"We told Princess Celestia and Princess Luna about the accident," Twilight told Echo and Pharynx the next day. "Luna volunteered to handle the Bat ponies for the time being until you're better, Echo."

"Beetle's taking care of the Changeling Kingdom, too," Thorax added. "Although I doubt he'll be able to keep some speedy siblings from rushing over to the Crystal Empire."

Echo chuckled, hiding the fact that she had a nightmare last night. "Knowing Dragonfly, Damselfly, and Crane Fly, anypony that can't keep up with them doesn't have a prayer. Though I hope Luna can break the news to Hemlock and Silent without Hemlock firing back with some sort of carnivorous plant. She's been doing awfully well with conjuring those."

"That's as true as true can get," Applejack agreed. "I still remember that little sprout's wily willow attack like it was yesterday."

"Sorry again about Flurry's magic," Shining Armor apologized. "Ever since she sneezed yesterday and caused you to crash, she's been using her magic nonstop. Though occasionally for large blasts, it's more for picking everything and everypony off the ground."

"Sounds like it's pretty dangerous to have Flurry doing stuff like that," Pharynx frowned. "Isn't there some sort of spell to keep it contained until she can use it right?"

"We've tried everything," Twilight replied sadly. "Any disabling or containing spell we try, she breaks it almost on the spot when she starts getting mad or upset; Flurry seems to have enough power to break through them all just with sheer force of will!"

Something crashed outside the hospital, along with a large, golden beam of light flying by.

"That's probably Flurry Heart again," Rainbow cringed. "We'd better go and help Cadence with that. It looks a lot worse than last time it happened."

"Last time?" the Bat pony echoed, suddenly nervous.

"Long story," Starlight cringed, ears tilting back. "We'll come back when Flurry's finally settled down. Thorax, you should stay here with Echo and Pharynx. Things look like they'll get ugly pretty fast."

"I'm coming, too," Spike nodded as he left with the others. "You'll need the Great and Honorable Spike the Brave and Glorious to help reassure the Crystal ponies."

Thorax rolled his eyes with a smile before turning back to his brother and new friend. "So, do you two feel any better after yesterday?"

"I'm still rather sore in the back and the wing, and there's the occasional minor headache, but it's nothing too bad," Echo replied, despite the subtle shake in her voice. "But my hoof seems to be fine now."

"Good to hear. And what about you, Pharynx?" Thorax asked his brother.

"Meh. Same as her, though my wing still feels like it got chopped off," he grunted.

Thorax chuckled nervously as his ears tilted back. "Careful what you say around here, Pharynx. This sure isn't like the Hive."

"They're obviously still okay with you being around, Thorax," Echo countered. "None of them even looked twice at you."

"Well, Spike actually first introduced me as a friend here in the Crystal Empire," Thorax explained.

"Oh, so you disappeared into the frozen north after the failed attack on Canterlot," Pharynx realized. "No wonder I couldn't find you back at the kingdom." He expected to fall back against the pillow, but instead hit the headboard, yelping in pain as he rubbed the back of his head.

"That probably wasn't such a good idea to do with a concussion, Pharynx," Echo smirked playfully. "The nurse said to rest while your head healed."

"Be quiet," Pharynx growled, voice lacking its usual sharpness. "You're just gloating because you didn't get hit in the head as badly as I was."

"What do you think you're doing?!" a small, angry voice shouted from outside. Echo's ear twitched, eyes widening in fear. "I didn't come all the way here with my new friends to watch a pony younger than I am cause more trouble than she's worth! From what I've heard, you're the squirt that hurt Echo and that Changeling's brother! That's not a good thing in my book!"

"I know that voice," the Bat princess breathed before using her magic to open the curtains. Outside, there was Flurry Heart hovering in the air, Twilight and her friends in the clutch of her magic. The only pony facing her down was a red unicorn filly, horn blazing dark blue with fury as the Cutie Mark Crusaders stood behind her.

Echo's eyes narrowed. "That's Hemlock Berry, one of the orphans I used to care for. Her magic specializes in manipulating poisonous plants. And if I remember right, those three with her are Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo: basically the younger sisters to Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash."

"They looks pretty mad," Thorax cringed. "I would be, too, if I saw Pharynx and the other Changelings held captive like that."

"Hemlock has always had a dangerously short temper," Echo explained. "If she doesn't know you, one wrong move with her could mean being strung up by your hooves in toxic plants."

"Let. Them. Go." Hemlock told the Alicorn filly. Flurry only giggled and played with her captives. "I said let them GO!" With a stomp of her hooves, Hemlock shot a beam at the infant, causing some of the crystal berries around her to break out in vines. The leafy tendrils reached out and grabbed Flurry's wings and horn, disabling her magic and releasing Twilight and the others.

Flurry Heart let out a raucous cry and thrashed in the vines until she got her horn free. In mere seconds, her horn turned gold and shot a very powerful-looking beam at the filly. Before any of them blinked, the beam blasted the ground in front of the fillies.

Echo's eyes widened in horror. "Girls, no!"

Shadowgeist: After having complete writer's block on this story for who-knows-how-long, (So sorry, BTW) I finally managed to finish a chapter. Sometimes my fanfiction-writing brain has so many ideas it forgets about other fandoms (Sorry 'bout that, too).