Meanwhile in Ponyville…

In the middle of town, there stood a tree; a large tree. It wasn't just any tree though, it was the town library. Twilight Sparkle lived in it along with her number one assistant, Spike. Spike was a baby dragon with purple scales and green spines along his back. He was very short and only came up to Twilight's belly in height. He was listening to her tell him her plans for tonight…

"You're going MONSTER HUNTING! That's awesome! Can I come too?" Spike pleaded.

No Spike, It's too dangerous for a baby dragon like you to go. What we're dealing with here is almost as tall as Celestia, has razor sharp claws, and is able to move very…very fast." Twilight answered.

"Aw, that's too bad I gue…wait, razor sharp claws? Does this monster relate to a dragon in any case?" Spike questioned.

"Spike, there's a lot of creatures out there with claws." Twilight said plainly.

"Just answer my question, Twilight. Is it or is it not related to a dragon?" Spike persisted.

Twilight sighed and spoke. "…For your information, yes. As far as we know, it's part dragon, part pony; and very deadly."

"How do you know it's deadly?" Spike asked.

"It almost killed Applejack!" Twilight exclaimed.

Spike's face went blank. Normally he wouldn't support a mission that involved beating up a dragon, but if it almost killed Applejack, he didn't mind in that case.

"Oh alright, I guess that's a good reason. Good luck, Twilight." Spike said.

"Thanks Spike, I'll go check on the others." Twilight said before walking out the door, leaving Spike all alone in the house minus Owloysius. Spike just sighed and sat on the couch, hoping they'd be alright since he knew firsthand a dragon's savagery.

Meanwhile at an apple orchard called Sweet Apple Acres, a certain orange pony with a blonde mane was preparing for the great monster hunt that night. She packed lots of food in case they got hungry on the hunt as well as some fragrant apple treats purely for the purpose of luring the beast out. She had just finished practicing with her lasso, which she also packed, when a small yellow filly with red hair and a pink bow in her mane ran up to talk to her.

"Howdy Applejack, whatcha doin'?" The filly said in a sweet innocent voice. She didn't look a day over 7 years old.

Applejack threw her bag over her back and answered her. "Howdy Applebloom, I'm getting ready for the monster hunt that's goin' on tonight."

"Monster hunt? WOW! Sounds fun! Can I come?" Applebloom exclaimed excitedly, bouncing up and down."

"Wooaaah no! This monster WE'RE fighting is part dragon, part pony. It's big and has sharp teeth and can wake the dead with its roar. It's too dangerous fer a filly like you. Just be sure to look after the farm while I'm gone since Big Mac is working the apple stands all day and Granny Smith's taking a nap." Applejack said to her sister.

"Um…alright, I will big sis!" Applebloom said with perhaps a hint of realization.

"Good. Now A'm gonna go see how Rarity's faring. Seeya later!" Applejack said to her younger sister.

"Bye Applejack, good luck monster huntin'!" Applebloom called out. And with that Applejack high-tailed over to Rarity's boutique.

Now Rarity wasn't planning to fight at all. She didn't hate this monster necessarily and hated to fight anyway. However, she was going to pack some gems, just in case they needed dragon bait. She supposed she might step in with some magic if needed though, since this dragon/pony monster did seem like a real threat. Just as she was finished packing, a small unicorn filly entered the room.

"Hey Rarity! Where are you going tonight? Anywhere fun?" The unicorn filly asked.

"Oh nowhere special, Sweetie Belle, just going on a monster hunt with some friends is all." Rarity said casually, hoping Sweetie Belle would take it as a joke.

"Sounds interesting…can I come…PLEASE PLEASE PRETTY PLEASEE!" Sweetie Belle pleaded. Sweetie Belle was incredibly bored and hoped to do something fun tonight.

Rarity just sighed. "You have a lot of nerve to want to go on a hunt for a big, scary, fire-breathing, teeth gnashing, blood spilling monster, don't you?" Rarity replied in hopes to scare her sister. In truth, she wasn't sure he couldbreathe fire. She assumed he could. However, Sweetie Belle wasn't deterred yet again.

"Spike's a dragon and he isn't ferocious!" The unicorn filly replied.

"Err umm…But Sweetie Belle; I need someone to watch Opal while I'm gone. Can you be a dear and do that for me?" Rarity asked ever so nicely.

"Oh…alright." Sweetie Belle said disappointingly. She really wanted to go somewhere fun. But someone needed to take care of Opal. So she just hung her head down. Rarity felt bad, but it wasn't a place for her sister to be hunting monsters. After saying their farewells, Rarity left to meet Twilight and the others. Sweetie belle trotted to a corner and sat there, watching Opal groom herself. She really wanted to go, even if it was dangerous…

Over on the other side of town, Rainbow Dash was readying for a fight with Black Daze. She had set up dummies made of wood and hay with tin buckets for the heads. She kicked one in the head, then hit another in the stomach, practiced some evasive maneuvers, and finished with flying up a good distance, then tackling it to the ground with great momentum. She was going so fast she actually broke the dummy. It was then that an orange filly with a purple mane rode up on a scooter next to Rainbow Dash.

"WOOOOW! That was sooooo cool Rainbow Dash! But…what are you practicing that for? I never thought of you as a pony street fighter…"

Rainbow Dash leaned against the broken pole that once held the dummy up and said, "I am not practicing for any street fighting, Scootaloo, I'm just getting ready to lay the smack-down on a monster that my friends and I are hunting for tonight."

Scootaloo got off her scooter and took a step towards Rainbow Dash and struck a fighting pose next to her. "Awesome! Are you gonna need any extra muscle to handle the big guy? What's the monster like?"

Rainbow Dash gave Scootaloo a playful noogie and said "Ahaha, I think we have more than enough muscle to take care of him. And it's too dangerous for a little filly like you anyway. As for what we're fighting, Applejack described it as half dragon and half pony. It can roar very loud and fly almost as fast as me." Rainbow Dash said, not mentioning Black Daze tricking her in order to save her pride.

Scootaloo looked up at Rainbow Dash with a disappointed look. "Sounds dangerous, I wish I could go…I would have it on its back in no time!" She bragged.

"I wish you could too, but even you don't stand a chance against it. Only I, the greatest flier in all of Equestria, can take it down. I'll tell you all about it when I get back." Rainbow Dash boasted.

Scootaloo got a fan-girl expression and jumped up and down. "Yeah you're right with you on the field that monster doesn't stand a chance! Go get 'im, Rainbow!" She shouted. But on the inside, she was saddened. She wanted to prove herself to Rainbow Dash and taking down a monster seemed like a great way to do it. But Rainbow Dash flew off to Sugarcube Corner, where her friends should be. They would need all the help they could get and Pinkie Pie would be a great addition to their team.

They walked in and were instantly greeted by a pink pony with a magenta mane. She bounced up and down and spoke in a rather high pitched voice.

"Good afternoon girls how are you I'm doing GREAT! Today was such a good day here at sugarcube corner!"

Twilight spoke first. "Umm…Hey Pinkie Pie, we just wanted to ask if you wanted to go on a monster hunt with us tonight. We need all the help we can get."

Rainbow Dash spoke up next and placed a hoof behind her head. "Y-yeah, we need someone to…bring the party! Will you go?"

"Ooookay!" Pinkie said with absolutely no argument or question. There was a bit of an awkward silence before Applejack spoke up.

"Alright, now let's go pay Fluttershy a visit." She said. And with that they all left.

Fluttershy was outside her cottage watering her flowers. She had a long, pink mane and a yellow coat. She didn't know why all her friends were approaching her cottage all the sudden, but she had no reason to fear them since she trusted them with all her heart. She gave them all a calm smile when they walked up to her. Then Rarity spoke to Fluttershy.

"Fluttershy darling, there's a favor we need to ask of you, are you free tonight?" She asked.

Fluttershy spoke to them in a quiet soothing voice. "Oh um…I think I can spare a few hours after I finish watering my flowers. What do you need help with?"

It was then Twilight who spoke to Fluttershy. "Well you see… we are going on a monster hunt this evening and with your way with animals…" Twilight was cut-off by the slamming of Fluttershy's door.

"Aw come on Fluttershy don't do this again…We need you!" Rainbow Dash pleaded.

"No, I'm positive I'm not going to hunt for some big, scary monster!" Fluttershy squeaked from behind her door. "You are NOT dragging me into another thing like this."

Twilight attempted to convince her timid friend again. "But without your way with animals, this could turn out to be a huge failure!"

"Then don't go on the hunt, because I refuse to go!" Fluttershy said plainly.

Her friends were shocked to hear Fluttershy feel so strongly about something, but they could not do anything about it, only respect her wish and go without her. Twilight noticed Pinkie Pie was staring at some butterflies not too far off from where they were, obviously distracted. It was very fitting for her character to not pay attention to this whole thing, but that didn't matter, they had to leave now and so they trotted off in the sunset toward the Everfree forest. The Great Monster Hunt had begun!

Back in the Everfree Forest…

Black Daze had finished gathering food for the week. He had all kinds of fish, bugs, and plants that he knew were edible. Not all of them were necessarily delicious though. But when you're surviving in the forest for 8 years, taste becomes less and less of a priority for you. He walked by their new camp and saw Chrysalis napping. He noticed that she looked kinda cute just napping there, she looked very peaceful. How could anyone want to hurt her? Just thinking about it made him mad. He didn't have the feelings that Chrysalis harbored for him. Not yet at least…He didn't even know she had them yet. What stopped him from liking her back was his disinterest for romance. He never had a marefriend in his youth, and still thought girls were icky when he changed. Now that he was approximately 18, his attitude towards them had changed greatly, but he was very new to mares and so he didn't want to think about a relationship with her. He wasn't confident enough, he wasn't experienced enough, and he certainly didn't think he was attractive enough to win her over anyway. He brushed those thoughts out of his head and set the food down on a wooden plank he cut from a tree himself. He decided it was time to try to talk to that mare in the trailer again, but this time, he would try to lure her out so she wouldn't slam the door in his face like last time.

Black Daze spread his wings and took off towards the trailer, which wasn't too far off from where he was. He landed beside it and peeked in the window just to make sure he wasn't interrupting anything. What he saw was a sad sight to behold…a grimy sink with soap scum in it and a moldy sponge for washing dishes. A dusty floor with many dead bug carcasses strewn about it. A rusty kettle on a broken gas stove. A wall full of pictures of herself and a picture of a familiar mare, Twilight, with a big red "X" over her face. Daze figured that the two mares knew each other somehow. And by the yellow and stained wall where the wallpaper was peeling off, was a small bed with the blue mare looking sadly at the ground. The mare let out a sigh and shifted positions so that she was now laying on her back. Daze was appalled. Nopony should have to live in these conditions. Even the Everfree forest provided better shelter than that trailer. Most ponies would just knock on the door and wait for an answer, but not Black Daze, he decided to go a more unorthodox route, since he was Black Daze.

Daze scooped up some pebbles and walked up to the door and gave a quick knock before leaping up to the trees. There was a short pause before the door opened to reveal the mysterious mare who called out "Hello…anypony there…?"

That was his cue. Black Daze threw the pebbles off to the side and they landed in a pond nearby. Trixie, thinking that whoever rang the doorbell was trying to prank her by knocking, then running, ran over toward the source of the sound that the pebbles made. Black Daze then jumped down silently from the trees and went inside the trailer. The only place big enough for him to hide was inside her closet, which was barely big enough for his large frame. He crouched down low and waited for the mare to return.

Trixie was disappointed that the offender was nowhere to be seen, and since she was tired, she didn't want to chase after him/her anyway. She slowly made her way back to her trailer and shut the door, then she went back to her bed to lie down and mope some more. She even started sobbing, which stirred the oats of compassion inside Daze once more. This pony, no matter how good or wicked she may be, did not deserve to live like this. He was probably gonna scare her coming out of her closet all the sudden, but that was fine with him, as long as they got to talk.

"So…why don't you tell me what has you so upset?" Daze asked, coming out of Trixie's closet and surprising her a great deal.

Now Trixie was beyond spooked. Trixie felt like she was going to have a heart attack right then and there. The 'vile creature' she saw yesterday was in her trailer, talking to her. By comparison, it was like finding a talking zombie lying next to you when you woke up. So naturally, she didn't respond in complete sentences.

"You…you are in….Trailer…MY trailer….talking….to ME IN MY TRAILER!" She managed to get out before passing out on the bed.

Well Black Daze, you sure are good at handling delicate situations…aren't you... You stupid bastard you.
He thought sarcastically to himself. There was only one thing to do now… he picked up Trixie and carried her in his arms to his camp.

Back at the camp, Chrysalis had recently woken up from her nap and found that it was dark outside. It was her kind of night, the wind was chilly, there was a gust in the air, and it was slightly overcast. She saw Black Daze returning with Trixie in his arms. She really didn't know what to think, Chrysalis galloped over to see what had happened.

"I told you to try again, not kill the poor mare!" Chrysalis scolded.

Black Daze folded his ears back. "She is NOT dead. She just passed out when I came from my hiding spot."

"And where, pray tell, was this hiding spot of yours?"

"Inside her closet..." Daze said sheepishly.

Chrysalis face-hoofed. "You have absolutely NO idea how scary that sounds, do you? You suck at handling delicate situations."

"I figured that out myself, and I already got on to myself about that." Black Daze groaned.

"Well…what now?" Chrysalis asked, looking at the fainted mare in Daze's arms.

"Now, we wait till she comes to so we can talk to her." Daze said logically.

"Oh of course." Chrysalis replied. And with that they sat down around the camp and waited.

Meanwhile, back at Ponyville….

Spike was laying on the couch, bored out of his mind. He didn't have anything to do now that Twilight was gone. He thought about cooking something for himself, but he didn't quite have the energy to do so. It wasn't long until there was a knock on the door. Spike got up and approached the door, wondering who might be visiting him at this point in time. He was surprised to see Applebloom at his door. Spike gestured her in and asked what she needed.

"Heya Spike, is Twilight gone on that monster hunt too?" The filly asked. Spike only nodded.

"I had this AH-MA-ZING idea!" Applebloom continued. "What if you, me, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle were to go off and help them if they needed it. We wouldn't show ourselves unless they needed help though."

Spike was interested in this idea, he was always up to helping Twilight, no matter the circumstances.
"Okay, I'm game, are we gonna go get the others now?"

"Of course Spike, let's go!" Applebloom answered. And with that they ran to Rarity's Boutique.

At Carousel Boutique…

"C'mon Opalescence, just a bite!" Sweetie Belle pleaded. Opal was just not in a listening mood today. She wasn't in the mood to eat dinner and you can't just make a cat eat. Sweetie Belle was just about to give up when there was a knock on the door.

"Hm, I wonder who that might be…" Sweetie Belle said to herself. There wasn't any expected company for the evening and the Carousel Boutique did say that it was closed…She opened the door and found her friend Applebloom and Spike at the door.

"Oh…hi guys!" She said happily. "What brings you here?"

"Sweetie Belle! Me and Spike had this amazing Idea!" Applebloom exclaimed.

"Really, what is it?" Sweetie Belle responded. She was waiting for someone to cure her of her boredom. And who better to do it than one of her fellow crusaders. Spike spoke next.

"So is Rarity on that monster hunt too?" Spike asked.

"Mm-hmm, what is this great idea of yours, Applebloom?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"We're all gonna go on a monster hunt of our own! If we see that our sisters are having trouble, then we'll go and help them!" Applebloom said excitedly.

"Sounds FUN! We're going to make sure it's a success!" Sweetie Belle responded.

"Aren't we going to go get Scootaloo?" Spike asked. Scootaloo, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle normally traveled as the Cutie Mark Crusaders. To go without Scootaloo would be very out of character.

"Of course! Let's go!" Sweetie Belle said. "But wait…who's going to look after Opal?" She then asked.

"I have an idea…" Applebloom said with a sly smirk.

At Ponyville Square…

Big Macintosh was selling apples over at the stand. He had made a cozy little profit and was going to pack up in a few hours when Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Spike approached him with Sweetie Belle carrying Opalescence in her mouth.

"Hey big brother! Me and Spike and the other two Cutie Mark Crusaders are going to go on a monster hunt and we need someone to watch Opal and I was like "you know, I think I know who would do good at this, my big brother Big Macintosh and everyone agreed so you get to watch her until we get back kay thanks bye!" Applebloom said unusually fast before Sweetie Belle plopped the fat cat in an empty apple basket. Opal then proceeded to lie down and take a cat nap inside the basket. Then the 3 youngsters ran off to find Scootaloo. Big Mac looked at the cat, then back up, then back to the cat. He figured that Applebloom had a good explanation to this, and so shrugged it off and went back to selling apples.

It wasn't long before Scootaloo saw the party of three and ran over.

"Hey guys! What are you all gathered around for? It's not every day Spike's with us!" Scootaloo said to her friends.

"Scootaloo! Is Rainbow Dash gone as well?" Sweetie Belle asked out of curiosity.

"She sure is! That monster doesn't stand a chance!" Scootaloo said proudly.

"Now what would she need Rainbow Dash for?" Spike thought. He understood that she might bring Rarity, a fellow unicorn, to lure him away with gems or Applejack, to bring along food, but why Rainbow Dash? The only reason would be more muscle power. But wasn't Twilight's magic enough? He had confidence in Twilight's abilities. He didn't know this monster's capabilities however. So he only hoped they could take him down.

"Well now that we're all here, shall we go? If we succeed in this, you know what this means!" Applebloom asked excitedly.

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS MONSTER HUNTERS!" The three fillies shouted in unison. Spike groaned at their childish grasp of the situation. The four youngsters set off in the Everfree forest, following the footsteps of the mares that had gone before them. They were going to help their siblings/idol/surrogate mother, or die trying.

Meanwhile…At Black Daze's camp…

Trixie was starting to come to. She remembered why she passed out, but she regretted remembering instantly. Those reptilian eyes, so scary. And those teeth, surely he could tear her neck open with one bite. She trembled just thinking about it. But as she trembled, she realized that she was not in the creaky old bed in her trailer, but in somepony's arms. Somepony's scaly arms. A look of horror befell her face when she opened her eyes and was face to face with the monster she met earlier. She wanted to scream, but something was preventing her from doing so. Perhaps it was the gentle look in his eyes. Unknown to her though, the only reason they were gentle was because she was being so quiet and Daze liked quiet things…Generally speaking.

"Evening, glad to see you're up, you've been out for a while." He said tenderly, as if talking to a little sister rather than a stranger. Black Daze saw her living conditions and felt a great deal of sympathy for Trixie. He had to live in the forest, yes. But she stuck to such a horribly kept trailer. Daze figured that she probably needed a friend since nopony would even think to look in a trailer in the middle of the forest.

Chrysalis called out. "Is she up Dazey? Good heavens, get her over here and get her a drink. I'm sure she's thirsty." She commanded in that slightly distorted voice that Daze actually found somewhat cute….

Daze groaned at 'Dazey.' "Sure, whatever Chrissy." He said in that normally calm voice of his. He carried her over to the sitting log by the fireplace and sat her down. Trixie secretly wanted to stay in his arms though, something about his arms was strangely comforting. They were strong and warm, despite being covered in scales. She was handed a leaf shaped cup with fresh water in it. She took a sip and then Spoke.

"Who…are you want what is this place?" She said in a half-panicked, half-calm voice.

"I'm Chrysalis: Former Queen of the Changelings welcome to our camp. And this here is Black Daze, but you may call him Dazey." She said with a smile. Black Daze shot her a death glare.

"ErmmHRMHRMhmHRM... yes." Daze followed up with. "Now tell us who you are."

Trixie took another sip of water before speaking. "Prepare yourselves, for you are in the presence of the GREAT and POWERFUL TRIXIE!" Trixie exclaimed before striking a dramatic pose. Chrysalis seemed amused by this, Daze however, rolled his eyes.

"And what, pray tell, is a pony as great and powerful as yourself doing here in the Everfree forest? Did the town not have enough space for your over-sized ego?" Daze mocked.

Trixie got an unamused look on her face. "The Great and Powerful Trixie will let that wise crack slide…this time." Then she took another sip of water.

Black Daze beckoned Chrysalis over and whispered. "You know, for taking her in and offering her a drink, she's being pretty ungrateful." He whispered.

"Oh hush. Who knows how long she has been out here. She might be legitimately nuts for all we know. Besides, it's not that bad, Dazey." Chrysalis whispered back.

"I'm going to put dead bird spines in your hair if you keep calling me that!" Daze threatened.

"…that's….interesting…never really heard that threat before…" Was all Chrysalis could manage to say. Then again, it was Black Daze; the same pony that lived in the forest for 8 years and perhaps had to improvise his own comebacks based on experience. Now bird spines? That got Chrysalis to shudder a bit at the thought.

"I really think you and 'The Great and Powerful Trixie' need to have a talk. Why not take a walk together? It'll be fun!" Chrysalis teased. She really wanted them to take a walk though. Perhaps Trixie would tell Daze about why she was…the way she is.

"Fine, it's not like I had anything better to do tonight anyways." Daze responded. Chrysalis couldn't help but feel a bit surprised at how willingly Daze accepted her request. He was obviously very bored in that case. Chrysalis led him to Trixie and spoke in a straight-forward tone.

"Trixie…"

"You mean the Great and Powerful Trixie."

"Whatever. I decree that you and Dazey here shall go on a walk to get to know each other more. Sound good?"

"Trixie will go, mainly because she has nothing better to do anyway." Again, this wasn't expected reaction. But that was alright. At least they're going.

"Alrighty then, see you when you get back." Chrysalis said. Daze walked off in a familiar path and Trixie followed beside him.

A few minutes of silence passed before Daze spoke to Trixie.

"Well, I guess I better tell you about myself." Daze deduced.

"You should." Trixie said, still slightly bitter about being scared out of her wits earlier.

Meanwhile on a dirt road not too far off…

"Any sign of him yet?" Twilight asked Rarity, who was performing the 'life detection spell' every couple of meters along the path.

"Nope, not a single…wait. I detect two figures. One tall and one short about 50 meters away from where we are."

"How short."

"About as short as us. The taller figure is about Ailcorn sized." Rarity said.

"That's how big he was! Let's go!" Applejack exclaimed.

"Wait!" Twilight exclaimed. "We don't know if we're dealing with a monster and a minion or a happy couple on a stroll. Let's approach them slowly and then decide our plan of attack if necessary."

Her friends saw the logic in Twilight's words and so they decided to go with her plan. The walked casually along the road, ready to fight or remain calm.

Back to Trixie and Daze though, since they're such a more interesting duo ;)

Black Daze had just finished telling the story of his life to Trixie. While Chrysalis was deeply sorry, Trixie didn't seem to care, but that was only what it looked like on the outside. On the inside, she felt sort of bad, since she knew what it was like to be an outcast. She dared not show it though.

"You're a very lucky colt, you know, Dazer." Trixie said to Daze.

"It's Black Daze now." Daze said plainly.

"Whatever. It's not every day that somepony as plain as yourself gets to meet a pony as great and powerful as I am." She said in her usual hubris attitude.

"Woman!" Black Daze exclaimed. "I can burn down forests with blue fire that is over 9000 degrees Fahrenheit and can slice trees down with my bare claws and you have the AUDACITY to call me plain?" Daze exclaimed, quickly getting annoyed.

"Impressive as you may be, you will never be as great and powerful as I am." Trixie retorted.

"Why don't you shut your mouth?" Daze responded.

"Why don't you make me?" Trixie shot back.

"Don't you push me, woman!" Daze snapped.

"You really ought to show some respect, ruffian." Trixie snapped back.

"You're one to talk, queen B." Daze retorted.

"QUEEN B? You, sir are just ASKING to be hoofed across the face, aren't you." Trixie said, stamping her hoof.

"You are by far, the most ego-centric mare I've ever met!" Daze replied.

"And YOU are the most hot-headed stallion…dragon thingy that I've ever met." Trixie growled.

"I also bet I'm the only one you've met." Daze said with a smirk.

"THERE HE IS! Girls I found him!" A voice came from the horizon. Trixie and Black Daze looked up and saw Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie all looking at him. Black Daze knew these mares, except the pink one. The pink one was new. He hoped she was as sensible as Rarity was. She didn't look too threatening though as she was bouncing up and down regularly. She should consider decaf.

Twilight's gaze fell upon Trixie. "YOU!" She glared at Trixie.

"YOU!" Trixie said back.

"YOU!" Rarity snapped at Trixie, remembering what she did to her mane.

"YOU!" Applejack said, glaring at Black Daze.

"YOU!" Daze growled, remembering Applejack.

"YOU!" Rainbow Dash said, slamming her hooves together at Black Daze.

"YOU!" Black Daze shot a glare back, then cracked his scaly knuckles.

"PINKIE PIE!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, jumping up in the middle of their stare-down.

"Pinkie pie…" Twilight face-hoofed.

"Well well well…" Rainbow Dash observed. "It looks like we're gonna have quite the rumble here. Rarity and Twilight will take Trixie, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and I will be more than a match for the monster here."

"Call me a monster will you?" Black Daze said as he spat fourth a bluish white fire ball that Rainbow Dash dodged. It hit the ground near her and resulted in a small explosion. Although nopony was damaged, Rainbow Dash could feel the heat radiating even after the fireball hit the ground. She was going to have to be careful.

In the bushes off the side of the dirt path, four youngsters were secretly spectating the fight.

"Go get em, Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo quietly cheered.

"Show that crazy mare who's boss!" Sweetie Belle whispered.

"Put that monster in his place, big sis!" Applebloom cheered softly.

"You can do it, Twilight!" Spike whispered.

The stage was set and the combatants were ready. It was starting to rain as both sides charged toward each other, except Pinkie Pie, who bounced over cheerfully. Black Daze was unamused that Pinkie Pie didn't take him seriously. Or Rainbow Dash for that matter. Trixie's alliance with him was based on mutual hate. And afterwards, well who knows. Would they casually continue their walk? Would they win?

Or will they be defeated, and face possible death…

Author's note: Special thanks to Roman Empire and LeSpy for helping me write this :D you guys are awesome! Keep up the awesome reviews and I will provide excellent work.