While Shining Armor, Spearhead, Crimson Skies and the Wonderbolts faced off against their new adversaries, Goku and her friends were all still trekking their way through the Everfree Forest. More than half an hour had passed since their underground battle with the Cragadile and the Dōkutsuakumas. They were now in the deeper denser parts of the forest, which were also, pretty humid, much to a certain alabaster Unicorn’s dismay, which made it a little harder to find their way through the trees with the Moon being blocked by most of them. This did however, let them know that they were getting closer to the Castle of the Two Sisters, and that they didn’t have that much forest left to go before they finally made it to the location of the Elements. Which also meant, much to Twilight’s elation, that they were that much closer to encountering Nightmare Moon and defeating her once and for all.

Unfortunately, that did not mean that there weren’t any complaints about the new conditions of the forest.

“How’re you holding up over there, Twilight?” Goku asked keeping Chenoa in her sights. “Are you able to see anything?”

“Not very much.” Came the soft reply from the lavender Unicorn, her face set in a frown. “I can’t really detect anything very far ahead of us, and I have my horn light up at its highest peak. Despite that, I can’t accurately or specifically see what’s far ahead of us, other than all of these trees.

“Well that’s just swell…no easy way out of these damn trees!” Rainbow Dash grumbled, ducking and swerving a few branches in the air. “Just how much are they gonna keep closing in around us until we’re practically bunched up together?! It’s like they’re deliberately trying to keep us in her! I’m a Pegasus! I gotta be able to fly, and I do not like being stuck in tight spaces!”

“It’s gonna be alright Rainbow Dash, we’re not going to be here forever.” Fluttershy said calmly, smiling gently at her fellow Pegasus. “The forest gets more crowded and packed together here, it’s only natural for any creature roaming in it. We’re almost to the castle, you’ll be able to stretch your wings and fly all you want. So just be patient for a little bit longer okay?”

Pinkie Pie, who was listening into what Fluttershy was saying, burst out laughing, causing those closest to her to jump. “Fluttershy, you and I both know that Dashie is hardly patient when it comes to anything! She can’t even wait for a full five minutes before she starts getting all pouty!”

“Hey!” The cyan mare exclaimed, shooting a glare at the bubblegum pink mare. “What the buck Pinkie Pie?!”

“What’s the matter sugarcube? She’s only speakin’ th’ truth.” Applejack said dryly, smirking up at Rainbow Dash, who directed her glare at her. “Fer as long as Ah’ve known ya, yer as impatient as a Fruit Bat waitin’ fer mah family’s apples to blossom.”

“I am not!” Rainbow Dash protested, giving her wings an angry flap as her eyes glowed fiercely. “I can wait for a lot of things! I’m just…not used to waiting as long as you guys are!”

“Bull. Shit.” Goku laughed, giving a humorous snort through her nostrils. “You are the most impatient mare that I have ever met in my whole life. You’re alwaysabout things happening as fast as possible because you are all about fast! It’s one of the main reasons why I never asked you to do anything for me that involved waiting in any way shape or form, because you don’t have the patience for it. If you were waiting in a line for the next copy of Daring Do that had at least five or three ponies in it, it wouldn’t even be a full minute before you are just begging them to hurry up and go faster.” The tan Pegasus looked back up at her friend with a smug smirk stretched across her face. “Especially if it involves Daring Do.”

“She makes valid point there, Dash.” Twilight quipped, smirking but not looking over at the athlete.

“Fluttershy, can you please help me on this?!” The cyan mare begged to the buttermilk mare, a hard frown on her face. “Please tell them that I can wait for things!”

“I would but…I’d be lying if I said that what they were saying wasn’t true.” Fluttershy replied with a little shrug, giving Rainbow Dash and apologetic smile. “Be able to wait is something you should really learn to work on, I’d be happy to help you if you want. As the old saying goes, patience is a virtue.”

“Precisely.” Storm Shadow said softly, earning a giggle from Violet Fire.

“Very true.” Zephyr nodded, smiling warmly at the animal caretaker.

Rainbow Dash glared her and her other four friends, but said nothing else as she crossed her forearms and looked away from each of them. Goku, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Twilight all laughed humorously, know that they had her beat.

“Ugh, this has got to be the worst forest outing that I have ever had!” Rarity groaned, as she stared down at the soft dirt ground. “Just look at all of this dirt and mud! It’s sticking to my hooves like wet paint!”

“Uh, Rarity, since when was this an outin’ with Goku an’ th’ others?” Applejack asked, looking over at the fashionista with a raised golden eyebrow. “We’re here on a mission under th’ orders of th’ Queen t’ stop an evil replica o’ her sister. Is now really th’ time t’ be worried ‘bout th’ dirt gettin’ on ya?”

“I mean, yes, I’ve taken nice walks around woods and such, but none of them were this bad!” Rarity grumbled, pouting at the tangerine Earth Pony. “At least back in the Whitetail Woods, whenever you, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash too our sisters, all that dirt and the trees were nice and dry and didn’t stick to my fur, mane, tail or hooves in any way. It even had a pleasant aroma that I could take in, which gave me a better understanding as to why dear Fluttershy loves being out there it so much.”

She flashed a tender smile at the buttermilk Pegasus before she looked back down at the ground with the same disgusted look as before. “Here?! It’s not anything like that! It’s all sticky, slippery and dirty! Do you know how long it’s going to take me to clean it all off by the time this is all over?! And don’t even get my started on the damage my poor mane and tail took after that fight with that horrid wolf! Ugh!” she gave a rather sharp wave of her right foreleg as she tried to get the dirt off of it. “I’m gonna have to spend some extra time at the spa than usual."

“Oh, don’t worry Rarity, it’s not really all that bad.” Violet Fire said soothingly. “Many forests and jungles are messy in one way or another. It may seem bad now, but when you’ve been in the forest time and time again training and fighting off wild beasts along with dealing with its conditions, you get used to it.”

“Hmph, easy for you to say dear! We haven’t even been in this forest for half a day and I can already feel myself beginning to give in!” Rarity griped, emphasizing her point as she gracefully, yet overdramatically, leaned onto Shadow Step. “I don’t think I’ll be able to keep going for much longer if this continues on. I can already feel myself slipping away…”

“I see…well, we can always give you a helping hoof in not going into the light, if that’s what you want.” Lightning Shadow said dryly, as she gently pushed the alabaster Unicorn off of him. Once she was sure that Rarity had gotten herself under control, she turned to Fluttershy, whispering, “Not to be rude or anything but, is she always like this?”

“Well…most of the time, yes. Rarity can have the tendency to be a little…dramatic sometimes.” The buttermilk Pegasus replied somewhat lamely, a blush coming to her face. “It’s not anything to worry about, really…she just…has a habit of overreacting to certain things that’s all.”

“I believe you.” Zephyr murmured dryly, making the cherry blossom maned mare giggle.

“Understatement of the century, Fluttershy.” Goku snorted, giving a flick of her tail. “Unless it’s to hurt any of our friends, I am one hundred percent okay with Rarity’s overdramatic nature for two reasons. One, it’s pretty common for ponies to have the tendency to over react sometimes, no matter how trivial the reason is, and Rarity is hardly an exception. Second, because there is no other pony, not even her, more dramatic than th’ Flower Triplets.”

Rarity upon, hearing this, snapped her head over to the tan Thestral, her sapphire blue eyes flashing. “And just what is thatsupposed to mean?” She asked, her voice low yet sharp.

“Oh nothing.” Goku shrugged, not in the least bit intimidated by the alabaster Unicorn’s razor-edged glare. “It’s just that unlike you, they at least have your reasons for overreacting to things, while you overreact to pretty much everything.” She glanced over at Rarity as a smirk etched onto her face. “That, and you just happen to do it in a more…graceful and regal manner, which is to be expected from somepony as regal and graceful as you.” She added in a sweet tone as she gave a wink.

Rarity paused at these words, her anger giving way to surprise as she stopped in her walking, taking a second to process the last thing Goku had just said. She soon regained her composure, and gave a little cough, her cheeks turning a bright shade of pink.

“Oh…well, um…that’s very…kind of you to say darling.” She finally said, running a hoof through her messy curly mane. “I…I honestly don’t know whether to feel flattered or embarrassed by that.”

“Don’t worry, I mean that in a nice way.” Goku said in a gentle and reassuring tone, making Rarity blush harder. “You really are graceful and regal when it comes to many things, and not just your dress making. Though you do tend to be very overdramatic to the point where it does get on a lot of ponies’ nerves, just being honest with you here.”

Rarity fell over anime style. “Wow, thank you for being so open about how you feel.”

“Well, she was jus’ being’ honest there hon’.” Applejack chuckled. “Ya can’t really fault her fer bein’ straight with ya.”
Zephyr chuckled. “Yeah, you probably should’ve expected that, since you have known Goku for a good majority of your life.”

“Well she could’ve at least put it more politely darling!” Rarity snapped, getting back up. “She knows as well as I do that there’s being honest, and just being downright rude! And from how dear Goku worded her ‘honest’ opinion, it was exactly the latter!”

“Goku wasn’t being rude Rarity. She was just being open about her feelings towards you being overdramatic, and you and I both know how brutally honest she is at times.” Twilight stated. “I know plenty of that from experience myself when I was going to school with her as a filly.”

“Well, if you ask me, she needs to be taught more lessons in manners and politeness.” Rarity snorted, glancing up at Rainbow Dash. “Like a certain Pegasus I know…”

“I’m polite and have enough manners as it is Rarity.” Goku said, flicking her extended tail at Rarity. “I’m only blunt and straight forward when I feel the moment is needed, though I do make sure I’m not overly harsh about it. And this just so happens to be one of those times, especially since it comes to being open with how I feel.”

“Hmph, it still sounded rather rude to me.” Rarity murmured with an eye roll. “I would’ve very much liked it of you had put that bit more delicately.”

“You mean like how you did with Spike?” Fluttershy asked, making Rarity freeze.

“W-what’re you talking about?” The alabaster Unicorn stuttered. “What does Spike have to do with me not being delicate about what I say?”

“Oh, you know what Fluttershy means Rarity!” Pinkie Pie replied with a giggle. “As a matter of a fact, you, me, and everypony else here know what she means!”

“Pinkie, what’re you talking abo-” Twilight asked, only to pause as it clicked in. A grimace made its way to her face as she frowned at Rarity. “Oh…”

“What’re you guys talking about?” Fast Tracks asked, unable to follow what the others were saying. “What was it that Rarity said to Spike?”

“Something with such brutal honesty that even Ah would’ve been disgusted if Ah had been there to hear it.” Applejack murmured. “In fact, if Ah had been there, Ah would’ve very well given Rarity a nice good kick t’ flank fer sayin’ it.”

“So, what did Rarity say to Spike?” Lighting Shadow asked. “Or more specifically, did something happen between Spike an’ Rares that it got t’ that point?”

“N-nothing, nothing of the sort at all!” Rarity replied before Fluttershy could reply. “Girls, please stop making such exaggerated statements! You’re making-”

“Rarity, quiet.” Goku said, the undertone in her soft voice making Rarity’s mouth snap shut. “Go on Fluttershy…you were saying?”

“Right…it happened about six months after Spike and Twilight had moved to Ponyville to be with us.” Fluttershy began, ignoring Rarity’s pleading expression. “I was in the middle of my afternoon feeding of my animals, when Spike came to my door in tears. It took me a while to calm him down, but once he did, he explained to me what had happened. He was with Rarity helping her clean out her boutique, and at some point, after he had taken out her trash, he asked her if there was anything else that he could do. Apparently, Rarity was rather put off by the smell that had gotten on Spike, and she suggested that he take a bath...” Her frown grew deeper. “…but that’s not all that she said to Spike.”

“Oh?” Zephyr asked, glancing at Rarity warily. “And what was that?”

“I…I can’t say it.” Fluttershy muttered with a slight stutter as she bit her lip. “It…it’s far too hurtful for me to say.”

“Don’t worry, Fluttershy, if you can’t say it, I’ll say it for you to Dashie and Jackie!” Pinkie Pie replied, before whipping around to face the two competitive mares. “Rarity told our cute little Spikey that he smelled like a rotten apple core wrapped in moldy hay and dripped in dragon perspiration!”

The shocked gasps that Violet Fire and Blue Skies let out were both drowned out by the hiss that Fast Tracks shot at Rarity. Lightning Shadow and Storm Shadow said nothing, but from the looks on their faces, they were clearly as shocked as the other two mares were. Even Chenoa looked shocked, and the look on his face made it seem like he wanted to rush over to Rarity and screech in her ear.

“Yeesh.” Zephyr winced, instinctively grabbing at his draconic roseray. “Now that had to sting.”

“R-Rarity…” Blue whimpered. “Did you really say that?”

“W-well…I might have gone a tad bit overboard with my honesty to Spike’s hygiene.” Rarity said weakly, the smile on her face matching her tone. Upon seeing Violet Fire’s frown, the alabaster Unicorn sighed and hung her head. “Yes, I did say that to Spike…right to the poor dear’s face.”

“Rarity…” Violet Fire said firmly, her ears pinned back. “While I understand a need to be open and honest with somepony, it’s like you just said. There’s being honest and there’s being rude, and what you said to Spike about his smell was definitely the latter.”

“More like down right uncool.” Rainbow Dash snorted, shaking her head in disapproval. “And you’re the always telling me not to be rude…” She muttered lowly, crossing her forehooves.

“I’m going to have to agree with Captain on this one.” Storm Shadow said, her tone calm but also carrying an undertone of disapproval. “There are some things that’re okay to say, and some things that aren’t okay to say, and what you said to Spike was not okay. You’re lucky that he’s not one to get angry very that, otherwise…”

“Spike would’ve incinerated you on the spot.” Lightning Shadow finished for her sister. “At least, if he was, you’re typical giant greedy hot-tempered dragon.”

“Took the words right outta my mouth Lightning.” Fast Tracks said, not taking his glare off of Rarity for a moment.

Rarity frowned, feeling small under the looks of disapproval and the glare she was receiving by a good majority of the group. With a defeated sigh, she hung her head guiltily. “I admit, I was not quite sensitive enough to Spike about his uncouth stench. Perhaps I could’ve put that more delicately than I said I would instead of thinking of the first thing from the top of my head. I was just…so put off by the smell that I couldn’t really think of a proper way to express it.”

“That still ain’t no excuse Rares.” Applejack stated. “While it is important fer ya t’ be straight with ponies when needed, ya still need t’ watch what ya say. Ah’ve been taught all mah left t’ never lie, but at th’ same time t’ be mindful o’ th’ words comin’ outta mah mouth. Pretty much like what ya said t’ Spike that one time he was helpin’ ya, ‘r else it’ll come back t’ bite ya in yer hide. Like Lightnin’ said, had Spike taken that differently, you’d be havin’ a fancy wing on yer head right now.”

“More like not having a single patch of fur on you from all of that fire.” Rainbow Dash added, a light shiver doing down her back. “I would not want to be in the line of fire of that kind.”

“No Dash…” Zephyr said, shaking his head. “No, you really don’t.”

“Applejack is right Rarity; you shouldn’t be so thoughtless about what you say. Even if you’re being open about your feelings.” Fluttershy advised, glancing back at the fashionista. “Not all ponies will react to the words you said to Spike the same way that he did. On the flipside, not everypony will take something like that as maturely as ponies like Goku or Pinkie. Which is why you have to think very careful about the words you’re saying to them, because you never know if they’ll get offended by it. Or if they’re so self-conscious about themselves that they won’t be able to take such harsh criticism. Spike didn’t like it when you said what you said to him, and I know for certain you wouldn’t have if the roles were reversed, would you?”

‘No, she wouldn’t.’ Goku thought knowingly as Chenoa squeaked in agreement. ‘Especially since Rarity can hardly take such harsh criticism herself.’

“No…no I most certainly would not.” Rarity sighed, flicking her tail. “You’re right Fluttershy, I do need to be more mindful about what I say to certain ponies, or dragons, or any other creature for that matter. Spike indeed could’ve taken that a lot worse if he felt like it…I’m amazed that he didn’t try to claw my eyes out.”

“Well, you know Spike by now Rarity, he’s too sweet and innocent to even think of doing such a thing.” Twilight pointed out. “Fluttershy’s point does still stand though about you knowing what is okay to say and not okay to say. I’m not mad at you for that incident anymore, and neither is Spike, just…be more careful about what you say to him alright? Spike’s already endured enough suffering from the colts and fillies back in Canterlot about his habits and whatnot. He so doesn’t need that from those who actually do want to be his friends.”

“I most certainly will Twilight, you have my word on that.” Rarity said, nodding firmly. “In fact, ever since that incident, I have been working more about what I shouldn’t say, and it has been going well so far. Of course, there are sometimes where I slip up, but it’s not as bad as it used to be…I’m just glad that Sweetie Belle hasn’t seen me do it. Otherwise she’d give me a reprimanding of her own! Heaven knows how embarrassing that is; for you to be scolded by your younger sibling.”

“Oh, you have no idea!” Pinkie Pie laughed, quickly being joined by the others. A second later, the pink pony’s laughter turned into a squeal of surprise as she suddenly went tumbling down a rocky slope that she didn’t notice in front of her. This action made the earth-bound ones of the group stop just in time from following Pinkie, but the same could be said for the ones that were airborne.

“Pinkie Pie!” Violet Fire cried as she dived down the slope towards the Earth Pony. The rest of the flyers followed suit while their earth-bound friends slid down the slope, stopping around their friend. Pinkie Pie was currently face first in the ground in a rather muddy part of it, a good portion of mud covering a majority of her body. Thinking quickly, Violet Fire grabbed Pinkie and yanked her out of the large mud puddle.

“My goodness Pinkie that fall looked like it hurt!” The ebony mare cried, holding Pinkie’s face in her hooves. “Are you okay baby?”

Her question was answered when Pinkie Pie spat out a glob of mud right into her face, emitting grunts of disgust from the others. Violet Fire stepped back as Pinkie Pie shot her body like a dog coming out of a bath, flinging mud everywhere and on everypony, Chenoa included. The bat pup let out a squeak of protest, and found himself falling right into the mud.

“Chenoa!” Goku cried, rushing over to the submerged bat pup.

“Ewwww that was a nasty fall!” Pinkie whined; her tongue stuck out in disgust. “Now I have mud all over me, yuck!”

“Goddammit Pinkie Pie, watch where you’re shaking!” Rainbow Dash cursed loudly, looking clearly agitated. “As much as I don’t mind seeing that jiggly ass of yours, we don’t want you flinging mud from off of it onto us!”

“Oops, sorry Dashie, I didn’t mean to mess up your pretty fur!” Pinkie said guiltily, her lower lip trembling slightly. “I just wanted to get this icky mud off of me! How else am I supposed to look bright and exuberant?!”

The cyan mare sighed, her anger cooling almost immediately. “It’s alright, just try to warn us next time you do that okay? This damn forest is making is filthy enough as it is, we really don’t need any more of this dirt and grime on us.”

“No, we most certainly do not.” Rarity nodded, letting down the sphere she had put up around herself. “If that were to happen, especially to me, I’d have to spend a good majority of the day getting every last inch of it off! I do have white fur you know!”

“Yes, know Rarity.” Twilight sighed. “I’m just glad that you don’t take your bubble baths as long as Spike does. You have no idea how much water he uses in the process.”

Fluttershy giggled. “Oh, I don’t think you’ll need to be worried about getting dirty for a while Rarity. From where I’ve looked before we got down here, we’re not that far away from water, so we can take some time to wash up before continuing on our mission.”

“Really, oh what a relief!” Rarity sighed, her ears drooping. “You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that! I’ve been wanting to find a place of water to properly wash in ever since we escaped that giant predatory bird! You just made my day considerably better!”

“Hmhm, thank you Rarity, I’m glad I could relieve some of your stress.” Fluttershy replied, the smile on her face faltering slightly. “Before we do that though, we have another obstacle that we need to get past.”

“Oh really?” Applejack asked quizzically. “An’ what obstacle is that?”

The sound of steam being blasted made the others jump and look over to see a huge forest of jagged rock pillars in front of them. Seven mares’ eyes widened upon seeing their size with a few of them shrinking back a bit at the sinister vibe they gave off. All around them, they could see even more clouds of steam echoing about the new environment they were in, the sounds echoing further into the distance.

“This obstacle.” Goku replied bluntly, holding a still mud soaked Chenoa in her hooves. “An obstacle that looks like it’ll either bury us all alive, or blow us all to bits if we’re not careful.”

Chenoa let out a squeak of agreement, snuggling into Goku’s chest fluff.

“Oh Faust…” Blue Skies whispered, walking around the new gloomy looking area with a grimace on her face. “This place…t-this is…”

“My word…” Rarity breathed. “What is this place?”

“A prehistoric pit is what this is.” Violet Fire replied, flying in front of the group. “Or…more precisely, a wild grave for the Everfree.”

Pinkie’s pink colors turned purple for a few moments. “A…g-grave?”

“Yes, a grave for the animals that inhabited this forest.” Lightning Shadow replied. “Or rather, for the animals that used to live in this forest.”

“What’re you trying to sa-” Fluttershy stopped as she managed to catch on, before a look of understanding came to her face. “Oooooh…”

“Uh, what’re you guys talking about?” Rainbow Dash asked perplexedly. “I’m kind of not following what you’re saying.”

“What we’re trying to say…” Storm Shadow began lowly. “Is that we’ve just arrived in what was, and still is today, known as the mother of all death traps. A little place that we Shadowbolts like to call, the Everfree Graveyard.”

Twilight turned to the dark grey mare. “Everfree…Graveyard?”

“Yes.” Blue Skies nodded, her two-toned mane falling over her face as she hung it. “A lot of you all may not know this, but we used to sometimes journey into the Everfree Forest. Mainly so we can prepare to potentially face any of the creatures we had, and at one point, during one of our last visits here, we happened to come upon…this place.”

“You did?” Goku asked tentatively, she and the other following the Shadowbolts through the giant rocky pillars. “What did you find here?”

“Nothing too graphic that we can’t openly say thankfully.” Violet Fire replied. “Though, we did happen to come across a series of bones. Lots and lots of animal bones…”

“Oh, is that all?” Zephyr asked, chucking a bit. “Well that’s a relief, I really thought that you were going to tell us something worse.”

“So…you found animal bones here?” Fluttershy asked, earning a nod from her fellow Rosario. “I see…what kind were they? Were they like the ones of the animals that we fought?”

“That’s the thing honey.” The ebony black mare. “These bones that were found matched none of the ones that we battled before and after we came here. They were similar, but they didn’t exactly match the ones we took back to HQ to look over. We had later come to find out that the bones that we recovered were that of prehistoric animals.”

“Prehistoric creatures?” Twilight asked, her ears perking up. “You mean like the ones that used to live in the mountains and forests of the Undiscovered West before they were wiped out by the change in climate and the arrival of new species?”

“Well, yeah, something along the lines of that.” Fast Tracks murmured. “There were a lot of them, including some skulls that were the size of the average houses back in Canterlot! We could practically fly our way right through them and feel as if we were inside a room of some sorts. There were some skeletons that were even bigger than some of the wolves, cats, and bears reptiles that were bigger than even the ones we all fought.”

“Wow really?!” Pinkie Pie cried in amazement. “Even bigger than the Ursas that live here?!”

Lightning Shadow snorted. “Well…maybe as big as the Ursa Minors…but we haven’t found any that were quite as big as an adult Ursa.”

“My word…there were creatures that big that used to live before a majority of our families were even alive?” Rarity asked, earning a slow nod from Blue Skies. “Oh, sweet Faust…that is just horrid thinking about it. I can only imagine how our world would be like if it had such an abundance of creatures.”

“It would be a giant furry and bloodthirsty nightmare, that’s what it would be.” Zephyr replied, giving Rarity an example for her imagination. “Then again, the Everfree Forest is already a big furry nightmare in itself, so it’s not really all that different.”

“True.” Applejack nodded. “Though, Ah am wonderin’ what th’ critters in that Undiscovered West ‘r like, especially since Ah’ve never been t’ th’ place b’fore.”

Violet Fire glanced at the farmer. “You don’t want to know baby…trust me.”

Chenoa let out a soft squeak and shook his head, almost as if to say, “Neither do I.”

“So, this place is where you can find bones of animals from the past?” Fluttershy asked, looking down at the ground. “I see…”

“What’s up Fluttershy?” Fast Tracks asked, noticing the look on the mare’s face. “Something about this place that’s striking you?”

“Oh, no, not really.” Fluttershy replied, looking off to the side. “It’s just that the mention of prehistoric bones here in this Everfree Graveyard reminds me of a filly that lives in Ponyville.”

“A filly?” Blue Skies asked in slight surprise. “What filly?”

“An Earth Pony filly named Petunia Paleo Sawayakana.” Fluttershy said, a fond smile etched onto her face. “She’s one of my little sister’s best friends that goes to the school she goes to and hangs out with on weekends. Petunia is a very sweet filly who loves to dig up underground secrets, mainly bones of animals never discovered. She sometimes comes to my cottage and she and Scootaloo go in my backyard to see what other bones they can dig up and unearth in the process.” She giggled merrily. “I can’t tell you the number of times that they’ve come in my cottage all covered in dirt and soil. I’d always have to give them a bath before Petunia’s parents came to get her, or they’d have a fit!”

“Awww, that’s so sweet!” Violet Fire cooed. “I bet they had a lot of fun doing that huh?”

“They did, and it was always so cute seeing them get all dirty with each other!” Fluttershy giggled, her cheeks a bright pink. Her blushing face abruptly turned into one of horrified realization before she added, “N-not in that way.”

“It’s alright Fluttershy, we get what you meant. Your sister and Petunia had lots of fun trying to unearth deceased species in one another’s backyards.” Goku said, patting the other mare on her shoulder. Her amused smile soon turned into a frown as she and the group stopped in the middle of an enormous clearing filled with a multitude of equally enormous bones. “Though, I know for a fact that they wouldn’t even remotely the same amount of fun doing it here. Or in this part of the forest; just saying.”

“No argument there.” Zephyr nodded. “Like many say, this is the most dangerous wilderness a pony can be in. Even more dangerous for one as small as a foal, especially since they don’t live for that sort of thing…I know Sheton sure doesn’t.”

“True that.” Goku nodded, before letting out a giggle, scratching one of Chenoa’s large ears.

Rainbow Dash suddenly let out a laugh, flying in front of the group and stopping over at a huge mammoth skull. “Heh, some ponies may not live for danger, but I sure do!” She landed in front of the skull and flared her wings wide, grinning widely, her small, yet sharp fangs glinting. “They don’t call me the ‘Daredevil Rainbow’ for nothing! I laugh in the face of danger! Ha ha ha ha!”

Any laughter that the cyan mare was going to let out afterwards was cut off when she heard a loud rumbling growl that seemed to echo all about. The grin on Rainbow’s face was gone just as quickly as it had come, and she spun around to the source. She felt the blood in her veins go to an icy standstill as she saw the empty eyes of the mammoth skull glowing a bright red.

“GAH!” Rainbow cried, backpaddling away from the skull until she collided with Twilight. “What the buck is that?! Are you guys seeing that?!”

“We are…” Twilight whimpered, holding the terrified mare. “…what in the world is going on?!”

“I don’t know, but I can tell just by looking at that red glow that its bad.” Zephyr replied as he and the Shadowbolts stood in front of the girls. “The question is, what’s going to come out now?”

“I don’t know, but I feel like I’m gonna wet myself looking into those eyes.” Blue Skies replied uneasily. “And I don’t even need to go to the bathroom yet.”

“Same here honey.” Goku nodded as Chenoa scurried into her mane. “I feel like I’m staring into my little bro’s Crimson Glare…”

Suddenly, the glowing redness inside the eye sockets of the mammoth skull seemed to glow brighter, and what looked to be fire began to appear. Lightning Shadow and Storm Shadow both saw the attacks coming and, in unison, they immediately shouted, “Scatter!”

The warning came just in time as two enormous streams fire shot out from the eye sockets, a third one coming out form in between the tusks. They fused into one and grew in size, heading right for the ponies, who leapt and flew out of the way just in time. They watched in fascinated horror as the pillar of fire blasted through a giant rock pillar, going through many more before it vanished from sight.

“What in tarnation was that?!” Applejack demanded, snapping her head back to the others. “Ah cannot be th’ only one who saw that!”

“Nope, you certainly saw that Jackie!” Pinkie confirmed, her entirely body two different shades of purple. “And it was SCARY!”

“Alright, now I know things are bad!” Zephyr exclaimed, dragging his hoof across the ground. “If I didn’t know any better, that was a dragon’s flames just now!”

“Um, Zephie…” Blue Skies whimpered taking a few sniffs of the air. “I don’t think that was the fire of a dragon…”

As if to prove the timid mare’s point, the group suddenly heard sets of laughter echoing about the Everfree Graveyard. It was not like the mirthful laugher that you’d hear from an upbeat pony or a cheerful young filly. It was the type of laughter that you’d here form somepony who was completely and utterly deranged, with an animalistic edge to it. It sent cold hard shivers down the spines of all the ponies there, Pinkie Pie especially, who went a bit green in the face at that moment. Slowly turning around, the party pony and everypony else nearly lost control of their bladders at the new creatures that greeted them.

Slowly emerging from the mammoth skull, eyes burning like pure hot coals, was pack of some of the scariest canines the ponies ever saw. They looked very much like demon dogs with the body structure of hyena, although they looked much more like the former than the latter. Each of them had bodies that were slouched like that of a hyena, the hindlegs shorter and the forelegs longer, but the rest of them were that of a pure dog. They were covered in long thick fur that wasn’t too far off from that of a Mammoth’s, each of them dark and sinister looking, reaching down to the bone filled ground. Their paws were set with jaggedly sharp claws that seemed to burn into the very earth they were walking on. There muzzles were set with four pairs of canine teeth that were so big they stuck out of their mouths rabbit-like ears stood erect on their heads, the tips glowing as if they were on fire, and they had long tails covered in wooly fur that made them look like furry whips.

“W…w-what the bucking Tartarus?!” Rainbow Dash shouted, slowly turning white. “What the hay are those things?! Some king of demon dogs?!”

Fluttershy shook her head, her eyes filled with absolute fear. “No, they’re aren’t, but they may as well come close to it. The canines that you’re seeing before you aren’t demon dogs…they’re Hinoinus.”

Twilight looked over at the Pegasus, her tone laced with fear. “Hinoinus?”

“Another simpler word for them is Fire Dog.” Fluttershy emphasized, still keeping her eyes on the feral looking canines. “Besides the Timberwolves, they’re the only species of canine that live in the Everfree Forest, and unlike them, they’re canines completely made from flesh and blood. They also happened to be the most dangerous canines here, more dangerous than any of the Timberwolves here.”

Applejack paused, an unsettling feeling forming in her gut. “Why is that sugarcube?”

“It’s because the Hinoinus have magic and strength that can be passed off as supernatural, like Goku, Fast Tracks.” Blue Skies replied. “From what Captain Violet Fire, the rest of us, and maybe even Fluttershy know of, the Hinoinus have control over the elements of nature, such as air, earth, fire, and lightning. Very much like the Doragontoras, Battookumas, and Shinomōkins that live here, except the Hinoinus have all four of them combined.”

“…Okay?” Rainbow Dash asked her fear filled voice holding a tinge of confusion. “That doesn’t really tell us why these guys are so dangerous.”

“It’s because with the Hinoinus, they can take those powers to another level entirely, which is why the other creatures here usually give them a wide birth. Along with couple other animals that live here.” Storm Shadow replied, ignoring the looks of confusion on most of the others faces. Before they could ask what other animals she was talking about, the dark grey mare continued. “Like Blue said, the physical and magical strength of the Hinoinus can make it seem like they’re creatures that are from another realm. Just one Hinoinu is more than strong enough to take on a whole pack of Timberwolves, one that’s possibly even larger than the one your friends fought Rainbow. They won’t even need to use their magic, for their physical strength and speed alone will be all that they’ll need, and let me tell you, it’ll be light fighting a vampiric Alicorn.”

“Y-y-you mean like Nightmare Moon?” Rarity stammered fearfully. “E-even though we haven’t come upon her yet?”

“In a way, yes, but like an Alicorn that is a literal, actual Vampire.” Lightning Shadow replied softly; both of her brows furrowed. “That’s how powerful the Hinoinus are, both physically and magically, and once they have their prey in their sights, unless you’re as powerful as Queen Celestia, or have the powers we have, you hardly stand any chance of escaping. Hinoinus are relentless, and will hunt you down to the ends of the Everfree if that’s what it takes to get you and tear you apart, and trust me, it is not a quick clean death. It’s bad enough for a pony to face a lone Hinoinu just for those reasons alone, but to face an actual pack of these powerful and feral beasts…” She shuddered. “Well, it’s like looking into the eyes of Death himself, knowing that your fate is already sealed. It’s because of these reasons why in the Everfree Forest, the Hinoinus are called, the Murderous Mob.”

“Land sakes…an’ here Ah thought that th’ Timberwolves were th’ only doggies that we needed t’ be wary of.” Applejack breathed, staring at the canines in newfound terrified awe. “Guess Ah was wrong about that.”

“Wait a minute” Twilight said, a thought coming to her. “You said that the Hinoinus were called Fire Dogs, right? If that’s true, then why did you say they could use four of the five elements of nature?”

“Oh, that’s because Hinoinus tend to use fire more than the other elements that they have in their arsenal.” Violet Fire replied. “It’s the main reason why they were given the name that they were given, since they don’t really use the other three elements unless they have to. Mainly on the animals they can use the same ones they can. It’s so they don’t have to worry about their other elemental powers being cancelled out by their adversaries.”

“Oh, I get it!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “You’re saying that if we try to use any nature elemental power against the Hinoinus that can cancel out their own, then they’ll switch over to use the ones that can’t?”

“Pretty much, yeah.” Fast Tracks nodded. “So, the only way that we’ll even stand a chance of surviving against these bad boys is if we either trick them so we can escape, or tire them out while using the same power against each other.”

“Well shit.” Goku sighed, kicking at a large stone behind her. “This is bucking great, isn’t it girls? Us facing off against a group of dogs that could very well pass of as bloodthirsty Hellhounds. And just when I thought we got enough of that form the Timberwolves…”

“Well, I guess it just couldn’t be helped Goku.” Fluttershy sighed. “We did end up having to face a flock of Dōkutsuakumas, and a Cragadile deep underground. Plus, we didn’t see them coming until it was too late, even with Chenoa’s warning. It looks like we’ll have to do it again, except back up on the surface with canines that look to be from the underworld.”

“As if these dogs didn’t make that so heatedly obvious.” The tan Thestral murmured, before she looked down at Chenoa. “Well Chenoa, it looks like you’re going to have to find another place to hide again honey. Except this time, it’ll have to be a place that won’t be burnt, electrocuted, sliced, or crumbled. I get the feeling that this next upcoming fight is gonna get explosive.”

“You’re right about that honey.” Violet Fire said as she glanced at the tan Thestral. “However, you’re a little off key there. It won’t be you who’s going to be doing the explosive fighting, with the exception of Zephyr…it’s going to be us.”

“Wait what?” Rainbow Dash asked. “You guys are going to fight those things?”

“Yes, we are.” Zephyr said, walking up with the Shadowbolts. “Our missions are to keep you all safe until you reach Nightmare Moon. Besides,you did say that you wanted to save as much power as you could until that time came. Which is why we’re here to make sure that happens, and that you get out of here in one-piece, am I right Captain Violet?”

Violet Fire nodded, pulling off her goggles and setting them down on the ground. “Of course you are baby. Though, I don’t think that me and the rest of my team will be able to do it like this, especially against these dogs.” Running a hoof through her mane, the ebony mare turned to the other Shadowbolts. “Everypony…take off your suits.”

Blue Skies, Fast Tracks, Storm and Lightning Shadow’s eyes all widened, realization clicking in their eyes at what their captain said. Goku and her friends looked equally as shocked, although some of them didn’t quite catch onto what she was saying.

“What did she just say?” Applejack asked, blinking a couple of times. “Did she jus’ tell ‘em t’ take off their suits.”

“Uh, yeah she did AJ.” Rainbow Dash replied, raising a prismatic brow. “Do you have hay in your ears or something?”

“V-V-Violet Fire!” Rarity cried, her face going read. “What on earth do you and your team think you’re doing?!”

“What does it look like we’re doing?” Blue Skies asked, a hoof on the zipper of her suit. “We’re all getting ready for our fight?”

“By undressing in front of us?!” The alabaster Unicorn protested hotly. “I don’t see how that even remotely helps you getting ready for a battle with these beasts!”

Fluttershy glared at Rarity sternly. “Hinoinus, Rarity, they’re called Hinoinus.”

“Maybe not to you, but it certainly does for us.” Fast Tracks murmured, pulling his mask off. “In case you haven’t figured out, we’re not planning to use our Adrenaline Modes. At least not this time around with these animals, and maybe not for the rest of this mission.”

Pinkie Pie gasped in realization. “Wait, you’re going into Ascension Mode?!”

“Yes, we are.” Lightning Shadow replied, smiling sweetly at the pink pony. “And in order for us to accomplish that, we’ll need to get out of our suits. If we don’t, they’re going to get torn and ripped to where we can’t wear them anymore.”

“Even if that’s the case, that’s still no reason for you to reveal yourselves in such an uncouth manner!” Rarity shouted, stomping her hoof. “I mean, you are literally getting naked in front of us! The least you could do is go somewhere more private!”

At this, almost everypony with the exception of Blue Skies and Violet Fire, slowly looked over at the fashionista with looks that were nothing short of deadpan. Even Chenoa, who was inside Goku’s mane, and the Hinoinus, who were waiting on the sidelines, were looking at Rarity with looks that said, ‘for real?’

“W-what?” Rarity asked, feeling unnerved by all the stares, and the pregnant silence. “Why are you all staring at me like that?”

Twilight facehoofed, a groan leaving her. “Rarity, I am not even going to begin to articulate how completely and utterly obtuse that statement sounded!” She shouted, a tick mark forming on her head. “Of all the things you could’ve verbalized, that was at the top of your head?!”

“W-well, why wouldn’t it be?” Rarity asked in a weak attempt to defend herself. “I mean, look at them! They are literally about to reveal themselves in ways that should be kept private! Who in their right minds would do something that?!”

“Rarity, first of all, Pinkie jus’ confirmed that them Shadowbolts are about t’ ascend, an’ they needed to take off them fancy suits t’ do it.” Applejack murmured bluntly. “Second of all, what about them undressin’ is bothersome, especially since we don’t normally wear clothes in th’ first place, and live in a society where everypony runs around in their birthday suit?”

“W-well…t-t-that’s because it is!” Rarity replied. “I-I mean, they’re not taking into consideration about who we feel about them doing this?! They could’ve at least given us a warning that they were about to do it!”

“Rarity, in the situation that we’re in right now, that should be the least of your worries.” Goku said, heaving a heavy sigh. “We’re at risk of getting burned and mauled to death by a pack of dogs that can easily be mistaken for Hellhounds, and the thing you are worried about most, are seeing the Shadowbolts naked? How is that more important than getting eaten, especially since we’re all naked ourselves?”

That made Rarity go dead quiet for a few moments. “W-well that’s…it’s, I…”

“Rarity, pleeeeeease stop talking!” Pinkie Pie whined. “You’re only gonna make that frown on your face even more incapable of being turned upside down! Please please please, don’t make it any harder for me to do that when all of this is over!”

“Yes Rares.” Rainbow Dash sighed, covering her face with her wing. “Just please shut the buck up.”

Nothing else was said form Rarity as she looked down at the ground, her cheeks red with embarrassment. Once she was sure the fashionista was done, Goku sighed and turned back to the Shadowbolts. “Sorry about that Violet Fire…you and the others carry on.”

Giggling, the ebony mare nodded, before she and the rest of her team unrobed themselves from their flight suits. As they dropped to the ground, the girls were given the sight of their well-toned bodies, and they couldn’t help but blush at how attractive they looked, especially Rarity. They were able to see each of their Cutie Marks, each of them unique in their own way. Blue Skies’ Cutie Mark was of a bright blue flower, while Fast Tracks was of a checkered flag with a symbol of fire surrounding it. Lightning and Storm Shadow’s Cutie Marks were dark matter, with the former’s having a white lightning bolt in it, and the latter’s having a white storm cloud in the middle as well. Violet Fire’s Cutie Marks stood out the most, being a black phoenix with purple feathers on the bottom of its wings and tail.

‘Wow, now those are some unique looking Cutie Marks, Violet Fire’s especially. It would explain why she mainly uses fire in her attacks.’ Goku thought, observing the marks on each of the five ponies’ flanks. She glanced down at her own flank, which remained markless unlike the others around her. ‘I wonder what my own Cutie Marks will be…if I ever get it that is.’

The tan Thestral suddenly felt an explosive surge of power coming from in front of her, and she looked over to see large auras of power surrounding the Shadowbolts and Zephyr. The royal blue stallion, Violet Fire, Blue Skies, Lightning and Storm Shadow’s were a sky blue, while Fast Tracks was a dark purple. They all swirled and mixed with one another, becoming one giant massive whirlwind of power as their Cutie Marks started to glow as well. Simultaneously, they all slammed their hooves down on the ground, their eyes blazing as their auras exploded into the sky. A enormous cloud of dust washed all over the Everfree Graveyard that blanketed the ponies and the canines for several moments, before it slowly vanished.

Zephyr and the Shadowbolts were all now adorned in glamorous suits of armor, ones that made Rarity’s eyes sparkle with amazement. From their shoulder to almost their entire bodies, were suits of gleaming armor that shined brightly despite the moon being blocked by the rock pillars. The upper part of six ponies’ bodies was covered in armor, with sharp points shooting out form where the shoulders were. The lower part of their bodies, adorned skirts with shades of color that same ones as their bodies, boots covering her hind hooves. To top their new forms off, large and long capes floated them, also adorning their body colors. They also had large shields imprinted in the center with their Cutie Mark imprinted in the shields as well, with the same shield in the center of their armor where their were.

Their physical forms had also undergone changes as well, even though it couldn’t be seen in the armor. The first thing that was noticeable was their change in height, for they were now several inches taller. The five mares also looked to be more slender than normal, but also maintained muscle that would still make her look strong, while Zephyr seemed to gain more of it. A set of eyeshadow and lipstick could be seen adorning the mares’ eyelids and lips, with streaks the color of their eyes imprinted in their manes and tails.

Said appendages were much longer than normal, some of the mares’ manes done in a thick braid, while others flowed freely, Zephyr’s included. Their tail feathers had grown in length as well, a set of feathers seen on the tips of their ears as well. The most noticeable change on them, however, were their wings, which had grown in size and length. They were so big that they were on par with Goku’s own, and judging form how strong and sharp they looked, it was apparent that they could use as both escape, defensive, and offensive tools. If the sharp wing claws jutting out of them was any indication, Fast Track’s especially.

“Oh yes…now that feels wonderful. It’s been quite a while since I’ve been in this form.” Violet Fire breathed, opening her eyes. “How’re you all doing everypony? Zephyr?”

“Just fine Violet.” Zephyr murmured, his armor clinking as he moved about. “I can’t help but feel rejuvenated in this armor. Don’t tell anypony I said this, but my Ascension Mode Armor feels better than my real armor ever did.”

“You got that right!” Fast Tracks laughed, taking to the air. “I feel awesome right now, just like I do every time I go into this form! However occasionally that it may be, I still feel like it either way!”

“As happy as we are for that Fast Tracks.” Storm said calmly. “Need I remind you that we have a mob of monstrous canines in front of us?”

“That’s right.” Lightning nodded. “We still have a priority to keep the girls behind us safe. You can use your newfound excitement against the Hinoinus to ensure that they don’t get near the girls if you prefer that.”

“Yeah, I’ll do that!” Fast Track smirked, calming down. “Besides, it’ll make things a lot more entertaining that way!”

Blue Skies giggled, before turning to the group of mares behind them. “Goku, I hope it’s not too much trouble, but could you maybe take a couple steps back? Things are gonna get messy with us, I can tell.”

Goku wasted no time scurrying away from Zephyr and the Shadowbolts, using her large wings to push the other girls back. “Hey, don’t need to tell us twice! Feel free to go as wild as you all like, don’t bother worrying about us!”

“Just be careful okay? Those aren’t ordinary canines or Timberwolves your dealing with, even if you have seen them before.” Fluttershy murmured softly. “If you so much as slip up even once in your battle, it’ll fall in the Hinoinus favor and that’ll be your downfall.”

“Duly noted Fluttershy, we won’t give these canines an inch with us. They’ll take it all and gain the advantage in our battle if they do anyway.” Zephyr nodded. “Alright everypony, let’s go!”

The command was followed before it was fully said, and the six flyers launched themselves at the Hinoinus, who snarled and charge as well. When they got within range, they leapt at one another, and clashed with each other in an explosion of each other’s elements the shockwave echoing about the Everfree Graveyard.

Author's Notes:

Before any of you ask, this new part of the Everfree Forest was thought completely form the top of my head. It was mainly because I was having trouble thinking up of a new place for the girls, Zephyr, and the Shadowbolts to have their next animal encounter. Speaking of which, I had originally planned on putting hyenas in as the next animals that they'd meet, but after some thought and looking through some fan art, I had decided to put in canines that could very well pass of ass hellhounds. With some hyena characteristics such as their psychotic laughter and shrieks, and incredible strong jaws, along with their ever so slightly slouched frames, with the super strength and speed like that of a hellhound. Also, yes, I am aware that a Hellhound's abilities are mainly fire based, but I decided to spice things up for our ponies when facing these beasts, hope you guys are alright with that.

Also, just for the hell of it, and because I thought it'd be more fun, I decided to make the new part of the Everfree the ponies are in now called the Everfree Graveyard. For those of you who have watched the Lion King and know of the Elephant Graveyard, I'm sure you can guess why I named this new environment the way I did. The steam part of the Everfree Graveyard was another idea that I from the Lion King, and partially from the movie of Ice Age the Meltdown, so you guys get a good idea of why I put this new place in here when I did. Also, for those of you who managed to see the Lion King pun I left in there, let me know in the comments section below and what you though of it, because I just had to put it there!

Well, that's all for now, tune in next time for another more darker battle between canines and equines, along with another peek with our dear Solar Queen and Vine of Venturousness!!!