marched through the streets, chanting slogans as they stomped in a lockstep formation. As they brandished the signs that were either pictures of a pony with a cross through her body, or whether it were giant words that had been hoof-painted on, there was no joy in any of their faces. The ponies around them could only watch and scoff at them, as some even moved their children out of the way.

"Yeah. Apparently, some of the ponies here don't really like Queen Cinch that much." Lemon Zest slid up to the Main Six's heads and looked out the window herself. "They've formed some kind of revolutionary group to try and take her down or something. They'll never get in, though. Too stupid and not enough numbers to try and storm the castle."

"Plus, even if they tried to get in, we would dispatch them all without any problem or hesitation."

The ponies all turned their heads to see a pony with a grey coat walked up to them. It was a unicorn mare with her mane tied up into two pigtails and a bun at the back. Her Cutie Mark depicted a blue and yellow firecracker that seemed to be detonating.A pair of red glasses were draped around her eyes and hung on the edge of her snout. She walked up to the ponies and caused the book that she was holding in her telekinetic aura to disappear.

"Sugarcoat!" Lemon Zest jumped and brushed herself down as she stood in awe of the newcomer's presence. "How's it hangin', girl? Y'know, we barely even see you outside of your study these days. What's the big occasion?"

"Don't try to play innocent with me, Lemon Zest." Sugarcoat picked the pink mare up and lifted her to the end of the corridor, clearing the obstruction between her and the Main Six. "What are you doing here? White Wings is off-limits to tourists until further notice due to the rebellion. I asked Sunny Flare to have the ships moved away, but it turns out that she's just as incompetent doing that as she is at re-organising my spell books." She grunted and pushed her glasses to her face.

"Wow. Rude, eh, Twilight?" Spike took one look at the mare as she gruffly stood in the way of the group.

"Forgive us for intruding, miss Sugarcoat. My name is Twilight Sparkle; Princess of Friendship." She bowed before the pony, spreading her wings out wide as she looked up at her. "These are my colleagues and fellow disciples. We were hoping to form an allegiance with your country in the wake of Queen Chrysalis's last attack."

"The answer is no." Sugarcoat immediately shook her head and turned away. "I informed Queen Cinch about your arrival, and let me just say that I am appalled that she let trash like you wander into our city as we are on the verge of chaos." She lit up her horn and plucked the Cutie Marks off of all seven of the ponies with little effort. She swirled them all around her and examined each of them very closely, examining each and every little detail. "But, since our almighty queen has to maintain her duty as a pony of power as set by her mother and father did when she was a filly, we still need to stay true to her word and check each of you. But trust me when I say that I have low expectations from commoners like yourselves."

She just ripped off our Cutie Marks without even giving it any concentration... Starlight could only watch with her jaw hanging open as Sugarcoat looked at the marks and peered in closer with every new one she came across. It took me ages to pull that spell off back when I was evil, and yet she's doing it like she's been learning magic ever since she was born!

Sugarcoat put the marks back onto the ponies and took in a deep breath before looking back at them. "So, according to these marks, we have an apple farmer, a balloon handler, a gem miner, a butterfly hoarder, a lightning bolt bursting out of a rainbow, and two stargazers. Pathetic. Given that we have the revolution and Umbra waiting in the wings to make another attack, we don't need you—nor can you be of any use to us at all. At any point in the future. Ever."

"Hey! Don't you call us that!" Rainbow Dash flew up into Sugarcoat's face and forced her neck to recoil backwards. "We've saved Equestria dozens of times from horrible monsters beyond what you could think of, so don't you dare say that we're weak!"

Sugarcoat fired a spell at Rainbow Dash that struck her in the chest and began encasing her in ice from the hooves up. Within seconds, her body became cold, her wings turned frigid, and her mane and tail were completely encased in the cold slab. Once Rainbow Dash was fully frozen, she was dropped onto the ground on her side and levitated back to the other ponies.

"Like I said. Weak." Sugarcoat turned up her nose as she watched the other ponies gather around Rainbow Dash and begin to thaw her out. "I'm not going to warn you again. Leave White Wings IMMEDIATELY, or you WILL get hurt. Either from Umbra, or from me." And with that, she turned away and walked down the corridors that she had came from. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to my studies. Try not to die on your way to the docks."

Twilight glared daggers at Sugarcoat before she lit up her horn. Firing the beam down on the ice, she watched the cold block turn warm and evaporate into water. Once it all melted away, Rainbow Dash burst out of her icy prison, shaking and shivering all over as she tried to stand back on her hooves again.

"Sorry about that, girls." Lemon Zest came back up to the Main Six and Spike. "I don't know what's going through Sugarcoat's mind today, but somepony obviously pooped in her cornflakes at breakfast..."

"Rainbow Dash? Are you alright?" Starlight Glimmer lit up her own horn as she tended to Rainbow Dash's cold temperature. She laid her hoof on the pony's forehead, feeling absolutely no trace of body heat whatsoever. "What the hay? Sugarcoat's magic was so cold that you're not hot at all. It's like you've just gone through a blizzard and had to have been rescued by someone!"

"Yeah. She's not really that aggressive to visitors, but White Wings is in a pretty bad shape right now." Lemon Zest scratched the back of her mane as she watched the rest of the ponies help Rainbow Dash recover her body heat. "I'm sure she'll get better once we save the world again. You know how it is with these bookworm ponies."

"Being a fellow book enthusiast myself, I'm not at all pleased with her actions just then." Twilight frowned and shook her head as she watched Sugarcoat disappear down the corner. "If she's trying to frighten us because White Wings has problems, she's not going to stop us. In fact, it's all the more reason we should be here."

"Yeah. We should just go right up to Queen Cinch's throne room right now if there's trouble." Applejack nodded and took her hat off. "There ain't no need for a pony to behave that rudely—even if there city's not all perfect."

"Absolutely. For such a refined and gorgeous city, Sugarcoat displayed all of the actions of a bully with more brains than normal." Rarity nodded and brushed her mane back. "Turning Rainbow Dash into ice is definitely not what a White Wings pony would do—even if they were part of the castle's staff!"

"Pay Sugarcoat no mind. She is walking down a dark path with how deep she engrosses herself in her studies."

Another pony stepped up to the Main Six and pulled down the robe that obscured her mane. Standing before them all was a new pony with a bright lavender bowl-cut mane and light blue skin. She wore a hairclip in her mane that depicted a golden sun, shining out in all directions. Her Cutie Mark showed a sun with some rain spilling out from the cloud next to it.

"Who are you?" Rainbow Dash shivered as she looked at the new pony.

"You're not gonna be mean to us like Sugarcoat was, are you?" Fluttershy took a few steps back and let some of her mane fall over her face.

"No. She sees her knowledge, but all that I see from her is imperfection," said the mare. "My name is Sunny Flare. I am the castle's soothsayer, and Queen Abacus Cinch's watchful eye."

"A soothsayer?" Spike jumped off of Twilight's back and stepped up to Sunny Flare. "Now there's something you don't see in Equestria. A pony who has the power to, um..." He tapped the ground with his curled toes as he tried to think of the answer. "What is it that you do?"

"Ah. A baby dragon? How curious..." Sunny Flare squatted down and looked the dragon in the eyes. "You don't usually see a dragon intermixing with ponies. All dragons are meant to live in the Dragon Kingdoms, not with the livestock that they prey on. You're a long way from your home, aren't you?"

"You could say that again." Spike grinned and nodded, putting his claws behind his head.

"Well, it is very nice to meet you, little one." Sunny Flare picked Spike up and handed him back to Twilight Sparkle and her friends. "But let's get back to the matter at hand. As a soothsayer, Abacus Cinch instructs me to look at the future; to see all of the outcomes for our kingdom if we make any decisions. She never makes any final decisions until I've had a look at the matter with my own eyes."

"That makes sense to me." Starlight Glimmer walked closer to Sunny Flare. "It's not a perfect kingdom unless the future's the way that you want it."

"Exactly." Sunny Flare nodded and pointed her hoof at Starlight's belly. "Without a discernible future, the kingdom's fate lies on gambles and uncertainty. Ponies start to get worried unless the way is marked for them. That is my destiny, and one that I have upheld ever since the queen took me under her wings."

"Speaking of the queen, can we see her now?" Twilight asked, lifting a brow as she stepped next to Starlight and watched her friends follow her. "This is a matter of importance not just for our country, but for all of yours as well. We would like to seek audience with Queen Abacus Cinch and hear her opinions on the matter."

"Do you think that we can do that?" Starlight tilted her head at Sunny Flare. "Or is our presence going to bring ruin to the kingdom if we speak with her?"

"Fortunately for you, your futures seem to be clean to me." Sunny Flare smiled and nodded at the group as she began to walk away and beckon the ponies to join her with a wave of her hoof. "Come with me. I will lead you to the throne room at once."

"Now that seems more like it." Applejack smiled as she followed after Twilight, Starlight, and Sunny, with the other ponies following behind her. "Come on, ya'll. Let's meet with the queen of this here kingdom."

The other ponies began to talk among each other as they left the corridor behind her and followed Sunny Flare down another path. The echoes of their hoof steps began to diminish with every step that they took as the hallway fell into silence once again.

The group of ponies soon came to a massive set of golden doors with giant knockers attached to each one. There was a lion on both doors that held the ring up, with a series of archaic markings placed around it. There was a gilded golden frame around the doors with platinum in the middle of the arch as it sprung up around the door and slammed back down on the other side.

"Here we are. The throne room of White Wings' castle." Sunny Flare walked up to the door and approached the two ponies that stood guard by it. They were Indigo Zap and Sour Sweet, who were now draped in steel armour and stood so still that they could have been passed off for statues. "Move aside. I shall meet the queen with these ponies as our guests."

"Sunny Flare, I keep telling you that we do not need these ponies!" Sour Sweet gritted her teeth as she leaned into Sunny's ears. "They're just gonna make things worse for us!"

"Hey. Chill, Sour Sweet." Indigo flew over and massaged Sour's shoulders. "They're the ponies that I've had my eyes on ever since my last patrol. I'm kinda interested to see how this plays out, to be honest." She looked over at the seven ponies for a brief instance before turning back to Sour. "Just let them through this time, K?"

"Thank you." Sunny Flare bent her knees and bowed before them, spreading her wings out to the sides as she did so. She watched as the two others did theirs—albeit with Sour Sweet hesitating a little—before she turned to the door and opened it inwards with her magic.

The girls walked into a massive throne room with candles that stood tall around the carpet leading up to the throne itself. Paintings of previous kings and queens could be seen hanging from the walls with desks, tables, and other units stacked with knick-knacks and treasures. Just behind the doors were a globe on the right and a map of White Wings and the neighbouring territories on the left. Above them all was a massive crystal chandelier that sparkled in the light that streaked through the stained glass behind the throne.

The ponies all walked into the room, feeling their hooves touching with the purple carpet. For all of them, it felt like they were all walking on feathers that had been finely plucked from the rarest birds and arranged in such a way that they formed a rectangular shape. They had never felt anything so soft on their bodies in years. Not even the carpets in Princess Celestia's throne room could compare to the ones they were on now.

"Well, this is as far as I can go." Sunny Flare stopped at the edge of the carpet and looked up towards the throne itself. There was a pony sitting proudly on the giant golden chair with jewels welded into the back. "I shall take my leave now, but I do wish you and your entourage the best of luck in the future." She walked out of the room and closed the door behind her, causing a massive slam to echo throughout the room.

The pony standing on the throne stepped down and walked towards the ponies, raising an eyebrow at them all as she came into the light and reavealed herself. Her skin was a pale shade of light blue with the mark of an abacus on her flanks. Her dark and bright purple mane and tail were styled in a curl-like fashion with her forehead being completely covered by the hair. She unfurled her wings and brandished her horn proudly as she looked down at the newcomers, who immediately bowed down as she cast her glare upon them.

"State your names and your business in my kingdom, travellers," she boomed, devoid of emotion as she watched the ponies stand back up and look her in the eyes.

Chapter 5: Queen Cinch and King Umbra

The Main Six, Spike, and Starlight simply stood in awe of Queen Abacus Cinch. They examined the various shades of purple and amethyst in her mane, which shimmered in the light of the stained glass window behind the throne. Her horn was on par with that of Princess Celestia's for length, and her wings were adorned with hundreds of light blue feathers. The girls were all so taken by her body that they didn't notice her Cutie Mark, which was in the shape of a wooden abacus with coloured beads on each rack.

"Well? I'm waiting..." Cinch leaned in closer to the girls, who were still gazing at her majestic body.

Twilight was almost lost in Cinch's bodily features as she came back to reality. She shook her head and took a deep breath before bowing before the giant alicorn. "Queen Abacus Cinch. My name is Twilight Sparkle; Princess of Friendship and one of the four presiding leaders of Equestria," she heard her friends bow as she looked up to her. "We are here to make a negotiation to ally ourselves with your kingdom."

"Equestria?" Cinch furrowed her brows as she watched the bowing ponies. "I can't say I've heard of the place myself, but if you are one of its' leaders, then I can see that it is being run by some competent, wise, and hopefully trained professionals." She paced in front of the girls. "Although, White Wings is in a state of crisis itself, you know, and I cannot ally myself with a country that doesn't know how to repel the forces of darkness.

"Forgive me for saying this to a princess and her entourage, but you all seem like a group of school children." She cast a short glare on the Main Six. "Compared to Sugarcoat, Sunny Flare, and the various other ponies I've enlisted, I have yet to see what you can bring to the table and whether it is enough to match the power that we already have.

"Tell me—" She walked back to her throne and sat down on it "—just how strong are you girls? How do you compare to my many brave defenders?"

"The six of us are the chosen Spirits of Harmony as our country's legend dictated many moons ago." Twilight Sparkle stood up and approached Cinch. "Through Honesty, Loyalty, Kindness, Generosity, Laughter, and Magic, we stand as the only bearers of the Magic of Friendship."

"An odd title, if I do say so myself." Cinch's expression didn't change one bit at the sound of Twilight and her friends' power. "Does this friendship wield the power to stop Umbra and his Shadow Ponies from conquering White Wings?"

"Shadow Ponies?" Twilight almost froze up at that remark. "Well, we heard of Umbra, but we never knew of any Shadow Ponies."

"Do you think they're like King Sombra back at the Crystal Empire?" Applejack walked up to Twilight. "Y'know? Spooky things, deep monstrous laughs, makes ponies see nightmares?"

"It seems you already know your enemy. That's a good sign." Cinch cracked the faintest of grins as she pressed her hooves together. "Yes. King Umbra is a bit of a nasty subject. He has tried to infiltrate this castle and assassinate me many times before, but my five heroes have stood up to him every time." Then, her smile faded. "But let's not talk too much about our accomplishments. Does your Magic of Friendship provide us with a means to stop him permanently?"

"Well, I'm not sure about permanently, but the Magic of Friendship has stopped so many villains back home." Twilight tipped her hoof towards Cinch. "Our first foray with the Magic of Friendship was to stop Nightmare Moon; an evil pony who had manifested on the darkness in one of the other princesses' hearts, turning her into a ruthless tyrant who wanted to lock the world in eternal night. It was also the adventure where the six of us met and became best friends."

"Then, their next battle was against a draconequus named Discord." Spike leapt up from Twilight's back and leaned over her head.

"Hmm... How quaint." Cinch leaned forward and looked Spike in the eyes. "Not the part about the creature you fought, but more so this thing on your back. Every dragon in recorded history has lived in the Dragon Kingdoms. Not one, not even a baby dragon like yourself would choose to live and coerce with the livestock that you would feed on. Why aren't you like that, little dragon?"

"What can I say?" Spike shrugged. "I don't know where I came from. I don't know who gave birth to me, where I was laid as an egg, or even why I'm not a ravenous monster like the other dragons. I was just hatched one day by Twilight and everything seemed to go pretty well from there."

"While I am impressed by the fact that you've managed to tame a dragon at its' infantile state and teach it not to be a ruthless animal like the other dragons, I'm still not convinced you have what it takes to stop Umbra." Cinch crossed her rear legs. "But this tale of the one you call Discord has gained my interest."

"Well, Discord is... a bit of a odd case." Twilight rubbed at her neck as she thought back to the time she and her friends battled him. "He loved playing games, messing with our minds, and spreading chaos throughout Equestria. Let's just say that, if you battle him, he can flip your personality on its' head pretty quickly."

"Kind ponies would become mean and nasty, honest ponies would become unfaithful liars, and even generous and loyal ponies like myself and Rainbow Dash would become hoarders and abandon our allies." Rarity nodded. "But Twilight fought through all of this and saved us from Discord's power, turning him into stone and saving Equestria once again."

"Actually, I'd rather not hear about all of your tales with this Magic of Friendship. It sounds a bit too corny." Cinch scoffed and brushed her forelegs. "Why don't you just tell me about the toughest villain you had to face. The one that brought about the end of the world, so to speak."

"Funny you should mention that, because that's what we were about to say." Starlight Glimmer cantered up to Twilight's side and nodded before Cinch. "Lord Tirek, a centaur from Tartarus, had the capability of draining a pony's power until there was nothing left. A unicorn would lose all of its' magic permanently, a pegasus would be stripped of the power to fly, and an earth pony would be so weak that it couldn't even open a door, let alone fight back."

"The more that he consumed, the more powerful he in turn became. It took almost everything we had to finish him off once and for all, but we still managed to fight back in the end and save Equestria." Twilight nodded. "I'm not sure that this will get us recognised as a potential ally to White Wings, but it's the best that we could do."

"How bizarre." Cinch lifted one of her brows at the Main Six. "Normally, centaurs have prohibited from setting foot on White Wings, let alone any of the neighbouring territories. How you all saw and battled one is beyond me, but if the problem was that bad, then I can't just send you back to a dying kingdom without proper judgement."

"Hey! Who are you to say it's a dying kingdom?!" Rainbow Dash snarled and flapped her wings high above the ground.

"Rainbow Dash! Be quiet!" Twilight put a magical aura around Rainbow Dash and rooted her to the ground with it. "You're in the presence of a QUEEN. It's very rude to shout at her face."

"Very well then. I shall take it into consideration when next I meet with my five champions." Cinch finally stood up from the throne and walked up to the seven ponies. "I will field one more question on Umbra, but then I must kindly ask that you depart from the castle. We have a lot of important manners to attend to, and I certainly wouldn't want any tourists impeding on our progress."

"Alright then. This Umbra pony." Twilight leaned close to Cinch and placed her ear near the alicorn's mouth. "Who is he?"

"Umbra is—"

"Let me explain it, you old hag!"

All of a sudden, the light in the entire room was cut. The bright glow that once shone through the area diminished almost instantly. Even the light that burst through the window at the back had faded as well, throwing the ponies into darkness. A howling wind rushed through the room and roared into the ponies' ears as their manes blew behind their heads.

The massive double doors burst open and slammed against the walls as a howling black fog flew into the room at an incredibly fast pace, swirling around the room towards the artefacts and paintings, either tilting them or knocking them off of the tables and walls entirely. The black mass danced in the air for a few seconds before it came crashing down in front of Cinch, Twilight, and her friends.

"Plain and simple." A grey unicorn with black magic pouring out of where his mane and tail would be rose out the smoke. He had archaic markings on his face, while his Cutie Mark showcased a pair of black claws aimed at a helpless pony. "Queen Abacus Cinch and her disciples messed up."

"You!" Cinch lit up her horn and fired a powerful beam of purple magic at Umbra. Before it could even touch him, he turned back into smoke and flew behind her, coiling his hooves around her body.

"Aww, c'mon, Cinchy-Pinchy. Don't do that to me." He snidely grinned as he flew away into smoke once more and stood before the Main Six. "You wouldn't want to make me angry in front of guests now, would you? They've yet to see an angry Shadow Pony, I'm guessing."

"And they won't see the day at all!" Cinch fired more blasts of magic at Umbra, but he sidestepped and turned into smoke again with each one.

"C'mon, girl, you'll just die tired." Umbra flew up to Cinch's horn and fired a spell at the tip, encasing the horn in a black cage. "There. Isn't that better? Don't wanna lose all your magic fighting me at the start of the story rather than the end. That'd just be wrong."

Cinch merely growled and grit her teeth at Umbra as he slinked off of her body and backflipped towards the seven Equestria ponies.

"Now then. What do we have here?" Umbra strolled up to Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash and felt their wings, slipping away from a few of Rainbow's attacks as he did so. "Wings could do with some clipping. Once I get into your heads, that'll be cleared right up."

"Clipping?!" Rainbow almost jumped at Umbra's remark. "You jerk!" She tried flying into him, but she was blasted back into the wall and chained to it by three black energy chains."H-hey! Let me go!"

"Anyways, let's move on to the earth ponies. Ugh." He groaned as he picked up Pinkie and Applejack's front hooves. He heard Pinkie giggle when he picked hers up, but dropped both of them almost instantly. "Oy vey," he groaned, "Earth ponies have no place in this world. Unicorns are always going to be the supreme race, you two. But don't take my word for it. One little transformation song should fix you right up real good..."

"Ooh! Can it be classy and upbeat, or maybe dark and mysterious, or maybe even—" Before Pinkie Pie could finish, Umbra fired a black bolt of magic at Pinkie. A white speaker appeared above the mare's head with three waves poking out of it. With a tap of the newly-created icon, the waves turned into an X and Pinkie's voice was silent; even as her lips were still moving.

"Much better. Earth ponies are all talk and no action these days."

"Stop hurting my friends!" Twilight flew up and rained down bolts of magic from her horn.

"Ooh! Hello!" Umbra cast a wicked grin as he flew around Twilight and evaded more and more of her laser blasts in his smoke form. He finally curled up around the pony and fired another spell at her horn, which caused both it and her wings to disappear completely.

"Twilight!" Starlight reached out for her while firing some magic of her own at Umbra.

"You look interesting as well..." Umbra landed in front of Starlight and shot a black orb at her, ensnaring the unicorn in a black net with tiny cannonballs holding her down. White light flowed between the cracks, which prevented Starlight from lighting up her horn to cast anymore spells. "Oh, don't worry about that. Once I turn you into one of my followers, you'll have all the time in the world to play with your horn."

"Umbra! That is enough!"

At the front door, Sugarcoat stood proudly with Sunny Flare, Indigo Zap, Lemon Zest, and Sour Sweet. Indigo was garbed in her Silver Bullet uniform, Lemon Zest was dressed in her Forces of Nature suit of armour, and Sugarcoat, Sour Sweet, and Sunny Flare all wore long hooded capes on their bodies.

"Ah, Sugarcoat and friends." Umbra turned away from the Main Six and shot a small ember into the air, removing all of the problems that he had placed onto Twilight and her friends. "It's been a while since the six of us sparred, hasn't it? How have you all been? Still sucking up to that witch, Cinch? Old habits really do die hard, don't they?"

"Whatever you're planning, Umbra, forget it!" Indigo Zap threw her hoof to the side. "You can't beat us. You've tried over a million times now and it's not gonna change. The Freedom Five always win."

"The Freedom Five?" Sugarcoat turned towards Indigo and lifted one of her brows.

"Yeah. We've gotta have an awesome team name, right?" Indigo shrugged at Sugarcoat. "We're not gonna be called the five heroes all the time, y'know. These ponies gotta have someone to know us by easier."

"Kinda like those comic books the little fillies and colts like to read!" Lemon Zest nodded.

"Umbra! Leave this castle right now, and don't ever come back!" Sour Sweet broke up the three ponies' discussion by casting her horn at the ground, ensnaring Umbra in a bright purple net.

"Well, I was going to leave anyway, but I don't really mind much for being shown the door all the time, Sour Sweet." Umbra flew out of the net and fired a double-helix of energy down on Sour Sweet, who jumped out of the way in time and countered with magical bolts of her own. "But since you seem to be just as dysfunctional as ever, I think that now would be a good time to take my leave." He turned into shadow form and burst past Sugarcoat and the others. "Oh, and as for those seven little ponies over there, I'll leave them with a warning. GO HOME NOW. YOU WILL NOT STOP ME AND THE SHADOW PONIES." And with no more hesitation, Umbra flew out of the building.

"Is everyone alright?" Indigo flew over to Twilight and her friends as the dark energy around Cinch's horn began to disappear. "You look like you're all in pretty bad shape..."

"Yeah, yeah, but it's nothing we can't handle." Rainbow Dash flexed her wings and cracked the bones in her front hooves. "I'm guessing that now you're gonna come with us on a long quest to go to Umbra's kingdom, take him down, and then—"

"You are all fools." Sugarcoat stomped up towards the Main Six. "I told you all to go home. You have no place in White Wings if you're going to be cannon fodder!" She slammed her hoof on the ground, snarling as she pushed her face right against Twilight's. "LEAVE. WHITE. WINGS. NOW. YOU. WILL. DIE. STAYING. HERE." She got away from Twilight and turned her back to the group.

"Wow." Twilight's pupils shrunk down to mere pinpricks in the aftermath of Sugarcoat's outburst. "That... was not the reaction I was expecting."

"No. You know what, Sugarcoat? We're not going to leave your kingdom." Starlight Glimmer walked up to Sugarcoat and pulled her entire body with her front hooves alone. "You might think that you're such a high-and-mighty, pompous, dismissive, and almost insufferable brat of a pony, but that doesn't mean that you have the right to throw away potential allies in your time of crisis."

"What do you know? You use an old and inefficient form of magic that should have died out years ago." Sugarcoat adamantly pushed her glasses against her eyes. "I don't know what magic that they teach back in Equestria, but it must be absolutely pathetic in comparison to what I used to fight Umbra with."

"Now now, Sugarcoat. There is no need to get into a pointless battle." Cinch shook her head at Sugarcoat. "You will only end up fatiguing yourself."

"No. No I will not, your majesty." Sugarcoat's eyes were locked onto Starlight's as a fire burned in both of her irises. "Whoever this Twilight Sparkle and her friends are, they have no experience in dealing with Umbra and the Shadow Ponies. They will become brainwashed almost instantly. I am not going to risk anymore casualties because of some goofy, immature, childish, and utterly useless babies from a world that pales in comparison to our perfect kingdom."

"How rude." Twilight Sparkle approached Sugarcoat and puffed her chest out at her. "If you're going to be a mean and nasty unicorn like that, then we're just going to ignore everything you say and do until we strike a deal with White Wings. Every time you tell us to get out of the kingdom, say that we're not enough to stop Umbra, or even if Equestria's not as good as your kingdom, then we'll just completely disregard you because you have no heart."

"Then you leave me no choice." Sugarcoat illuminated her horn, causing a bright white ring to appear at her feet. The ring itself had more little symbols inside of it, which all danced around her body as her horn grew brighter. "Your lack of resistance is proof that you have no place in the battle between us and Umbra. Your defiance is an annoyance on us and the rest of the ponies in this kingdom, and I have officially lost my patience with you."

"Forgive my bluntness. But you shall remain in our kingdom no more!" With a powerful blast of white magic, a large beam travelled towards Twilight and her friends, roaring loudly as it travelled towards them and illuminated the room.

Chapter 6: Strict Decree

As the colossal beam of magic was seconds away from impacting the Main Six, Starlight, and Spike, a bright purple slash cut it in half and caused both ends to brush past the girls and into two separately conjured portals, which vanished once the light disappeared into it.

"What?!" Sugarcoat snarled when she saw the Main Six still standing. "That spell was supposed to take you back to whatever country you came from! How in the world did—"

"EXCUSE ME?!" Rainbow Dash covered Sugarcoat's mouth with her hoof. "TAKE US HOME?! YOU WERE GONNA MELT US INTO LITTLE BLOBS OF GOOP!" She roared in her face and headbutted her backwards a few inches.

"As the queen of White Wings, I must apologise for Sugarcoat abhorrent rudeness." Cinch stepped forward with sparks crackling off of her horn. "You see, ever since King Umbra attacked, she started to cast her real self away. I don't know how much it will take to get the Sugarcoat that I used to know back, but Umbra has been on her thoughts ever since he was created."

"Created?" Twilight turned towards Cinch and looked up at her. "You mean that... smoky thing was never really born?"

"Yes. Unlike most of the ponies on this world, Umbra has no family, friends, or anything that resembles those kinds of people for that matter." Cinch nodded and knelt down to Twilight's height. "As per his wrath-like form and his shadow magic, that too was the result of Sugarcoat's failed experiment."

"Stop bringing up my past, Cinch! You know that only makes me furious!" Sugarcoat snorted so hardly that steam poured out of her nostrils. "He had no right to exist, but I screwed up and now he does! Let's just leave it at that, alright?!"

"Silence, you ungrateful halfwit!" Cinch fired a series of magical swords at Sugarcoat, which turned into chains that bound her legs and horn in a purple cage. "I will deal with you after I tend to our guests." She turned back to the Main Six. "Again, I apologise. I never show wrath like that either, but Sugarcoat has become somewhat of a petulant child ever since she gave Umbra life."

"But really, can ya blame her?" Indigo Zap fluttered her wings as she looked down at her bound friend. "She has been pretty angsty ever since Umbra showed up."

"Yeah. She gets even madder than me at times." Sour Sweet walked forward. "And believe me, I can get pretty angry when I feel like it."

"All of this just proves that we should be here now more than ever." Starlight Glimmer nodded and looked at both Cinch and her five heroes. "Sugarcoat's got some anger issues, and the kingdom of White Wings is under heavy fire from Umbra." She then looked back at her friends. "If anything, I'm surprised that your magical map didn't point your Cutie Marks to this place, Twilight."

"The Map doesn't lead us to places outside of Equestria. And even if it did, it only works for friendship problems; not threats to the world as we know it." Twilight shook her head and raised her hoof before turning back to Cinch. "But if there is a problem here, we can't just stand by and ignore it. Princess Celestia might have sent us to make an alliance with your country, but that doesn't mean we can't also help you get rid of the thing that's troubling you, right, your highness?"

"Indeed." Cinch nodded and cast a warm smile on Twilight and her friends. "Even in times of crisis, it's good to have as many allies as possible, no matter how they equip themselves for battle. You never know. Even ponies from other countries can be decisive in battle, should they apply the right tactics to the task at hand."

"Your majesty. Please, allow me to point out the facts and figures that will discredit these ponies from—"

"I said silence, Sugarcoat. Does the mere concept of the word escape your infantile brain?" Cinch snarled at her.

"Sugarcoat, girl, just shut up for one second." Indigo Zap lowered her brows at Sugarcoat. "You don't want to be banished from White Wings, do you?"

With all of her confidence drained, Sugarcoat merely looked into the eyes of the other ponies in the room. All of them glared daggers at her, acting like she was being the villain in the situation. But she never wanted to be allied with ponies that she believed were under-equipped to fight a battle they were just being introduced to. With no other option, however, she remained respectfully silent.

"Anyway, we have gotten off topic, haven't we?" Cinch cleared her throat and returned her attention to the Main Six. "Sugarcoat once tried to perfect herself in ways that I had never even thought of before. Not physically or mentally, mind you. She wanted a way to purge the darkness from within herself, so that she wouldn't have these lingering thoughts of despair, doubt, or negativity.

"You see, there is darkness with the hearts of every pony on this planet—not just the ones in White Wings." Cinch tapped Twilight in her chest. "Whether you act for the sake of justice and happiness, or the will of chaos and despair, the darkness within you is irremovable. No matter how much you try, you will always fail in trying to expunge it; something that Sugarcoat didn't take to heart on that fateful day." She began to envision the entire series of events in her mind. "When she was told that she had darkness inside her, Sugarcoat wanted to try and make sure that she could make herself pure.

"But, despite her vast knowledge of the arcane arts, Sugarcoat's spell that she thought would remove the darkness in her heart gave rise to a whole new being." Cinch shuddered as she heard Umbra's laugh echo in her mind. "Umbra was created, and he began tearing the castle up from the inside out. Our combined arms alone was not enough to subdue this tyrannical shadow pony when he came into existence.

"Only when Umbra made it to me, did Sugarcoat return to challenge him. But she wasn't alone." She looked out towards the other ponies around the bound unicorn. "She had amassed the best ponies from each of my three divisions of militia, and together, their power was able to drive Umbra out of the castle and the kingdom as a whole; shouting revenge as he flew off into the night like a demon from Tartarus."

"But the story doesn't end there." Sunny Flare walked up towards the Main Six and took a deep breath. "After Umbra left White Wings' castle in disarray, some of the ponies began to doubt the reign of Queen Cinch. They formed a rebellious group that split the town's population in half, and divided the entire kingdom into two districts: The Light's Embrace, and the Cast Shadow." She pointed her hooves behind and in front of her to mark the districts. "If you value your health, don't enter Cast Shadow if you pledge yourself to Cinch and us. The ponies in Cast Shadow will rip you apart, limb from limb."

"In some cases, quite literally." Lemon Zest raised her hoof. "And trust me, it's pretty nasty..."

"But anyways, Umbra is the main cause of why everything wrong is happening here in White Wings." Cinch trotted towards the stained glass behind her. "Through this machination of bright colours resembling me and my father, lies the half of White Wings that you don't want to see. A place where hatred and disdain rule with no end in sight."

"Well, if he's the one that's doing all this bad stuff, then we've gotta go and take him down!" Rainbow Dash punched the air with her hooves. "Plus, I've got a score to settle with him after he pinned me to the wall like that."

Patience, little pony." Cinch gave a little wave to Rainbow Dash. "If you want to venture out to stop Umbra, I have no objections to it. But you won't last half an hour without the proper backup and support."

"Support?" Fluttershy flapped her wings forward. "Does that mean that—"

"Yes it does." Cinch smiled and looked back at the Main Six. "If you six have magic that is alien to this country, then it might be just what we need to finish Umbra off once and for all. That is why I am assigning you all a mission." She walked back up to the girls, who all bowed before her. "I will form an allegiance with Equestria, provided that the eight of you join forces with my five champions, venture out into the Badlands, and defeat King Umbra for good."

"What?" Everyone else in the room almost jumped at the sound of Cinch's decree.

"No. No no no no no no no. N.O. NO!" Sugarcoat shook and rattled around in the chains that she was bound in. "I'm not going out on some adventure with some childish teenagers!"

"Cinch, I appreciate the situation, but let's be real here." Indigo Zap flew up to the Main Six and held their legs and wings out, pressing hard against the bones. "You're basically asking us to babysit these girls. We're all game for stopping Umbra, but I feel like these seven ponies and this little runt here are just gonna end up getting us into trouble."

"Plus, the Badlands are rough to get through." Sour Sweet joined Indigo Zap. "All those dragons, monsters, spirits that want to suck out your life force, it's pretty dirty business..."

"I know the risks that are at hand, but I don't have a choice in the matter." Cinch sighed and sat back on her throne. "White Wings is facing heavier attacks each and every day, and Umbra's forces are unrelenting and constantly growing. If we're going to stop this mayhem, then this Princess Twilight and her entourage of disciples might have just the power that we need to end this and bring peace back to White Wings."

"Queen Abacus Cinch, this is pure madness!" Sugarcoat shouted. "You're asking a bunch of tourists to go on a suicide walk; using themselves meat shields so that Umbra doesn't hurt us!"

"Hey! We're not meat shields!" Spike jumped off of Twilight's back and pulled Sugarcoat's head down to his height. "These girls have saved Equestria countless times before! You should show them a little more respect!"

"That's very kind of you, little one, but I will be dealing with Sugarcoat now." Cinch levitated Spike away and removed the chains that were holding Sugarcoat down. "I know that you are not the same pony that you were before, but your behaviour towards these eight has been completely unacceptable. And here I thought your perfect streak would never end."

"Your majesty, please, let me just expla—"

"No! White Wings is a city of peace, and I definitely won't be having the actions of one of my closest ruin the nature of our world!" Cinch shook her head and did some deep breathing before lowering her voice. "So, as punishment for such rude and unruly behaviour towards our guests, especially that of royalty, I am sentencing you to watch over the entire group personally."

"PERSONALLY?! YOU HAVE GONE MAD!" Sugarcoat slammed her hooves on the ground. "In this castle, you're merely the daughter of a fallen king and queen! I'm the most powerful unicorn on this planet and I will not have you—" her tirade was cut off when a magical spear pointed its' tip at her neck.

"I have been entrusted White Wings, this castle, and all of the ponies in this kingdom by my mother and father." Cinch's horn was glowing, with an aura around the spear's handle. "Defying my orders will be seen as treason against White Wings."

"Traitors are executed publicly. I believe that's what the rules say." Indigo Zap nodded.

"Who needs a self-centered, arrogant, and self-destructive jerk anyway?" Sunny Flare folded her front hooves.

"Grrrr..." Sugarcoat growled.

"Sugarcoat. You CANNOT win in an argument with me." Cinch walked up to Sugarcoat and raised the spear, causing Sugarcoat's head to tilt backwards. "I am the queen. The ponies in this kingdom obey me without any qualms. Do not be the first one to die disregarding my orders."

"Hmph. Pity to be so arrogant." Sugarcoat pushed her glasses to her eyes and used a spell of her own to remove the spear. "As you seem to be underestimating my growing power, I shouldn't expect you to witness just what I can really do to Umbra once we find him."

"Really?" Cinch watched Sugarcoat's neck return to its' original state. "Then let us watch as you prove it to these seven visitors."

"What?" Sugarcoat tilted her head.

"You have made quite a reputation for yourself, Sugarcoat. Don't try and tarnish it with promises you can't keep, or a barbaric attitude towards guests."

"Your insincerity is comforting." Sugarcoat gruffly walked out of the room and shut the door behind her.

"Cinch, if you try and give a challenge like that to Sugarcoat, she might try to fight Umbra completely on her own, without us to back her up!" Indigo Zap threw her hooves down in front of her. "She can't go into the Badlands by herself! She might anger Dragon King Scal'zera, or disturb the spirits of the Wailing Woods!"

"She might be your most powerful unicorn, but even against all that on her own, she might end up exhausted and die to one—if not all of those things!" Sour Sweet ran up towards her.

"That would be a rather unfortunate denouement." Cinch stood up and approached the Main Six. "But it is the bed that she had made, so she must lie in it, no matter what she has to be accompanied by." She bent down and placed her horn on each of the Main Six's shoulders. "From this point on, travellers, I anoint you as temporary defenders of White Wings. Take as much time as you need to gather supplies, get dressed for combat, and head off with my five champions to defeat Umbra."

"Thank you, your majesty." Twilight bowed before Queen Cinch once more and led her friends towards the throne room's exit. "I'm sure that we won't let you down."

"As for the rest of my heroes, your training schedule will resume as normal." Cinch turned towards the other ponies. "Indigo Zap, you are to lead the Silver Bullets on another sweep of the border. Check and see if there are any encroaching or escaping threats. Sunny Flare and Sour Sweet, return to your Other World companions and proceed through the books that I have left for you. As for Lemon Zest, you are to maintain your normal duties as caretaker for my children." She watched the ponies all salute and bow before her. "Dismissed."

"Just before we go, what are you going to do about Sugarcoat if she decides to go rogue and leave us straight away?" Indigo Zap turned just as she was about to open the door.

"What happens to Sugarcoat could sway the course of the battle, but you have to make sure that she is kept in check when dealing with our visitors." Cinch placed her front hooves together. "If she gets angry, do whatever it takes to calm her down. If she runs off ahead, keep up with her and try not to let her out of your sight. And if she ends up battling Umbra, then aid her in the fight, regardless if she says no, or if Umbra pulls some little trap to make sure that only he and she fight."

"Understood." Indigo gave a small salute and flew out of the door. "We'll try our best, your majesty."

"See that you do." Cinch said just as the doors to her throne room began to close again.

Chapter 7: Stocking Up

"Now, before I let you all go off for your impending doom, I'm just going to get this off of my chest." Sugarcoat led the Main Six, Starlight, and Spike into a large barrack, where ponies were gearing up and testing their weapons and spells out. "I think that her majesty, Abacus Cinch, has finally gone over the edge. Her decision to send you eight on our adventure to stop Umbra is basically just code for: Sugarcoat, I want you to babysit seven foals who couldn't tell a meteor from a meteorite, as well as their baby dragon who somehow managed to get out of wearing diapers, and take them on a quest where they WILL die at the claws of whatever monsters await them down the road."

"Sugarcoat, we don't like it either, but it's the cards that we've been dealt." Indigo Zap stomped up and pushed Sugarcoat into a locker. "I agree that it's just come outta nowhere like this, but if Cinch believes that these six kids can take on Umbra and finish him off for good, then we've gotta give them the benefit of the doubt."

"Yeah. You don't know them, Sugarcoat." Sour Sweet walked up to the Main Six and pressed her hoof hard against their legs, feeling the strength of their bones and muscles. "Maybe, somewhere deep inside their weak and flabby little bodies, there might sit some magic that could stop Umbra and bring peace, happiness, and sunshine back to White Wings."

"Plus, these girls actually seem interesting. Much better than those boring old delegates we're always tasked with bodyguarding every time they come to White Wings." Lemon Zest gave Pinkie Pie a playful nudge on her shoulder. "Especially this one. She seems like she'd be great at a party."

"Are you kidding? I LOVE parties!" Pinkie bounced into the air and threw confetti out of her arms. "Back home in Ponyville, my Cutie Mark means that I'm a great partyplanner, partygoer, and party lover! That's three great aspects about me: Pinkamena Diane Pie of the Pie Family!"

"Parties?" Sugarcoat grimaced at Pinkie and slapped her hoof to her face. "I don't know why the people of White Wings aren't writing your epitaphs. This is a hopeless endeavour..."

"Says the pony who lost herself years ago." Indigo shook her head. "Just take a chill pill, Sugar. These girls might be the quickest to get beaten by King Umbra, but they're still guests, y'know? Treat 'em with respect."

"What respect do I have for children?" Sugarcoat snarled.

Everyone else made a loud gasp and stared at Sugarcoat, who simply scoffed and turned their backs to them, gathering her gear for the battle ahead.

"Why I oughta..." Applejack's face turned as red as a tomato as she glared daggers at Sugarcoat. She snorted out fumes from her nose and charged at her like a bull. "Apologize right now, missy!"

"Silence!" Sugarcoat fired a beam of magic at Applejack, welding her to the ceiling and knocking her hat from her head. She stomped on the hat and fired another magic bolt at the cowgirl, removing her mouth from her head and placing it into a recycling bin, which vanished shortly afterwards. "Does anyone else want to mess with me? I could turn your bones into water right now if I wanted to."

"That. Is. Enough. SUGARCOAT!" Sunny Flare stomped her hooves on the ground and cast a spell at Sugarcoat's feet, ensnaring her in a giant bubble with pink mist inside.

"Sunny! Let me out of here this instant! Do you hear—" As she tried to argue with her friend, Sugarcoat felt the mists from within the bubble fly up through her nostrils and dance around her body. Her eyelids got incredibly heavy and she felt like she had stayed up all night partying "—me? I'm... not gonna... let." Before she could finish, she fell asleep, snoring quietly.

"This is one of the spells I keep to myself, girls." Sunny Flare turned back towards the Rainbooms and the rest of the girls. "Necessarium Somno. In the event of someone causing trouble in White Wings, or someone who's just had a bad day, this is the spell I like to use. Once they're trapped inside that bubble, they can't wake up unless I pop it. And once they do wake, they feel refreshed and revitalized."

"Necessarium Somno?" Starlight Glimmer's ears perked up as a smile appeared on her face. "Isn't that the spell that was devised by the great sorceress Sand Mare?"

"It sure is!" Sunny chirped and nodded her head. "And it's one of my personal favorites too. I sometimes like to combine it with a few other spells so I can get a good night's sleep without any interruptions. Plus, it helps me if Cinch wants me to sleep on a decision without thinking of the bad stuff."

"Do you mind if I could have a copy of the spell before we go?" Twilight lifted her hoof. "It might come in handy."

"Of course. But first, I really need to get Applejack down from there." Sunny Flare fired a small beam up at the magic holding Applejack in place. Using her magic as a welding torch, Sunny was able to free Applejack and catch her moments before hitting the ground.

"Thanks, Sunny Flare." Applejack took her hat and placed it back on her head. "Now, ah only wish that Sugarcoat could be as nice as you."

"I know, I do as well." Sunny Flare watched Sugarcoat in her sleep. "Ever since Umbra's last attacks, Sugarcoat's been getting awfully stressed out, obsessively compulsive, and less caring for ponies than she used to be. It's not right for one of the White Wings heroes to start looking down on everyone else around them." She watched a shimmer of light sheen from the bubble that she had placed around her. "That's why Necessarium Somno—or Unavoidable Sleep if you want a translation—is the best spell to fix Sugarcoat up. Now, when she gets out of there, she's gonna think about the positives a bit more, instead of focus on the negatives."

"Y'know, Sunny Flare, you're pretty cute, but you're also terrifying at the same time..." Lemon Zest walked up to Sugarcoat's bubble, tapping it gently, only to see that it didn't pop no matter what she did to it. "I just hope I never have to fight you in the future."

"Yeah? Who knows what attacks you've been hiding from us?" Sour added. "Maybe you could have a spell that puts some sense into your stupid brain, Sugarcoat!"

"There's no point in trying to insult her either, Sour Sweet. Necessarium Somno is soundproofed from the inside out. Not even the loudest explosion, bolt of lightning, or dragon's roar will be able to wake Sugarcoat from her slumber." Sunny Flare launched another magic beam at the bubble, but it bounced off and hit the ground instead. "Plus, it's also immune from being crushed, popped, or ruptured by anything else. Only my magic can wake Sugarcoat back up and free her from sleep."

"So... you're going to wake her up now?" One of the guards tapped Sunny's shoulders. "We kinda need Sugarcoat awake if Umbra or the rioters attack again."

"I'll wake her up once we depart, Silent." Sunny lifted the orb into the air and cast another bolt at it. "Sweet dreams, Sugarcoat." Sunny Flare's magic made the orb shrink down, which in turn, turned Sugarcoat tiny as well. Once the spell was over, she and the bubble were no bigger than a christmas ornament. "Twilight. Rarity, Starlight, Sour. Follow me. Rainbow, Fluttershy, you're with Indigo Zap. As for the rest of you, you're with Lemon Zest. Get what you can and meet me at the castle entrance." She floated the tiny Sugarcoat behind a curtain and walked through it.

"We'll be back shortly." Twilight gave the girls a smile and followed Sour and Sunny through the curtains. "Don't worry about it."

Sour Sweet, Sunny Flare, Starlight, Twilight, and Rarity walked into a part that was completely different from what they had seen before. Instead of steel weaponry and armor plating, there were now spellbooks and runes dotted around the place. Waxy candles were lit all around the room, with some black cloaks hanging on hooks around the room. The room was also much darker than usual, with the walls painted a dark shade of blue.

"This part of the armory is exclusive for us unicorns." Sunny Flare lifted Sugarcoat towards a pink cloak with Sunny's Cutie Mark on it, setting her down underneath it. "So much so that no-one else knows we're here."

"No-one knows?" Starlight tilted her head. "But, there's a door right—" She tapped on the door, but then saw that it rippled as she touched it "—here?"

"It's a mirage spell. One that every unicorn in Cinch's ranks knows." Sunny walked towards the door and pushed it open. "Absconditus Andron, otherwise translated as Concealed Corridor."

"Absconditus Andron? That's a pretty powerful spell." Twilight watched as Sunny sealed the door, then tried to mirror her actions, only to make the door ripple again.

"Yeah, it's not that great. Some guy came up with it because he didn't want to do his taxes." Sour Sweet rolled her eyes and went over towards the books. "Now then. We're gonna see Umbra, so I'm gonna take this... Little bit of that. Oh! Can't forget this one." She began to take spellbooks and levitate them over towards her own cloak. "And this is a spell I'm taking personally, because Umbra hates me and I hate him."

"Sour, you're just packing offensive spells." Sunny Flare lifted her brow at all of the spells that Sour Sweet had stacked by her clothes.

"Why don't you? Don't you want to stop Umbra?" Sour asked.

"I do, but I don't want to overdose on spells that prioritize on attacking." Sunny Flare started taking spellbooks of her own. "Umbra's magic is belong anything that any of us could compare to. The only one he sees as his equal is Sugarcoat, so we should take some defensive spells just to be safe."

"You know that the word defensive is basically just fancy talk for 'I'm not strong enough to stop a tyrannical king of darkness who was born from my friend's shadow and therefore, is all of the darkness of my friend', right?" Sour grumbled and began to open up the spellbooks and read them.

"Well, if you're being attacked by the Dragon King, restless spirits of the underworld, or one of Umbra's shadow ponies and you don't have any spells to protect yourself from massive damage, don't come crying to me, Sour Sweet." Sunny began reading her own books.

"It seems like you've got some pretty vast knowledge on spells." Starlight looked over the other books. "A Thousand And One Ways to Fell a King? Conjurations, Configurations, and Concealments? Even A Pony's Ultimate Power? This book isn't even sold in Equestria! This is worth millions of bits back home!"

"Really?" Sour lifted her brows. "Because here in White Wings it's only fifteen shekulas. Pretty common if you ask me."

"I..." Starlight's eye twitched as she looked at all of the other books. All that she had never heard of or that she had known but never set eyes upon until now. All of the information was proving too much for her as she eventually fainted and fell into Twilight's forehooves.

"What she means to say is that we're all very interested in what you've got here." Twilight flapped over towards some more spellbooks. "Ooh! This one sounds pretty good. Chain Mail's Magic Mails; Magical Armour For Every Situation. I might just read this one right now!" She flipped the book open to the first page she could find and glued her eyes to what was written down.

"I take it you're both spellbook fanatics as well?" Sunny Flare watched as Twilight trotted in place with a massive smile on her face as she continued to read her own book. "Which author's your favourite for spells?"

"I'm a fan of Starswirl the Bearded most of all." Twilight neglected to pull her head from her book as she turned back towards Sunny Flare. "Sure, he's an oldie, but sometimes, the oldest spellcasters are the best ones."

"Did the ponies of Equestria ever figure out what happened to him once he disappeared?" Sunny Flare lifted a brow and looked up from her first book. "I sure hope that he didn't perish. He was one of this planet's greatest influences in the magical arts."

"Feh. He was a fantasy pony dressed up like that guy from those King of the Pendants by A.R.R Chatkien. And Clover the Clever was basically his version of Mobo Fraggins."Sour Sweet shook her head and closed her first book.

Twilight let out a gasp as if her favourite puppy had passed away. "You don't mean that, do you?"

"Twilight, let's be honest here. The spells of the past have just fallen behind these days." Sour flipped open the next book in her stack. "The ponies these days, though? They know how to make spells that hit the bad guys where it hurts!" Her eyes lit up with fire as a devilish smile grew on her face.

"Bu-bu-bu-but, Starswirl the Bearded is one of the best spellcasters of all time!" Twilight threw her hooves down before Sour Sweet. "I don't care about how good the new sorcerers and wizards are. Starswirl's always going to be in my heart, no matter what you say about him!"

"If he's so good then why is he missing?" Sour stared at Twilight bug-eyed and lifted a hoof.

"Well... he might be late getting home. Or he could be trapped somewhere and is out of breath! Or maybe he could've been kidnapped by a group of ponies who've been able to stop all of his magic spells, rendering him completely powerless against them!" Twilight spluttered, trying to think of a plausible excuse.

"Sour, Twilight. Let's not fight." Sunny Flare cast two beams on both Twilight Sparkle and Sour Sweet, both of which loosened up the muscles in their bodies. "Pugna Anti. That should ease your minds. Now, make sure you read up on all you can, because we're departing for Umbra's castle within the hour."

"Wait, that soon?" Starlight shook herself once the command sank into her mind. "But we're only just picking up these books! It might take us some time to master the spells. This kinda stuff isn't the stuff you see in Magic Kindergarten, you know."

"Exactly." Sour Sweet nodded. "White Wings is the major leagues when it comes to magic, flight, and strength. If you don't shape up, you're gonna fall behind. That's why we five are always training as hard as we can to make sure that we're perfect. And if you can't keep up, then tough tu-tus, pal. You'll be outta here quicker than you think if you so much as slack off for a second."

"It's a strict system, but it works." Sunny Flare took the rest of her books and slipped them into a saddlebag, which she then put onto her body, followed by a cloak. "Queen Abacus Cinch wants to make sure that we're as strong as we can be. You never know when something might come along that's even worse than King Umbra."

Sour Sweet shuddered at the thought. "Don't say it too soon, Sunny. It might just happen." And went back to her books.

"Alright, newbs. If you wanna be a White Wings Silver Bullet, you've gotta shape up!" Indigo Zap drilled both Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, who were both dressed up in Silver Bullet uniforms. "That's why this course here's gonna test your flying skills to. The. Max!"

Indigo stepped aside and revealed a massive flying course, one with various twists and turns, enclosed tube sections, walls that sprung up on the path which ponies smashed through, and even rings of fire, spikes, ice, and electricity. The ponies that all ran the course were nimble diving through the rings, performing slick movements with their wings as they cleared each obstacle, giving them brief speed boosts every time.

"Now then, let me be perfectly clear with you both. This course is NOT designed for outsiders." Indigo paced back and forth. "I don't care if you're a Wonderbolt, a talented flyer, or even some random person we dragged off of the street. First time you run it, this course is going to eat. You. Alive."

"Oh. I don't really like the sound of that..." Fluttershy recoiled and hid her face behind her hair.

"Eh, I'm not worried about it." Rainbow Dash opened her wings. "By the time I'm done with this course, they're gonna see what being a Wonderbolt is all about."

Rainbow Dash flew towards the start of the course and launched herself through a veil of clouds. Once she came out of the other side, however, she managed to graze her wings on all four of the different elemental rings. By the time she made it towards the walls, her wings had been properly singed, poked, frozen, and electrocuted, so she splatted against the first wall like a fly against a swatter, sliding down towards the ground with her head spinning.

"Told ya, Rainbow. This course ain't for the faint-hearted, y'know?" Indigo came up to Rainbow Dash and helped her back onto her feet. "But that's okay, because you're new. I was kinda expecting you to fall at the first hurdle to be honest."

"Indigo? I think I have a concussion..." Rainbow Dash's head spun as she rubbed it with one of her hooves. "Is it a bad thing if you think that your friends have been turned into merponies and the world looks like it's underwater?"

"Like I said. You're new. It happens. That's why we're gonna train you." Indigo shook Rainbow's head wildly. "Because once you're done, not only will you be able to fly faster, but you'll also hit harder, be able to keep up with Umbra's shadow ponies, and do stuff your Wonderbolts back home won't have seen anywhere else."

"Well, it's nice that you're going out of your way for us, Indigo, but I just don't really see how I'm gonna be able to do this either." Fluttershy pointed towards the last part of the course, where ponies were being pushed back by a cloud generating a controlled gust. "I don't think even the Wonderbolts could do this."

"Hey. Let me show you something." Indigo flew into the heavy current and flapped her wings as hard as she could. Despite how violent the wind was, she was slowly getting closer towards the clouds. A little smile crossed her face as she brought her goggles down over her eyes and broke through the clouds. She shot out of the other side like a bullet from a gun and performed a wide turn before landing back at Rainbow and Fluttershy's side. "How's that?"

"Terrifying..." Fluttershy whispered.

"Awesome!" Rainbow cheered. "How did you even do that?! That's gotta be, like, a class ten wind! Not even the best Wonderbolts on the team can break through that head-on!"

"Well, I'm not a Wonderbolt. I'm a Silver Bullet." Indigo pointed towards the insignia on her uniform. "And by the time we go out to face Umbra, you two are going to be able to master this wind and many more things Umbra sends your way. So, are you gonna train?"

"Yes?" Fluttershy grinned.

"Yes!" Rainbow hoof-pumped.

"Ah, c'mon. You can do better than that!" said Indigo. "Are. You gonna. Train?" Sje got up in their faces with an extravagant smile on her face.

"Yes!" They both said louder.

"Louder!" said Indigo

"Yeah!" cheered the girls.

"LOUDER!" she roared.

"YEAH!" repeated Rainbow and Fluttershy.

"LOUDEEEEER!" Indigo screamed.

"YEAH!" Rainbow cheered so loud that she almost through out her voice. Her soundwaves were so strong that they started to blow back Indigo's mane.

"Good! Now get goin'!" Indigo patted Rainbow's back, sending her back to the start of the training course. "And don't give up! No matter what!"

"Alright. Gonna need these." Lemon Zest picked up her greaves, helmet, and other pieces of her armor and slipped them on one after another, shimmying as she banged her head to the music blaring in her headphones. "Ooh yeah. I feel a beat comin' on!" She rolled forward and landed on her breastplate, locking it in place with the rest of her suit. "Little bitta this. And a little bitta that. Aaand, we are good to go!" She threw her headphones up, put on a helmet, and caught the speakers with her hooves. "Booyah! Still got it."

"Woohoo! Nice moves, Lemon!" Pinkie Pie clapped her hooves as fast as she could, lifting Applejack's into the air. "Go Lemon, go Lemon!"

"Thanks, girls. I do this stuff on a regular basis here." Lemon put the headphones into her saddlebags.

"What? The dancin' or the armor stuff?" Applejack lifted a hoof.

"Both. Preferably at the same time if we're going out to face King Umbra." Lemon walked up to Applejack, Pinkie, and Spike.

"Don't you feel a tad worried about all this?" Applejack raised a hoof. "If this Umbra feller really is as bad as you say that he is, then shouldn't you cut down on the dancin' stuff and get serious?"

"Serious?" Lemon Zest couldn't help but let a giggle slip from her lips. "Against Umbra? You've gotta be kidding, right?"

"Kidding? But he's a monster! You saw what he did to Sugarcoat and Cinch!" Applejack's pupils dilated.

"Eh, Umbra's pretty big, bad, spooky, and mean, but we always manage to beat him." Lemon Zest adjusted her saddlebags and put the rest of her equipment into them. "It's kind of a running theme here at White Wings. Umbra tries to use some kind of weird plot to cause chaos, then he either comes to us or we go to him, and then we proceed to beat him up, stop his plans, and save our home. It's so overdone that it might as well be a comic book, if you know what I mean."

"Oh, I know what you mean, being an avid comic book reader myself." Spike put his claws on his chest and rubbed it down.

"But yeah, if Umbra's got you girls in his line of sights now, then you'd better suit up." Lemon Zest walked Pinkie and Applejack over towards the armor and weapons part of the armory. "Here. Take these. You're gonna need 'em for what's up ahead."

"Ooh! I like the look of that pink one!" Pinkie went over towards a large pink spear hanging on the walls. She bounced on her tail and tried to pick it up, but once it was out of its' rack, Pinkie couldn't even lift it up. No matter how much she sweated, gritted her teeth, or shook her body, her weapon of choice wouldn't move an inch. "Nnnngh! I... will have you... cute pink spear thingy!"

"Oh, did I forget to mention that the armor here in White Wings is incredibly tough?" Lemon Zest knocked her armor with the tips of her hooves. "The metals here are so strong that they can stand up to dragon fire, cannonballs, and even a group of rioting ponies over in Cast Shadow. Plus, they also weigh a few tonnes."

"A few tonnes?!" Applejack was about to move, but Lemon Zest darted around her body at ludicrous speeds, dressing the cowgirl up in a similar suit of armor to the one she was wearing. "Wh-whoa. Whoa! Whoa!" Applejack tried to stand upright, but because the armor's weight was unlike anything she'd ever worked with before, her knees were beginning to wobble on the spot.

"Ah, get over it. I mastered this baby in a couple of days." Lemon Zest around in circles in her suit. "Sure, I had some troubles myself, but I grew into it. It's practically a workout in itself if you're wearing one of these things. Heck, you might even be strong enough to carry a weapon once we get back home."

"When we get back home?! Just what kinda backwards trainin' is this?!" Applejack cried.

"The one designed by Queen Cinch. Now c'mon!" Lemon Zest walked towards a door and opened it up. She then dashed towards Pinkie and dressed her in armour as well. "The gym's right this way. We've gotta get you buffed up."

"Man, Applejack, you were right. This thing is HEAVY!" Pinkie smiled, but was still able to manage wearing the armor without falling on her face or buckling from all of the excess weight. Her forehead was ridden with sweat and her body was beginning to warm up on the inside.

"Somethin' tells me that this ain't gonna be a walk in the park." Applejack grimaced as she and Pinkie followed Lemon Zest through the door.

Author's Notes:

From Human Shadowbolts to Pony Shadowbolts. I watched the three Equestria Girls specials today, and I'm personally really glad that Dance Magic exists now. The Shadowbolts there—except for Indigo Zap unfortunately—were great in that special, and it totally justified their lack of screentime in Friendship Games.

Also, yay, this story isn't dead!

Chapter 8: Case of Sugarcoat

Sugarcoat, still sleeping inside of Sunny Flare's spell gently kicked about as she drifted further and further into her dreams. Her eyes refused to move an inch, regardless of how much her nose twitched or her legs stretched. It wasn't about her wanting to wake up and break Sunny's spell, but rather, what she was experiencing in her own little dream world.

Sugarcoat walked into Cinch's throne room alone, silently shutting the door behind her as she walked towards the throne. Once her queen revealed herself in the splitting lights emanating from her stained glass window, Sugarcoat bowed before her.

"Your majesty. You summoned me?" she said.

"Yes." Cinch walked towards Sugarcoat and tapped her shoulders with her elongated horn. "I've called you and only you here for a matter of utmost importance, Sugarcoat."

"What is it?" Sugarcoat stood back up once Cinch's horn had tapped her.

"Well, ever since your little... experiment, Umbra's been causing chaos all throughout White Wings and the neighbouring lands." Cinch turned and looked towards her glass window. "And, I'm sure that you're aware of the recent rioters that have sprung up because of the tyranny he has wrought upon us all?"

"I'm well aware of that, your majesty." Sugarcoat felt the muscles on her forehead begin to flex. "I'm also fully ready to take the punishment for unleashing him, and will try my hardest to make amends to the ponies of White Wings for not only my eagerness to succeed in my research, but also for any further damage that he brings."

"That's not exactly why I've called you here, Sugarcoat," said Cinch.

"Oh?" Sugarcoat tilted her head. She thought for sure that she would have been lectured on the mistake that she had made. "Then what do you want me for, your highness?"

"Listen, Sugarcoat. I know that it's not easy having to live with the burden of your actions. But what you need to know now that this has happened, and White Wings is swamped with a new evil." Cinch turned back towards Sugarcoat. "I'm not asking you for repentance or that I'm exiling you from the kingdom or anything negative like that. Instead, I am giving you this private hearing because there are some things that I want to share with you."

"Whatever you're about to say, I'm listening..." Sugarcoat leaned in and squinted her eyes.

"Of all of the unicorns that I have seen in the royal division, you are clearly outclassing all of them in every way, shape, and form in the magical arts." Cinch walked up to Sugarcoat and gave her horn a gentle tap with the tip of her hoof. "So much power contained in that one little horn of yours... It's a wonder that you haven't exploded from fatigue or magical overload." She took her hoof off of the horn after a quick rub. "But let's not gush about your magical prowess for too long. This is an important duty that I'm handing down.

"You and the other heroes in the five are capable of such wonderful things. Ever since you stood up to the Dragon King, I've had my eyes on you all. Logically, it was only fair that I take you into White Wings and instill you among the elite for your skills in the field." Cinch began to pace back and forth in front of Sugarcoat. "Whether you're able to fly as fast as the speed of light, use your magic to reshape the world to your gains, or even strong enough to rip the ground beneath your feet and utilize it as a weapon against your opponents, I feel that the time has come for there to be a bit of a leadership role among you and the others."

"Leadership?" Sugarcoat repeated. "What are you talking about, your majesty? We can do fine on our own. We don't need a leader for our missions."

"Sugarcoat. This is a serious matter." Cinch's voice became cold as ice as she looked down on the unicorn. "Without leadership, even the most tightly-knit groups of ponies can fall apart at the seems. Uncoordinated plans usually end in disaster without someone to lead the others through their steps." She stood atop her throne and looked out towards the end of the room. "That is why I'm the queen, is it not? Without someone to guide these ponies in their darkest hours, White Wings would crumble as fast as a cake in a foal's mouth.

"Granted, I'm not entirely proud with the title, given that it was forced onto me by my mother and father, but I still have to grin and bear it." Cinch began to massage her forehead, trying to shake off the small migraines that rang inside of it. "In a similar matter, I know that you do not like the idea of having you and your group be made into one that follows a leader, but it's still the most logical choice to ensure that you and your friends continue to fight perfectly; for the freedom, honour, and hope of White Wings."

"I understand." Sugarcoat bowed so much that her horn nearly touched the ground. "Very well. So, I take it that I'm going to be leading the others?"

"Yes, Sugarcoat. Very fast too." Cinch nodded. "I'll be honest. I thought that for a second, you were going to think about which among you would be leading the group, and that you would grimace if Indigo Zap or Lemon Zest was made the leader."

"I don't doubt Indigo and Lemon's strength on the battlefield for one second, Queen Cinch, but I certainly wouldn't trust them with the role of leadership, given how... brash that they can be sometimes." Sugarcoat already began to envision Indigo and Lemon fighting the forces of darkness, often at times thinking about risky situations that the two of them were pitted in. "Sour Sweet isn't perfect, either. Sure, she's strong, but her emotional imbalance might be what completely ruins her chances of leading the group. And then that leaves Sunny Flare..."

"A good mediator she is, but you are also very perceptive for thinking about that." Cinch sat down and crossed her hooves, smiling at Sugarcoat. "Yes, I also don't think that Sunny Flare would be a bad fit for the job, but I have to take in how powerful your magic is compared to hers, and you just managed to beat her by the tiniest margin."

"I'm thankful for the position, your majesty, but I have a few doubts about this whole thing myself..." Sugarcoat began to rub the ground with her hooves, looking down at her chest all the while. "I created Umbra. I caused chaos. I hurt so many ponies because of one little experiment, and it's because of me that all of this bad stuff happened. Do I really deserve the title of leader after I blindly hurt so many?"

"Sugarcoat. Everyone has darkness within their hearts. This is an irrefutable truth." Cinch unfurled her wings. "Even I, for as lustrous, noble, and powerful as I am, have some sense of inner evil within myself. Maybe, in some other world, I let this evil get too deep into my heart, and I let it drive me to do some irresponsible and reckless things that ultimately ended me, but as long as you don't dive over the edge and try to destroy this darkness, then you will be comfortable living with it.

"The problem that you have, Sugarcoat, is that you are clinging onto the past too much. You couldn't have known that your science would have gone pear-shaped, or that it would've given rise to this world's greatest evil." Cinch came over to Sugarcoat and patted her silver mane. "If you are going to lead the other heroes of White Wings, then you need to think about the future. If you know that something is going to protect White Wings, then do it. Don't be afraid to voice your opinions on the subject matter."

"But the past will always come back to haunt me now that I've let him loose." Sugarcoat looked up at Cinch, wiping away some small tears in her eyes. "Umbra is always going to be a constant reminder that I've messed up. He's going to keep poking at me and say that I've caused reckless harm, and that I don't deserve any friends, redemption, or anything of the sort. How am I supposed to live that down?"

"Sugarcoat. Stop crying. A leader doesn't show sorrow." Cinch lit up her horn and caused a number of spellbooks to appear before her. "A leader improves themselves at every turn that they have. They don't let petty emotions get to them when they are trying to wrangle their team to fight for the future. And these books should be just what you need to make yourself stronger."

"What are these?" Sugarcoat blew away some of the dust, revealing the titles of each book and the author who wrote them beneath. "I've never seen these spellbooks in the New World armory before..."

"Since you are going to be made the leader of your group of ponies, I would advise that you properly improve yourself, so that you will be ready for any one of Umbra's deceptions, or for the rest of the world beyond ours." Cinch levitated the books onto Sugarcoat's back and covered them up with a purple blanket. "You are to take these to your dorm, learn them in private, and do not let any of the others know. Another strong aspect of a leader is that they always have a trick or two up their sleeve."

"I won't let you down, your majesty." Sugarcoat bowed once again before she turned away. "I will return to you once I have made progress."

"Hold on, Sugarcoat." Cinch held her hoof out, stopping her in her tracks. "There is one more thing that I want to tell you for the future."

"What is it?" Sugarcoat turned back and faced Cinch again.

"Darkness will never be destroyed. No matter how hard you try, the darkness in your heart will always resurface." Cinch used her horn to light all of the torches in the room, causing shadows to spring up around her, but not Sugarcoat. "While you are without your own darkness because of your spells, that doesn't mean that it will truly go away. Umbra is a part of you, Sugarcoat, so destroying him physically is an impossibility."

"So... you're saying that we'll NEVER be able to win against Umbra?!" Sugarcoat's mouth dropped. "B-But, that sounds like you're giving up! You're our queen! You can't just say these kind of things!"

"I said that darkness couldn't be destroyed; not that it couldn't be controlled and manipulated." Cinch twisted her wrist, cocking a brow at Sugarcoat as the flames in the candles began to flicker. "Darkness, if left unchecked, can grow stronger and stronger with each passing second." As she spoke, the lights began to dim around them. "And in the end, if you are not careful about it, Umbra will consume you, and devour what remains of your light." She created a small magical shockwave which didn't cause any damage, but one that did put out all of the lights in the room. "What I am saying is that when you battle Umbra, you need to find a way to contain his darkness and put it back in your body. And quickly, as the stronger he becomes, the more difficult your task will be.

"You messed up, Sugarcoat. But now, you're going to prove that you can save this world by fixing this." She walked off of the throne towards Sugarcoat and lit up her horn, dressing her up in her New World robes. "Tell no-one of our talk. Do not let the other heroes know that you are working on your new spells, and most of all, stop thinking that this is a hopeless endeavour. You have pulled through much worse than this."

"I think... I understand now." Sugarcoat lit up her own horn and brought the books in front of her face. "I've been split in half, and Umbra is the other half of me that ran away because of my spell. You're saying to me that I should go out, defeat him, and then assimilate him back into my body?"

"Exactly." Cinch nodded once again. "Consume the darkness. Return it to light, and prove to the ponies of White Wings that situations as dire as this can be fixed if you are strong enough." She fired a magical bolt at the door, forcing it open with a loud creak. "Now leave me. I have important matters to discuss with the other heroes of White Wings, and with the delegates of Maretonia later on."

"Yes, your majesty." Sugarcoat performed one last bow before her queen, then turned away and walked out of the door, shutting it behind her with her magic. The loud crash of the shut door echoed throughout the halls as she wandered off towards her study, not uttering a single word to the ponies she passed by on the way.

As Sugarcoat's dream came to an end, she woke back up in front of the Main Six and the rest of the White Wings heroes. Groggily, she rubbed her head and slowly got back to her feet, groaning as the last bad thought in her mind dissipated into thin air.

"Wakey-wakey, Sugarcoat..." Sunny Flare's voice was as smooth as butter as she awoke her leader. "I hope you don't mind that I shut your brain down and did a bit of cleaning in there?"

"Translation: Sunny Flare used some kind of weird sleeping spell on you and got rid of all of the bad stuff in your head. So now, you won't think of these girls from Equestria as trash." Indigo Zap puffed out her chest and raised her hoof. "Is that alright with you?"

"You did kinda look like you needed the sleep, to be honest." Lemon Zest watched Sugarcoat wake herself up fully.

"I feel... a little better." Sugarcoat sighed and brushed her hair back into shape. She shuffled her body a bit and felt that she was wearing her robe and a saddlebag full of objects. "Look. I'm still not entirely happy on the fact that we're bringing civilians into this war, but now I know that there's gonna be no way in Tartarus that you're gonna back down, are you, Equestria ponies?"

"Princess Celestia sent us on a mission, and we're not going home until we complete it." Twilight shook her head. "You might want to bully us, demean us, and make us think like we're weak and useless, but we're still not going to just take a backseat to this battle between you and Umbra."

"Yeah! You and Umbra might be big, bad, meanie-pants ponies, but the seven of us are going to stay together and help you all until we save the day once again!" said Pinkie Pie, beaming widely.

"Don't knock these girls until you try them, Sugarcoat." Sunny Flare nodded, wrapping her hooves around the other members of the Main Six. "You never know. They might have some hidden magic and secret talents that you're just not seeing in them yet."

"That's why we kinda gave them a little training in our ways of magic, strength, and flight while you were sleeping," Sour Sweet added her voice to the conversation. "We would've asked your permission, but then you would've been mean, dismissive, and an outright jerk about the whole thing. Then we'd be up the creek without a paddle, wouldn't we?" She grumbled.

"Hmm... I suppose it's better than nothing." Sugarcoat properly adjusted her glasses and robe. "If you're going to take everyone into battle, might as well make sure they don't die too quickly, right?"

"You are seriously underestimating us, aren't you?" Starlight Glimmer tilted her head at Sugarcoat, but then shook her head and snapped it back upright. "But I don't wanna start another fight. Let's just be on our way. Where are we heading, exactly?"

"Umbra's castle lies beyond the Dragon Kingdom, where the Dragon King reigns supreme." Sugarcoat created a map of White Wings and the regions past it. Tapping her hoof on White Wings, she drew the path that they would be travelling with a red trail.

"Dragon Kingdom?" Spike's ears pricked up. "I'm sure that I'll have no trouble with that. I am a dragon, after all."

"A baby dragon, Spike." Twilight tapped his scales. "Don't be surprised if the dragons there are all grown up, with a few teenage dragons mixed in there."

"Anyway..." Sugarcoat rolled her eyes. "After we make it past the Dragon Kingdom, we've gotta make it through the Void; a region where the souls of the dead, restless as they are, toy with mortals by sending them through an ever-changing illusory maze. Be prepared for many tricks and traps when we make it there."

"So, it's kinda like Discord's Labyrinth?" Rainbow tilted her head.

"I don't know who this Discord is, but if he used illusions and tricks to break you down, then yes, it will be similar." Sugarcoat nodded as she continued to draw the path. "Once we make it out of the Void—maybe not with your sanity intact—then we'll arrive at the Splintered Chasm. If you're a pegasus, then you'll be safe here, but if you're a unicorn or earth pony, then you're gonna have to be careful. A fall into the Splintered Chasm could end up turning you into a pile of goopy mush."

"The Splintered Chasm is so deep, that nothing can survive a fall into it." Sunny Flare interjected, lifting her hoof to grab the attention of the Main Six. "Even the strongest, most durable, and unbreakable safes have been cracked, damaged, and even outright destroyed by falling into it. So, needless to say, if any of you fall into it, then you'd better say goodbye to your friends, as when you hit the ground, the most likely chance is that you'll have a very early funeral."

The Main Six looked at each other, dripping sweat as the thought of falling down a bottomless chasm began to surface in their minds.

"You look shocked." Sugarcoat pulled the map down. "Don't worry. It happens to everyone." She ended the path, tapping on a massive castle with large spikes poking out of it. "And here, the Castle of Reckoning, former home of Dark Lord Kha'rel, is where Umbra resides."

"Let's just say that he... kinda did some redecorating after Kha'rel was pulled into the Netherworld." Lemon Zest tipped her hoof.

"So. You know the plan. So let's be on our way." Sugarcoat rolled the parchment up and slipped it into her saddlebags. "Everyone. Follow me. We're leaving for Umbra's castle now. If any of you need to use the little filly's room, say it now." She looked back at them with one of her eyes. "Seriously, I don't want to make it to one of the three landmarks then hear that one of you has to go." She was met with silence from everyone. "No takers? Good. Then we're off."

Sugarcoat galloped towards the castle doors, blasting them open with a single bolt of magic from her horn. The rest of the Main Six and White Wings heroines followed after them, with the doors behind them slamming shut once everyone was outside. They all ran down the streets and past a number of ponies, who were all going about their own business.

"I do hope that it's not a long way to this castle..." Rarity was already beginning to get hot under the collar from just running. "I just applied a lengthy amount of eye liner and mascara, and I don't want it to run on the way."

"You're seriously worrying about fashion when the fate of White Wings is at stake, Rarity?" Rainbow flapped her wings and flew alongside Indigo. "Forget about it for one day, why don't you? We're gonna save the day again. Plus, we've got the Magic of Friendship behind us. What could go wrong?"

"Don't jinx it, Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie squealed and plucked her from the air with her hooves. "You don't know how many ponies had their adventures cut short because they said what could go wrong."

"Pinkie Pie, that's just a silly little myth." Rainbow slipped out of Pinkie's grip. "And if something does go wrong, we'll totally be able to power through it. We always do, don't we?"

"Alright. But don't say that I didn't say that I told you so when the Dragon King, undead ponies, or that super deep cliff mess your day up, Dashie." Pinkie returned her eyes to the path ahead as she and the other ponies made it to the border of the kingdom and darted through the gates, off to their newest adventure.

Chapter 9: The Dragon Kingdom

The road towards Umbra's castle was long and arduous for the Main Six, with many of them gasping and panting heavily after the long climbs. Even Rainbow Dash, for as well-trained as she was at flying and endurance, was beginning to struggle to keep up with the White Wings ponies. As they all laboured themselves up the mountain, Sugarcoat and the others took point at the top and watched as the girls all struggled to climb.

"Are we there yet?" Pinkie asked.

"I wish we were." Rarity moaned and fanned her face with her hoof, catching some of her make-up on the tip. "Oh... Why can't this Umbra live closer to your kingdom, girls?"

"Umbra prefers the darkness. He can't stand White Wings and its' light," said Indigo Zap. "He and his shadow ponies live all the way out there in the Darklands, across all those places Sugarcoat pointed out to you back at the castle."

"The Darklands are devoid of all life. The sunlight never breaks through the black clouds above the castle." Sunny Flare wiped away some of the sweat gnawing at her forehead. "No plantlife can survive in the darklands, and the very air can bring unprepared ponies to their knees. Even going there today can cause severe strain to the five of us if we don't have the proper spell with us."

"Whoever this Umbra is, it seems like he's prepared for everything." Twilight used her wings once her hooves gave out. She was the first to join the White Wings ponies at the summit. "I wouldn't be surprised if the Magic of Friendship doesn't have much effect on him..."

"Look, girl, I don't know what this Equestria's like or how the ponies there operate, but here in White Wings, it's a totally different deal." Indigo Zap slinked a hoof around Twilight's shoulders. "We've been fighting him for over three years now, and he's still not given back any of the ponies that he turned into shadow ponies. And judging by what he's seen in you, I doubt he's gonna leave you alone now too."

"Oh yeah?" Rainbow smirked and smashed her forehooves together. "Well I'm feeling like giving that jerk a piece of my mind after the way he stuck me to the wall like that. So I'm glad that we're going straight to him."

"You won't be saying that once we actually make it to his throne room and he mops the floor with your flanks..." Sour grumbled under her breath. She was about to move on when she saw Twilight and the others stare and glare at her. "Uh, what I mean to say is that you'll be fine. You've got us by your side." She rubbed the back of her mane and gave an innocent smile.

"But even so, you've still gotta be prepared." Sugarcoat watched the rest of the mares reach the top of the hill and catch their breaths. She waited until they had all stopped and pointed towards the land over the summit. "Because even though we're all ponies, the beasts through here are unlike any you've ever seen before. Behold," she proclaimed, jabbing her hoof out. "The Dragon Kingdom!"

Beyond the Main Six, Starlight, Spike, and the White Wings ponies lay a barren land with rivers and pools of lava, swamping a large fraction of the ground beneath them. Wing-beats and roars echoed through the air and resonated against the walls, causing small quakes to rip small chunks of stone from the other side of the mountains and topple them down to the searing flames below. Dragons of all shapes and sizes swooped through the canyons and spat fire against the ground, causing small geysers of magma to burst from the charred earth. And at the farthest end, on the tallest mountain of them all, a massive pair of wings unfurled themselves and blotted out the sun.

"Whoa..." Twilight's jaw hung so far down that it nearly touched the ground. "These dragons are nothing like the ones back home."

"Yeah." Spike clambered on to the top of her head. "They don't have any bright skin or gems anywhere! That, and I don't see any teenage dragons either!"

"Dragons in the Dragon Kingdom are all usually adult dragons." Sugarcoat took her glasses off and materialized a red handkerchief. She rubbed both of the lenses to remove the mist before sliding her glasses back onto her muzzle. "All of the teenage and baby dragons dwell beneath the surface, safeguarded by endless tunnels of lava and heat."

"Because they're so small and they have yet to become the big, ferocious, indestructible beasts like their parents are, all of the dragon offspring learn underground." Sunny Flare lit up her horn and shot out a small white wisp, guiding it towards a large cave by the feet of one of the cliffs. "These dragon nurseries can only be entered and exited by a dragon, as the heat would cause any pony to faint almost immediately—possibly forever due to heat stroke."

"So... when you say that they're all adults, does that mean that—"

"Yes. They are devoid of reasoning, and obey only the Dragon King." Sugarcoat silenced Starlight swiftly and watched as the massive dragon at the top of the faraway mountain smashed down into the earth at the mountain's foot and let loose a torrent of fire at a large brazier, before swooping off to ignite the others.

"Yeah. And the king himself is a big meanie." Lemon Zest crossed her front hooves. "We were lucky to get him to sign a peace accord when he brought his people to attack White Wings. I mean, we could've fended him off with our magic, Sugarcoat, and everything else that we had, but even then, that didn't mean that he wouldn't be back."

"Once you make peace with an enemy, only then are they truly defeated." Sugarcoat kicked away some pebbles by her feet. "But should you break the trust of the enemies you've befriended, it will only be a matter of time before they come down on you like a storm of destruction and discord. Umbra doesn't count, because he's beyond redemption and brings darkness regardless."

"Now's not really the best time to speak in your big words like that, Sugarcoat." Indigo Zap shook her head. "We've gotta stop Umbra. And if that means we've gotta go through the Dragon Kingdom, then I'm ready."

"You sure everything will be alright, Indigo Zap?" Starlight watched Indigo fly down towards the lava. "These dragons look much more dangerous than the ones we know back in Equestria..."

"Meh, it'll be fine." Indigo shrugged and tipped her hoof. "We've been through here hundreds of times and always came back to tell the tale. Now, are ya comin' or not?"

"I suppose we don't really have a choice now." Fluttershy watched the others vault over the teeth of the mountaintop and slide down to the ground below. "This is an adventure after all. And we did come to White Wings to strike a deal with Queen Cinch."

"Yes. And it seems like the only way that we'll get her to join our cause is if we take down Umbra and save White Wings from him and the shadow ponies." Twilight nodded as she spread her wings out and covered Spike up. "Spike, you stay low until we're out of the Dragon Kingdom."

"What? Why do I have to stay low?!" Spike spat out Twilight's feathers and tried to poke his head out. "I'm a dragon! I should be welcome here!"

"Twilight is smarter than you realize, Spike." Sunny Flare nodded at the little dragon. "If the dragons here see you, they'll throw you into the nurseries with the other dragons, and you might be stuck in there for a very long time."

"But it's not fair!" Spike moaned. "I want to see the dragons here closer! Are they like the dragons in Equestria? Is there a Dragon Lord? What's the order of power here? Why do—"

"Shut it, squirt." Sour Sweet rammed her hoof into Spike's jaws. "Dragon or not, you're in our world, so you play by our rules."

"Yeah, kid. You're not really gonna get far here in the Dragon Kingdom if you're a little one." Lemon Zest looked at the dragons towering above them. "The heat is already doing a number on us all, and if the dragons see you, I don't think we're gonna be able to get you back."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure I could reason with them." Spike grinned as he caught glimpses of the giant winged beasts soar above him. "A dragon wouldn't think to hurt one of their own kind. Unless that dragon is named Garble..."

"Still, we're not taking any chances." Sugarcoat cast a small ice beam on Spike's body, encasing him in ice. "The Dragon King is a ruthless tyrant. He could end up attacking White Wings again if you get seen like this. Twilight. Are you sure that you can handle a large chunk of ice on your back?"

"W-well, I suppose I c-c-c-could handle it." Twilight's teeth chattered as she struggled to keep the frozen Spike on her back. "The ice is already making me f-f-f-feel like I'm gonna fr-fr-freeze, but the heat manages to c-c-c-cancel it out a little."

"Just make sure that you can keep it up until we make it out of here. Then, I'll unfreeze Spike and we can continue on towards Umbra's castle." Sugarcoat returned her gaze towards the depths of the Dragon Kingdom.

"I'll try as hard as I can." Twilight, still chattering her teeth, nodded. "B-b-but I don't know how long I can k-k-k-keep this up..."

The ponies all moved on through the Dragon Kingdoms, with nothing but the bubbling lava pits and roars of dragons to break the silence. The heat was so hot that it made the air around the girls distort and wobble before their eyes. It was almost a chore to make out where they were going and what parts of the earth they would have to avoid.

"I'm super-glad I packed my Pinkie Pie Patented Pony Protection Pack before we came." Pinkie pulled a bright pink backpack out of her mane and began to dig through it's contents until she found a bright blue can of aerosol with a picture of a fire being crossed out. "Here it is! My Pinkie Pie Patented Anti-Burn Super Spray! Just one spray, and fires go away!" And without another word, she coated herself from mane to tail in the aerosol from the can. "Do you want some of this stuff too, girls? It's awfully hot out here in the Dragon Kingdom."

"How did you..." Sunny Flare could only gape as she watched Pinkie spraying down the other girls.

"It's Pinkie Pie. Best not to question it." Rarity nodded as the watery mists slammed against her body. "But you can't deny that she's incredibly useful when it comes to stuff like this."

"Yeah, but is she useful when dragons attack?" Indigo pointed up towards the beasts, who all gazed upon the ponies and licked their sharpened teeth. "Because these dragons aren't on any Equestria guidebooks on dragons. At least, I think not."

"And you'd be right." Starlight nodded. "These dragons are Infernals; dragons so destructive that ponies don't ever come back and tell the tales. Everyone in Equestria calls them that because they're said to have been born from the fires of Tartarus itself."

"Well, if on the odd chance that you do make it back alive, tell 'em that these dragons are much more dangerous than they think..." Indigo turned back to the front.

As the girls came to the end of the path, they saw the Dragon King lock gazes with them. He craned his neck skyward and let out a deafening roar, causing all of the other dragons to flap off of their perches and corner the group of ponies. As each one smashed into the ground, they knocked the ponies into the air and shook the very ground beneath their feet. Everyone was knocked up, but Pinkie Pie was squealing as she bounced with the shocks and performed some flips before landing on her hooves again.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the ponies from White Wings..." The Dragon King snarled in a deep and gravelly voice. As his nose touched the group, they could all see that they were no bigger than the tiny pupils of his eyes. "What are you doing here? I thought the accord we signed with your kind would be the last we'd heard of you."

"We're not here to disturb the peace, Dragon King Ignis." Sugarcoat stood her ground before the colossal dragon. "We merely seek passage through your kingdom. Will you let this slide?"

"Hmm. I suppose I would. Had I been a less observant dragon!" He pulled away Twilight's wings and found Spike, who had been encased in the ice block. He pushed down on the ice so hard with one of his claws that it caused the entire block to crumble, freeing Spike from hi icy tomb. "You still haven't learned your lesson, ponies. NEVER anger a dragon; especially not the Dragon King!" He snarled, blowing steam out from his nostrils. "Akr'Reih! Sla'Zeik! Get this baby dragon back to the nursery!"

"Wha—H-Hey! Let me go!" Spike was plucked from Twilight's back by two large dragons and carried off towards the caves. "I'm a dragon hero! You can't do this to me! TWILIGHT! HEEEEEELP!"

"Spike!" She called back and ran after him, only to be stopped by two more dragons, who bellowed fire at the ground in front of her. "Give him back! He isn't yours!"

"But he is a dragon." Dragon King Ignis crossed his arms. "And you ponies have violated an ancient law here in the Dragon Kingdom. Any and ALL dragons that pass through this kingdom, be they eggs, children, or teenagers, MUST obey the will of the Dragon King. And since this little wyrm you call Spike is a baby dragon, he will be put into the dragon nurseries until he finally reaches adult age." Ignis used his tail to turn Twilight around and bring her close to his face. "You're NEVER going to see that baby dragon again. He now belongs to the Dragon Kingdom. PERMANENTLY!"

"Then I'll just have to fight you for him! Take this!" Twilight charged up a bolt of light and shot it at the dragon's eyes. But nothing happened.

Dragon King Ignis simply laughed at Twilight's feeble attempt to damage him. He let the light hit his eyes for a few seconds more before he brought Twilight to his mouth and breathed a massive stream of fire right in her face. She would've been charred to a crisp, but thanks to Pinkie's spray, she only had her mane singed off.

"Now, now, Sugarcoat. You didn't think that you'd be able to find a loophole in the treaty by bringing some newcomers into the Dragon Kingdom, did you?" Ignis dropped Twilight and moved towards Sugarcoat. "Everypony must obey our rules, otherwise, they shall be punished in the way a dragon torments its' prey."

"GIVE. SPIKE. BACK. NOW." Starlight stomped up and illuminated her horn as well. "I'm not taking no for an answer."

"Do you honestly think your puny pony magic can hurt me?" Ignis blew a small breath at Starlight's horn, immediately deactivating her magical aura. "Dragons in the Dragon Kingdom are impervious to any forms of magic, thanks to the braziers we've lit. No pony can penetrate us or anything here in our world. You might be the strongest unicorn where you come from, my dear, but your magic can do jack diddly squat against me and my people."

"Wait, Ignis." Sunny Flare raised a hoof. "How did you know that we had a baby dragon with us from that far away? He was hidden behind Princess Twilight's wings too. We thought for sure that he'd been concealed."

"A true dragon knows when and where his brethren are." Ignis flexed his claws. "If a dragon is strong-hearted, noble, and powerful like I am, then they can see every dragon, everywhere and at every time too. Including babies and teenage dragons." He turned away. "But why am I still giving you knowledge after violating the rules we've set down? It's simple, my dears. It's because NONE of you will be able to avoid what's coming next."

"And wh-what is coming next?" Fluttershy whimpered and cowered behind her hooves.

"Simple. We're dragons, so what do you think dragons do to ponies?" Ignis smirked. "We EAT them, of course!"

"You're gonna EAT US?!" Pinkie gasped. "B-But, the dragons back home don't eat ponies! Sure, they've tried to bite us, burn us alive, and do all sorts of other mean and nasty things to us, but that's because they're protecting their super-sparkly gemstones and gold from thieves!"

"Then the dragons back in your world are weak, pathetic, and can't even be called dragons," said Ignis. "We dragons are a far cry from the ones you know. And now, you will know our wrath, and the punishment due for insulting us, breaking our laws, and trying to steal one of our young!" He took a deep breath and spat fire down on the girls.

"Get behind me!" Sugarcoat lit up her horn and created a massive silver dome around herself and the other ponies. The flames bounced off of the shield, but they wouldn't stop. "I don't get it... What's he trying to do? Wear himself out?"

As Sugarcoat kept her magic up, the other dragons surrounding the girls all breathed their own respective torrents of flame down around the girls, creating a massive pillar of flame around the equines. The flames consumed everything that the ponies could see, including the very sky above them.

"I... can't... keep this up... for much longer!" Sugarcoat gnashed her teeth and tried her best to hold out, but the heat from the ground beneath them, coupled with the fire from the dragons was far too hot for her to handle. She felt herself getting extremely woozy, and she finally ended up passing out, toppling onto her side as her spell failed and the shield shattered.

As Sugarcoat's barrier fell, all of the other ponies were immediately swept by the heatstorm. Despite having Pinkie's aerosol on them, the heat was still much too hot for them, and they were sweating so much that their manes were soaking. The girls all suffered from the effects of heat stroke and groaned as they tumbled and fumbled onto the ground, passing out before Ignis and the other dragons.

"Take them to the volcano's heart and tie their legs and horns up tightly." Ignis commanded the dragons as they all swooped in and picked each of the unconscious ponies up. "And while you're at it, make sure that you breathe a little fire on their horns before they wake up. Don't want them performing any magic acts to escape." As his flock flew off towards the volcano he once stood up, he flapped after them. "And make sure you don't eat them along the way. Raw pony meat is very bad for the heart. Let them be burned a nice bit of orange-brown before you gobble them all up..."

Chapter 10: Case of Sunny Flare

Twilight was the first one to open her eyes, groaning as she felt the pounding pain in her forehead. She tried to rub it with her temples, but she found that she couldn't move her hooves. No matter how hard she wiggled and wobbled her legs, her hooves couldn't budge an inch. They had been welded into a slender slab of stone that was secured in place by two large Y-shaped rocks at each side of the lake. She tried to use magic to free herself, but her horn had also been encased in stone and stung whenever she tried to light it up.

"Wh-where are we?" Twilight's vision finally adjusted to the room around her. She and all of the other ponies were hanging upside down, right over a wide lake of bubbling lava. The cave that they were trapped in was quite expansive—big enough for the Dragon King and his followers; two of which were overseeing Twilight, her friends, and the White Wings ponies.

"Looks like our little ponies are waking up." One of the dragons spoke in a gravelly female voice. "Guess that means they're ripe now."

"Let's give them some time to ferment." Another dragon approached one end of the rock and started to turn it around, rotating the ponies. "The Dragon King always says that rotisserie ponies are way tastier than lake-fried!"

"This is all my fault." Sunny Flare sighed and closed her eyes. "I was supposed to foresee that bringing a baby dragon into the Dragon Kingdom was a bad idea, but I let myself down. I've failed my divine role."

"Hey. Lighten up, Sunny Flare. We've been through much worse than this," said Indigo Zap, with her hair dangling up and falling back down with each turn. "Remember the Void? You almost went insane trying to outdo the spirits at those wacky mind-games."

"Yeah, but that was just a mental strain," Sunny moaned. "Now, we're right in the clutches of the dragons here in the Dragon Kingdom, and they're not gonna let us escape."

"C'mon. Don't be so down on yourself." Rainbow Dash peaked over from Pinkie's shoulders. "We'll be able to get out of here."

"No. We won't." Sunny shook her head. "If we break out of the rock molds, the lava beneath us will fry us in an instant. And our horns have been burned by dragon flames so they'll be out of action for a while too. And even if you manage to fly out with your pegasus wings, the dragons would stop you and burn every wing feather you have straight off." She started to have difficulty keeping eye contact with the others. "Plus, if this rotation is anything, if you do break out, you'll be very dizzy and have trouble trying to even trot straight."

"Like Indigo said. It's not the worst situation we've been in," said Sugarcoat. "We'll figure out a way in time."

"If you have any ideas, Sugarcoat, please use them before we get turned into dragon food..." Sunny Flare felt the heat getting to her again, and she began to shut her eyes as heatstroke overwhelmed her.

Sunny Flare walked into Queen Cinch's throne room, almost immediately shivering at the cold and musky air around her. Not even the light of the stained glass window could help put her at ease. Sweat trickled down her forehead as she watched Cinch pacing back and forth at her throne. She simply walked up towards the steps and bowed before her.

"Your Majesty. You wanted to see me?" said Sunny Flare.

"Sunny. I'm going to cut the ice straight away." Cinch finally stopped walking and turned towards Sunny Flare. "I'm sure that I don't need to remind you of how devastating the attack was on the Daybreak Festival today."

"Yes." Sunny Flare's body grew as cold as the air. "But luckily, you deployed us to the scene of the crime, and I'm happy to report that all of the Cast Shadow rioters have been dealt with and sent back to their abodes. But not without causing some harm to the ponies who were celebrating the festivities."

"How many were injured precisely?" Cinch cocked a brow.

"From a headcount given by the other heroes of White Wings, we have at least twenty-eight ponies in hospital with minor injuries, with three more suffering from the brunt of the assault," Sunny said. "Thankfully, there were no fatalities. At least, not yet."

"Such a harrowing attack from uneducated worms." Cinch trotted towards the glass behind her throne and looked out through the bright pattern. "I would give them a proper lesson in respecting their neighbors, but I know that they wouldn't dare mount an assault like that on the castle with you five leading the charge."

"It sounds like you value us as elites, Queen Cinch." Sunny Flare cantered up towards Cinch. "I assure you, we've still got a lot to learn, and I don't think that we'll ever be as good as you or your predecessors."

"Don't be modest, Sunny Flare. You and the other heroines of White Wings are some of the finest ponies I've ever had." Cinch gave Sunny a loving smile, much like one of a mother to her child. "In fact, I daresay that Sugarcoat is looking more and more like a demigoddess with every passing day, given how much time she's been putting into her studies."

"Sugarcoat's only doing what's best for us and the kingdom." Sunny nodded. "She created Umbra, and now she's making sure that he never has the chance to rule; even if it means she has to spend all of her time in the library to do it."

"True, but as advanced a spellcaster as she is, Sugarcoat lacks care." Cinch turned back towards the throne and sat down, crossing her forehooves. "Sure, she's a powerful pony at that, but most of the time, she cares about nothing more than victory and the taking of it. I don't think I've ever seen her smile, cry, moan, or even growl in frustration. It's like she's become an apathetic husk; a shell devoid of emotions."

"If Indigo were here, she would say that she's a powerful shell at least." Sunny smiled.

Cinch couldn't help but let a tiny chuckle escape her lips. "Oh, Sunny. You always know how to cheer up this old bat."

"Thank you, your majesty. I do all that I can to please you." Sunny bowed, beaming brightly from ear to ear. "But we really must prepare for any more future attacks like that. Who knows what those Cast Shadow ponies can do?"

"Many a dangerous thing, I'm sure, given the facts." Cinch scratched her chin and looked to the ceiling. She knew that the ponies of Cast Shadow wouldn't give an inch in their rebellion against her and that the ponies were still at risk of being attacked with each passing second. Suddenly, inspiration struck her in the head like a lightning bolt and she began to form an idea. "Sunny, my dear? Might I interest you in a hidden spellbook?"

"Hidden spellbook?" Sunny jolted backwards. "Wh-whatever do you mean, your majesty?"

"Sunny Flare. What I'm about to tell you could shape your entire future here at White Wings." Cinch used her horn to conjure up a spellbook from thin air, with many archaic markings and stars on it. "The spells here are so powerful and so vital to our kingdom's future that I dare not let Sugarcoat lay eyes on them. Not because I doubt her with their power, but because she wouldn't use them the way they were meant to be used."

"Meant to be used?" Sunny Flare took the book and flipped through the pages, examining the pages that caught her eyes. "Solar Sight? Timegazer? Differing Paths? Why, these are all names of spells for—"

"Yes, Sunny. Foresight." Cinch smiled as she tapped the back of the book with her hooves. "By studying these spells, you will not only be able to improve yourself as a pony in my ranks, but you will also have the rare ability to see into the future, at all of the different possible outcomes of events, and steer White Wings in the right way for a prosperous and bright future."

"Oh, no, no, no. I can't possibly be the pony to help this kingdom out." Sunny Flare waved her forehooves in front of her. "Surely, there must be something, ANYTHING more suited for me."

"Sunny Flare. For many years, my family have been trying to learn how to look into the future. And with every new king and queen, I feel that we are further and further from the answer every passing day." Cinch raised her hoof, then slowly brought it back down towards her chest. "And I feel that if I try and learn these spells myself, it will either hurt me considerably and or end in failure. So, I hope that by breaking the tradition, maybe, just maybe, we can find success."

"Your majesty..." Sunny Flare wanted to continue, but Cinch just shook her head and put the spellbook on her subject's back.

"Sunny. I have faith in you. Something that I don't have much for in a particular individual." Cinch sighed and tapped the tips of her front hooves against each other. "Indigo Zap and Lemon Zest aren't unicorns, so they're out of the picture. Sour Sweet is so torn between her emotions that she won't be able to muster up the concentration to master these spells and Sugarcoat might be able to pull it off, but without a lack of proper judgement, she might end up making the wrong decisions with her newfound powers." She stood up from the throne and patted Sunny's chest with one of her hooves. "Sunny Flare. You're the only pony for this job. No-one else in this kingdom can be as level-headed and wise as you are. Now please, take the book, study its' contents, and do your hardest to make sure that White Wings doesn't fall into turmoil."

"But..." Sunny Flare grimaced at the role she had been given. "Am I really ready for this? For my divine role in White Wings?"

"Well, even if you're not, this new spellbook will make sure that you are ready for the future." Cinch gave Sunny Flare a confident smile. "Sooner or later, we all have to bloom. Some through sheer talent alone, while others learn as they go along." She stood up from her throne and opened the throne room doors wide. "Now, return to your quarters, learn the spells in this book, and do whatever you can to maximize the power of your newfound clairvoyance."

Sunny Flare was about to walk out, when Cinch put one of her hooves on her shoulder. "And one more thing, Sunny. Take your time. Don't strain yourself. We have all the time in the world to perfect these new powers. Take it step by step to begin with, then gradually work your way up the ladder. I guarantee you'll benefit the most that way."

Sunny thought it over, then let out a long sigh and hung her head as she took the spellbook up in her magic and eyed up the front page again. Brushing it down with her hoof, she turned back to Cinch. "As much sudden as it is unprecedented, I suppose that I can make this work out." She bowed one last time. "Thank you, your majesty." And with nothing else to say, she walked out of the throne room.

As Sunny Flare walked out of the throne room and studied the spells locked away in the book, millions of thoughts roared through her mind. At times, she wanted to play around with her new spells and see exactly what she could do, while other times, she let Cinch's words echo out. But regardless of whatever thought she was thinking, she just couldn't take her eyes off of the new spells she had been entrusted. It felt intoxicating, the idea of spells provoking her curiosity, and it was beginning to show as she pressed her muzzle against the paper.

Maybe I'm being a bit too hasty turning this down... Sunny Flare closed the book and looked out of one of the windows towards the town. She could still see the mess of the festival being cleared up by the townsfolk. The attack was pretty bad today. Maybe we do need someone to keep an open eye on this kind of stuff... She soon buried her head in her new spellbook once again and made her way back to her quarters.

"...unny... Sunny. Sunny! Wake up!" Indigo Zap's voice began to grow as Sunny Flare woke herself from her heat-induced trance. "C'mon, girl! Open your eyes! We're gettin' out of here!"

Sunny Flare opened her eyes to see that she and the group were back on the ground, with Sugarcoat fending off the two large dragons with a combination of teleportation and magical volleys launched from cards. Shaking her head, she tried moving her hooves and found that all of her legs could be stretched, bent, and shook. She tried using a spell of her own, but her horn still stung from the dragons' flames.

"H... How long was I out?" Sunny asked, tilting her head towards Lemon Zest and Indigo Zap.

"Long enough, girl." Lemon patted her mane. "Sugarcoat's stopping the dragons with some runes. But they're not gonna last long and her horn's still on the fritz. We're lucky she's, like, a goddess when it comes to magic, or we would've been fried for sure!"

"Runes?" Sunny observed the battle and watched Sugarcoat narrowly avoid strong blasts of fire from both of the dragons, using some of the marked cards to vanish and reappear in different locations within the cave. "Sugarcoat, you're a lifesaver..."

"Don't thank me just yet." Sugarcoat had to take deep breaths after each cast, holding each card in her muzzle. "The dragon's fire on our horns is still gonna be here for a while, so we should make our escape while we can."

"Leave it to me! I've handled dragons before!" Rainbow Dash flapped her wings and shot towards the dragons, kicking one in the face, before swooping high and dropping her hooves right into the second one's right eye. Despite how strong her attacks were, the dragons didn't wince or stumble backwards an inch. "Huh. You'd think that after joining the Wonderbolts, dragons would be a snap to deal with."

"You're not doing it fast enough, Dash!" Indigo took to the skies and charged towards one of the dragons, driving her hooves up one of the dragon's chins as it was about to bite Sugarcoat and the others. This one was so quick that it did snap the dragon's neck backwards. "That's why the Silver Bullets have your back!" And with a fast spiral dive, Indigo smashed against the other dragon's underbelly and knocked it into the wall of the cave.

"Come on, everyone! Let's get out of here!" Sour Sweet ran towards the exit to the cave with the other ponies galloping behind her. "The sooner we get out of the Dragon Kingdom, the quicker we can forget this ever happened!"

"Don't you run away from us, little ponies!" The female-voiced dragon clawed at the ground and snarled as she unfurled her wings and flew out of the caves, hot on the ponies' tail. "You still need ten minutes to bake! We're not about to let raw ingredients escape like this!"

"Wait for me, Lah'krik!" The second dragon hurried after the ponies as well, blowing steam out of his nostrils. "Don't let them cook without me!"

The ponies were now running through expansive caves with stalagmites and stalactites growing out of every inch. There were small holes along the way, but they were mostly out of reach. Pitfalls and slopes into other caves could be seen through the ponies' sweat-drenched sight. The orange and amber light quickly began to fade the further and further they got away from the lava pool, but it was quickly replenished when the dragons roared and breathed fire at them.

"Get back here!" Lah'krik screamed, flying fast over the ponies' heads. "The Dragon King ordered that you be eaten alive! Don't let us look like idiots!" And she blasted a fireball ahead of the ponies, in an attempt to strike them with the embers launched from the impact.

"Tch. They're on our tails..." Indigo groaned as she and Rainbow Dash both beat their wings faster and faster, just so that they could keep a few inches ahead of the dragons. "Rainbow Dash, if these Wonderbolts really are that strong, then prove it!"

"Oh, I'll prove it alright..." Rainbow Dash began to break a barrier in front of her. Tiny bolts of lightning began to appear as she closed her eyes and felt the energy build up around her. Been a while since I did one of these. Let's hope that I've still got it...

"Back off!" Sugarcoat used more runes to singe Lah'krik's tail and make her yelp, braking in midair. Just as she was about to use another one, she noticed that she had run out of runes in her bags. "Indigo! Rainbow! We're counting on you now!"

As Indigo flew ahead, Rainbow Dash finally broke the threshold and executed a Sonic Rainboom, blasting down the cavernous corridors at lightspeed, straight through a large magma tunnel. The massive blast caused the entire cave to rumble and shake, with rocks beginning to fall from the ceiling and into the rivers of flame below. The caves beyond were so tight and compact that Rainbow had to lean her body to avoid colliding with something. Even turns were a struggle, given how fast she was hurtling through the crumbling caves with her Sonic Rainboom.

"Whoa!" Indigo yelped as she avoided a few falling rocks, keeping up with Rainbow Dash and her trail of prismatic light. "Where'd this come from, Dash?"

"Sonic Rainboom! Patent pending of me, Rainbow Dash!" She yelled over the roar of her flight speed and the loud bangs of each collapsing rock. "Now c'mon! We're almost there!"

"Yeah. But what about the others?" Indigo looked back at the falling stalactites. "Without their magic, they're gonna either get crushed by the rocks or eaten alive by the dragons..."

Soon, Rainbow's eyes widened, and she tried to stop her Sonic Rainboom. But before she could even think of breaking, she was already out of the cave and back into the daylight, rocketing high over the Dragon Kingdom. Her streak of rainbow light was on full display for every dragon there, including that of the Dragon King. She arced her body backwards and tried to fly back down to the cave, but before she could turn the right way, she broke through the smoggy clouds above and found herself high in the air, out of the dragons' sight.

"Whoa!" Rainbow cried out as she finally flapped back under her own speeds and tumbled back down towards the ground. "This... Is... AWESOME!"

"Yeah! But it's not gonna be for the ponies back in the caves!" Indigo Zap burst through the clouds and watched Rainbow topple down through them. "We've gotta go back and get them! And fast!"

Back in the caves, the ponies were all trying to avoid the dragons, while trying to evade the falling rocks and keep out of the heat. Pinkie Pie tried to apply her antiperspirant to the ponies, but because they were all running, it was hard for her to properly apply the vapors to them without wasting any of the gas.

"Oh, I wish we had our magic back!" Twilight leapt over a dragon's bite and picked up the pace, breathing heavier and heavier the longer she ran. "If my horn wasn't fried, I could just teleport us all out of here in a flash!"

"And I'm all out of runes, so we've just gotta stay alive until the heat wears off!" Sugarcoat kept her eyes on the path ahead, but still managed to avoid a large jet of flame from Lah'krik's mouth. "Unless that pink pony has some kind of soothing cream that can cure horn heat!"

"Sorry, girls! My PPPPSK doesn't have anything like that!" Pinkie shook her head and watched the candy inside her pack tumble out and hit the ground. "GAH! MY RATIONS!"

"Stop running!" Lah'krik scowled as the ponies made it towards two bridges over a lava river, which were both beginning to fall apart due to the cave-in. "There's nowhere left for you to go! Just accept your fate and turn to ashes!"

"Hurry, girls!" Rarity charged over one of the bridges, with mascara running down her face like a waterfall of inky goo. "My make-up's running!"

"You're seriously worried about make-up at a time like this?!" Sour Sweet groaned and pushed on, finally breaking through the bridges and heading towards the exit. "I would get mad at you, but I don't want you to die to the dragons!"

"Nowhere left for you..." The second dragon smirked and darted ahead of the girls, standing in their way. He stood proudly and outstretched his wings. "Now you face the might of Rek'shki, the Devou—" But before he could finish, rocks smashed into his head, one after another, knocking him unconscious.

"Rek'shki! NO!" Lah'krik flew into Rek'shki and began to push him out of the caves. "GRRRRAAGH! Just you ponies wait until the Dragon King hears about this! He'll turn you into coal with a single breath!" She screamed as the ponies started to overtake her.

"We're nearly there, ya'll!" Applejack gritted her teeth and swerved around the tumbling stones, inching ever so closer to the sunlight. "C'mon! Ah can see the sky!"

But just as the ponies were about to escape the cave, the Dragon King blocked the entrance with his ferocious gaze. He took in some air and breathed a strong torrent of fire towards the girls, sandwiching them in between the falling rocks and the fire hurtling towards them.

"Ah crud!" Lemon Zest skidded on the tips of her hooves as the fires of the Dragon King got closer to them all.

"C'mon... Please work..." Twilight bit her lips as she lit up her horn, wincing at the pain that stung her due to the lingering dragon fire. Just seconds before the fires and rocks were about to crush and incinerate the group, Twilight and the girls all vanished in a blast of purple light.

Indigo Zap and Rainbow Dash watched the Dragon King fly away from the cave, watching the rocks consume the entrance entirely, sealing off anything within the caves. They both let out real horse screams as they landed on the ground and began to push the fallen rocks away.

"Girls! Ngggh! Girls!" Rainbow Dash called out as she pushed the heavier rocks away from the caved-in entrance. "Are you there?!"

"Speak to us!" Indigo punched the rocks away as hard as she could, flicking away the sweat with each strike.

"What do you want us to say, Rainbow?" Twilight and the others re-materialized behing the two pegasi.

"How about thank goddess for alicorn magic?" Rainbow Dash flew to the girls and gave them all a big hug. "Seriously, though. Don't try and scare me like that. I thought you really were goners this time..."

"Come on, Rainbow Dash. It's gonna take more than a little landslide and dragon fire to stop us." Starlight Glimmer gave her a cocky smirk and nudged her elbows. "You know that by now, don't you?"

"Yeah. Can we get outta here please?" Rainbow Dash shrugged and shuddered at the dragons on the cliffs above them. "All these other dragons are making me pretty nervous..."

"Wait. We've still gotta save Spike." Twilight held her hoof up just as Dash was about to fly away. "The dragons of the Dragon Kingdom still have him trapped in the nurseries."

"After just avoiding being cooked alive, you wanna go back into the caves?!" Sour Sweet shook her head and looked around at the other caves in the Dragon Kingdom. "And here I thought Sugarcoat thought you had a deathwish. This just straight up confirms it!"

"Look, girls. Spike's the closest thing I have to a son in this world." Twilight sternly puffed out her chest. "Dragons or no dragons, I'm. Getting. Him. Back. And you're not gonna stop me!" Before she could let anyone else talk, she galloped off towards the cave where she saw Spike being taken away.

"Twilight! Come back!" Pinkie called out after her. "You haven't had your PPPPSK water bottle!" She picked one out of the bag marked with Twilight's cutie mark with her fluffy pink tail.

The other ponies ran after Twilight, with the White Wings ponies at the back. They kept their heads low and blew the sweat off of their foreheads as they gave chase to the ponies from Equestria. They all knew that it was an incredibly risky venture to take, but they knew that without the help of Twilight and her friends, then they might never be able to stop Umbra once and for all.

"What an idiot..." Sour Sweet grumbled and ran with the rest of her White Wings colleagues.