Author's Note: Sorry for the SUPER LONG HIATUS.

Spike sighed and looked out of the window. It was well past midnight, and nopony was back from Canterlot yet. The baby dragon shuddered at the sudden thought of something bad happening to Twilight, but he soon dismissed it. Twilight was strong, as well as her friends. They'd protect the fillies - Celestia knew why they had been brought along - if there was any sign of danger. Cheered on by this thought, he went back to his original duty of alphebatising the books. For the fifth time. This week. BIG sigh...

"I wonder how Twilight is," Spike thought out loud. "She's been gone a long time... what if-? Nah! She can't be in... in DANGER. She can't! If she was, she'd tell me! Right?"

The assistant announced his plea to the empty room. He sighed, and picked up yet another dusty, thick, leatherbound book. That was around the time six fillies decided to drop in.

"AAAH!" yelled Spike, as there was a sudden flash of pure-white light, and Ruby, Peachy Pie, Dinky Doo and the three Cutie Mark Crusaders appeared, sprawled out and disorientated, in the middle of the library.

"Wh... what..." stammered the dragon, scrambling to his feet.

Ruby raised her head, blinking profusely to clear the dust from her eyes. When she saw where she was, she leapt to her hooves and turned to Spike.

"Twilight... harmony... stone... Tick Tock..." babbled the filly, grabbing Spike by the cheeks and shaking him vigorously.

"Nyaaah! R-Ruby, calm down!" exclaimed the baby dragon, wrenching himself from the filly's grip. He dusted himself off, then looked in despair at the toppled pile of near-alphebatised books. Then he directed his attention to more pressing matters.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders, meanwhile, were on their hooves and helping Peachy and Dinky to theirs. Applebloom caught Spike's eye, and the farmpony rushed towards him, fear glistening in her orange eyes.

"SPIKE!" yelled Applebloom.

Spike's claws flew up in a comical surrender. "Whoah, there, Applebloom! Could somepony tell me what the hay is going on?"

"And now Tick Tock's back and we're all DOOMED!"

Applebloom finished her tale by collapsing onto the floor. Sweetie Belle was about to scream, but Scootaloo jabbed a hoof into the unicorn's mouth to shut said unicorn up. Meanwhile, Spike was looking worriedly from Ruby to the Crusaders to Peachy and Dinky and back.

"So... what about the Elements of Harmony?" asked the baby dragon fearfully.

"All gone," whimpered Peachy.

Dinky stamped on the ground bad-temperedly. "Aw, ponyfeathers! How are we gonna defeat Tick Tock if we don't got the Harmony Elements?"

Spike thought. Hard. For Twilight's sake, and for the sake of the other ponies, he thought. So so hard he did think, until, finally...

"ZECORA!"

The six fillies' heads perked up. Dinky's trademark grin split her face in half, and the Crusaders did their signature team hoof bump.

"Of course!" exclaimed Ruby, beginning to pace. "Why didn't I think of that before? Zecora must have something we can use to help everypony! Thanks, Spike."

"No problem!" said Spike, saluting.

Ruby turned to face the other five Element bearers, a spark of leadership lighting her pale green eyes. "Alright, everypony! To the Everfree Forest!"

"This is NOT safe for fillies like you!"

"Oh, come on, Spike!" said Scootaloo, flaring her tiny wings. "Me, Belle and AB have been in there before, and nothing happened to us!"

Dinky cocked her head, evidently thinking. Then, she said, "But didn't you get attacked by a cockatrice and almost turned to stone?"

The Crusaders glared at the unicorn. Dinky shrugged. "Just telling the truth!"

"Well, you ain't the Element o' 'onesty, ah am!" retorted Applebloom.

"I really don't want to go into the Everfree Forest..." whispered Peachy.

Ruby punched Peachy playfully on the shoulder. "Oh, come on! What's the worst that could happen?"

Peachy rubbed her shoulder.

"About a MILLION different things!" burst out Spike, forcing his way between the two. "Timberwolves could be on a hunting spree, there could be cockatrices out and about, and Twilight's seen a MANTICORE in that crazy place!"

"Oh, come on!" exclaimed Scootaloo. "If a pony as shy as Fluttershy can handle it, then so can we!"

On the spur of the moment, the Crusaders jumped together and hoof-bumped each other in their signature fashion.

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADER HARMONY WIELDERS! YAAY!"

"You think we're gonna see another cockatrice?" asked Sweetie Belle, scared.

"Don't worry!" declared Scootaloo, rearing up on to her hind legs and shadow-boxing with an invisible foe. "If we DO see another one, I'll just use the Stare!"

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Girls, only Fluttershy can use the Stare."

"I hope I never see the Stare," whimpered Peachy. "Never...!"

Spike was nervously grinding his teeth, looking around the dark, shadowy forest like a cornered mouse. "This is not a good idea..."

"Nopony said it was," replied Ruby curtly. "We could die in here, you know."

The way she said it - so casually - made Spike even more frightened and jittery.

As the seven of them went on, deeper and deeper, into the Everfree Forest, eyes began to blink out at them. Red, yellow, green, some even inky-black and glowing white around the outline, they all stared unblinkingly, and they all unnerved each and every one of the company.

Suddenly, a warmer, friendlier glow appeared in the distance.

"Zecora!" exclaimed Applebloom, and the seven of them began cantering - or running, in Spike's case - eagerly towards the light. Once they got into that little circle of warmth, Ruby approached the door and knocked, three times.

After a while, Zecora's striped head appeared out of the door. Looking down, her pupils dialated in surprise.

"Little fillies, what are you doing out here?" she questioned. "There is danger and darkness lurking out here..."

"We need to come in!" cried Sweetie Belle. "The Elements of Harmony... Tick Tock... Rarity and her friends...!"

Zecora held up a hoof. "Say no more, Sweetie Belle. Out there you should not dwell."

And she let them all in.