Morning came and Sweetie Belle met it with a sense of dread, wondering what fresh punishments awaited her for venturing into the Everfree Forest with her friends. She was already grounded from crusading for the next week, so about the only thing that Rarity could still take away from her was hanging with her friends. She climbed out of her bed and made her way downstairs, keeping an eye out for her sister as she started to prepare a light breakfast. There was one thing that she continued to think about as she did so, the only thing that would either shorten the time she was grounded or extend it even more.

She needed to head back into the Everfree Forest, find where she and her friends had found the mysterious alicorn, and find something about him that she could use as evidence that he existed. If she had evidence Twilight would have to accept that she was telling the truth, but she'd likely get in trouble regardless.

"Hey Rarity, I've got some information from Applejack," Twilight's voice rang out, causing Sweetie to wonder why she was there to begin with, "she talked with her sister the moment she returned home and Apple Bloom told her the same story that Sweetie told me. Apparently Applejack believes her, because she came over an hour ago and asked what I thought about the stallion that's sleeping in the Everfree Forest."

"And what did you tell her dear?" came Rarity's voice, who sounded calm while she gathered information.

"I told her that I didn't believe Sweetie Belle when she told me the same story," Twilight replied, "I stated the same facts that I told Sweetie, that there has never been a alicorn stallion in all of recorded history. Applejack suggested that, before i jump to anymore conclusions, I should head to where the Crusaders found the stallion and investigate the area. I honestly think that heading into the Everfree Forest to look for this mysterious stallion is both a complete waste of time and insanely dangerous to everyone going."

"Who are you taking into the forest with you?" Rarity asked, "Because if you want to take Sweetie Belle then I would insist that I come along and make sure she stays safe."

"Applejack offered her services in fighting anything that might attack us," Twilight spoke up, almost as if she had thought of it before arriving at the store, "so I decided that I might as well take her up on her offer. I realized that I would need a guide to find where the stallion had been discovered, so, after some thought, I decided that one of the Crusaders would have to serve as my guide. Applejack also suggested that I bring along all three of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, though I think its just so she could keep her eyes on her sister and keep her out of trouble."

"So the Crusaders are going to guide you to the stallion and see if they were right?" Rarity replied, closing a drawer while she spoke, "I'll get Sweetie Belle and meet you near the Everfree Forest."

Rarity walked into the doorway and spotted Sweetie eating her morning meal, allowing a smile to appear on her face before walking up to the table.

"So, Sweetie Belle," Rarity said, sitting across from her little sister, "Applejack spoke to Twilight this morning and somehow convinced her that the stallion you and your friends had seen was truly real. Apparently Apple Bloom told her the same story you told Twilight and she believed her sister, so now Twilight wants to find the area you guys stumbled on. Twilight needs a guide to find the clearing you discovered yesterday, so she's going to bring you and your friends along to help her in her investigation."

"So, when are we leaving?" Sweetie Belle asked, swallowing the last of her breakfast and wondering if this had been the sense of dread that she had felt earlier.

"As soon as you are ready," Rarity said, placing a hoof on her chin as if she had thought about something, "Your punishment for entering the Everfree without telling us will have to wait until this afternoon, as Twilight requires your aid as soon as possible. Now, let's see if this alicorn stallion of yours even exists."

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Sweetie Belle had not expected to return to the Everfree Forest so soon, but not even an hour after learning that she would be returning to the forest she found herself standing near the sign Scootaloo had stopped at the previous day. At first it was only her and her sister that were standing near the sign, but after a few minutes Applejack and Apple Bloom came walking up the path. Apple Bloom stared at the trees and Sweetie assumed that she was sharing the same feelings that she was, the sense of dread and fear that the forest commanded. Applejack, on the other hoof, seemed indifferent about the forest, which was normal seeing how she had already visited the forest so many times in the past.

"So, you convinced your sister that we were telling the truth?" Sweetie Belle asked, noticing that their older sisters got into their own conversation and left them alone for the moment.

"I told her everything," Apple Bloom replied, her eyes locked on the forest, "Scootaloo's monster hunting quest, our run in with the Diamond Dogs, the clearing we found, and then the alicorn stallion that chased off the Diamond Dogs. I thought that she was going to say that I was pulling her leg, but then said that she believed me and the next thing I know I'm coming back here. All I was told was that we're supposed to follow our tracks until we find the clearing, that's all."

"We're hunting for clues on that alicorn we saw," Sweetie told her, recalling the conversation she had overheard, "Twilight doesn't think we'll find him in the forest, but I'm hoping that we find something that will tell her that he's real."

"This alicorn of yours is not real," a voice said, causing them to turn around and notice that Twilight had arrived, "but I am willing to spend some time exploring the forest. We'll find this clearing and find out if your mysterious stallion is still there or not."

Standing behind Twilight was Scootaloo, whose head was hung low and ignored everyone that was standing around her, almost like she was ashamed by bringing her friends to the forest the previous day. She also didn't seem to be at all interested in returning to the Everfree forest, which was what Apple Bloom seemed to be like at the moment. Her scooter, which was almost always with her, was nowhere to be seen, so Sweetie assumed that the scooter had been left at either her house or Twilight's library.

"Okay, here's the plan for our venture into the forest," Twilight said, standing near the front of their group, "We are going to head into the forest, follow the path that the Crusaders took to discover where the Diamond Dogs had made their camp, and then follow the path they took when they ran from said dogs. With any luck we'll come to the same clearing that they found and find the stallion that was sleeping on the cloud, who I still refuse to believe is living in the forest. If we find this stallion, and if he's actually an alicorn, then I will be the one to ask him all the questions and verify that he's on the Princesses side."

Sweetie Belle wasn't sure if the lazy stallion was on their side or served one of the darker powers in the world, but she assumed that he didn't care about either side. When they had been threatened by the Diamond Dogs the stallion didn't care about them and even moaned when the dogs wanted to cook him alive. The Crusaders had been lucky that the stallion had stepped in and made the dogs run away in fear, otherwise last night would have been their last night ever. Seeing how Twilight wanted to find the stallion Sweetie moved to the front of the group and started walking into the forest, making sure to follow their steps from the previous afternoon.

They started moving to the north, following their small hoof prints that they had left in the dirt forward until Sweetie noticed the paw marks that had led them to the Diamond Dogs' camp. Just like the previous afternoon the forest was unnaturally quiet and the smell of something burning, like a camp fire, lingered in the air all around them. It still confused Sweetie that the Diamond Dogs had abandoned their tunnels and started to live in the forest, struggling against the harsh creatures that lived all around them. All they seemed to do was camp out in the middle of a forest, catch whatever came their way, and cooked the poor creature for whatever meal they were having.

Eventually they came to the campsite that they had discovered the previous afternoon, but where Sweetie Belle had expected to find one or two of the dogs waiting for them they found nothing but an abandoned campsite. The fire was long dead and the camp looked the same since the Crusaders had been there, signs that the dogs hadn't been around for some time. Sweetie had the feeling that they might have had another run in with the stallion and had been defeated for a second time, but what that meant she didn't have any idea.

"So this part is true at least," Twilight said, stepping into the campsite and studying it, "From the looks of the campfire its clear that, whoever was here earlier, hasn't been to this camp in the last twelve hours at least. That gives whoever camped here enough time to chase a group of fillies deeper into the Everfree Forest and come back to tend to the fire without it dying. Seeing how the fire is dead it is quite possible that the group of Diamond Dogs that you encountered scattered to their hidden caves to hide in their natural habitats."

"Twilight, I'd love to hear more about this camp," Applejack said, interrupting her friend for a moment, "but I'd rather get this venture finished so I can return to the farm. Apple Bloom and I do have to work on the farm and get our apples ready for sale soon."

"I understand," Twilight replied, staring over at Sweetie Belle, "so, where did you guys go from here?"

Sweetie, with the help of both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, retraced their steps to the forest path and continued to the west, heading deeper into the Everfree Forest. As they continued down the path Sweetie noticed the spears that were stuck in the trees, the only other sign that they had been attacked by the Diamond Dogs the previous afternoon. The dogs hadn't bothered to take them out of the trees, clearly thinking that they didn't need all of their weapons to take down three defenseless fillies. As they walked Sweetie also noticed that Rarity glared at everything around them, caring more for the dirt that was gathering on her hooves than what they were actually doing.

Eventually they came to the clearing that the Crusaders had discovered the previous evening, only this time there were patches where it looked like flames had licked the ground. There were also places where several impressions of rope and fallen spears littered the ground, enough of them to tell that someone had been fighting a large group. Resting in the center of the clearing, as if taunting Sweetie and her friends, was what they assumed was the same cloud that they had seen the stallion resting on. Sweetie was about to tell the others that they had likely wasted their time and that the stallion wasn't there, but then she noticed the puffs of smoke rising from the cloud.

"Whose there?" Twilight shouted, her eyes laying on the cloud and waited for whoever it was to show him or herself.

"Ugh...whose ruining my sleep now?" a voice said, the same one that Sweetie recognized as the stallion's, "Seriously, first my sleep is interrupted by three fillies and then again when a large group of Diamond Dogs shouted that wanted to get rid of me. When will I get a moment's rest in this forest?"

The stallion lifted his head up, let out a loud yawn, and then stared at the opening that every annoyance over the last day seemed to come from. What he found was the same three fillies that had interrupted his sleep, an orange coated earth pony that could only be a local farmer, a white coated unicorn that he assumed worked on dresses for the elite, and a lavender coated alicorn that seemed to be shocked. He chuckled and grabbed his stick, pulling it out of his mouth, releasing another puff of smoke, and putting it back where it belonged before he laid his head back down on the cloud.

Twilight was shocked to find that the Crusaders had been right, that there was an alicorn stallion, with a mane and tail made of pure fire, living in the Everfree Forest. She absolutely hated being wrong, but while her friends and the Crusaders stood near the clearings opening she started walking forward, intending on reaching the cloud. The stallion seemed to ignore her as she walked towards him, as if he was more focused on...whatever he was doing...then the ponies that had found him this time.

"Um, sir?" Twilight asked, wondering how to get his attention, "I hope you don't mind if I ask you some questions..."

"Crimson Flare," the stallion replied, puffing his smoke out while not even looking up.

"Excuse me?" Twilight asked, not sure what that was supposed to be.

"That's my name," the stallion answered, letting out another yawn, "none of this 'mister stallion' and 'sir'. The next question you are going to ask me is what I'm doing in the Everfree Forest. The answer is simple, I'm just sleeping."

"I have so many more questions to ask you," Twilight said, drawing even closer to the cloud and the alicorn, "Like how long have you been around in Equestria, what were you doing when Tirek escaped from his prison, and where's your kingdom just to name a few. Maybe even who your parents are so I can trace your history through the family records in Canterlot. Ooooh, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are going to be overjoyed that we managed to find another alicorn, a stallion none the less."

The moment that Twilight spoke the names of the Princesses the stallion climbed off his cloud, somehow stashed it somewhere, and took off before she could even react. She flared her wings and took off, following the alicorn into the air and keeping an eye on him so she could get the answers to all of her questions. The stallion looked back, noticed her gaining on him, and vanished in the blink of an eye, completely disappearing and leaving Twilight to wonder where he had vanished to. There was no telling where the stallion could have teleported to, leaving Twilight to wonder what she was going to tell Celestia now.

"So what now Twilight?" Applejack asked, just as she landed back in the clearing with the stallion nowhere to be seen.

"Back to Ponyville," Twilight said, shaking her head as she walked to the clearing's opening, "I'll have to consult my books and find a way to track our mysterious stallion down. There are too many questions left unanswered for me to leave this alone."

Sweetie Belle had the feeling that the stallion would continue to hide from them until he was ready to return. Plus he was an alicorn, so it was quite possible that he would go someplace where they wouldn't think to look for him. The only good thing that had come from their venture into the forest was the fact that the Crusaders had been proven they story was the real deal and not something they had made up. Maybe Twilight would be able to find the stallion again one day, but Sweetie knew that it would be some time before that happened.

"Crimson Flare," Twilight muttered, thinking about the stallion, "we shall meet again."

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Crimson Flare appeared in the ruined yard of the Castle of the Two Sisters, allowing his wings to fold against his sides as he stared at the fallen stones. From what he knew most ponies stayed away from the ruins, so it made the perfect place to place his cloud and peacefully rest for the next few days. After that time he knew that the strange lavender alicorn and her friends would forget about him and then he'd be able to return to his favorite sleeping spot. He summoned his cloud, pulled out the stick that had been in his mouth earlier, and climbed onto his fluffy bed, letting out a puff of smoke as he stared into the sky. The sky was clear for the moment, but he knew that one of these days a powerful storm would hit the ruins hard and reveal something else to Equestria.

"The storms coming," Crimson chuckled, letting out yet another yawn before closing her eyes, "the Everfree is overdue for a good storm."