"Preparations were being made for another movie night at the human embassy. The fridge stocked, snacks prepped on the counter, and Chris sorting through a list of movies to take a vote on. Outside, Cerb was playing a game of keep-away with Flurry, a game Flurry found most challenging when her teleportation, or lack thereof, continued to fail in giving her the advantage. However, flight had quickly turned the game into trying to keep track of her as she darted off in one direction after the next, cackling wildly at Cerb’s walking pace.

"Okay, Flurry. Time for a new game. You win."

Flurry answered with more laughing, barely being kept in check by Thunder trying to keep her in the yard.

Sadly, the games would end for good at the sound of Lumberman's truck honking as it pulled in. The honking was like that when he returned in the day Kelly was stabbed.

"Oh, shit," Cerb hushed before running back to the house.

Shocking everyone in the backyard, Ember dove down, stopping Cerb by cutting him off with a look of no shit to take.

"Do you know where Smolder is? Is she hiding here?"

With no pretext, Cerb was left stupefied and thus offered the only response he could think of.

"What?"

Ember facepalmed and tried to calm herself.

"We think somepony or some creature lured Smolder and Yona away with magic, but we don't know where."

Lumberman rounded the corner of the house with prompt quickness, searching every face that came into view.

"Is Gallus here? Little bastard told us he was waiting for Gruff to come pick him up after telling the guards he flew home."

Not as quick on her hooves, Applejack came around the corner just as Ruthford could be heard shouting for Yona in the house.

"They're not the only ones missing."

Following everyone else’s example, Mayor Mare popped out from the back door, looking panicked and short of breath.

"A young colt has gone missing from town. An Earth pony named Sandbar, at least the same age as the delegate youths. Have you seen any of them?"

From high above, a voice that shouldn't have been airborne called down while releasing confetti.

"Surprise!" Pinkie shouted, completely ignoring the feel of the room or area.

Looking up, Pinkie was floating down in a hot air balloon, packed full with Prim, Cream, Cheerilee, Derpy, and all their foals.

Down below, Starlight and Redheart were waving to them to stop. As expected, Pinkie took the energized wave as a "come on down" request.

"Hi Starlight! Welcome back, Redheart! I brought everypony here because they couldn't wait to have Chris back!"

If it wasn't one disaster, it was another. This would turn into one massive nuclear mess if Cerb didn't establish some control over the impending chaos.

"Pinkie! Get down here! Whatever you're planning is gonna have to wait! We have another emergency!"

Given the distance, or Pinkie's personality, she didn't understand.

"What?!"

Frustrated and stressed, Cerb could have pulled all of his hair out right there. He wasn't going to play this game.

"Goddammit… Ember, we'll help you figure this out. Thunder, fly up there and fill them in on what we just found out. Movie night is canceled until we find these kids. We need Twilight and… Fuck me… We're gonna need Celestia."

Cerb's announcement shocked those who knew of their spat, but he didn't break from his claim.

"Yeah, I know, she hates us, but we're not gonna make things worse trying to fix a potential diplomatic nightmare scenario in her jurisdiction. Because if this is the work of followers of The Pony of Shadows or another plot to cause problems, we're gonna hit'em with everything we got."

He turned to Mayor Mare, who was utterly lost in the sauce.

"We’ll fill you in, but do we know for sure the kids aren't in town?"

Still a little confused, Mayor Mare shook her head, heavy in doubt.

"No, we've only looked in a few places. They haven't been to the castle, Sugar Cube Corner, and all we found of Sandbar was his nap sack at the Ponyville Pond. That's where he said he was going, but all his food was eaten, even though he just had lunch. None of this makes any sense."

By this time, Pinkie's balloon had landed, and all were piling out. Chris was tending to them, but that was going to be short-lived. This was going to need a lot of planning.

"Everyone, get ready to move out. We'll search the town. Hopefully, they're playing a game, and this is all a bad joke. But if not, I have a pretty good idea where they're headed. We're going to need those maps of the Everfree Forest."

Already trying to organize things in his mind, Cerb looked to Cadance.

"Grab Flurry, I'm going to get geared up with Ben. Then, we're going to Twilight’s castle. If the kids aren't in town, the first stop we're making is the Castle of the Two Sisters. Do we know where Twilight and Sniff are?"

Chris, thankfully for all those involved, knew who had Twilight's plans and offered up his services.

"We gotta find Spike. He can send a letter to Twilight and Celestia."

Gung ho as ever, Lumberman started in towards the house.

"He came here with us. I'll tell him."

That's when Lumberman saw the anger Gilda was stewing in. He couldn’t help but feel responsible.

"Gilda, I'm sorry about Gallus. We didn't know he ran off without telling you or Gruff what he was really doing."

Thankfully, Gilda wasn't the same griffon she used to be. She was still angry, though her anger was more appropriately placed on a worthy individual.

"Bah! I'm not mad at you. Gallus is smarter than he looks. He probably fed you a convincing story. This is Gruff's fault. None of you saw how terrible he treats us. Let me tell you what happened at the delegation and why Gallus must have thought you would help him."

Celestia was getting back into the grind. Paperwork had pulled up, and right now, it was more appealing than dealing with her own personal problems.

"There, all done. Now, onto the Summer Sunset Festival budget… I think we can go a little bigger this year."

With little to no effort, she had summoned the documents. Not much more than a thought, and she had them. Far faster than she had intended.

"Oh, my… I've barely even tapped into this new power, and my efficiency has gone up incredibly. I wonder how much power I can take before it becomes too much for even me? So much power could be dangerous if I'm not careful."

Without even thinking, another scroll appeared. One that didn't look familiar.

"Drats. Now, what did I pull up?"

Another look at the parchment and its unusual characteristics made clear it wasn't one of hers.

"Oh? It's a letter? But from who?"

Only three others could, or even would, send her letters via teleportation, and none of them would bring good news. The thought of what spiteful words were written instantly soured her mood.

"Let's get this over with."

The letter opened, and suddenly, the parchment wasn't so unfamiliar.

"GUARDS!"

The doors flew open with two guards and their weapons at the ready, but Celestia cut them off with orders.

"Clear the palace of non-essential staff, then take us into lockdown! Do it now!"

They waited for no further instructions and bolted out.

"Right away, your majesty!" They both shouted back.

Celestia laid down the parchment, a million questions running through her mind.

"Why now? After all these years?"

Once more, she read the letter, compelled to prove to herself that perhaps she was wrong.

Alas, the letter was clear.

Princess Celestia,

We demand an emergency meeting and will arrive post-haste.

Queen Novo of the Hippogriff Empire.

An embarrassing joke needed an explanation. Unfortunately, said explanation required a laughable retelling in human movies, what a porno was, and the ridiculous plot of a Love Fuck Virus running amuck.

Correlations be dammed, the thought of multiple humans having sex together in ways Twilight and Ovens had only fantasized about had them both in bed before the climax and utter failure of a plot twist.

"Twili-oh!" Ovens cried out with another orgasm released. "Ohh, ooh. Mmm, not so hard, deeper-een, teeth, oh, okay, too much."

Twilight pulled back, rolling her tongue over her lusciously coated lips. Her attempts were a little rushed, a tad too enthusiastic, but overwhelmingly successful.

"Emn, sorry about that last bit at the end there. Swifty has a tongue that… well, this morning, we were focused on Peter, so I didn't get a chance to see how good it could be for myself. I guess I got a little carried away trying to give you more."

Ovens appreciated the thought and pulled Twilight on top of her to share a well-deserved kiss.

"Mph, don't worry. I still get overly sensitive at times. Peter can usually work around it, but you were still great… Is there anything I could do better at?"

That was a fair and honest question, and Twilight slid down to lay side by side with Ovens to answer.

"Nothing I can think of. We're both still figuring this out together. And the girls really are right about how different we feel with each other compared to with our stallions."

Holding onto Twilight and taking in all they now shared together, along with this luxurious room, Oven's mind wandered back to a previous concern.

"Hey, Twi? I couldn't help but think about what my mother told us. Celestia doesn't trust Peter and the others... Was she one of the dangers you were worried about when coming to Canterlot?"

Ovens had Twilight dead to rights, which detracted from the overall mood, but it was an important question to answer.

"Yes," Twilight mournfully said with a sigh. "Right from the start, Celestia has been keeping secrets from us. I never knew about Sunset Shimmer, the other worlds, or humans. She did, and even after we signed a status of forces agreement with Benny, not to mention saving Kelly, and all of them taking care of us, she still didn't trust them. Not only did she not trust them, but she also didn't want us getting close to them."

Going through all this baggage had Twilight pull Ovens closer.

"I thought at first that maybe she had a human friend that was lost long ago and didn't want us suffering the same fate, but maybe it was something else entirely. She won't even tell Luna what her issue is with humans. Not that I don't understand any fears she may have about Cerb, because even I did the more I learned about him, but Peter is different. I'm actually glad he had the chance to smooth things over with her at the hospital. If anyone can mend the mistrust and bring us all together, it's him. That, and I think Celestia can tell how much trouble it would be to make any moves against any of us now."

Despite the negative overtones of the conversation, Ovens couldn't help but smirk and laugh at Twilight's explanation.

"Sorry," she said with a cute grin. "After hearing about his dance with her, all the dealings he's gotten wrapped up in with the other nations, me, you, Swifty, and everypony else that would do anything for him, it's a no-brainer why she wouldn't make a move against them. The only pony to even come close to hurting Peter was slammed by Swifty. I'm pretty sure a multi-nation war would start if any creature tried to hurt any of them now."

Twilight had a little giggle as well, seeing how well-protected they were.

"Yeah, not to mention your mother is already convinced of the wedding bells ringing in the future with him and... well... at least you."

Long-term goals hadn't been set by any of them involved yet, so addressing it now felt like it hit a bit harder than it should have. At least Ovens felt compassionate enough to comfort Twilight with increasing tenderness.

"Let's not worry about that right now. I'm sure we can figure something out to make this herding thing work out for us. Believe me, I'm all in, and if Peter really is here for a fun time instead of a long time, I don't want to give up any of you girls."

To prove her commitment, she pressed her lips to Twilight's, caressing and holding each other close together for a short entanglement.

"I've struggled with doing so much by myself and waiting for something better to come along all on my own. So if we do lose Peter, we don't have to lose each other. Plus, my mom seems to like you."

There was more to go into. So many conversations to have and plans to make for how to structure their growing relationships. Still, all of them would be put on hold with a scroll teleporting in a puff of green flames overhead.

It dropped through the air and landed between the two mares, instantly setting Twilight off.

"Oh, goddamnit! Seriously!"

Ovens sat up, looking at the rolled parchment with confusion, not so familiar with this means of communication.

"Uh, what is that, and how did it get here?"

Frustrated by the interruption, Twilight snatched the parchment up in her aura and opened it to speed read through the contents.

"Spike can send letters to the other princesses and me with his dragon magic. The other princesses can do it, but I haven't gotten it down yet... Oh, son of a bitch, FUCK!"

Twilight tossed down the scroll and rolled out of bed, rushing to gather her bags.

"Goddamnit! Ovens, grab your things. We're getting Peter and rushing back to Ponyville."

The scroll stayed open, and Ovens could read the short message.

That was more than enough to get Ovens moving.

"Holy shit, Twilight! Is your life always like this?!"

Stuffing the last few items in her bag, Twilight shouted out from the bathroom.

"Yes! Only it's been worse now with Peter and them targeted by whoever is behind this!"

With their bags finally packed, both met by the door, only for Twilight to remember one pony not with them.

"Shit! Cutter! Ovens, we need to split up. I'll grab Peter. You get your mother. We'll meet back at the castle so Peter can drive us. His car is the fastest way back since he can't be teleported. Oh! And don't tell anypony what's going on. We don't want to start a panic, and The Pony of Shadows is still—"

"I know!" Ovens shouted, already aware of the details. "My parent's house isn't far from here, but I can't teleport as far as you can. I need to run there."

In two separate flashes, Ovens was down in the lobby while Twilight was already in her old student home.

Twilight popped in next to her recently broken-in bed, one-hundred percent adrenaline coursing through her veins.

"Peter, we need to—"

The bed was empty, and the thought that perhaps Top Shelf couldn't wait and they had stopped somewhere else was alarming. They could be anywhere if that was the case.

"Twi?!" Sniff shouted from down below. "Everything alright?"

Then again, maybe they were in the kitchen, and Twilight could put her heart attack on hold.

"Peter! Date’s over! We have an emergency! We need to get back to Ponyville ASAP!"

To say Top Shelf was crushed would be an understatement, standing by the small cooktop with a brew not even half-finished.

"But... Our date?"

There was no time to make apologies or excuses, and Twilight fluttered down to make them move.

"My date was cut short, too. Something's come up, and we need to get Peter somewhere safe. We might be under attack or even going to war."

"War!" Swifty shouted, any prior concern replaced with panic.

Twilight took Sniff's wrist in her hooves and started leading him towards the door.

"Swifty, help Topsy pack. We're taking Peter's car back to Ponyville. Things are bad enough that Celestia has to help."

Thankfully, that was enough to put things in perspective, and Top Shelf turned off the flame to drop what she was doing.

"Why didn't you say so?! All my stuff is right here. Just gimme a second."

Before Twilight could take another step towards the door, another scroll popped out in front of her. This when descended from a golden aura, making it clear who it came from.

"Fuck! Now what?"

She picked up the scroll and read it aloud.

If things weren't looking serious before, they indeed were now. It was enough that Sniff took Twilight's wing in his hand.

"Come on. Let's get moving. If the kids are in danger, we can't keep them waiting for us to act."

Behind them, Swifty trotted up with her wings full of bags.

"Okay, that's everything. Let's go."

Top Shelf, with her saddlebags full, joined the group for the door.

"I hope our next date isn't this exciting. Maybe instead, we can jump right to the picking up where we left off and avoid a repeat of this?"

It had taken a lot of convincing, but Cutter managed to talk Baked Fresh into leaving early to talk. Even still, tensions were high from the senior baker as they sat at their kitchen table.

"So... You took a new job?" He scoffed. "What's there to talk about? It sounds like you made up your mind without me all over again."

That might have been deserved, but it still hurt Cutter to hear.

"Honey, please. This won't be like when I was working for Princess Celestia or Princess Luna. Twilight is a lot more flexible and understanding."

Baked Fresh shot a mean glare across the table, not hiding any disgust.

"What about that thing? I can't believe that the new princess even associates with them. I don't like all of those sick ideas he's put in your head. And if I find out that you two have—"

"NO!" Cutter shouted, equally hurt as she was insulted. "Peter is a professional masseuse. He may have used his hands on me, but it was nothing like we—"

A sudden crash of the front door slamming open killed the conversation, thoroughly finalizing it with Ovens screaming into the house.

"Mom! Please tell me you're here! We have an emergency! Twilight and Peter need us now!"

Instinctively, Cutter made an acute turn in her seat towards her daughter's voice but stopped just as quickly, feeling the sharp eyes of her husband on her.

No detective work was needed to understand what had happened. Cutter was about to be pulled away after dragging her husband away from his work because of a princess he now no longer cared for and a human he despised.

"Baked, dear. Please, you know I have to go, but if you can just wait—"

"No," Baked Fresh coldly answered.

"Mom!" Ovens shouted again, slowly getting further away as she sounded to be heading upstairs to search.

At the table, Baked Fresh was past his limit.

"Tell you what, dear. How about this? You sit and stay with me for once, and then we can talk. However, if you'd rather-"

"You wouldn't," Cutter snarled.

"Mom! Are you here?!" Ovens called out again, sounding like she was in front of the master bathroom.

At the table, Baked Fresh doubled down.

"I put everything on the line for both you and Ovens once when you both nearly ruined our livelihood. You and I can work things out with the family business, or you two can struggle all you want without me."

Upstairs, Oven's reluctance to violate a pony's most private act had passed the point of rudeness, and she opened the door.

"Mom? If you're in here, I'm sorry-"

"Right behind you, dear," Cutter answered.

Hearing her mother's voice so close made Ovens jump, nearly falling into the bathroom. Luckily, she caught herself while clasping her chest but was grateful to have finally found her mother, though still in a panic.

"Oh, thank goodness. There's an emergency in Ponyville. We don't know who's behind it yet, but we might be going to war. Twilight and Peter are heading to the castle. We have to meet them-"

Without warning, Cutter wrapped Ovens in a near-strangling power level of a hug.

"Don't worry, baby girl. Mommy's here. Everything will be fine. I don't care what comes our way. I'm always going to be right there behind you."

Sure, that was a bit much for a simple 'Here I am,' but it was the kind of comfort Ovens needed. Likewise, she returned the embrace.

"Thanks, mom. I couldn't imagine going through this without you in my life. Not since having you back in it... But I am getting scared. Whoever is after Peter is using children to get to them. Who would do that?"

Cutter relaxed her hold on Ovens and comfortingly stroked a hoof down her daughter's back. After everything she had gone through to get Ovens back, she understood how important it was for a mother to hold their child in a time of need. Even more so since her daughter was equally holding her up as well.

"I don't know, sweetie, but we're not going to let anypony use children to keep us apart from those we love, are we?"

Not knowing the double meaning, Ovens squeezed even tighter.

"No, we're not. But we should leave a note for Dad. I don't want him worrying about us."

Try as she might, Cutter wasn't ready to break the bad news, and instead, pulled away from the embrace with a proud smile.

"I'll send a letter when we have the time. Your father knows the kind of mare I am and the daughter I raised. And even if he doesn't, worrying about us, it's the last thing he needs to do."

Twilight's senior enlisted and the Timberwolf toasting mare of Ponyville, that's who Ovens knew they were.

"You're right! Now, come on. We can't keep them waiting."

The two made their way downstairs, Ovens stopping at the door while Cutter stepped towards the kitchen.

"One moment, dear. I left something in the kitchen."

Ovens huffed but stood ready to jump back into the streets.

"Okay, but hurry up, please. This is kind of a big deal."

"I know, I'm just grabbing my sword," Cutter happily replied.

In the kitchen, she half expected Baked Fresh to be waiting with another ultimatum. Instead, he chose to leave a note under her blade, still in its scabbard, next to the pencil he used.

She holstered her sword and glancingly read the note.

Her heart felt heavy, but she knew it was in the right place. Enough to write her response with a clear conscience, then departed without a word concerning the exchange.

The door closed to the house Cutter once called home, and the note she knew was going to tear Baked Fresh apart, if not drive him mad out of frustration.

Celestia stood atop her castle, searching the skies for the expected guests. Her present company, however, was less than she desired.

"Captain, while there may have been some semblance of virtue behind your actions and poor choice of words, they were both well out of line."

Humiliated, Flash bowed his head, but more out of defeat than respect.

"Yes, Princess."

One look from the corner of her eye added more grief to her choice of his return to service.

"Stand up straight. Stop groveling. You're the captain of the guard because you have consistently proven yourself to be competent in the times I needed you most. As for your outburst in front of Cerberus, remember to keep what I tell you in confidence strictly that. Any of the less than favorable feelings I mention to you are to make you aware of my concerns about possible threats that require subtle means of resolution."

From the corner of her eye, she could see Flash standing back at attention. However, inside, he was beating himself up, and that wasn't the captain she needed.

"Well," she said in an almost playful note. "I also need someone to talk to when I get bored. I do get bored, you know. This is so stressful at times."

Flash did a slow turn to Celestia. Having her speak to him so casually was something she hadn't done in private.

"Princess?"

There was bound to be some stupid follow-up question asking for an explanation, and Celestia didn't have the patience to go into detail. Instead, she would keep it short."

"Captain, you're here in this position because I trust you. Not just with security, but for me to confide in. And yes, I had, and still have, my concerns about some of the humans. The same goes for all the other Kingdoms. These relationships are delicate. One wrong gesture or comment taken as an insult can lead to damaged trust or conflicts… You've seen how easy that can happen."

That might have been a bit harsh, but she needed to be direct.

"You made a mistake, but the damage has already started to reverse itself with the help of Peter. I simply haven't had the time to fully understand these humans and the impact or influence they can make. It's my duty to protect you and every pony in Equestria. So, in the future, try being the strong silent type and not unveil what I tell you in private.. I'll speak for myself and give orders when force is needed. Understand?"

Having his expectations put in better perspective and some levity added to the situation nearly had Flash smiling.

“I understand. Thank you, Princess.”

After all the bad calls, poor choices, and damaged ego, the near smirk came close to cheering her up.

“Very good. Now, the reason it is only you and I are up here and why I’m going to let you stay is because I trust you will keep all that I share with you confidential.”

Down below, the revving of a muscle car roared, echoing through the walls before the squealing of tires tore down the well-paved streets.

Twilight and company had departed without them as requested. Though, Celestia had to ask.

“The streets were cleared for them as I ordered?”

Obediently, Flash nodded.

“Yes, Princess. The fastest exit for them has been cleared.”

As one group left, another arrived. One Flash hadn’t expected to see back so soon.

“Uh… Is that airship-”

“Yes,” Celestia answered, already prepared for what was coming. “I’m expecting a visit from an old friend. One the King and Queen, I imagine, would like to see again. Besides-”

The royal airship lowered only down far enough for King and Queen Abyssinia to jump down, the airship more of a taxi service, veering away after dropping them off.

“—a little extra help never hurt when saving the world.”

More nervous than cordial, the king was first to approach.

“Princess,” he greeted her before darting a glance at Flash.

Celestia understood, but this was a sacrifice to old habits she’d be breaking, or at least she had enough trust in Flash to continue.

“My apologies, but Captain Flash will be joining us. My normal trusted parties recently suffered some… unfortunate strains. Flash, however, has shown his dedication to a fault, and I require at least one to rely on.”

Only a few steps behind, Queen Abyssinia laid a paw on her King’s shoulder, showing her support.

“It’s fine, Princess. Had I not been here, we have but only a small paw-full of guards I would have entrusted to join my brave King. But, this… Queen Novo. Is she the same that fought against Discord with you?”

Thank Celestia Flash had been told to play the strong, silent type. Otherwise, he would have looked like a fool with the questions he wanted to ask.

Lucky for him, Celestia was happy to provide an answer.

“The very same. Over a thousand years ago, before discovering the Elements of Harmony—” She nearly cringed at mentioning those items. “—Discord nearly corrupted our world, tearing it apart and converting it into chaos. Many creatures were hurt, including King Abyssinia himself.”

Reliving old wounds for the moment, King Abyssinia rubbed the stubbed section of his ear.

“It took everything we had, but we managed to stop him. Of course, we all were weakened from the battle. So much so that most of it is still a blur to us. It was because of that battle, Queen Novo’s Empire—” He all but sneered at Celestia. “Was destroyed… Or so we thought.”

There was reason to be angry, of course, but Celestia still rolled her eyes over the implied accusation.

“The Hippogriff Empire was destroyed. And I was sworn to secrecy concerning their existence. Queen Novo thought it best to let the world think them wiped out. The battle with Discord had not only weakened her magic, her resolve to resort to violence was gone. So, she chose to start over and live in secrecy.”

Not amused, King Abyssinia scoffed.

“Bah! She’s as foolish as King Aspen. Never understood his hatred of those not of his kin. I don’t miss that antler-headed jerk.”

Slightly amused and failing to hide it, Celestia smirked. It was only for a moment, but King Abyssinia caught it.

“No.”

Celestia smirked again, but it came with a pinch of annoyance.

“I’ll be no happier to see him than you will.”

Another proverbial slap in the face to King Abyssinia, leaving him pawing over his face as if to scratch his eyes out.

“Gah! Even still! Why did you have to invite him?!”

It was about that time, and Celestia took a deep breath to drop this bomb.

“We came together then because Discord could have destroyed our world. This new threat… is out to kill us all.”

Slowly, King Abyssinia lowered his paws, a clear sign of fear showing through as the weight of her words bore down on him.

“Well… shit.”

Confused, Celestia cocked her head to the side slightly.

“What? Is that one of those human words everypony has started saying? I never got around to asking what it means.”

It would have been an excellent question with a hilarious answer, but Flash had an announcement to make first.

“Ahem. Four flyers matching the description you provided, approaching.”

Anxious to see an old friend, King Abyssinia turned to the skies, now wondering about an oversight.

"How did Queen Novo know where to find you? She disappeared before the construction of Canterlot."

Spoken too late, Queen Novo landed with three others, garbed in hooded cloaks, and the answer at the ready.

"Princess Celestia, despite the situation, it's a pleasure to see you again. And thank you for the directions." She took a glance to her side at the majesty of the palace she stood upon. "Gurl~ You have done well for yourself."

With pleasantries established, she turned back to Celestia, the seriousness of their situation again taking priority.

"You'll have to forgive my long silence, but had my subject not escaped to the surface, we still would be living away from you land dwellers."

A sudden realization that two Abyssians with crowns were present had Queen Novo revert back to her more friendly nature, as evident by her whimsical gasp.

"King Abyssinia! Did you finally pop the question? Oh, my word. Come here, you big fluffball."

Like an old friend would do, Novo happily trotted over and wrapped her forelegs and talons around the king, hugging him tightly.

"Ugh, my favorite handsome kitty-cat up and bagged himself a queen! Now I feel terrible not keeping in contact. I didn't even get you a wedding gift."

It was good to have this sassy queen back, and after getting over the shock, King Abyssinia returned the gesture.

"Just seeing you alive is gift enough, though I wish it were under better circumstances."

Respectfully, Celestia interrupted the happy reunion.

"Ahem. Every creature? The end of our world is at stake, so Queen Novo, if we could bring you up to speed with the new powers in play as well as the Yakyakistan and Griffonstone support that will be joining us."

At that note, Queen Abyssinia stepped up and extended a paw.

"Queen Novo, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Like two respectable ladies, the two queens shook, and Queen Abyssinia continued.

"Sadly, the royal bloodlines of the other two nations have not survived as we have all these centuries, but the humans that will be joining us are most pleasant."

As expected, Queen Novo drew a blank at the last statement.

"Humans?"

Coming in hot, Sniff hit the brakes and drifted into a spot good enough for parking his car and killed the engine. The flurry of ponies running and flying over the town, not even phasing them, nor Sniff's focus.

"We're here. Everyone out."

With great urgency, Sniff, Twilight, Ovens, Cutter, and Top Shelf emptied out of the car, all promptly greeted by bat ponies saluting them as they ran into the castle.

Inside, it was just as hectic with civilians and guards alike, weaving in and out between each other, carrying out various tasks—many of them pointing them towards the throne room. The reason being, that's where all the major players were gathered.

Upon setting foot inside the throne room, Luna fluttered down to bring them up to speed.

"Thank goodness you're here. Everypony in town has pitched in to help look for the youngsters, but it's becoming frighteningly clear that they are not here. No pony has seen hide nor scale of Yona or Smolder, but we know they were here."

For this portion, Benny stepped up with his phone in hand.

"One of the first places we checked after sending you the letter was the train station."

He held out his phone, showing the rear end of the caboose cart. The guard rails had been warped slightly, and each pic he swiped getting closer showed more signs of damage.

"We're not sure when exactly or why, but the train made an unplanned trip to Ponyville. No passengers or cargo. We believe Yona and Smolder hitched a ride as it was pulling away. Either the rail was pressed out to give Yona more room to sit or pulled out by Smolder holding on, trying to pull Yona up. We grilled the conductor about his trip, but he claims he thought he had to come back to pick up a special delivery."

With more bad news, Cadance stepped up to provide her expertise.

"We had no reason to believe the conductor was lying, but given the confusion he had towards his own actions, he allowed me to scan him for magic. And... I did find something."

Fearing the worst, Twilight couldn't let the awkward pause go on any longer.

"What was it? Chaos Magic? Dark Magic? What are we up against?"

Cadance grew an uneasy look of self-doubt, answering slowly.

"Light, Dark, Friendship, Love, and Chaos all strung together. All of them equally charged and harmonized with... I can't properly define it. It's unlike any form of magic any one pony can generate on their own. I've only seen, or felt, it once before."

Two names came to Twilight's mind. Both had one-off events with Cadance.

"Was it Queen Chrysalis or King Sombra?"

Sadly, Cadance shook her head, not wanting to admit what she found.

"No, Twilight. Magic from the Elements of Harmony."

In an unexpected flash of light, Celestia, King, and Queen Abysinnia, as well as four cloaked figures, teleported into the front of the room. From the muzzle alone, Luna recognized the first hooded figure, triggering a response to announce an order to the room.

"Any pony not immediately attached to any of the Stranded Seven or of the Lunar or Twilight Guard, please excuse yourself from the room. All others remaining, if you value your personal relationships with any in this room, or your current occupation working for the crown, you will adhere to the strictest confidentiality of what will be exposed in this room. And guards, let no one enter once those doors are closed."

The seriousness of Luna's demand quickly removed those in question, allowing Luna to step forward.

"Novo? Is that really you?"

To much of everyone's bewilderment, a pair of griffon claws raised up and removed the cloak. The reveal showed the top half of a griffon but the lower half of a pony: majestic white coat, no cutie mark, and a crown atop her head.

"Oh, Luna, honey. You're as pretty as the day I saw you last."

From outside the door, a commotion started up.

"Sir! You cannot go in there!"

"Sir! We have orders that no one is allowed—"

"HE HAS A WEAPON!"

A crash of armor colliding with the wall outside the door followed another crash that busted open the door, bringing everyone to a battle-ready stance.

In the doorway, two Lunar Guards held their ground with weapons drawn upon the intruder standing over their third. Inside the room, guns, spears, halberds, an ax, and every other creature's magic attacks were charged while the rest stood ready to pounce.

Standing over the downed Lunar Guard, holding a dart drawn back in his crossbow, Gruff glared over those in the room.

"Where's Gallus! He never flew home! Which one of you—" He drew a blank at the new face in the room and completely changed his tune. "Queen Novo? Caw! Who drug you out of the depths?"

Now, things were getting overly complicated, leaving Luna little choice but to de-escalate the situation.

"Goddamnit... Guards, Gruff may join us."

Everyone in the room gasped, but Luna didn't let their hesitation deter her decision.

"Once he lowers his weapon, that is."

Cocky as he was old, Gruff decocked the tensioner and holstered his weapon, stepping over the guard to join those in the room.

This, of course, upset practically everyone but none more than Gilda.

"After everything this jackass has done, you're going to let him walk in here after threatening your guard with a bolt to his head?!"

Old grudges were brought to a head, and Gilda readied her talons. She was going to deal with this old bird once and for all. That is to say, she could have, had she not been stopped by Luna extending her wing.

Luna had blocked Gilda's path to vengeance, trading it for an ultimatum with the old bird.

"You forced your way into our meetings once, and I held my tongue as a courtesy. However, your detestable behavior towards Gallus, as well as your treatment of my guards, no longer gives me a reason to be so favorable."

Gruff held fast for the moment, not liking where this conversation was taking him. He had to hear Luna out.

"We are aware of the disappearance of Gallus, but you should know that we are not responsible, so if your threat is that of war over his return, you're wasting your time. However, if you wish to help, your expertise would be appreciated."

Having taken particular offense to the story of what living with Gruff was like for Gallus, Lumberman did not welcome the company.

"Expertise in what? Child abuse?"

Far be it for Gruff to take any actual offense to his style of raising a hatchling how he saw fit, at least from an outsider.

"Caw! Keep it to yerself, human. Griffons aren't known for their hospitality and warm hugs like the pony company you keep. And I don't think Gallus would be so well-mannered and proper without my stern ways of raising him. The thieving trickster he was before I took him in."

Reaching the round table map, Gruff removed his hat, pulled out a medallion, and slammed it down for all to see.

"By expertise, Princess Luna means my knowledge of history. Not just because I've read it, but because I've lived it. Including watching the cowardly hippogriffs that abandoned us during the Storm King War."

Enraged, Novo flexed her magic and slammed the door shut as she stomped towards the table.

"We were overwhelmed! Nearly wiped out by the Storm King's army. Much like your grandfather's army, Gruffo."

Thoroughly confused, King Abyssinia did a double-take between the two squawking rivals. Then, the name finally registered.

"Gruffo? As in the last grand-chick of King Guto? But you were... How is your bloodline—"

"The royal curse!" Gruff shouted back with equal force. "All the royal bloodlines carry on."

All the human eyes quickly fell on Chris, who knew they were looking for an explanation. One he didn't have.

"Don't look at me. The show never covered any of this."

Gruff pulled back his medallion and returned it under his hat before donning it, along with a sneer.

"Every kingdom's representative is cursed with long life. It's passed on from parent to offspring. Some are doubly cursed and live long past having a successor. Some age like me, others like those you see around you, maintain their youth. The more they prosper, the stronger they become and more youthful they stay."

Proving his own point, he began to cough and hack. A few troubling coughs and chest pounds later, he picked up on his rant.

"My grand-bird, King Guto, was the greatest king our nation ever had. You know what happened and how we fell from grace, but what no griffon ever talks about is what shattered the little we had left."

At that moment, King Abysiniaa sulked, knowing the answer.

"King Guto's last stand in the Storm King War."

Hearing that set Gruff off into a belligerent rant.

"Back then, the Yaks were nomadic tribes. The dragons? Ha! Violent barbarians, too caught up fighting each other to leave their own lands. But the Griffon Empire? We were still strong, but lacking any real magic, we were left out of the Discord conflict that nearly took over the other kingdoms. So when the Storm King came after the hippogriffs, King Guto thought he could win the war for them and claim a war trophy to restore our glory."

Queen Novo, having been there, spoke up to keep the record straight.

"And the old fool dove beak first into the fray. No strategy or plan for a campaign. He disrupted the front lines, costing us untold losses. We lost the war because of him. Even your father was lost because he couldn't talk sense into the foolish king."

Gruff snapped his attention back to Novo, glaring with all his hate.

"He called you to charge in. Together, you had the numbers to overwhelm the Storm King."

Novo, overtaken by rage, jumped over the table, pressing her beak to Gruff's in a sudden challenge of strength and moral superiority.

"He dared to command my army! Calling my front lines to abandon their positions that were stopping the enemy from capturing my unarmed citizens! His plan would have left my hippogriffs open to be captured! Forgive me for not sacrificing my citizens for his glory!"

Celestia's golden aura lit up around the two, pulling them apart so she could step in and end the squabble.

"Both of you, stop it now."

Truth be told, the story was compelling to the onlookers—a wealth of history unfolding in front of them, along with valuable information they could use.

Instead, they were to get the short breakdown from Celestia.

"All of you, listen. Prior to Discord being turned to stone, he went on a rampage, warping our reality to the point that it would have been unrecognizable, unlivable. Creatures of nearly every kingdom were affected, and many were injured in the process. Those with the power to confront Discord did so. After he was defeated, he rested, then returned to Equestria, tying up my sister and I's hooves trying to stop his reign of terror once and for all."

The moment for exchanging words, or potentially blows, was over, and the previous feuding parties took their seats.

"While Luna and I tracked down Discord and eventually learned to control the Elements of Harmony. The Storm King took our discoordination at the time as an opportunity to take over the Hippogriff Empire and steal their magic. King Guto refused to listen and wait for assistance from any other kingdom."

She turned a stern look to Gruff.

"Consumed by greed and pride, he thought numbers alone would win the war. By the time his efforts ended in defeat, Luna and I had harnessed the power of the Elements of Harmony and defeated Discord for good. Still, we were too late to offer any meaningful aid. Novo came to Luna and I for help to escape. We helped her develop a magical item that would keep them hidden, then let the rumors spread that they had perished in the final conflict of the war."

Sitting cross and jaded, Gruff picked up with his side of the story.

"With King Guto and his only heir, my father, gone, but myself, too young to take the throne, the Lords banded together in the greatest act of greed and cowardice. Such a disgrace that has yet to be outmatched."

He stared daggers at Novo, still not letting go of their spat.

"They knew it would only be a matter of time before the Storm King was strong enough to wage another war. So, they offered a truce. So long as Griffonstone did not raise a banner of war, they would stand in place for the king. And he was wise to accept it. King Guto alone had wounded the Storm King. No other creature had ever come close, and he feared what the next king would do if it meant having revenge... and the Council of Lords have been bluffing war ever since."

Not to be left out of the story, King Abyssinia chimed in, remorse heavy in his voice.

"The Abyssinian Empire never had the chance to rally our forces to aid in the battle, but I was friends with King Guto. One of the few he had, but we were good trade partners, so there was that. Regardless, when I heard that he fell in combat, it affected all the major kingdoms. We stood down our army, wanting to avoid conflict. Celestia set new laws in place with heavy punishments for ending a life. The hippogriffs were gone... Even the yaks banded together out of fear of invaders endangering them, giving birth to their first king."

He turned his attention to Ember, no pride or comfort in his words.

"Even the Dragon Lands eventually found their first Dragon Lord, who looked to outmatch the Storm King and his greed. Though for hundreds of years, their own infighting kept them from spreading beyond their borders. Their first target was Yakyakistan, who boasted of their own strength... A short-lived war, but it left both kingdoms isolated for many hundreds of years to come."

So much history had been covered in that short stint, but one thing had been heavily glossed over that Chris needed to know.

"Soo... if all of you are back together, does that mean the Storm King is behind this? Taking kids from each kingdom to start a war or hold them hostage for your surrender or something? And who, or what even is he? Is it possible he has any connection with The Pony of Shadows?"

With that name brought up, Luna took the stage to explain, as difficult as it was for her to own up to any of it.

"The Pony of Shadows is an ancient entity, far older than the Storm King. A being of pure darkness, as the legends have claimed. But with him now defeated—"

"Don't you mean dead," Trixie carelessly asked, drawing all eyes to her.

Judging by some perplexed royal faces in the room, Luna realized her exposition would have to wait.

Introductions were in order.

"My apologies, every creature. Perhaps before we get started, it would be best to introduce one another. However, we will have to keep this brief. Time is precious, and we still have no idea who or what we are going up against."

After hours of trudging through the wilderness, Smolder and Yona had realized how incredibly lost they were. A result Smolder thought would be impossible for the likes of a yak.

"Seriously? How can you not know where we are? I thought you yaks were great at joggingfree?"

"Geography," Yona corrected her scaly friend. "Yaks know maps. Best trade routes. Where countries are. This not country! This big dumb forest!"

Still focused on finding their destination, Yona pressed her head against a dried-up tree to use as a bridge to cross a small ravine.

"Besides, we told only find power in forest, not where in forest."

Without a rebuttal, Smolder shrugged with a huff.

"Yep. Ya got me there. Any idea where we should start looking?"

As Smolder looked around their vast surroundings of trees, she lined up her clawed finger-like paws in a square. She held them out in front of her as if viewing the world through the lens of a camera. Perhaps more accurately, like the cartoon that Spike had shown her.

"Think of it like trade routes. Where's the best route some creature-no! Where is the worst route to take so you could hide a powerful... uh... power... Whatever power-thing we're looking for, so that even the greediest power-hungry dragon couldn't find it."

Walking on shaky legs, Yona looked down, seeing under her questionable tree bridge.

"Uh... Someplace high? High place with spiders sound like best place to not travel."

Mindlessly overlooking their possible destinations through an imaginary lens, Smolder fluttered over the ravine, landing on the other side with Yona struggling to cross in her view.

"I dunno. Not that the spiders aren't a bad touch, but heights? That wouldn't really be a challenge for a dragon."

One near slip and the face of a yak staring down death snapped Smolder out of her daydreaming, springing her into action and reaching out for Yona. Just in time, they caught each other, allowing Yona to get pulled to safety on the other side, making Smolder rethink her question entirely.

"You know, they sent us both out here to find the same thing with each other with almost no information on how to do it... That's the kind of thing ponies do, and they got the power to move the friggin moon! So, maybe it's someplace neither one of us can get to on our own."

As difficult as it was to imagine, Smolder rationalized she had to start thinking like a pony.

"I think we're not supposed to just go together, but work together. Some kind of pony team-up adventure, but between a dragon and a yak."

The possibility wasn't too hard to swallow, considering all the new friends they both had made together. Thinking back, Yona remembered something else Smolder might have tuned out.

"Oh! That best idea! Just like yaks work best together, now friends can work best together! Ember said we find more friends to work with!"

Silently agreeing, they bumped heads like a pair of hooligans, Smolder knocking herself into a daze and Yona rubbing her forehead over it. That didn't matter, though. Now, they were officially a team.

"Alright," Smolder boldly claimed before losing her bravado. "Where do we find the others to work with, and who are they?"

Having gone from a proverbial game of pursuit, both Sandbar and the runaway filly stood with their backs against a tree, panting and rightfully afraid.

Lumbering behind them, a massive beast with the body of a bear and the face of a monstrous great-horned owl scratched at the dirt. Searching for a scent trail, it scraped up the fallen leaves and grass.

If, by luck or some other force, the owl held no further desire to continue the chase. It gave one final growl, then stepped away to return down the path it came.

Behind the tree, the young filly peaked around the corner in time to see the creature's backside vanish in with the branches.

For now, they were safe enough for the young filly to speak.

"What was that thing?"

Breathing out over the filly's head, Sandbar caught the last shake from a branch the creature passed through. A promising sign they had a minute to breathe.

"Woah, did we ever cut it close. I've never seen one, but I'm sure that was an owlbear. And that means we can't stay here. It's gonna circle back when it doesn't find us back where it came from."

After all the running, the strange filly now regretted her hasty decision to flee. It confused her, having decided to run to the forest when she could have easily hidden in town.

"I'm sorry about putting you in danger. It's my fault that you're lost out here with me now."

Needing the moment to rest, Sandbar slid down the tree trunk and flopped down on his flanks.

"It's okay, Water Bug. You're new here, but you should know that the Everfree Forest is a dangerous place. We need to head back to town, but we'll have to walk farther in and circle back to avoid the owlbear."

Since they ended up in the denser area of the forest, Sandbar was now curious as to why she ran.

"Hey? What's got you so scared to go into town? You were already there. It's not like anypony will bite. Didn't you go there looking for somepony?"

The young filly slumped down next to Sandbar, her bangs covering much of how lost she truly felt.

"I don't know... I've heard stories about the ponies in Ponyville, and ever since then, I've felt like I should go there. I can't say why I felt that way. It was like a waking dream where my thoughts were getting away from me, telling me to leave home. But I was safe where I was."

Granted, Ponyville was a nice place, but Sandbar knew there were a lot better places to visit. That made this filly's situation seem even darker if her choice of places to visit was his small town.

"What's your home like? Don't you have anypony who's going to miss you back there?"

Such a strange question to ask, but one the filly wasn't sure how to answer. Not only that, how could she compare this landscape to where she came from?

From the cliffside they had cornered themselves on, a clear skyline lay in front of her. Rolling hills covered in lush green trees leading up to mountains, separated by the wild waters of rivers and streams that flowed through them, was all she could see.

It was as open and beautiful as her home was cramped and ugly.

"Miss me? I don't think so. It's not like I'm special or important back there. But home is nothing like out here. It's dark and almost always cold. I'm used to seeing only rocks and dirt. And all the plants are always dark, dying, or really pointy. There are so many colors to see out here. And it's warm, the air doesn't smell old and crampy, and—"

She shifted her eyes towards Sandbar but then looked away shyly, if not shamefully.

"Are all ponies nice like you are? Where I come from, when we get fed, the others would never share. We'd have to fight for the scraps we were given, but I'm so little... I'm still hungry... What's your home like?"

"My home?" Sandbar asked with a loving smile. "I live with my mom, my dad, and my younger brother and sister. We're all homeschooled, but we still have plenty of friends with the other ponies in town. And in the summertime, we get to go on summer vacation, and we'll have camping trips where we make s'mores by the campfire, and best of all, hang out at the beach."

He closed his eyes, reminiscing about the sand, the breeze rolling over the water, the laughs, games, and everything that came with the fun in the sun.

"It's my favorite thing ever. I just love the beaches in the summertime, and you'll love it, too!"

Suddenly, he felt strange. Not tired, but that feeling that comes on before the onset of exhaustion. Then he noticed that the filly sitting next to him started breathing heavier.

The thought that she was getting excited about the summer beaches energized him again, and he turned to ask what she would like to know more about. Instead, when he opened his eyes, he saw her mouth open wide, engulfing in a glowing pink aura around him.

"What are you doing?!" He shrieked, panic giving some of his energy back.

"What?!" The filly shouted back, her eyes briefly flashing solid blue as she realized what she had done. "NO! Wait! It's not what you think! I was just hungry!"

Cautiously, Sandbar started scooting away, his mind racing for a logical explanation faster than the aura dissipated. Finally, a terrifying thought came to mind but was stolen by the loud snapping of a branch from the other side of the tree.

His head slowly turned, thoughts returning to another threat that might have overheard them.

Sure enough, a hulking beast stood before him, its large owl-like beak drooling within leaping distance. The owlbear had circled back sooner than he could have predicted, and that was too dangerous for him to be concerned with anything else.

"Water Bug! Run!"

Like the hungry beast it was, the owlbear lept with its paw raised, claws extended and shrieking as it descended upon its prey.

Paralyzed by fear, Sandbar could only watch as the owlbear dropped down over him.

In the blink of an eye, the descending paw was close enough to see the edges it would use to eviscerate him and the filly now jumping between them.

CRACK!

Instead of running away, the filly had thrown herself in front of Sandbar. Taking the brunt of the blow, her eyes went blank before her body slammed into him, knocking them both off the cliff's edge.

Tumbling through the air, out of control and struggling to regain the wind that had been knocked out of him, Sandbar couldn't reach his savior.

"Wuhtur Buhg."

In the first two seconds, his loudest voice was nothing more than a croak. It was all he could muster while still struggling to breathe. During the next two seconds, just keeping his eyes on her was all but impossible. Tumbling over and over, one second watching her fall, the next spent searching for her again while she floundered in the wind, unresponsive. Somewhere between the fifth and sixth second in free fall, he could have sworn he saw white and blue lights flash around her, revealing a more petite, polished, black surface under her coat.

SPLASH!

Sandbar hit the water, his left side instantly stung as if he'd been pelted with a-hundred buck-balls covered in sewing needles. Thankfully, that shock to his system, along with the frigid water of the river, gave him his voice back, which he used when he surfaced.

"Water Bug!"

She had landed with him, yet he couldn't find her. Then it was frighteningly clear what happened. She was unresponsive after she was hit. She must have been knocked out, assuming the hit from the owlbear didn’t do that already, so as much as it hurt to move, he dove under to find her.

In the strong currents, he found her dragging along the bottom of the river bed. Had it not been for the shimmering light that flashed around her, she likely would have been overlooked.

Needing only a few strong kicks, the stream did most of the work and delivered him to the drowning filly. Once he secured his grip around her, he swam to the surface, emerging in desperate need of air.

The current was powerful, making it difficult to keep his new friend's head above water. One tight squeeze under his foreleg to hike her up forced her to eject a mouthful of water, making her cough and gag. She was breathing; even if it was all gasps and wheezes, thank Celestia, she was alive.

"Hold on, Water Bug," He begged. "I'll get us to shore. Try to keep your head above water, okay?"

The shore, try as he might, was beyond his reach; he couldn't fight the current. It was too strong to swim against, and the way the waters churned and swirled, he couldn't even swim with the flow to reach either side. The more he forced himself, the more energy he lost, and the cold spring waters were slowing him down as well. Shivers and cramps were working their way over his limbs.

"New plan," he said in his bravest voice. "I can't make it to shore right now. Just hold on until the current slows down. Then I need you to help me carry you to shore, okaaaaah-rap!"

The sudden drop in bravery and rise in panic came from one source, and as they spun in the waters again, Sandbar shouted at what they could both now see.

"Waterfall! Swim! Kick! Kick!"

"I can't swim!"

"What!"

Prisoners to the river's whims and its current, they rushed closer to the edge. And that's when they heard a lady's voice from above.

"Hey, down there! Do you know where I can find a creepy old castle around here?"

Both looked up to what appeared to be a pegasus, or maybe it was a griffon? Whatever it was, it was hovering high overhead.

Together, they shouted the same reply.

"HELP!"

Not so helpfully, their would-be savior plummeted down into the waters and out of sight.

Accepting their end while the last of the splashes sprinkled back into the waters, Sandbar stated their fate.

"We're gonna die."

Unexpectedly, their savior popped her head up in front of them. Clueless, bubbly, kinda cute, and seemingly ignorant of their plight.

"Wow, hehe. It feels so good to be back in the water again. Name's Silverstream, but as I was saying, I'm looking for this creepy old castle I saw in a dream. Suuuper important. But really, it was a daydream because I wasn't asleep—"

As compelling of a story as it was, and it wasn’t, Sandbar was focused on their impending doom.

"Take us to shore, and I'll tell you anything you want!"

Less than twenty feet from plummeting to their doom, and Pinkie two-point-oh, or Silverstream as she called herself, finally agreed to help.

"Okay! Just grab above my fins and hold on tight!"

There was no time to question anything beyond her help and being told to hold on. Of course, once he did get a hold, Sandbar realized something was off.

"Fins? WAH!"

Thank the stars, Sandbar held on tight because they were moving faster upstream than he could swim downstream when they finally took off. Any faster, and he might have lost his companion along the way.

Before he could begin to speculate what was happening, this mystery heroine, Silverstream, whipped her body towards the shore, sending both Sandbar and the filly clinging to him into the dirt. They landed with a thud, but Sandbar hunkered in, taking the brunt of the landing.

"Tada!" Silverstream announced from the water as she sprouted up through the surface.

Sandbar looked at the creature in the water, celebrating her successful victory. But, despite Silverstream's first appearance as a griffon and the look of a pony moments later, she was neither.

Sure, the face was similar to a pony's, albeit far more petite, but the ears were wrong. But forget the ears. Her forelegs were fins! And was this even the same creature they saw moments ago? Judging by the lower half that curled out of the water that looked more like a fish's, it seemed unlikely.

Adding to the questionable appearances of those that Sandbar found himself in company with, the filly who called herself Water Bug, finally lost control of her magic. The blue and white lights that flashed around her form swirled together, twirling from hoof to horn, a young changeling now lay in his arms. A solid all-black exterior, holes dabbled through her legs, and a sharp horn all exposed.

With the illusion over and her disguise removed, she asked Silverstream a question only a changeling could ask.

"Were you sent to bring me back to the hive?"

While Sandbar should have been scared out of his mind after the owlbear attack, he'd give this one the benefit of the doubt.

"If you're not a pony, does that mean your name isn't really Water Bug?"

If not emotionally shot, given their last few minutes of bonding turned near-fatal attraction, she was too sore to move at the moment. In that case, she came clean.

"No... My real name is Ocellus, and I'm a runaway from Queen Chrysalis and the rest of the changeling hive. But I'm not like them. I promise."

Ocellus looked up with painfully sad eyes at their bubbly savior.

"Please don't make me go back. I know we need to feed on love to survive, but ponies have food they can share. It won't take away all the hunger, but maybe if we—"

"Question!" Silverstream interjected. "How can you eat an emotion? Oh! Do you have some kind of super cool surface dweller magic that lets you turn emotions into kelp or—"

In her million-mile-a-minute string of thoughts, she realized she had no idea who she was talking to, even if they did look familiar. Then again, this was her first day on the surface, so now she needed to ask some more questions.

"When you say ponies, do you mean there are ponies that don't live underwater? Because those are the only ponies I know of. And what do land ponies eat? Also, do you have anything to eat? I've been looking for this castle that's supposed to be somewhere near here, or at least I hope it is, and I'm reeeealy super hungry because I didn't have time to pack a lunch."

There was nothing but dead air between the three. All of them appeared to have no firm foundation of an understanding of who they were talking to. For Silverstream, that could have been a sign she saved the wrong creatures, a sentiment she was all too happy to voice.

"Not to sound rude, but neither of you happen to work for the Storm King, do you? Because if you do, you have to tell me so I don't tell you that I'm on a super-secret mission from Princess Skystar. But if you are, could you maybe not tell him?"

Sandbar had spent enough time around Ponyville to know a Pinkie Pie when he saw one, and while Silverstream didn't look like one, she practically spoke like one.

"Uh, no. Never heard of either of them, but if we did, didn't you just blow your cover?"

Talking with strangers was difficult, or at least Silverstream now knew that was a weakness she had.

"Oops."

Yep, without a doubt, this creature was going to be a hoof-full to deal with for Sandbar. At least he had some practice dealing with Ponyville's pink party pony.

"Yeah... Oops... But, uh, if you're not a griffon, a pony, and clearly not a changeling... what are you?"

Since these two didn't sound like they were working with her kingdom's sworn enemy, Silverstream figured she could trust them. Plus, she still had about a BILLION questions to ask them.

"Griffons? Never heard of those, but I'm a sea pony. Well, sort of. I'm only a sea pony because I'm in the water. I'm actually a hippogriff."

Silverstream dipped back under the water, only to swim up with the momentum needed to shoot out into the air. Once airborne, she was shrouded in a burst of light that flashed away, revealing her new form.

Her pony face changed to one more like a griffon's, only, again, more petite, with ears that were larger and more stylish and the rear end of a pony.

While impressive, the transition came off as astonishingly nonsensical for all the mismatched species her two forms tried to incorporate a pony with. Yet, she was overly impressed with herself.

"So, get this. I've been a hippogriff all my life, but this is my first day actually as a hippogriff! I've spent my whole life living as a sea pony, which is pretty great, but look at all this stuff! I mean—"

Flapping over to a nearby stump, she picked up the first object she could grasp and showed it to Sandbar as if it were some long-lost treasure.

"LOOK AT THIS! What is it?! I'm having trouble saving the world because there's just so many new things to find!"

Opting to be the voice of reason, Sandbar raised a hoof to lower Silverstream's dullest show and tell, or show and ask, remembering he needed to ask slow and specific questions.

"That, Silverstream, is what's called a pinecone. Those little brown pieces sticking out of it are seeds for a pine tree. They fall off and get blown away by the wind or carried off by other animals that will help the seeds drop off and grow into new pine trees. Now... Thank you for saving us, but you said you're looking for a creepy old castle—Did you say save the world?"

Somehow, that got Silverstream to get serious, which was extremely odd to see given her outburst, landing in front of her small audience to tell her tale.

"Yes, and I shouldn't be telling you this, but I think you're two of the creatures I saw in my daydream that were there with me. Long ago, back when the hippogriffs lived amongst the land-dwellers and ruled their skies, the evil Storm King tried to enslave us. A war was fought, but he was too strong, and the hippogriffs escaped, living in secret, under the sea where the Storm King could never reach us. But, then I saw it happen."

Curious for more of the outside world, Ocellus was drawn into the story.

"You saw what happened?"

Silverstream sat down, animating her story with her claws.

Deep under the ocean, the muddy floor had been dried to sand. The vast waters hollowed out around the submersed empire of the hippogriffs, imprisoned by walls of ice that domed over where they called home.

Tall, bulking, bipedal storm creatures clad in black armor did battle with the remaining forces in all directions. The hippogriff’s swords and spears clashed against those of the army that looked like stout, sasquatches in grey fur. Their faces were covered by the black metal masks that marked them as harbingers of the Storm King.

Silverstream flew over the war-ravaged homes with Princess Skystar towards the palace.

"Princess! There's no escape! We're iced in! Maybe your mother can help us?!"

Down below, the voice of who they feared shouted up to them.

"Not so fast, Princess!"

In her dreamlike state, she looked down as if she knew the voice already. The Storm King had spotted them, his trident aimed in their direction, unleashing a jagged magic stream of bolts that struck Skystar.

An explosion engulfed Skystar, knocking Silverstream off course.

"Princess!"

Her body fell, with little time to catch her smoking torso and shredded wings.

Inches were all that existed between the hoards of storm creatures and Silverstream's narrow rescue of the princess, catching her before the spears and nets could claim them both.

"Charge!" Demanded Seaspray, diving in to thwart the advancing army charging on the last remaining stronghold. "We'll hold them off! Take her to the Queen! Find the Elements!"

The battle ensued behind Silverstream. Battle cries and screams of anguish overtook the ocean floor, only to be drowned out by the clashing of metal on metal and explosions.

In front of the palace, guards lay scattered about. Unconscious, smoldering with smoke trailing from the armor, frozen ice, or green crystals.

The vision was too brief to make out the specifics before Silverstream made her way inside.

"Queen Novo! Skystar has been hurt! We need to find the Ele-AHH!"

Without warning, a discharge of untamed raw magic struck Silverstream in the chest, knocking her out of the air and losing hold of the Princess.

They both landed on the floor under the throne where Queen Novo lay defeated, barely able to speak as the green ice—NO! Crystal! It was definitely crystal by the looks of it, growing under a dark mist that spread from her backside, crawling up her body, her magic failing to hold it back as she wept.

"Silverstream... I'm sorry I didn't listen... I should have sent you to find the power of the Elements. I've doomed us ah-HHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Her final words ended in a scream before the crystal binding covered her entirely.

Silverstream reached out, caressing the green crystal that held her final hope as hoofsteps clopped closer.

"Aunt Novo? No..."

"And then the dream took me back to before the Storm King invaded. It showed me what was beyond the ocean. Over the desert, small pine trees, really BIG pine trees, and then this creepy old castle, at least I'm pretty sure it used to be a castle. Our castle looks a lot different, but when the dream got to the castle, it took me under it, not inside like I thought it would have. And in there was this glowing light. First, it was white, then it shined with all the colors of the rainbow. It was magical, I could tell, but it was still so bright I couldn't see who else was there with me. Two of them kinda looked like you two, but all I could see was their shadows."

A story that grand couldn't be true, not according to Sandbar. Then again, he overheard Rare Find telling others about what happened recently with the humans. So, maybe it wasn't too far-fetched, but there was another thing wrong with the story.

"Hold on. You said that you were sent to find the power of the Elements in your dream, but then you weren't alone when you found it. Who was supposed to be with you, and you think they looked like us? Also, are you related to royalty?"

Silverstream shrugged, the pinecone back in her grasp as she toyed with the seeds, her attention shifting to plucking her talon across the seeds to make them shake.

"I have no idea who they were. I never met a surface-dweller before you two. Oh!"

In a sudden burst of excitement, she dropped the pinecone to make another announcement, ignoring the question of blood relations.

"That wasn't the end of the dream! One of the others around me spoke! It was a guy, I think. He said, ahem..." She deepened her voice, making it more masculine but also kind of grainy. "We made it all the way through the Everfree Forest to find out the treasure is an alicorn?"

She cleared her throat again and returned her attention to the pinecone and a carefree attitude.

"Yeah. That was the dream. Really scary stuff if you ask me. I don't know what it all means, but Princess Skystar had the same daydream. She's the one who helped me make it to the surface."

Speaking of her dream, retelling it gave her a brilliant idea.

"Hey! Maybe the castle is in the Everfree Forest. Do you know where that is? I should probably start looking there."

Awestruck with the coincidence, Ocellus blinked in repetition until the words came to fruition.

"Uh, well, as I just learned today, this is the Everfree Forest, but if you didn't find the power of the Elements alone, it's because this place is full of dangerous creatures."

Like waking in class after a test had started, Sandbar remembered said dangerous creatures and the danger they were in.

"That's right! Water Bug!"

"I thought her name was Ocellus?" Silverstream pointed out.

"Whatever," Sandbar snapped. "Ocellus, are you sure you’re okay? That owlbear hit you pretty hard. Are you injured?"

Slowly, Ocellus sat up, a small groan escaping as she turned her back for Sandbar to examine. Five long scratches ran down her upper back.

"I think so? I've been told that our elytra is strong enough to protect us from just about anything, so long as we're well-fed. And until today—"

"Elytra!" Silverstream shouted before running her talons down Ocellus's back. "You mean you have an exoskeleton?! Are you part water beetle?"

A little uncomfortable from being touched, Ocellus ducked and scurried behind Sandbar.

"Uh, maybe?"

Adding onto the question, Sandbar turned his head behind him to check out the bashful changeling.

"And by well-fed, you mean—"

"Eep!"

Ocellus had hoped this wouldn't come up, but when it did, she freaked out and defaulted to transforming into a rock.

The same lights swirled around her as they did before. Starting from her hooves and ending at her horn, her appearance was as convincing as the stones around them.

She dropped to the dirt with a flop, no different than a slab of granite. Only, after the flop, those lights flickered and flashed rapidly before they swirled away, and she was back in her normal form.

There was no getting away from this conversation. Not if she wanted to stay in his company.

"Yeah, sorry about that. But when you started talking about your family and all the fun things you get to do at the beach, you were giving off a lot of love. And it's not that I didn't enjoy the food you gave me. I don't really know if I can live off of that, but taking in the love of other creatures is how we survive. It keeps our bodies healthy and strong and lets us use our magic, like transformation."

All interesting, but Sandbar wondered how any of that worked.

"So, that mouthful of love you fed on, that made you stronger? Like, what would have happened if you hadn't fed on it and the owlbear hit you?"

While thinking about the answer, Ocellus reached back and felt over the markings left behind. From stories she heard of the warrior class changelings, it shouldn't have been this bad.

"I'm not sure, but it would have been a lot worse. I've never gone this long without feeding before, and keeping up my transformation like I did required a lot of energy. I mean, I'm not properly trained, so I can only change into three forms, but a rock is the easiest, and I can't even hold that anymore."

Of all the options Sandbar had, despite knowing that Ocellus was a changeling, leaving her out in the wilderness to fend for herself wasn't one of them. Even more, she had saved him from the owlbear.

Sure, she tried to feed off of him and led him on about being a pony, but he could see himself doing the same thing given the history between their races. Furthermore, she may have led him on about what she was, but her past still sounded like the truth. She was a parentless, starving runaway in need of help.

"Do you need to... uh... feed again? So, you can go back to looking like Water Bug?"

Being so new to this world, Ocellus couldn't tell if that was a question based on fear or a cautious offer.

"Oh? Uh... I mean, I'm going to need to feed eventually, somehow. But I've never been hurt like this before. I don't think I'd be able to hold another form until this heals."

So, that left the next obvious question for Sandbar to ask.

"How long will that take?"

It was all speculation, but judging by old stories Ocellus had heard when she was still only a larva, she could only make an educated guess.

"Probably a couple of days before I'm fully healed. But, if I was able to let my body rest overnight, I could probably hold it for long enough to get by. And, actually, as bad as that owlbear got me, I think your food is working. From the stories I've heard about other changelings getting hurt like this, they had to gather all their strength just to find a place to hide so they could heal. I... don't feel tired at all. Just sore."

Only one night? With that little bit of information, Sandbar had a plan. And even though it came with a lot of risks, the rewards would be worth it.

"One night? Well, how about this? Since we can't go back to town with you looking like... you... It would cause a panic... I say we help Silverstream find The Castle of the Two Sisters, rest for the night, and then we all go home as heroes for saving the world."

Before the pinecone could even hit the ground, Silverstream was up in front of Sandbar. His hooves were in her claws, pressed up against her chest, and she all but cheered out her thanks.

"You're going to help me, and you know where the castle is?"

On closer inspection, like, up in his face closer, this fish-bird pony thing was kinda cute. Cute enough to make this untested colt start to blush.

"Uh, yeah... You know," he said, trying to look away. "We kinda owe you for saving us. Besides, I want to help out Ocellus, and she needs to heal before I can do that. So... if you're willing to let us go with you, and you tell everypony that we helped, then I won't get in trouble for not coming home, and Water Bug will be welcomed as a hero that they can trust. And I'm sure I can talk my parents into letting a hero live with us."

Amazed by the generosity, Ocellus didn't know how to react. She could only sit and wonder what this new life would be like.

"You would give me a place to stay."

Sandbar grinned and rubbed her smooth head.

"It's the friendly thing to do, any creature willing to risk their life for me is a friend if I ever knew one."

Overwhelmed, Ocellus was shaking, joy the likes she never knew coursing through her every fiber of being.

"I… I don't know what this feeling is? What am I supposed to do?"

Now determined, Sandbar stood up and took a look at his surroundings.

"Well, if you’re strong enough to walk, say yes and follow me. I don’t know exactly where the castle is, but I know where I was told never to go. So that’s probably our best place to start looking.”

Still watching, enthralled by the touching event, Silverstream couldn’t keep it to herself.

“You two are so cute together! Oh! Oh! Ocellus! You should hug him!”

Not familiar with the act, Ocellus tilted her head, confused.

“Hug? Is that some kind of sea pony thing?”

Sandbar stopped dead in his tracks. To hear such a question meant he was so far off course with how bad this changeling’s situation actually was.

“Really? You’ve never been hugged? It’s uh—”

Too impatient for an explanation, Silverstream grabbed both of Ocellu’s holy forelegs and yanked her over into Sandbar. The impact was enough that Sandbar was forced to hold her just to keep from falling.

Another fall avoided successfully, but there he was.

“Yeah… Uh… this is a hug.”

Still not content, Silverstream threw her forelegs around the two, wrapping them up in an even bigger hug.

“Life is so amazing on the surface! Can we all be friends? I have so many questions about life up here. Like when I was flying, it’s not like swimming, by the way, there were all these white fluffy things up there in the sky?”

The whole experience was pleasant but a bit much. It felt strange being so close to a source of love, but it wasn’t stolen? What even was love anyway if it was more than sustainment for a changeling?

“Yes, and I don’t think I’ll be feeding on love for a while. Not if I don’t have to… You don’t happen to have another sandwich, do you?”

“You have sand that can cast magic?! Wow!”

“Okay. Hugs over. You’re both making it weird.”

You ever get the feeling that as soon you start to get settled in, something bad is about to happen?

Certainly seems to be that way for these poor saps. Same goes for Celestia... and Cutter... and... yeah... Everyone is having a rough day.

Speaking of Cutter, it looks like she couldn't settle things with Baked Fresh as she wanted. Then again, Baked Fresh has the right to complain.

Flash is back in the mix, and we get some more info on the history of some of these royals. And, I really like having these characters play around with each other.

Especially when they all get together. Also, know you know what secret Gruff whispered to Luna to get into the first secret meeting. Seems even Gruff has his hardships to bend him out of shape.

Out in the Everfree, both groups are struggling. Some more than others, but at least now we know for sure who that mysterious "Water Bug" filly really was. As if you didn't know.

Of course, we also have Silverstream participating in all this madness.

Now the question remains of what will befall our heroes next? Find out next week in: