“So he’s back in black!” Discord called out as he looked over the large screen in front of him. “And a new sword to boot. Oh the joys of magic, you’ll never know what they’ll do next!” The draconequus cackled into the air, rolling over himself in his suspended state.

“But I think this trio has had their fifteen minutes. Time to shine the spotlight on the next fated three.” The Mad God raised his claw towards the screen, snapping his talons with delight.

Instantly, the screen blurred into the familiar static, the lack of images between the different groups. It took just as long for a new image to appear over the colossal black face. When it did show, Discord’s grin didn’t sink in the slightest.

“From a battle amongst flames to a duel with water. I’d call it poetic if I was trying to be cute.” On his own queue, he latched onto the muscles of his face, pulling them apart and twisting them in an inane manner. He pushed his chin in, evened the sockets of his eyes, wrapped his coat tight enough to make it sparkle.

Then, looking up at the screen with a foalish glee, he spoke in a voice two octaves higher than his own.

“It’s so poetic!”

Discord roared with laughter as his face snapped into place, like releasing stretched plastic. On the screen before and above him, he watched living water strike at a group already trapped in a tomb.

BEGIN

“Fluttershy, hide!” Batman yelled as loud as he could, swinging his arm at the pegasus as he did so. She looked at him with shaking eyes, unable to focus between the man clothed in darkness and the massive tentacles floating above her.

Fortunately, her hesitance was not punished.

The booming of steel against stone echoed above the moving water, shaking the ground the man and pegasus stood on. Batman was quick to look towards the metal beast, watching with an adrenaline filled gaze as the creature charged the liquid monster.

With what the man could only assume was a tremendous force, the water the creature slammed into was propelled around the room. Batman raised his cape over his eyes, guarding against the strands of water. He felt them impact his cape. But just as noticeably, he felt them congregating on it.

They weren’t simply running down together, they were running up, sideways, and down over the cape. The stray droplets of the living water was collecting on him. It was safe to assume that whatever reason it was doing, it wasn’t good.

Instinctively, he whipped his cape with a crack, forcing the water off of him. His cowl turned back down to the water logged floor, watching the hulking beast standing amidst the living liquid.

His eyes flashed to Fluttershy as his free hand reached to his belt, preparing a grappling hook. The water was up to her chest in height and, if the water reacted on her as it did on Batman, it was likely trying to swallow her. He aimed his free hook just beneath the mare, hoping to wrap her in the coil.

But before he could, a large hand scooped her out of the water.

The Dark Knight watched as the pegasus was placed on top of the metal beast, her form instantly curling around the metal brace that encircled the creature’s helm. Harsh shivers permeated Fluttershy’s Form, the water lightly being brushed off by her movements. It was something, but it wasn’t enough.

Batman looked down to see that the water the beast stood in continued to crawl up his body, slowly gaining ground over the thick diving suit. The creature, despite its threatening posture and spinning arm, did little more than walk in place, turning with heavy footfalls. It didn’t know.

“Fluttershy!” Batman yelled from his higher position, earning the terrified gaze of the mare. “Get out of the water! Now!” The sudden demand caused the pony’s eyes to wet, gripping the metal of the beast harder.

“H-How?” Her question weakly came, nearly overpowered by the growling of the beast she sat on and the water churning around her. “Mr. Bubbles is too heavy…” Fluttershy broke her gaze by hanging her head on the beast.

Said beast’s red gaze illuminated the room over the water, reflecting off the still mixing surface. Batman scowled as he watched the water continue to climb up the monster’s suit, no matter how much his legs rose and fell.

Thinking quickly, the Dark Knight tapped his hood, switching the view of his cowl, looking for sources of heat. He saw the harsh red of the beast, with a particularly hot spot over its drill. He saw the orangish blob of Fluttershy on its shoulders, no doubt chilled by the water and cold air.

Then he saw something else.

Moving through the hues of blue that made up the water beneath him, he saw a blur of yellow moving swiftly through the liquid. It swam around the room, moving in divergent and constantly changing paths that made little sense in thermal vision. Batman assumed quickly it was to avoid obstacles in the water, maybe simply to avoid enemy sight.

But he could not shake the feeling that it was how the water was being controlled.

Instincts mattered more in combat than anything else. Batman lined his second Batclaw to the moving creature, carefully tracking its movements. One turn, a twist, a zigzag, then a straight line. That was when he took the shot.

Batman may have felt his claw impact the moving blob, but the high cry of pain was a much better sign.

He thumbed the retraction on his claw, instantly earning a combatting force. The lurching movement nearly pulled him from his vantage point, loosening his first claw in the wall. But, it took only an instant before his claw was pulled from water. His vision returned to normal, with the beast’s red light illuminating the room. That was when Batman saw the blob not as a mass of yellow, but a far more disturbing image.

Caught in his batclaw like a trapped clam, the object was nothing but a mass of muscle, veins and arteries lining its form in a disgusting image of gore. It writhed against Batman’s line, crashing into the wall as he continued to draw his claw back. When it clicked into place, he fought to keep his arm still.

Looking down quickly, Batman drew a breath to call down to the pegasus and beast, telling them whatever he could about what he did. But when he did, he saw something else as well.

A tentacle of water rising to meet him.

Acting swiftly as ever, he released his claw in the wall, dropping him from his high height. The smashing of water against the concrete wall echoed through the room, causing the beast to turn towards the descending man. Batman did not take kindly to the drill being aimed at him.

He twisted in his descent, rolling across the shallower water. He ended in a sprint, the blob of a creature still writhing in his grasp. A roar erupted behind him, but he kept the good conscious to not check whether it be the water returning to the ground or the beast yelling once more.

Batman aimed, his claw again, aiming for the next high wall. The bang of its release echoed through the room, followed by his ascension into the air.

Not before he felt tendrils of water wrap around his arm.

“Gah!” A grunt of pain burst from his lips, his rise stopped as he was being pulled two ways. Down by the water the creature controlled and up by the line he held in his grasp. Batman twisted his gaze to his trapped arm, seeing the creature continuing to writhe violently in his claw. He felt his grip loosening, either by the force of the water or its lack of viscosity.

BOOM

Batman felt himself lurch forwards into the wall as the water’s hold was instantly released. The manipulated liquid flew through the air in a deluge, like a dam being released.

He felt his perception being thrown as he hit the hard concrete, his muscles aching under the stretching they had just endured. But from his cowl he saw the metal beast still charging forwards, its arm upwards as if it had just swung its drill like a club. Fluttershy was holding onto it still, gripping the metal cage over the beast’s mask.

That was when Batman noticed he had lost the grip on his second claw.

He looked through the water quickly, searching for the mass of red under a red light. He cursed his luck silently, as he brushed his cowl for a better view. As the colors bled into hues of red and blue, he instantly saw the creature again.

It was at the other end of the room, swimming in a large continuous circle.

Hurriedly, Batman analyzed what advantages each party had. He had the ability to track the monster, as well as superior height that forced the water manipulator to dry up its limited supply of water. The hulking beast Fluttershy hung to had mass, speed, and durability. Even when coated in the water, it did little more than congregate over him. It was doubtless that if it was covered in the water it would be crushed, but such a situation had yet to happen.

The water beast had superior speed, moving through the liquid with great agility and maneuverability. With the water surrounding it, it doubtlessly had the advantage of weight and size. Fluttershy, however, could talk to the beast she clung to, control it almost. Whether it be a fluke of the creature’s simplicity or a natural gift, the Dark Knight had no time to analyze.

He had a plan.

“Fluttershy!” Batman yelled again. This time, he did not wait for the pegasus’s gaze. “There’s a creature controlling the water! I can see it but I can’t reach it! It’s in the water behind you! ”

Batman saw the yellow mare’s head raise just enough to allow her to look behind the creature she clung to. From the thermal vision of his cowl, the Dark Knight was able to see the clear rise of temperature around the creature, no doubt the consequence to whatever act it was trying to commit. Time was running short.

Then the pegasus looked up to him, looking at his unseen eyes for a moment. Batman couldn’t tell if it was the lack of red light shining on her or the situation finally making sense to her, but the mare held as much confidence in her gaze as she did fear. He was glad to see it.

“Mr. Bubbles!” The pegasus yelled, earning a guttural grunt from the beast. “Stop the bad thing! Stop it from hurting us!”

The beast roared in reply.

Batman watched as the beast turned before running forward with terrifying speed. It’s weighty footfalls shook the room and splashed clear the water it impacted. It quickly closed in on the blob of a creature, or so Batman’s thermal vision could tell.

When the behemoth was only one of it’s massive steps away, a tentacle formed from the water. Batman felt himself scowl, sure that the water would whip the creature away, batting it like a fly. And indeed, as the thermal vision saw the water bend backwards, it’s lighter hued mass moving, he prepared himself the crack.

There was a crack, but just not what he expected.

The beast of a creature that the water twisted to hit was fully prepared for the move. It’s own arm, bent lowly in its charge, was brought upwards with an immense force. It slammed into the whipping water with what Batman could safely deduce was the force of a tank shell.

Water erupted through the room once again, sending droplets in every direction at almost dangerous speeds. The Dark Knight shielded himself once more with his cape, feeling the water hit him like falling rain. A slick snap of the fabric rid him of the liquid once more.

His eyes looked downwards again, searching for the liquid creature. It didn’t take long for him to see it. The mess of red was bouncing over the water, for a reason Batman could not determine. All he cared about, however, was how vulnerable it was.

An overly practiced maneuver with his free hand sent an electrically charged batarang towards the blob, singing through the air as it flew. He was rewarded with a cry of pain from the beast. Fortunately or not, it was the sound Fluttershy’s metal friend was waiting for.

Batman watched as the mass of red ran over the water once more, his lumbering steps slamming against the water-logged floor. He watched as the creature made swift ground on the stunned beast, but he was also sure it would be too late. Batman readied another batarang, prepared to keep the water monster submissive for the metal beasts approach.

It was entirely unnecessary.

Like a cannonball, the diving suit adorned monster charged forwards. Batman was only barely able to keep up with the speed at which the suited figure dove through the air, its shoulder brought up like a wall of pain.

When the barreling metal creature hit the stunned blob, Batman could only describe the sound as bone shattering.

The mess of red flew across the room, sending pieces of heated flesh in different directions, as the Dark Knight’s thermal vision showed. Different parts of the monster hit different far walls, slapping against the concrete with wet impacts. When they fell, they moved no more.

END

Double tapping his cowl, Batman’s vision returned to normal, the room no longer aglow with a dark red light. It had been replaced once more with the peaceful green of the beast’s mask, doubtlessly a sign that it saw the fight was over as well.

Releasing his grip from the wall, Batman let himself drift back towards the ground, his cape extending under the power of memory cloth. The descent was slow and easy, with only the wet plops of water indicating his entire journey. He came to a stop next to Fluttershy and her pet in a crouch.

“Done.” Batman noted as he stood to his tallest once more, cape draped around his form. He watched as the beast of metal gently offered Fluttershy his hand. The pegasus stood on it, walking off of the safety that was his back.

With the same level of surprising care, the beast lowered Fluttershy back to the ground, where she lightly trotted off before turning towards him. She gave the metal creature a shy smile, but a smile nonetheless.

“Thank you Mr. Bubbles,” Fluttershy spoke in her light voice. “You did a lot to protect me from that nasty monster. You really are kind.” Batman was hard fought to disagree.

The beast was anything but peaceful, clearly a fighter before a negotiator in any form. It took little more than the wrong choice of words to set it off. Yet, when the liquid beast did charge, it went to the defense of Fluttershy without any hesitation. That was something that could be admired.

Batman began to walk towards the two. The monster was dealt with, but they were still trapped in this cavern. They still had to find a way out, but the release and subsequent defeat of the water manipulator may have revealed an unseen passage way, or markings the water previously hid from his scans and Fluttershy’s vision. Regardless, they still to go look.

But then he stopped.

Batman’s gaze twisted as his cowl focused on an object just within his peripheral sight. His magnification view automatically activated, zooming on the object just as it fled his field of vision. Twisting his head, he was able to get a better image.

It was the living mass of red, or, more accurately, a part of it. A severe amount of the pink sphere was missing; leading it to release what Batman could easily speculate was vital liquids with every bounce it made. He stared at it momentarily, somewhat sure that it would bleed out within seconds.

That was until he looked up and saw where it was moving.

There wasn’t any time, however, not for where the mess of a blob was and what was available to him. His batclaw wouldn’t reach it in time, his batarangs were too slow, and the water sphere was already crawling into the mess of metal at the other end of the room. Batman turned back to the beast and pegasus, an electric batarang already in his hand.

“Fluttershy!” He yelled as he picked up his pace, putting as much distance between the metal object and himself. The timid pegasus jumped at the shout, and the beast in front of her turned his helm red. Batman didn’t have time, however. As soon as he reached them, he turned back around, facing the metal corpse along the far wall.

As if waiting for him to flee, a rumbling began once he stopped.

It shook the walls around them, vibrating the upturned tables and chairs with an incredible force. Batman lowered himself to keep his balance, Fluttershy did the same until she was hugging the ground. The beast however, merely growled loudly as his drill began to spin.

“Fluttershy,” Batman spoke again, hoping it earned the timid pegasus’s attention. He did not look to check, his eyes focused on the corpse at the end of the room. “Be ready to run.”

Lights lit up from the metal monster.

The shaking became extreme, sections of the walls collapsing under the vibrations. Portions of the ceiling did the same, earning fearful cries from the canary coated pegasus as they crashed into the ground with vicious force.

Batman felt Fluttershy push up against his leg, shaking with as much intensity as the room around them. He did not blame her. Few wouldn’t be scared at the sight they were witnessing.

Large sections of metal began to move, parts of the metal corpse pulling over the concrete ground. Pieces of scrap metal and decay fell from the limbs as they moved, losing balance and falling to the floor before shattering in brilliant displays of splintered wood and metal.

Then its wings expanded, reaching from one end of the room to the other.

Batman gritted his teeth as the metal beast only feet away from him let out loud battle cry, drill spinning quickly as it did so. Then, without any direction, it began to charge towards the rising monster, great lumbering steps being taken at a still swift pace.

“I knew it was too easy.”

“Interesting…” Azula mused lightly, rubbing one of her fingers beneath her lower lip. Her skin slowly drew itself until she wore a sharp grin. “A man without any bending to aid him and he is able to defeat such a monstrosity. It’s rather impressive. But,” her hand fell away, though her smile did not. “I doubt he will fair well against that wicked Songbird.”

She watched with no concealment of amusement as the great hulking beast moved on the screen high above her, appearing positively monstrous on the monolith in the sky. The man in black backed away, the frightened pegasus leaning against his leg as he did so. The fire princess easily saw the defense stance the dark garbed man had, prepared to shield the smaller creature in a moment’s notice. Azula clicked her tongue at it.

“They had their fun, but now I wonder how the man clothed in white is performing.”  Her gaze turned away from the screen she gazed at to another, no smaller in size and certainly no less vibrant with the image it shown.

On it, the Fire Princess watched a robed man standing before a tree, one of his hands on the blade at his side. The orange pony that accompanied him stood just behind him, adjusting the hat that sat on her head. Unconsciously perhaps, Azula touched the crown that sat on her head, playing with the trio of spikes that stood tall on it. She lowered her hand as she saw the samurai’s posture change.

His knees bent, lowering to the ground, and his waist twisted until his side was facing the tree. For a moment, he held that stance, doing nothing spare breathing.

Then something flashed on the screen.

Azula nearly missed it, and what she did see, she could only assume. A flash of silver moving faster than she had ever seen before came from the white robed man, slicing the air in front of him with deadly precision and unfathomable speed.

Carefully as before, he stood tall again, his stance relaxing as his move was finished. Nothing appeared different then. Not a thing was out of place or changed.

That was until Azula saw the thick sap of the tree running from its bark.

Her grin was as sharp as the blade the man held.

“It appears there’s something fun about each one of these peasants,” The Fire Princess mused as her finger touched on her chin, thoughts brewing with effective speed. “I wonder how they’ll use their talents now.”

“Wait,” Applejack spoke up, her eyes skewed in misperception. “How did ya do that?” Her hoof pointed at ‘that.’ ‘That’ was the thin line of sap running from the tree in front of the pair. Her partner looked from her to the tree, his expression one of neutral confusion. The fairy above them hung itself in the air, its ball of light simply bobbing up and down.

“I cut it,” Jack answered the farm pony, no hesitation to his words. “As we said I would.”

“Well, ya, Ah got the part where ya used yer sword, but what I don’t get is when ya swung that stick of metal. Ah didn’t catch a thing.” Jack looked over at her as she finished. The first thing the cowpony noticed about him now wasn’t what was there, but what was absent. He didn’t have his now usual expression of confusion.

Instead, the samurai was smiling down at her.

“I apologize,” Jack offered the earth pony with a low bow, setting their heights momentarily equal to one another. The pink fairy lightly lowered itself to match their elevations. “I thought it best to be quick with my cut, as a faster blade cuts thicker hides.”

“So, what yer sayin’ is that ya swung yer sword so fast that Ah couldn’t even keep up with it?” The samurai raised his head just enough to nod towards her. Applejack pulled her hat over her eyes as she shook her own head back and forth. “If it ain’t one thing it’s another.”

“Pardon?” Jack questioned, rising as she spoke. The pony, however, dismissed his question with her hoof.

“Never ya mind,” She lightly instructed, tilting her head back over her head. “We best be gettin’ what we need then headin’ out. Do ya remember the other trees Ah told ya about?” The samurai nodded at her question. “Good, then do your fancy sword work on em. Ah’ll be gettin’ the sap fer that door.”

The white robed man gave a soft smile and bow toward the pony before he departed, a move that Applejack vaguely connected with the motion of Celestia’s guards when they came into town. She snorted a small amount in laughter, shaking her head as she removed her Stetson hat from herself.

“That man’s as naïve as a freshly planted seed, but he might just have the age of a well-grown apple in him, too.” The farm pony mused as a bit of the sap collected on the brim over hat, the sticky solution clinging to the fabric greedily. “This better clean off as easy as it does on the farm, else Ah’m gonna have ta get Rarity ta clean this hat twice.”

Applejack maneuvered the hat to her back as she turned to walk towards the next tree she had motioned to the samurai. Sure enough, a fine line was cut through it, sap lightly pouring from its edge. She turned just in time to see Jack give another lightning fast cut to the next “wise” tree.

“He’s gettin’ ahead of me, ain’t he?” As if in answer to her question, the light of the pink fairy following them hovered in front of her, instantly grabbing her attention. She grinned at the little ball of light, seemingly dancing in the air.

“And Ah owe ya a bit of gratitude, don’t Ah little fella?” The creature ringed lightly in response, a soft but joyful sound that had a grin pulling at the orange mare’s lips. “Well Ah’ve never kept from a pony somethin’ they weren’t due, and if there’s one thing an Apple will always do, it’s pay back those that help us out.”

Reaching the next tree, Applejack twisted her hat from her back, letting the brim once again collect the sap from the wound. It took no longer than before, and she was soon taking the few steps necessary to reach the third tree. She hopped on one foreleg, not bothering to move her hat.

“But Ah’ll tell ya what. When we get out of this maze and find our way back ta Equestria, Ah’ll give ya a grand bowl of Apple Stew and some Apple Cider so sweet, it’ll make yer body fall in satisfaction.” Instead of another light ring of joy, however, the pink ball’s wings instead fell downwards, almost depressingly. Applejack caught it immediately. “Hey now, that’s a good thing! Ain’t ya ever experienced somethin’ so grand it knocked ya off her hooves, er, wings? That’s all Ah ment.”

“You wish to knock her wings off?” The curious of Jack spoke from behind Applejack. “That sounds most… troubling.” The statement was met with quick rebuking from the pony.

“Nah! That’s not what I meant at all! Ah mean, mah family can make a cider so sweet it’ll have ponies eatin’ the dirt it’s soaked in!” Few words that Applejack spoke eased the samurai.

“Then you force others to eat dirt to enjoy the food you grow?” An angry growl slowly rolled from the mare’s throat. She shut her eyes tightly to control herself.

“Yah know what? No. Ah don’t do that and we ain’t got the time fer me ta straighten yer clearly twisted skull.” The samurai patted his head as she spoke, clearly unsure of what she meant. But the mare was having none of it. She held the hat towards the tall man, indicating with a nod of her head for him to take.

“Get the sap from the last tree and met me at that big ol’ gate. Ah got a sister out there that needs me and Ah’m not gonna waste the time I got explain the fine food we Apples grow, stew, and brew.” With a small whip of her bundled tail, the earth pony walked away from the man and fairy.

With a confused blink, Jack turned towards the pink fairy floating at his side, her wings turned to face him.

“I did not mean to offend her.” The ball of light gave a soft whine in agreement, its wings lowering in sympathy. Looking down at the hat in his hands, he spoke on. “I’ll speak with her once we complete this task. She is right, we must leave.” In response to his words, the fairy rang like a bell, its wings vibrating. Jack smiled at the ball of light.

“And I thank you for aiding her as well.” He gave a short bow of his head as he spoke. “Aiding another will always be seen as an act of honor.” Jack gave the fairy a small smile as he rose.

The fairy hung in place for a moment before following him.

It did not take Jack long to retrieve the last of the sap and walk back to Applejack. The mare was still looking at the doorway, her head crooked to the left as she gazed at the inscriptions along the wall. Jack’s geta clacked as he approached, causing the pony’s ears to twitch.

“Yer shoes are ‘bout as loud as a rooster’s mornin’ crow. Got a good reason fer that?” Blinking in confusion once more, Jack looked down at his feet, staring at the wooden sandals that were wrapped around them. His answer was as simple as everything else he had said thus far.

“They’re comfortable.” A sigh came out of Applejack’s lips.

“Yeah, whatever.” The mare quickly relented, as if unsure why she even said what she had. “Let’s just see what we gotta do with that sap. Ya do got it, right?” Jack held the mare’s had in his hands, the sticky sap of the wise trees clinging to its brim. The mare nodded.

“Good,” her voice trailed off as she stared at the door. “Ah guess we just… lather it on?” Jack shrugged lightly at her question, clearly unsure himself. She nodded, clearly expecting the response. “Well, can’t say we know what ta do until we try, huh?”

“Agreed,” Jack spoke as he walked besides the mare, holding the hat waist height.

He twisted the article of clothing until the sappy brim was facing over the moss-covered stone. It tilted forwards slightly, stopping only when the brim made contact with the rock. Slowly, then calculating, Jack drew the hat downwards, letting the sap be pulled from the hat’s fabric.

The gate began to shake.

Jack and Applejack jumped back in surprise, the former dropping the hat as he did so, the latter quick to pick it back up. They watched tensely as the stone rumbled under an unseen force, moving against its supports as if it were unsteady.

“Ah guess our guess was right then?” Jack only nodded in reply as he watched the gate continue to move.

Like the great and heavy structure it was, the door slowly rose upwards, inch by inch vanishing into the stone chasm above it. As it continued to ascent, more of the room beyond it became clearer to their gaze.

More grass was held beyond the stone gate, illuminated by windows above and around the walls. They gave an ethereal glow the area, a sort of life Applejack could only appreciate within the Everfree Forest, something regular ponies had yet to master creating.

BOOM

The dull sound was significant enough to conclude the gate was done moving, as the rumbling had finished. With little more than moment to spare, Applejack walked further inwards, truly letting herself appreciate the work around the room.

Much like the area outside, it was richly decorated with floral life, some of it unlike anything she had seen before. Purple fruits as large as her body hanging from the air, flowers glowing with the light of the sun, and even some small trees fighting to grow in the small room.

But there was one object that was clearly of far more significance.

“What is that?” Applejack asked with a point of her hoof. The motion was unneeded. It was impossible to focus on anything else once the samurai had laid his eyes on it.

In the center of the now open chamber sat a small pedestal upon a stone monument. Any shapes or edges the stone was meant to have were worn away, moss and grass reclaiming the hard surfaces. It stood to Jack’s height and doubtlessly would weigh more than himself five times over. But it was the pedestal that was truly deserving of attention.

Or more specifically, hanging over it.

There was a cloud of mist floating over the pedestal, an intangible fog that hovered in place. It did not dissipate as would a morning mist or fade like a low-leveled cloud. It was churning, mixing, endlessly.

“It looks… it looks like dust…” Applejack spoke noted again, walking closer to it. “But what’s it doin’? There ain’t nothin’ natural ‘bout this.” Her trot stopped, however, as the pink fairy flew in front of her. The mare’s ears perked as the pink ball hung between her eyes, forcing her head to move back in discomfort. “Somethin’ wrong?”

The ball of light only shook lightly in response, moving back and forth soundlessly. Applejack felt her eyes screw in confusion. But before she could speak further, the fairy turned her wings on her.

Slowly, it drifted towards the mist over the pedestal.

The closer the ball of light grew towards the mist, the more agitated it became. The collective fog began to make light whips, reaching towards the winged creature before suddenly pulling back emptily. The fairy did not stop its approach.

“What’s it doin?” It was all Applejack could say. Jack had no answer himself. Instead, they watched as the fairy circled the mist, outside of the reaches it continued to make, forever unable to grasp at the winged creature.

That was until the fairy flew into it.

Applejack gasped, eyes shooting upwards. Her hooves immediately dug into the dirt, ready to jump forward, but a strong arm stopped the mare, holding her back. She didn’t need to look to see it was the samurai.

The mist began to move down from its alter, falling off the stone that held it up and wisping towards the ground. Yet it still remained connected, never separating from itself, holding itself together with the light of the fairy being surrounded by it.

It was when it stilled that Applejack lowered her head and Jack grabbed his blade.

Over the green grass of the ground, the dust slowly stopped moving, its small elements growing closer together, all moving towards the light that continued to glow from its center.

Air left the mare and human as it began to solidify.

BEGIN

From the dust, a shape began to form, a mass far denser than the fog itself. Like nothing else Applejack had seen before, clothes began to take shape, furred paws growing from the cloth, a green coat covering the still materializing shape. Jack had his hand tightened on his blade, ready to attack at a moment’s notice.

The longer and further the form took shape, the less and less of the mist remained. It didn’t take long for the fog and light of the fairy to vanish, leaving in its wake the creature that it had made.

It hung in the air peacefully, still as a log, and unmoving. The air was tense with inaction, too fearful of what effects their movements would make. All they could do was stare. They could see the figure’s wispy clothing, colored of light green and white. They could clearly make out its green fur, paws, tail, and ears. But most obvious of all was the oddly circular hat that sat on its head.

All they could do was stare, that is, until the gasping breath of the figure quickly fixed that.

Like being woken from a dream, the green-coated figure lurched backwards, sucking in a desperate amount of oxygen. It came with a silent cry that Applejack was quick to respond to.  The mare jumped towards the shape, Jack not far behind her, as it fell forwards.

“Whoa there partner. Take it easy,” Applejack spoke calmingly, catching the odd creature with her fore hoof.

The green clothed animal leaned on her form, one of its paws, lightly pushing at her back. It had covered its eyes, but it was clear from its heavy breathing it was in anything but a threatening state.

“Just keep breathin’, straighten yerself out.” The creature took the words to heart, adjusting his legs until he stood on his own weight. Slowly, Applejack released the creature from her light grasp, letting him lean on his knees as he continued to take deep breaths of air. Jack stared at the creature, more than used to the odd shape and form, but still very much curious of the garb it wore.

It had the kasa of a samurai, though clothed in silk he had not seen before. It wore the garments of a monk, unarmored but fully clothed. But further than that, it had fur of green, and paws to match. An anthropomorphic figure to be sure, but of what he had little idea.

“Can ya speak?” Applejack asked the creature, it’s breathing quieting as time went on. His hat rose and dipped in response. “Then can ya tell us yer name?”

He swallowed on something, most likely a pool of saliva collecting in his open jaw. A few more breaths were taken from his nose, a longer extension closer to the mare’s than the man’s.

But then the furred figure let its hand wash over its face, wiping away debris the pony and human could not see. As it did, it revealed its hidden face to the pair.

And as he did, he spoke.

“I… I am Dust.”

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