Dimension: My Little Pony

Planet: Equestria Earth

Specific Location: Canterlot Castle

Time: Three days after the arrival of Flaming Star

Flaming Star opened his eyes and looked around. The first thing he noticed was Twilight, who was still completely asleep. Smiling calmly, shifting a little bit to get comfortable, he prepared to drift back to sleep when he heard a voice.

"You're awake, Flaming Star. I need to talk to you."

It was Sunset. Flaming Star scrambled up, but was careful not to wake Spike or Twilight, who was still clutching to one of his hoofs. He cleared his throat and said, "Can… can I help you?"

Sunset nodded and said, "Xaphan was here, and he said that Legion had returned."

Flaming Star nodded. "I thought that that was a possibility," he replied, "If Legion has returned, then he will undoubtedly try to destroy the harmony units. What's more, if he is free from his icy prison, then he knows our situation, that we are the last true travelers. And if he knows that, then this place will be the focus point of his attacks. The harmony tree will prevent this universe from being completely destroyed, but it will not prevent us from all being slaughtered."

Sunset nodded again. "That is understood, come on, Flaming Star, Luna and Celestia are meeting up in Ponyville, we must join them and explain the situation."

Flaming Star started to get up, paused, and then sat down again. "No," he said, "I'm not leaving Twilight's side. I'm staying here."

Sunset blinked. "You do realize how important this is, don't you?" he asked, almost incredulously, "Since when did having a dear friend get into the way of victories and glories?"

Flaming Star looked pointedly at Sunset and replied, "Since when did having a wife get into the way of mindlessly killing civilians?"

Sunset smiled. "You have changed, firstborn," he said, "And it is for the better. I will deal with it; you watch over Twilight and keep her safe."

With that, Sunset teleported away, leaving Flaming Star all alone. Flaming Star sighed, he had passed the test: he was true to himself. Lying down next to Twilight's head, Flaming Star drifted back to sleep.

Dimension: My Little Pony

Planet: Equestria Earth

Specific Location: Ponyville Town Square

Time: 1004 years after the defeat of Nightmare Moon

Celestia quickly cantered up to Luna, who had landed in a hurry in Ponyville town square.

"Sister!" exclaimed Luna, "We were under attack… by demons!"

There was a pause as Luna noticed the battle-scarred area. She looked at Celesta, who was still bleeding from her wound on her head. "Were… were they here too?"

Celestia nodded, and Luna rushed up to hug her.

"They were, dear sister," murmured Celestia, "But they are gone. Sunset and I defeated them here. How is the castle?"

Luna, still burying her face in Celestia, replied, "It is safe. We lost a score of guards at most, but Flaming Star managed to defeat them all. Equestria is safe, I believe… for now."

Celestia nodded, speaking softly. "We are, as of now, at war. We must set up shields and send out patrols, scouring all of Equestria. We do not know when the next demon wave will come."

Luna pulled back and said, "Yes, we must. But where is Sunset? He must know of what to do."

Sunset at that moment teleported in, and Celestia turned to him. "Sunset Shadow," she said, "Do you know what the next step must be?"

Sunset shook his head. "We can only wait," he replied, "there is certainly going to be another attack, but I do not know where it will be, or when it will be. Legion is crafty, and almost swung the traveler-demon war his way more than once, I do not know what to expect. We must simply wait… and prepare."

Celestia nodded, "I understand. We will set up shields around the major cities, and Ponyville, and start an airbase scouting system based in Cloudsdale. We will have Pegasus scouts networking the whole of Equestria, searching for a sign. Do we know how many demons would attack us at maximum?"

Sunset shrugged, "Millions at maximum, but Legion doesn't work that way."

"Do you know how he works his plans, then?"

"No. I do not have enough experience with him, I only fought Abbadon and his battalion of demon warriors, the traveler-demon war was over two thousand years ago."

"Do you know someone who can tell us of what to expect? Where is Flaming Star?"

"Flaming Star is resting with Twilight Sparkle, I suggest we do not disturb them as of yet; we are safe for now."

With that, Sunset galloped at top speed to his house. Flinging open the door, he leapt inside and was met by Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy.

Fluttershy leapt up when she saw him and seized him in a tight hug. Tears seeped from the corner of her eyes as she said, "Oh, Sunset! I was so WORRIED!"

"We were all worried," said Rarity as she trotted up, "We hadn't the slightest idea what was going on! Fortunately the demons didn't hurt my home, or many other ponies' homes for that matter."

Sunset hugged Fluttershy tightly back and looked over her as he said, "How is everpony?"

Applejack winked, "We're just dandy! A little shaken up, but I think Rainbow got the worst of it, but she's fine."

As Fluttershy released him, Sunset moved up to Rainbow lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. "Are you okay, Rainbow?"

Rainbow nodded and said, "I… I guess. I've never been in a fight before, and seeing that one pony get blown in two was terrible…"

Sunset winced as the memory came back. "I know, war is a terrible thing, but you kept going and completed your mission, that is more than any of us could have asked for."

He then turned to Pinkie Pie and said, "Where were you when this was going on?"

Pinkie, who didn't seem in any way put out with the day's events scratched her head and said, "Eh… I was bouncing around when suddenly everything went dark. A blanket from a clothes hanger had somehow fallen over me. At first I thought I was in a hide and seek tag game with all that screaming going on, so I pretended to hide. After a while I got bored and came out! Rarity wasn't home, so I came here and found you all! Why, what's going on? Is it… A PARTY?!"

Sunset rolled his eyes and said, "Yeah… It was a party. Trust me, you didn't miss anything. What we need to do now is stay calm, I don't want to alarm you all, but there is a certainty that there will be another attack, princesses Celestia and Luna are preparing for the worst, and I am going to help them. I need you guys to take care of each other."

Applejack nodded. "Just like old times! Uh… where's Twi and Spike?"

Sunset waved a hoof in a randomly picked direction, "Oh, she's with Flaming Star, protecting Canterlot castle during the absence of Luna and Celestia. What's important is that you guys stay safe."

Applejack and Rarity nodded and Rainbow Dash saluted. "You can count on me!" she exclaimed.

Fluttershy moved up and took Sunset's hoof. "What about you? Who will keep you safe?"

Sunset grinned. "I'll be fine, dear. I have no intention of dying… ever."

Fluttershy wrung her mane as she replied, "Oh… but I can't take the thought of you being all alone, without friends."

Sunset kissed her forehead and said, "Who said I was going to be alone? I'm staying within Equestria, and no doubt I will have somepony with me. We need to just make sure Equestria is secure from another attack."

Fluttershy moved closed and grabbed Sunset and pulled him into another hug. Sunset simply held it there and closed his eyes.

Applejack blushed and looked at the rest and said, "Well, y'all, I gotta get goin'. I need to make sure Sweet Apple Acres is all secure and like for the upcoming harvest. Can't be havin' no demons comin' in and messing up my crop!"

Rarity nodded, "Oh yes, most certainly! I will be back at my abode… doing, er, something."

Rainbow nodded, "Yep! I'm going to see what I can do for princess Celestia! Come ON Pinkie!"

Rainbow grabbed Pinkie and the four left as Fluttershy and Sunset continued hugging.

Dimension: My Little Pony

Planet: Equestria Earth

Specific Location: Canterlot Castle

Time: Four days after the arrival of Flaming Star

Flaming Star's eyes snapped open. He looked around, Twilight was STILL unconscious, but Spike was beginning to stir. Flaming Star stretched out a hoof and poked him. Groaning, Spike opened an eye and then shut it again. After a moment of silence, Spike slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes. Suddenly he jumped up and shouted, "Demons! Bad! Help!"

Quickly, Flaming Star got up and slapped a hoof over his mouth. "Shhh! Not so loud! Twilight is asleep!"

Spike swayed in place as he shook his head. She then looked at Twilight, and then at Flaming Star.

"What happened?" he asked.

Flaming Star rubbed his head as he said, "Well, I came in just in time to save Twilight. However, her back leg is broken badly. She passed out from the pain a while ago."

Tears welled up in Spike's eyes as he said, "Oh man… I hope she's okay!"

Flaming Star gently rolled Twilight onto her back. Prying his hoof from Twilight's grasp he began to gently feel her broken leg, wincing as his senses alerted him of multiple fractures and a total break and dislocation of the bone.

"That goddamn demon… He got less than he deserved, doing this to her." Muttered Flaming Star.

Spike went up and gently tapped Flaming Star, "Can you help her?"

Flaming Star pulled a face. "I really hope so," he replied, "I really, really hope so."

He began to slowly massage her leg, letting healing energy flow out of him and into the broken leg. There were clicks and snaps as the bone began to move around. Just the sounds cause Spike to feint again. Ignoring the prone form of Spike, Flaming Star continued his work. After a minute or so, he sighed, it was done. She would most certainly be limping for a bit, but the damage was reversed.

At that moment, Twilight shifted in her sleep, ever so slightly. Leaning forward, Flaming Star pressed his forehead against hers, blazing his eyes into her soul through her closed eyelids, looking for a sign of her awakening. She shifted again and slowly opened her bright eyes. She immediately noticed Flaming Star, whose eyes were literally a hairsbreadth away. She blinked, and Flaming Star sighed and moved backwards. He then pulled her into a sitting position. Rubbing her eyes, Twilight looked around blearily.

"Wha… What happened?" she murmured.

Flaming Star smiled. "You were unconscious," he said, "So I healed your broken bone."

Twilight looked around again as she said, "How is everypony? Where is Spike?"

Flaming Star patted her hoof and said, "Everypony is safe, the demons are gone. Spike is over there. He was awake earlier, but he feinted again as I fixed your broken leg."

Twilight motioned for Flaming Star to come closer, and he complied. Leaning forward shakily, she grasped him in a hug. Flaming Star awkwardly returned the favor. After a moment, he slowly eased away.

"Can you walk?" he said.

Twilight shook her head. "I have no idea," she replied.

Flaming Star got up and slowly helped her onto all fours. Shakily, she took a limping step, then two. Flaming Star gave a huge breath of relief and then turned to Spike. Shaking him gently, he brought the baby dragon back to his senses. Spike opened his eyes and saw Twilight.

"Twi!" he exclaimed, and he rushed forward to hug her. After a moment, he said, "What's going on?"

Twilight rubbed the back of her head as she replied, "I really am not sure. There was that demon… but then Flaming Star saved me. I think everything is fine now."

Flaming Star nodded. "Everything is fine. What we need to do now is prepare Canterlot for a whole new level of warfare. I know how Legion works; I fought him in the traveler-demon war. He isn't going to follow up with another demon attack, they were just scouts. He will either send in a group of elite demons as a strike force, or maybe even a team of arch-demons to fight us. He won't send an army just yet."

Twilight bowed her head, "I couldn't even fight one. How are we to stop them?" A lone tear fell from her eyes and splashed to the ground.

Flaming Star smiled quietly. Trotting up to her, he lifted her chin, as they made eye contact, Flaming Star seized her in his first EVER given hug from his heart. After a pause, the door to her room opened, and none other than princess Cadence stepped in. She looked at them and said, "Oh… I'm sorry…"

Flaming Star and Twilight released each other and turned to Cadence.

Twilight limped up to her and said, "Hello Cadence! This is the alicorn I told you about! Flaming Star!"

Cadence gave him a bow, and Flaming Star returned it. "Shining Armor and I have shown up to see what was happening," Cadence explained. "Sunset showed up to tell me that Ponyville and Canterlot had been under attack by a demon strike force, and to be on the lookout. He said he and his wife were holding Ponyville, while you and Flaming Star were protecting here. I didn't want to leave my sister-in-law hanging, so Shining Armor and I came here as fast as we could!"

Twilight gave Cadence a huge smile. "Thanks, Cadence! We really appreciate it. So far, everything looks quiet."

Cadence nodded. "From the looks of it, repairs are underway, and the citizens have been calmed down. Everything seems to be under control."

At that moment, Shining Armor strolled in. Twilight limped up to him and gave him a hug.

"Hey sis!" he exclaimed, "How are you?"

Twilight smiled ruefully and scratched the back of her head, saying, "I'm okay. I sorta broke my leg while fighting a demon, but I'm fine now. Flaming Star defeated them all."

Flaming Star frowned, his thoughts momentarily lingering on his failure to annihilate Xaphan. Then he nodded and went up to Shining Armor. He bowed low and said, "I am pleased to meet you."

Shining Armor returned the bow and said, "Likewise. Flaming Star, from what Twilight has told us about you in her last letter, you know about what is going on?"

Flaming Star nodded. "I do. It seems that the demon commander-in-chief, Legion, has broken free of the prison that had held him in the infernal realm for a long time. If this is true, he is preparing to assault this dimension to destroy the tree of harmony, something that all demons fear. We defeated the advance party, but Legion will not necessarily follow up with a battalion of demons. He will probably follow up with a group of heavy-hitters to weaken a specific location and to gain a foothold."

Shining Armor nodded. "I understand. So what we need to do is disperse our own 'heavy-hitters' in important locations that are likely prone to attack in order to cancel their elite forces."

Flaming Star nodded. "Agreed. Undoubtedly we will be spread thin though, so we will need to have an efficient communication and relocation system in order for us to refocus reinforcements when we are attacked."

"We could use Cloudsdale Pegasus, or the Wonderbolts, as messangers," suggested Cadence.

Flaming Star and Twilight nodded, and Shining Armor said, "Excellent. We are in agreement."

Flaming Star raised a hoof, and a magic-induced hologram of Equestria appeared in the center of Twilight's room. After a pause of looking it over, Flaming Star said, "The prime locations are Canterlot, the capital, Ponyville, the homes of the harmony bearers, and the Everfree forest, the harmony tree's location. Unless I am mistaken, the scouting parties only hit Ponyville and Canterlot, which leads me to assume that they have not yet deduced that the Everfree forest houses the harmony tree."

Twilight peered at the map and said, "That's good. We need to keep the focus away from it as possible. Do we have any suggestions on how to do that?"

Shining Armor shrugged. "It's risky," he said, "but I suggest we focus a large group of guards and maybe you or Sunset in a totally different town to completely throw off Legion's sense of location of where the tree is."

"That is a risky, but excellent, idea," said Flaming Star, "do we have any prime locations where we could set up such a diversion?"

"I know of some good places," interjected Twilight, pointing at the map, "We could either do Dodge Junction, or maybe even Vanhoover. They are both remote, concentrated, sparsely inhabited, and quite a ways from the Everfree forest."

Flaming Star nodded his head vigorously, "Nice choices Twilight. We also have another advantage: we have Discord."

Cadence looked at Flaming Star and raised an eyebrow. "Discord?" she asked, "What does he have to do with this?"

Twilight's eyes brightened, "I forgot! Discord is a dimensional traveler too!"

Cadence looked at Flaming Star, and then looked at Twilight. "Why didn't I ever know this?"

Twilight blushed and looked at her hoofs. "Sorry," she mumbled, "I sort of forgot after Sunset told me."

Flaming Star waved a hoof. "It's okay, it's not important. It is best that the extent of his powers is kept a secret. What we need to do now is ask him to watch over the Everfree forest. This way, if Shining Armor and I gambled wrong, he can hold the demons off long enough for Sunset and I to get there."

Shining Armor nodded decisively. "Wonderful, we have a plan."

Spike then spoke up. "Great! Um… Flaming Star? How long do you think we have?"

Flaming Star grimaced. "I really don't know. Demons have dimensional traveler-equivalent lifespans, so a hundred years is a mere blink in their existence. With this mindset, we could be waiting years. Or we could be waiting seconds. We cannot really-"

Flaming Star stopped and looked out the window. He squinted his eyes as he continued peering into the distance.

"Flaming Star?" asked Twilight, who began to feel very nervous, "What is it?"

Flaming Star's eyes widened in pure horror as he shouted, "DATHAN!"

Then the room exploded.

Note: Sorry for the long pause everypony! I have been busy with other stuff. Fortunately, I managed to stockpile a couple of extra chapters in my Doc Manager, so I think we'll be set with the chapter updates for a few days or so! Don't forget to review! I love reviews!