Three months later, it was early springtime in Ponyville. For Eric and his friends, school was out for the week as spring break had begun. Eric was in the castle library reading his copy of Magical Relics of the Known World, he then went to the part about a certain magic bell.

“Everyone, I think I know what relic Glacio is after next,” Eric said.

“What is it?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“This. The Bewitching Bell,” Eric replied, showing them a picture of the bell.

“Little is known about the bell except that it was forged by the evil goat, Grogar,” Nightshade added, “It was his main source of power as he also used it to give life to some of the foulest creatures in the world.”

“Wait, Grogar was real?” Slapstick asked.

“We thought he was just a legend,” Apple Bloom added.

“Apparently yes, that means Gusty the Great was a true story that happened centuries ago,” Zuni replied.

“It all makes sense now. Because with the Bewitching Bell, Glacio would likely be able to control the sun and moon, the weather, and even the land itself,” Eric said.

“According to the story, Gusty the Great tried to destroy the bell multiple times, but couldn’t, so she hid it on Mt. Everhoof in a magically protected cave,” Holly replied.

“That’s the highest point of the Crystal Mountains,” Scootaloo added.

“I’ve heard that Mt. Everhoof has strong gale force winds and avalanches are common there. Those would be hard to get past,” Marina said.

“Glacio has a lot of resources and he’s smart, so he might figure something out in order to claim the bell,” Eric replied.

“Eric! Your grandparents are here!” Twilight’s voice called out.

“I’ll be right there, mom!” Eric said.

“We better get back to our homes. See you soon, Eric,” Pincer replied as he and the others left.

“See you soon, everyone,” Eric said as he exited the library.

It wasn’t long before Eric was at the entrance where his paternal grandparents were.

“Hi, Grandma Kimono and Grandpa Lancer,” Eric greeted.

“Good to see you, Eric,” Kimono said.

“How’ve you been?” Lancer asked.

“Good enough. I’ve been maintaining A’s and B’s in school,” Eric replied.

“Nice,” Lancer said.

“So what brings you here?” Eric asked.

“We were wondering if you and your parents would like to come with us to Neighgasaki,” Kimono replied.

“It’s been years since you took me, Flash, and Misty to Neighgasaki, mom,” Storm said, then asked, “How ‘bout it, Twilight and Eric?”

“That might be nice. I haven’t been to Neighgasaki, it’ll be good for Eric and Midnight to meet more of your relatives,” Twilight replied.

“I’ve always wanted to visit Neighgasaki ever since Grandma Kimono told me about it,” Eric added.

“You might want to get packing,” Storm said.

Eric went up to his room and began packing. He pointed his wand at his backpack and said “Capacious Extremis.”

He then packed some of his clothes, books, his orca plushie, Smarty Pants, and Ron’s pet supplies.

“Ron, c’mere boy,” Eric said, signaling his pet otter.

It was then that Ron came up to Eric and went into his arms. Eric grabbed his back and put it on. He then rejoined his parents and grandparents, along with his brother, Midnight. Eric and his family walked through town until they reached the train station.

They bought seven tickets and boarded the train once it arrived.

“All aboard! Last stop, Neighgasaki!” the conductor called out.

It was then that the train began moving and headed east. Eric sat in between his parents as he took out some of his books to read.

---

Hours later, the train finally stopped at the Neighgasaki station. It was then that Eric and his family disembarked the train and entered the city. They walked around, hoping to find a taxi carriage. It wasn’t long before one was coming their way.

“Taxi!” Storm called out.

“Where to?” the driver asked as he came to a halt. He was a teal imperial unicorn stallion.

“Sweet Blossom Rice Paddies, please,” Kimono replied.

Once Eric and his family entered the carriage, the driver took them to their destination.

“Grandma, what exactly is Sweet Blossom Rice Paddies?” Eric asked.

“It’s my family’s rice farm where I was born and raised,” Kimono replied.

Soon enough, the carriage driver stopped at the entrance of the rice farm. Eric and his family exited the carriage and were greeted by Kimono’s relatives.

“Good to see you again, mother and father,” Kimono said with a bow.

“Good to see you too, Kimono,” her parents replied with a bow.

Kimono’s father was a dark blue elderly earth pony stallion with a pale blue robe, light gray mane, tail, and beard, dark green eyes, and a bowl of rice for a cutie mark. Her mother was a reddish purple elderly imperial unicorn mare with dark blue eyes, an almost white mane and tail tied in a bun, a dark blue robe, and a peach with a pink five-petal flower for a cutie mark.

“Good to see you, grandma and grandpa,” Storm said with a bow.

“Good to see you again, Storm,” the elderly stallion replied, bowing.

“Same here,” the elderly mare added with a bow, then pointed to Twilight, “Who’s this nice mare?”

“I’m Twilight Sparkle, Storm’s wife. Good to meet you both,” Twilight replied with a bow.

“Good to meet you as well, Twilight Sparkle. I’m Rice Stack, and this is my wife, Peach Blossom,” the elderly stallion greeted.

“I’m Eric Sparkle, and this is my little brother, Midnight Star,” Eric said with a bow, introducing himself and his brother, “I guess you’re our great-grandparents.”

“Yes. We’ve heard so much about you from the letters Kimono sent to us,” Peach Blossom replied, “Come everypony, to the house we go.”

It was then that Eric and his family followed Rice Stack and Peach Blossom to the house. There, they met up with Kimono’s older brother, Bok Choy and his wife, Ginseng Tea. The former was a bright red imperial unicorn stallion with a black mane and tail, dark brown eyes, bok choy leaves for a cutie mark, and wore a dark brown robe. The latter was a golden earth pony mare with a graying black mane and tail, dark brown eyes, a ginseng root and leaves for a cutie mark, and a cyan robe with golden patterns.

“Good to see you, Bok Choy and Ginseng,” Kimono said with a bow.

“Good to see you as well, Kimono,” Bok Choy replied as he and Ginseng bowed.

“Good to see you again, Storm,” Sakura said with a bow.

“Hi, Uncle Bok Choy. Hi, Aunt Ginseng,” Storm replied with a bow, “This is my wife, Twilight Sparkle, and these are our sons, Eric Sparkle and Midnight Star.”

“Good to meet you both,” Twilight greeted with a bow.

“Good to meet you. I guess you’re mine and Midnight’s great-aunt and great-uncle,” Eric said with a bow.

“We know who you are, Eric. Even in Neighgasaki, you’re well known,” Ginseng replied.

“Good to meet you as well,” Bok Choy added.

It wasn’t long before the rest of Kimono’s relatives showed up. Among them was Bok Choy and Ginseng’s daughter Sakura Blossom and her husband, Daikon Radish. The former was a grayish blue imperial unicorn mare with a dark red mane and tail, golden eyes, a cherry tree with blooming flowers for a cutie mark, and wore a white and blue robe. The latter was a yellow green earth pony stallion with reddish brown eyes, a bluish black mane and tail, a white radish for a cutie mark, and a black robe. Sakura’s brother, Riceberry and his wife, Ginger Mint were also present. The former was a greenish blue earth pony stallion with yellow eyes, a dark brown mane and tail, a bowl of reddish purple rice for a cutie mark, and a light brown robe. The latter was a tan imperial unicorn mare with a reddish brown mane and tail, blue-green eyes, a ginger root with mint leaves for a cutie mark, and a golden robe. All four of them were around Twilight and Storm’s ages.

Lastly, there were four foals named Mochi, Cherry Bloom, Fortune Cookie, and Jasmine Tea. The former two were the son and daughter of Sakura Blossom and Daikon Radish, while the latter two were the son and daughter of Riceberry and Ginger Mint. Mochi and Jasmine were around Eric’s age, while Cherry Bloom and Fortune Cookie were slightly younger.

Mochi was a light grayish blue earth pony colt with golden eyes, a bluish black mane and tail, three balls of mochi for a cutie mark, and a dark green robe. Cherry Bloom was a yellow green imperial unicorn filly with a pale red mane and tail, reddish brown eyes, and a red robe. Jasmine Tea was a greenish blue imperial unicorn filly with yellow eyes, a reddish brown mane and tail, jasmine leaves for a cutie mark, and a pink robe. Fortune Cookie was a darker tan pegasus colt with blue-green eyes, a brown mane and tail, and a purple robe.

“Sakura! Riceberry! Good to see you, cousins,” Storm greeted with a bow, “Good to see you as well, Daikon and Ginger.”

As Storm introduced Twilight to his cousins, the four foals greeted Eric with a bow and introduced themselves.

“Good to meet you, Eric Sparkle. I’m Mochi, and this is my sister, Cherry Bloom,” the earth pony colt said.

“I’m Jasmine Tea and this is my brother, Fortune Cookie,” the unicorn filly added with a bow.

“Hi, Mochi and Cherry Bloom. Good to meet you as well, Jasmine and Fortune Cookie,” Eric replied with a bow, then pointed to his brother and pet, “This is my little brother, Midnight Star and my pet otter, Ron.”

Soon enough, everyone was gathered for dinner as they were catching up. Twilight and Storm told his relatives Eric’s story about how he came to Equestria.

“He was abused back where he came from? That’s awful,” Ginseng Tea said.

“It’s a shame you had to go through that for a year, Eric-san,” Bok Choy added.

“At least Jasper and Smokey were there for me. Coming to Equestria was the best thing that ever happened to me,” Eric said, “From four years ago onward, I have the best family and friends a boy could ever have.”

As everyone was eating, Eric and Twilight really liked the local veggie and rice dishes, along with the egg rolls. After dinner and some reading, Twilight, Storm, Eric, and Midnight settled into the two guest rooms and went to sleep.

---

The next morning at sunrise, a gang of ninja ponies came to the farm. Their leader was a dark gray imperial unicorn stallion with a black mane and tail, dark brown eyes, a bitter melon with two crossed katanas for a cutie mark, and a dark yellow robe.

“Ninja! Steal all the rice you can find!” the leader said.

“Hai Bitter Melon!” the other ninja chanted in unison.

On the porch of the farm house, Eric saw the ninjas headed towards the barn as he was finished eating his rice porridge.

“Dad! Granduncle Bok Choy! We have intruders on the farm!” Eric called out.

“Let’s go deal with them!” Storm said.

“It’s obvious that Bitter Melon wants to put us out of business again,” Bok Choy replied.

Eric gasped and said, “This is similar to what happened in Appleoosa with the Wild Bunch Gang.”

“What do you mean, Eric?” Storm asked.

“The gang was hired by Glacio to steal apples and cherries for his army. I believe Bitter Melon and his ninja gang are also stealing crops for Glacio to feed his army,” Eric replied.

“Uncle Bok Choy, you go get the sheriff and deputy while Eric and I defend the farm,” Storm said.

“Good thinking,” Bok Choy replied as he went to alert the lawponies.

Eric and Storm rushed to the barn to stop the ninjas.

“Reach for the sky!” Eric shouted.

“Get them!” Bitter Melon told his ninjas.

It was then that a brawl broke out between Eric, Storm, and the ninja gang. The ninjas dodged almost every attempt at Eric and Storm trying to stun them. The father-son duo was able to avoid being hit by the ninjas’ attack moves.

“Stupefy!” Eric said, pointing his wand at Bitter Melon. With that, the ninja leader was stunned, Storm also managed to cast a binding spell on the others.

It wasn’t long before Bok Choy came back with the sheriff and deputy, along with two other lawponies.

“Sheriff, Bitter Melon and his ninjas were hired by Glacio to steal crops for his army,” Eric said.

“Is that true?” the sheriff asked.

“Yes, our assumptions were correct since we overheard them mention him,” Storm replied.

“Bitter Melon, you and your ninja gang are under arrest for theft of crops, intimidation, assault, and trespassing on private property,” the sheriff said.

“You have the right to remain silent and anything you say can and will be used against you,” the deputy added as they took apprehended the ninja ponies.

Once Bitter Melon and the ninjas were taken away, Mochi, Cherry Bloom, and their two cousins came up to Eric in amazement.

“You were amazing, Eric-san,” Cherry Bloom said.

“Just happy to be of service,” Eric replied humbly.

“And we appreciate it,” Fortune Cookie said.

Over the next few days of Eric’s visit, he and Storm spent some father-son time in the city, seeing the old imperial palace, and getting some mochi. Eric also enjoyed hanging out with his second cousins and listening to Rice Stack and Peach Blossom’s old stories. He, Storm, and Twilight also helped out with the rice harvest in any way they could. It was on the following Friday that Eric and his family returned home.

Next Chapter: Chapter 6: The Last Crusade Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 32 Minutes