Twilight, was finally sleeping peacefully for once in days. She was curled up in Big Mac's fore-legs, using him as a blanket, they discarded that overnight since it was covered in combusted ash. Twilight, enjoying the feeling of his company subconsciously, was rudely awoken as a loud banging resonated throughout the room. Sitting up with a shock, she snorted as she saw the door was being bent in slightly by whoever was knocking.

Unlocking it like the night before, she was surprised to see Camo crawl in by his fore-legs, his eyes bloodshot and his mane was disheveled in a way that made the way her mane used to be in the mornings seem good.

"Camo! Oh my gosh, what happened? Are you hurt?" She asked jumping off the bed and to his side.

"Hide... Me..." He said closing the door with his own magic. "I-I can't feel my back legs. I can't feel anything!" He said gripping her by the shoulders. "I-I told them to get rid of that thing! I did! And they just had to give me it, all wrapped up in a sheet of nice wrapping paper. And I unwrapped it without knowing what it was... I was a fool!"

"C-Camo?" Twilight said raising him up to set him on the bed. "Camo, what happened in there?"

"I got bucked." He said biting his bottom lip. "I just got bucked by both Princesses. I'm not sure if I should be happy, or terrified. But by the look on Celestia's face. I'm going to go with terrified. Yep, terrified is the right word."

"Well, why don't you just stay here while I go see if the others are awake, alright Camo?" She said backing away slowly. "Big Mac will look after you until I can get Soul Song."

She left him there, twitching occasionally. Big Mac, finding the sudden lack of warmth, yawned and sat up. The first thing he noticed was the lack of a female changeling in the bed, the second thing was a shaking Camo Travels that was attempting to try and crawl under the bed.

Twilight

Twilight was going door to door, checking on her friends and even finding her brother snoring loudly. Snickering at that, she remembered the note from last night. Frowning, she looked back on the fight she had and what Chrysalis wrote.

"No more playing," Twilight said to herself. She sat against the door to Spike's room. "Was she actually playing me? Did she let me hit her?"

As she was thinking, the door opened and she fell back with a startled yelp as she saw Spike snickering. Pouting, she got up and glared at him.

"So... Chrysalis is coming back?" Spike asked. "What are you gonna do?"

"Smash her with a pillar." Twilight said. "Although, from what she said in that letter, I think throwing a few rocks isn't going to cut it. I need to be prepared, not just lash out like an animal."

"Why? That seems to be what you're good at." Spike said getting another glare from her. "Hey, the proof is in the pudding."

"Yeah... I know." She said. "But it wouldn't hurt to get a few skills in. This can only end two ways. So, why not take a chance for once?"

"There you go, that's the Twi' I know." Spike said shrugging her int he shoulder gently. "Come on, I think I know the perfect way to start your training. Just step inside." He said throwing an arm towards the inside of his room.

"Even now, you're still a gentledrake." She smiled. "Alright, what do you have in mind?"

As he ran over tot he small bookshelf in his room, she took the time to admire the room itself. It was a gold and white mixture much like the rest of the castle, there were two large bookshelves that dominated the side walls, a bed which had all six of her changeling guards on, a small bed for Spike, and a balcony.

"Here, I got the idea after you kicked your coltfriend's tail." Spike said shoving a thin book towards her.

Frowning, she opened the thin book and saw nothing but pictures of legends and old foes of hers. It ranged from Discord all the way to something called Tirek the Terrible. Closing it, she gave her assistant a skeptical look.

"Spike, I thought you actually had something of use. I asked for training, not a picture book." She said.

"Yeah, well, I got an idea after seeing you turn into Pinkie." He said pushing the book back. "If you moved just as fast as her, and had all of her traits physically, wouldn't it be the same for any of the things in that book?" He asked as a look of realization hit Twilight.

"Spike... That's really smart. That's actually a great idea. Thanks, I knew there was more than one reason for you being my number one assistant." She said rubbing his head spines. "I'll be sure to practice, but for now, I think I need to learn how to finally use these stupid things on my back." She said glancing at her back.

"Mind if I come with you?" He asked jumping on her back. "I haven't got to see you in a while."

"I wouldn't dream of not taking you with me." She said sticking out her forked tongue. Seeing it, she scrunched up her muzzle as drew it back in. "I didn't know it looked like that now."

"L-Looked like what...? If you don't mind me asking?"

They both turned and saw a half circle of pink in the door-frame. It gave a quiet squeak before an aqua eye peeked out from it.

"Morning, Fluttershy, why are you up so early?" Spike asked.

"O-Oh... I usually wake up at this time. I guess it's a habit from feeding my animals." She said. "U-Um... I heard that you wanted to learn how to fly, Twilight?"

"Yes, Fluttershy, did you want to help me?" Twilight asked a little eagerly.

"Y-Yes..." Fluttershy said raising her head a bit. "I'll teach you everything I know about how to fly with sensitive wings. If that's fine with you...?"

"That would be fine. Should we do it in the statue garden? There should be plenty of space there." Twilight said exiting Spike's room. "Come on, the sooner we get started, the faster I can fly."

As they both trotted side-by-side, they didn't notice the pink maned alicorn enter a room further down the hall and Big mac pushed out. He sat there, eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the scene.

Twilight, Spike, and Fluttershy

The two friends were chatting animatedly, discussing the new dress for sale or exotic animal they saw. Twilight was even retelling her stay and capture in the changeling hive. Spike, for the life of him, was growing bored until Twilight began talking about the miners.

"It was horrible, sickening even," Twilight said. "They were all chained to a pit and if they tried to get them off, they got a massive electrical charge. They're alright now, they're all staying down in Ponyville."

"T-That is horrible!" Fluttershy said letting the color return to her paled cheeks. "Are they physically fine now?"

"Yes, they're fine now." Twilight said as they passed an open window. "Hey, the statue gardens are right down there, why don't we just go threw the window?"

"O-Out the window?" Fluttershy said uncertainly. "Are you sure?"

"I can climb on walls, I'll just meet you down on the ground." Twilight said jumping through the window with Spike.

Fluttershy, looking around, went through the window and gently glided down in a circle. With each turn she saw Twilight steadily making her way down, climbing effortlessly along the slick marble wall. Landing, she watched as Twilight jumped off and landed with a sense of precision, Spike hanging on for dear life again and finally falling off.

"So, where do we begin?" Twilight asked her buttercream colored friend.

"O-Oh... Um... L-Lets start with the basics. Can you move your wings?"

Twilight, looking back at her wings, felt the foreign muscles on her back twitch. Focusing on them, she managed to get the buzzing, much like an angry bee would do. Within seconds she had them buzzing to gently flapping.

"Good... Good." Fluttershy said giving her friend a small smile. "Now, flap them as fast as you can and then, gently lower the pace."

Twilight, doing as instructed, regretted it as she shot into the air. She stopped beating her wings like a hornet and instead went for a common house fly. Seeing herself hovering, she tried to move. Leaning her head forward, she began to move in accordance to that.

Giving a small victory laugh, she began flying around in the air. Doing small circles, even a few squares, she flew back down to a beaming Fluttershy who was staring right up at her friend.

"You're doing great, Twilight!" Fluttershy said audibly. "Now, all that's left I think, is to land."

Twilight, blinking for a second, stared at the ground hesitantly. Slowly, she decreased the speed her wings were going and she slowly landed. Once she did, Fluttershy wrapped her in a hug along with Spike who was watching with a growing sense of pride for his step-sister.

"You did wonderful, Twilight." Fluttershy said breaking the hug. "And in such short time too, I'm happy for you."

"Thanks, that means a lot." Twilight said. "Spike, why don't we try those spells now?"

Hearing his name, he quickly ran over with the book in his claws. She took it and, to Fluttershy's curiosity, began looking at pictures of their greatest enemies. She shivered lightly as she saw Twilight stop on a page with a picture of King Sombra on it.

"T-Twilight, you're not going to turn into him. Are you?" Fluttershy asked returning to her normal audio level.

"If Chrysalis said she's not playing around anymore," Twilight lit her horn and in seconds was consumed by lavender flames. "Then neither am I." The fake Sombra said in a low gravelly voice. "Why do I suddenly have the urge to start hoarding snowglobes and crystals?"

"Wow, Twi' you even got his flames down." Spike said in slight awe. "Can you do any magic? Like make crystals?"

"I'm not sure using dark magic is such a good idea." He said glancing at the flames on his peripheral vision.

"But... Aren't you technically using it now that you're Sombra?" Spike asked. "He is possessed by dark magic."

"... Good point." He sighed. "Here goes nothing." He said lighting his horn with a sickly mix of purple, black, and green.

Immediately, a ring of obsidian black crystals shot up around them. Spike screamed again, and clutched onto a shaking Fluttershy. Once they realized no more were coming up, Spike let go and couched awkwardly as the fake Sombra gave him a look.

"I think of making a barrier, and one pops up. That could be useful. Spike, who else is in there?" The fake Sombra asked.

Spike, reluctantly, gave the book back to the fake Sombra. In seconds, he stopped on a page and gave a razor sharp smile.

"So, who wants to meet the mare in the moon?"

Author's Notes:

Camo is either lucky, or in need of a chasity belt. And a psychiatrist.