S3 Eps 11 and 12 combined! I was gonna do them separately but then figured why not combine them? Just for Sidekicks for the beginning and end and Games Ponies Play for the middle. But soon we'll close the book on this season finally with Magical Mystery Cure!

Malibu one cheerful day had decided to go and visit Spike, Shadow on his shoulder. He was rather happy this morning because him and his other friends were called to the Crystal Empire for an important task.

He couldn't wait to see Cadence and explore more of the empire, before soon Malibu nearly ran into Fluttershy who had Angel on her shoulder.

"What's going on, Fluttershy?" Malibu asked curiously. Fluttershy lowered her head a little.

"Oh, uh, just visiting Spike too," She said nervously as the duo reached the library. But before he could knock, a shout was heard from inside. "WHYYYY?!" It sounded like Spike.

He and Fluttershy looked at one another in confusion as Malibu tried to knock again. "Spike? You there?"

The door opened, revealing Spike looking quite downcast while holding a bowl of what looked like cake mix to Malibu. "Hey." He mumbled, Fluttershy gasping a little. "Oh! Oh goodness, I-I hope I'm not interrupting anything," She said in fear.

Spike shrugged. "Well… I do have this cake to not bake." He said in a sarcastic sounding way.

Malibu swished his tail. "I'm sorry if we were interrupting," he apologized, backing up while Shadow squeaked on his shoulder at Owlowiscious who hooted back in greeting.

"Uh, inside joke. Talk to me." Spike invited with a smile. Fluttershy flushed, talking again.

"It's just that… Princess Cadence needs us to do a great job welcoming the Head of the Equestrian Games when she visits the Crystal Empire tomorrow—." She started, Malibu cutting her off.

"We already know," He muttered under his breath, gesturing to Spike who looked rather downcast. Spike kicked the ground. "Oh, yeah. As if I wouldn't be any help at welcoming…"

Fluttershy's ears lowered. "I don't know what was I thinking. Of course you might be upset for not being invited, and… here I am coming to ask you for a favor. You were probably going to say no anyway. All I had to offer you in exchange is one little jewel," She said sadly, which perked up Spike's interest almost instantly.

"What was that?" Spike yelped. Malibu watched Fluttershy pull out a large green jewel. "All I have is this jewel.

Malibu noted Spike's eyes fill with lust for the jewel which made him chuckle. "That's-that's a really big one!" He took it in his claws. "A really big, juicky, perfect-for-a-cake-topper jewel!"

Fluttershy smiled in hope. "So does that mean you'll do it?" She asked. Spike nodded, stroking the jewel, more focused on that than what Fluttershy had on mind. "Yeah… sure…"

"Oh, thank you, thank you! So while I'm gone, you'll take care of Angel, and tomorrow is Tuesday, which is his tail fluffing day, and it's really important for him to look good." Fluttershy offered then as a task.

The former gargoyle clone felt startled a little that Fluttershy would trust Spike to look after her beloved bunny since before he wasn't quite the animal whisperer. But… since he seemed to be the only available friend remaining behind. Possibly, Malibu could leave Shadow with him, just to test to see if he could take care of the animals better this time.

Spike however was not quite pleased. "Wait, what? You want me to take care of him?" He said in an annoyed voice, Angel blowing a raspberry. Shadow narrowed his eyes too. He himself, being a bat never fancied Angel much but enjoyed the company of Owlowiscious, Opalescence, Winona, Tank, and Gummy the most.

Fluttershy nodded. "Oh, well, yes. But if it is too much trouble, I can always see if there is somepony else." She took the jewel back, beginning to walk away but Spike wasn't so quick to give up on the jewel.

"Uhh… we already agreed on the whole jewel thing, so I'll just…" He snatched it up again, Fltutershy then nuzzling him which was rather cute to Malibu. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! Angel, aren't you just so excited?"

Angel gave not so happy squeaks, latching himself to Fluttershy as she left. "See you tomorrow!" Fluttershy called while Malibu remained to see if he could give Spike some pointers.

Spike then looked over at his bat. "Uh, Mal, any chance… I could possibly take care of your little batty friend too? Bet the Crystal Empire doesn't want any bats around in their city."

Malibu stroked his chin. "Dunno. If you can handle it of course," He then said. Spike nodded, jumping up and down. "Oh, yes, yes! I can!" He exclaimed.

Sighing, Malibu reluctantly agreed, pulling out a jewel he had in his own pouch which was a diamond, giving it to Spike. "Take very good care of him or you'll have to face me about it," Malibu warned upon taking his leave since the 7 friends would leave on the train around 9:00.

"I will! I promise!" Spike said, but his eyes were latched onto the jewels he had in his measuring cup the most.

….

The next morning came, Malibu having packed himself up for the ride to the Crystal Empire. When he arrived however, he was greeted with a big surprise.

Several of his friends' pets besides Owlowiscious were in there already with the rest of the 7. Malibu now wondered if Spike had somehow bribed them with gems into letting him take care of the pets.

He narrowed his eyes at Spike who looked up nervously. "So, you seem quite eager to become an animal caretaker huh?" Malibu asked in some suspicion.

Spike swallowed. "This was for a good cause for my friends, honest!"

"And not just for the gems? For I would probably want mine back if you didn't for real take care of Shadow," Malibu said harshly, petting his bat on the head. Spike trembled but then shook his head. "I'll take care of them all, I promise."

Malibu took his word for now as Twilight suddenly appeared with Owlowiscious on her back. "I don't remember seeing critters on the invite list," She said curiously.

"Because Spike here offered to pet sit," Malibu brought up, pushing Spike forward who still looked rather embarrassed to say it in front of Twilight. She gave Spike a raised brow. "Really?"

Fluttershy burst open the door, panting a little. "So sorry I'm late. Silly bunny had hidden his brush." Malibu saw Angel folding his arms, growling, and that there were curlers on his tail as well. "Be sure you get plenty on his tail, or it won't get as poofy as he likes it." She nuzzled him gently.

Applejack went up to the door now. "Come on, everypony, or we're gonna miss the train." Winona woofed, pawing her. "One more for the road?" Applejack cooed, petting her belly.

Malibu looked about, smiling at his friends being affectionate to their pets when Shadow flapped in his ear, squeaking, making him chuckle. He petted Shadow on the head. "I trust you'll keep them in line?" He questioned. Shadow nodded. Of course he will. "I'll miss you, little guy," Malibu said in a slightly sad voice, nuzzling him.

Shadow flew off, landing near Spike while Spike glanced up at Owlowiscious. "So, uhh… what are you thinking about that hooting little friend of yours? Suppose you want me to keep an eye on him too."

Twilight grinned. "That would be nice. You sure you don't already have your hands full?"

Spike scoffed. "Nah, pshaw. I'll be fine. But, uh, just between you and me, I gotta give priority to the… paying customers." He held out his measuring cup much to Malibu's annoyance, seeing Twilight roll her eyes, throwing a pink jewel in.

Twilight and Malibu both went out the door together, Malibu glancing back at Spike in concern. "You sure you got this?" Malibu asked. Spike grinned confidently. "Of course! Wouldn't have agreed to if I couldn't. Piece of cake. Speaking of cake, I got a little something I need to attend to." The baby dragon pulled out a cookbook.

It made the female unicorn glare. "Yeah, like keeping an eye on a houseful of critters." Spike slurped at his cake in the book then turned quickly. "Uh, yeah. That was totally what I was thinking about!"

Spike pushed the two further out. "Relax. Go to your welcoming thing in the Crystal Empire. Spike's got it all under control." He then closed the door after one final goodbye.

Right as Malibu and Twilight began to walk away, the library exploded into chaos; animal noises echoing through the windows, making Maibu jump, worried for Shadow's saftey but Rainbow Dash grabbed his tail. "Come on, Mal! We're gonna miss our train!"

"Uh, alright, coming," Malibu responded, the clone gargoyle looking back once more then turning to follow. He was certain Shadow will handle things alright. More him than Spike for sure.

At the train station the Mane 7 waited in line. Applejack looked quite excited. "Oh, this is gonna be a real treat. Princess Cadance said she's never seen the Crystal Ponies so excited."

Malibu saw Rainbow Dash even more excited. "Duh! Of course they're excited! They're up for the Equestria Games!"

"To be honest, I have yet to see an Equestria Games event even happen," Malibu admitted awkwardly. Rainbow Dash was beyond stunned. "Are you for real?! It is only the biggest sporting event in all of Equestria!"

Rarity fluttered her eyelashes. "Didn't Cloudsdale host the Equestria games one year?" She asked curiously. Rainbow shook her head.

"No. Cloudsdale should've hosted the Games one year. I'll never forget when we got the bad news." Malibu saw that she was having her own kind of flashback as she told them how the inspector gave the games to Fillydelphia instead.

Rainbow's eyes watered for a second before it was gone. "These Crystal Ponies lost a thousand years to an evil king's curse. They've had enough bad news. No way we're letting them experience the pain of losing out on these games!"

The teal alicorn agreed with his marefriend, willing to help. "And I'm with you."

Twilight nodded. "Exactly. Princess Cadance is counting on us to do our part to convince the Games inspector to choose the Crystal Empire. And we are not gonna let her down. Are we?"

Before Malibu could speak Pinkie spread out her hooves; shouting, "NOOOOOOO!"

Everypony stared, Pinkie looking around at them. "What? I was just answering Twilight's question," She said in her goofy way, Malibu hoof palming himself in the forehead, shaking his head as they gave their tickets to the conductor and got on. He was mostly just excited to see the magnificent Crystal Empire again after some time of having not been there since their first visit.

….

The Friendship Express chugged along its merry way up north. Inside; the Mane 7 had been practicing their cheer for the Games inspector for the 12th time, Malibu feeling like he was running out of energy.

"Four, three, two, one! The Crystal Empire, that's the one!" They all chanted, Malibu panting afterward.

Pinkie Pie brought out her megaphone. "Ok, everypony, great job! Sounds like we're ready!" It caused himself and the other girls to cheer aloud except for Twilight who seemed stressed.

"One more time, from the top," She demanded, making them all groan. "Seriously?!" Malibu exclaimed, slumping against his seat, having enough of this chant.

Applejack glared too. "But, we've run this like, twelve times already! I think we've got it!"

Twilight shook her head. "Cadance said the Games inspector really puts folks through the wringer on her visits. There's no margin for error here. And this time we need to practice the steps."

"On a train car?" Applejack asked in a deadpanned tone. Malibu agreed. This was a little risky.

Rainbow Dash frowned, pushing them all up. "You heard the pony! On your hooves!" The gang began to start their cheer and balance act until the train came to a screeching halt. Malibu yelped out as he tumbled over, hitting his head on a seat.

"Crystal Empire! Watch your step leaving the train!" The conductor called, the 7 friends moaning.

"Probably should've watched our step while we were still on it too," AJ grumbled. Malibu stood up weakly, feeling like he was bruised all over. "You're tellin' me."

The gang wobbled out but then the sight of the Crystal Empire made them forget about their bruises. It looked even more shinier than Malibu remembered, his own eyes lighting up at the sight.

"Wow! The Crystal Empire looks crystallier than ever!" Pinkie Pie awed as the group ventured through the gate. Malibu thought that his eyes would go blind from how shiny the buildings were, seeing the ponies polishing pretty much everything.

"Jeez, they've really been cleaning every inch of this place," Malibu complimented as a Crystal Pony suddenly waved his hoof at him, Malibu waving nervously back. Almost everypony here knew him as much as Spike since he took on King Sombra.

"This must be why we were asked to handle the welcome committee routine." Twilight added in, Rainbow doing a flip in mid air. "And it's probably because we'll be awesome at it!"

Malibu jumped when some crystal colts ran by, one holding a flag in his mouth. "Princess Cadance was right. These ponies do look pretty darned excited," Applejack exclaimed. Rainbow Dash suddenly picked up one of the colts who looked a tad startled.

"Yup, I remember that feeling. But not as much as I remember the crushing wave of disappointment that came when things didn't work out." She said solemnly, and Malibu saw the colt's face begin to whimper. "That right there. That is the face I do not want to see!"

Twilight pulled Rainbow away before the colt could start crying, and Malibu gave him back his flag as well, smiling at him.

Soon the gang came across the Crystal Empire spa, opening the door. Malibu gazed in wonder at all the different places to get treatment which all looked great. "We're here," Twilight said, Cadance hearing her sister in law's voice, smiling. "There are my friends!"

"Cadance!" Grinned Malibu, running to greet her. The two hugged one another in an alicorn hug and then Cadance did her greeting with Twilight. "Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!"

The teal alicorn still somewhat found that a little awkward but busied himself by exploring, Rarity enjoying it even more than him. "Oh my. This is spectacular. Please, everypony, stand back! I need air!"

Cadance put a hoof on her shoulder. "Go ahead and try whatever you like. It's all complimentary for the welcome committee," She offered. Malibu's eyes beamed. What luxury just for a welcoming group!

"And how have you been faring, dear Malibu?" Cadance asked gently, a hoof under his chin. Malibu flushed. "Fine I suppose. A bit nervous about meeting the games inspector."

The pink alicorn put a wing around him. "Once you get past Miss Harshwinny's gruff side, she can be nice enough to be around. But you can ease off your nerves here." She gestured to what looked like a pool full of green goo. "That over there is a crystal mud bath, which relaxes your body and rejuvenates your coat. Now, I realize it can be kind of strange to climb into mud, but if you'll just give it a chance, I'm sure—."

Before Cadance could finish; Malibu jumped when Pinkie Pie let loose a whoop, diving into the mud bath. "Pinkie, no!" Twilight yelled out but too late. Pinkie sunk into the mud. "Ahh, so relaxing!"

Malibu noted how angry Twilight was until Cadance showed her how to calm down by breathing in, pulling a hoof to the chest, then breathing out. Twilight seemed much better afterward.

I should probably try that, Malibu noted silently when Cadance spoke again. "Go ahead, have a good time while I get my ceremonial headdress done."

Those words made Rarity jerk up in excitement. "Ceremonial… headdress?" She squeaked, Malibu laughing silently at her expression.

Cadance sat down in the chair and two mares went over. "When meeting with important guests, it was traditional for rulers of the Crystal Empire to weave crystals into their manes in a very specific way. The Games inspector is known for doing her homework. She'll certainly be expecting my look to reflect the importance of her visit."

Malibu couldn't help but be glad to be a male, not having to worry about doing up his mane so much until he was startled by the door opening; a mail mare rushing in.

"Princess, if I may have a word…" She ran over. "I-I have two pieces of news for you. First, your mane stylist has the flu and won't be able to make it for fear of you catching it, too."

That made Malibu's face pale. This was not good. Cadance was just as worried as him. "Oh. Well… I hope she's better soon. Do any of the other stylists here know how to do the traditional royal ceremonial headdress?"

The rest of the spa workers mostly shrugged, obviously not knowing how which spelled bad news. Malibu wished he could help but he himself knew nothing about manes/hair once being a gargoyle and all.

Cadance gave a stressed sounding breath in. "Oh. Just a… small detail."

Rainbow Dash looked dumbfounded. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! You're trying to land the Equestria Games here. There is no such thing as a small detail!"

Twilight glared in disapproval. "Rainbow Dash!"

Malibu then had an idea. "Hey, Rarity, since you're a designer, maybe you could give the styling a go?" Rarity blinked quite a bit, startled that Malibu had suggested it but wound up accepting the challenge.

"I suppose," She said in an eager way, Cadance smiling in happiness. "Oh, Rarity, that's wonderful!"

"Good thinking, Mal!" Rainbow Dash grinned, making him blush again from her compliment. Cadance pulled out a scroll. "Fortunately, I have all the precise instructions right here."

But it was more complicated than what Malibu or Rarity inspected, both their ears having fallen at the sight of how big the scroll was. "Oh my!" Rarity gasped in fear, glancing at Malibu who grinned apologetically. "You sure you're up to this?" Cadance asked in worry. Rarity blinked a couple times then sighed in determination.

"Working on the hair of royalty on such an auspicious occasion is the opportunity of a lifetime! I will give it everything I've got!" Rarity determined. Malibu felt happy that Rarity was willing to still help even with all the details.

"See, no worries!" Twilight assured. "Besides, the Games Inspector isn't expected for several hours. I'll have plenty of time to figure out exactly how to…" Rarity trailed off, reading several of the instructions in dread. "Do… this…"

Cadance hugged her. "Oh, Rarity, that's wonderful!" She turned back to the mail mare. "You said you had a second bit of news?"

The mail mare gulped. "Yes, quite. The Games Inspector Miss. Harshwinny, will be arriving on the… next train."

That piece of news really startled and scared the entire group, Malibu's eyes popping out. "Y-You can't be serious!" He shouted in fear, his legs shaking, thinking he might need one of those spa treatments, hoping this was just some sort of terrible nightmare. "That's fifteen minutes from now!" Rainbow Dash hollered, zipping around the place, the ponies panicking.

Malibu's heart thudded faster until he saw Twilight do the hoof gesture, breathing in and out, looking rather calm now. He decided to do it as well, and inside he felt a little better. But how were they gonna pull this off in short time?!

"How long before Cadance is ready?" Twilight asked Rarity who was looking through the instructions. "I'm sure I can find some shortcuts."

The teal alicorn swished his tail. "I know you can finish on time," He encouraged while the gang minus Rarity left the building. "Ok. We'll be fine. Everypony, just be on the look out for the pony with the flower print luggage." Twilight instructed.

Pinkie hopped around in her usual way. "Easy peasy, pudding in the freezy!"

Whatever that means… Malibu thought to himself. "We bring the Games Inspector back to the castle, put on our big welcome committee how-do-you-do and then…"

"Put the pudding out to thaw before you eat it or you'll crack a tooth?" Pinkie asked randomly, making Malibu blink. Sometime he still just can't understand whatever Pinkie Pie does or says.

"I'll just ignore that…" Rainbow Dash muttered under her breath, Malibu agreeing with her. "We need to remember that the Games Inspector arriving early is probably part of a plan to psych us out."

Malibu tilted his head at his special somepony. "Uh, huh?" Rainbow sighed a bit before explaining more. "You said it yourself, Twilight. She's got a rep for trying to catch hosts off guard, just to see if we can handle the kind of massive pressure that comes with hosting the Equestria Games."

Fluttershy gave a whimper. "Oh no! We're gonna blow it!"

Rainbow shook her head. "Not if we always stay one step ahead and don't fall for any of her mind games. Anything she throws at us, we just need to remember that she's testing us and roll with it."

Malibu swallowed, feeling more nervous now than ever once he and his friends arrived at the train station, seeing said train there. A mare with a green curly mane who had a chicken as her cutie mark came out, holding a suitcase with flower print. This must be her.

"Excuse me ma'am…" Malibu greeted nervously, as it was his job as prince to greet the inspector first. Harshwhinny looked over to him with a fierce gaze.

"Yes! What is it?"

Fluttershy hid her eyes. "Oh no!" She quaked. "Be cool." Twilight said gently as she too went to help. "Well, I know you weren't expecting us, but we're here to personally welcome you to the Crystal Empire."

Harshwhinny tilted her head, glare still on her face. "The whole lot of you came to do that?"

Malibu, swallowing further, nodded. "Y-Yeah." He replied, feeling rather timid in his usual way.

But to his surprise; the mare's face split into a wide jolly grin. "Well, darn tootin', ain't that the cats meow!"

He felt his hoof being snatched up by Harshwhinny. Sure, Malibu didn't quite know how to react to this. "Y'all didn't need to do that. Why, I hardly expected anything like this!" Harshwhinny said cheerfully, shaking all their hooves in turn.

Applejack sighed in relief. "The Princess wouldn't have had it any other way!"

Harshwhinny's eyes lit up. "The Princess? Princess Cadance?"

Malibu nodded. "Yep. The one and only. And-and I'm Malibu." Harshwhinny also noticed his wings and horn, looking ready to faint.

"Buh… buh… you too are an alicorn! T-The son of Celestia?!" Harshwhinny yelped, her eyes bulged.

Malibu blushed awkwardly, his wings flapping. "Uh huh. We-welcome to the Crystal Empire." He greeted.

"Well, tie me up and throw me down! This just keeps gettin' better and better!" Exclaimed Harshwhinny joyously, jumping about like a filly. Not quite sophisticated looking to Malibu but he shrugged it off. As long as Harshwhinny was quick to like him, he didn't care.

"Can we help you with your bag?" Fluttershy offered. Harshwhinny nodded. "Don't mind if ya do!"

Fluttershy eyed the bag. "Ooh! I love flower print!" She stumbled upon lifting it, falling down, making Malibu chuckle. "Sorry."

Eventually she was able to carry the bag, Malibu feeling himself sweat profusely, until he felt Twilight's hoof on him which comforted Malibu just a bit. Pinkie Pie gestured to the castle. "Our first stop is the castle! Where we got a big razzamatazzy welcome planned for you!"

Harshwhinny's eyes brightened. "The castle? Are you kidding?! Hot diggety dawg!" To everypony else's surprise she began to hop like Pinkie which was quite random.

"See that Malibu? We just gotta roll with it until the Princess gets there and we'll be fine." Twilight murmured to him. But Malibu couldn't help a prickle of worry that this may not actually be Harshwinny while behind them, the real Harshwhinny stood there impatiently and tapped her hoof, waiting for her welcome that wouldn't come.

….

The gang managed to reach the Crystal Castle while Rarity prepped Cadance's mane, Malibu's eyes shining at the sight of the grand palace again when getting inside. He was glad to see it without King Sombra there anymore.

"And, here's the castle," Malibu said to 'Harshwhinny who was just as open eyed as he was. "My golly, the Crystal Castle! Why, I've seen the pictures but I never expected to see it with my very own eyes!"

But then 'Harshwhinny' gulped when seeing how closed in the walls were. "From the… inside."

Fluttershy smiled. "Oh my gosh, she's so nice!" Malibu had to agree until Rainbow Dash shook her head. "You're letting her lull you into a false sense of confidence. Watch that. It's all part of the game!"

'Harshwhinny' bounced around again. "Oh my, I'm so excited!"

Twilight gestured to a couch nearby. "Please, have a seat won't you?"

Malibu nodded. "Yeah, they're really nice uh… couches," He complimented weakly.

'Harshwhinny' began to do a stretching routine. "Mind if I take a walk outside first? It was a really long train ride and my legs could use a stretch."

Twilight's ears fell. "Well… we were just about to start."

Almost in just a few seconds 'Harshwhinny' sat on the couch. "Never you mind! You go on ahead. I'm listening."

Rainbow winked at Malibu. "She was probably testing us to see if we could remain in control of a complex situation. Looks like we passed!" She raised her hoof to Malibu who flushed, hoof bumping back in a kind of high five.

Twilight gave a bow. "We'd like to thank you for this opportunity to introduce you to this wonderful kingdom!"

'Harshwhinny' fluttered her eyes. "Oh, my the pleasure is all mine!"

Malibu spoke next. "And since me and my friends aren't officially residents, who better than us to show you how welcoming the Crystal Empire is!"

Soon the group got into their cheering positions, starting the chant:

"Two, four, six, eight!

Name a place that's really great!

One, two, three, four!

Keeps you coming back for more!

Two, seven, nine, three!

The place that we all wanna be!

Four, three, two, one!

The Crystal Empire, that's the one!"

They all stood on top of each other, Malibu and Twilight on the top of the pyramid while Rainbow flew around, making a rainbow flash in the air, 'Harshwhinny''s eyes rounding in awe, cheering after the gang collapsed in exhaustion from Pinkie Pie using her party cannon.

"OOOOH! YEAH!" 'Harshwhinny' squealed out, whistling in applause, Malibu panting heavily from their chant, not wanting to do it again anytime soon. "Ooh, I tell ya! I have traveled far and wide, but I have never, ever been welcomed anyplace in the fashion that y'all have done here today!" 'Harshwhinny' praised.

Malibu felt relief in his soul from that. Maybe this was their big chance to get acceptance to host the games! "That's fantastic! Princess Cadance would be so glad to hear that!" Twilight said happily.

'Harshwhinny' blinked. "Honestly, I'm surprised she's known anything about me at all!"

That made Malibu and Twilight look at each other in confusion. "Of course she does! She's been looking forward to your visit for weeks!" Twilight stated.

'Harshwhinny trotted in place. "Oh, goody! Is she here?"

Twilight's ears fell, looking panicked. Applejack spoke undertones to her. "Where the heck is she anyway? Wasn't she supposed to be here by now?"

'Harshwhinny shrugged. "That's alright." But she suddenly felt nervous again. "Maybe I-I-I'll just take a little run outside now!" She raced out into a window area, panting heavily in relief. Malibu tapped his chin. Could she be claustrophobic? A small twinge of sympathy filled him for her.

Rainbow Dash gestured her back inside. "Or, if you like, we can take you on a tour of the castle!" 'Harshwhinny' looked excited. "Ooh, a tour of the crystal castle… I'd love that whole heap!"

Malibu swallowed, not sure how they were gonna do this. "D-Dash, y-you know we've only been here once!" He whispered under his breath in fright. Rainbow then winked again. "It's just another test Mal. We gotta roll with it, remember?"

The former clone gargoyle shook but agreed. Pinkie jumped into the air. "Ooh! Lemme give the tour! I'lldoit, I'lldoit, letmeletmeletmeletme!" She squealed, Twilight doing her breathing to be calm again.

"Fine. You all start giving her the tour, and I'll go see what's keeping Cadance. Malibu, you lead. Pinkie probably won't know as much as you," She whispered the final part in an undertone. Malibu nodded, still nervous.

"Erm, alright. This way," He gestured, 'Harshwhinny' smiling back at him before following.

But it didn't quite go as well as he expected. It involved Malibu nearly having a panic attack trying to remember where he was in this building, the others trying to help. They wound up in a strange round room in the end.

"So, you see this here? This, um, this is, um… a big round room. It's known for its roundness, and bigness. And did I mention that it is round?" Pinkie asked, Malibu hoof palming.

'Harshwhinny' looked confined again. "I think they call it a rotunda? A small, confining rotunda…"

Pinkie scoffed. "Whatever. Round is round, am I right?!" Malibu nudged her sharply. "Please, Pink, I don't want her to get claustrophobic again," he said quietly, causing her to blink in surprise from that revelation.

'Harshwhinny' walked around impatiently. "You know… I love this sort of architecture. I-I-I detect a neo-gothic inspiration in the design, yes?"

The friends realized they were running out of time, as Pinkie suddenly began to make silly faces. "Hey, look at me!" Malibu flinched, feeling really embarrassed until finally Twilight came along. He ran right over.

"So glad you're back. But… where's Cadance?" Malibu asked, worry flooding his body. Twilight's ears were flat. "There was a bit of a problem with her headdress. How's it going here?"

Pinkie continued to bounce around at random. "Boingy, boingy, boingy!"

'Harshwhinny' lowered her ears. "I, uh, hate to be a bother. But the legs are cramping up on me with all this standin' around?"

Rainbow Dash tilted her head. "Huh?"

"She's getting bored," Twilight muttered. "And we have to buy Rarity some more time." Next Twilight did the breathing exercise. "I'll see if Shining Armor can come help. Perhaps Malibu you can come?"

Malibu nodded. Anything for a breather. "And can anypony else take over while we're gone?" He asked the others.

Rainbow agreed to it. "I got this!" She flew over to 'Harshwhinny', Malibu quickly following Twilight over to where the Games would probably be.

The two of them managed to reach the stadium when finally seeing Shining Armor. "Twily! Malibu!" He called out in greeting.

"Hi!" Malibu waved, trying to look as calm as possible. Twilight and Malibu managed to reach over to him. "Shining Armor, you've gotta help us."

Shining Armor blew his whistle, the crystal ponies going into a trot across the field track. "Everything ok?" He asked them. Malibu shrugged. "Uh, more or less. We left the rest of our friends behind giving the Games inspector the worst castle tour ever."

"Come on, gang! Are we gonna gallop, or are we gonna trot?!" Shining Armor yelled out, making Twilight and Malibu flinch up. "Castle tour, huh? I think I can help with that. Let's move, move, move! Everything's gonna be ok."

Malibu trembled a little. "Sure hope so."

Twilight just smiled. "I know, I'm not worried…" Her eyes brightened in realization. "I'm not worried. It worked!"

Everything then came crashing down as the doors to the castle opened; revealing 'Harshwhinny'. She gave out a holler of excitement, Malibu's face paling in fear. "Oh, I'm outside!" She laughed, running and bumping into the other runners. "Feels so good to stretch me old legs!

Rainbow looked rather awkward, approaching the two. "Turns out the castle doesn't have a gymnasium." Malibu glared a bit out of his panic, 'Harshwhinny' whooping further, crashing into things.

"Watch it!" Shining Armor shouted to deaf ears. "Make her… stop!"

Rainbow Dash held up her hooves. "Wait, that's the Games inspector! Let her do her thing!"

Shining Armor raised his brow. "Why would she do that?" He asked, 'Harshwhinny' laughing uproariously.

"I have no idea. But that's why she's in charge of choosing who gets the games and we're not." Rainbow Dash replied with a shrug of her shoulders. Malibu still didn't think that any games inspector would run around like a little filly this way, seeing her suddenly skid on the floor, a flower pot landing on her head.

"Oh! Oh, get me outside for a run!" She yelped, running off again towards the exit. Shining Armor's eyes widened. "Look out!" 'Harshwhinny' wound up smashing through the wall, running amok through the town.

Malibu gulped. This wasn't good. "Alright, this has gone far enough." He said in a stressed way, taking to the air, Rainbow Dash following, hoping to catch her on time.

It was taking quite some time to catch up, Malibu thinking he could probably use his magic to stop 'Harshwhinny'. Fluttershy was staring at how she ran. "Where is she going in such a hurry?!"

Rainbow struggled to reach with her hooves. "Closer… closer… I think we got her…" She managed to snatch up the pot but 'Harshwhinny' had stopped right at that moment, Rainbow Dash yelling when being tossed into the air. Malibu flew after her, managing to catch the cyan blue pegasus in his arms.

He smiled at her, and Dash grinned back, pink on her cheeks. "I'll be there to catch you," Malibu said warmly, the two nuzzling each other until 'Harshwhinny' spoke again.

"Hoo-eee! Oh, that felt good! Nothing like a great run to shake the cobwebs off these old bones!" 'Harshwhinny' shook out her legs, Malibu and Dash both returning, panting a little from the chase. "Hey there, speedies. ah, these wide open spaces y'all got here remind me of home. This is great!"

Rainbow had a hoof on her chest. "Oh! So you're… enjoying your… visit? Well I'm so… glad…"

'Harshwhinny' nods. "Oh, good golly yes. I just love to travel and see new places!" She glances over at Shining Armor. "Such a beautiful spot you got here too!"

Shining Armor grinned. "Why, thank you so much! I'm Shining Armor."

'Harshwhinny' now looked rather flustered. "The Prince!"

Malibu looked to Twilight who was confused rightfully so. "What's going on?" She asked. Rainbow Dash landed. "From the looks of it, just locking up the games for the Crystal Empire is all. Ain't no thing!"

'Harshwhinny' waved her hoof in front of her face. "My, oh my! Meeting two princes in one day! I've never met a prince before!" She said in a dazed voice.

Shining Armor chuckled. "I'm surprised. I'd think in your line of work, you'd meet princes all the time.

'Harshwhinny' rolled her eyes. "Hardly. Just an ordinary wild mustang from Mustangia here to enjoy a little vay-cay. Never thought I'd also be meeting royals to boot."

Both Malibu and Shining Armor looked at one another with cringed faces. This was definitely not how an inspector should act. Though Twilight herself seemed rather worried more than ever now. "You… are Mis. Harshwhinny, the Equestria Games Inspector, aren't you?"

'Harshwhinny' looked put out from her words. "Inspector what now?"

The teal alicorn's jaw dropped. They left the real one at the station the whole time?!

"WE GOT THE WRONG PONY?!" Yelped out Rainbow Dash in horror, Twilight standing stock still, her face frozen.

"NOOOOOOO! I mean, YEEEEEESSSSSS!" Pinkie shrilled. Malibu felt like he could faint, Twilight panting in a panicked way.

….

It was chaos. The group of friends ran as fast as they could back to the train station, but couldn't find anypony around. Malibu's stomach was churning violently. This turned out more of a nightmare than he expected! And he hoped Spike was taking care of his pet well back in Ponyville.

"There's gotta be another pony with flower print luggage around here somewhere!" Twilight gasped from running.

"But-but there are so many suitcases! What if we get the wrong one again?!" Cried out Malibu, still panicking.

Twilight and the others continued to run out of the station and into tow. "We've gotta find her before Cadance finds out what a mess we've made of things."

Rainbow then spoke up. "Ok. Here's what we'll do. We split up the empire into five sectors."

"Each pony search a sector," Malibu added in. Pinkie Pie suddenly brought up a point.

"Well… except for the spa. What's the point of checking there? That's where Cadance is. If Mis. Harshwhinny is there, well then, game over right?"

The others gasped aloud in horror, not having thought of that, instantly running that way. Malibu prayed they will arrive on time to save the games!

Nearly out of breath, they came to a halt in front of the window of the spa. "Oh, there she is!" Rainbow whispered. Malibu looked in and saw another mare next to the fake Harshwhinny that pretty much looked like the real deal. "We're in luck! I don't think either of them knows yet that the other one's here!" He said in happiness out of his nerves.

The door burst open, Rarity turning around, her eyes bright with joy. "Wonderful news! Look! Princess Cadance is better than new!" Cadance came out in her royal headdress, stunning Malibu a little. His aunt looked quite beautiful.

On que, the real Mis. Harshwhinny looked up from her chair. "Princess Cadance? So, this is where you've been! I will have you know this is by far the worst welcome I've had in all my years!"

Malibu felt rather guilty, wanting to disappear into the floor when Cadance looked shocked. "I can't believe it. What was wrong with your welcome?"

Harshwhinny huffed. "There wasn't one!"

Cadance looked at the others. "What is going on?"

At first it was Malibu who began to step forward, wanting to take the blame since he was the son of Celestia but to his shock Dash pushed him back. "Princess, we gave our welcome to the wrong pony."

Cadance's face lit up in surprise, Malibu's face burning in guilt more. "Left the right one waiting at the station, and completely ruined everything." Rainbow Dash finished.

Pinkie PIe pulled out a cinnamon roll. "Cinnamon bun?" She asked, a squee coming after.

Rainbow Dash breathed a sigh. "When I was a little filly, I wanted so badly for Cloudsdale to win the Equestria Games. But it didn't happen. So, I thought I could make up for that disappointment by helping the Crystal Empire win the chance to host the Games. But it looks like I ruined your chances instead."

It made Malibu smile proudly at his special somepony for speaking up bravely like that and defending his reputation. Which showed how loyal she truly was.

Fake Harshwhinny walked up. "Not so fast, Speedy."

Harshwhinny suddenly smiled. "I just finished hearing about how this pony was just treated to the warmest, finest, most fabulous reception she ever had."

"Darn tootin'!"

"Courtesy of these fine ponies right here!" Harshwhinny stated, making Malibu's eyes widen in hope, grinning over to the other mare who beamed back at him. "Which, in my expert opinion; amounts to the first ever unvarnished, unrehearsed, and unbiased appraisal of a potential host of the Equestria Games. Which can only mean one thing…"

Out on the balcony of the crystal castle, the Mane 7 and Cadance stood there for the announcement. "The next host of the Equestria Games is… the Crystal Empire!"

Malibu gave out a huge cheer of triumph, even flying up into the air much to the other's amusement. He was now eager to see what the games were gonna be like. "Congratulations, Crystal Ponies!" Cadance called, the residents having sent a wave of aurora borealis up into the air like fireworks.

….

It was a rather tedious day having gotten through what just happened but Malibu himself was more than ready to get home to his pet Shadow. Little did he know that Shadow was closer than he thought. Spike hadn't been able to keep his eyes on Angel well and he snuck onto the train.

The Mane 7 stood in line for the ride back to Ponyville. Rainbow sighed in happiness. "You know, it feels good to help others get something you always wanted but never had. Almost as good as getting it yourself. Almost."

Malibu nudged her, chuckling. "At least we'll still be able to return to see the Games in action." He assured her. Rainbow did a little leap. "You're right! That'll rock!"

"All aboard!" The conductor called out, the friends getting onto the train, not even seeing Spike pleading to Angel to come back.

They went into an empty car, Malibu sighing when sitting down, relieved to have a quiet train ride back. Applejack looked the same. "Whoo ee! My dogs are barkin'!" She exclaimed, sitting down on a seat. A bark sound came from under it, startling Malibu. It strangely sounded like Winona. "Huh. Y'all hear that? They really are!"

Rarity eyed Applejack strangely as Rainbow Dash sighed. "Bummer Spike had to miss out on all this. He woulda' had fun here."

Twilight smiled. "I'm sure he's having a great time watching all the critters back at home." Malibu frowned, hoping Spike wouldn't disappoint him but he couldn't help but smell dragon in the train.

"You sure about that Twi?" He questioned, sitting next to her. Twilight gave a sigh. "I'm sure if he's staying calm and collected, I bet he's doing a terrific job as a leader."

Malibu simply shrugged, ready to close his eyes until a gurgling noise started. "Y'all hear that?" AJ asked in suspicion. It came again and suddenly; Malibu thought he spotted a familiar bunny hopping off. He dismissed it as probably from tiredness, yawning as he fell asleep.

….

Soon after a few hours the train finally reached the Ponyville station. Malibu and his friends walked out, happy to see the town again. "I can't wait to scratch the belly on Winona! Oh, I miss her!"

Malibu smiled. "Bet Shadow must've been missing me greatly."

Then to their surprise; they saw all their pets. Along with Spike and the CMCs. All of them looked a little out of breath before Spike greeted them. "Hello! Thought we'd meet you at the station!"

"Er, hi Spike," Malibu waved as Sweetie Belle hugged Rarity tight. "So we could hear all about the Crystal Empire, and find out if you brought us one of the crystal snowglobes that they sell at the train station!"

Rarity raised her brow. "How did you know about the snowglobes?" Sweetie Belle looked nervous, glancing around before replying: "Lucky guess?"

Shadow squeaked, going over to nuzzle Malibu who chuckled, petting his head. "Hey, boy. Bet today was rather tedious for you huh? It was for me."

Fluttershy looked pleased at how Angel's tail was fluffed by Spike, and Twilight praised him for taking care of the animals. Malibu smiled around at everypony. No matter what happened with Spike, they were all still together and like a family, no matter what else lies in their future.

He went over to Spike. "You sure you weren't just thinking about gems while looking after my Shadow?" Malibu asked.

Spike gulped. "Oh, uh, heh. I was. But not anymore. The critters helped me."

Malibu then nuzzled his brother's head. "Guess you learned a friendship lesson while we were gone. I did to." The baby dragon was stunned but soon hugged Malibu, the teal alicorn folding his wings around Spike too, both having gained experience on this day.

Sorry if this chapter was long delayed during the holidays but we can at least enjoy new chapter with 2024 on the rise.