Fluttershy waited for Doctor Fauna to finish her work, pacing nervously from one side to the other of the veterinarian's office.

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, I was so worried when Cardenas broke his wing…" She stopped pacing. "In fact, I am still worried!"

The veterinarian, still working with the injured cardinal, replied calmly, ""Oh don't you worry, Fluttershy, I'll have this little guy fixed up in no time!" A light started flashing into Doctor Fauna's eyes. "Where is that light coming from?"

"I don't know, Doc―" Then Fluttershy turned to her side and saw her Cutie Mark flashing. "Oh dear..."

"Well, this flummoxes me! Why is your Cutie Mark flashing like that?"

"Oh dear, the map is calling me! I have to go! But-but-but I shouldn't… What if I'm needed!?"

"Don't you worry, I'll take him myself to Sweet Feather Sanctuary. That's the least I can do."

"Oh thank you, Doctor Fauna! I'll be back as soon as possible and―"

"Yes, yes, yes. Now go and save the world."

Once the veterinarian finished saying that, Fluttershy hastily left the clinic.

Doctor Fauna and the bird watched after her for a moment, then turned to each other.

"Now… Where were we?" the blue-haired mare said.

The annoyed cardinal glared at her and showed her the half-bandaged wing.

"Oh, right…"

At the train station, Lyra Heartstrings waved at her friends from Canterlot, as they came out from the Friendship Express.

"Hey girls!" she said, trotting towards them. "Sorry, Twilight had to leave, Princess stuff, and Amethyst Star will join us later, had to take her little sister to school."

"Nah, 's okay," Minuette replied, waving her foreleg. "Right, girls?"

The other three unicorns nodded.

"I'm mostly excited because I can get A. K. Yearling to sign my first edition of 'Daring Do and the Sapphire Statue'!" Moondancer added with a big grin.

The other unicorns watched each other in awkward silence.

While Applejack giggled at the scene, when a pink unicorn mare with purple curly hair approached her.

"Hello, Applejack!" she said.

The blonde pony turned around and smiled. "Howdy, Sugar Belle! What're ya doing here?"

"Hiya, Sugar Belle!" Rainbow said, jutting out from behind Applejack.

The unicorn waved at Dash, then said to th the farm pony, "I came to see Big Mac, of course!"

"Say what now?"

"Big Macintosh, he's my coltfriend!"

"B-b-big M-m-m-mac… m-m-m-mah―" Applejack's eyes widened, her pupils shrunk and went slack jawed, while staying completely silent and motionless.

Sugar Belle waved her foreleg in front of the blonde's face. "Applejack, are you okay?"

The freckled mare didn't respond.

Before Rainbow Dash could act, she noticed A. K. Yearling discreetly waving at her from the window of a train car. Dash poked Quibble Pants, then nodded at the train car.

He grinned at Dash, and just as Applejack flopped to the ground, distracting everypony else, they both tiptoed to the train car A. K. Yearling was in.

Meanwhile, in the human world, the Rainbooms, plus Starlight Glimmer, hung around the pedestal, where the Canterlot High colt statue once stood, having quite a lively chat.

"Wow, I cannot believe I heard you sing!" Starlight said, holding back a squee.

Sunset playfully punched her on the shoulder. "Oh come on! Like that isn't normal back at Equestria. I bet even you have done it before."

Starlight blushed. "Maybe once or twice."

Twilight's eyes sparkled. "You are from a musical world!?"

Sunset shrugged. "More or less."

"I don't like musicals…" Rainbow Dash commented suddenly.

Rarity, Pinkie and Twilight gasped.

"What? I mean, people just randomly bursting into song in random places at the drop of a hat? Who does that?"

Twilight blushed while smiling awkwardly.

"Uh, the ponies do?" Applejack said.

"Point taken."

Sunset Shimmer smiled and shook her head as the Rainbooms' conversation devolved into a debate over the advantages and disadvantages of living on a musical world. Then she sighed and turned towards the pedestal.

She put her hand on the portal and thought, Oh dear, I hope I'm ready for this…

"Hello Sunset!" a familiar male voice said behind her.

She turned around to see her ex, Flash Sentry. "Hi, Flash!" the redhead replied.

"So... Sunset," he said, putting his hand on the back of his head. "Have you thought about what I said you back at Camp Everfree?"

"Uh... What did we talk about again?"

"About starting again... as just friends..."

"Oh yeah that..." Sunset started scratching her head, then she realized the chatter behind her had stopped. She turned arto see her friends were staring at her, with amused expressions, causing her to blush.

"What?" She asked to her friends.

Back at the Friendship Express, Rainbow Dash waved at Daring Do.

"'Sup Daring!" The rainbow mare said.

"Hello Rainbow," the explorer pony replied with a serious expression. "Now that we have finished with the pleasantries, let's get over to the main subject."

"What's happening?" Quibble interjected.

Daring Do glared at him for a moment, before spreading a map to the front of them. Then she pointed to a marker on it, before continuing, "This marks the location of the ancient fortress of Teotihuacan, where, according to writings I found in the Seven-Sided Chest of Chicomoztoc, the 'greatest treasure of Empress Quetzalcoatl' is located."

"Cool!" Rainbow Dash replied, "But what has that to do with us?"

Quibble Pants rolled his eyes.

"Is a fortress," said Daring Do. "I could use the help of the fastest pegasus and the best puzzle solver in Equestria, of course."

"Awesome!" Rainbow cried. "I'm in!"

"Wait a minute!" Quibble interjected again. "We don't have train tic―"

At that moment, Daring Do threw two train tickets to the front of a slack-jawed Quibble Pants.

"You might be a better puzzle solver than me," the archaeologist said, "but I'm still Daring. Do!"

Somewhere in Ponyville, Princess Twilight Sparkle walked along the streets with her entourage. They moved silently for a while, until Sunburst went to Twilight, almost pronking in excitement.

"This is incredible, Twilight! Starlight never told me she lived in antiquing central!"

"Antiquing...? Central?" The alicorn asked.

"Yeah!" The stallion replied, "Ponyville is the greatest distributing center for antiques in Equestria!"

The princess smiled broadly as her eyes widened. "Oh my goodness! I knew there was an antique store here, but I never knew it was the best in Equestria!"

"Mm-hmm! Wanna go antiquing with Starlight and me later?"

"Absolutely! But there―"

Twilight was suddenly interrupted by a explosion in a nearby building. She quickly turned towards the thundering noise and arrived as the supports started to crack. Without missing a moment, the purple alicorn used her magic to hold the building together.

Straining with the effort, she cried to the guards, "What are you waiting for!? Help anypony trapped inside!"

At the order of the princess, the guards galloped immediately inside the burning building, while Sunburst stayed outside, slack jawed, to the side of his mountain of luggage that the guards threw aside as they ran inside.

At the same time, two slightly singed fillies came out galloping from a backdoor of the of the burning building.

"Diamond Tiara! What did you do!?" one cried as they ran.

"I did nothing, Silver Spoon!" The other replied. "I just don't know what went wrong!"

"What!? The oven exploded when you put the cake in!"

"I know, I know! I just don't know what happened!"

"Sure you don't!"

"Sure, blame me, Silver Spoon!" Tears started rolling down Diamond Tiara's cheeks. "Just like everypony does!"

The silvery filly stammered for words at that, she gazed at her friend for a moment and as she tried to say something comforting, both crashed into another group of fillies.

A yellow, red-haired filly, stood up first, her eyes twirling. "Did somepony catch the number o'that runaway wagon?"

After groaning a moment, the purple filly opened her eyes. "Wait. Apple Bloom!?"

The red-haired filly gave her a confused look. "Diamond Tiara?"

At that moment, an orange filly with pink hair, rushed to Diamond Tiara, pushed her nuzzle on the purple one's nose and said angrily, "What are you doing here!?"

Apple Bloom approached and gently pushed the freckled angry filly aside. "Now Babs, nah need tah be rude." Then she turned to Tiara. "Diamond Tiara is now a different pony."

The purple filly averted her gaze and teared up again.

Sweetie Belle cleared her throat and butted in, "We are going to hear stories from Granny Smith. You wanna come?"

"Yeah!" Scootaloo added.

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon gazed at each other, then, after catching a glimpse of the burning building, they both hastily replied, "Yes!"

The Cutie Mark Crusaders gazed at each other for a moment before Apple Bloom replied, "Oookay..."

The six fillies continued towards Sweet Apple Acres, while Babs Seed glared at the newcoming fillies with suspicion.

Meanwhile back at the Hall of Jus― I mean, Castle of Friendship, the mirror of Star Swirl the Bearded started to glow, as the portal to Canterlot City - and therefore the Human World - opened. Out of it, Sunset Shimmer and Starlight Glimmer came, having a very lively conversation.

"Did you really date that boy!?" the purple unicorn asked.

"Well, yes," the other replied. "But I never really liked liked him..."

Starlight giggled.

The red-yellow maned unicorn replied, "Oh come on! Not you t―"

"NO YOU DON'T!" a blue unicorn suddenly shouted.

A startled Starlight turned to see her. "Trixie? What―?"

Trixie ignored the purple unicorn and continued, "I won't let you take my best and only friend!" Then she started charging magic with her horn. "Just like you took everything else from ME!"

Sunset's pupils shrank in fear as she watched, only managing to mutter to herself, "Oh dear..."

[End of Chapter 2]