My Little Pony Adventures

This story is entitled Castle Crashers, named after the awesome game from Newgrounds. However, this story stars a bunch of castle destroying gremlins. Can the Little Ponies stop them from making Dream Castle another grim statistic? Read to find out.

I'm glad this all fit in one post. I was afraid it would break the character limit and I would have to split it up.

Castle Crashers

Reedar ran through the halls. The king found himself as just another resident of Greengrove Castle running through the halls hoping to escape without injury. Heavy blocks of gray stone fell from the ceiling and walls, the mortar holding them together having been reduced to fine dust hanging in the air and stinging his throat and eyes. Huge wooden beams with the large, metal bolts holding them in place missing fell once gravity could bring them down. The entire castle was falling apart around him and the others living and working in the castle.

He and the group he had been caught in finally made it out into the open. It was the middle of the night with stars studding the black sky above and everything was barely illuminated by the light of the moon. It was a time when the castle should be quiet as everyone but the night guard would be asleep, but frantic shouts and crashing debris filled the air with noise.

Like Reedar, everyone was still wearing whatever they were sleeping in. The king himself was wearing nightshirt over pajama trousers. He did not even have a chance to grab his robe before he had to flee his crumbling bed chamber. What a lot his people looked like, running around in their pajamas. However, it was far better than the alternative.

He ran through the crumbling gate and onto the drawbridge. His group was the last to cross. This was fortunately as he felt the bridge come away from the castle and drop into the moat. Everyone got down on their hands and knees as the even bridge rapidly turned into an incline and water splashed up. As soon as the wooden bridge was still, thye clamored up it to the others.

The entire population of his castle stood there. Their eyes stared blankly and many let their mouths hang open. Reedar turned around and found himself just as transfixed.

The castle his family had ruled from for centuries fell into an exploding cloud of dust that rose into the night sky and spread over the surrounding fields. It took years to build the castle and in minutes it had fallen apart. He could find no words to express the spectrum of emotions trying to come to the surface. He was glad everyone had made it out safely, but devastated that is castle and home was no more. He was also shocked it suddenly did this without any warning what so ever.

As the dust cleared, he could see the pile of rubble that had been the castle on the island in the middle of the moat. Actually, calling it rumble was not entirely true. Nothing seemed broken. The stone blocks were still blocks with square edges and corners, and the beams were intact. He could even see some fixtures and furniture sticking out of the pile. It looked more like the castle had been taken apart than destroyed.

A block began to quake as it was lifted. Had some poor soul not escaped the collapse? The block moved away and a figure emerged. However, it was not an elf or any kind of humanoid Reedar had ever seen. Althought it was hard to tell in the moonlight, it looked to have bluish-gray skin. It was the size of a child and was unnaturally lanky with huge ears by even Elf standards as well as a long, round nose. More of them worked their way out of the rumble.

“That was a disappointment,” one of the creatures said. “I can’t believe it fell so fast.”

“Yeah,” another replied. “We didn’t even get a chance to get out and watch from a distance.”

“It was actually kind of neat to see it go from the inside,” yet another said.

“And that’s why we call you a nerd.” The second creature pointed at the third.

Another block was pushed aside. A creature slightly larger than the others emerged. Reedar could tell his attire was covered by various disks with some kind of symbols on them, but he could not make them out in the dark and from a distance. It held a large wrench like a staff. “Stop arguing,” the larger creature said. “The castle down, so let’s get out of here.”

The creatures hopped across the debris. They gathered at a metal ladder resting across the moat and crossed it. Some of the last ones across grabbed the ladder and lifted it up with the last creature still on the castle side. He rode the ladder as the others flipped it over so they could carry it and run off.

Reedar snapped out his shock. These creatures were the ones who destroyed his castle. He pointed at the fleeing group. “GET THEM!!!”



Several knights, some in armor and some in their sleeping clothes, took off after the creatures. They chased them until they came to a hole. The creatures disappeared into the hole which was too small for the knights. They could only stare at the opening and wonder what the strange creatures were.



It was another beautiful day in Dream Valley. The skies were sunny and the breezes were warm. It was the perfect day for castle maintenance.

The castle was abuzz with activity as everyone did their part. They were hard at work painting the stone walls and slate roofs, cleaning windows inside and out, sweeping and washing the floors, and dusting and polishing the fixtures. Some were even tackling personal projects like Posey painting her shed and garden fence and Cherries Jubilee and Applejack pruning the trees in the orchards.



Spike breathed on his latest sun crystal and polished it. It was already starting to gain a glow as it absorbed the bright sunlight. Within a few hours it would hold all the energy it could. He set it down with numerous other crystals on a large, white cloth spread out on the meadow.

He looked up at the ponies polishing the sun crystals with him as he grabbed another. They used cloths draped over both their front hooves and rubbed crystals between them. It seemed like a lot of work and made him glad he was a dragon and had claws to actually hold things.

Hurricane picked up the crystal he had been polishing in his mouth and gently set it down. “It sure is a lot of work keeping Dream Castle running.”

“It is,” Wind Whistler said. “However, it is vital we maintain it. Dream Castle is the only remaining structure from the old Pony Kingdom. It is a central gathering place for ponies throughout Ponyland and a place of safety raise foals. It is also our home. Be it ever so humble or high maintenance, there is no place like it.”

“I’ll have to take your word for it.” Hurricane picked up another crystal and started polishing it. “The closest thing I have to a home in the islands is a giant banana leaf tied between two palm trees and a flat rock I use for a nightstand. Sure, I have beachfront property and all the tropical fruit I can choke down, but it’s nice having a bed in an enclosed room when it rains.”

“You and the other stallions are welcome to stay here as long as you want as long as you pull your own weight,” Magic Star said.

“Thanks.” Hurricane put down the crystal. “It actually feels satisfying to do something constructive.”

Spike realized he had been polishing the same crystal while he listened to them. He set it down and picked up another from his pile. “Less yakking, more polishing. We need these sun crystals to absorb sunlight as quickly as possible.”



Cleak watched all the activity from the safety of a large clump of pushes. These were the oddest horses he had ever seen. They were small, oddly proportioned, and apparently intelligent. No one expected to come across intelligent life out in the middle of nowhere, and certainly not a peculiar kind like this.

However, that was not important. What was important the castle. Like these ponies, it was a random sight to see in the middle of nowhere. They were going to simply pass through here to another land, but this valley had a hidden treasure.

Cleak could feel his mouth begin to water. The equines were working the castle, making it all the more appetizing. Leader Groot would want to know about it.

He ran back to the hole he had dug out to the open, trying to stay out of the painfully bright sunlight as much as possible. He slid down into the tunnel and ran back to where the others were waiting for him. He ran into the junction and all heads turned to him.

“Leader Groot, Leader Groot,” Cleak said eagerly. “There is a castle here. It’s a big beautiful castle just begging to be demolished.”

Leader Groot, the biggest Gremlin, stood up. Along with his size, he wore the button laden vest of leadership and sunglasses of control, and leaned on the wrench of command, as symbols of his rank. “You’ve got to be kidding me. This valley is devoid of other structures and humanoid life.”

“I know, but there are these strange ponies living there,” Cleak said. “You have to see it.”

“Show me.” Leader Groot walked through the crowd that parted to let him pass. Cleak led him to the hole and out to the bush from where he had been watching. They peered through the leaves at the valley before them.

Leader Groot gasped. He raised his sunglasses as he stared out. “You were right: a castle in the middle of nowhere.”

“Will we be demolishing it?” Cleak rubbed his hands together greedily.

“Of course we will. We’ll make our move tonight,” Leader Groot said. “Here I was thinking we were going to be bored traveling through this land.”



Spike inserted the freshly polished and charged sun crystals in their cases along with the others. Each fit tightly in a little white compartment that kept their energy from dissipating. He inserted the last one and closed the case.

“That’s the last of them.” He picked up one of the cases.

They walked into Dream Castle. Evening was falling as the sky had turned brilliant shades of red and orange. The others were also heading inside for the night. They brought in the equipment and tools and stored them in their places. With all the work done, they could play to their hearts’ content tomorrow, weather permitting.

Spike carried his case into the southeast tower, followed by the others. They descended into the power room. Spike flipped the light switch as he came to the bottom of the stairs. A couple industrial looking lamps turned on and glowed dimly to provide paltry but usable light.

Dozens of small, metal cylinders were lined up against the wall with conduits leading from their top into the ceiling. Inside each was a sun crystal, providing electricity or something similar to it for the castle. Many more sun crystals were stored in cases like the ones Spike and the others were carrying.

He took a moment to check the indicators on the cylinders. A yellow bar of light represented the current charge of the sun crystal in the cylinder. All of them looked to be hovering at about seventy percent which seemed about right based on the last time he checked.

Spike picked up his case shoved it onto the bank of empty shelves this set sat on. The others did the same and Wind Whistler flew up to rearrange the number cards above each bank indicating these were the most recently charged set.

Spike looked up at the cases. “There’s nothing like the sense of accomplishment after a long day. Dream Castle is in as good a shape as it can be.”

“Yes,” Galaxy said distantly. “However, not everything seems right for some reason.”

“We can deal with it tomorrow,” Magic Star replied. “We’re safe inside.”

Spike stomach growled. “I think I just figured out what’s not right.”

The others’ stomachs growled too. “I’ll take that as the dinner bell,” Hurricane said.

“You read my mind,” Spike said. “Hopefully Cupcake has something special planned after all that work today.”

They walked back to the stairs. Spike flipped the lights off as they started to climb. He was looking forward to a good meal and a good night’s sleep.



After the sun had set and the glow of twilight had left the sky, the Gremlins piled out of the hole. They slinked through the darkness of the night towards the castle. There were no signs of life as the strange ponies must have all gone to bed. That was fine with them as they could do their work without being harassed.



Sea Shimmer had gone to the sleep with the other Sea Ponies in the lake. Although they were outside the castle, they felt safe on the lake bed. No matter how stealthy something tried to be entering the water, they would certainly hear it.

Sea Shimmer woke to the faint sound of clattering. It was not in the water, but it was near the lake. She stretched out her tail and swam up to her float on the surface.

The clattering was coming from a large group of strange creatures carrying tools and a metal ladder towards Dream Castle. It was too dark to make out much about them, but they were no bigger than she was. They did not seem to notice her as they put the ladder over the stream in front of the castle. However, they placed it to span the stream like a bridge instead of placing it against the wall of the castle.

Something felt was wrong about them. They could not be up to anything good if they were coming at night and trying to cross the stream without getting anyone’s attention. She sank out of her float and swam back to the others.

“Hey!” She swam to each of the grown-ups and pushed on them to try to wake them. “Wake up! There are strange creatures trying to get into the castle!”

Sea Breeze slowly blinked her eyes open. “What are you talk about, Sea Shimmer?”

“Come see.” Sea Shimmer swam to the surface. She breached into her float and looked around as the others joined her on the surface.

“Where are these creatures?” Sea Mist asked.

“There.” Sea Shimmer pointed at the group. In the darkness she could tell they were gathered along the wall of Dream Castle.

“What are they?” Sea Breeze asked.

“I know a way to find out.” Sand Dollar swam towards the small waterfall spilling into the lake from the stream.

Sea Shimmer and the others followed her. They hopped up the waterfall and sank so only their heads were above water. Dream Castle came right up to the stream with the front wall forming part of the bank. The creatures had gathered along the right wall and still seemed oblivious to the Sea Ponies’ presence. As the Sea Ponies drew near, Sea Shimmer heard the high-pitched whine of a power drill going through stone. They were boring into the castle wall.

“Hey!” Sand Dollar floated up normal draft with a loud splash. The creatures stopped their drill and turned their attention to her. “Whatever you’re doing? Stop!”

One of the creatures chuckled. “Make us, fishy.”

“We can’t get to them,” Sea Mist said.

“Then we’ll get someone who can.” Sand Dollar dove underwater and came up with a conch shell. She blew into it to send a loud call into the night.

A light came on in a window in the nearest turret and it opened. Cherries Jubilee poked her head out. “What’s going on out here?”

“There are creatures trying to bore into Dream Castle!” Sea Shimmer pointed at the creatures who had started drilling again.

Cherries Jubilee looked to them and gasped before withdrawing her head back into her room. A loud, repetitive alarm chime soon rose from inside the castle.



Gusty practically jumped out of her bed when the alarm blared. She quickly ran out of her room into the courtyard. The courtyard quickly filled with ponies coming out of their rooms, looking around in bewilderment. Gusty looked to the turret where Cherries Jubilee’s room was. “What the heck is going on, Cherries Jubilee?” she shouted over the alarm.

The alarm ceased, being replaced by the dead silence that comes after a loud noise suddenly stops. Cherries Jubilee walked out onto the wall. “Odd creatures are trying to bore into the north wall! Repel the invaders!”

Gusty concentrated on being outside the castle along the north wall. Everything around her dissolved into a mess of sparkles and was replaced by the outside of Dream Castle.

The group of creatures was huddled against the wall. Some were watching their Sea Ponies while others concentrated on drilling into the wall, but they all turned their attention to her. They were definitely odd with large ears and noses and bluish-gray skin. The biggest of them, wearing a vest covered in buttons, picked up his head and pointed at her. “Get her!”

Gusty planted her hooves in a defensive stance and pointed her horn forward. These creatures had no idea what they had just gotten themselves into. She was about ready to let them have a taste of her wind magic when Powder winked in next to her.

“I’m kind of busy, Powder.” Gusty kept her eyes on the creatures.

“I was just wondering if you remembered that blizzard combo we were working on before you moved to Dream Valley,” Powder said.

“Of course I do. You want to use it?” Gusty asked.

“You read my mind.” Powder pointed her horn forward. “On three.”

“Three!” they both shouted and loosed their magic.

Wind blasted from Gusty’s horn and a thick flurry of snow came from Powder’s. The blizzard they created blasted into the group. They were blown back towards the stream and flew to the opposite bank. The snow quickly piled up on them.

Gusty and Powder relented and watched the snow covered creatures try to get to their feet. “There’s a lot more where that came from if you don’t get out of here!” Gusty shouted.

The largest stood up. “We’ll leave for tonight, but we’ll be back tomorrow night.”



The creatures gathered up their tools and ladder and fled into the night. Paradise flew over them and got as good a look as she could of them. She then flew back into the courtyard.

The courtyard was filled with an intelligible din as everyone was talking at the same time. Magic Star whistled loudly and everyone fell silent. “Now that I have your attention, does anyone have any idea of what just happened?”

“We were just attacked! That’s what happened!” Gusty said.

Paradise landed in the crowd. “I got a fairly good look at them. I can check the library to see if we have any information on them.” She placed her hoof in front of her mouth as she yawned. “I can do it in the morning, though.”

“That’s probably a good idea,” Magic Star said. “Gusty, Moondancer, you take the first watch in case those things come back. Wake up Hurricane and Sundance after two hours to relieve you.”

“Sure thing.” Gusty winked out and back in on the front wall of the castle. Moondancer joined her. The others went back to their rooms.

Paradise laid down in bed. In the tranquility of her room, she started to think of the creatures. They seemed familiar from one of the stories or history books she had read, but could not quite put her hoof on what they were exactly. It would probably come to her in the morning. She quickly drifted off to sleep.



The next morning came without incident. No one who stood guard saw any movement in Dream Valley. The creatures had apparently retreated for the moment. However, there was the threat they made to return tonight that hanged heavily in Magic Star’s mind and likely in everyone else’s.

Magic Star went out to examine the damage the creatures had caused. They were actually not boring into the castle, but removing the mortar between the stone blocks making up the wall. They had removed about half of the mortar along one edge of a block which would have to be replaced and repainted.

“This is very strange.” Magic Star blew on the hole and dust erupted from it. “It seems like they were trying to dismantle the castle.”

“I believe that is exactly what they were trying to do.” Paradise landed next to her.

“Did you find out what those creatures are?” Magic Star asked.

Paradise nodded. “I think so. Have everyone gather in the castle library.”



Everyone quickly gathered in the library. When Paradise was sure everyone was there, she placed the folklore book she found the entry in on a stand and opened it to the page. It had a large picture of a creature just like the ones who came after Dream Castle.

“If I’m correct, they’re gremlins.” Paradise pointed to the picture.

“You mean those creatures Humans blame for messing with their machinery?” Hurricane asked.

“The very same,” Paradise answered. “According to what I’ve read, gremlins are obsessed with technology. They can’t keep their hands off it and love to tamper with it and dismantle it. Only this group seems to be after castles and fortresses.”

“If you go with the most general definition, a castle can be considered a piece of technology,” Wind Whistler said.

“So we know what they are and why they’re after Dream Castle, but what are going to do about them?” Gusty asked. “They said they’d be back.”

“Perhaps they have some kind of weakness or behavioral trait we can take advantage of,” Wind Whistler suggested.

Paradise turned back to the book. It fortunately had a great deal of information on gremlins. “The entry mentions gremlins prefer to live and move around in darkness, avoiding bright sunlight. It also says they avoid water as they can’t swim and don’t like getting wet.”

“That means they won’t be back until tonight,” Magic Star said. “Perhaps we can construct a defense against them.”

“The best defense is a good offense. I say we take the fight to them.” Gusty stomped her hoof.

“I am in agreement with Gusty. A preemptive strike might drive them out of Dream Valley,” Wind Whistler said.

“Who is in favor of going after them now?” Magic asked.

Just about all the Ponies raised their front hoof.

“Then let’s go on a gremlin hunt,” Gusty said.



The gremlins had left tracks of flattened grass and footprints in the dirt. They were easy for Gusty, Powder, and Applejack to follow. The tracks went into a small hole in the side of an embankment.

“This must be where they’re holed up,” Powder said.

“We’ll never fit in there,” Applejack said. “I doubt even the foals could.”

Gusty stuck her head in the hole. Not only was the opening narrow but so was the tunnel. There was no way they could get to them underground.

She pulled her head out and glared at the opening. An idea then came to her. “We might not fit, but bushwoolies would.”

“They’re entrance hole is not too far from here. I can go get them. Wait here.” Powder galloped away.

Gusty stuck her head in the hole again. She snorted in the smell of freshly overturned dirt. This tunnel was made very recently. She also listened for sounds and faint noises were coming from her right.

She pulled her head out. “They’re in there, all right. I think they’re off to the right.”

“Can you tell what they’re doing?” Applejack asked.

“No, but they aren’t being very loud,” Gusty said. “They might be asleep.”

“Hopefully the Bushwoolies can do something about them,” Applejack said.

It took awhile, but Powder came back with several colorful furballs rolling after her. The balls uncurled into bushwoolies. “Powder told us you have a problem,” Bushwooly Leader said.

“There’s a gang of gremlins down this hole.” Gusty motioned to the hole with her head. “They tried to destroy Dream Castle last night. We need you to convince them to take a hike.”

“You got it.” Bushwooly Leader turned to the other bushwoolies. “Let’s roll, bushwoolies.”

“Yeah, let’s roll.” They curled up into balls again and rolled down the hole.

“They’re to the right,” Gusty called after them.

“Yeah, to the right,” one of the bushwoolies said.

Gusty sat down at the opening. She turned to Applejack and Powder who were also sitting in the grass. They could only wait to see what happens.

“Hey, you!” Bushwooly Leader’s voice came from the hole. “Yeah, you! Leave our friends alone!”

“Oh yeah? What’ll happen if we don’t?” a voice asked.

“You’ll face the Bushwoolies!” Bushwooly Leader shouted. “CHARGE!”

“YEAH, CHARGE!” a chorus of voices said.

The sounds of smacking, punching, and just about every way a body could be hit or slammed into something came from the hole. Gusty could only imagine the brawl that going on inside. Hopefully it was the bushwoolies who were doing the whooping.

The bushwoolies flew out of the hole. They clearly got the worst of the exchange. Their fur was messed up and many seemed dazed.

“What happened in there?” Gusty asked.

“We’re going to need more bushwoolies,” the leader grumbled.

“Don’t bother, we don’t want you getting hurt on our behalf,” Powder said.

Gusty ground her teeth. “I hate it when my plans don’t work. What do we do now?”

“We’ll go back to Dream Castle,” Applejack said. “We’ll have to think of something else.”



Four-Speed ran his trowel through the wet mortar to make a groove in it like the old mortar. He scraped off the excess and put the trowel down. Aside from the color, it looked just like the rest of the wall.

“That should do it,” he said. “We just have to wait for it to dry, and it’ll be ready for painting.”

“Thank you, Four-Speed,” Magic Star said. “Hopefully we won’t have a return visit from those gremlins.”

She heard galloping approaching. She saw Gusty, Applejack, and Powder running towards the castle. Several disheveled bushwoolies were riding on their backs.

“What happened?” Magic Star asked.

“We can’t get to them and they’re too strong for the Bushwoolies,” Powder said.

Magic Star heaved a sigh. “I guess we’ll just have to defend Dream Castle. Hopefully they’ll eventually get discouraged and leave.”

“Don’t you have anything in your collection that might work against them?” Gusty asked.

“I’m not sure, we can check.” Magic Star jumped across the stream.

They went to her room. Magic Star was not sure about the other ponies, but her room was her sanctuary as well as her storage locker. The walls were lined with shelves and there were many chests.

All of the shelves and chests were full of magical trinkets and charms she had collected over time. Whether she found them or received them from the odd traveler who happened cross through Dream Valley, her collection was extensive. She had to have something that could exorcise those pesky gremlins.

“Let’s see,” she mused out loud and looked at a bank of shelves. “I have charms to dispel and destroy demons, wraiths, vampires, werewolves, specters, zombies, and just about any other supernatural creature you can think of.”

“What are you doing?”

Magic Star turned around to see Paradise had joined the others at the opened door.

“We’re looking though Magic Star’s magic charms for something to make the gremlins go bye-bye,” Gusty said.

“I’m afraid magic charms won’t work on gremlins,” Paradise said. “Gremlins are like ogres and trolls. They might be considered creatures of folklore, but they aren’t supernatural.”

“Then I have nothing.” Magic Star sighed. All these charms were useless against non-supernatural beings. At least, none of the ones that would not pose a danger them as well as were useless.

“I guess we’ll just have to use their one weakness against them,” Gusty said. “If they don’t like getting wet, then we’ll use water against them.”



That night, once darkness had fallen, the gremlins were on the move. They could be seen slinking towards the castle with their ladder and tools. However, they did not know they were walking into a trap.

Magic Star ducked down to check on the others. Several ponies and bushwoolies were on the wall with her, lying in wait with piles of colorful water balloons. She knew the Sea Ponies were also in position, hiding beneath the surface. Even Spike was ready with a giant, toy water gun.

Magic Star returned her attention to the gremlins. They set down their ladder so they could go after the north wall again. Just as they were lining up to cross, she shouted, “NOW!”

The Sea Ponies breached and spat water at the gremlins. The gremlins shouted and hollered as they backed away from the onslaught.

Magic Star grabbed a water balloon and flung it over the wall at them. She was joined by the others and a barrage of balloons flew at the gremlins. They tried to dodge as the balloons burst on the ground, throwing water everywhere.

The largest gremlin pointed his wrench back towards the woods. “Retreat!”

Gremlins grabbed their ladder and fled under a bombardment of balloons and water jets.

The largest gremlin looked up at them. He pointed his wrench in their direction. “You might have repelled us tonight, but let’s see how long you can keep this up.”

A water balloon struck him square on the head, drenching him. He shook out, getting some chuckles from the castle.

“We’ll be back tomorrow night, and the night after that, and the night after that,” the gremlin said. “We will take down that castle. I swear it.” He fled into the night after the others.

Everyone cheered and hollered at the sight of them departing.

Magic Star was more concerned, however. “I don’t think we should be cheering yet,” she said to get everyone to calm down. “This battle might just be beginning.”



Next morning was met with a heated discussion as everyone gathered in the meeting hall. The subject was, of course, hat to do about the gremlins. Despite turning them away again, they did not leave Dream Valley completely. They instead remained in their hole and were probably preparing to try again tonight.

“There’s got to be something else we can do other than wait for them to come every night,” Gusty said.

“What else can we do?” Buttons asked. “We can’t get to them while they’re in their hole.”

“It is true we cannot take aggressive action against them, but what about a diplomatic solution?” Wind Whistler asked. “Surely they are not completely malicious. Perhaps if we try to appeal to their better nature, they will understand and leave us alone.”

“I know just the pony to do that.” Magic Star turned to Whizzer. “Whizzer, go to Flutter Valley and fetch Morning Glory. If anyone can find the good in the gremlins, it’s her.”

“You got it.” Whizzer leapt into the air and zipped away towards Flutter Valley.



Magic Star strained to see into the bright blue sky. She could hear the distinct shimmering of a Flutter Pony in flight, but she could barely make out the two specks approaching. They became larger and more recognizable until they came into clear view. Whizzer flew in along with Morning Glory and they landed in the courtyard.

“Thank you for coming, Morning Glory.” Magic Star walked up to Morning Glory.

“I was glad to come,” Morning Glory replied. “Whizzer told me you had a problem.”

“We sure do,” Magic Star said. “A bunch of gremlins have come to Dream Valley and are dead set on demolishing our castle. We were wondering if you could help us deal with them.”

“I don’t know what I can do for you. I’m not really a fighter,” Morning Glory said. “Maybe you should’ve gotten Peach Blossom or Honeysuckle.”

“They probably wouldn’t come up with anything different for what Wind Whistler and Gusty have,” Magic Star replied. “We were hoping you could appeal to their better nature.”

“I can try,” Morning Glory said. “Where are they?”

“They’re in a hole not far from here. Follow me.” Magic Star led Morning Glory out of the castle and to the hole Gusty and the others found. It was an unremarkable hole in an embankment like the one leading to the Bushwoolies’ tunnels only smaller.

“I hope they’ll come out to talk.” Morning Glory walked up to the hole. She shouted in, “Hello in there. My name’s Morning Glory and I was wondering if you could come out and talk.”

They sat down and waited. After a couple minutes a bluish-gray head with big ears and a large nose poked out of the hole. Magic Star was not sure, but she figured it was the larger gremlin as the sunglasses that were sitting on his head previous nights were now over his eyes.

The gremlin frowned when he saw the two of them. “I’m Leader Groot. What do you want, strange equines?”

“I want to talk about you trying to demolish Dream Castle,” Morning Glory said. “You have to understand that it’s the only home the ponies here have. If you destroy it, they’ll be out in the cold and at the mercy of their enemies. I know there is good inside you telling you this is wrong, so could you please listen and stop.”

“You don’t understand,” Groot said. “We’re gremlins. We must demolish what we find. We’re driven to do it. So long as that castle stands, we can’t fight the urge. It must come down.”

“But…” Morning Glory started to say.

“There is nothing else to be said.” Groot disappeared into the hole.

Morning Glory sighed. “I’m sorry, but you can’t appeal to their better nature if they’re driven by their very nature.”

“Then we’re just going to have to make them see that Dream Castle will never fall,” Magic Star said.



Gusty watched the valley beyond the walls of Dream Castle. The glow of twilight was gone and the gremlins would be coming any minute. It was actually a peaceful night with a waxing moon in the clear sky and the chirping of crickets filling the cool air. It would have been beautiful if it was not for those pesky gremlins.

Sure enough, she saw movement in the moonlit field in front of the castle. It was the gremlins, and they were prepared for an attack like last night’s. They ran towards the castle under the cover of umbrellas. Gusty was somewhat disappointed. She was hoping to pelt them with water balloons again.

She turned to the others standing in the courtyard. “They’re coming.”

“Scud, Lofty, take your positions,” Magic Star instructed.

Scud and Lofty flew out of the courtyard and hid in bushes near the castle.

The gremlins again set their ladder down to cross the stream on the north side of the castle. Scud and Lofty suddenly jumped out of their hiding place and grabbed the ladder. They lifted it off the ground and shook the one gremlin on it off into the crowd. They then threw it onto the castle side of the stream.

“Let’s see you get over here now?” Gusty shouted.

Groot ground his bared teethed. “Retreat.”

The gremlins ran away from the castle. Everyone cheered as they disappeared into the night. Without a means of crossing the stream, they would have to leave Dream Castle alone.



Applejack happily went about her day in the orchards. It was a huge relief to not have to worry about the gremlins going after Dream Castle. Hopefully, she could get a good night’s sleep tonight.

She set her wooden ladder against the trunk of one of the apple trees. The blossoms were fully opened and ready for pollination. She sniffed their sweet fragrance. In a couple months, they would have bright, juicy apples to eat and trade for other supplies.

However, she was not out here to smell the blossoms. To make sure the apples were as good as possible; she needed to prune the stray twigs and suckers off the trees. It was a constant chore throughout the summer but worth every minute.

She climbed down the ladder and walked over to her toolbox. She grabbed her pruning shears and turned around to climb up the ladder again. However, the ladder was gone.

Applejack let her jaw drop and her pruning shears fell to the ground. She wondered who could have taken it when it came to her. She wanted to kick herself for leaving it out in the open for them. The gremlins had taken it and she knew exactly what they would use it for. So much for a good night’s sleep tonight.

“Crud,” she grumbled



As Applejack feared, the gremlins had taken her ladder to try again. They made their way under umbrellas and there were already many standing the ladder to cross as soon as it went down. They reached the stream and put the ladder down.

High Tide watched from underwater. She had been waiting her whole life to do this. As soon as the ladder was down, she breached.

She brought up her saw fish and pulled his fin. The fish’s serrated saw-bill trembled and grumbled. She pulled the fin again a couple times before the saw fish oscillated and the grumble turned into a whine.

The gremlins took notice as she approached. They clambered to their side of the stream and she sawed through the legs of the wooden ladder. The separated halves fell into the stream.

Groot grumbled something unintelligible under his breath. “Retreat.”

The gremlins turned around and ran away.

Several ponies jumped out of the bushes on the castle side.

“My ladder,” Applejack said woefully.

“Don’t worry, you got the gremlins’ metal one to replace it,” Gusty said.

“But it’s not the same.” Applejack sulked away.

Sand Dollar breached next to High Tide. “Good work, but did you really need to wear Slap-Shot’s goalie mask to do that?”



Gusty did not know what the gremlins were going to try tonight. They made sure no ladders or anything else was available for them to cross the stream on. They even made sure they did not cut down any trees to use for a makeshift bridge. However, she knew one way or another they were coming.

She stood on the wall and watched as twilight faded to nothing. The gremlins would soon be coming. She turned to Paradise next to her, “You’re sure they have nothing to use for a bridge.”

“Positive,” Paradise replied. “We looked for fresh stumps and anything else out of place. They have nothing.”

“Here they come,” Hurricane said, “and you’re not going to believe what they have this time.”

Gusty turned her attention back to the valley. Her jaw dropped upon seeing what was approaching the castle. The gremlins were pulling a catapult into place.

“A catapult?” Gusty managed to say. “Where did you get a catapult?”

“From a catalogue,” Groot answered.

Gusty frowned. “I walked right into that one, didn’t I?”

The gremlins began lowering the arm of the catapult down. One of them hopped into the cup on the end.

“Why are they loading themselves into the catapult?” Hurricane asked. “They could destroy Dream Castle from a distance with it.”

“It’s not the destruction of Dream Castle they want,” Paradise said. “Gremlins are obsessed with taking things apart with their own hands.”

Wind Whistler flew over the wall. She stretched out a tape measure from the outside wall of Dream Castle to the cup of the catapult. She then measured the arm and flew away leaving the gremlins bewildered by what she had just done. Gusty shared in her cluelessness as Wind Whistler continued whatever she was doing.

Wind Whistler flew back into the courtyard to a black board. She wrote some figures into an equation and punched them into a large calculator beside it. She then measured from the inner wall to some point in the courtyard and marked it with a red “X”. She then dragged a jogging trampoline on an incline over the “X” and adjusted the angle.

“Wind Whistler, what are you doing?” Gusty grumbled. “We have to prepare to repel the gremlins.”

The catapult threw its arm forward, vaulting the gremlin in the cup towards the castle. He flew over the wall and right for Wind Whistler’s trampoline. The gremlin landed almost dead center in the trampoline and was thrown back. He flew back over the wall on almost the exact same path and landed on the gremlin getting into the cup after him.

Gusty looked back to Wind Whistler wide-eyed with her mouth hanging open. Wind Whistler gave a casual shrug in response. “I need to learn to stop doubting you,” Gusty said. “I really do.”

“They’re getting ready to fire again,” Hurricane said. “They moved the catapult two yards towards us.”

Wind Whistler nodded. She dragged the trampoline two yards further back. The gremlin flew over and bounced off the trampoline like the last one.

“Just keep giving me their adjustments, and we can keep this up all night,” Wind Whistler said.



Wind Whistler had to live up to that promise. The gremlins kept it up until morning twilight came when they finally retreated back to their hole. They left the catapult which was quickly dismantled by the residents of Dream Castle and scattered across the valley.



A blanket of thick, gray clouds spread over Dream Valley in the late afternoon. By nightfall, a steady rain had started falling from them. The gremlins never came, apparently preferring to remain dry in their hole.

Everyone heaved a sigh of the relief. They never thought they would so glad to see a drenching rain.



Gusty got about a half night’s sleep. It was actually the most sleep she had gotten since the gremlins showed up. She left her room and looked up at the sky. The blanket of clouds was breaking from west to east. The rain had stopped and blue sky was creeping up from the western horizon.

“No, come back,” Gusty said weakly to the departing clouds. “We need you.”

Gusty collapsed on the ground. She could not keep going like this. She was so tired from the lack of sleep her body getting weak. Even her magic was losing power.

Wind Whistler slowly walked out into the courtyard. Gusty saw that bags were forming under her drooping eyes and her wings slumped.

“We can’t keep this up,” Gusty grumbled. “We spend all day preparing for the gremlins and all night fighting them.”

“It also seems inevitable that we will suffer a lapse and Dream Castle will be no more,” Wind Whistler said. “We are not winning this battle of wills. We need a more aggressive approach.”

“I say we flood their tunnel.” Gusty stood up. “They can’t swim, so they’d quickly drown.”

“We can’t do that.” Paradise landed between them. “We only use lethal force when it is absolutely necessary.”

“Besides,” Wind Whistler said, “I think I have an alternative. If we could capture them and relocate them outside of Dream Valley, they might move on.”

“I guess we can try that,” Gusty said.

She winked up onto the wall. Paradise and Wind Whistler joined her. Saying they were going to capture them was easy enough. However, they needed a trap for them. They examined the area around the castle to think of what they could use.

“What manner of trap would be good?” Gusty mused allowed.

“A pitfall trap?” Paradise asked.

“They would easily free themselves with their superior tunneling abilities,” Wind Whistler said. “We also need to get them in some kind of container for transport.”

“Their route doesn’t take them anywhere near the trees, so a snare is out of the question,” Gusty said. “They also travel in a long line, so spring loaded traps wouldn’t catch all of them at once.”

“Dream Castle might have a picturesque view, but this location doesn’t lend itself to traps.” Paradise pointed to a ravine in the distance. “It’s too bad Dream Castle isn’t in that ravine over there. It’s a natural bottleneck which would limit their avenues of escape.”

“Unfortunately, we cannot simply pick up Dream Castle and move it there,” Wind Whistler said.

Paradise looked down at two Unicorn stallions walking towards the castle. Gusty noticed them too. Judging by their colorful manes and tails, they were Eclipse and Stargazer. “Actually, we might be able to do just that,” Paradise said.

She flew off the wall to them. Wind Whistler followed and Gusty winked out to wink back in outside the castle walls. The two stopped when they saw them.

“You have perfect timing,” Paradise said. “You’re just the stallions we need.”

“For what?” Stargazer asked.

“We’re having trouble with some gremlins wanting to destroy Dream Castle. We’re planning to trap them, but we need them to believe Dream Castle is in that ravine.” Paradise pointed to the ravine behind them.

“Why do you need us for that?” Stargazer asked,

Paradise pointed to Eclipse. “I was thinking you could make Dream Castle invisible.” She then pointed to Stargazer. “Then you can create an illusion of Dream Castle in the ravine.”

“Do you have any idea how much strain on my magic making an illusion that big is?” Stargazer asked.

“You’ll only need to keep it up for a few minutes,” Paradise said. She then looked away and frowned woefully. “Besides, if the gremlins destroy Dream Castle, we’ll have no home. You’re our only hope.”

Stargazer sighed. “Alright, I’ll do it.”

“I’m in too,” Eclipse added.

“Thank you,” Paradise said.

“Now we need to plan for tonight,” Wind Whistler said.



Masquerade hovered over Dream Valley. From the air, she could see Dream Castle, the ravine, and the hole the gremlins were holed up in. Her earphones and microphone also kept her in contact with the groups in Dream Castle and the ravine.

“Communications check: Dream Castle,” Masquerade said.

“Magic Star here, we hear you,” Magic Star said through Masquerade’s earphones.

“I hear you too,” Masquerade replied. “What about you, Doppelganger?”

“You’re coming in loud and clear, Masquerade,” Gusty said.

“Is everyone ready?” Masquerade asked.

“We’re ready here,” Magic Star answered.

“We’re good to go,” Gusty said.

Masquerade turned her attention skyward. The sun had set and twilight was quickly fading. The gremlins would soon be coming out for their latest attempt.

“Okay. Start Operation: Move,” Masquerade said.

She looked to Dream Castle. What looked like a bubble incased it and it faded from sight. All that could be seen was what looked like a patch of dirt.

Masquerade then turned to the ravine. A perfect illusion of Dream Castle appeared at its end. The long narrow ravine led right to it.



Gusty looked around at the illusion Stargazer had created. It looked almost exactly like the courtyard of Dream Castle. She was almost tempted to enter her room in one of the lodges to see if it was complete in the illusion too.

She turned her attention to her team. It consisted of her, Stargazer, Rose Dust and the other Flutter Ponies, Fizzy, and Surprise in the illusion. Others were hiding in the brush outside of it too. Everyone seemed on edge as they prepared for the gremlins’ arrival.

She turned to Stargazer. He was standing with his legs spread apart as if to brace himself. He groaned and grunted as his horn glowed brightly.

“How’re you holding up?” Gusty asked.

“I just hope these gremlins come soon.” Stargazer forced out his answer as he was straining to maintain the illusion. “I don’t how much longer I can keep this up.”

“The gremlins are emerging,” Masquerade said over Gusty’s headphones.



Groot climbed out of the hole with the others following. He looked to Dream Castle and his eyes widened when he saw no castle there. “What…How did they…Where’s the castle?”

“It’s over there,” Cleak said.

Groot turned to a ravine on the other side of the valley. Dream Castle was deep inside it. “You ponies think you’re so clever? Well, you’re not clever enough.” He pointed at the castle. “Get it.”

The gremlins broke out in a dead run for Dream Castle. They did not even have to contend with water with this new location. Its defenders would have been better off leaving it on the other side of the stream.



“They’ve bought the illusion,” Masquerade told Gusty. “They’re heading straight for you.”

“Alright.” Gusty turned to the others. “They’re coming right for us. Get ready.”

“They can’t come quickly enough for me,” Stargazer grumbled. “My horn’s starting to burn.”

“This is gonna be fun.” Surprise chuckled.

“Can I say it this time?” Fizzy asked Surprise.

“Sure, but you gotta say it like you mean it,” Surprise answered.

“The gremlins have passed the trap, drop the illusion now!” Masquerade said.

“Drop it now!” Gusty shouted to Stargazer.

“About time.” Stargazer’s horn lost its glow and he heaved a heavy sigh as his body slouched.

The castle around them faded away. Gusty could see the gremlins running at them through the disappearing walls. They slid to a stop, crashing into each other as the castle vanished completely.

“SURPRISE!” Fizzy gleefully shouted at the top of her lungs.

Gusty loosed her wind magic on the gremlins. It was joined by the wind created by the Flutter Ponies’ utter flutter. The gremlins tumbled backwards as the powerful wind blasted them.

However, they were not simply blowing them away. They funneled the wind to keep the gremlins bunched up. Wind Whistler and Paradise pulled the green covering off a massive, wooden crate with the front gaping open. Gusty and the Flutter Ponies blew the gremlins in the crate and Wind Whistler and Paradise pulled the front shut with ropes. Button’s emerged and used her telekinesis to shove a thick peg in the rings of the crate’s lock.

Gusty finally relented along with the Flutter Ponies.

“Woohoo, we caught the gremlins!” Surprise cheered.

“Now let’s ship them off to Dubai or somewhere that’s far from here,” Gusty said.

Wind Whistler landed next to the crate. It suddenly lurched and she backed up. “Oh no,” she said.

“I don’t want to hear ‘oh no’,” Gusty said. “’Oh no’ is a bad thing.”

“We either overestimated the structural integrity of the crate, or underestimated the strength of the gremlins,” Wind Whistler said. “They’re breaking the walls of the crate. We need to remove them now!”

“Were can we take them?” Fizzy asked.

“We can dump them on the witches,” Gusty said.

“That’s mean, sadistic, and cruel,” Buttons scolded.

“But oh so satisfying,” Gusty replied. “No matter who loses, I win.”

“Moral and entertainment implications aside, I’m afraid that would only buy us a short reprieve,” Wind Whistler said. “Once they were done with the witches’ home, they would return to Dream Valley. Only they would be prepared for our deception this time. We need to relocate them to where they would never reach Dream Valley again.”

The box lurched again and Gusty could see its boards pucker and split.

“And we need to do it now,” Wind Whistler said.

“I know where we can take them where they would be no trouble to anyone,” Paradise said.



Groot slammed his fist into the wall of the crate. The crack widened slightly. However, the wall held. The swaying of the crate made it hard to put his full strength behind his punches. The ponies must be carrying them somewhere, and he did not want to be dropped off wherever they left him and the others.

The crate suddenly hit the ground. They apparently had no choice now. The front of the crate dropped open and he jumped out into the open.

He looked around. They were on a sandy beach under a star-studded sky. The strip of white sand separated rolling ocean from jungle with a volcanic cone rising above it.

“Where are we?” Cleak asked.

“I don’t know,” Groot said. “However, we have to get back to that valley. Follow me.”

Groot ran down the beach. The jungle had to break somewhere and they could go further inland. The beach and the jungle just kept going. The cone also seemed to stay behind beside him. Groot tripped when he tried to stop. They had come to the back of the crate.

“What trickery is this?” Groot asked no one in particular.

“I’m not sure, but I think this land is completely surrounded by water,” Cleak said nervously.

Groot stopped as this thought knocked around in his head. Such a landform would be a prison to them. They could not swim and even getting wet was an unpleasant experience. They were trapped on this mound of sand forever if that was the case.

“No!” Groot ran back the other way. He ran as fast as he could until he came to the crate and the others. They really were trapped. “NO!”

He sat down on the sand to catch his breath. “We’ll never bring down another castle again.”

He looked up and saw Cleak was piling sand into a small tower. “What are you doing?”

“I’m building something.” Cleak patted the sand down to make sure its solid. He then kicked it over into clumps. “Then I can destroy it.”

“We can make our own castles to destroy,” a gremlin said.

“Yeah!” The others began piling sand up and then kicking, stomping, and even body slamming them down.



Paradise watched the gremlins gleefully build and destroy their crude sandcastles. “They seem to be taking being trapped on an island very well. Hopefully they’ll be all right over there.”

“It has plenty of room and plenty of fruit trees,” Monsoon said. “They’ll be fine.”

“That’s good.” Paradise yawned. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to sleep for the next two days.” She spread her wings and flew off to the northwest with the others joining her.

Flooding the tunnel would have killed them as they couldn't swim.

Stories will come as I think of them. I've got a couple of ideas rattling around in my head right. I'm trying to think of which to write first.

The story is very good and I love the G1 ponies who appeared in it!!! But, the best of all story is this:

"Sand Dollar breached next to High Tide. “Good work, but did you really need to wear Slap-Shot’s goalie mask to do that?”"

LOL

I finally have the second part of Pegasi vs. Harpies done. I hope you guys enjoy it and tell me what you think. I must admit, I'm surprised at how Talia turned out.

Chief also takes issue with Fireball's choice in music. I love the chemistry between these two. I need more excuses for them to team up.

Pegasi vs. Harpies Part 2

Wind Whistler landed in the courtyard where Magic Star was standing. She took a moment to catch her breath. “I have informed all the bushwoolies I came across of the harpies and the threat they pose. They are spreading the word to the others. They will hunker down deep in their tunnels and barricade the entrances. The harpies should not be able to reach them.”

“That’s good,” Magic Star said. “We just need the last few ponies to return and we can wait until we’re ready to act.”

“Who is left?” Wind Whistler asked.

“Heartthrob, Baby Heartthrob, Baby Contrail, and Baby Jet Streak,” Magic Star said. “Whizzer is also out there, but she is spreading the message. As Heartthrob’s group is the last, she should return with them.”

Whizzer suddenly flew in. Wind Whistler was startled by her arrival as she skidded to a stop on the ground. She had to be in a rush, even for her. She was also alone.

“We got a problem, a big problem. Harpies took Heartthrob and three Pegasus foals. I couldn’t reach them in time. They took them to a mountain on the southern border of Dream Valley.” Whizzer panted for air.

“What!?” Wind Whistler and Magic Star shouted at once.

Wind Whistler caught something out of the corner of her eye. Three figures were flying towards the castle. She did not even need a good look to know they were harpies.

The three ran inside the main building. Magic Star kicked the door shut and locked the deadbolt. All three heaved a sigh of relief.

Everyone except those captured and those still across the ocean were crowded into the narrow entrance hall. Wind Whistler, Magic Star, and Whizzer joined a group looking out one of the large windows.

The three harpies landed in the courtyard. They looked around the empty area.

Wind Whistler gulped dryly. She had not seen the harpies in person before now. They were even more imposing in person than the descriptions she had heard from the others.

“I know you’re here, ponies,” the harpy in the center shouted. “I have a message from our leader. We’ve take one of your females and three of your juveniles hostage. They’re alive and in good health and will stay that way, so long as you don’t interfere with us. We now rule the skies over this valley. Never forget that.”

The three flew off.

The entrance hall quickly filled with hushed conversation. It was hard to make out what anyone was saying, but it was easy to tell everyone was nervous.

“Everyone calm down!” Magic Star shouted to put an end to the conversations. “It’s too cramped in here to think.” She pointed to the stairs leading up to the meeting hall. “Let’s discuss this in the meeting hall.”

Everyone walked up the stairs to the meeting hall without saying a word. They sat down on the benches and faced forward. Magic Star walked up to the blackboards up front.

“This is much better,” she said. “Now, let’s figure this out in a calm and civil manner. We won’t help our friends by panicking.”

Sundance raised her hoof.

“Yes, Sundance.” Magic Star pointed to her.

“Who did they capture?” Sundance asked.

“They got Heartthrob, Baby Heartthrob, Baby Contrail, and Baby Jet Streak,” Magic Star answered.

“How do we know they’re alright?” Gusty asked. “The harpies could be lying to us.”

“They were being truthful. I can tell you that,” Ribbon said. “I did not sense any dishonesty from them. If anything, wanted to make sure we understood this was the truth.”

“Then what are supposed to do about this? Cower in here until they get bored and release them?” Gusty asked.

“No. We will have to take action and soon,” Wind Whistler said. “They must have taken hostages and delivered an ultimatum to keep us from interfering with them laying their brood. They will probably release Heartthrob and the foals after the eggs hatch, but by then it will be too late.”

“What do you mean?” Magic Star asked.

“Think about it,” Wind Whistler replied. “We cannot let their brood hatch as the harpies will be able to hunker down to raise them and overcome our two advantages: numbers and familiarity with Dream Valley. We must destroy their brood and quickly as well as save Heartthrob and the foals.”

“Wind Whistler and I agree on something for once. Let’s kick some harpy butt.” Gusty threw her hoof forward in a punch but accidently punched Applejack on the back of the head.

“Ow!” Applejack rubbed her head and turned around to glare at Gusty. “Do you mind?”

“Sorry, A.J.” Gusty said.

“I have a question.” Medley raised her hoof and everyone turned to her. “What happened to make the harpies do this? Yesterday they were all for living with us in peace. Even if it was just a ruse, why would they come after us now?”

“I hypothesize that the harpies were able to somehow intercept the messages being sent between the crystal balls,” Wind Whistler said. “The timing between us receiving word from Megan and them taking offensive action aligns far too well for it to merely be coincidence.”

“Then we might have a problem,” Magic Star said. “Megan will be contacting us when they’re ready to leave. The harpies would know they were coming.”

“We will have to tell them to stay put and limit the content of our message,” Wind Whistler said. “One of us will then deliver our full message in person.”

“I can do that? Brochure said they’re a half day away. I’ll make it in a quarter of a day, if not faster,” Whizzer said.

“Then let’s start making plans,” Magic Star said. “Wind Whistler, Medley, can you bring that map over here?”

Wind Whistler flew to the large, laminated map of Dream Valley on the wall next to the door. Medley grabbed the other end as they carried it to the blackboards. They secured the corners with magnets and made sure it was straight.

“Our first priority is saving Heartthrob and the foals,” Magic Star said. “We can also destroy the harpies’ brood at the same time if we plan it right. However, we need to know where they’ve based themselves.”

“They’re in the mountain range on the southern border, but I didn’t see which one in particular,” Whizzer said.

Wind Whistler examined the map closely. Dream Valley was a large, roughly oval-shaped bowl surrounded by mountains and highlands with its major axis oriented almost due west to east. Dream Castle was indicated next to a high plateau reaching into the valley near the northwest corner. The stream flowing off the plateau passed right by them and into the lake and then down the valley out a pass to the east. There was the Volcano of Gloom and its surrounding badlands in the northeast corner, the wall-like mountains that separated Dream Valley from the much smaller Flutter Valley to the north, and the Mushromp to the southwest. However, her attention focused on the collection of particularly jagged peaks on the southern border and the pass just to the east of them.

Wind Whistler picked up a red grease pencil and circled the highest peak. “If I was the harpies, I would base myself in this mountain. Not only is it the tallest, but it is also the steepest with an almost vertical cliff face thousands of feet tall. Any caves near its summit would only be accessible through the air.”

“That means only Pegasi can reach them,” Gusty said.

“Not necessarily,” Skyflier said. “I can use my magic to make it possible to carry me and another earthbound pony as well.”

“I should go then,” Moondancer said. “I can use my magic to put them to sleep for a time.”

“Then you two will accompany Wind Whistler, Scud, Medley, and Lofty,” Magic Star said. “Subdue the harpies, save our friends, destroy their brood if you can, and then get back to Dream Castle.”

“It’s all fine and good to say that,” Shady said, “but you know the harpies won’t take an attack sitting down. What do we do when they retaliate?”

“Then we’ll kick their butts.” Gusty got ready to throw another punch up a glare from Applejack made her stop.

“If what Megan told me is any indication, they’ll probably try to burn the valley,” Magic Star said.

“Then my services might be needed,” Chief said.

“I might also be able to teach them not to play with fire,” Fireball added.

“We should also take the fight to them,” Lofty said. “This is our valley, and we won’t let them intimidate us. Who’s with me?”

The other Pegasi raised their hooves.

“How can you beat them? They’re huge,” Shady said.

“Haven’t you ever seen a flock of small birds chase off a hawk?” Lofty asked. “The harpies might be big, but there are more of us.”

“We also have an ace up our proverbial sleeve.” Wind Whistler drew an arrow up through the pass near the mountains. “Megan and the others will be returning through this pass. If we can herd the harpies in there and bring them in at the right moment, we can box them in.”

A glow suddenly came from Magic Star’s saddle bag. “Magic Star, are you there?” Megan’s voice asked.

Wind Whistler almost bit her tongue to keep herself from saying anything. The harpies were likely listening. She had hoped they would have more time to formulate their message.

Magic Star pulled the crystal ball from her bag. The orb held the image of Megan’s face. Magic Star placed the crystal ball on a small table.

“We’re here, Megan,” Magic Star said. “We didn’t expect to hear from you so soon.”

“We’re anxious to return to Dream Valley,” Megan said. “We took a quick rest and we’re ready to go.”

“It would be better if you remained there at the moment,” Wind Whistler said. She was coming up with the message on the fly. Hopefully she would not reveal anything. “We are working out a plan to deal with the harpies. We thought we would have more time before you would be coming back.”

“What do you want us to do?” Megan asked.

“Remain in the town and wait for us to contact you,” Wind Whistler said.

Megan paused. “Okay,” she said distantly. “We’ll be waiting for to hear for you.” Her image disappeared from the orb.

Wind Whistler sighed in relief.

“That was some quick thinking,” Magic Star said.

“We need to quickly draw up our plans, so Whizzer can take them to Megan,” Wind Whistler said. “Let us just hope the harpies did not draw any correct conclusions from our exchange.”



Altair opened his eyes. “There was another communication between the two groups of ponies. The group in the castle told the group in Foxglove to stay put and await further instructions.” He cracked a grin. “They’re planning to get rid of us.”

“I’d like to see them try, especially now that we have hostages.” Talia looked at the female and three juveniles in a metal cage.

The juveniles hid behind the female and trembled in fear as she walked to the cage. The female also watched her fearfully.

Talia smirked. There was nothing like seeing someone fearful of you. “They wouldn’t want anything to happen to their friends.”

“We shouldn’t underestimate them,” Altair said. “They were able to see through your ruse. They’re quite clever.”

“They’re tiny horses,” Talia replied. “They got lucky, that’s all.”

She stood up and turned to Altair. “Within hours I will be laying my brood to begin the next generation of our flock.” She tapped her massive belly. “That’s all we need to worry about now.”



Magic Star shoved a map and message into Whizzer’s saddle bag. “You’re good to go, Whizzer. This should explain our plans to them. Remember. Leave to the west and round Dream Valley to the ocean. Then head to where Megan and the others are. You got it?”

“I got it. You can count on me. Let’s go, go, go,” Whizzer said.

“Good luck,” Magic Star said.

Whizzer flew into the air and dashed off to the west. Within seconds she was too far away to be seen. Magic Star hoped this long about way would keep her from being noticed by the harpies.

She turned to Wind Whistler. “Thus begins the clock.”

Wind Whistler nodded. “Twelve hours and counting.”

“What will you do in the meantime?” Magic Star asked.

“We will prepare ourselves,” Wind Whistler said. “We are headed into the belly of the beast. However, that’s hardly new.”

“That’s true.” Magic Star coughed a laugh when she thought about all the perils they had faced. “Lofty’s right. It seems like we never get nice neighbors anymore.”

“I have to admit part of me is relieved Ribbon and Galaxy were right,” Wind Whistler said. “There are times I fear we will begin to judge any newcomers to Dream Valley based solely on prejudice. We need to be diligent, but it is a short road to paranoia.”

“That’s why I want to give everyone we meet the benefit of the doubt and investigate any suspicions,” Magic Star said.

Wind Whistler spread her wings. “Well, there are preparations to be made. I will see at zero hour.” She flew away.

“Good luck,” Magic Star said. She looked towards the jagged peaks. “I just hope Heartthrob and the foals are safe.”



Baby Lofty fluttered down to ground next to the lake by the castle. She looked out at the lake and then at the mountains to the southeast. If Wind Whistler was right, and she usually was, her brother and friends were being held there.

Surf Rider breached into her float and swam towards her. “What’s up, Baby Lofty?”

“My brother and the other Pegasus foals were captured by harpies along with Heartthrob,” Baby Lofty said.

Surf Rider frowned. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Now Mom and the others are getting ready to rescue them, but it’s going to be really dangerous.”

“The grown-ups have dealt with bad guys before. I’m sure they’ll be alright.”

Baby Lofty sighed. “Why am I the only one who listens to the grown-ups? We were all told to stay close to the castle today. The others would never have been grabbed if they listened.”

“I don’t know,” Surf Rider said. “There are just some kids who don’t want to listen. It seems like a day doesn’t go by without Sea Shimmer causing trouble.”

A shadow flew over them. Baby Lofty tensed her body. After what happened to the others, she was afraid the harpies might be out to snatch someone else. However, when she looked up, she saw it was her mother flying in. She relaxed as Lofty landed gently next to her.

“Hello, dear,” Lofty said. “What are you doing?”

“I’m just talking to Surf Rider about why the others didn’t listen,” Baby Lofty replied. “I’ve always listened to you because I was unsure about my flying. I hope as I get better I don’t stop listening.”

Lofty nuzzled her. “I doubt that. You listen because you’re thoughtful, not because you can’t fly well. You wanted to fly so badly this morning, but you stayed near the castle. You listened because you knew it could be dangerous, right?”

“Right,” Baby Lofty said.

“Some foals and even some adults sometimes don’t think about what others tell them,” Lofty said. “They either just accept it or refuse to listen without thinking of the reasoning behind it. It’s not that they have something you lack, but that you have something they lack.”

“Are you mad at Baby Jet Streak?” Baby Lofty asked.

Lofty frowned and furrowed her brow. “You better believe I am. He’s grounded for a month for this.” Her expression then softened. “However, I’ll be relieved when he’s safe again.”

She spread her wings. “I need to talk to Wind Whistler about our raid this evening.”

“Please be safe, Mom,” Baby Lofty said.

“I will be, dear.” Lofty flew away.



Heartthrob kept her eyes screwed shut and held her front legs over the eyes of the foals. Giving birth was not something done in public. In fact, she believed it was a very private matter and watching it casually was obscene. The harpies did not seem to have this sense of decency when it came to laying eggs as the one called Talia squatted in nest of straw and began to force out her eggs in front of everyone.

Heartthrob listened to her groan and the eggs clack together. It let her count the number. After the twelfth egg, she heard nothing. She tentatively opened one eye to see what was happening.

Talia stood up from the nest. Her bulging belly was now flat after laying her eggs. Her legs wobbled as she walked to a rock and sat down. Her breathing was labored and sweat glistened on her face. Heartthrob remembered how tiring delivering twins were. Laying twelve eggs had to be exhausting.

Heartthrob turned her attention to the eggs. There were a dozen eggs, each the size of a volleyball with a white, featureless shell. One of the other harpies arranged them to be clustered neatly in the nest and covered them with straw.

Heartthrob lowered her front legs to uncover the foal’s eyes. “You’ve laid your eggs. Now let us go.”

Altair shook his head. “Not until the brood hatches. That should take about a month.”

“A month!?” Heartthrob practically shrieked. “You expect to keep us in this cage for a month?”

The short time she had been in the cave had been very unpleasant. It was cold and damp and the metal wire cage was cramped and uncomfortable. There was also the odor of these harpies which was something she could not bear smelling for a month.

“Yes,” Talia said between gasps. “Think of it as punishment for sticking your snouts where they don’t belong. You could have left Foxglove well enough alone. We might have very well left you alone as you don’t seem to have much of any value to steal. However, now that you know we’re bandits and vandals, you might try to destroy my brood. Would you let us raise another generation to plunder and pillage the world?”

Heartthrob darted her eyes away. The Little Ponies had for a long time stopped monsters and evildoers like these harpies. She wanted lie, but she had the feeling Talia would pick up on it.

“I already know the answer,” Talia said. “That is why you will remain in that cage until my brood hatches.”

She sat back and gasped for air.

Altair suddenly gasped. His gaze turned to the opening. Heartthrob looked out, but only saw the darkness of the night.

Talia looked up at him. “What is it?”

“The ponies are coming?” he said. “I can sense two of the magic users approaching.”

Deb jumped to her feet. “I thought the magic users couldn’t fly.”

“Nonetheless they’re coming,” Altair said.

Talia grimaced. “Curse these equines. Why don’t they get the message?”

She glared at Heartthrob and the foals. Heartthrob felt her heart leap into her throat. She should have been happy to know their rescuers were on the way, but she was frightened of what the harpies might do before they could reach them. She got in front of the three foals as they trembled behind her.

“Kill them one by one,” Talia said. “Start with the female juvenile.”

Baby Heartthrob hid further behind Heartthrob. Heartthrob looked back at her frightened daughter. How could these harpies think to kill an innocent little filly?

She returned Talia’s glare in defiance. “Over my dead body!”

“Fine. Kill her first.” Talia pointed at Heartthrob.

One of the harpies grabbed a dagger and pulled it out of it holder. She walked towards the cage, rippling her fingers on its hilt. She raised it over the cage, holding it so she could bring it down into Heartthrob.

Heartthrob could do nothing. She could not escape, and the cage was so small she would not be able to even dodge. Of all the perils she had faced, it looked like this was the one that finally had her number.

A flash suddenly filled the cave. Moondancer stood in the opening. She barely gave the harpies the chance to turn to her before she loosed a dozen glowing, white spheres. The spheres struck the harpies and they instantly fell asleep, collapsing where they stood. The dagger fell from the harpy’s hand and through the cage’s roof to landed on the ground next to Heartthrob.

Heartthrob almost blacked out, but somehow summoned the strength to keep from fainting.

Moondancer smirked and nodded. “That’s how it’s done.”

“Oh, Moondancer, you have perfect timing,” Heartthrob said. “But, how did you get all the way up here?”

Wind Whistler, Medley, Lofty, and Scud fluttered up to the opening, carrying a large, square board by pegs through it. Skyflier stood on the plank, her horn glowing. She must have been using her magic to reduce the pull of gravity on the plank to make it easier to carry. The four brought the board in the cave and set it down.

Skyflier relaxed as the glow of her horn faded and stepped off the board. “How long will they be asleep?”

Moondancer looked around. “This many…perhaps several minutes.”

“Then let’s work quickly.” Lofty walked over to the cage. She bucked the lock so hard it broke off and the door swung open.

Heartthrob walked out with the foals. She stretched and spread her wings. It was a relief to be out of that cramped cage.

“They knew you were coming.” She pointed at Altair. The lone male of the group was the easiest to pick out. The bald harpy was wingless and his body had no feathers above his waste. “He was able to sense your magic.”

“That must be how they discovered we had learned about their violence in the south,” Wind Whistler said.

“I’m ready to get out here,” Heartthrob said. “These harpies are as violent as they are obscene. They were ready to do my daughter in.”

“We unfortunately have some nasty business to tend to first,” Lofty said.



Lofty, Wind Whistler, and Medley gathered around the nest.

“So, this is it, their brood.” Her voice quivered as she said it. Talking about destroying the eggs in the meeting hall was one thing. Actually seeing them in person made a pit form in her stomach knowing they would be destroying them and ending the life they contained.

“She just laid them before you arrived,” Heartthrob said.

“Then they are very early in their development if they have even been completely fertilized yet,” Wind Whistler said. “That makes what we must do slightly easier.”

“It still seems wrong to destroy them,” Medley said. “They haven’t done anything wrong.”

Wind Whistler nodded. “That is true. However, we know what they will become if left under the tutelage of these harpies. They would also paint a target on the back of anyone who dared take them in and try to raise them into something else. Their fates have unfortunately been written before they even have a chance to have any say about it.”

“It’s not fair, is it? They don’t even have a chance to be innocent.” Lofty sighed. “I’ll do it. As a mother wronged personally by these harpies, I should be the one.”

A harpy next to Moondancer started to stir. She instinctively stepped back from her. “Hurry up. My magic is wearing off.”

Lofty pushed the eggs out of the nest and rolled them to the opening of the cave. She took a breath and then rolled the eggs off the cliff, letting them plummet into the darkness below. After several seconds the faint but distinct sound of the eggs breaking and splattering on the rocks below reached her.

Lofty heaved a sigh. Of all the things they had done to protect themselves, this was the most painful. She turned to the others. “It’s done.”

“Then let us leave.” Wind Whistler grabbed a corner of the plank. Lofty, Medley, and Scud grabbed the other ends and Moondancer and Skyflier hopped on it. Skyflier applied her magic and they lifted off. Heartthrob followed with the foals as they all left the cave and flew towards the point of light that was Dream Castle. Unfortunately, this was just the start of what could be a very long night.



Talia snapped awake. She sat up and looked around at the cave. The cage was empty, its door hanging open and its broken lock on the floor nearby. The others were slowly getting up.

She immediately thought of the brood. She looked at the nest and saw it was empty. “No.” She heart began pounding as her mind began thinking of what could have happened to them. She looked around the cave frantically but saw none of them. “No.”

She then looked to the opening. “No.” She took flight and dove down along the cliff face to the base in the darkness. “No. No.” She spun into an upright position and fluttered to the ground. Even in the paltry light she could see the shattered fragments of egg shell and yellow slime that had been yokes on the rock hard ground.

She dropped to her knees and ran her talons through the scrambled yokes. Her brood, her future, was gone. They had burned Foxglove’s fields and orchards to the ground. They crossed the ocean to this valley. They even took hostages. However, none of it had saved the next generation from these ponies. Too overcome for words, she let out a piercing screech that echoed off the mountainsides.

Sarah landed next to her. “They’re all destroyed?”

“Yes.” Talia was seething. She would not let these ponies get away with this. “Curse them. Curse all of them.”

“What do we do?” Sarah asked.

“Burn this valley. Burn all of it!” Talia stood up and glared at the lights of the ponies’ castle. “They’ll regret what they’ve done tonight.”



Wind Whistler and the others landed in the courtyard where everyone had gathered. They barely planted their hooves before they were crowded by the others.

The crowd made room for Contrail as he galloped to Heartthrob and their foals. He nuzzled Heeartthrob and then the two foals. “I’m so glad you’re all safe,” he said.

“I’m so glad to be safe, darling.” Heartthrob shot a glare towards her foals. “You two are in big trouble. I told you to not stray too far from the castle.”

Baby Contrail and Baby Heartthrob looked away shamefully and pawed at the ground. “We know, Mom,” Baby Contrail said in a small voice.

“You’re not allowed to past the lake for the next week,” Contrail said. “Be thankful that’s the worse you have to worry about.”

“Yes, Dad,” the two said woefully.

Baby Jet Streak tried to slink away, but Lofty cleared her throat loudly to make him stop. He hunched over and looked up to her shamefully.

“You’re in even bigger trouble,” Lofty said. “You’re older and definitely should have known better. You’re not allowed to go past the lake for a month.”

Baby Jet Streak sighed. “Yes, Mom.”

Wind Whistler watched the parents dole out their punishment to the disobedient foals. She could not help shaking her head and thinking of when she was a filly. She had thankfully never been one to disobey her elders, at least not without a very good reason. It must have saved her a lot of grief.

“Wind Whistler,” Magic Star said, breaking Wind Whistler’s train of thought.

Magic Star made her way to through the crowd to her. “What happened?”

“We destroyed their brood,” Wind Whistler said.

“So far so good then,” Magic Star replied. “With any luck, Megan and the others should be arriving shortly.”

“The sooner the better,” Wind Whistler said. “We were only able to incapacitate the harpies for a very short time. They have likely discovered what we have done already and will retaliate shortly.”

“Wind Whistler,” Tornado shouted from the wall, “you better take a look at this.”

Wind Whistler gulped. She could only imagine the harpies were what had caught his attention. She flew up to the wall.

Tornado pointed out to the valley. “I think the harpies take issue with your handiwork.”

There was a red glow in the distance reflecting off trees. Wind Whistler could barely make out the outline of a column of smoke rising into the night sky. Wind Whistler turned to the crowd in the courtyard. “The harpies started a fire. It is far off for now, but they will likely help it spread.”

“As expected,” Magic Star said. She turned to Chief and Fireball. “I leave this to you.”



Chief walked up to a button on the wall. He had been itching for a chance to use this. He pressed it and it lit up red. A rectangle of grass on the other side of the drawbridge sank into the ground and split in half to slide into a slots. A platform rose up in its place with a bright, red fire engine.

“That’s awesome,” he heard Danny say. “You guys have a fire truck?”

Chief shrugged. “You never know when one might come in handy.” He turned to Danny and motioned towards the truck with his head. “Want to ride with us?”

“You bet I do.” Danny ran towards the truck.

“I call shotgun.” Fireball ran ahead of Danny to the cab of the truck.

“Take the water cannon, Danny,” Chief said.

“How are you supposed to drive?” Danny asked. “With all due respect, you’re a pony.”

“I’m a highly talented pony.” Chief jumped into the cab.

He sat in the driver’s seat and looked back. Danny climbed onto the top of the truck and sat down in the chair behind the water cannon. Once he had belted in, Chief sat back in his seat and belted himself in.

Fireball took out a CD. “Let’s get this started with some mood music.” He slid the disk in the player on the dashboard. A disco rift started playing.

Chief bobbed his head to the catchy tune. “Nice thinking.”

He pressed the keyless start button. The truck hummed to life and the lights came on. He shifted into drive slid his foot hoofs into a hole in the steering wheel. He pushed down the accelerator and drove towards the red glow in the distance.

The music was definitely catchy. Chief swore he had heard it somewhere before. “Wait…don’t tell me this is…”

He was interrupted when the vocals came in singing, “Burn, baby, burn…”

Chief smacked his face with his hoof and shook his head. He then glared at Fireball bobbing his head to the beat and tapping his hoof on the door. “Really? Disco Inferno?”

Fireball turned to him, still tapping his hoof on the door. “Yeah. It gets me into the mood.”

Chief rolled his eyes and groaned. He might as well not even try. He decided to concentrate on his driving instead.



Danny sat in the water cannon chair. He had to hold down his cap as the cool night air whooshed past him. However, he soon felt heat as they approached the glowing area which was spreading.

He saw the first actual flames as they came over a hill. They were spread across the grass as well as licking up the trunks of trees into their leaves. Bushes and other brush were burning, throwing sparks into the night sky as they popped and snapped. The air filled with the smell of burning ash, the smoke making Danny’s eyes water and his nose and throat burn. The heat became sweltering as he already felt sweat on his brow.

He grabbed the oxygen mask designed for a human face and slid it over his head. The irritation to his eyes, nose, and throat stopped and he could breathe the processed, but smoke-free air.

He looked up into the sky. There were fireballs flying low to the ground, setting everything they touched on fire. They also illuminated the front of the harpies holding them as they swooped towards the ground. They stopped and hovered in front of them as the truck came to a stop.

Chief jumped out of truck. He looked up at Danny. “Start spraying the flames, try to target their base.”

“Right.” Danny’s voice sounded muffled in the mask.

He flipped a switch to turn on the cannon’s controls. He grabbed the joystick like control lever and shifted it from side to side and the cannon followed it. Shifting up and down changed the angle of the cannon. “Awesome.”

He pushed the cannon lever all the way forward. A powerful jet of water flew out of the nozzle and blew into the branches of a burning tree. The flames in the branches were immediately doused, but the stream was going too far. Danny pulled the lever back a bit and the jet weakened to arc to the ground a few dozen feet in front of the truck.

He happened to look up to see a harpy diving towards him. He ducked in time to dodge a swipe by her torch. He felt embers from it land his neck. They burned, but not badly and he quickly brushed them off.

The harpy looped around for another pass. Danny brought the cannon around and tried to spray her. However, she dodged while staying in her dive towards him.

Fireball jumped out of the cab. “Didn’t anyone teach what happens when you play with fire?”

His horn started to glow. The fire on the harpy’s torch doubled in size and enveloped her. She dropped the torch and batted the flames off her as she soared back into the sky.

“You get burned,” Fireball answered his own question.

Danny looked down to Fireball. “Thanks. I thought she’d fry me that time.”

“That was nothing,” Fireball replied. “Watch this.”

He turned to the flames and pointed his horn at them. It glowed and the fire reacted by rising higher in the sky. The flame shot out arms at the harpies that had to dodge to keep from being ignited.

“Knock off the pyrotechnics!” Chief shouted. “We’re supposed to put the fires out, not spread them.”

“Killjoy,” Fireball grumbled.

Danny pointed the cannon forward again and began spraying. The fires quickly died out under the heavy spray of water. Fireballs flew from what remained or Fireball’s horn to keep the harpies at bay.

“When are the Pegasi supposed to come in and support us?” Fireball asked.

“When the moon rises,” Chief answered. “It should be peaking over the mountains any minute.”

The orange flames drowned out any other light. However, as Chief said, Danny could make out the first orange fragment of the moon appear through the smoke and flames. The Pegasi would be there in a couple minutes.



Wind Whistler led the Pegasi towards the fire. Every adult Pegasus in Dream Valley at the moment followed her. The moon was in its last quarter. However, it provided just enough light for Wind Whistler to make out of the harpies.

“Stay here, I will try to solve this peacefully,” Wind Whistler said.

The others stopped and hovered. Wind Whistler and Heartthrob flew towards them. As they approached and could make out distinguishing features on the harpies, Heartthrob pointed to one with long, red hair. “That’s the leader, Talia.”

Wind Whistler stopped and hovered. It might have been a vain hope that the harpies will be reasonable, especially after what they did to them. However, it was worth a try.

“Talia, I want to speak to you,” Wind Whistler said.

Talia flew towards them. “You,” she said with a snarl to her voice. “You were one of the ponies that barged into our cave and destroyed my brood.”

“You kidnapped four of our friends,” Wind Whistler replied. “You also ransacked and burned the fields of the village to the south. We could not permit you to raise your brood in our valley.”

Talia sneered. “You would not permit me? Who do you think you are?”

“We are the Little Ponies,” Wind Whistler said. “We protect this valley and all who live in it from those who would come to inflict harm. Leave our valley. We will permit you and your flock to exit peacefully if you do so now.”

“Again you use the word permit,” Talia said sharply. “You don’t seem to understand I don’t need you permission. We’ll destroy your precious valley as punishment for opposing us.”

She launched herself at Wind Whistler. She raised her talon and spread their sharp claws. Heartthrob rammed her in the side, throwing her off her attack.

Wind Whistler turned back to the group. “I’m afraid we will have to fight our way through this one. Remember. Gang up on them as much as possible. They might be bigger, but we’re more numerous.”

The others flew towards the harpies who flew higher. Paradise slammed her hooves into the back of a harpy, knocking her down several feet before she could recover. Skirmishes quickly formed as the Pegasi paired off and engaged the nearest harpy.

As Wind Whistler had instructed, they ganged up on the harpies. The harpies could not concentrate on one Pegasus without being blindsided by another. One of them grabbed Kerchief, but Surprise kicked her in the back to force her to let go followed by Storm Rider slamming his hooves into her stomach.

Also, hopefully unbeknownst to the harpies, they were herding them towards the mountain pass Megan and the others would be passing through. Their pattern of attack might have seemed random, but it had a subtle component to it. Slowly, but surely, the fighting was making its way closer to the pass.

Wind Whistler concentrated on Talia with Heartthrob. They hit and ran and never came at the same angles. Talia tried to go for Wind Whistler only to get kicked in the side by Heartthrob. She then swiped at Heartthrob, but Wind Whistler stomped on her back.

The battle made it to the pass. The Pegasi broke from their skirmishes and formed into a large group. Now they had to herd the harpies deep into the pass and wait for Megan and the others to arrive.

They moved in a cluster. The harpies backed up into the pass, apparently not sure how to deal with the concentrated formation.

“Hopefully Megan and the others are coming,” Paradise said.

Wind Whistler strained to look down the pass. She hoped they had not herded the harpies into the pass too soon. The longer they had to wait, the more chance the harpies would catch on.

A burst of color suddenly flew in from behind the harpies. The Rainbow of Light raced right through the group of harpies and curved upward in front of Wind Whistler and the others. That was the signal the others had arrived.

“Now we close the box,” Wind Whistler said. “Break and attack!”

She flew at the harpies with the others forming up around her. With mountains on either side and their friends coming from the other direction, they had the harpies trapped. Wind Whistler flew over Talia and kicked her in the shoulder. Firefly and Brochure flew in from the other direction and engaged another harpy.

The harpies tried to swipe and snag at any pony that came within talon’s reach. However, they only grabbed air. The ponies were able to fly rings around them and land blows at practically their leisure. The Rainbow of Light also smacked them back to keep them off balance.

Wind Whistler picked out Talia flying out of the skirmish. She flew after her. “You are outflanked and outnumbered. I again offer you the chance to leave Dream Valley peacefully.”

Talia curled her lip. “Never.”

“Why do you do this?” Wind Whistler asked. “Why do you steal from others and terrorize them?”

“Why?” Talia burst out laughing. “I like the feeling of having power over others. We rob people so we can watch them lament over their loss and know we caused it. I take joy in seeing people scurry for cover when we fly overhead. It makes me feel good. That’s why we do what we do?”

Wind Whistler was speechless. She honestly had nothing to say to this.

Talia frowned at Wind Whistler. “I thought I wouldn’t get much entertainment out of you your kind at first. You don’t look like you have much to steal or destroy and we were here to hatch my brood. We also thought you were no threat, until we realized some of you could fly. Even then, we were willing to leave you alone if you stayed out of our business. Not only did you snoop around, but you destroyed my brood and set back the next generation of my flock. I’ve never been so wronged.” She became angrier as she spoke until she was practically snarling.

“You mean no one has been able to take power over you,” Wind Whistler replied coldly. “It does not feel good, does it?”

Talia bared her teeth in a grimace. “Actually, I think we will leave you…for now. You won’t give me any satisfaction, so I see no point in staying.”

She turned to the fighting. “Get my mate.” She then turned to Wind Whistler again and glared at her. “We’re leaving this wretched valley and its uncooperative residents.”

Two harpies broke from the fighting and flew towards their mountain. North Star followed them with the Rainbow of Light tailing after her. The other harpies disengaged and flew in the only direction open to them: up.

Talia harpy flew away from Wind Whistler. She was joined by the others in their climb out of the pass.

“You’re not getting away that easily!” Wind Whistler heard Firefly shout.

She looked back to see Firefly fly past her towards the harpies.

“Don’t, Firefly!” Medley shouted after her.

Firefly flew straight at Talia. Just as she reached her, Talia swung around and backhanded her in the face. The blow threw Firefly back and plummeted towards the ground.

“Hurricane, with me!” Wind Whistler shouted.

The two flew towards Firefly. She seemed stunned as she did not open her wings to try and stop her fall. They got under her and held their hooves together. She landed on their hooves stomach down and they cradled her.

Wind Whistler looked up at Talia. It was hard to tell in the darkness, but she was looking down at them.

“As I said, we’ll take out leave for now,” Talia said. “However, we will remember what happened here tonight.”

She turned away and flew after the others. The two who were sent for the male flew after the group holding him by the arms. They quickly disappeared into the night sky.

North Star flew into the group. The Rainbow of Light flew into its locket around Megan’s neck.

“What happened?” Megan asked.

“We were not entertaining enough for them,” Wind Whistler answered.

Firefly picked up her head and held her hoof to the side of her head as she shook it out. “I feel like I just got hit by a buffalo?” she groaned.

“We’ll have Chief check you out,” Wind Whistler said. She and Hurricane carried Firefly down to the ground.



Wind Whistler sat on the wall of Dream Castle to partake in her morning ritual of watching the sunrise and mull over everything from the previous night. The news had been good after the battle. Chief said Firefly did not have a concussion or serious injury, though he watched over her for the night to make sure. The others also escaped the battle with minor bumps and scrapes as well. The valley had also been spared as they caught the fire before it could spread too far and the water in the truck was enough to put it out.

However, the damage had been done. In the predawn twilight, Wind Whistler could make out the cluster of trees that had been burned. They sat there like charred skeletons, an area of black amongst the green. They would be like that for years before everything recovered.

“Can I join you?” Magic Star walked out onto the wall.

“Of course,” Wind Whistler replied.

Magic Star sat down next to her. “I heard everyone’s okay.”

“Psychically at least.” Wind Whistler turned to Magic Star. “However, I do not know about psychologically.”

“What do you mean?” Magic Star asked.

“During the battle, the lead harpy, Talia, told me they do what they do because it makes her feel good,” Wind Whistler said. “She enjoys inflicting misery on people. She is like nothing we have ever faced before, a true sadist. I honestly feel soiled having met her.”

Magic Star shuddered. “That’s chilling.”

“The worst part is we didn’t really accomplish anything,” Wind Whistler said. “We might have destroyed their brood, but they can always lay another. There is also little we can do to help the people of Foxglove as they try to recover.”

She looked up at the sky. “They are out there somewhere, looking for someone to terrorize. Knowing that, the skies seem less friendly.”

I'll have to think of a completely new story. I've been thinking of bringing in some G1 villains and working with them a bit.

More!!!!

And here is the...rather zany end to Shady the Lionhearted. Beezan has the Scepter of Aratohk, and the ponies have to stop him from using it for his dark plans. Also, a little mystery is added regarding possible events in the future. Enjoy and comment.

Shady the Lionhearted Part 2

Magic Star stared at Beezan. She was unsure what would happen next. The scepter in his hand was unfamiliar, but if it was here it had to be important.

She felt the others growing tense. She could feel the tension building inside her as well. Beezan could not be allowed to escape with the scepter. However, she was held back by the question of how to go about that. What was Beezan capable of, and how could they counter it?

Beezan examined the scepter, apparently ignoring them. A wide grin formed on his face. “The Scepter of Aratohk, I’ve heard so much about you and searched far and wide for you. Who would have thought you’d be in the vault of some talking ponies? Well, you’re finally mine.” He chuckled.

He turned to Magic Star and the others. “And, now I will take my leave.”

Magic Star was shocked. She felt like the proverbial chair has been pulled out from under her. She expected a threat or attack or something aggressive. He was just going to leave?

“What?” Wind Whistler asked Magic Star’s question for her.

“I have what I want,” Beezan said. “I have no need for you, your castle, or even your valley, so I bid you farewell.”

He took reached for something in his cloak. Magic Star immediately screwed her eyes shut and turned her head away knowing what happened Medley and the others. She felt a rush of wind pass over her as Beezan ran past them. She opened her eyes just in time to see the last part of his cloak disappear from the doorway.

“Don’t let him get away!” Magic Star ran after him as fast as her hooves could carry her.

She ran up the stairs to the hall and up the next flight of stairs leading to ground level. She could near the clatter of hooves behind her as the others followed. However, there was no sign of Beezan as they ran up the stairs.

She finally saw him leaving through the door to the outside. She did not let the door swing close before she could barrel through it.

Beezan ran towards the main gate. Chief was in his path, checking over Medley and the others. He took a defensive stance as Beezan came near, but Beezan jumped over him and practically flew onto the wall and then jumped again out of the castle.

Magic Star did not miss a stride running out the main gate and was well outside before coming to a stop. Her heart pounded and her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath. She looked around for any sign of Beezan, but there was nothing.

Sand Dollar, Sea Mist, and White Cap breached in the lake. “Shoo-be-doo, shoo, shoo-be-doo,” they sang.

“Did you see a strange old man just now?” Magic Star asked.

“He ran off somewhere,” White Cap said.

“Did you see where?” Magic Star asked.

The three looked each other and then back to Magic Star and shrugged helplessly.

Magic Star sighed. They had lost him again. What was worse was he got away with the Scepter of Aratohk for whatever reason he wanted it.

Wind Whistler landed next to her. “Did he blind you?” Wind Whistler asked.

Magic Star shook her head. “I turned away and closed my eyes. I don’t even know if he used anything.”

“I took the same action to protect my sight as did the others,” Wind Whistler said.

“He got away,” Magic Star said, still breathing heavily. “I’m surprised at how fast and agile he is. It must be part of his magic.”

“I guess if he could give life to the lifeless he can make the living more lively,” Wind Whistler replied. “Now what?”

Magic Star frowned sharply. “Now we deal with Shady.”

She marched back towards Dream Castle. She did not care if Shady was half-blind at the moment. She had crossed the line, and now she had to face consequences. Magic Star walked across the drawbridge into the courtyard.



Chief moved his hoof from side to side in front of Medley. Medley’s eyes followed his hoof. “How much can you see?”

“I can see colors and make out larger shapes,” Medley answered.

“Your sight should return to normal soon,” Chief said.

He heard the heavy clacking of hooves behind him. He looked back to see Magic Star walking towards them with Wind Whistler behind her. Magic Star’s held head low, but her brow was furrowed and she frowned to point of scowling. He gulped dryly and hoped it was nothing he had done.

“Shady, you have no idea how much trouble you’re in,” Magic Star said harshly. “You disobeyed me not just once but twice. Beezan stole one of our artifacts and it’s all your fault. We’re lucky you and Medley and Powder were only temporarily blinded. He knows what he could have done in our castle, our home?”

“It’s not my fault Powder and Medley couldn’t handle him,” Shady said. “I was in complete control until they interfered.”

“He played you!” Magic Star practically shouted. “He let you catch him. He probably picked you because he thought he could easily goad you into bringing him here instead of the lake like I had specifically ordered.”

She pointed at Shady. Her lips curled to reveal her tightly grit teeth and her brow was practically on the bridge of her snout. “You’re a menace like this. You take unnecessary risks and seem oblivious to the danger you’re playing with. I can’t have someone like that in the field. You’re confined to Dream Castle until the wish is expended.”

“You can’t do that to me!” Shady said.

“I just did,” Magic Star said with a growl to her voice. “I’m the leader, and my job is to look after the wellbeing of the Little Ponies. I can’t have a loose cannon endangering us, our friends, and our home.”

Hurricane and Firefly landed in the courtyard.

“You two have perfect timing,” Magic Star said to them. “You just became Shady’s keepers. She’s not allowed out of Dream Castle for the next four days.”

The two looked to Magic Stand, then to Shady, and then to Magic Star again. They nodded and boxed Shady in.

Magic Star turned to Wind Whistler. “Go find Paradise and talk to the Moochick. I want to know exactly what the Scepter of Aratohk is and why Beezan would want it.”

Wind Whistler nodded and took off.

Chief practically jumped when Magic Star said “Chief” with sharpness to her voice.

“Yes?” he replied quickly.

“How is their sight?” Magic Star asked more calmly.

“They can see again, but their vision is very blurry,” Chief answered. “They should be fine within an hour.”

“Good.” Magic Star said.

She walked towards the main building. Chief heaved a sigh of relief. He was glad he was not Shady at the moment.



Wind Whistler flew over Dream Valley looking for Paradise. Everyone had scattered through Dream Valley looking for Beezan, and Wind Whistler was not sure where Paradise had gone. She just had to fly overhead and keep an eye on the ground and the other on the skies.

She eventually saw a white Pegasus with orange hair and a white Pegasus with light green hair. Wind Whistler glided down to the ground and landed in front of Paradise and Surprise.

“Hello, Wind Whistler?” Paradise said. “Have you had any luck finding Shady or Beezan?”

“More than I wanted to,” Wind Whistler said. “Beezan let Shady capture him, so she would take him to Dream Castle. He stole the Scepter of Aratohk.”

“The Scepter of Aratohk?” Paradise repeated.

“Do you know anything about it?” Wind Whistler asked.

Paradise rubbed her front leg on her chin as she pondered. “I know Aratohk was a king many centuries ago. Other than that, we don’t have much information about him and any relics related to him. I’m surprised something of his made it into collection.”

“Perhaps the Moochick knows about him,” Wind Whistler said. “Magic Star wants us to talk to him.”

“Then let’s go.” Paradise flew into the air. Wind Whistler followed her towards the Mushromp.

They were not far from the Marshromp. Within a within a few minutes they flew over the tall mushrooms making up its border. They glided down the Moochick’s front door.

Wind Whistler knocked on the door. “I hope the Moochick will not take offense to us imposing on him two days in a row.”

The door opened and the Moochick stepped out. “You’re here again?”

“I am sorry, Mr. Moochick,” Wind Whistler said. “However, we might be in serious trouble.”

“Well come on in.” The Moochick walked back into his house. He seemed to not be too irritated. “What’s wrong this time? Shady? Beezan?”

“Both,” Wind Whistler said, following the Moochick into the living room with Paradise. “Shady went out to capture Beezan, but he used her to enter Dream Castle and steal the Scepter of Aratohk.”

“The Scepter of Aratohk?” a familiar, raspy voice said from the kitchen.

Niblik appeared in the doorway to the kitchen.

“Niblik? What are you doing here?” Wind Whistler asked.

“He’s looking at some items I have lying around.” The Moochick sat down in an easy chair. “He’s leaving the valley after today.”

“Never mind that.” Niblik walked into the room. “Did you say the Scepter of Aratohk.”

“Yes,” Paradise said. “Do you know of it?”

“It’s one of the most sought after treasures out there,” Niblik said. “Trolls the world over have been searching for it for centuries. You had it all this time?”

“We have many artifacts that have been collected over the centuries,” Paradise said. “However, we don’t know much about Aratohk. Do you know anything about him, and why Beezan would want his scepter?”

“Aratohk was a Trollan king who lived sixteen hundred years ago,” Niblik said. “His scepter is not only known for its value, but also its powers. If what I’ve heard is to be believed, he used it to command his army of golems.”

“Golems?” Wind Whistler asked. “Are they clay robots like other golem legends?”

“They are indeed,” the Moochick said. “Supposedly, he had one thousand giant clay statues he could bring to life and control.”

“I would think there would be more written about him and this fantastical army if they existed,” Paradise said.

“He never got to use them,” Niblik said. “They say shortly after the army was completed, Aratohk met with an untimely end. His scepter then vanished from the face of the earth and his army remained dormant wherever he hid it. Very few trolls and even fewer outsiders know about its existence.”

“That explains why he’d want the scepter,” Paradise said. “An army of a thousand golems would be more powerful that gingerbread cookies.”

“I thought you said he was a thief,” Wind Whistler said to the Moochick. “Why would he want an army?”

“While Beezan is mostly known for stealing, many believe he has greater plans,” the Moochick said.

“An army of a thousand giant, clay robots would definitely be of use in such plans,” Wind Whistler thought out loud.

“Do you know where this army is hidden?” Paradise asked Niblik.

Niblik shrugged. “I don’t know. However, Aratohk’s kingdom was somewhere in what’s now the Jewel Desert.”

“We should get this information back to the others,” Wind Whistler said. “Thank you, Mr. Moochick, Niblik.”

“I heard you say the pony I gave the coin is responsible for Beezan getting the scepter,” Niblik said before they could turn to leave. “I take it she’s having trouble with her wish.”

Wind Whistler sighed. “Having courage has made her arrogant and reckless. Magic Star confined her to the castle until the wish is expended because she is a danger to us all like this.”

“I’m sorry for giving her the coin,” Niblik said. “If I had known it would’ve caused this much trouble…”

“Do not blame yourself,” Wind Whistler said to cut off his apology. “Shady was the one who wanted it. Now she must deal with the consequences.”

She turned to Paradise. “Beezan already has a head start. Considering he knew we had the scepter, he might also know the army’s precise location. We need to start searching for him and that army immediately.”

The two galloped out of the house and took to the air.



“How’s your sight?” Magic Star asked Medley and Powder.

“I can see clearly again,” Medley replied. “It’s like I was never blinded.”

“Same here,” Powder added.

Magic Star nodded. “That’s the first good news I’ve had today.”

Wind Whistler and Paradise landed in the courtyard.

“What did you find out?” Magic asked them.

“We are in dire trouble,” Wind Whistler answered.

“What else is new?” Magic Star asked rhetorically. So much for making a streak out of good news.

“That scepter Beezan stole is believed to control an army of golems,” Paradise said. “He’s probably looking for them right now.”

“We have to interdict him before he can use the scepter to bring them to life and use them to wreak havoc,” Wind Whistler completed Paradise’s thought.

Magic Star gulped dryly. “You don’t think he’ll attack Ponyland with them, do you?”

Wind Whistler shook her head. “I doubt it. He said he had no use for us. He will probably use them against more populated areas to the south and southwest.”

“We have to stop him,” Magic Star said. “The scepter was in our possession, and we let him take it. Whatever damage he causes will be on us.”

“I already have a plan to deal with the army,” Wind Whistler said. “I am going to need the assistance of Fizzy, Thundercloud, and Ice Crystal as well as three or four additional volunteers.”

“I’ll go with you,” Paradise said. “But, what do you think eight ponies can do against a thousand golems?”

“You will see what I have planned when we find them,” Wind Whistler said.

“I’m ready to go!” Shady shouted.

“You’re confined, remember?” Magic Star shouted back.

Shady scowled at her and then at Firefly and Hurricane.

“Where will you start looking?” Magic Star asked Wind Whistler.

“Niblik said Aratohk was a Trollan king and his kingdom was somewhere in what’s now the Jewel Desert,” Paradise answered instead. “It seems like as good a place as any to start looking.”

“Then assemble your team and head for the Jewel Desert,” Magic Star replied. “Good luck to you all.”

“Thank you.” Wind Whistler took off and Paradise followed.

Magic Star could not help but shudder at the thought of a thousand giant clay robots. She did not know what Wind Whistler had planned to defeat them with just eight ponies, but she had learned to trust her wisdom and judgment. It had gotten them out of a lot of tough scrapes. Hopefully, Wind Whistler was going to pull another proverbial rabbit out of her equally proverbial hat.



Wind Whistler and Paradise quickly found Fizzy, Thundercloud, and Ice Crystal. Compass, Free-Throw, and Cherries Jubilee also volunteered. They all head out through one of the western passes into the scrubland plains beyond Dream Valley. These quickly gave way to desert and by midday they were well inside the Jewel Desert.

Wind Whistler landed next to a large, pale tan boulder sticking out of the gravelly soil. It seemed like as a good marker as any to get her bearings and a place to stop and collect her thoughts. The others joined her.

“Well, we’re in the desert,” Free-Throw said.

“Yes, but the Jewel Desert is huge,” Paradise said. “We could search this place for days and not find any sign of Beezan or the golems.”

Wind Whistler stopped and thought. To say the surrounding area was bleak was an understatement. Like much of the Jewel Desert, it was a plain of parched, pale tan clay and gravel interrupted by the occasional mesa. Isolated crystal cacti and Joshua trees were also growing here and there. There were no ruins in sight, but they were out there, scattered around the wasteland. One of the ruins might have been Aratohk’s kingdom, but there was no telling which one without searching.

“Which should we look for first?” Fizzy asked. “Beezan or the golems?”

“I say the golems,” Thundercloud said. “They’re larger, currently stationary, and Beezan is heading for them. If we find the golems, Beezan will come to us.”

“That still leaves of the question of where the golems are,” Compass said. “As Paradise said, we could search for days. Beezan could find them, activate them, and leave without us even knowing.”

An idea then came to her when she thought of how a thousand giant statues could be hidden in the desert. “We might not have to comb the entire desert with great detail. If I was going to hide a large number of giant statues where I could easily access them, I would place them in a cavern or a gorge where they would be hidden from sight and protected from the elements. We simply need to find such formations and investigate them.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Thundercloud said.

“Something tells me we Pegasi will be the ones investigating these formations,” Compass said.

“That something tells you the truth,” Wind Whistler said. “Everyone else can remain here at this rock and wait for news. It is a good landmark as we search.”

“I still want to know how you think eight ponies can defeat a thousand golems,” Ice Crystal said.

“Hopefully, we can find Beezan or the golems before he can reach them and activate them. At which point we can relieve Beezan of the scepter and end the threat right then and there,” Wind Whistler said. “However, in the event Beezan reaches the golems and activates them before we can stop him, we will take advantage of the golems’ composition using your Unicorn magic.”

“I think I know what you have planned,” Thundercloud said. “You want me to make a rainstorm to soak them, and then Fizzy and Ice Crystal can bust them apart by making bubbles and freezing the water in cracks in their bodies.”

“That is exactly what I have planned,” Wind Whistler replied. “No matter how strong they are, they cannot overcome the fact they are composed of clay.”

“I don’t know if we could destroy a thousand that quickly though,” Fizzy said.

“Hopefully, you will not have to,” Wind Whistler said. “It is the scepter that is crucial to Beezan’s plans. Without it, the golems are useless to him.”

“So, destroying the golems is only meant as a diversion,” Ice Crystal said.

Wind Whistler nodded. “Then Paradise, Compass, and I will take the scepter from Beezan while is distracted.”

“I have another problem with this plan,” Thundercloud said. “There’s not enough moisture in the air to form a rainstorm.”

“That is an obstacle will have to overcome at a later juncture when we ascertain and the precise location and status of the golems. Admittedly, this plan relies on serendipity more than I am comfortable with, but given the circumstances, our options are limited,” Wind Whistler replied.

“Beggers can’t be choosers as the saying goes,” Paradise said.

“Who knows, the golems might be near a body of water,” Fizzy said cheerfully. “We have to think positive.”

“Better yet, let’s find those golems before Beezan does. That’ll make our job a whole lot easier.” Compass took to the air. “We’ve got a lot of desert to cover, so let’s get going.”

Wind Whistler took off.

“We should split up to cover more ground,” she said. “Return to the rock if you find anything. Otherwise, we will meet back here in an hour.”

Paradise and Compass nodded.

They flew off in different directions.



Hurricane carefully aimed at the metal post. He closed one eye and placed the other so it followed his hind leg. He stretched his leg and brought it back as it was not what he was looking for. He stretched again, but that was not right.

“Are you going to throw it or just stand there doing leg stretches?” Firefly asked.

“Horseshoes is a game of precision,” Hurricane replied.

“Then why do they say close is only good in horseshoes and hand grenades?” Firefly asked.

“Because close might be good…” Hurricane stretched and was pleased with how everything lined up. He kicked the shoe off his hoof towards the post. It struck the post squarely with a clunk and dropped into the small sandpit around it.

“…but precise is better.” Hurricane stepped aside. “Your turn.”

Firefly grumbled something intelligible under her breath as she walked up to the line. She placed her hoof on a horseshoe. It stuck to her hoof and she started to take aim.

“Don’t you think it’s a little weird we play horseshoes?” Firefly asked. “We’re throwing our footwear when you think about it.”

“I thought of throwing Megan’s riding boots and Danny’s sneakers once, but I don’t think it would work as well,” Hurricane replied.

“How’s our charge?”

Hurricane looked over to Shady. She was sitting in a corner of the courtyard looking at them with a contemptuous scowl. “She’s brooding like she has been for the last hour.”

Hurricane sighed and rubbed his hoof against the side of his head as he thought of how long they would be looking after her. “We have to watch her for the next four days. I don’t know if I can take it.”

“Tell me about it,” Firefly said. “Wind Whistler and the others get to go off and fight an army of golems and I’m stuck here watching Shady. Why did Magic Star pick us?”

“Because we had the misfortune of coming in when she was mad,” Hurricane said.

Firefly kicked her shoe at the post. Her shoe hit the post, but it spun around it and landed behind it. Firefly smacked her hoof on her forehead.

“I believe that makes me the winner this round,” Hurricane said.

He turned to Shady still brooding. “Do you wanna play?”

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll mess things up?” Shady asked.

“It’s a harmless game,” Hurricane replied. “You can’t sit there and be angry for the next four days.”

Shady stood up and walked over to them. “Fine.”

She stopped and looked at the half dozen horseshoes on the ground. Then, out of nowhere, she bucked Hurricane squarely in the snout. He coiled back and grabbed his snout with his front hooves as a dull ache spread over it. He looked up to see Shady galloping towards the main gate.

“Wait, stop.” Firefly ran after her and Hurricane followed.

Shady ran out of Dream Castle and across the drawbridge. Firefly and Hurricane came out just in time to see her leap over the stream back onto its western bank beside the castle. Hurricane knew she was headed for the Jewel Desert.

He and Firefly took to the air and flew over the stream. They quickly caught up to Shady galloping across the fields towards the western passes.

Firefly flew down so she was just over the ground and next to Shady. Hurricane came up beside her on the opposite side.

“Stop this, Shady. You’re not supposed to leave Dream Castle,” Firefly said. She then looked to something not there. “I don’t believe it. I’m starting to sound like Medley.”

“Try and stop me,” Shady huffed back.

“Beezan already tricked you once. Do you want him to humiliate you again?” Hurricane asked.

“I told you. That was Medley and Powder’s fault,” Shady answered. “I’ll get him for sure this time.” She smirked. “Besides, you two said you wanted to be where the action is. Let’s go stop Beezan.”

“That’s not our job,” Firefly said. “I might be reckless, but I’m not stupid or insubordinate. Magic Star said you’ve been confined and we’re supposed to be watching over you.”

“Then take your best shot.” Shady started running faster to try to get past them.

Hurricane and Firefly flew head of her. They were coming to a tall bluff with a section that had collapsed. They flew up to the collapsed section and hovered over it with Firefly above Hurricane.

Shady ran towards them, showing no signs of slowing down. Just as she reached them, she leapt into the air. She kept going up and up. Hurricane almost though she had wings as she flew over them and then came back down behind them. They watched as she landed on the incline and galloped up it and away.

Hurricane hovered there and stared with his mouth hanging open. “Wow. That mare can jump.”

“Shady has been very good at jumping,” Firefly said. “However, she’s never had the confidence to use her talents.”

Hurricane scowled. “You do realize she’s getting away while we’re hovering here.”

“Oh…right,” Firefly said. They flew after Shady who was well ahead of them and approaching a wide pass leading out of Dream Valley.



Fizzy plunged her horn into the crystal cactus. The bizarre crystal plants were softer than you would think looking at them. Her horn went deep into its flesh and when she pulled it out a stream of water poured out from the hole she made. She let it run into her parched mouth to quench her thirst.

“I wonder if they’ve found anything,” Cherries Jubilee said. She took her turn at the water.

“We’re about to find out.” Thundercloud pointed up to three specks in the clear blue sky.

The three specks approached them. Fizzy could see they were Wind Whistler and the others spiraling down towards the ground. The three landed and looked longingly at the water pouring out of the cactus.

The others moved aside to let them have a drink. An hour of flying in this dry air had to make them absolutely parched. The three drank down a generous amount of water.

“Did you find anything?” Thundercloud asked.

Paradise shook her head. “I found some caves and gorges, but they were empty.”

“I had similar findings,” Wind Whistler said.

“I found something interesting,” Compass said. “I’m not sure if they’re the golems, but it’s something worth checking out.”

“Where did you find it?” Wind Whistler asked.

“It’s southwest of here.” Compass pointed in that direction.



Compass was right, this was very interesting. In the middle of a sandy plain were several round rocks scattered about. When they landed, Wind Whistler could better gauge their size at about half that of a pony.

“Fascinating, this is perhaps one of the better eroded regions of the desert, and yet these stones are everywhere,” she said. “They seem almost out of place.”

Paradise jumped on top of one. “I don’t see how they could be golems, though.”

The rock she was standing on suddenly began to quiver. She jumped off it and backed up several steps.

The rock changed color from gray to black and gained small, feathery wings. A long neck appeared out of nowhere leading to a head that pulled itself out of the sand. It lifted onto two tall legs to complete its transformation into an ostrich-like creature.

“Watch where you plant those clodhoppers,” the bird grumbled.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were alive,” Paradise said.

“That’s the point of our disguise,” the bird said.

“It is very convincing,” Wind Whistler said. “Who are you?”

“I’m Fleet Foot, leader of this band of skree,” Fleet Foot said. “Who are you?”

“I am Wind Whistler. My friends and I are ponies,” Wind Whistler replied. “Did you say band?”

Fleet-Foot turned to the other rocks. “Everyone wake up and meet our guests.”

All the rocks transformed into skree like Fleet-Foot.

“Hi, everybody,” Free-Throw said. “How’s it going?”

“Is this where you live?” Cherries Jubilee asked.

“For the time being,” Fleet Foot answered. “We’re nomads, wandering the desert in search of food and water during the night and sleep during the day.”

“We are sorry for disturbing you.” A thought then occurred to Wind Whistler. “Your knowledge of this region is likely much greater than ours. In your travels, have you ever come across a large collection of giant statues?”

Fleet Foot dropped his head so he could rub his chick and pondered. “Now that you mention it, I one time came across a mesa that had been split in half. In the gap between them were these giant statues standing in columns and facing forward. They looked almost like an army about to march.”

Wind Whistler felt her heart leap. “Really? Where?”

Fleet Foot pointed north. Wind Whistler could just make out a mesa on the horizon. “That’s where I saw them. They’re deep inside it and the gap curves. You’d be hard pressed to know they were there just looking from the outside.” He looked to them. “What do want with those statues?”

“It’s a long story we really don’t have time to tell,” Paradise said. “Thank you for your assistance.”

“Don’t mention it,” Fleet Foot said. “Just watch where you step from now on.”

“We will,” Wind Whistler replied.

Fleet Foot shoved his head back into sand and laid down. His body transformed back into the appearance of a large rock. The others followed suit and it looked like the field of rocks they had found originally.

“Will wonders never cease?” Wind Whistler said. “I wonder how they accomplish this feat of camouflage.”

“We can indulge in exobiology later.” Paradise coaxed her away. “We need to stop Beezan from activating those golems.”



Beezan strolled through the wide gap between the two halves of the mesa. He held up the scepter and examined it again. It was an impressive piece of craftsmanship and the rube cut into a dodecahedron was massive. It must have been an impressive and fearsome sight when Aratohk wielded it all those centuries ago.

However, it was not what he could see with his eyes that Beezan desired most from it. He could feel its powers radiating from it. It was the ultimate medium through which to give the inanimate life.

“I’ve lived as a thief,” he said to the scepter. “However, that was only to search for something that would let me pursue my true goals of being a conqueror. I have discovered the secret to life itself, and while I’ve made sacrifices to practice this forbidden art, I always knew I’d find a way to rule with it.”

He walked around a bend in the gap and stopped. Before him were massive, remotely human-shaped statues made of clay. They stood at least 20 feet tall and were bulky in their shape. Their bodies were smooth aside from the tiny pocks and cracks from what weathering they had experienced why dormant. Beezan figured the statues were meant to look like ancient Trollan warriors with battle armor carved on their bodies and sectioned headgear carved onto the top of their heads.

Beezan grinned at the sight. He jumped onto a ledge over looking them. He counted twenty columns each with fifty statues. It was the golems of Aratohk. They were finally his.

He wheezed into a laugh. After all these years and all the searching, he had the power he always desired. With them at his command he could conquer any civilization he wanted. More importantly he would be in a better position when He arrives.

Beezan walked to where the ledge widened. He figured this would have been where Aratohk would have used his scepter to bring them to life if he had gotten the chance.

He held up the scepter and sent his magic into it. The ruby started to glow. It glowed more brightly until beams of red light shot from it. The beam washed the statues in red light.

Beezan saw them start to move. The first movements were small, wiggling fingers and toes. However, they soon moved their limbs and twisted their bodies and necks. He stopped his magic and watched the golems become mobile. His army was alive.

He suddenly heard what sounded like galloping echoing off the walls. They were coming from the same direction he came from. He looked down the gorge and saw eight of the ponies from that valley come around the bend.



Wind Whistler slid to stop as she rounded the bend. Everyone else ran into her and those in front of them as they came to a stop. Before them were giant statues arranged in twenty columns and they were moving.

“So much for stopping Beezan from activating them,” Compass said.

“There’s no water nearby to form a rainstorm with either,” Thundercloud said.

Beezan looked down at them. “You again?” he shouted. “I told you I had no need of you. Why can’t you leave well enough alone?”

“We cannot allow you to use these golems or that scepter to harm others,” Wind Whistler said.

Beezan frowned. “You honestly think you can stop me? I’m now the most powerful sorcerer in the world. No one can stop me.”

He summoned a wooden sedan the golems in the center grabbed the poles of and held up. He jumped onto it and sat down.

“However, if you’re so desperate to die, I’ll gladly oblige.” He pointed the scepter forward. “Pulverize them into oblivion!”

The golems lifted their arms and slowly marched towards them.

“Now what?” Paradise asked.

“We run away,” Ice Crystal said.

“Are you kidding?” Cherries Jubilee asked rhetorically. “We’re ponies. We don’t run away. We run away SCREAMING!”

She ran back the way they came screaming at the top of her lungs and everyone followed. They ran through the twisting gorge. The low, periodic thuds of their massive pursues pounded in their ears and made the ground under their hooves quake. They eventually escaped into the open, but the golems were still coming.

Wind Whistler took to the air.

Paradise flew up next to her. “Now I remember why I don’t go on field missions that often.”

“Too late to think of that now,” Wind Whistler replied.

“Remember how you said we’d deal with the lack of moisture at a later juncture?” Thundercloud said. “Well, I think we’ve reached that juncture.”

“Can’t we break open a bunch of crystal cacti?” Fizzy asked.

“I’ll need a lake’s worth of water to make a rainstorm big enough to drench them,” Thundercloud said.

“Where are we going to find a lake in the middle of the desert?” Cherries Jubilee asked.

“Perhaps we should consult someone with more familiarity with the region,” Wind Whistler suggested.



Fleet Foot heard the sound of something approaching. There were several of them and seemed to be running straight at him and his band. However, they would only see a field of stones, so he paid them no mind.

Just as whatever they were reached him, they stopped. He then heard Wind Whistler say frantically, “Fleet Foot.”

Fleet Foot pulled his head out of the sand and stood up. The eight ponies from earlier were standing in front of him. They panted and gulped for air and a couple of them looked warily in the direction he had pointed them towards earlier.

“Back so soon?” he asked. “Did you find your statues?”

“Did we ever,” the orange Earth Pony stallion said between huffs for air. “Now we need to find a lake. Do you know where we can find one close by?”

“A lake?” Fleet Foot coughed a laugh. “You’re in the Jewel Desert. The only water to be found around here is under ground.”

“Which is useless to me,” the blue Unicorn stallion said.

“Of all the things we need, we’re in the environment that lacks it the most,” Wind Whistler said.

“Why would you need a lake any…” Fleet Foot was interrupted by growing trembling to the ground. “What’s going on?”

“Remember the statues?” The pale green Unicorn stallion pointed the way they came. “That’s them.”

Fleet Foot looked north. A huge dust cloud was coming towards them. Through the dust, he could just make out the silhouettes of human-like figures. However, judging by the distance, they had to be at least 20 feet tall.

“They’re alive?” Fleet Foot shouted.

“Yes, and they’re after us,” the white Pegasus mare said. “That’s why we need to find open water.”

“CRUSH! KILL! DESTROY!” someone shouted from the dust cloud.

“We could lure him to the coast,” the peach Earth Pony mare said. “It’d take us until nightfall, but we’d have all the water and moisture we could ask for.”

“Any objections?” Wind Whistler asked.

The others were silent.

“Then let us go.” Wind Whistler flew towards the east and the others galloped and flew away after her.

Fleet Foot watched the dust cloud draw nearer. He could feel the sand shift under his feet from the quaking. The others came out of their camouflage to see.

“What’s that?” Toe Scratch asked.

“It’s big trouble,” Fleet Foot said.

Everyone stuck their heads in the sand and returned to their camouflage forms.

“No!” Fleet Foot yelled at them. “I mean run away type of trouble.”

Everyone pulled their heads out. “Where?” Toe Scratch asked.

Fleet Foot pointed southwest. “That way.”

“How you do know they’re not headed that way?” Toe Scratch asked.

“Because what they’re after isn’t headed that way,” Fleet Foot answered.

He ran off to the southwest with the others following. He silently wished the ponies luck. They were going to need it.



Wind Whistler looked back. The dust cloud was clearly following them. She looked ahead and tried to get just a little more thrust out of her wings which were already burning.

“On second thought, this might not be such a hot idea?” Cherries Jubilee huffed. “We’ll never make it to the coast before they overtake us.”

“Then what should we do?” Free-Throw asked.

“We devise another means to retrieve the scepter without Beezan being able to stop us,” Wind Whistler replied.

“Why don’t we just fly right at him right now take it?” Compass asked.

“Do you want to try to reach him through all those golems?” Paradise asked. “He’s also got other tricks which could end very badly for us.”

Wind Whistler looked ahead. She noticed they were headed towards a collection of large rocks formations. If they could not distract Beezan, they could try surprising him.

“Those rock formations could provide cover for an impromptu ambush,” she said.

“A what?” Compass asked.

“Hide on those rocks and wait for a chance to jump on Beezan,” Paradise said.

Wind Whistler flew at fast as she could towards the rocks. She examined them and tried to ascertain what location would be near Beezan’s likely path while keeping them well concealed. Hopefully, Beezan would follow them in and someone could get the scepter away from him.



Beezan drummed his fingers on the armrest of his sedan and rested his chin on his other hand. While the golems ran, those holding his sedan kept it perfectly level and did not let it bounce with their stride. While squashing those ponies would be entertaining, chasing them down was irritating. It seemed like they could not gain any ground on them. It was probably only a matter of time before the golems ran them down, but that could take hours.

He held up the scepter and waved it in the air. The golems slowed to a walk, and then stopped. The ponies eventually stopped and looked back.

“I’ve got more important things to do than chase you all over the desert,” Beezan shouted at the ponies, “so I’ll let you live. Like I said, I have no use for you.”

He pointed his pointed the scepter to the south. The golems marched forward and turned to the south. Somewhere along the line they would come across a settlement or community he could take over to start his empire.



Wind Whistler watched with the others and the columns bent to march in a new direction. Perhaps they made their getaway a little too well.

“This guy just won’t cooperate with you,” Compass said to Wind Whistler, his voice raspy as he caught his breath like everyone else.

“I am use to adversaries being after us specifically,” Wind Whistler replied. “Beezan is the first threat I have tried to keep from harming someone other than us. Trying to keep him from pursuing his objectives is far more complicated.”

“Well, we better do something,” Cherries Jubilee said. “We can’t just let him overrun some unsuspecting settlement.”

Wind Whistler thought through all the possibilities that came to her. However, nothing was coming to her. They could not do anything to Beezan while he was in the open desert, and he had given up chasing them elsewhere where they could act on their plans. He was not interested in them, and making him interested in them would likely get them killed and solve nothing. It seemed like they were in a no win scenario.

“Maybe instead of trying to get him to come to us, we should go to him,” Fizzy said. “He’s bound to pass by something that will let us get the drop on him. He might even pass by a lake we can use our original plan on.”

The blocks in Wind Whistler’s mind tumbled away. “That’s brilliant, Fizzy.”

“It’s another gamble,” Free-Throw said. “There could be nothing but open plain between him and his first target.”

“It is still something we must pursue,” Wind Whistler said. She turned to Compass. “Compass, fly up high and look down Beezan’s chosen path. See if there are any rock formations, substantial bodies of water, or anything else we can use to our advantage.”

Compass nodded and flew high into the sky.



Compass flew higher. The others dwindled to nothing by specks on the sun baked ground below. He looked down at the cloud of dust and the rectangular formation golems making it.

Ahead of them was nothing but open plain. There were no places of cover or ambush points. Fortunately, there were no signs of civilization either.

He flew down to the others. “Well, they’re not near anything, and I mean they’re not near anything.”

“There’s nowhere we could ambush them from?” Paradise asked.

“There’s not even enough cover to hide while we try to get ahead of them,” Compass answered dully.

“Why hide from him?” a voice asked.

Everyone looked up and saw Shady standing proudly on a rock.

“Shady, what are you doing here?” Fizzy asked.

Shady jumped off the rock and walked up to them. She wore a smug grin and raised her legs high in almost a prance. Compass watched her, slightly bewildered because she was not supposed to be here. Many of the others seemed just as surprised.

Thundercloud frowned at her. “You’re supposed to be in Dream Castle,” he said sharply.

Shady scoffed. “It was a waste to confine me. I’ve beaten Beezan once, I’ll beat him again.”

“Beezan now has an army of golems thanks you.” Cherries Jubilee shoved her face in Shady’s. “We don’t need you messing things up again.”

Firefly and Hurricane landed next to the group.

Cherries Jubilee turned her scowl on them. “Weren’t you supposed to be watching her?”

“She bucked me in the nose,” Hurricane complained.

“Actually, it is fortuitous that you arrived,” Wind Whistler said.

For…for…” Shady tried to repeat what Wind Whistler said.

“You see, Beezan has gloated constantly about how he tricked you,” Wind whistler said. “He goes on and on about what a stupid pony you are.”

“No he doesn’t,” Fizzy said.

Wind Whistler kneed her in the side and forced a wide grin.

“Oh,” Fizzy said, grinning like Wind Whistler. “I just didn’t want to hurt your feelings, Shady. The truth is Beezan just can’t stop pointing out how brilliant his plan was.”

Shady scowled. She peeled back her lip to reveal her tightly grit teeth. “He really said that?”

“Oh yes, definitely,” Wind Whistler said.

“We’re actually giving you the watered down version,” Fizzy added.

“That steaming pile of horse apples,” Shady practically growled. “I’ll show him how well he tricked me.”

She galloped at the army of golems. “Beezan, I’m gonna tear you apart!”

Compass stared blankly. He did not even know what to think. The others seemed were in a similar state of shock.

“Wind Whistler, what did you just do?” Paradise asked.

“You will see,” Wind Whistler replied.



Shady got every bit of thrust out of her hooves. She ignored the giant stone things around him. She could jump over them easily. She only cared about him and putting him in his place.

Beezan saw her and pointed his scepter her way. The stone things stopped and turned to face her. Shady tightened her hind legs. She felt the need to jump come.

The stone things leaned forward and reached at her clumsily. She sprung off her hind legs. The bulky armed swung through the empty air she had just occupied. Everything seemed to slow down as Shady rose and higher. She started to descend just in time to spring off the head of one of the living statues.

Beezan almost fell out of his chair as she vaulted towards him. His terrified expression pleased Shady. He instinctively covered his face with his arms.

“Grab the scepter!” Shady heard Wind Whistler shouted from behind her.

That sounded like a good idea to Shady. As soon as her hooves planted on the wooden deck of the sedan she took the scepter from Beezan’s hand.

“Get out of there!” Wind Whistler shouted.

That did not sound like that good of an idea to Shady. She instead threw the scepter in the direction of the others. Wind Whistler flew up and grabbed it.

“I said get out of there,” Wind Whistler said, keeping the scepter clenched in her teeth.

“I’ve got some unfinished business with Beezan to deal with,” Shady said.

She turned around to where Beezan had been sitting. However, he was clambering over the now inert statues away from her. She jumped off the sedan and landed on the ground as he dropped onto the ground on his hands and feet.

Beezan looked at her hooves and then slowly looked up to her face. “You…you’re crazy.”

“No,” Shady said. “I’m Shady. Remember that name.”

Beezan slowly reached towards something in cloak. Shady kicked his hand to make him coil it back. “Don’t even try it.”

Wind Whistler circled over them. “Be careful, Shady. He may try anything.”

“I’m handling it,” Shady replied, not looking away from Beezan. “Why don’t you deal with these giant stone things?”



That had to be the most lucid statement out of Shady since this whole debacle began. Wind Whistler certainly agreed. She held the scepter out and the golems stood up and faced in that direction. She slowly flew east and the golems followed.

She held the scepter straight up to stop them as she came to the others. “Fizzy, Thundercloud, Ice Crystal, follow me to the coast. We can now dispose of the golems safely.”

“Sure thing, Wind Whistler,” Fizzy said.

Paradise flew up to Wind Whistler and scowled at her. “You were planning on Shady going after Beezan.”

“I figured turnabout is fair play,” Wind Whistler replied. “Beezan goaded her into taking him to Dream Castle. Why not convince her to go after him with reckless abandon? Ironically, her irrational state made her more capable of catching Beezan unawares.”

Paradise sighed and shook her head. “Definitely not one of our more glamorous campaigns.”

Wind Whistler could not help but chuckle at Paradise’s observation. “I cannot argue with that. However, the conclusion appears to be a desirable one.”

“Enough yakking, take care of those things before something else happens,” Cherries Jubilee said to interrupt them.

Wind Whistler could not argue with that either. She was ready to put an end to this. She pointed the scepter forward and the golems started marching east. Fizzy and the others walked along side them on their way to the coast.



Paradise watched them march away. She then turned her attention to Shady and Beezan. Shady stood over him, glaring at him. He stayed motionless, looking back at her.

Paradise flew to them. Even though they had taken the scepter from him, she did not feel all that safe around him. She eyed him warily and watched for any moves he might make.

Beezan looked up at her as she landed. “What will you do with the golems?” he asked.

“We’re going to demolish them,” Paradise said. “They’re too dangerous to be left intact.”

Beezan grimaced. “You stupid fools, why would you destroy such power?”

“We don’t desire power,” Paradise replied. “We simply want to live in peace and protect others when necessary. That’s the way of the Little Ponies.”

Beezan wheezed a chuckle and quickly erupted into a loud laugh that echoed off the desert floor. “You don’t have idea what’s coming, do you?”

Paradise was at a loss for words at first. Beezan’s statement seemed to come out of nowhere. “What are you talking about? What’s coming?”

Beezan peeled his lips back in a smug grin. “He is coming, and when he arrives you’re going to want all the power you can grab. That’s why I was really after that army. Being able to conquer some countries would have just been a perk.”

“Shut up,” Shady snapped at him. “Whoever “He” is, we’ll deal with them.”

Beezan scoffed. “You’ll see.”

The others surrounded them. “What should we do with him?” Hurricane asked, landing next to Paradise. “We don’t have anywhere to keep him.”

Paradise thought for a second when an idea came to her. “Wind Whistler said he’s a thief,” she said, grinning slyly. “I’m sure there’s somewhere where he’s a wanted man. Let’s take him to the nearest settlement and turn him to the authorities.”

She pushed him onto his feet. His grin quickly melted away as they shoved him south.

“Wait. What are you doing?” he asked frantically. “You can’t put me away. Stop. I command you.”

Paradise and the others ignored this rambling as they escorted him to the nearest town.



Magic Star strolled through Dream Valley with Wind Whistler, Paradise, and Buttons in the early morning. It was the day Shady’s wish was supposed to be expended. Hopefully, thing would be getting back to normal.

Fortunately, after dealing with Beezan, everything had been quiet. While Shady was constantly ready to take on a new threat, she caused no more trouble.

However, it was what Beezan had said that had filled their time and was the subject of conversation during their constitutional.

“I spent the last three days looking through our records and legends,” Paradise said. “There are many references to foes claiming they would return. Unfortunately, with little go on, I don’t know who or what Beezan was referring to. He might not even be referring to anything we know about.”

“’He is coming,’” Magic Star repeated what Beezan had said. “I wonder if it wasn’t just a lie he told knowing you had defeated him.”

“Perhaps,” Paradise said. “However, you never know.”

Rustling in the bushes ended their conversation. They stopped as they saw a bush along the path quiver. Shady crawled out of a Bush to their relief. She looked around worriedly. A snap of twig made her jump and she galloped away.

“It looks like Shady’s back to normal,” Paradise said.

“Thank goodness,” Magic Star said. “I don’t think I could have dealt with another crisis while she was like that.”

“Unfortunately that means Gusty is back to normal too,” Buttons said dully.

“Perhaps she is better for it,” Wind Whistler said. “Being meek for five days might have taught her to have empathy for others.”

“Where are you Shady?” Gusty’s voice said angrily.

Gusty jumped out of the bush and looked around. Her face was in a harsh scowl as she looked behind rocks and in tree stumps.

“I’m gonna blow into the middle of next week for what you did to me,” Gusty said as she walked away.

Buttons rolled sighed. “Unfortunately, ponies like Gusty will never learn.”

Magic Star rolled her eyes and shook her head. Things were definitely back to normal, at least what passed for normal in Dream Valley.