On a school bus, in the far west of the Celestial Sea, Sunset Shimmer and her friends were still very excited about the adventures they lived through in Camp Everfree, especially the former Unicorn.

"Can somebody please say, 'Best Camp ever!’?" Rainbow Dash asked, energized.

"Best Camp ever! Yippie!" Pinkie Pie shouted zealously, "I'm so nervouscited!"

She didn't know how to feel, excited because of all the things they saw in the Camp and and their new magic. Or nervous, because they had to leave so early to go on sightseeing tour, before they finally reached Canterlot and the hyperactive girl didn't know how to explain her family her new destructive powers, yet.

Of course her big sister Maud would find it hilarious.

"Darling, I'm sitting right beside you. Please try to contain yourself," Rarity scolded her pink friend lightly, "Still, I must say, our new outfits after these 'magical transformations' are simply divine. And the necklaces give them a certain touch. Already they've blessed me with inspirations for new designs," she explained happily.

"Come on, Rares. Ah reckon these fancy stones are kind of good lookin', yeah, but Ah won't participate again in yer fashion shows any time soon," Applejack informed her friend in annoyance.

Suddenly Pinkie's cell phone made noises like a funny sounding cannon, to tell her that she got a message, "Uuuuh, my big sister Maud sent me a message! Let's see... she asked me to give you her regards and says that I should tell you, Applejack, that they're called 'geodes', a specific sort of gem. Not simply stones."

"How did she-?"

"Maud Sense," the younger Pie sibling quickly interrupted Applejack's question, "She knows when you say something wrong about minerals. Maud is a super-duper rock expert. She is gooood. I mean I can never beat her in 'scissor-stone-paper', she always wins with choosing 'rock'. Only her pet, Boulder, is a real challenge for her, he usually makes the hardest choices in this game and his facial expressions are hard to read. Boulder can play poker, too."

"OK. First of all, I refuse to believe that your sister has something like a 'Maud Sense' without any scientific proof. Secondly, I know about the rules of this game Pinkie Pie, and I'm certain that 'paper' always beats 'rock'. It is literally in the rules!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed, rolling her eyes at the impossibility of such things.

"Oh, silly Twilight, you can not beat Maud's rock. Her rock beats you, always, and her Maud Sense absolutely makes sense! Sometimes you just have to believe! I mean everyone knows that, duh," she explained, as if it was an unshakable fact of life. Her friends and fellow classmates just looked at her and tried to stop an oncoming headache.

"Um, Sunset? You didn't say anything since we started our way back. Are you alright? Do you want to talk about something? If you don't mind that is," Fluttershy asked in her caring, gentle voice.

Sunset Shimmer smiled fondly, "It's alright, Fluttershy, I don't mind. I'm just so incredibly... happy." She looked around to make sure that nobody listened in on them for the next part, "As you all know, I'm originally a Unicorn and-"

But before she could say more, Twilight intervened in confusion and shock, "What?!" She lowered her voice after receiving a scolding stare, "Sorry... you want to tell me that you are from that mirror world, too? Like my counterpart from another dimension, who is actually a magical Pony princess of an entire nation? You never told me about it!" Twilight pouted with inflated cheeks.

A sheepish smile adorned the disguised mare's face, "I guess it never came up. But yes, I was born in Equestria as a Unicorn and came to this world to... you know... the whole 'raging she-demon business' I told you about," Sunset quietly explained, so that the other students didn't hear about her heritage.

"Well, yes, you did. I just didn't expect that." The book-loving teenager giggled excitedly, "I can't believe it! It's kind of a very big deal to know that I'm best friends with a magical talking horse in human form."

“Pony,” the amber colored girl commented as she rolled her eyes in good humor, "Don't worry Twilight, it’s fine. Where was I? Oh yes. As I said, I'm a Unicorn by birth, but since I left Equestria I lost contact with my inner magic without my horn. Now..." Her voice almost became sentimental, "Now I can use it again. I feel as if I found something I once lost a long time ago, like I'm finally whole."

Though Rainbow Dash didn't notice the reminiscent tone, perhaps on purpose. "You mean you got in contact with your inner horse again?" She looked impishly at Applejack, then shrugged as if bored, "Whatever suits your fancy I guess. But who knows, maybe our cowgirl here has a spot free in her stable for you to rent. If you ask nicely."

Applejack reacted sincerely scandalized, "Dash! Ya know as well as Ah do that that was mighty uncalled for!" Suddenly a smirk appeared on her face, matching the chromatic teenager's attitude. Sunset didn't like it one bit, "Besides, them mares would probably see her as competition. And Ah can't have our stallions bein' distracted by some new pair of flanks."

The duo, and Pinkie Pie, laughed at the reactions of the remaining Rainbooms. Fluttershy and Twilight were blushing at the unwanted images in their heads, while Rarity and the former Unicorn scoffed at their juvenile behaviour.

"Have you two always be so uncouth?" the fashionista reprimanded them in annoyance.

Fluttershy tried to change the subject and redirected their attention back on the redhead, "The most important thing is that you are happy."

"Sure, it's not really what I expected, because I can see memories, hear thoughts and look into the mind of persons I touch, but still-" Sunset's private space was invaded by an intensely smiling Pinkie Pie. The party planner held her arm in her friend's reach as if to invite her to an never ending ride of insanity without return, a challenging shine in her eyes, "No, I will not look into your head again. There is only so much of your... unique mind I can take."

"Oh Sunny, you old charmer~" Pinkie thanked with a flirting wink.

The transformed equine snorted in mild amusement and expressed her thoughts to her friends, "I just hope we can all learn more about our new magic and maybe finally find an explanation on how it works here in this world."

They girls listened and looked at her with interest.

"Awesome! I mean, since the Fall Formal I always wanted to fly and now we can just call our powers whenever we want. We are like superheroes, who kick villains into the next week," Rainbow Dash said, giddy with thirst for action, "Go, Wondercolts! Now we totally can beat the next threat from Equestria without breaking a sweat."

"Eeyup, Ah think we can handle things better now," Applejack agreed smugly with her rival and friend.

"But this time I won't become arrogant, selfish and prideful again from having magic at my disposal," the Unicorn-turned-human swore to herself, unheard by her friends, "Maybe you are right girls, but we shouldn't think that we will have no problems anymore, just because of our new abilities," she pointed out.

"Sunset is right, Darlings. Overconfidence is something unbecoming of a lady," Rarity supported in a refined tone.

"You are no fun..." Rainbow Dash sulked.

After a few minutes of silence, Vice-Principal Luna went up to the group and started a conversation, "Girls, I just wanted to thank you again in the name of the students, my sister and I. Although, you will have to hide your new powers to the best of your abilities. We don't need more mayhem in the future and it gets harder and harder to make the public believe that all events since the Fall Formal were just accidents and special effects done on a computer. We still have no idea how giant walls of wood out of nowhere could be explained with something else than 'magic'."

Sunset Shimmer thought carefully about her words, "Vice-Principal Luna, we understand your concerns, and yes, we have to remain vigilant. But there is something I think we need to do and I want to address. We have new abilities from the geodes-" she glanced with a subtle grin at Pinkie Pie, who returned the gesture in satisfaction, "-and they have similarities to artifacts from Equestria. There is a set of six objects we Ponies call the Elements of Harmony and from what I understood from Princess Twilight's letters the Elements originated from a crystalline tree, named the Tree of Harmony. They can be found in the Equestrian version of the Everfree Forest."

Luna raised an eyebrow, "You have an Everfree Forest in your world as well?" Sunset nodded. "Strange..."

The amber teenager shrugged her shoulders, "I know it's very hard to believe, but true. I have to admit that I was extremely nervous when I heard the first time that we would make this camping trip in the Everfree Forest. My home's version is much more dangerous and full of predators and other perils."

"How does our new fancy powers play into them equation?" Applejack inquired in bafflement. She groaned after the farmer noticed the curious looks she received, "For Pete's Sake! Laugh it up, will ya? Yes, the cowgirl knows big words, too."

Sunset laughed shortly, "Sorry Applejack. But to answer your question, Gloriosa found these geodes in a cave on a crystalline stump in the Everfree Forest of this world, so I have the theory that we might have found the equivalent of the Elements for Terra. I'm not entirely sure why we actually have seven and not six Elements, but that is something we’ll have to find out. Besides, I've had a... feeling since we started our way back to Canterlot High that we need to learn and understand our magic for the future. Magical disturbances became stronger and appear in smaller time frames, so we have to be prepared."

She looked around and noticed that every person in the group looked at her in wonder, "What? I was once a protégé in magic too, you know? I learned a thing or two about the mechanisms of magic-related incidents along with their meanings and I don't feel comfortable with our situation of navigating through the unknown," she defended herself dryly.

Without any warning the bus driver slammed on the brakes and the students cried out in shock, but luckily nobody was harmed. Suddenly there was an inhuman scream, like from an animal, none ever heard before.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Principal Celestia demanded from the bus driver.

"So-sorry, Principal Celestia, but some... thing just ran across the street out of nowhere and I didn't even know what it was!" he stammered in shock. Before he could say more a giant white claw smashed through the front of the bus and pulled the screaming man out, violently. The students, too shocked to comprehend what they just witnessed, just stared at the windshield's hole with blood on its sharp edges, where their driver once was.

"Wh-what was that?!" a student whispered fearfully.

That was the moment the silence ended. All the teenagers screamed or talked with each other, not sure what just happened. Except a certain Unicorn-turned-human, who was a little scared as well, but she could have sworn that the being that took the driver was kind of familiar.

Before the situation escalated any further, Vice-Principal Luna shouted out loud, "SILENCE!" The volume of her shout ended all discussions and the students looked upon Luna with hope, she or Celestia would tell them what to do next.

"Whatever is happening here, we have to stay calm and-" one of her students had other plans.

"The gr-great and pow-powerful Trixie is calm! She just-"

Suddenly, gut-wrenching screams were heard. The driver, presumably.

"The scared and terrified Trixie just wants to go home!" Trixie Lulamoon exclaimed with tears in her eyes.

Sunset Shimmer made a mad dash for the door, but someone took her arm before she could leave. It was Principal Celestia, "Sunset, no! We don't know what lurks out there! It could get you, too! You students are my responsibility and I won't let any harm come to you!" she announced in conviction for all to hear.

Rainbow Dash talked to herself sarcastically, much louder than intended, "Yes, because that worked out soooo well during the Fall Formal, the Battle of the Bands, the Friendship Games or our time at Camp Everfree." Only now she noticed the shocked stares of her fellow students, her gaping friends, the barely containable laughing fit of Pinkie Pie, a twitching Celestia and a very angry Vice-Principal Luna, "Err, I mean, you are right Principal Celestia! What is your plan?"

The members of the Rainbooms rarely facepalmed this hard before in life.

"I think, Ms. Dash, that we should stay put, call for help with our cell phones and wait," the principal shared her plan cooly.

Sunset tapped the tall woman on the shoulder to get her attention, "Principal Celestia, I know you want to protect us, but we have no proof of whether the bus driver is alright or not. We have to search for him and we can't just abandon someone in need of help. The girls and I... we have these new abilities and we can do great things with it. We are able to protect others, we proved ourselves time and time again and I'm confident we can handle whatever awaits us. So please, just let us help. It is the right thing to do," she implored passionately, dedicated and determined.

Her speech encouraged her friends, previously nervous and afraid because of the sudden event of great violence. They stood beside her, waiting for the principal's decision.

Celestia looked for at least a minute into the young woman's eyes, it seemed like she searched for something, an answer. As if she tried to look into the depths of her student's soul. Eventually she came to a conclusion, "Alright, Sunset. I will trust you." Before Luna could voice any objections about this possible suicide mission, Celestia silenced her younger sister with a hand gesture, an unspoken promise to talk about it later, "But you have to be careful at all times and return to the bus immediately if it gets too dangerous for you. I could not forgive myself if something happened to you." She looked at her students with a sad expression on her face.

Sunset nodded firmly before she examined the other Rainbooms' conviction for herself, "We have to go, now. I will not force any of you to come with me, so it will be your choice. No hard feelings." She smiled at every single one of her friends, one after another, and went on, "I think I have an idea of what creature took the driver, and if my assumptions are correct we will have much bigger problems, because I have no idea how it could come to this world."

"Well, Darling, I can't say tracking a horrible monster in this muddy forest will be good for my attire. But I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we won't abandon you now, after all the things we endured together," Rarity said encouragingly.

"Ye-yes. I know I'm not very brave or strong, but I want to help my friends and others in need. I could not possibly just sit here and worry about you girls," Fluttershy told them with rare courage in her words.

"We both know without my awesomeness you would be lost and besides, we are a team. I would never abandon my friends," Rainbow Dash bragged, pumping her fist into the air with enthusiasm for emphasis.

"They're right, Sugarcube. Ah wouldn't be an Apple if Ah just let ya go and hunt this varmint alone. And m' strength could be handy," the country girl agreed fiercely.

"I know I've only been a part of Canterlot High and friends with all of you for a short time, but I want to help you. Plus, imagine all the things we could learn! A new creature from another world? I hope I have enough paper for taking notes," Twilight ranted about the scientific possibilities and other things.

"Don't worry Shimmy, your Auntie Pinkie Pie is on the case! We will find this Grumpy Mc Meanie Pants in no time and afterwards I will give a 'We-saved-a-man-from-being-eaten-and-found-a-new-creature-party'!” Pinkie Pie assured with her usual vigor.

Fluttershy glanced with narrowed eyes at Pinkie Pie and muttered something inaudible under her breath.

Sunset's eyes shimmered with tears, "Thank you. You are the best friends I could hope for." The girls wrapped their arms around each other in a big group hug one last time and left the bus, right into the unknown dangers of the Everfree Forest.

"W-wait! I will come with you!" Flash shouted in new bravery and jumped out of his seat.

But they were already gone.

"Do not worry, Mr. Sentry. Sunset Shimmer and her friends proved their worth on multiple occasions, we have to believe in them," Celestia advised gently.

Flash groaned like a kicked puppy and sat down again. A strong hit to his pride and sense of honor. "I guess..."

Vice-Principal Luna watched worriedly after the Rainbooms, until they disappeared out of sight. One moment later, she walked up to the principal in silent anger, almost touching noses, "Sister! What is wrong with you?! First you refuse to let them go to keep them safe, as it should be and suddenly you just give them your permission to leave!? Their caretakers will have our heads when they die! We both know that whatever grabbed the driver was surely a predator! A very dangerous predator from what we witnessed. This man will already be dead and these young girls, teenagers no less, won't find anything else than the eaten, bloody remains of this poor soul and a creature which may still be hungry!" the midnight blue woman lectured furiously.

Celestia listened to the words her younger sibling said. She sighed fatefully, "Lulu, I'm completely aware of the consequences of my decision, but since the Fall Formal the problems concerning magic became greater and greater. We have no magical abilities, unlike the girls, to handle the threats on our own. Worse, we even always end up completely helpless at the mercy of the aggressor. It makes me mad to know that I can't do anything to help, or that I have to count on our students to keep us safe. Besides, after the Fall Formal incident I had a long talk with Sunset Shimmer about herself, because I always had the feeling that something wasn't right about her and her files."

"Oh? Pray tell. I certainly wasn't invited to this conversation," Luna commented sourly.

Celestia lowered her head in a remorseful manner, "I apologize, but Sunset requested that her true identity remains hidden to protect the portal. She told me many things about her home, Equestria, and that she is officially 26 years old and not just a normal girl. Sunset Shimmer is an adult in her society, but trapped in the body of a teenager in our world," she explained with pity in her voice.

Luna's eyes widened, "Tia, I didn't know... but why didn't you say anything?" She shook her head. "Regardless, that won't excuse the other students." But that would explain it for her why her sister was on first-name basis with the amber teenager and stopped calling her ‘Ms. Shimmer’ since the Fall Formal.

"You know me, Luna. I don't like to talk about the private life of our students, if possible. I trust Sunset Shimmer. She has something about her that makes me want to believe in her. She helped Princess Twilight with the Dazzlings, defended us in the Friendship Games on her own at the end in this angelic form and now Camp Everfree. Her friends are teenagers, maybe young adults in mind. That I can hear and see. But Sunset Shimmer is something else. After Princess Twilight helped her she became stronger in body and spirit. She was no longer a school bully, because Sunset found something she needed in her life, friendship. I see great amounts of untouched potential in her. She finally learned humility, now she has to use her powers for something greater than herself. We have to trust her," Celestia declared with an absolute faith and dedication.

Luna smiled knowingly at her sister, while the students listened especially to the last part of their conversation, which didn't go over their heads in opposite to the rest, and looked with respect at their principal, touched by her conviction.

One student couldn't contain his feelings any more and let it all out, "YEAHHHH-HA-HA-WAAAHA-HA-HA," cried Bulk Biceps in all the masculinity he could muster.

Sunset led their team into the forest in search for the bus driver. The girls followed traces they found. After that, they decided to follow the direction of the now silenced screams. These traces came in the form of giant footprints, but nobody knew what kind of animal made them. Clouds started to gather in an unusually short amount of time. The sky had been clear twenty minutes ago, and now it had started to rain.

They lost the tracks fast, a problem the least patient person in the group was quick to point out, "Come on! We already searched like three hours or something and found nothing!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed in sheer boredom, "Where are the footprints? I would take other hints, too. Anything at all! I mean, we are going in the right direction, right?" She received annoyed grunts in return.

The forest was sparse in its number of trees at the beginning of their quest, but now tree after tree, and dense undergrowth to boot, made it difficult to wander the Everfree Forest. Thick beeches and firs made up a big part of the environment in the moment, and some odd plants were around, too. In the distance, for example, was an entire open field of beautiful, mysterious flowers with a fluorescent blue color. Sunset Shimmer could have sworn that these plants looked familiar, but from where? In some places the trees blocked out the sun and without their cell phones they might have thought it was night already.

An unnatural cold started to crawl up their spines and not only from the rain, giving them the creeps.

"Rainbow Dash, don't be like that. We can't give up now just because we have no clues. He’s counting on us," Twilight scolded her friend for her impatience.

"Ah reckon we should hurry up. Ma' cellie tells me it’s t'be afternoon soon. Ah sure hope the poor fella is still kickin'," Applejack voiced her concerns.

"Applejack-" Rarity started to reprimand, "-don't even think about it. This option is maybe in the realm of possibilities, but we shouldn't lose hope. We have to stay positive. The-" she looked upon her high heels, "-my footwear is absolutely ruined by all this mud! That is the Worst! Possible! Thing!" the fashionista mourned about the loss of her shoes. They shall be missed and never be forgotten.

Sunset chuckled quietly at her friends' antics. Then she had an idea how they might find the driver and the creature, "Hey Fluttershy, now that you can talk to animals, could you maybe ask them if they saw anything out of the ordinary?"

"I can try, but something is definitely not right in this forest. Normally you can encounter animals everywhere, but here is only... silence. I didn't see a single little critter since we started to walk in the Everfree. That is not normal and it’s making me nervous, but I'm more worried about all the animals. Something seems to have scared them away. They are hiding, Sunset," Fluttershy replied in growing fear. "But I still want to try, if that is OK with you."

She started to concentrate on animals, like in Camp Everfree, where the birds landed upon her arms and head after thinking about all the cute little critters she could encounter, even if it was more an accident at first. It was as if they knew they could trust her and that the animal-lover meant no harm. Then she heard it, faint wing beats in the distance. They became louder in time, but it sounded, as if they belonged to a very big bird and finally they saw it in all its glory.

The most beautiful and regal being they ever saw entered their sight. With a wingspan of at least 3 meters it descended upon them. It had a plumage of a brilliant royal purple over its entire body and vivid orange on the chest and stomach. Its body looked like it was encased in blazing purple fire, luminous green eyes greeted them in close distance. The beak and claws had a colorset, made in the image of the sun at dawn, in a brilliant maroon. Sunset Shimmer remembered this proud animal to her former teacher's pet phoenix, Philomena.

"Oh my... it is simply divine! This beauty, this coloration and such marvelous plumage!" Rarity gushed over the mythical bird.

"That is incredible, is that a phoenix? But they’re just legends!” Twilight exclaimed. “Where did this phoenix come from Sunset? Equestria? How many of them are here? What subspecies could we find? So many questions!"

Pinkie Pie jumped up and down, "Wow Fluttershy, you are a phoenix-tamer! What comes next, a dragon?" she asked gleefully.

"No," the amber teenager simply stated.

"What do ya mean, Sugarcube?" Applejack inquired.

"I mean that this phoenix did not exist in Equestria and I read a lot about them, because they were and still are my favourite animals. I never read or heard about a kind of phoenix with so big and with these colors. But I'm not sure about it. Fluttershy, please ask him where he came from and why."

"Uhm, Mr. Phoenix, sir? Can you tell me about you, please? Where did you come from and why do you want to help us? AndcouldImaybepetyoubecauseyourplumagelookssofluffyplease?" Fluttershy asked with a squee sound, the last question with such enthusiasm and at a speed, only known by Pinkie Pie.

Twilight gave her friend a notepad and a pen for important information. The phoenix 'talked' with Fluttershy and she listened for the next few minutes, making notes when she thought something was important. After the end of the ‘conversation’, she petted the phoenix and thanked it, "Thank you very much, Mrs. Phoenix. I will talk to my friends and tell them what you said to me."

"Mrs. Phoenix?" Rainbow Dash repeated curiously.

Fluttershy turned around to face her friends and started to explain herself, "Yes, Rainbow, that was the first thing she told me. She is a female phoenix and came to us, because she felt that we needed help, but I don't have any idea how she knew it. What she told me is very important and it is hard to understand how all that is even possible, but I hope I can tell it right with the notes I made," Fluttershy stated nervously.

“Don’t worry my dear. You can start whenever you feel ready,” Rarity said encouragingly.

"Uhm, If you don't mind, don't interrupt me please, because I'm not so good at telling stories and answering questions at the same time, alright?" Fluttershy pleaded and the girls agreed, "Well, from what Mrs. Phoenix told me she wasn't always a phoenix, she once was a buzzard, but some time ago she changed. If I understood her correctly, this happened around the time of the Friendship Games. She and many, many other animals were changed by something. Perhaps magic? She said that it felt like something, well, awoke inside of her and that's what started the change. Once the changes were complete, Mrs. Phoenix had a strong urge to see the world. Safe to say, she saw that many things had indeed changed. Normal animals transformed into new creatures she never saw before and plants evolved from her description."

"What kind of description did she give ya? Perhaps we'll know what animals she was talkin' about and they are only unknown to her. Where is the gal comin' from?" Applejack tried to understand.

Fluttershy was surprised by the much too calm exterior of her friend while the animal-lover herself was a nervous wreck on the inside, "Y-yes, you are right. They turned into other mythological animals. Manticores, cockatrices, phoenixes, and many others. I have no idea what most are, but some of them scare me very much alone from their depiction. Mrs. Phoenix came, if I understood her description of her home correctly, originally from the southern regions of Prance. She said something else I don't understand... the elementals awoke," she finished her thrilling story.

Rarity fainted.

All were stunned by what they heard. How was that possible? Did someone else find Equestrian magic and caused all this? What were these 'elementals'?

"Ok, seriously girls, that is all levels of freaky. I mean, are we really talking about a magical incident that affects the whole freaking world? Not only Canterlot High or the area nearby? One part of me thinks that's the best thing ever. Another part of me is worried, a little bit," Rainbow Dash broke the silence in an attempt to be brave.

"A little? A little?! Are you kidding?! That changes everything! Not only are fauna and flora transforming into new species at neck-breaking speed, which defies all laws of evolution by the way, but mythological animals no less! And something much worse is going on here! I can feel it, and it's all my fault! Mrs. Phoenix said that it happened shortly after the Friendship Games. What can we do?! What should we do? Is there anything we can do to reverse it?!" Twilight panicked and hyperventilated heavily over the whole situation, near a mental breakdown. Sunset slapped her lightly in the face with her right hand.

"Twilight, snap out of it! Worrying yourself into a frenzy won't help us to solve this. Besides, it is not your fault. Cinch blackmailed you into participating in the first place and threatened to destroy your future if you didn't comply." The amber girl looked at the rest of the group and noticed the visible tension on their faces, "OK, girls. I have to say that this is much, much bigger than I thought or feared. The moment we are back in Canterlot City I must write to Princess Twilight about it and together we can come up with a plan." Sunset summarized her thoughts about the whole mess. She focused on the animal whisperer, "Fluttershy, please ask Mrs. Phoenix if she saw the driver or the creature that took him and if she could bring us to its lair."

This was much beyond all other threats they encountered, but with the Magic of Friendship they could overcome the incoming storm, right?

"Ah need to return to Sweet Apple Acres to make sure that Big Mac, Apple Bloom and Granny Smith are safe. If 'n these changes are happening world wide Ah have to protect ma’ kin," Applejack intervened worriedly in her friend's plan.

Rarity, back from her very short unconsciousness, put a hand on the cowgirl's shoulder, "Darling, please calm yourself. I'm sure your family is fine. They are safe on your farm. Trust me, I'm worried about Sweetie Belle myself, but we have to see the bigger picture, dear. From what I understood of the facts, animals and plants are turning right now into beings that were only known in fiction and mythology. Sunset is right; we have to find the poor man and afterwards we will return to the bus.”

Applejack looked at her friend with a slightly shocked expression at how much sense that made and blushed a little for losing her head so easily.

The fashionista continued slyly, “Please, don't look so surprised. And give me some credit. My dream always was to work in the world of fashion later. I have to look at the bigger picture and can't waste my inspiration for minor things too much. The world of fashion doesn't wait until you made up your mind, or you will be as popular as last season garments."

"Rares is right, AJ. Chillax, will ya? Let's go and together we will kick the butt of whatever kidnapped the bus driver. But what I don't understand is, how can this spread so easily? I thought our military and the military forces from the rest of the world would just shoot anything dangerous, or something like that. Shouldn't that be all over the news by now?" Rainbow Dash asked in a confused manner.

Sunset answered her friend's question with her own theory, "I'm not entirely sure why we didn't hear about military actions, Rainbow, because something like that can no longer be kept a secret. That's impossible if the changes are happening around the entire world. But my theory is... magic. No, hear me out. You humans underestimate the power and influence magic can have. There are many kinds of magic in existence and lot of those kinds are not even known to ponykind, because most sapient races have their own and it can't be copied by others."

"That's interesting and all, but what does that mean for us? I have a serious case of knee-twitching, hand-shaking and tummy-rumbling. My Pinkie Sense could try to tell me now that something very bad will happen soon... or I'm just hungry and low on sweets," Pinkie Pie added humorously in an attempt to lighten the mood.

The results weren't satisfying.

The former Unicorn continued, "Well, you have to know that we Ponies assign spells and specific types of magic into its own 'tier', which exist all together in a system we call: Clover's Caste. We can use magic for example to levitate, like Twilight does, we can create shields for defense, like Rarity, or transform objects into something else. Feats are possible like invisibility, standard magic beams, the forming of pacts with familiars and many other things. Before I came to this world I visited the forbidden section in the Royal Library in the Equestrian Canterlot many times and learned a lot of things about 'Dark Magic'. I never quite understood why Princess Celestia and all the other Ponies called some types of magic that.”

Twilight raised an hand after hearing the last part and was about to ask a question, but Sunset was faster. Thanks to experience, when she had to go through the motions with the other Rainbooms already, knew what was coming.

“Yes, Twilight, in Equestria Principal Celestia is Princess Celestia, the immortal ruler of Equestria, who raises and lowers the sun and has for at least 5000 years now. Vice-Principal Luna is a princess, too, and the co-ruler with her sister. She raises and lowers the moon." The bookworm opened her mouth anew, ready to tell how impossible that was, "Yes Twilight, I'm well aware, that every book of physics has to keep its distance from Equestria. One day I will tell you more about my homeworld, but not now.” That caused the bibliophile in question to lower her raised hand, closing her mouth in acceptance, for now.

"Can you read minds without touching anybody?!" Pinkie screamed in excitement.

The amber girl ignored the question, “Back to what I wanted to say, in the so called 'Dark Magic' section were spells for things like changing one’s appearance." Rarity's eyes sparkled like stars, "Then there's the tier known as Domination. For example having someone under you as a thrall would be the most nefarious purpose of this kind of magic. Otherwise you could for example just ask a criminal for important informations in a case of abduction, or simply put others to sleep. There are offensive spells for battle, too, but I didn't read that much about it. I only researched that much there, because I was obsessed with the mirror portal and wanted to understand how it worked."

Twilight gave Sunset a sympathetic smile.

Tears of regret accumulated themselves in the corners of her eyes, "The princess always refused to answer my questions, so I disobeyed her and you all know how that ended," Sunset finished her explanation for the girls, "My point is, magic has a very high abundance in its purposes and human technology is great, that is a fact without a question. But at the end of the day weapons in this world are not the most effective means against foes who use it."

The group looked at their friend and mulled over her words in their heads. She was right, magic could in many ways outsmart normal weapon technology in the world and partially ignore the laws of physics like they didn't matter anymore. Still, there should be enough weapons which could surely harm most beings.

But even then, why did they never hear about anything in the newspaper or the internet already?

They followed the phoenix, who agreed to aid them after Fluttershy asked nicely. Luckily for them, on her way, Mrs. Phoenix saw a strange creature taking something into a cave, a quarter of a mile south from their position. In the afternoon, the rain calmed down to a drizzle. After another hour they finally found the giant hideout and decided to investigate, the respect inducing animal left them after they all showed her their gratitude.

"Alright girls, it seems we found our mysterious creature's lair. Time to get serious," Rainbow Dash boasted determinedly.

"Hold your horses, Nelly-" Sunset looked offended, "-we have t' make a plan. We can't just storm in," Applejack explained to her long-time rival, "Sunset, do ya have an idea?"

"Yes, we will stay close together. You and Rarity should be in the front for protection. She can use her shield to save us if needed and you have your strength. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie will follow at the back of the group for fast intervention while Twilight, me and Fluttershy will be in the middle, because Twilight can levitate things from the distance, while me and Fluttershy will be the group’s eyes,” she proposed confidently, "Let’s go."

The Rainbooms concentrated and the geodes around their necks started to glow in a bright light. After it ceased completely, the girls wore the same attires they had after their fight against Gloriosa in Camp Everfree.

"I can't get enough from those fabulous designs," Rarity stated giddily.

"Oh! Can I make things explode again, now? I have sprinkles!" Pinkie Pie took a bag of sprinkles out of her hair. However she did that, Sunset felt that she had more important things to do than questioning the walking impossibility, known as Pinkie Pie. Twilight's left eye twitched, hard.

They ventured deeply into the cave and were assaulted by a well-known and infamous stench, decay.

Fluttershy looked violently ill, even her worst times at the shelter didn’t prepare her for such sights. Rarity and Pinkie Pie ran to the side and voided their stomach contents for a short time.

"Oh my... how can you stand that horrible and disgusting smell?" Rarity asked her friends through her by hands covered mouth.

"Ah've already smelled ma’ fair share of decay from dead animals on ma’ farm. Them wolves and other varmints killed some of our pigs before we could build better protections," Applejack replied nonchalantly, still a little bit green in the face.

"I had scientific projects in medicine with corpses and it was really interesting. Well, after I learned to control my stomach that is. At some point I got desensitized to it, I guess," Twilight admitted awkwardly.

"Duh, I'm too awesome to puke. Besides, I want to be a part of the Wonderbolts one day. You have to be able to handle things like that," the chromatic teenager said like it would explain everything.

Twilight scrunched up her nose, "The Wonderbolts? Aren't they this special unit of the Air Force, the elite pilots who do air shows?” Rainbow gave a proud nod before Twi continued, "I think their much too inflated budget is a giant waste of taxes. I don't understand why they would be appealing, it's not like they are doing anything important after all."

The blue girl's following expression of sincere betrayal and shock was history book worthy, “The whole Wonderbolts show is just promotions for the Air Force, but they can do more than that; elite pilots, remember? They can do anything another pilot does, only more awesome. They get the best equipment in case they have to do more than air shows.”

Twilight blushed in defeat, having to admit that the military was never her field of interest.

But all eyes focused on Sunset Shimmer in this moment instead, wondering how she didn't vomit all over the place already, especially, because she was once a herbivore and until this day a full-on vegetarian. The girl in question just rolled with her eyeballs in response to their waiting stares, "Girls, I won't throw up, because I learned a long time ago that you may encounter such things every now and then. In my... more ambitious times I visited the Hayseed Swamps in Equestria to learn about the more dangerous creatures of the country. I didn't want to fear others; I was too prideful for that at the time. To make it simple, the swamps had places which smelled not much better than that. And I found my fair share of sights of what nature is capable of without a Pony’s influence."

The former Unicorn felt ashamed of her older self. Suddenly arms wrapped themselves around her body and reminded her that her friends would have her back.

They used the flashlights they had to illuminate the cave walls and then they found... them. Gnawed bones, scattered organs, body parts and blood on every inch of the floor and lower walls. There was much more than one victim.

"Great horny toads! That sure is disturbing. How many people died in here?" Applejack whispered, visibly shocked to her core. The others weren't faring much better. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie even had to close their eyes and whimpered in each other arms.

Sunset looked upon her friends, specially the more sensible ones, "You can wait here if you want, but we have to search for the driver. Maybe deeper we will find some-"

"NO!" Fluttershy screamed in outrage, the girls were shocked by the outburst of their shyest member, "I won't wait here for you. Yes, it is without a doubt the cruelest and most disgusting thing I have ever witnessed, but I didn't come with you just to give up now, if we are so close."

Pinkie Pie, now with much more deflated hair, watched her normally very timid friend's heated reaction and made a decision, "She's right. Whatever did that will have to face the consequences for the lives of those victims. Something threatens all of us here and it needs to be stopped. Such a party pooper can't be excused," Pinkie Pie announced with a sad and still determined expression on her face.

They were even more surprised about their usually enthusiastic friend's level of seriousness with which she said those words to announce such a thing.

In the end of the cave they found what they searched for; The bus driver, or at least the remainder of him. On his shirt was a white tag with his name, ‘Long Driver’, as well as stains of blood. From what was still recognizable, he was a man in his mid-forties, with a sickly green skin color, possibly because of his death and blood loss and a little, blue colored beard around his chin.

"W-well, we f-found him." Twilight whispered, barely audible. Applejack took her hat off of her head, holding it in front of her to pay him and all the other victims her respect.

Silence reigned the situation.

In the back of their minds was always this lingering knowledge that there was no real chance that the driver may have survived this attack, having fallen victim to an effective and merciless predator. But the thought of surrendering never crossed their mind even remotely. And why should it? Their track record spoke volumes about the value of their Equestrian magic, their success rate the amazing feats the Elements of Harmony were capable of, the depth of their friendship.

No matter whether it was the Fall Formal, the Battle of the Bands, the Friendship Games, or Camp Everfree, casualties were never even a fleeing possibility on the agenda. The group of friends never experienced something like that, a few bruises, a bit of property damages, but never death until now.

A sad realization struck them mercilessly. The Magic of Friendship couldn't bring back the dead, nor could it save the poor man.

Twilight looked to the right and screamed in despair. She dove to the side and held her flashlight in the direction of two horribly disfigured, but familiar bodies. She broke down and sank to her knees, bawling furiously. The girls came to her aid and cried out in shock and fear upon finding the reason of her anguish.

Before them lay the corpses of two people they just left not even ten hours ago, the directors of Camp Everfree; Gloriosa Daisy and Timber Spruce.

The lavender girl sobbed about the entire time, "Why...? Why?! I-I know I just had a crush on him, but it hurts so muuu-huhu-ch. I w-w-wanted to meet him again so that we could get to know each other better. I even had his cellphone number!" Twilight was a wreck. Rarity held her and whispered promises of better times into her ears.

Time would slowly heal her wounds, though their young love had no chance to begin.

The rest of the Rainbooms gave them space and stood to the left of them in a semicircle, still deeply disturbed by their discovery. Then Fluttershy stated with tears falling down her cheeks, "The poor, poor thing," she mourned for her friend's loss.

"Yeah, no party in the world could make something like that better. I'll try to make her smile when she feels ready for laughing again," Pinkie Pie said in a somber tone.

Rainbow Dash took the role of the voice of reason for a change of pace, "Girls, we all know Twilight had a crush on Timber. But we can't stay here. We have to go before whatever did that comes back. We have to face it in the open, not here in a dark, bloody cave."

The cowgirl nudged the tip of her hat upwards, accepting their new plan, "Ah reckon Rainbow’s right, we have to leave this place, Ah'll go and tell Rares and Twilight." With that idea in mind, Applejack walked to the tear stained girls to tell them about their plan.

Sunset was conflicted. She knew whatever animal did that had to be put down for their own safety and future humans who might otherwise come across this creature, but... what would Princess Twilight say about that? What would she do? Violence, as a first answer, was heavily frowned upon in Equestria. The forced end of a life was something akin blasphemy in Equestrian law, murder.

She remembered their conversations with the magic linked books.

Now that she thought about it, death and major injuries seemed never to be parts of Princess Twilight's adventures in Equestria. Sunset Shimmer wondered why. Had they always great luck? Skill? Twilight always solved problems with, well, friendship, in most cases.

But she would have to do it. Princess Celestia taught her once that a true ruler always protected their subjects. OK, the girls were not her subjects, but still, she had to protect what was dear to her. She had to protect her friends. The question was how. She could only look into other minds. Not the most offensive way to fight a foe. Hopefully, she couldn't see the memories of animals. She didn't touch an animal to test it out since she gained her ability. The amber teenager really didn't want to see how it killed its prey.

Sunset stalked over to Rarity, Applejack and Twilight, joining them. "Darling, I know you feel awful, but we have to go now," the fashionista advised her friend with a pleasant, calm tone in her voice.

"Applejack told you about our plan. You understand what we have to do?" the redhead inquired empathically.

The lavender teenager looked upon her with red, puffy eyes and just nodded weakly in response. Together they left the cave. At least the rain had stopped.

They stood outside of the entrance to discuss their next move, "Any ideas on how we can find that creature, except to wait for it?" Rainbow asked her friends.

"Oh! Oh! Pick me! Take me and be ready. I know what to do," Pinkie Pie announced with confidence and a small smile, her hair was already a little more like before they entered the cave. She ran up a nearby big hill, north of the cave, and waited for the girls to catch up. They prepared themselves for the impending fight and wondered what kind of plan their pink friend had in mind. Pinkie faced the open forest in front of them under the hill, made a dramatic pose and asked in a monotone voice that Maud would be proud of, "What could possibly go wrong?" They waited, nothing happened.

"Pinkie, darling. Whatever was that?" Rarity asked carefully with a confused, unsure smile and sheer bewilderment.

A shared sentiment by all witnesses.

To answer the question, Pinkie Pie fell dramatically on her knees and muttered, with a sincere expression of shock on her face, just loud enough for her friends to hear, "The animes lied to me..." The group facepalmed with force.

The seven girls wandered around the surroundings of the south side of the hill, cave still in sight, in the hope of finding something. Sunset didn't understand. Nowhere were any tracks around the cave and environment. Maybe the creature didn't walk on the around like they assumed?

And then she heard them, wings. But they were much bigger than the wings of the phoenix from the sound they made, "I hear wing beats! Whatever did this, here it comes!" Sunset called loudly. They turned around to look in the same direction as their friend and a shadow approached them. The figure came closer and closer. In a fast dive it landed in front of them, at a fair distance and caused dust to block their view.

Fluttershy hid behind Applejack, much to the farmer's displeasure.

After the dust was cleared by wind they could only stare with open mouths at the... thing before them. And it was massive. They were not sure if they would be able to survive this encounter.

It stood on four legs and looked like a fusion of different animals. At least 2 meters at shoulder height, with big, hardened muscles. It’s body was that of a lion, though black furred. This was topped by two heads upon long necks, the right also that of a black furred lion, though it had ice blue eyes and a pair of tusks. The right however was that of a dragon with white scales, ruby red eyes, a long sharply tapered snout and a pair of helical silver horns. Its legs looked like those of a lion, though they ended with the taloned white scaled feet of a dragon. Scales guarded the being's back upon which it sported white dragon wings while its tail was not a tail, but a thick King cobra. Measuring at least 2.5 meters in length, its scales were coloured in three shades of blue, and it had long fangs with which to inject poison.

A chimera had appeared.

What nobody expected from this ‘beast’ was its ability to talk. With all three heads, no less.

"Lookssss like thissss time our prey decided to come to ussss," the snake lisped in a seductive sounding female voice.

In a male voice, loud and prideful, the lion agreed, "These humans shall be our next meal."

The dragon watched the group in front of them closely and voiced his opinion in a smooth male voice, paired with hidden wisdom, "Be careful, you fools, those humans have magic at their disposal, I can feel it. We should be cautious. They are more than the mere weaklings we encountered so far."

"Wait, wait, wait. You can talk?!" Pinkie Pie summarized the feelings and thoughts of the girls in the most simple way.

"Indeed, human. Why? Are you deaf?" the snake taunted, amused by such sentiments.

"But I don't understand!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed, frustrated and astonished at the same time, "We thought a wild animal killed all the humans, but you can clearly talk, like us! You are sapient! Why didn't you hunt normal animals?! Why did you kill all those humans... why Timber?" her eyes moistened.

The lion laughed furiously, "HA! You want to know why? That is easy to explain. You humans are the easiest prey we've encountered in these woods. For some time, as you might have guessed by now, animals started to turn into something new, something better. Some stayed the same, but most evolved. Heightened senses, sharpened instincts, new abilities, all animals adapted more and more. But you humans change at a much slower rate and your race always lacked the natural connection to our world, unlike other species. You should know by now that the weak will be devoured by the strong. That is how the food chain works," he ended his explanation smugly.

Sunset was tired of their situation. One mystery followed the next and she feared that they had bitten off much more than they could chew this time. She needed explanations, and she needed them now, "We came to punish whatever killed the humans, but I'm not so sure anymore." Before her friends could voice their disagreement, she silenced them with a pleading look and turned back to face the chimera, "Look, I understand that you think of us as prey. But I have questions, which need to be answered. That being said, could you please tell us what happened exactly that caused all this?"

The lion yawned in boredom, "Why should we talk to our food? We have no reason to-"

Before he could go further, the dragon surprised them and used one of their claws to close the lion’s mouth, fixating Sunset Shimmer with his eyes, "I see... yes, now I understand. Magic from another realm resides in all of you. This exposure slowly triggers your magical talents, originating from this world," the dragon mused.

"Awesome! So we have even more magic in us? And cool new magic, too?" Rainbow Dash asked eagerly. Completely forgetting that this was most likely the one, or ones, responsible for many deaths.

"You could say that," the dragon continued, slightly amused, "After we came into existence we were blessed with many things by the magic of this world. For example with sharpened instincts, the ability to speak freely and knowledge, depending on the race. I, as a dragon, have a deeper connection to the world and its mechanisms. I don't know everything, before you ask, but enough to make you understand what you need to understand, humans."

"That better be good ya nothin' for good varmint! Y'all killed good people!" Applejack added in fury. Only thinking about the possibility that her own kin could end up like the poor victims in the cave made her blood boil.

The dragon, much to most of the group's secret relief, decided to ignore the farmer's threat, "You have to realize that magic was always a part of this world. Every stone, every plant, every animal, from the most complex being to the smallest grain of sand. Without magic, nothing can exist. You humans just chose to forget. In your earlier history you had some kind of connection to the magic of this world, if only in tiny sparks sometimes. But in time you wanted to find explanations for the world you lived in that suited your beliefs. You wanted to shape it and define it after your own image. Much was lost and forgotten, even by history itself. For this purpose, you used religion and later science. Magic had no longer a place in your world view, except as something evil or fictional."

"But if magic always existed, why didn't we have any clear evidence of its existence in our history books? There is only so much someone can do to suppress the truth of such a tangible force," Rarity commented wonderingly.

The mythical beast stroke his chin with a claw, thinking about his answer, "It rested, human, waiting to return anew. Only a spark was needed, a trigger to start the changes you see now before you. In the last... months, I believe you humans measure time, magic from another realm leaked into this world, and served as that trigger. One day it would have awakened on its own, but in this way the process occurred at a much faster rate. Much more interesting is that both these forms of magic started to fuse with each other in some ways. I don't know exactly what that means for you, but in time you may find out. Many things awoke from their slumber, but most importantly, two days ago a great disturbance awoke the elementals of this world. Something happened to them."

Sunset muttered to herself. Her mind felt like it raced at 1000 miles per hour, "Again these 'elementals'. That is the same thing the phoenix told Fluttershy. And... two days ago? That was the day we had the fight with Gloriosa in Camp Everfree and we transformed the very first time with the help of the geodes..." She needed to know the truth, "But what are these 'elementals' you speak of?"

"The elementals represent the natural forces of nature. There are five natural elements in total: fire, water, earth, air and thunder. They are the forces of creation itself you might say, to simplify it for now. Every element has their own kinds of elementals. I don't know much about them, but I do know that something awoke them and they are beginning to wander this plane of existence. That is all I can say for sure. You have to investigate further, if you wish to find out more on this matter," the dragon finished his story calmly.

"Uh, Mr. Dragon, sir? I think we now have a better picture from the situation we are in, but may I ask as to the reason you didn't attack us like our fellow humans? Not that I'm ungrateful, the opposite in fact; I'm positively delighted and you have the thanks of a lady, but what are your reasons for sparing us?" Rarity asked what most of the group thought.

"Adaptation, young one. Every human we encountered so far had nothing more than unnaturally high amounts of fear of us. Even more, sometimes, the moment we started to speak. They thought they had lost their mind and had gone mad. Some thought they were in a coma or suffered from hallucinations. Others started to hurt themselves in order to awaken, again others tried to hurt us with petty actions in false bravery and only received death in return. Not only because they were easy to hunt, but they were weak excuses for living beings. I have no patience for fools and lunatics," he explained in great disdain.

"Not everybody is like that though..." Pinkie replied sadly.

The proud predator concurred, "I do not say that this is the norm for all humans. You, for example, seem to be able to see reason. That is why I decided to let you go, or rather I have the feeling you could play a greater role in future events to come. I trust my instincts' advice."

The girls excused themselves, moving a little bit away from the chimera and discussed what this new knowledge could mean for them and others.

Nobody else noticed, except the lion and the snake, because they shared one body, but the dragon had his focus mostly on a certain individual of his interest. He glanced for the blink of an eye in the direction of Sunset Shimmer. They both agreed with the dragon, she seemed to be more than a simple human, they just couldn't figure out why.

"Ah have no idea what to think about this. They killed more than their fair share of innocent and Ah can't forgive them for that, but Ah have to say Ah'm not entirely unhappy that we could avoid a fight. Ah don't think we are ready for that kind of rodeo, yet. Sorry that Ah snapped like that, Ah nearly messed up somethin' fierce," Applejack admitted in frustration.

"Don't sweat it, cowgirl. I'm sure we could totally handle these guys. I mean, come on, we could shoot them with our rainbow powers and even if not. I'm super fast, you’re super strong, Pinkie Pie can make things explode, Rarity can shield us, Twilight can levitate things and Sunset and Fluttershy can cheer us on," Rainbow Dash explained confidently, ignoring the deadpan looks she received from the last two persons mentioned.

"I have to agree with Applejack. They seemed very brutish at first sight, but I fear our limited experience in the province of real battle would give us a big disadvantage," Rarity argued neutrally, "Fluttershy dear, you didn't say anything until now. Are you still shaken?"

She touched the shy girl on her shoulder.

The nervous teenager recoiled, "Eep! Oh, I'm sorry. They were just so scary and I was too scared of them to say anything, especially the dragon, he makes me very nervous. I'm happy that Mr. Dragon, Mr. Lion and Mrs. Snake decided not to eat us, so please don't provoke them Rainbow Dash, if you don't mind." Fluttershy pleaded with her oldest childhood friend.

"Guys? Has anybody any idea where we are and how to get back to the bus?" Pinkie asked innocently. They just gaped at her in response.

The chimera walked up to them, having heard the last question. The lion answered this time and gestured back to the big hill, north of the cave, "You were up there and searched for us before we found you, right? Go back to the top and this time look in the other direction. You should find what you are looking for."

Most of the Rainbooms gave a silent nod and left for the hill, Sunset stopped a few moments later, signaling the others that she would catch up to them. She turned around to face the chimera once again.

"What do you wissssh to know thissss time, curioussss one?" the snake asked, with faked interest.

"Your name," Sunset simply stated.

"What? Why? We have no need or desire for a name, unlike you humans." The lion scrutinized her motives for such a stupid question.

"My name is Sunset Shimmer. I only wanted to thank you, because you helped us, kind of. Don't misunderstand me. I can't just forget what you did, but I can understand why you did it," she reasoned with firm belief.

The snake tried to pronounce her name, but failed miserably, "Ssssunsssset Sssshimmer. What kind of tongue twissssting madnessss issss thissss?!" the snake demanded, angered.

Suddenly, the dragon exploded into loud, amused laughter, ignoring the plight of the snake. After he calmed down he looked into Sunset's eyes, "I don't know if you are very brave or insane. You are completely alone in this very moment. We could just kill you in many different ways right now, if we so desired, but you state clearly your displeasure about the way we live. I advise you strongly to keep your honesty in check. Being bold to the wrong kind of beings may easily be the end of you and others you care for. As I already stated, this world has its own magic since its very dawn. That means that every being can be bequeathed with a form of magic. If you want to find and learn to master it, you should concentrate and search for your inner sanctum. In time you may find the answers you seek, Sunset Shimmer. Or, if you are lucky, your power will find you."

Sunset closed her eyes and thought briefly about the chimera's words. She opened them again to ask more questions, but their former enemy was gone without a trace, like it never existed in the first place. Utterly confused by their disappearance, she searched for her friends as her only remaining option.

Still, a single question remained in the end. Was the newly awoken magic in the atmosphere responsible for the fact that their outfits didn't change back already?

Unsure about all the questions she still had, Sunset Shimmer finally caught up to the others. She was wondering why none of her friends waited for her or came back to look after her in the first place. They stared into the distance, but something was terribly wrong. The girls all had an unhealthy, pale shade of skin color.

Tears streamed down Fluttershy’s and Rarity's cheeks, Pinkie Pie had straight hair and looked like a frozen statue, an unchanged expression of disbelief on her face. Twilight wore a mask of complete horror and Rainbow Dash and Applejack looked like they were close to a breakdown, mouths wide open.

Sunset followed the gaze of her friends, not sure what to expect and nothing could have prepared her for the scene she had to witness. She wondered how she could have missed it the whole time. In the far distance, a macabre show presented itself to the group. Maybe the gates of Tartarus opened, she had thought.

In the distance the once proud city of Canterlot, home of the infamous Canterlot High, bane of the sirens, and venue of the Friendship Games, was nothing more than a blazing inferno.

Author's Notes:

Edited version uploaded: 02/06/19
Proofread by: Javarod

Greetings my avid readers!

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

First of all, I didn't forget Spike, if somebody thinks that. He will just come in later.

Secondly, I DO NOT ship, I don't write romance and I can't write romance, easy as that. Only in little parts maybe and not with the mainfocus on romance.

I wanted to implement the Equestria Girl Movies entirely and I can't change it that the movie-writers implemented romance between Twilight and Timber. :heart But I still appreciate well-written stories with romance as the focus, like most well-written ones. If the plot is well enough or just something for a good laugh I can appreciate many kinds of fics.

I say that just in case somebody wants to lash out in the commentsection, because they think I killed off characters, because I 'dislike' them in any shape or form. Timber and Gloriosa were simply at the wrong time at the wrong place.

Furthermore, for a little help of orientation in the much later chapters for the Pony world, besides my own ideas I planned to use parts of the following map by MisiekPL, all credits for it goes to him, called simply "Map of Equestria" from DeviantArt. A good peace of art in my opinion: Here.

By the way, I try to change the look of Equestria related creatures that are canon, because I want the human world to have their own versions of mythological beings and not only mere copies.

Thank you very much for reading and stay tuned!