A friend has been lost to them. Some stories have them fight some monsters and come together in an idea of friendship. When it comes down to it the path of something always seems to end. It means that they will either have to face their fears or forget they even have friends that exist. It’s time for the heroes to follow this simple path. If they don’t then the end shall come to them.

Written by Unknown.

It’s been almost a week since the alliance was formed. All the friends are sitting around a campfire. I close my eyes and sigh. I turn my head to look at all my friends including my wife. She hasn’t spoken to any of her friends since the alliance formed and since we found Dunewalker. So I have to try to get them talking again.

“Do any of you have any ideas on how we would go about finding your friend?”

It took a while and there was no answer.

“I have an idea of how we can find her.”

They lift their heads to look at me. I didn’t know but this is getting tiring. We need to try to find this Ruby before these friends who don’t even act like friends right now go after each other again. I stood on my claws looking at the airship.

“There are many ways I remember in the old days that friendship helped the ponies find anything they needed. They just had to prove that their friendship was worth it to them..”

They all just looked at each other. Dunewalker shrugs her shoulders standing beside me. I didn’t know what to think. She lifts her head to look at the others who just look into the fire like they have nothing left in the world.

“The betrayal hit them harder than you think. I also think their friendship is strained after being away from each other for so long. All I can think of though is that we may have to wait for someone from the order of Mimic. They tend to show up when you least expect it.”

I quickly nodded. I had a feeling this was true. The order of Mimic I have met them many times. I never dealt with them. But every time they came they wanted to talk to my wife. I have a lot of issues with religions I will never understand. I don’t wish to understand it either.

“How long do you think we will have till they come?”

Dunewalker chuckles.

“All I know is the one that I killed when I was trying to fight Inyanga and the one I met back at Hard Rock. All I know about them is they have a stake in this land and they wish to see it healed and brought back to life. I am sure they will find us when we least expect it. Just keep your wife from getting into fights with the others. I can tell full well she is not happy to be near them.”

I turn my head to look at my wife. The look on her face. I know it well she wasn’t happy to be here. She felt uncomfortable like these creatures are strangers to her. Maybe she and I need to have a private talk.

“I am not surprised it took her a while to even open up to me. I had to force her to marry me so she would finally relax around me.”

Dunewalker shifts on her paws, sighing.

“There is another way that could get them to calm down and open up to each other again. Sing…”

I stare at the camel singing?! A dragon has never sung at all. I took a deep breath. Maybe it will work. But what to sing about what to. I stare at the friends and then the stories they told me about Ruby. I shift my head looking at Dunewalker.

“I got an idea of what could work.”

I felt stupid standing there looking at Dunewalker giving a quick nod before I do what I have to. I close my eyes to try to feel this music I am told that suddenly shows up out of nowhere. But I can’t feel it at all. I lift my head hearing singing not far from us Dunewalker and I see a group of pilgrim camels walking to honor wherever they’re going.

“We honor our souls, this is why we walk. We honor our hearts this is why we seek. We honor our very tribes for we must remember and never allow the past to be erased. We shall gain in the knowledge we shall gain in truth.”

So that is how it feels. Maybe they hear the music in their hearts? I may not hear the music. I doubt I will ever close my eyes again. I felt Dunewalkers paw on my shoulder. I open my eyes while staring at the camel.

“Don’t force this music into your heart. Allow it to come slowly and naturally. Just think of something you love dearly. Something that makes you feel that music in your heart. Friendship love.”

Love and friendship, I turn my head to look at Cranberry. How she is looking at the ground breaks my heart. Everyone else just stares at the fire like they’re not even alive. They have been this way ever since we left. Even after we heard about that old interview with Ruby.
I sigh, not feeling the music at all. I look back at the broken heroes as one little thing they say they could ruin everything that was just fixed not so long ago. I growled softly to myself ‘Come on come on. There has been music in my heart. There has to be something… that.’ I have a flash of how Cranberry didn’t only come to my rescue but she did so much for the souls of that island. Looking at Cranberry I finally felt the music. Just I need to push it a bit.

“You’re a gentle heart..” I softly sing Cranberry and the other heroes look up at me. Cranberry just stares at me like I was crazy.

“You’re a gentle soul. Oh, my love. You have a hopeful stare. I look deep into your heart. I see who you are.”

I gently lift her to her hoofs smiling sweetly at her showing my deep love for the wonderful mare.

“This is the song of love. It started with friendship. Then it came to love oh Cranberry you have seen my dance. You have seen my soul. We have mated in the dark and become one. But now you’re lost. You have become empty in search of another.”

Dunewalker joins in.

“I have betrayed you all. I have backstabbed. I have helped the wicked in hurting the one that means so much to us. I regret it all. I wish to seek forgiveness but for now, we must stand tall. If we fail now we will never find ourselves in the endless abyss of the desert. It’s time to stand and stop feeling sorry for ourselves. We must allow the magic of friendship in our hearts.”

Finally, the music is fully playing in my heart and all I can do is keep singing to my wife and then get the others to understand we need to finally find Ruby. The only way to find her is to bring back the magic of friendship.

“We need to bring the magic of friendship back to our hearts. I am a dragon. We have never had this idea of friendship. They tried and the ponies failed. Come and allow the magic of friendship in your heart.”

It didn’t take long for another to join in with the song. I lift my head to see Water Spout singing.

“You all welcomed… me with this magic of friendship. I am just a water hunter, an enemy to the creatures of this land. You have shown me the magic of friendship in my heart!!!! We must never fall and allow the Storm King to win. We must bring back the magic into our hearts. “

A smile forms on my scaled face. The feeling of singing drains the stress and pain from one’s soul and heart. It’s something I have been wanting to feel for years and now I understand why ponies sing. It releases more stress than most would think.

“You never knew. My past. I had a lie programmed in my brain. By the very doctor that turned me into this. I was a former murder and killer in the name of peace to stop a pointless war. I am now a freak to some but a friend to you. I am Hawk the mech and I am here to show. Even if I may have no emotions I still see with a heart. I still have a soul even if it’s been tainted and broken. I am still here. To dance… along.”

It surprised me when Hawk sang and she danced. The robotic creature looks strange doing her dance but at least she has hope in her so-called heart. I didn’t know what to think.

“I am just a clockwork mare. I have come to see what has happened to my old home. I understand the hope that we bring. I will never learn why we started a war over oil and whatever else it was. I am lost within a shell. I am a mare of my former self. I have become one with the land. I see my friends, I see our empty broken souls. We must become one again and seek and seek...the one that brought us together.”

Another reason why I feel that the music is bringing me the hope I need as well. I have never had this hope in my heart. Even after I married Cranberry and she became my mate through dragon rituals of mating. She has become not only my rock to keep myself sane. She has become my love. I am now understanding her friends and why she had issues with them but why deeply she loves them. I shift my head seeing the zebra Inyanga stand opening her bag to pour a strange potion into the fire. The fire shifts to drums the zebra stands on her back hooves using her staff to dance.

“I am a far-seer I see normally in the darkness of the future. I didn’t foresee the friendship I would gain. I didn’t even see when Ruby would find me or the others. I am just a simple zebra. My kind normally wants to be left alone. My heart and soul seek my friend. I seek the one that brought me to the others. I may not be good at this type of singing. Singing to my kind is not easy since most of your words are hard to understand. But I am here…. And there is friendship.”

The last two to sing are Roll Roll and Cranberry. Quickly though that changed when Roll Roll stood upon his many legs. He spreads his shell showing his wings and flaps them to stretch and he laughs

“Follow the blood of the raiders. We are the singers, we are the killers. Rock Ball our lives we will and will fight in the name of friendship we will break them we will put them in their place. The idea that the enemy thinks they have won. We are just showing we are here and to win it. In the name of friendship let there be blood and then we shall become one with the dust.”

Finally looking at Cranberry who is unsure what to do. I gently go to her holding her cheeks in my claws staring down at her as the others keep singing the song of friendship.

“Oh, my love. I see you broken and empty. Thinking you’re never going to become one again. Oh my love I see you as the strongest mare alive. Come and sing with me. For the magic of friendship needs to be in our hearts..”

Cranberry closes her eyes, tears falling from her eyes. I think it’s working. I think she can finally get over this. There is hope after all for my dear Cranberry. I see those lovely eyes filled with more tears. The words finally come from her heart.

“I have...been lost. I have been empty. Ever since Celestia one. Was used on my home back during the war. When Scootaloo did what she felt she had to. I felt empty ever since I lost my entire family in that attack. I will never hate. The pegasus or those that used the weapon. I have lost so much. I lost my friends for three years. I lost my adopted daughter. Ruby. Now I see you...I see you...I see the magic of friendship in my heart.”

Finally, I thought to myself I feel the music gaining for those around us to hear if they ever wished to hear us.

“We have been lost for too long. We allowed our pain and our emptiness to control us.”

They all sang.

“I allowed my pain and my sadness of the loss of my children to keep me from pursuing my husband’s love. I lost him to divorce when our children died during the attack. He went off and killed himself. I was empty and lost forever and then my commander brought me here. It was all I had left then...I saw the little bug and adopted her. Then after her judgment and death. I was empty again till I met the dragoness of my dreams. I may not fully be better yet but I seek the magic of friendship back into my heart.”

Dunewalker is next to sing.

“I have done so much betrayal. I look back on the broken souls and memories of my family and those that came before me. I never wished to be in this curse but power doesn’t allow a Dunewalker to change. Power is what a Dunewalker normally seeks and when they’re attracted to it they see the path to end it all. Then we will never see it end and then we see the magic of friendship and the magic of friendship is in our hearts. So I ask...those that came before me bring the magic of friendship back to my heart.”

Tick Tock shifts on her clockwork hooves and her body clicks from the movements while she is starting to dance as well. Her eyes glow brightly, a smile forming on her fake skin face. I could feel the love from this clockwork mare even if she can’t show it as others can at times.

“I am just a clockwork mare. I used to have flesh and I know fully what the magic of friendship is. I have lost my way. I have seen what happens when friendship is lost. When friendship is lost we never know what will happen. So I see the magic of friendship in my clockwork heart!!”

Roll shifts on his many legs. I doubt he has ever sung before and now it’s time for him to open his heart and try to sing.

“I miss those I gave my heart to. Most of those I gave my seed to and fell in love with them before I left. I regret never forgiving Ruby when she made us heroes of this land. I regret everything I ever said to her. I feel the magic of friendship filling my heart… The magic of friendship fills me like magic. I feel the magic making me stronger as I sing these words through my heart.”

Water Spout was next.

“The words of my kind we are murders to some. We are seekers of water. To bring back the water in our desert of a land. To free this land from the curse of Nightmare moon. Oh, great Luna. I hope we can bring back the water in your name.”

The ones that have sung start glowing; they don’t notice yet the song they sang. Makes them too focused to notice. Most never understand that friendship even without the elements is still powerful. Just those that seek it are weaker versions without the elements friendship is always magic.

“A zebra. Like me, I will never understand a pony. Even if I make close friends with them. But I shall learn. I have learned to remove the hate of the past. I feel my soul finally cleansing itself. I shall never allow the past to control my actions again. I forgive the ponies of the past and I forgive the zebras of the past. I have the magic of friendship filling my zebra heart. I forgive...you all..”

The mech shifts her body. She may have sung but the pain is too much for her to fully forgive. She may never forgive anypony. The problem for her is that she has no emotions, at least not any longer. She has the feeling of emotions but without the face and the heart, it’s not easy. But one song could change that. She could finally feel the emotions if she finally forgave.

“I...was never a good pony. I murdered and killed innocents in the name of peace. I was a monster at war and did that to many. I was a so-called freedom fighter. We tried so hard to fight to end the war. To do so we bombed innocents. We never wanted peace, we wanted more war. I got my punishment. I have never forgiven those that did this to me. I will never forgive them but I will forgive Ruby. So now… the magic of friendship fills my nonexistent heart. I feel the emotions, I feel the hope. I feel the dream”

I smile. I finally stop singing, backing away and letting those of the outcast village watch the heroes sing. I was happy to see that my wife is finally feeling better. We all see through they start glowing. I have been told before that the magic of friendship through song can do many wonders. Holding your friends dear and holding them tight is always wise. To a dragon, we never had this feeling. The only one that ever got this feeling was a younger one of us. All the heroes sing together as one.

“We all have lost our ways. We all lost our ways.”

Cranberry sings first.

“I lost my heart after the judgment and I was tossed. I found hope again in the name of a dragoness named Gem. I found love again in the name of that dragon. I found my soul again as the healer. I hid my body to hide my scars. I was running from the past. During the three years, I met many. I healed many and I found ways to cope with my children. The children that I adopted and through the healing I kept running. I kept running and never allowed my friends to even get near me. I was rude to them. I was empty and I never allowed them to see me again.”

A song won’t get rid of every issue that friends have. Just closer, for now, the pain will come back. The problem with singing is that it doesn’t cleanse the soul, it just masks it. Many thought songs healed the wounds of the broken. It just masks them till they can work on them.

“To a zebra, we are always alone. We never have friends, only those in our tribe. We have watched as our past dies, we have watched as the war brought forth more pain and death. The stars are our monsters. The stars sing to us as well. The good stars have vanished and someday the stars will return. It is time… for all to be one.”

Cranberry and Inyanga start to float, glowing, closing their eyes as if the power of friendship is streaming through their body. The next one to sing is Roll Roll.

“I have never understood this need of a pony to hold the magic of friendship. Star Shooter tried to explain it to us on the island but I never fully learned till I got here and fell in love with two beautiful souls. I miss them dearly but I feel the magic of friendship from their love and those around me. Oh…. please world.. Give me the magic of friendship!!”

Roll Roll lifts into the air like the others and starts glowing. He floats above the zebra as the zebra is below him and Cranberry is in the middle. I have no idea what I am seeing. Dragons have never seen magic like this. I am guessing this is the power of the magic of friendship. I wonder why if this magic is so powerful that they lost the war? I never understood how the war ended so badly if friendship is this powerful. Maybe the ponies during the war forsake the friendship of the past.

“Water to the water hunters is all we seek.”

The water hunter softly sang her voice not too well. She is still learning many of the words.

“Water to us is magic. The water shall always bring us back together. The magic of friendship has been lost to us. Luna forsakes this land when the rebellion refuses to keep following her. The people of my kind keep worshiping her in the name of the moon. Oh, the great goddess of the moon. Bring the magic of friendship back to my heart… and back to my soul.”

The water hunter glows and floats up floating right beside the others as the song is waiting for the last three. The magic of friendship is showing them the path to find the one they have lost. It’s all they can do to bring forth what they wish to know and wish to see if they see it at all.

“Under the light of the sun and the moon. I am just a simple clockwork mare. I lost the ability years ago to understand the idea of touch. I fell in love with a hero in another village. A village called hope. I have learned over time that we need hope as well as friendship. I feel in my soul that we have lost our ways. Bring the magic of friendship back to our souls. Bring the magic of friendship back to my heart!!!!!”

The clockwork mare floats up with the others, her body glowing showing all her gears and wires in her body since her real body is glowing through her fake body. I can make out almost everything inside the poor creature. Again to a dragon, I will never understand this need to change yourself. Maybe I will meet a dragon someday that did the same.

“I am not fond of singing this. I am not fond of much. I am very hateful of many things when it comes down to them. Many don’t deserve the pain I bring them. The hate I bring them many will never understand what I have gone through. But that doesn’t give me the right to harm or belittle those around me. I bring. The magic of friendship back into my robotic mech of a heart... And I forgive…. Till we can work out our issues… The magic of friendship comes back to me!!!”

Hawk floats into the air near the others. The fact she is glowing a mech that has no flesh or even a heart is glowing. Her brain along with her metal shell floats and glows. Her mech-like body attracts many rocks and metals in the ground but it doesn’t do much to her. Till I see that it starts forming armor around her legs and body. The metal starts to form a heavier shell around her just because of this.

The last was Dunewalker she stood there looking away from the others than to her wife and her adopted children. She knew she would miss them since she told them they might be gone for a few years to fight this evil that is trying to take over the land.

“I don’t want to leave you.”

She softly said to her wife and children the dragoness lifts her claw to stroke her wife’s face. She didn’t say a word, she just took Dunewalker’s face in her claw, kissing her deeply, breaking it after a few seconds. The look in her eyes says it's all you need to do. You need to move on and find Ruby. Dunewalker turns to the others to join in the song again.

“I have found love and hope. I am an outcast. I am a betrayer. I have become what many fear. I am a Dunewalker, a curse on my family name. But if this is the only way to clear that name. Then I can finally find a male. My wife and I can extend my line. Without the curse destroying them. My wife brought the magic of love back into my heart. Now… the magic of friendship is needed. Oh, Ruby… forgive me for what I did to you. Oh everyone forgive me. But forgiveness will not be easy. Just accept me again, that's all I ask.”

She softly sang as she started to go like the others. She floats up and when they get together a beam of light flies into the air to at least break the Storm King’s spell for a moment. The magic of friendship disperses the storm just for a moment.

______________________
Silver Gunner.

We have been here for three years and defeated the Storm King's minions but there is no way for us to break through. Many of us want to return to Tiria’s heart. I told them to give it a few more days. I am sure something would happen. But those days are up.

“I am sorry Silver we tried. But there is no way to break through these clouds. I have no idea how your friend found a way in but we can’t find it ourselves. Just we need to go home, Silver. I miss my wife and I miss home.”

I sighed robotically ever since the war and lost my head back during this war. I have felt more feelings and emotions than I normally do. I wanted to just break through this cloud to fight and protect those I care for.

“I guess you’re right, Shadow it is time to go.”

Shadow shouts to the other.

“It’s time to pack up, come on, let's get home. Maybe we will find another..”

A big commotion starts to happen as we hear the storm screeching loudly like it was alive. A strange light slices into the storm and despises it for a bit. I look to the others and then to the storm the storm has almost fully been removed but it slowly starts to form again.

“We need to hurry and pack up and take everything you can get.”

I shouted joining the others to pack up as we quickly got everything that we brought with us. I turned to Deep Thought who came with us.

“Deep Thought I need you to return to Tiria’s heart and let the others know what happened and if you can join us please do. Let Bulwark know that we need her to put a heavy defense on Tiria’s heart just in case we fail and whatever is in there wishes to harm it.”

Deep thought the changeling gives a quick nod.

“Alright ssssir. Stay safe Silver GUnner.”

Deep Thought quickly flies off and we quickly go into the desert. The storm that has kept us from going into the desert itself is slowly back up and I look back at the forest that we came from and slept in for three years.

“Goodbye...everypony.”

I don’t expect to return intact if I do. It’s time to do what I was built for by a great teacher. Bring peace in the only way I know-how. I bring my shotgun Remembrance out of my back and hold the shotgun cocking it and following the others into the storm and it closes on us when we finally go in. We go to find whatever village or city is willing to take us in.

_________________________________
The heroes.

I open my eyes when we finally are lowered to the ground. Looking at everyone we try to understand what happened. But no one speaks. I look at Gem who shrugs her shoulders and all I can think of is what just happened.

“Now what must we do?”

Hawk asked.

“I don’t know...Hawk, I am unsure.”

I shift on my hooves and spread my wings trying to understand what just happened. Before I could say anything else. We heard soft hooves behind us and we all turned to see the one that brought us all back together that order of mimic mare.

“You have done what I told you to. Are you all willing to see this through to the end? I know full well it won’t be easy for you. Some of you could get badly hurt. One of you could even die. Are you still willing to follow this path and heal this land?”

I stood there with the others and we looked at each other. We didn’t say a word and we all stepped forward as one.

“I see good. I will lead you to Ruby. But just you heroes. I will not explain anything when we get there you will see.”

That surprised me but none of us said a word. We followed the mare and it was like my stomach was in a knot. What do I say to her when I see her? I feel so bad that she has been alive for so long and we didn’t even look for her. It took most of the night to follow this mare and when we finally got to where she stopped. She uses her magic to lift a door from standards.

“This is an old bunker that was built during the war. The order of Mimic found it ages ago and when we learned that the water hunters found Ruby we told them we will take care of the creature. Of course, they had no idea what it was when they found her. They just thought it was some sort of Gem.”

What did she mean by it? We go into the bunker which is a pretty old run-down bunker. No one else was here but deep in the darkness of the Bunker a strange orb webbed onto the wall and I finally saw what she meant.

“She cocooned herself!!”

Roll Roll shouted.

“What does that mean?’

Tick Tock asked.

“Sometimes our kind can save themselves from death. It seems when they killed her they made sure she bled and the blood cocooned into a shell to keep her alive and mutate her into her next form. It’s a way she could either become a brood mother or a warrior. I foresee her becoming a warrior larger and more able to fight than she was able to earlier.”

I had no idea what this meant. I had to finally ask, tears streaming from my eyes down my face.

“How do we wake her?’

The mare turns to look at us and smiles.

“Sing…”

We look at each other, we have to sing? I felt it was wise to do so looking at the cocoon and seeing Ruby inside. I could see her and I want to hug her and tell her how much I love her as my daughter.

“Bring the magic of friendship.”
We all turn to see Hawk singing. She walks to the cocoon and stays under it. Then we all join in feeling that it’s right to do so.

“Bring the magic of friendship. Back to our hearts. Bring the hope back to our only way of coping. That we seek each other and become the heroes we are meant to be. Our hearts will never empty. Bring back our friend… oh the magic of friendship.”

I sing alone now.

“Oh, Ruby come back to us.”

I flap my wings and fly up to the cocoon putting a hoof on the red orb tears falling from my eyes. I feel my heart beating. I want to cry but I can’t now. I must help free Ruby. It’s time I shout my voice with the others.

“Bring the magic of friendship back to our hearts. It’s time to wake oh hero the buzzer oh Ruby. Now it’s time to come back. Bring the magic of friendship and hope back into our hearts.”

I lower myself to the ground near the others. The shell cracks and peels. A strange fluid empties from the very shell. A large shining pink exoskeleton flops to the floor with a loud thump. My eyes stare at how large she has become. She looks like one of the tunneler warriors with larger wings. I took a deep breath trying to not startle her as she tries to stand on her many legs. Still, two missing it seems they never grew back.

” Welcome back. Ruby, we all missed you..”

Footnote: Max level

Perk added: Friendship and heroes: The heroes have mended their friendship but their problems with each other need to be fixed. But that is not all Ruby has awakened but no one knows what happened during those three years to her. When the time is right she will speak of her nightmares to you.

End of arc three

Next Chapter: Chapter: Thirty-six: The lone hero [4th arc starts] Estimated time remaining: 24 Hours, 60 Minutes