Have Friendship, Will Travel

Alphonse couldn’t believe how fast Ponyville was rebuilding; in almost no time at all, buildings were returning and life appeared to be re-blossoming. While everypony was still  mourning the loss of their loved ones, they had the prospect of their old city back in one piece.

“So, Alphonse; what are we going to do first?”

Smiling back at Rainbow, he pondered his response. “Well, I’ve never had to train a vampire before... I’ve only ever trained Death Knights, and that’s usually much more... violent.”

Rainbow sighed as she stretched her wings. “You sure know how to kill the peaceful mood, don’t you?”

Al chuckled to himself. “That and more... Well, anyways, the first thing we should do is endurance and self-control training; it’s daytime right now, meaning you can’t feed easily, and you are much more likely to encounter people full of the very thing that keeps you alive.”

Dash looked at him, boredom written across her face. “Look, after all that just went down, I’d really like to catch a break... can’t we just take some time to settle down and have some fun?”

Alphonse was confused; he really thought that Rainbow hated him for what he’d done to her, and wasn’t certain as to why she’d want to get to know him at all. “Well, that’s fine, I guess. What do ponies do for ‘fun’?”

“Well, normally I’d say we could go fly around Cloudsdale a bit, but we’re both a little too strong for that kind of flying... wanna race over the Everfree Forest?” The cyan pegasus’ face was starting to grin from cheek to cheek; she was obviously excited.

“Well, I don’t actually know what or where that is; care to lead the way?”

“Sure thing! Keep up if you can!” Already in the air, Rainbow took off at high speed, prompting Alphonse to do the same.

As he flew after his dark companion, he realized that since his arrival, he had learned how to fly with ease. Shrugging it off as a convenience, he continued after his crush.

Back at the library, Twilight was preparing to teleport herself to Canterlot; she had a lot to tell the princess, and needed guidance from her. Leonidas was one thing, but Alphonse is just... I have no idea what to do!

In the final stages of her preparation, her horn started to glow with its signature purple glow; no more than ten seconds later, she was just outside of the royal command room. Her teleportation appeared to be a bit off, as she had teleported herself into the side closet where janitorial supplies were held. As she made her way to the door, she couldn’t help but overhear a muffled voice, which sounded like Princess Celestia. She was going to politely knock before she heard Celestia mention Nightmare Moon; instead of knocking and opening the door, she placed her ear to the door.

“General, I need you to investigate this incident with utmost discretion; no one can know what you are investigating... not even the elements of harmony.”

A stallion’s voice replied, which sounded like that of her old friend General Dusk. “I understand, Princess. But if this power didn’t originate from Nightmare M--Princess Luna, where did it come from?”

“I don’t know, General; but whatever it is I will see to it personally that it is destroyed; not a single shred of it can remain. Believe me when I tell you that this dark energy is extremely corruptive: it spreads and spreads while consuming the life force of innocent ponies until there is nothing left. It’s what turned my beloved sister into Nightmare Moon. Recently, I’ve sensed two of these dark entities outside of the castle; one was very brief, but the other was very powerful and has shown itself twice. When you find them, immediately call for backup; do not engage them on your own.”

“Understood, Princess. I’ll head out for Ponyville immediately.”

After hearing a sizzling crackle, Twilight could only assume Dusk had teleported out of the castle. This is bad... this is verybad... if they find Alphonse, they’ll kill him... and Rainbow Dash too! Or Alphonse may kill the General... But who was this other dark being she mentioned... Realizing that Alphonse was out in public, she quickly powered up and teleported herself back to the library. “I’ve got to warn Alphonse!”

She ran outside of the library, looking left and right in an attempt see if Alphonse was in the area; he wasn’t, which meant she’d have to look on her own. That was fine, though: she happened to be good friends with the best pony-finder in all of Equestria.

Back at the castle, Shining Armor was arriving into the royal command room.

“You called, Princess Celestia?”

“Yes, thank you for coming, Shining Armor. I have a very important mission for you; I haven’t so much as received one letter from Twilight, or any of the other elements for that matter. I fear they may have become corrupted by the darkness during the attack.”

The regal stallion was a little skeptical. Surely, the Elements of Harmony wouldn’t be so easily corrupted...Especially Twilight. If anyone’s keeping a clear head, it’s her. But still... “What is it you want me to do, Princess?”

“I want you to keep your eye on the Elements and ensure that they haven’t been corrupted by the darkness.”

Nodding in acknowledgement, Shining asked the next question on his mind. “What do I do if I encounter this ‘darkness’?”

Looking down at the ground with fear written over her face, she continued. “Anypony infested by the darkness must be destroyed...” Her regal voice was beginning to falter. “... even if it’s Twilight...”

Looking back up at Shining Armor, Celestia nodded. “There’s no other option... you have your orders, Captain. Please mobilize as soon as you can.”

Nodding in resentful agreement, Shining Armor departed to prepare his voyage to Ponyville.

As Twilight ran into Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie was making her way up into the main room from the basement, carrying a tray full of muffins.

“Pinkie, I’m sorry to bother you at work, but I need your help.”

Pinkie trotted over to the counter, removing her apron. “My help? Oh, and do you want one of the Fruit Explosion muffins?”

“It’s Rainbow Dash and Alphonse... I think they’re in serious trouble, and I need you to help me find them right away!”

Pinkie’s face dropped into a very serious gaze. “Oh, no! This is the second time this week something has tried to hurt my friends... Nopony is going to take my friends away this time... The muffins can wait... Let’s go!”

With that, the duo were on their way.

As they were running, Twilight couldn’t help but notice she didn’t know where they were going. “Uh, Pinkie... where are we going, exactly?”

“Where do you think, silly? The Everfree Forest! Oh and by the way, why do you think they call it a hack-saw?”

Rarity had just returned to the library after a visit to the nearby ice-cream stand. I hope Fluttershy likes it... I didn’t know what to get her, so I just picked vanilla... Trotting quietly into the room, she saw Fluttershy, who was now awake and looking out the window. “Hello, Fluttershy. I trust you’re doing alright?”

After a few seconds, Fluttershy took her gaze off the window and looked at the fashionista with a weak smile across her face. “Oh, hi. Yes, I’m doing better now.”

“I brought this ice cream for you... would you like me to help you with it?”

Fluttershy smiled before declining. “Thank you, but It’s okay, Rarity; I can do it.” After a small lick of her ice cream, she continued. “Say, um... do you remember that talk we had about Leonidas a while back?”

Seating herself on the bed beside Fluttershy, Rarity looked out the window. “Yes, I do. You two had a rather serious passion for each other, didn’t you?”

Fluttershy blushed as she nodded. “Well, um... I think Alphonse might sort of know Leonidas; it might sound weird, but they both carry that same... feel about them.”

Rarity sighed as she thought over Al’s recent comments about Leo’s dark fate; deciding to spare Fluttershy the pain, she avoided the topic altogether. “I hadn’t noticed, really... but, I thought I’d let you know that Alphonse is doing well, and the city is coming back together smashingly... including my botique!”

Fluttershy smiled again, with a sigh of what Rarity assumed was relief. “I’m glad to hear it... so, um... what do you think of Alphonse? I noticed that look in your eyes when you talk about him... do you..”

Rarity interrupted Fluttershy, as she started blushing. “Absolutely not! He’s a... fine... stallion, but I would never...”

Fluttershy smiled as she looked out the window. “Oh, I’m sorry, Rarity... I didn’t mean to get to personal or anything...”

“Personal about what?” Applejack had reached the top of the landing with Nurse Redheart, and now approached Fluttershy’s bed.

The nurse took a moment to look at Fluttershy, with obvious concern over her face. “What... what happened to you?”

Almost rudely, Rarity stepped up to answer the question. “She was bitten by one of those fiendish animals she looks after, and bled out for quite some time before I found her.”

“Is this true, Fluttershy?” The nurse was skeptical, but Fluttershy’s nervous nod was enough to let her move on. “Well then, I’m just going to do a few tests and then I’ll be on my way.”

As Alphonse touched down at the Everfree Forest, he couldn’t help but notice how foreboding it was. In Azeroth, this wouldn’t have been so bad; but in a land composed primarily of sugar and spice, this forest was dark enough to put even a Death Knight on guard.

“Hey, Al, you’re not afraid are you?” Rainbow Dash’s malevolent grin was evident as she chuckled to herself.

Snapping out of his stare, he looked over at his companion. “Uh... No! Not at all. I’m just admiring how big and... dark it is. So, where are we racing?”

Rainbow looked into the seemingly endless forest as she responded. “To the other side of the forest; I’ve heard there are some really nice areas on the other side... we could sit and talk for a while after that if you want.” Rainbow was starting to blush, but the Death Knight didn’t seem to notice.

Smiling as he stretched his wings, Alphonse continued. “Alright; you count down and we’ll get started!”

Rainbow unfurled her wings to full length as she started to count down. “Five... four... three... Twilight?”

In a flash, Twilight materialized in front of them. “Something awful has happened, we need to get back to the library, now!”

Pinkie had  now caught up, and was grinning widely as ever at the two vampires. To her, it didn’t look like anything bad was happening at all, and that was very good news. “What’s going on, anyways? You never did tell me...”

Twilight looked left and right, before whispering to the group. “It’s not safe to talk here; we could be being watched.”

Disappointed in his fellow mage, Alphonse offered his dark services. “I could just put a blood barrier around us; no one could hear a word you’re saying. You know, you could put up a magic barrier yourself...”

The lavender mage silenced him magically as she continued her hushed rant. “Sshhh! Don’t mention anything about your magic right now; that’s the problem. You’re on the royal wanted list, and Princess Celestia is sending an incredibly powerful mage to track you down!”

Alphonse grinned darkly as he stared into Twilight’s eyes. “Couldn’t I just kill him so we move on? I’ve never let a mage stop me before.”

“Absolutely not! He’s my friend and I don’t want either of you hurt. For now, we’re going to head back to the library so I can cover us in a local field; then we can talk.”

Clearly dissatisfied, Alphonse thought about teleporting them himself, but combined with the possibility of Zulway’s Foot Palace and Twilight ordering him to not use his magic, he thought he’d ask her to do it instead. “Twilight, can you just teleport us to the library so we don’t have to walk?”

“No, I’m running low on mana as it is, and if I just transport us there without checking back, someone could be there waiting for us. We’re going to have to walk.”

Rainbow Dash and Alphonse looked at each other as they sighed; they had no choice. “Fine... Lead the way, Twilight.”

And with that, they made their way back to the library.

About half way to the library, they came across an dark-maned pony, laying in a ball on the ground.

“DUSK!” Twilight ran over to the pony on the ground, noting a bleeding bump on the back of his head. “He’s unconscious... but who could've done this? He never lets his guard down!”

Alphonse examined the bump on his head... it looked eerily similar to the mark that rogues left on their sapped targets. He should know, one of his good friends was a rogue (an assassination rogue, to be precise)... and he’d been sapped plenty of times himself. “Whatever it is, if this guy is dangerous, and he’s a good friend of yours, we need to leave before he wakes up.”

Nodding in agreement, Twilight motioned the group to follow.

Before they could travel very far, Alphonse noted a shadowy figure for a brief second in the trees around them. Deciding to be proactive, he blasted the tree he’d seen the figure on into a hundred pieces, resulting in the shaded figure yelping as it fell to the ground. “What the fuck!” Within seconds, the figure got up and with a flash, vanished into thin air.

“Alphonse, what are you doing?” Twilight threw an angry and confused look at Alphonse; deciding to ignore it, he walked over to where the shadowy figure had fallen.

“I saw something in the trees; it was watching us... you sensed it too, right Rainbow?”

Looking back and forth between Twilight and Alphonse, Rainbow shrugged. “I felt something weird, but didn’t really sense anything living until I saw that shadowy thing hit the floor.” The cyan pegasus focused her attention to Twilight. “Was he from the Royal Guard? Are they going to take Alphonse?”

Alphonse walked to the middle of the group, a look of seriousness across his face unlike his normal emotionless gaze. “Answer me this one question... tell me what ‘fuck’ means.”

Pinkie giggled.

Twilight’s head tilted as she looked him in the eyes. “Do you mean ‘buck’?”

“No, I don’t. Before it vanished, it said ‘What the fuck’. Fuck is a curse word back from Azeroth, but in my short time here I haven’t heard anyone use it... and I’m fairly certain Applejack gave me a good sample of all your coarse language back at that farm.”

Twilight walked out of the group back in the direction of the library. “We’ll discuss this at the library; for now we have to keep moving... C’mon, lets go!”

Princess Luna was lying on her royal bed, shivering even though she was warm under the covers. The dark power that had once consumed her was now taking hold in a brand new way; she could swear it was now talking to her.

“I have to.... fight it... No! Stay away from me!” Within minutes, she noticed that she was no longer awake and in her bed... everything was darker than before. In front of her was a sinister object, shrouded by dark smoke, with two blue flames streaming not far from the top.

“Luna... come to me...”

“No, never again! I remember what you did to me... how you turned me into a beast!”

“I haven’t laid a hand on you until today... what you did one thousand years ago was solely your own doing... out of your hate, and vengeanceand jealousy, you turned yourself into a nightmare. Now that one of my pawns has provided a sort of ‘magnetic pole’ of lich energy in your ripe and virgin world, the Nightmare inside of you is waking up, making my job so... much... easier.”

“Please, leave me alone. I don’t want to lose myself again!”

In a flash, the Elements of Harmony appeared in front of her, a mysterious gray stallion standing in the middle. These Elements, however, were different. Their eyes all glowed of blue fire, and their skin was pale. In unison, they all trotted two steps closer to her, then knelt as they spoke. “Speak your will, Nightmare Moon, and it shall be done.” Their voices were deep, rumbly and hateful, like the being that had just spoken to her seconds ago. In fear, she jumped back from the apparitions in front of her.

“Stay away from me! The Elements would never turn into this!”

“One of them is already halfway there... By the time I’m done with you, the vision in front of you will become reality. We shall speak again soon, Nightmare Moon.”

With a start, Luna sprung up from her bed; her first instinct was to look at herself in the mirror. Doing so, the reflected mare in front of her was crying from eyes that were faintly glowing blue. Looking further into the reflection, she noticed her hair was starting to float and glimmer as it had when she was Nightmare Moon. No... I won’t let this happen. I refuse!

Putting all of her will into focus, she managed to turn her outward appearance back to that of the petite Princess Luna. As for what was going on deep inside, not even she knew.

When Alphonse and the group had arrived back at the Library, Twilight put up an alert barrier and a sound jumbler; in layman’s terms, everything they said would come out as jumbled nonsensical words, and any object living or otherwise to cross the barrier would notify Twilight.

By now Nurse Redheart had cleared Fluttershy as “healthy and in need of rest”, and Applejack had returned to Sweet Apple Acres to get back to work; Rarity had also since moved on with Spike to get back to restoring her boutique.

The group assembled around the table of the library. Placing her hoof on the table, Twilight started the meeting, cutting directly to the chase. “Okay, now we can talk. Alphonse: Princess Celestia has sensed you and another dark entity in Equestria, and has mobilized Dusk, that incredibly powerful mage we saw back on the road, and maybe even others to come and find you. She sounded very serious... she made it clear that your existence alone is enough reason to have the entire royal military after you.”

Rainbow Dash piped in, concern written over her face. “Wait... why? Hasn’t Alphonse only done good for us so far? He saved the town from the hydra, and then brought me back to life.”

“That’s the problem, Rainbow. She said that the darkness ‘corrupts and spreads’, as it has done to you. I’m afraid she may even try... to kill you.”

“Not a chance!” Alphonse slammed his hoof down on the table, eyes glowing strong with fire. “I’ll die before I let them lay a hoof on her... even if it means killing this ‘Celestia’ monarch.”

In awe Rainbow Dash stood silently beside Alphonse, trying to hide her blood-red cheeks.

Desperately trying to keep a level head, Twilight interjected. “You’ll do no such thing, Alphonse. I love her dearly as my mentor; without her, I wouldn’t have the skills to be helping you at this very moment.”

The Death Knight’s eye twitched. “Okay then, Twilight... what do you propose we do? And, while we’re at it--”

Twilight’s horn started pulsing with light, indicating that the barrier had been crossed. As if on queue, Alphonse ran to the front window and had a look around; no one was at the front door at all, yet Twilight’s horn continued to glow.

Al looked around outside one more time before whispering, “Everyone, stay very quiet. I can sense a life form around... it’s not one of us...” Pointing to the roof above them, he motioned towards the front door. No one in the group made a sound. As he reached out to open the door, there was a loud bang on the door, which revealed the tip of a dirk no less than one inch away from the Death Knight’s blazing retina. Recoiling, Alphonse summoned his blade and prepared for the worst.

After waiting around thirty seconds, Pinkie Pie walked over to the door. “Al... I think it’s gone.”

Quietly, the lichborne stallion opened the door. A scroll had been attached to the door by the blade. Alphonse levitated the blade out of the door, and opened the scroll. Curious as ever, Pinkie hopped on the stallion’s back, and began to read the note.

In absolute shock, Alphonse read it over.

By order of King Varian Wrynn, the Death Knight Alphonse Runeweaver, former commander in service of the Alliance and champion of the Ashen Verdict, has again fallen to the hands of the Lich King, and is hereby sentenced to death for heinous crimes including mass murder and high treason.

Alphonse Runeweaver is considered highly dangerous, and you are advised to contact the Alliance Guard upon sight.

The King is offering a one-hundred and fifty-thousand gold reward for the killing of Alphonse Runeweaver; and double that amount if you can bring his body back so he may be buried honorably as a fallen soldier.

[Stormwind Official Seal]

Alphonse closed the scroll as Pinkie gently climbed off.

The normally happy-go-lucky mare somberly reached over and hugged him. “Alphonse... I’m sorry... I’m so so sorry.”

No... no it can’t be... I thought that maybe -- just maybe my being here would make my counterpart weak or even inoperable... that maybe the Lich King was bluffing... but instead he’s still killing innocent people left and right... That’s why I never have to feed here... “I’m... I’m a monster!”

Tossing the scroll to the floor, Alphonse ran out the door and flew off as fast as he could.

Rainbow picked up the note and read it over. “Oh... oh no! Alphonse, wait!” Rushing out the door, the cyan mare flew after her dark companion.

Once Twilight had finished reading the note, she set it down on her table and walked up to Pinkie. “Well, Pinkie... if you were me, what would you do?”

Scratching her muzzle, her eyes lit up with excitement. “I know! I’ll throw him a welcome party!”

Once the party pony had bounced out the door to head to Sugarcube Corner, Twilight shrugged off her strange friend's behaviour and sat down to think about the note. Wait a minute... if a scroll from Azeroth made it here... oh no!

Alphonse had since made his way to the far side of the forest -- where Rainbow was supposed to race him. Sitting in a dark cloud far above the ground below him, he looked up at the sky.

“I need to die... it’s that simple; all I’ve done is destroyed and desecrated the clean and innocent things around me... with me here, nothing is sacred... I wish I could go back and face my sentence like an honorable soldier.”

“I don’t.”

Alphonse looked left and right before seeing Rainbow Dash standing behind him. Genuinely confused, he continued. “Why? Why don’t you wish I was dead? Look at what I’ve turned you into! I’ve turned you into something just like me. A monster!”

Dash looked him in the eyes with intensity. “Alphonse, I don’t think a monster would give somepony like me a second chance at life. You’re the most awesome dude I’ve ever met... not only have you given me a second chance at life, but you’ve given me something new to live for.”

Alphonse scoffed. “Yeah, and what’s that? Blood? Near immortality? It has its downsides you know!”

“No!”

“Then what?”

Rainbow Dash hesitated before looking down at the cloud below her. “Well... I... I...”

“See!? You don’t know, do you?”

“No, I do... I think I do... I just...”

“No, you don’t. You wanna know what you have to live for? The Lich King. He’s trying to break my will and turn you into a Death Knight. He wants to come here and desecrate this near perfect world, using me as his right hand!”

“Wait... who? He wants to what, now?”

“The Lich King. Death incarnate, the one who killed me and turned me into the atrocity standing before you. He’s now trying to extend his reach into Equestria... and when he does, no one will be safe.”

“Why didn’t you tell me... er, us this before? What can we do to stop it?” She looked hurt -- the sight of it wrenched Al’s heart.

“Because I thought I could protect you... I thought...” Before he could finish his sentence, the world around him started spinning. “I uh... I...”

Alphonse looked like he was going to fall over, so she ran over to his side, preparing to catch him. “Alphonse!? What’s wrong? Your eyes aren’t glowing anymore!”

The Death Knight had now tipped over and was resting in Rainbow Dash’s embrace. “Rainbow... I think I’m about to go back there again...”

The cyan vampire slapped him across the face, desperately trying to keep him awake. “What can I do?”

“Bite my neck.”

“Wait... why?”

“It will allow you to see into the void when I’m there. It will also keep my soul anchored to this body through you... in case he tries... to pull me back.”

As Al’s eyes began to close, she lunged forward and bit deep into his neck. As blood started pulsing into her mouth, her normal vision began to fade; she was in a dark place. This new place expanded endlessly -- it didn’t appear to have an end. In the middle was an object shrouded by mist; this object had two flaming blue dots near the top -- they reminded her of Alphonse’ eyes.

A bipedal creature stood in front of the object, chained to it by its chest -- it wore armor similar to Alphonse, and his eyes and hair looked identical to the pony she knew as Alphonse.

“Hello again, Alphonse. I do hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time.” The dark, demonic and rumbling voice instilled the feeling of death within Rainbow’s heart.

Alphonse looked around the room, a sort of fear written over his face she’d never seen before. “If I come back without a fight, would you leave this world alone? Would you spare the lives of these innocent ponies?”

No Alphonse... please don’t!

A dark chuckle reverberated around this endless void, shaking everything around her. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you, Death Knight? Leonidas says hello, by the way. The two of you have been the best of friends, lately.”

Through her soul connection to him, she could feel his heart shatter after hearing that. In the real world, she could feel tears streaming down her eyes.

After a long pause, Alphonse looked back up at the object before him. “Is that why you put that note on my door? To let me know how many people I’ve been killing? To let me know that I can’t escape your cold embrace?”

For a brief moment, there was silence.

“Note?”

Alphonse was confused. Wait a minute... if he’s not responsible for that note... then who? Thinking over his options, he decided to play his final card. “I’ll do it. I’ll destroy myself if you don’t leave. I’ll break the link between this world and your world.”

That dark laugh reverberated yet again through the void, making Rainbow feel sick to her stomach. “Well, you could go ahead and do that -- not only would you be giving your human self over to me completely, but then you’d take away Equestria’s last hope against my nightmare.”

“Wait... what nightmare?”

“I’ll let you figure it out, Alphonse Runeweaver. Oh, and please don’t go about thinking you’rethe link between Azeroth and Equestria. You’re far from it; without you in the way, I’ll have already won. Not that you ever stood a chance, death knight.Here, a glimpse of the future I have planned for Equestria.”

Appearing before Alphonse was seven ponies. Dash instantly identified them as her and the other Elements of Harmony, with another pony that looked identical to Alphonse standing between them. They looked very different, however: their skin was paler and their eyes were ablaze just like Alphonse’. Bloodied, beaten and barely alive before them was Princess Celestia. The one that looked like Rainbow Dash trotted over to the bloodied princess, and lunged her sword into Celestia’s regal throat; in a flash, blood covered her and Alphonse, just barely missing the other Death Knight Elements who stood behind them.

“I’ll kill you!” Alphonse’ voice was getting darker and similar to that of the Lich King’s. “When I find you, there won’t be anything left of you to burn!”

Again the dark voice chuckled, breaking into a sick cackle. “Many have said that before falling before my might. For now, focus your attention on the night. Oh, and hello Rainbow Dash. I will see you both again soon.”

As the world before her began to fade into nothingness, she saw Alphonse fall to his knees while covering his face. In an instant, her heart broke, and the void became as nothing.

After stirring slightly, Rainbow Dash awoke on top of Alphonse -- her fangs still in his neck. Blushing while wiping the blood and slobber off of her face, she looked down at the stallion under her. Endless tears were streaming from his eyes. After gently wiping them off, she placed her head on his chest. Al... I’m so scared.

She stayed like that until he began to stir -- in a flash, she got up and knelt beside him, trying to act like she hadn’t just been resting on him. “Hey Al, you feeling okay?”

Alphonse’ eyes were glowing again, but much dimmer than normal. “Ugh... yeah... did you see him? Did you see what happened?”

“Yeah... I saw him. He’s this ‘Lich King’?”

“Yes, and now it looks like he’s got another Death Knight here in Equestria...”

Rainbow Dash was concerned. Al is really strong... but what if this other Death Knight is stronger? “Can you beat him?”

“I don’t know... but I promise I’ll do my best to keep you all safe.”

Blushing slightly, she cleared her throat. “Say, uh... do you maybe wanna sit here and talk a bit about this stuff? I’d like to know more about what’s going on... about the Lich King... and about you.”

Alphonse shrugged. “Well, I’m too weak to go anywhere now... Have a seat wherever you want.”

Pinkie Pie pranced around Sugarcube Corner with her signature smile on her face. A bright banner saying “Welcome to Equestria, Alphonse!” hung high from the ceiling.

As she was preparing the plates for the party, she heard a loud bang near the front of the store, as if somepony had tripped and fallen. Running over to see what caused the noise, she found a white ball no bigger than a cupcake on the ground.

In an instant, it exploded, surrounding the party pony in smoke. After a brief moment of shock, she started giggling to herself. “Must have been a bad firework...”

A/N:

And that's the end of Chapter 5! I hope you all enjoyed it. I’ve been busy as ever with work lately, but I still hope to release these as possible.

I’m finding it easier to write these as the inspiration comes, as opposed to sitting down and attempting to chug out a story -- as  such, the release time on these may be a little longer than I’d like to to be, but not like the month this last one took... it’s almost hard to come back to a  book after putting it down for a month, and for that I apologize.

Stay pony, my friends.

/)