As the steam locomotive train arrives at the station nearby the Crystal Empire, the Mane Six exit the coaches and walk to the grand location. By the time the Mane Six started walking towards the castle, they see plenty of Crystal Ponies in groups talking to each other. A stallion notices the Mane Six excitedly and points his hoof at them. "Look!" he said, "Its Princess Twilight and her friends!"
The other Crystal Ponies took notice and cheered for Twilight. They didn't come over to her like fans to a celebrity, but they cheered for her and made plenty of compliments as follows. "Congratulations, Your Highness!" "Princess Cadance and Shining Armor ought to be proud of you!" "You're an aunt, now!" "The rulers' baby is something to behold!"
Twilight couldn't help but blush from the attention and compliments and chuckled sheepishly. "Thanks, everypony."
"Look at that." Applejack said, "The news of the baby spread quicker than the Apple family reunion gatherin' at Sweet Apple Acres."
"Ooooohhh, that makes me even more excited!" Pinkie happily bounced. "Normally I throw a party for something that happened, but if there's already a party going on, I'd like to get into the groove of it!"
"Well, normally I'd pack everything I need to be presentable," Rarity groomed through her stylized mane with her hoof, "but since it won't take long to see the baby, I feel presentable enough. Though I wish Spikey-wikey could've come along."
"I'm sure Spike's reason to stay behind is a good one," Fluttershy reassuringly put her hoof on Rarity's shoulder, "I think it's very nice of him to help Starlight out at the Castle of Friendship in exchange for the chance of seeing the baby."
"Mmm, yes. I suppose it is." Rarity smiled softly.
"So! What kind of pony will Princess Cadance's and Shining Armor's baby be?" Rainbow Dash proudly flew above the group doing some stunts. "Would it be a strong and tough Earth Pony, a magically talented Unicorn, or a swift and agile 'loop-de-loop around and wham!' Pegasus?"
"The letter didn't say anything about that." Twilight said. "We'll just have to see for ourselves what the baby will be. Though I'm pretty nervous of how to be an aunt."
"That's okay, sugarcube," Applejack replied, "Jus' remember that we'll help ya with whatever job or problem ya need ta be solved."
The other girls nod in agreement, and Twilight smiled at this. "Thanks, guys." They then enter the castle.
In the Everfree Forest, Zenith the silver coated stallion in his white cloak calmly walked through the densest part of the forest. Despite the many unusual shaped trees and the strange sounds from the hidden creatures and animals, his face showed happiness and boldness. But then, doubt started to draw upon Zenith's face, and he stopped walking.
"Am I rushing this?" he said to himself. "Heading to Ponyville because of the feeling that SHE might be there, that pony who can help find my destiny? She wasn't born there, that's for sure. She still could be living in Canterlot...where those...high class..." Zenith trailed off due to thinking about Canterlot and the ponies living there. Somehow the thought of it made his eyes narrow in anger, but he quickly shakes it off. "Nah. I'm sure she wouldn't let those kinds of beliefs get to her."
Just then, Zenith heard some giggling of fillies up ahead. He quickly ran to his right, jumped over the bushes and hid behind a tree. The stallion looked from behind the tree to where he heard the giggling. Coming into view, walking down the path is three little fillies, two of them giggling and the other looking worried.
The middle Earth filly has an amaranth mane, a light yellow coat, orange eyes and a pink bow behind her mane. To her right is a Pegasus filly who has a moderate cerise mane, a light orange coat and grayish purple eyes. And to the Earth filly's left is a Unicorn filly who has a white coat, a grayish mulberry mane with light pale rose streaks and light harlequin eyes. The Earth filly and Pegasus filly are giggling while the Unicorn filly looks worried.
What Zenith notices is that those three fillies have the same yet similar cutie marks, consisting of a three bar coloured shield and a purple symbol having a magenta symbol inside. "Now what the ding dong are those fillies thinking, walking through this dangerous forest by themselves like that?" he says quietly to himself.
"This shortcut to Zecora's hut is the best idea, Apple Bloom!" the Pegasus filly said.
"It sure is, Scootaloo." Apple Bloom responded in her southern drawl, "Ah jus' can't believe Ah didn't think of this sooner!"
"I don't know, guys," the Unicorn filly said in concern, "Is this really worth doing because of how our cutie marks show our 'maturity'?"
"Oh, don't be so worried, Sweetie Belle!" Scootaloo flapped her wings a bit and took off a bit until she landed on the ground. "We're the Cutie Mark Crusaders! We used to crusade on finding our talents, now we focus on crusading on doing bigger things like other big ponies!"
"Yeah, no need ta be so down about this." said Apple Bloom.
"I know, but aren't we rushing this?" asked Sweetie. "As in, thinking a bit too big on this matter and end up getting in danger?"
"We're big ponies now!" Scootaloo said, "There's nothing we can't handle, including danger!"
Zenith chuckles to himself. 'Kids. Most of them thinking they can handle what comes their way.' he thought.
Suddenly, something jumps from the other bushes and lands in front of the fillies with a thud. They fearfully look up at what looms down on them. It is a large reptile like creature with dark grayish apple green skin, tangeloish black scales and light orange eyes. It snorts its breath on the scared fillies.
"A cragadile!" Apple Bloom shouts.
Scootaloo readied herself for a fight, "What's the plan?"
"RUN!" Sweetie responded loudly.
The fillies, aside from Scootaloo who grunts, scream and start to run in the opposite direction and the cragadile gives chase. Zenith sees what happened in shock, but then regains his composure, puts on his hood and gallops after them.
The fillies run as fast as they could, but the cragadile seems to be getting closer to them.
"Its gaining on us!" screamed Sweetie.
"I could've taken it on bare hoofed, and whose idea was it to take this shortcut, huh?" Scootaloo yelled.
"This ain't the time ta be so hot shot!" huffed Apple Bloom, "And Ah'm sorry, ya'll! Its mah fault all this happened! Ah jus' wanted ta prove how responsible we are since we got our cutie marks!"
"Forget that!" yelled Sweetie, "But in case we don't get outta here, I just want both of you to know, that you're the bestest of friends I could ever ask for!"
"Me, too!" huffed Scootaloo.
"Same fer me!" said Apple Bloom, "If we go down, we'll go down as the Cutie Mark Crusaders!"
"YEAH!" the fillies shouted.
The cragadile roared as it gained on them and the fillies resumed screaming as they ran. The cragadile then leaped up and opened its mouth, ready to chomp down on Sweetie who looked up and felt that this is it for her...
YOINK!
But the cragadile suddenly felt its tail get grabbed tightly. Before it could look behind it, the cragadile feels itself being lifted into the air. The fillies stop running to look behind them, and what they saw shocked them. Holding onto the tail around his legs is the white hooded stallion. He pulls the cragadile down by its tail from the air and...
BOOM!
Smashes it hard onto the ground on its back. The impact shook the ground, making the fillies tumble a bit. They look back at the stallion who now just stands there. The cragadile rolls to its right, back onto its feet and turns around angrily to face the stallion, but its face quickly turns to fear, for under the hood, the furious, shrunken eyes of the stallion glared at it immensely.
"Get lost." Zenith said in a deadpan yet menacingly tone. The cragadile flinched, and then ran back down the path disappearing into the forest. The stallion turned around to see the jaw dropped faces of the fillies.
"Cutie Mark Crusaders! What brings you here, foolishly running into danger and fear?" a female voice called from the forest. The fillies and the stallion look to the other side of the path and see a female Zebra coming out from the forest. She has strong cyan eyes, indigoish black hooves, a light gray mane and coat with bluish gray stripes, has amber coloured jewellery on her right ear, left fore leg, and around her neck. What Zenith noticed is that the Zebra has a cutie mark of a grey spiral sun.
The Zebra has a look of anger and disappointment as she approached the fillies who looked sorry. "Screams of fear and sounds of trouble I heard," the Zebra said sternly, "and quickly I left my hut like a swift bird. A cragadile pursued you three I saw, and I was not quick to save you from its jaws."
The fillies felt ashamed. "We're sorry, Zecora." said Apple Bloom, "Ah dragged Scootaloo and Sweetie into this mess jus' to go to yer hut so that we prove we can do big things like other ponies since we got our cutie marks."
"You should be ashamed for committing this act," Zecora glared at the fillies, "Your families would have been devastated to hear this fact."
"But we got saved by that pony in the white robe!" Scootaloo blurted out, "And the way he pounded down that cragadile was awesome!"
"Don't get cocky, kid." Zenith said as he approached the fillies and Zecora who looked at him. "Just because you three got cutie marks doesn't mean you're big ponies in an instant. You're lucky I saw you being chased by that...crag something and dealt with it."
They didn't notice Sweetie Belle looking at Zenith in awe. It's a shame his face is covered by his white hood, but not only did his voice sound gentlecolt like and soothing, but his dark purple hooves looked very masculine and defined. These thoughts made Sweetie's cheeks blush a faint pink.
"And grateful I am to you for saving my filly friends," Zecora bowed to the stallion. "Were it not for your actions they would have met their end."
Zenith shook his head. "No need for thanks, foreigner of Zebrica."
Zecora and the fillies aside from Sweetie gasp. "Zebrica?" Scootaloo said confusingly. "That's where you came from, Zecora?"
Zecora softly nodded. "It is true that it was my home filled with gladness," She said sadly, "Though to hear its name now brings my mind to sadness."
"Ya mean, something bad happened there that made ya came all the way ta Equestria?" Apple Bloom asked.
"That is a story for another day," Zecora replied as she turned to the fillies, "For now, your punishment will see no delay."
"Oh, yeah." Apple Bloom chuckled nervously. "Nearly forgot about that."
"Yeah, what she said." Scootaloo added.
"We must leave this forest in haste," said Zecora, "before more danger is to be faced. To your sisters we shall meet, to seek what punishment you are to greet."
"About that," Apple Bloom circled the ground with her hoof while looking sheepishly up at Zecora, "Princess Twilight and her friends left for the Crystal Empire to see Princess Cadance's and Shining Armor's newborn filly, and Scootaloo, Sweetie and I went ta see them off. That was when we decided ta come see you, and ya'll know the rest."
Zecora sighed, "Such news of your plan is not sweet, I know not why you think of such feats."
Zenith is nearly surprised of what Apple Bloom said. 'Princess...Twilight?' he thought, 'Crystal Empire? Is that where I sensed that powerful presence being born?' He then noticed Sweetie looking at him. "You all right, little Unicorn?"
All attention turned to Sweetie, who appears to be drooling a bit and still blushing. Scootaloo immediately laughed after seeing Sweetie's zoned out face. "Hey, Sweetie! You hungry or something?"
"Scootaloo, that ain't funny!" Apple Bloom sternly said.
Sweetie snapped out of her trance and noticed her drool. "Huh? Eww!" She spat it out to the ground. "Uh, what are we talking about?"
"Haven't you been paying attention?" Scootaloo recovered from her laughing spree, "Zecora came from this country called 'Zebrica' and now we'll be grounded for walking into the Everfree Forest alone."
"Oh." Sweetie looked down, "Sorry. I was, uh, thinking of how to, uh, thank this...pony who...saved us." Sweetie blushed as she glanced at Zenith, and Apple Bloom is surprised at Sweetie's behaviour, yet smiled mischievously.
"As I said, no need for thanks." Zenith repeated, "Just knowing that you are safe is enough for me. Just promise that you won't go anywhere dangerous without a guardian to aid you. Clear?"
Scootaloo saluted. "Crystal clear!"
"Ah promise." Apple Bloom said.
"Uh, I-I promise." Sweetie nervously replied.
"There is one thing I do not understand," Zecora turned to the stallion, "the way you intimidated the cragadile was grand. Never had I seen anypony like you, doing such a feat is an interesting clue."
"Let's just say I practice a lot." Zenith chuckled a bit, "Still, it is unlike that cragadile to wonder off from its swamp. I noticed that there was something...off about it."
Zecora pondered at this. "Yes, it is a strange sight, for it to make such a plight."
"Well, I'm sure you'll have a chance to figure it out." Zenith said, "I'd best be off."
"Where are you going?" asked Scootaloo.
"To the north." replied Zenith, "I haven't been there yet, so it would be a good time to witness something new with my own eyes." he turned right and looked at Zecora and the fillies. "You fillies stay out of trouble now, you hear?"
"Yes, sir!" said Apple Bloom.
"Aye-aye!" Scootaloo saluted again.
Zenith then leaped high into the air, somersaulted, and landed on the top of a tree, which Zecora and the fillies are surprised at. Before he can leave...
"Wait!" Sweetie yelled. Zenith looked down at Sweetie who blushed a bit. "Um...I-uh, we didn't get your name!"
Zenith smiled, and Sweetie swore she saw for a few seconds the face of the stallion. "For now, you can refer to me as, 'Zenith the Zealous'!" called Zenith, "But please, keep that name under wraps, at least until the time is right. Okay?"
Zenith winked at Sweetie who gasped at the sight. Then, he leaped off the tree to another one and is not seen again. Zecora, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo notice that Sweetie made a heavenly sigh as she looks at where the stallion left.
"Ah knew it." Apple Bloom smiled cheekily.
"Huh? Knew what?" Scootaloo asked.
"Sweetie has a crush on our hero, or her hero in her case."
Sweetie blushed a bright pink and turned towards her friends aggressively. "What?! No! Why would I-? He- I- He's a bit old for me!"
"A 'BIT?'" Apple Bloom chuckled at that, "Don't you mean a 'lot?'"
"Well, uh, he- I- uh," Sweetie stammered while blushing like crazy.
"Alright, little ponies, that's enough," Zecora called out, "at home you can deal with this fluff. Now, let's make haste for Ponyville, where I'm sure your punishment will be quite a thrill."
"Yes, Zecora." the fillies shamefully said in unison as they followed Zecora.
"'Zenith the Zealous'?" wondered Scootaloo out loud, "Doesn't sound that cool."
"Ah think that's a nice name." Apple Bloom replied, "Don't ya agree, Sweetie?"
"Huh? Uh, yeah, very nice name." Sweetie said.
"Still thinking about that 'handsome' stallion?" Apple Bloom gave Sweetie that look.
"Ah- Uh, well," Sweetie stammered a bit, "Look, let's- uh, let's keep his name a secret like he told us, okay?"
"I don't recall being told by him to keep such secrets." Scootaloo responded.
"Please?" Sweetie desperately pleaded to her friends.
"Okay, okay, we'll keep it a secret." answered Apple Bloom.
Scootaloo frustratingly sighed. "Fine. Just don't come crying to me if you get spanked."
Zecora overhears all of this and smiled a bit. It wasn't long before they reached the edge of Everfree Forest, and the punishment that awaits the Cutie Mark Crusaders might be a suitable one.
At the far edge of the Badlands, beside the dried up river lies a strange door shaped rock ebbed into the rocky wall. The sound of buzzing is heard, and the Changelings are following the black Unicorn who is floating with his magic. Beside him is Queen Chrysalis, the ruler of the Changelings. They land near the door, while most of the Changelings stay airborne.
"This is it, Azerrad? You dragged me and my pets all the way over here to view this rock?" the Changeling Queen asked in a not amused manner.
"It may seem to be a rock," Azerrad replied stepping forward to the door, "But with the right magic can it be revealed for what it is. Allow me to open this door, where it will lead to my master."
Azerrad closed his right eye to concentrate, and his horn glowed red. The rock glowed in the same color, and to Chrysalis's surprise, a strange symbol appeared on it. Then, the rock split in two and the two pieces moved like a door, to reveal a staircase leading down in a cave. Chrysalis and the Changelings are amazed by this. Azerrad then levitated himself with his magic. "Let's make haste." he said, "My master's patience sometimes runs thin, and things could get messy when he loses patience."
Azerrad then quickly flew down to the cave, as Chrysalis and her Changelings follow suit. As the last Changeling enters the cave, the doors then close and the symbol disappears off of it.
For a few seconds Azerrad, Chrysalis and the Changelings flew above the staircase down into the cave. Chrysalis notices that the further they flew down, the walls expand bigger, which she believes that the entrance must be large.
Eventually, they arrive at the entrance. Chrysalis sees to her awe that the cave is very large, probably less larger than the height of the Crystal Castle. Azerrad lands on the ground, and Chrysalis and the Changelings do so. The black Unicorn walks towards a large rock, where at the base of it stands a figure of intimidating stature. Azerrad kneels before the figure.
"Master," Azerrad said, "Allow me to present, Queen Chrysalis of the Changelings. She has accepted the offer you brought forth as you believed she would."
At that moment, a dark and menacing breath is heard. It is coming from the figure and it repeats over and over.
"Well done, Azerrad." The figure spoke in a soothing yet threatening voice. He turned around, and to Chrysalis's and the Changeling's shock, it looks like a pony, only taller and lots of black smoke covers his body. The only things visible is his black hooves and a frightening black helmet on his head. The helmet looks simple yet scary, covering his eyes yet leaving his mouth visible. Chrysalis notices that on the helmet is a horn where the left side of it seems to be chipped off, which makes her think that he is a Unicorn.
But she is proven wrong.
Behind the figure a large smoky wing folds out from the right side of his body as large as himself. Such a sight brought a pinch of fear and awe to Chrysalis, and the Changelings feel more frightened by the minute of being near the figure.
"Greetings, Queen Chrysalis," said the figure, "I have been expecting you. You were wise to heed my words relayed to you."
Chrysalis mustered up her courage to speak. "Who...w-who are you?"
"I have gone by many names for a long time of being imprisoned." replied the figure, "But my real name shall be the one you will do well to remember as you join me in my grand plan for Equestria and the world, for my name is..."
Chrysalis gulped as Azerrad smiled smugly at the state she is in, as the figure says his name, "Dark Shadow."
TO BE CONTINUED...