Ocellus flips a page of her book. She is currently in the library with her friends. They have enthusiastically agreed to accompany Ocellus to her weakly trips to the library to check out some books. She will usually read and whenever she encounters something interesting, her friends happily let her share. Currently, she is reading a book about magical gems, something that intrigues her after she studied about the magical properties of the seed that grew the Tree of Harmony. She reads a very interesting paragraph and decides to tell her friends about it.

"Hey, look!" Ocellus makes her book face her friends. She usually reads books without pictures, but she is so interested in magical gems that she doesn't care if the book has pictures. And it will be easier to share the information with her friends like this anyway. The page features a seafoam turquoise gem in the shape of a traingular pyramid.

"This is the Salvation Sapphire. It is thought to originate from an unknown settlement in Everfree Forest," Ocellus says.

"The Everfree Forest is pretty unknown!" Silverstream pets Edith, her pet Cockatrice. The library allows pets, especially since Twilight often enters with Owliwicious, but usually not pets capable of dangerous feats, but Starlight has recently allowed Silverstream to bring in Edith after discorvering that she has tamed him, and Silverstream's been grateful for that ever since. She really loves Edith. She spends nearly everyday with him and brings him with her whenever possible. Though she was punished on some days. Rarity nearly blasted Silverstream and Edith the moment she entered her classroom for her Generosity Class. And Smolder almost burned them to a crisp when she saw Silverstream walking towards her with Edith. Which is why Edith has grown a little more aggressive, but Silverstream's trying to soothe him, with the help of Ponyville's resident Animal Master, of course. After sessions with Fluttershy, Edith almost never flinches whenever he sees Smolder!

"Not that unknown," Gallus scoffs. He doesn't even know why he agreed to go with his Changeling friend to the most boring place in Equestria. More boring than Griffinstone, and that's saying something. All these papers tied together with leather is a perfect waste of trees. There are already a hundred books on the same topic, so why make more? The library is such a waste of everything. Gallus can be doing something more worrhwhile right now, like talking to Sandbar about what actually matters for class instead of listening to useless information coming out from a nerd's mouth. He stares at the titles of books in the nearest aisle. They all look the same. Magical Gems. Enchanted Geodes. Crystals that are Magical. Gallus groans.

Ocellus frowns, a but saddened that Gallus doesn't appreciate books as much as her other friends do.

"Come on, Ocellus," Smolder says, "Don't let Gallus' remark ruin your day"

"Yeah!" Sandbar says, "What make this sapphire so magical?"

"Well, legend says that whoever is able to scratch it will have good luck in solving the worst problem in their life!" Ocellus says, carrying on, relieved that her friends can be really enthusiastic and supportive.

Little does she know that as she says this, a specific little blue Griffin's ears perk up. That Griffin has been having bad luck for the first 16 years of his life, from a brutal half-sister to his parents disowning him, he can really use good luck. He imagines it already. He finds the sapphire and scratches it with his claws, taking only half a second. And then good luck will come rushing to him. He's finally going to find a family no other one can compare to. His home will be the envy of even Princess Twilight Sparkle. Heck, maybe he's going to completely overthrow her and become King Gallus of Equestria, with all the creatures bowing before his claws and tirelessly serving him day and night. Ocellus' next words bring him back from the daydream.

"But the sapphire is kept in a cave heavily protected by strong magic, and nocreature has ever even touched the sapphire other than its creators, rendering the existence of it, a myth," Ocellus continues, "Until the very first sighting of it by a team of experienced adventurers, but they were never heard from again"

Ocellus lies the book back on the table and clasps her hooves together with glee.

"It means it actually exists!" Ocellus says.

"Changeling seem pretty happy about sapphire," Yona says.

"Of course! I want to ensure that I will never fall prey to evil again," Ocellus says, her voice turning weaker.

"Won't it be great if I was the one who got his claws on that sapphire?" Gallus pipes in.

Smolder rolls her eyes. "Geesh, and I thought it was Dragons who were selfish"

"I need the good luck, you know," Gallus says, then he stands up, "In fact, I'm going to go to look for it"

With that, Gallus flies out of the library.

The friends stand up and try to catch up to him.

"Gallus! Don't!" Ocellus yells as she sees his Griffin tail disappear out the main school door. She slumps. Smolder stares out the door and crosses. her arms. She shakes her head.

"Why does he always have to be so reckless? Typical Gallus" Smolder says.

Sandbar stares at the door, too. His eyes are big and he trembles while he talks. "I can't believe that dude actually did that. Why didn't he just stay here?"

Yona puts on a smile and tries to be optimistic, even though she is kind of disappointed in Gallus. But she believes in his abilities. "Friends don't have to worry! Gallus will be fine!"

Silverstream stops right next to Ocellus. She looks at her with pleading eyes. "You know the most about Everfree. He'll be alright, right?"

Ocellus shakes her head and starts walking towards her own dorm room.

"No, he won't. The Everfree Forest is too dangerous for anycreature, even a Griffin," Ocellus says, then sighs, "Oh... If only I hadn't told him about the sapphire! I should have known he would've ran off!"

She starts running towards her dorm room and the friends try their best to keep pace. Changelings can move pretty fast when they want to.

"I need to go fetch him," Ocellus says, stopping at the door to her room. She places her hand on the handle, but then decides to get her friends' consent first. She gives a sheepish smile, hoping that they'll allow her to go.

"Yak go with Changeling!" Yona says, beaming.

"Yeah," Sandbar adds, "There's no way we'll leave you alone out there, 'Cellus!"

"We've got your back!" Smolder says.

Silverstream happily clasps her claws together. "Road trip!"

Ocellus smiles at how truly supportive her friends are, but she thinks of what lurks in the Everfree Forest. There will be tunnels too small for Yona, and too many things that can charm and harm Silverstream. Smolder may not pay full attention to their surroundings and Sandbar may be a little too trusting. She shakes her head, sad knowing that she needs to go alone. She places a smile back on for her friends.

"I would really appreciate it if you guys could come with me," Ocellus says, "But Everfree is too dangerous for all of us"

Ocellus bites her lip, refusing to say the last bit. "It's best if I go alone" She pauses and waits for it to sink in. One by one, they accept the inevitable.

"Oh, be careful!" Silverstream hugs Ocellus tight. Yona happily joins in the group hug as well. Sandbar smiles and joins. Smolder crosses her arms and rolls her eyes, but starts walking to Ocellus. I'm going to do this just this once, she thinks and hugs them. Ocellus appreciates the warmth and comfort of the hug, but she knows she have to leave soon if she wants to catch up with Gallus. She pulls away from the hug. Her friends are saddened and there's a part of Ocellus that wants to stay, but there's also a part of her that longs to go into the unknown territory of Everfree, find Gallus, and maybe the Salvation Sapphire. She waves at her friends and leaves the school, heading into the unknown.

:

Ocellus walks through the creepy and unknown flora of Everfree. The only thing that lights her way is a small bit of glowstone that she managed to find during a field trip. Suddenly, she feels her head bump into a tree and she gives a yelp. She scratches the sore spot on her head. She walks around the tree, careful not to bump into it again. She hates how little light there is once you get deeper into the forest and it doesn't help that her glowstone doesn't really give off much light either. Suddenly, an idea comes to mind. An idea that is so obvious that she doesn't know why she hasn't thought of it before! She slaps her hoof on her forehead, wincing as it touches the part which hit the tree, before turning into a firefly the same size as herself. She happily flits through the forest until she bumps into something... something soft.

"Ah! A giant firefly!" Gallus yells, flying up into the leaves above. Ocellus transforms back into herself, but still manages to keep on glowing.

"Gallus!" Ocellus says, a bit shock. She smiles timidly and points a hoof to herself. "It's just me!"

Gallus gives a sigh of relief and flies back down to the ground.

"Thank Twilight it's you Ocellus," Gallus gives a nervous flap of his wings.

"Yeah," Ocellus says, "It's just me" She gives a nervous laugh and a shy smile.

"Yeah, eheh..." Gallus scratches his shoulder, "Just you" He clears his throat. "So... ummm... what are you doing here?"

Ocellus doesn't reply for a moment, caught up in the awkwardness of the situation a while ago, but eventually, Gallus' words reach her.

"Oh, ummm... I just wanted to check on you," Ocellus gives another shy smile.

"Heh, all the way over here," Gallus says.

"Yep," Ocellus swallows, "All the way over here" She turns away from Gallus for a few moments, mentally scolding herself for getting too caught up in relief of seeing him alive and not getting right to business. She clears her throat as she faces Gallus once more.

"So... ummm... we should probably be heading back," Ocellus says. Gallus' eyes grow wide at this.

"What?! No! We can't go back!" Gallus says in an alarming voice, "I- I need that Salvation Sapphire!"

     Gallus hides his face in his claws and says in a small voice, "I... I just can't risk losing everything again..."

     Ocellus puts on a sympathetic face and approaches Gallus. She sits beside him as and pats his back softly and comfortingly. Gallus slowly releases his claws from his face and succumbs to the gentle pats of his friend. He smiles faintly, grateful that the Changeling went the whole mile to look for him in one of the most dangerous areas of Equestria, especially since she usually leans to the safe side. Ocellus smiles as Gallus' faint smile catches her eye.

    "Well, if it means that much to you, then let's go look for it!" Ocellus stands up. Gallus looks at his friend with awe evident in his eyes.

    "Really? You'd do that for me?" Gallus asks, standing up as well.

    "Of course!" Ocellus exclaims, placing her hoof over Gallus' back. She feels the Griffin slightly flinch at her sudden touch but doesn't say anything. Besides, Griffin aren't used to hugs or affection, so it may be a usual reflex. Braving the Everfree Forest isn't as scary to Ocellus with a friend around to brighten up everything around her. Ocellus laughs, because it may be a coincidence that the moment she bumps into Gallus, her glow got brighter. Either way, she's grateful to have him around. The flora of Everfree doesn't seem that intimidating anymore, even though she's sure they've encountered a Poison Joke Tree twice. And maybe heard a couple of Timberwolves howling. Having a friend nearby brings her the courage to ignore those threats and continue looking ahead.

     Gallus, meanwhile, really feels a river of gratitude just gushing through him. Before he bumped into a giant firefly, he was extremely scared, especially since Everfree is cramped with lots of potentially dangerous plants. It not only fuels his claustrophobia, but his paranoia, too. And he is really grateful that Ocellus is understanding enough to agree to help Gallus find the Salvation Sapphire, or maybe it's just her pity. And he feels really grateful for that little pat Ocellus gave him. Her tentative taps just fills him with warmth. He frowns at how he wasn't a good friend to Ocellus. She's willing to help him do something really dangerous and he can't even go to the library with her. Though he does consider doing it more often. He doesn't know what triggered the urge. Is it wanting to know about more helpful information? Or is it something else? Before he can continue his thoughts, Ocellus comes to a stop at a cross road. Something very peculiar to see in the middle of a wild forest. Ocellus brings out a map from her knapsack.

    "What do you think?" Ocellus asks Gallus, her face close to his.

    "Uh..." Gallus looks at the map. A map won't do any of these paths justice, he thinks. He looks at the two paths. On his right is a very wide path and on his left is a tunnel that looks like it can't fit Yona. "I think we should go to the right"

    "Hmmm..." Ocellus investigates the map a little bit more, "No, Gallus. I think we should go to the tunnel. The path to the right will take us to the realm of Timberwolves while the tunnel will put us on the path to the sapphire" She looks at Gallus with hopeful eyes. Gallus looks longingly at the wide path but he hs to face the truth. The tunnel is the best way to go. He sighs.

    "Fine" Gallus starts walking alongside Ocellus and together they enter the tunnel.

The tunnel is so much more cramped than any of them anticipated. They enter side by side, not expecting the small space, and it's too cramped for them to move ahead of each other, otherwise one of them can potentially strectch too much and reach their maximum strength. Ocellus sighs. The tunnel is a better route, but not a better path. Every time she tries to tiptoe to see further ahead of them, a searing pain hits her head. And the walls of the tunnel are so close to her that she can feel the sharp jagged stone scratch her hide. She looks ahead, still not seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Or maybe there will be no light. Her map says that the land after the tunnel is called Midnight Patch. It may beas dark as it is in the tunnel, maybe darker, so she better not put her hopes up.

Gallus, meanwhile, is shaking with fear. This tunnel just brings out the worst of his claustrophobia. His breaths start getting ragged. He starts trembling. The tunnel is way to tight for him. His steps start getting slower. He starts sweating, unsure whether he'll make it out of the tunnel without panicking. He feels dizzy, unsure what he's doing anymore. It doesn't really matter anyway, right? He's just walking through the darkness alone. Everything feels so cold and numb? Is he dead? Maybe that's for the better. But he wants his Salvation Sapphire. Why does it have to come at such a high price? Well, whatever. Just as long as he scratches it, he may never have to undergo any hardships again. First, though, he must ensure that he's heart stays alive until the end of this tunnel. Which he hopes is soon. His heart is running at a very fast pace.

Ocellus can hear Gallus' struggled breaths, worried for the Griffin. Maybe if they give up right after this, everything will be fine. Ocellus makes a mental note to ask him about it later. She feels Gallus fall a little behind her. But he can't do that! They're going to be stuck if he does! Just then, Ocellus has an idea that gives her a very strong urge to facepalm. She turns into a firefly again, but smaller this time. She is relieved at how much more space she has to move around. The walls aren't scratching her anymore, and she can move up and down as much as she wants. She feels so giddy! Well, it's not the first time she used her shapshifting power. In fact, they are trained to do it since they were young. It's just that Ocellus is flooded with relief at the sudden space.

Gallus, meanwhile, continues to soldier on despite his claustrophobia, and the constant calling for him to just sit down, stop, and have it all over with. Then as he steps forward, he doesn't have as much trouble doing so. He looks around, then sees a minute firefly. He smiles sheepishly, knowing that Ocellus used her shapeshifting powers to help him. Unsure of what his intentions are, he holds out his claw. The firefly tentatively flies towards him in a very Ocellus manner and lands on his claw. Gallus smiles. It reminds him of the times he spent meditating among the familiar flora back at the School of Friendship. There's part of him that longs to go back to the school, but there's also part of him that longs to go into the unknown. He looks ahead and is realieved to see a very bright light. The light at the end of the tunnel.

Suddenly, the tunnel begins to shrink. Gallus' eyes grow wide. Ocellus stands up from Gallus' claw and starts flying for the exit. Gallus runs along right after her. His breaths start being ragged again and beads of sweat are forming on his forehead at Rainboom speed. Gallus trips over his claws and paws as the tunnel starts closing in on him. He rolls and lies on his back, staring in terror at the ceiling of the cave that is getting closer with every struggled breath. He freezes in place, unable to move, and everything's starting to heat up. His heart starts beating faster than Pinkie Pie can bake a million cupcakes, and that's fast. The ceiling of the cave is ever so near. He can see the point of the stalactites, about to potentially pierce him.

Just then, he feels a tentacle grab him and before he can blink he's already outside the cave, staring up into the pale orange shade of the sky. He takes a full minute standing up and righting his bearings. He walks around in awe at the forest. The trees all have orange leaves, the kind of color you'll see during autumn. Back in Griffinstone, he didn't have the time to truly appreciate the seasons as they went past, until he moved to Ponyville. He can't help but be a little bit nostalgic. Then he looks at the sky and sees a giant octopus floating above him. He lets out a scream and the octopus flies to the ground, then turns into Ocellus.

"Ocellus!" Gallus shouts, "W-W-What was that?!"

Ocellus smiles sheepishly. "That was a Flying Octupus. It's much stronger than the average octopus so I thought of turning into the that to pull you out"

"Quick thinking on your part," Gallus says with a wink then pauses, shocked that he actually did that. Ocellus lets out a laugh and brings out her map.

"Oh! So that's what the tunnel is!" Ocellus shouts, then points to the tunnel on the map, "It's a Transforming Tunnel! It adjusts exactly to the size of the nearest living entity!"

Gallus smirks at Ocellus being a nerd. It can be entertaining, after all. The old Gallus would just scoff at Ocellus, but the new Gallus is grateful for her.

"And this is Midnight Patch. Apparently, it gets super dangerous during night time but is harmless during the day," Ocellus says, reading from the map. She's oblivious to the fact that as she's reading, the sky is turning from a beautiful pale orange to a soothing purple color of twilight. Gallus looks at the sky worriedly.

"Uh... Ocellus? I think Twilight just decides to make it twilight," Gallus says, tapping her shoulder and pointing to the sky.

"Hmmm?" Ocellus says, finally looking up. Her eyes widen at the sight of the twilit sky turning into a pitch black painting. Just then, Ocellus sees a few shadows move in the darkness, and those shadows are even darker than dark.

"You didn't happen to read a book on shadow creatures before you left, did you?" Gallus asks, huddling closer to Ocellus. Ocellus turns on her light mode.

"No..." They continue to stare at the shadows, hoping that they'll just leave them alone. Just then, a shadow emerges from the shadows, still a shadow, confusing Ocellus. She has never encountered any creature like it. Then the shadow takes the form of Silverstream. It hisses at them, and they can see that the tongue is forked, Ocellus retreats back one step and Gallus protectively flies in front of her.

"Okay, what tricks are you getting at, Shadowstream?" Gallus says, smirking inside at the nickname he gave the shadow. The shadow hisses again and another shadow comes out.

"Shadowbar? You, too?" Gallus just stands there now, mouth agape. The shadows perfectly mimic their friends. Shadowbar hisses as well, with a forked tongue. Ocellus turns into Chrysalis, the first thing she can think of.

"Ocellus, what are you doing?" Gallus shouts, "Don't connect with your bad past!"

Ocellus hisses at the shadows, also with a forked tongue. Gallus, meanwhile, stares in fear. If this continues any further, Ocellus might turn into a Queen Chrysalis. The darkness is never far away. The shadows summon Smoldering, a pitch black version of Smolder.

"Bow to me, you fools! Do you possibly think you could conquer Equestria without a ruler like me?" Chrysalis shouts.

Gallus cowers in fear behind some bushes. Getting past Chrysalis alone is near impossible, so he's never going to get past Chrysalis and the Shadow 6. Or 5. Unless they call a shadow Gallus. He risks another peak at the joining dark forces. Shadowstream, Shadowbar and Smoldering all simultaneously hiss again with their forked tongues and summons Shadowna, a completely shadow version of Yona. Gallus looks at the Shadow 5 in fear. He wishes Ocellus is here right now. He wonders where she is. Maybe she got lost in the shadows. Gallus sends a silent prayer to Twilight as he walks deeper into the shadows. As he walks, no single light lights his way. He doesn't really mind though. As long as there is a lot of space to move around, he'll be doing just fine.

The shadows bow to Chrysalis, and she finally smiles mischievously and satisfied. She can definitely take over Equestria with just these four. Granted, the Mean 6 didn't work, but she supposes it is because their bond has lasted for so many years. The Young 6, meanwhile, is weak. They lasted less than half of the the Mane 6, so they must be very vulnerable to the darkness. Suddenly, a light hit each of the shadows. A pale pink light hits Shadowstream from above. A yellow light hits Shadowbar. A white light hits Smoldering. An orange light hits Shadowna. The shadows hiss in agony, and Chrysalis knows they're helpless. Chrysalis just watches in pain as each of her minion shadows become obstructed by the light. As each of her minions become nothing, a hole of pure white light appears in Chrysalis, getting bigger and bigger.

"Why must the Magic of Friendship always ruin everything!" Chrysalis bellows her last.

:

Gallus walks through the dead trees of Midnight Patch. He hears a couple of hisses behind him, but they seem pretty far away, so he doesn't bother about it. Then he sees a flash of light behind him. He smirks. Chrysalis must be too busy fighting with the Shadows to remember him. He then hears the chilling voice of Queen Chrysalis, then total silence. He breathes a sigh of relief. Maybe his professors finally got rid of Queen Chrysalis once and for all. He wonders how she returned seeing as she was turned to stone. He pushes a few branches out of his way as he makes his way through the patch of darkness in the Everfree. Maybe Chrysalis' evil magic was still trapped and preserved in the Everfree. Or something like that. He doesn't want to think about it any longer. Making theories are for nerds, like his friend Ocellus. He will like to know what she thinks. As he clears one more branch, he sees the said Changeling on the ground on front of him.

He emerges at a small clearing and sees Ocellus on the ground, as if struck down. He quickly runs over to her and examines her. He sees her thin belly move up and down in rythym of the peaceful sounds of Midnight Patch. He can't believe Chrysalis was actually still alive, and he is grateful that she's gone now. He's even more grateful that Ocellus is still alive, thank Twilight. Just to be sure, he places his claw above her heart and feels its beating. Still alive. Good. He hugs her tiny limp body and smiles. He looks at her again and wonders when she'll wake up. Maybe she ran into Queen Chrysalis and she knocked her out. He inspected her frail body for injuries but he can see none. Maybe his professors already saw her and took care of her. That doesn't make sense though. She should be at the school if she did. Before Gallus can continue his thoughts, Ocellus opens her eyes.

"Where am I?" Ocellus says, standing up. She looks around her.

"Wait! Where are my Shadow Minions?" Ocellus bellows in the voice of Chrysalis, then the slightest part of her hind legs turn black. Gallus cowers in fear and she cackles.

"You little fool! Think you can defeat me?" Ocellus says, and even more of her hind legs turn black.

"O-Ocellus!" Gallus stutters, "L-l-look what's h-happening to you!"

Ocellus returns and looks at her hind legs.

"I-I... I don't know!" Ocellus slumps. What is happening to her? Her body is turning black... black... black like... black like Chrysalis. Her eyes widen in fear. Like Chrysalis. She's turning into Queen Chrysalis! That explains it all. The urge to hurt Gallus. Abuse of minions. The thirst for power. Chrysalis. She's becoming the new Queen Chrysalis! She can't stop the tears that streams from her eyes. She starts sobbing.

"I'm connecting t-t-to my b-bad past," Ocellus says, "Maybe I-I n-n-never ch-changed a-at a-a-all..."

Ocellus closes her eyes and silently sobs. Gallus stares at her and slowly walks over, feeling very sorry for her. He slowly walks over and sits beside her. Okay, Gallus. She helped you when you were at your worst, now time to help her. Gallus gulps. Except, I don't know how to help her. It's weird. He was able to help Smolder once when she was having trouble with her sexuality, and she's bisexual! He was able to help Sandbar with those bullies. He was also able to help Silverstream in the catacombs under the school. He even helped Yona with her Hearts and Hooves Day gift for somedragon. But for some reason, he doesn't know how to help Ocellus. Well, he supposes it should all start with a hug. He tentatively places his arm around Ocellus and she sniffles. She dries her tears with her hoof.

"Uh... Ocellus," Gallus starts, unsure of what to say, but decides to just go for it, "You definitely changed. If you were still the same, you wouldn't come all the way here to help me, will you?"

Ocellus snuggles in deeper into the hug, making Gallus feel a tiny blush threaten to take over.

"But I can still feel the darkness in me," Ocellus says. Gallus feels an urge to roll his eyes at that and release her, but he fights it off.

"Ocellus! Quit acting stupid! The world isn't separated into good creatures and bad creatures! There's a little darkness in all of us!" Gallus looks at Ocellus firmly in the eye and smiles, "But what matters is what we act upon! And I know you can always choose good!"

Ocellus stops crying altogether and stands up. She smiles softly but determined.

"You're right Gallus. It's not my abilities that matter, but it is my choices, and now I choose to keep going and look for the Sapphire Stone!" Ocellus says. As soon as she finishes saying it, they see a lighted rainbow path.

"What do you think caused that, nerd?" Gallus asks with a teasing smile.

"Maybe the Magic of Friendship is showing us the way!" Ocellus says, following the path.

     They walk through Midnight Patch. Gallus doesn't  know if this is a good idea but Ocellus thinks it's a very good idea to do, and he trusts her. Not to mention that they may have a little bit of magic to protect them, if this path really is from the Magic of Friendship. They have been walking for a long time and neither of them can deny that they can feel the magic of the sapphire flowing through their surroundings. The sapphire is close. All they have to do is grab it, scratch it and they will be back home at the school in ten seconds flat. Ocellus looks at her map and she thinks that the path actually comes from the Magic of Friendship because it does lead to the sapphire. Maybe they can also share the sapphire with her friends! Maybe she can do some research on its magical properties!

     They arrive at a cave so big that Gallus isn't worried at all about his claustrophobia. Except if the rocks fall and trap them. But he isn't that worried. After all, Ocellus is with him. And also the sapphire. All he needs is that sapphire and then he doesn't have to worry about anything anymore. He's itching to get his claws on it, and it's about to be right in front of him. He excitedly runs into the cave. The moment he steps in, he immediately sees the sapphire. He flies towards it and grab it. He's beaming so wide his cheeks are starting to hurt, but he doesn't care. The Salvation Sapphire is in his claws. It's with him! It's his! Along with Ocellus, of course, but mostly his. After all, he was the first one to hold it. He stares into the sefoam turquoise surface, almost feeling the magic course through him.

    Ocellus waves and he flies down to her. She takes a full moment looking at the sapphire, inspecting it. She examines every inch of it, and isn't that surprised that its surface is flawless. No wonder the unknown settlement decided to enchant this, out of all sapphires. Or maybe they had to pick from a variety of minerals. Maybe their first choice were rubies. Ocellus really wants to meet the creatures who enchanted this sapphire. Are they Changelings? Ponies? Hippogriff? Yak? Griffin? Dragon? Kirin? Even though she doesn't know much about them, she really wants to meet some Kirin, but is never able to, knowing that the Kirin Grove is far. Maybe she can go there next time, and then she can ask them whether or not it's them! But first, she has to keep the sapphire safe.

    "Let's go, Gallus" Ocellus says, tucking the sapphire into her knapsack, "We can scratch it on the way home. After all, how long will it take?"

    Ocellus looks at her map.

    "If we hurry up, we can be out of the Everfree Forest by sundown! And we can take a different route out!" Ocellus says and starts leading the way out.

     It looks like the Magic of Friendship doesn't want to help them return home, as the path in front of them remains unlit. Ocellus turns on her light mode once again, though it's only a couple more miles until they're out of Midnight Patch and they finally have the slightest bit of light. She hopes that there isn't much they missed at the School of Friendship. Catching up with what she missed can be pretty hard sometimes. Though she shouldn't look that far ahead to the future. She still has to survive the next few miles, but she'll be fine. She's not completely alone. Before all this, she thought that Gallus doesn't know anything and doesn't have the ability to help her in any way, but it turns out that the Griffin is more than a birdbrain and has some wisdom beneath his blue feathers.

     The blue Griffin with wisdom is currently trying to scratch the sapphire. It's way harder than he thinks. He wonders if Ocellus can try turning into a creature that's strong enough to scratch it, but maybe later as she's currently navigating for them. He sighs, wondering how much longer it will take. The Everfree can be pretty scary, even for a Griffin, but it's probably to keep unwanted creatures inside and it's doing a very good job. Maybe he's an unwanted creature. Well, the feeling is mutual. Gallus smirks. He doesn't want to stay inside any longer either. When he gets out, the Everfree can be as scary as it wants to be. He won't give a fuck. Just as long as it doesn't grow wild like what he learned into History of Friendship class.

     Ocellus lights up as she sees a brighter road in front of her. The end of Midnight Patch is in sight! She feels new as she steps into the brighter part of the Everfree Forest. She looks at the forest around her in a new light. She has never appreciated the creepy green flora of the Everfree. She looks at her map again. About ten miles left! She picks up her pace. She knows they have nearly all the time in Equestria to go back, but she's really excited to return home. She consults her map again, looking for the shortest route, but it looks like there's no shorter one. She enthusiastically flits through the Everfree. Eventually, they come at a crossroad.

     "Where to, Ocellus?" Gallus asks.

     Ocellus consults her map again. "To the right!"

     Little do they know that as they turn right, somecreature is on their tails.

:

     Gallus feels the ground shake beneath his claws and paws. Is this normal? This probably is. They're in the Everfree Forest after all, where the strangest things are normal. He hopes it's a good thing. Or maybe there's a creature right on their tail who's not going well with its day so it decided to have a little fun with them. Gallus shakes his head. He isn't going to be somecreature's toy. He looks behind him and sees it. A giant rock monster in the form of a pony is galloping right towards them.

    "Ocellus!" Gallus shouts.

    Ocellus turns around and sees the rock monster. Her eyes widen in fear. She lets go of the sapphire. Her hooves will be too full if she holds it any longer. She just hopes that the sapphire will stay safe, but she watches in terror as the sapphire tumbles right to the edge of the cliff. Torque does its work and the sapphire falls. Her heart sinks a little, but the sapphire isn't their first priority right now. She has to keep her head in the game. She rummages through her bag, looking for a book on the creatures of Everfree. The worn brown leather cover of the book catches her eye and she quickly but carefully pulls it out. She opens the book to the table of contents and quickly scans it, looking for anything related to giant rock monsters. She finally pinpoints a page that can help her and quickly flips to it.

   "Okay, it says here that rock monsters like these guard Pukwudgie territory," Ocellus' eyes widen as she reads. Pukwudgies are the creatures that attacked them once upon a time. She risks another look at the rock monster and it's getting closer. She tries to run away but realizes that she ran all the way to the edge of a cliff. One wrong step and she can tumble down to the slimy, sludgy green waters of the river down below. She looks at the rock monster again and checks her book.

    "Maybe there's a way to tame it?" Ocellus says, then peeks at the rock monster. It's only a couple of feet away. Maybe she can tame it if she finds an article fast enough, right? As the rock monster comes closer, she can feel herself being lifted by a pair of claws. She looks up and sees Gallus carrying them towards the school.

    "You can let go of me now. I have wings, too," Ocellus says. Gallus sheepishly smiles and lets her go. Ocellus beams and hugs him.

    "Thanks for saving my hide back there, Gallus," Ocellus says, letting go of him.

   "No problem. You were so busy trying to do things systematically that you forgot that sometimes" - Gallus does a flip in the air - "You just gotta fly"

    Ocellus laughs. "Maybe I was too caught up on doing things step by step," she says, but then she turns a little downcast.

:

    "I can't fucking believe it," she says softly. She sits down on the grass in the school courtyard and sighs. All that work. For nothing. It is beyond frustrating, honestly. Guilt settled in her heart and refused to move from there. Her chance at never fallung prey to darkness again. Gone. Gallus sits down beside her, but doesn't say a thing. He doesn't want to interrupt the gloomy silence. A few second later, Ocellus decides to talk.

     "I lost the Salvation Sapphire. The one thing we need is gone," Ocellus says.

    Gallus is silent for a while, then smiles.

    "Maybe we were wrong about needing the sapphire," Gallus says. Ocellus looks at him, raising her eyebrow. Gallus shrugs.

    "I mean, our professors said it to us once before," Gallus says, "All you need are friends"

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Gah!!!!! I am fangirling so hard right now!!!!! I love Luslus!!!! ❤️ Those two are boyfriend-girlfriend material! I'm such a loser for those two. I didn't even try my best for this one-shot! They're that good together! Okay, honestly, I didn't really feel much shipping fuel after writing this. It feels more of a BROTP. It feels much better in my fantasies. So... yeah. I suck at writing romance ╮(╯▽╰)╭
I'm honestly scared. It looks like I've gotten the slightest bit more literate and it feels like my one-shots will get longer. Who knows, this might turn from a one-shot book to a compilation of books. *le gasp* This will turn into a Young 6 sacred book! A Young 6 bible! *shrugs* Eh, probably not.
And yes, I ship Luslus, Smona and Silverbar/Sandstream. Their ships names are all so great, too! But don't worry, I'm a multishipper ^^
Also, I included an EOF reference up there (Ooh! I should really use EOF as Edge of Friendship's abbreviation!) I also included an HP reference. Where are my fellow Potterheads? /*
I'm publishing this with no regrets!
Okay, this has to be one of the most messed up story here
Okay, bye!

...

Remember to spread the Magic of Friendship!