The Wolf's War

Chapters

Patched Up *Revised*
Introductions *Revised*
Luna's Arrival *Revised*
New Lessons *Revised*
The Gates of Tartarus *Revised*
A Little Disappointment *Revised*
Breaking The Ice *Revised*
Grave News *Revised*
The Lucky Shadow *Revised*
A Battle From The Past *Revised*
The Escape *Revised*
Zant's Dilemma *Revised*
Not So Normal Beginnings *Revised*

Patched Up Revised

Twilight Sparkle, resident princess and librarian to Ponyville, was trotting down the path to Fluttershy’s house, smiling in the cheery morning sunlight. Her cutie mark, a pink star burst with five smaller white stars around it seemed to twinkle in the sunshine. The purple alicorn’s saddlebags were full of various supplies, and her number one assistant, Spike, was perched on her back, still grumbling about the early start.

Spike was a baby dragon, completely purple with green spines that ran the length of his head, back, and tail. He was rubbing at one of his green, slit-pupiled eyes with the back of a scaled claw. “I still don’t see why we have to get up so early,” he complained.

“We are going to help Fluttershy with her animals. We promised remember?” Twilight said, and Spike grumbled an affirmative response under his breath. Yesterday, Fluttershy had told them she had some chores she couldn't do herself that Twilight’s magic could help with, and Twilight had agreed to come in the early morning, knowing that the shy pegasus was often up at the crack of dawn to care for her animals. Spike had to come because Twilight didn’t trust him to stay at home and not eat all the ice cream in the library. As Twilight neared the cottage, she slowed down at the sight of animals arranged before the house. They had formed some kind of protective wall around the lawn, from bears to squirrels, all standing together with menacing faces and gleaming black eyes, daring anyone to get close.

Twilight stopped about ten feet away, and regarded the wall of animals curiously. She had only seen this once before, and it usually meant something big was happening with Fluttershy, something that she wanted to be alone for. Twilight cast her gaze to the small cottage, and a large brown bear growled a warning. Twilight usually would leave her friend to her own devices in this circumstance, but she had made a Pinkie Promise yesterday; a promise she was obligated to keep.

“How are we gonna get through?” Spike asked, seemingly forgetting that his dragon scales could repel any attack that the animals could muster, and that he could probably waltz right through the line with no problem. Twilight, on the other hoof, was not so hardy, and she thought she saw the same growling bear eyeing her. Twilight mulled the problem over for a second before coming up with the obvious answer.

“Teleport,” Twilight said, and Spike nodded. Not wanting the animals to notice, Twilight walked back down the path a couple dozen yards. When she was sure that the animals had lost interest in her, Twilight pictured Fluttershy’s front porch in her mind, before concentrating. The purple unicorn horn on her forehead was encased in a magenta aura, which danced and spun around her horn as she activated the spell. With a bright flash Twilight was standing on the front porch of the cottage, behind the animal wall, Spike still on his perch on her back. None of the animals had noticed the white flash; they were too busy sweeping the path ahead of them, looking for anypony who might be passing by.

Spike hopped off her back, and Twilight knocked lightly on the door with a hoof. She stood there for a moment, but no one answered. Twilight frowned slightly and knocked again, a bit louder. Maybe Fluttershy hadn’t heard her? With no answer the second time, Twilight knocked again, doing her best to keep the noise down while still being audible. Twilight’s frown deepened when there was still no answer.

“Maybe she’s asleep?” Spike suggested, with a shrug, hopping down from her back.

As Twilight was just about to pull the door open herself, it swung open. A small white rabbit with black eyes eyed them, its suspicion evident . Angel Bunny, Fluttershy’s main pet and helper around her home, was looking as grumpy as ever as crossed his little arms over his chest and tapped his large foot, waiting for Twilight to explain what she was doing.

“Hello, Angel,” Twilight greeted the small rabbit. “We are here to help Fluttershy.” Angel seemed to mull Twilight’s statement over before nodding grudgingly and hopping out of the way, letting the door fully open. Twilight slowly trotted into the main room of the house, her eyes narrowing as she struggled to see. The room was almost completely dark, something she would have never expected in Fluttershy's normally cheery home. All of the windows were still covered, as if they had never been opened in the morning. The back door to the cottage was open a crack, shining a beam of light through the small kitchen and onto the wall next to Twilight. Angel hopped in after Spike, forcefully shutting the door and vanishing in the darkness.

“Hello?” Twilight called. “Fluttershy?”

There was a small noise from upstairs, and Twilight though she heard Fluttershy’s soft voice. “I’m up here, Twilight! Could you come up here, I mean, if you don’t mind . . .”

Twilight trotted up to the stairs, Spike following close behind. The short hallway on the next floor was also dark, but one room’s door was completely open. Sunlight was streaming out of the room, and lit up the painted walls. Twilight went over to the door. “Hello Fluttershy! I’m here. . .” Twilight trailed off when she saw the room. Fluttershy was standing next to a bed, her hooves and wingtips stained slightly red. There were huge bags under her eyes, and she looked like she was struggling to stay awake. Fluttershy's state was worrying enough, but it was the bed’s occupant that stopped Twilight.

“Is that a wolf?” Spike exclaimed from behind Twilight, peeking around her hind legs. Indeed it was, as far as Twilight could tell. A huge wolf, bigger than she was, was lying on its side on Fluttershy’s bed. It was so big that its back paws were hanging off the edge of the bed. It was mostly black, but the fur on its stomach was white, along with the bottom of its tail. A manacle and broken chain were attached to one foreleg, and a small blue earing glinted in its right ear. It had a large concentration of fur around its neck and shoulders, looking like a small lion’s mane. There was a white pattern of fur consisting of a diamond with a dot in the center on its forehead, and a few other swirls on the eyebrows above its closed eyes. The wolf’s chest rose and fell with shallow breaths, and Twilight could tell it was unconscious.

Fluttershy smiled sleepily. “Hello Twilight, hi Spike,” She said, before turning back to something on the wolf’s side Twilight couldn’t see. “Twilight, could you come over here please?” Twilight nodded, and skirted along the edge of the room to make it to Fluttershy’s side, carefully eyeing the huge wolf. When she made it to Fluttershy she gasped, and held a hoof to her mouth in shock.

Three huge vertical slashes had ripped open the flesh on the wolf’s side, and the fur around them was crusted with dried blood and dirt. There was a bowl set on the bed next to the wolf’s side, along with towels, some clean and some used, and other various supplies such as gauze and a small box of band aids. Fluttershy was using one of her feathers to gently scoop out dirt and small stones that had been caked into the gaping wounds, dropping them into the bowl atop a growing mound of grit. The most shocking thing was the sickly black coloration of the exposed muscle , an unnatural change from the normal red. An almost nauseating smell of ash wafted over her, and Twilight blinked rapidly to try and clear her sinuses.

“Fluttershy, what happened?” Twilight asked when she had regained control of herself. The only explanation that she could come up with was that the wound were caused by a manticore, the only creature she knew of that have big enough claws to cause such devastating damage. But Twilight had never seen an actual wolf in the Everfree, just timberwolves, the distant magical cousins of the flesh and blood species. Timberwolves were magical wolves made out of wood and sticks, and were smaller than this wolf was.

Fluttershy continued cleaning the claw marks while replying. “I found him in the Everfree forest last night. He was bleeding very badly, so I brought him back here to patch him up.” Fluttershy finished the middle wound and moved onto the last one, switching the blood stained feather for one of the last remaining clean ones on the other wing.

“All by yourself?” Twilight asked, incredulous. Twilight knew the shy pegasus could be strong when she needed to, but she couldn’t imagine her hauling a load this big, through the Everfree and in the dark no less! Twilight’s already high opinion of her friend went up a couple of notches.

“Yes,” Fluttershy said softly. She then frowned, the ultimate look of concern in her eyes. “But I'm worried. His wounds aren’t infected, but they are still this color, and they stopped bleeding a while ago.” Now that Fluttershy mentioned it, Twilight did find it strange that wounds this devastating weren't at least leaking some blood. That wasn't good. “Do you think you could help?” Fluttershy asked, glancing at Twilight. “I’m not good with magical ailments at all, and I've never seen anything this bad. . .” Fluttershy trailed off as she focused on cleaning the last slash and dumping the dirt into the half-filled bowl with a flick of her wing. She gingerly folded her wings to her side, smearing a blood and grime on her coat as she did so.

Twilight bit her lip and nodded. She had done some preliminary study of medical magic back in school, mostly just to sake her own curiosity, and she felt grossly adequate to attempt something like a major healing spell. But she couldn't let Fluttershy down, nor let a creature die just sitting in front of her without at least trying. She lit her horn and reached out to feel the wolf with her magic, and she recoiled in surprise. Inside the wolf was magic. That in and of itself wasn't surprising; every creature and thing in all of Equestria was brimming with the stuff. But this magic was different than just the life magic of some creature. It was pony. It was slightly different than was she was used to, but the essence that allowed the numerous races of the world to achieve sapience was undoubtedly there.Twilight made a mental note to examine the wolf further when she was done. This deserved further research, but now was not the time. She focused back on her task.

Twilight let her magic run over the wolf's body and magic, and she imagined that this was what doctors felt like when they treated serious wounds. The wolf's magic was weak and fluctuating dangerously, making it hard to actually sense anything concretely. After a moment, Twilight pinpointed the three claw wounds with her mind and let her magic drift over them more fully. She found nothing magical on the surface, so she pushed a little deeper. She didn’t have to go far to find something.

Black magic, as dark and evil as anything Twilight had ever felt, was creeping slowly towards the wolf’s beating heart, a surely deadly poison. She could feel it, and her repulsion was almost a physical force. The magic felt like lead being poured into her bones; a chill that settled into the center of her gut. The wolf’s body was fighting back, attempting to pushing back the poison, but the dark magic was winning, an ever steady crawl of death. Even if the wolf had managed to somehow survive on its own, recovery would be extremely slow and excruciatingly painful. Twilight could help with that.

Twilight carefully grasped the ends of each line of poison with her magic, fighting the urge to recoil as its slimy essence oozed into her aura, and gently started to pull outward, her action guided by something she couldn't quite place but knew was right. She snagged the bowl in her magic and held it below the wounds, grimacing in concentration, the light on her horn growing steadily brighter. A small trickle of black viscous fluid floated out of one of the wounds, held aloft in Twilight’s purple aura. Then another, and another, until hundreds of drops of poison were pouring into the air from the wolf’s body, forming into a sphere which rippled and swirled in Twilight’s telekinetic grip. Creeping red color began to fill into the wounds, replacing the dark shade it had been, and blood began to weep from the gashes. Fluttershy rushed to press what clean towels she had onto the wolf' side.

With a gasp and one last pull, Twilight extricated the last of the poison and added it to her sphere, before dropping the mass into the bowl.Twilight shivered, a deep shake that threw out the last of the lingering effects of handling the vile magic, feeling suddenly like she needed to take a nice long shower to clean herself off. Without hesitation, Twilight lit the bowl on fire, containing the smoke and flames inside a magical shield, watching the poison burn and fade away in the roaring flames. This was no magic she had any intent of studying, or letting go out into the world. Spike watched his caretaker burn the bowl with fascination, from his position a few feet away that he had taken up when they had entered the room to better see what was happening.

Twilight dispelled the shield, a small puff of smoke drifting up into the ceiling. Fluttershy smiled at Twilight, and gave a quiet “thank you,” before turning back to the wolf’s side. Fluttershy was doing her best to keep pressure on the wounds, but the wolf was so large that it was almost impossible for her hooves to cover the necessary area. Fluttershy pointed a wing at a needle and some thread that at next to where the towels had been, giving Twilight a glance, a pleading look in her eye. With a gulp, Twilight grabbed a roll of thread from the bedside table.

Twilight had never actually had to sew up a wound, or anything really but she had read many books on the subject and was at least semi-confident in her magical abilities. This knowledge did not help the sickening feeling she developed as the sharp needle pierced skin and began to sew the slashes closed, Twilight's moves calculated and precise. When Twilight had finished the stitching, she cast a light healing spell over the wounds. The wolf should be ready to go in a two weeks, three at most with the amount of magic Twilight had saturated his body with. If Twilight was an actual trained doctor, it might have been sooner, but she had to settle with what she had. Twilight set the thread down and picked up a roll of gauze from the table, trying to keep her gaze away from the maze of cross stitches she had just made. She and Fluttershy carefully wrapped the bandages around the wolf’s side and stomach, Twilight levitating the wolf off the bed while Fluttershy wrapped in silence.

Twilight gently laid the unconscious animal back onto the bed and wiped her brow with a hoof. Spike had sat down at this point, watching the entire display, before speaking. “Fluttershy, you need a shower and about ten more hours of sleep,” he said bluntly. Fluttershy looked down at her blood stained fur and blushed, yawing loudly as if to further make Spike's point. Flushershy's face blushed a crimson red. “I'll go . . . take a shower,” she said, “But please come and get me when he wakes up, oaky Twilight?” After the pruple unicorn nodded, the yellow pegasus stumbled out of the room. After she was gone, Twilight and Spike looked at each other, both surprised at what had happened in the past ten minutes. Not only was the giant injured wolf incredibly strange, but Fluttershy had been confident and somewhat assertive, actually saying she was doing something without seeing if everypony thought it was okay first. It was strange, but not it a bad way.

As the pegasus left the bedroom to go clean up, Twilight sat on her haunches next to Spike with a thump, her eyes trained curiously on the wolf. “Well, that was interesting,” Spike said. He gestured to the bed with a claw. “What do you think?” He looked to her for her response, but saw her eyes unwavering in their attention, her horn lit magenta. He sighed knowing there was no way to get to her when she got like this, and settled in to wait until Fluttershy came back.

After a minute, Twilight let out a sigh of frustration. She couldn’t figure it out. The magic the wolf possessed was undeniably sapient magic; Twilight could have told you that from the time she was a filly. For all the world it seemed like it was just a pony in a huge wolf body, but that made no sense. Twilight started dictating the letter she would write to Princess Celestia when she got back home in her mind, continuing to scan the wolf with her magic. Another few concerning facts were the earing and manacle. The earing wasn’t that important, but it was an unnervingly pony like accessory. The manacle and broken chain, on the other hoof, was a completely different story.

This giant wolf had been locked up at some point or another by a pony, or other race, and it had escaped. Maybe some evil pony had wanted to use the wolf to their advantage for something, and had locked it up. Maybe a good pony had chained it somewhere to keep it from endangering their town. Twilight had no idea which one was true, or if neither were true but she had no trouble imagining the giant wolf killing somepony. It's size alone was fear inspiring, even when unconscious. Twilight shivered, and vowed to protect her friends and Ponyville if the wolf was indeed a threat.

The small dragon sitting next to her was of a completely different mind. “A giant wolf! In Ponyville! Could this get any cooler?” He wondered, ecstatic. Sure the thought that the black wolf might be a danger had crossed his mind, but he had cheerfully discarded it. If Fluttershy trusted the wolf enough to bring it into her house, why shouldn’t he?

As the two were engrossed in their thoughts, Fluttershy came back into the room looking much better than she had before. Her yellow fur and wings were still slightly damp, and her pink hair was dripping water slowly onto the floor. Some of the fatigue was gone from her face, and she smiled a bit at seeing the slumbering canine on her bed. Softly, without disturbing her friends, Fluttershy quietly trotted over and sat next to Spike, all waiting for the wolf to wake.

Author's Note

Well, here is chapter two. I apologize for the lack of anything important in this chapter, but I felt it needed to be in here. Hope you guys like it, and remember to read and review!

Introductions Revised

It took about two hours for the wolf to wake. In that time, Twilight had left Spike and Fluttershy and made some lunch in the cottage’s small kitchen downstairs, with Angel’s begrudging help, and only after Fluttershy had borderline commanded him to, her fatigue edging out the bulk of her patience for the bunny's grouchy attitude. The pegasus was conflicted about letting her friend do it at first, feeling like she was neglecting her duties as host, but her resolve for waiting for the wolf to wake won out, and she stayed behind with Spike. Spike had been briefed on the giant wolf’s apparent sentience, and was busy brainstorming names for the canine, until Twilight arrived with food. Twilight levitated her plate aside, and stacked it on top of Fluttershy’s once they had both finished to take them down to the sink. Spike was still eating, taking his time to savor the sandwiches she had made, munching happily. When he finished, Twilight took his plate too.

Fluttershy still needed a nap. She was leaning her head heavily against the wall, struggling to keep her eyes open. She had dark bags under her eyes, and she looked and felt completely exhausted. The long night and day had taken its toll on her, but she was fighting through the exhaustion. An animal needed her, and she wouldn't let something as silly as sleep keep her from helping. So, the wait continued.

The wolf coming back into consciousness wasn’t like when a pony wakes up. His head didn’t rise; there was no noise, no sleepy shift in his body. Twilight would have completely missed it if it wasn’t for Fluttershy. Even when extremely tired, her instinct and talent for animals let her see it first, and her head was off the wall in a flash. Twilight practically gave herself whiplash turning to see what had caught Fluttershy’s attention. One moment the wolf’s body was completely relaxed in sleep. The next, every single muscle was tensed, the iron-like bands of muscle snapping to defined attention. The wolf’s eyes didn’t open, and his breathing stayed regular, but there was no doubt about how awake he was.

Fluttershy was confused. Normally, when an animal awoke in an unfamiliar place, their first reaction was to fling themselves away from the nearest pony and flee. The wolf was biding its time, and she could faintly pick out the shuffling sound as it breathed in, taking in the scents of the room. It was trying to appear as if still asleep, but its instincts made its body tense at the first sign of danger. Or prey, Fluttershy thought, and swallowed nervously. Even though she loved and cared for all animals, huge predators struck a chord within her equine nature, one that made her want to run far, far away.

The wolf could feel soft sheets underneath it, along with the pressure of something wrapped around his body. The horrible pain of his injuries had subsided to a burning ache in his side. He couldn’t feel any blood or dirt in his wounds and no airflow across them, which gave them the feel of being closed. Had he been cared for? He took small breaths of air through its nose in time with his heavy breathing, which he took extra care to keep steady. The familiar scent of cotton and wool filled his nose first, along with the smell of old wood and paint.

The wolf continued to smell, using the scents to make an indistinct picture of the room around him in his mind. He was fairly sure what he was lying on was a bed, with his back paws hanging off of the edge. He was inside a small room, the scent of dirt and oak woven through the wood, probably from a forest outside. Bandages, or some kind of cloth, were wrapped around his side and stomach, each with the slight metallic scent of his own blood. The wounds ached, feeling like hammers pounding underneath his skin. A thousand pinpricks of pain emphasized the edge of his injuries; stitches, maybe? What had happened?

Suddenly, the wolf knew that there were three things in the room with him. His nose was automatically guided in their direction. Two of them had similar smells, one that the wolf recognized, but couldn’t quite place in his slightly groggy state. The two things were spaced about three feet apart, near the end of the bed. Their individual scents were weaved into the bandages, along with the scent of magic. The two creatures were the ones who had cared for him then, he supposed. The middle object in between the other two was also familiar. The wolf had only even smelled this scent twice, and the last time it had been from a nose a thousand times worse than the one it had now, so the wolf had only dimly recognized it at first, but he knew now.

Dragon. The musty, dead, and corrupted scent the wolf had come to know as a dragon’s was partially present, more like an undertone, with a few differences. This one was alive, and the rancid scent that all Twilit beasts shared wasn’t present. The wolf could sense on some primitive level the blood pumping through the dragon’s veins, mixing with the scent of oak and dirt, undoubtedly from the forest that the wolf could smell outside. This was very bad news. He had fought dragons before, and knew how ferocious and dangerous they were, able to kill something his size with a single claw. In his current shape he couldn't fight or flee, and the only thing that kept the wolf from desperately trying was the size of the dragon. It was slightly smaller than his head; way to small to be a Twilit dragon or a blood thirsty beast. It seemed to . . . uncorrupted.

The wolf mulled over its options, which it determined were about none. He couldn’t pretend to sleep forever, and sooner or later the two creatures and the dragon would know he was awake. He couldn’t fight or run; he was too injured and he suspected that he would collapse in overwhelming pain if he tried to push his body for any real amount of time. Besides, these creatures had bandaged him, hadn’t they? The wolf was silently trying to decide what to do, when one of the creatures stood, the one on the dragon’s right side. It was smaller than he was, but not by much, he judged. The creature slowly made its way over to the wolf with distinct clopping sounds, one that the wolf immediately identified as horse hooves. With a mental click, the wolf put the pieces together. The scent he had recognized from before was equine, albeit different, as if younger, more innocent in a way. A pony, then, he supposed.

Were there really two ponies in the room with him, and they had cared for him, with magic no less? His confusion growing by the second, he decided to wait until the pony stopped next to him. Then it spoke.

“Um . . . hello, Mr. Wolf,” The voice was distinctly female, and very soft and hesitant, but the wolf picked up the half-whisper fine. Despite his efforts to stay still, his surprise that the pony could talk caused him to flinch back in surprise, ears swiveling toward the sound, and his eyes flew open, focusing on the sight in front of him.

The pony let out a terrified “eep!” at his sudden movement, and fell backward into a white wooden wall, her eyes wide with fear. If the wolf didn’t have an incredible amount of self-control, his eyebrows would have been floating over his head in surprise at the admittedly adorable sight. As it was he only let out a confused whine, his head slightly tilting as much as the bed allowed. Well, he was right about the pony part, as far as he could tell. She was definitely a quadruped equine, but different than the horses the wolf was used to, with thicker legs and bigger eyes. It was perhaps the oddest thing the wolf had seen in a very long time. She was yellow and pink, the bright color scheme not helping the wolf incredulity. She was supporting itself on the wall, large green eyes filled with fear, her long pink bangs hiding half of her face. The wolf could see three butterflies on her flank, and she had wings, each folded close to her sides.

This time the wolf’s eyebrows did rise. He had seen some weird stuff in his lifetime, and this was close to the top. The terrified yellow pony (pegasus?) seemed to gather her courage, and stood up off of the wall onto all fours, but the wolf could smell the fear radiating off of her, a scent of mostly sweat and of other things the wolf had no real words for.

She swallowed and spoke again. “Um, hello. My name is Fluttershy, and I was wondering, um . . . How are you feeling?” The last part was squeaked out, with the mare hiding behind her bangs even futher.

The wolf figured he had nothing to lose at this point, his curiosity at the strange situation overriding his suspicion, and tried to reply. As every time before, only a small huff escaped at his attempted greeting.

“Well hello there, I’m so glad you are feeling better,” The mare said softly, and her smile shone with happiness. The wolf was shocked into complete silence, lying there unmoving.

Twilight watched Fluttershy start her conversation, and was as amazed as ever at Fluttershy’s ability to talk with animals. To her it looked like Fluttershy was somehow making responses out of thin air. How did a quiet huff and a wag of the wolf’s tail mean “Hello?” She had no idea, but figured she would leave Fluttershy to her own devices; she was the animal expert in the room. Fluttershy managed to coax the wolf into being more comfortable, and Twilight could see the wolf’s muscles relax. Spike was practically vibrating with excitement, and, unable to contain his excitement, jumped up and raced to Fluttershy’s side.

“Hi! I’mSpikeandyouareagiantwolfthat’ssocoolwhat’syour Gah!” Spike’s exclamation turned into a cry of surprise and fear as the wolf reacted. It was so fast Twilight only caught the movement as a streak of black and white. One moment, Spike was standing at Fluttershy’s left, the next he was pressed into the wall by a giant paw, black claws digging into his scales.

The wolf had leapt out of the bed, and was pinning Spike to the wall with a giant paw, pressing him into the wood. The wolf’s body was completely tensed under his coat, and his face was lowered so it was almost pressing into Spike’s, eyes alight with anger. The manacle and chain clinked softly as it rapped against Spike’s scales. The baby dragon’s face was slightly drained of color, his eyes wide and terrified. Fluttershy had leapt clear when the wolf had acted, and stood cowering a few feet away. The wolf bared its huge fangs and growled deep in its throat, a rumbling sound that sent vibrations through Twilight’s body. Despite the black wolf being unable to speak, the message couldn’t have been clearer. Back off.

Twilight was very scared. She could see the bandages wrapped around the wolf’s body started to soak in red blood, and she had no doubt that the wolf had pulled some of his stitches. But despite the excruciating pain the wolf must have been in, it hadn’t hesitated at all to make its lighting fast move. The wolf released Spike with another small growl, shoving him away. Spike scrambled back to Twilight’s side, huddling against her body, staring wide-eyed at the wolf. She could feel him shivering through her coat. Twilight blinked, and immediately cursed herself for not acting, not even with her magic. Her inaction could have put Spike in serious danger, and she pulled the little dragon closer.

The wolf’s frightening mask broke, and he let out a pained whimper, ears flattening to the sides of his head. He was shaky on his paws, unbalanced and seemingly on the edge of collapsing. Fluttershy recovered from her shock, and shook herself to clear her head.

“No, no!” She exclaimed softly. She pushed against the wolf’s huge side with her head, but Twilight doubted that Fluttershy could have moved him if he didn’t want to be moved. “Back into bed with you!” The wolf allowed her to push it back on top of the bed, whining and whimpering in pain. Fluttershy bit her lip when she saw the red bandages, and she slowly peeled them away, revealing the red mess his stitches had become. “You’ve pulled some stitches,” Fluttershy scolded. “Twilight is going to put them back in, and then you will apologize to Spike for treating him so roughly.” She said adamantly. The wolf rolled his eyes slightly but huffed in acknowledgement, as the pain was making him much less inclined to argue.

Twilight set about fixing the stitches at Fluttershy’s request, but she stood as far away from the wolf as possible, using her magic to do it. She eyed the wolf warily and with no small amount of fear, and the thought that she had no anesthesia on hoof didn't even cross her mind. The wolf didn’t care. He eyed her with stoic unconcern, his shockingly blue eyes bored, barely flinching as the needle slid in and out of his skin. When Twilight was done, she sat back next to Spike, wrapping one of her wings around him for comfort. The wolf pushed himself to his paws with a few quiet whines of pain, and stood next to the bed.

Fluttershy pointed to Spike with a hoof, and her face could have been set in stone. The wolf huffed in annoyance before crossing over to sit on its haunches in front of Twilight and Spike. Once again Twilight was struck by his massive size. He gave a low bark, and his tail thumped once on the floor.

Fluttershy stood next to the wolf. After a second, the yellow pegasus smiled, before leaning in and nuzzling Spike’s cheek. As she straightened, she spoke softly.

“His name is Link, and he says he is sorry.”

Author's Note

Well, here is the third chapter in this story! I want to thank everyone for your favorites and support, it makes me want to write more. Remember to read and review, and feel free to comment if you find any mistakes that I could fix.
Thanks, Blazing47s.

Luna's Arrival Revised

Twilight paced in the warm dirt in front of her library. The sun was slowly sinking towards the mountains on the horizon, signaling the beginning of the evening and the end to a hectic day. The huge crystal spires of Twilight’s castle shone in the sunlight, their normal purple hues transformed to a shimmering pink by the fiery sunset. The structure resembled a huge tree, with ever branching crystal streams that wove a web into the sky. A large six pointed star sat in the center of the branches. It was another tangible sign, along with Twilight’s wings, of her princess status, and Twilight was still working to associate this giant crystal tree with the word home.

Spike was sitting on the front porch, propping his head up with his claws. Watching Twilight anxiously pace back and forth had never been that exciting, and now he was just bored. This was actually a more regular occurrence than one would expect; every time royalty was bound for a visit she worked herself into a total frenzy, notwithstanding that she was royalty herself. Twilight had improved over the last few, her freak-outs weren’t as bad and they didn’t last as long, but this new situation didn’t help at all. It felt just like old times. Well, except the fact that there is a giant sentient wolf living right outside the town. But an otherwise normal day in the life. Weird stuff happened all the time in Ponyville. Spike took a moment to wonder if living elsewhere in Equestria was just as odd.

Twilight was going through the letter she had sent and the reply she had received in her mind as she waited. The letter she had sent to her mentor had gone as follows:

“Dear Princess Celestia,

It has come to my attention of some magical anomalies and weird goings on in the Everfree Forest just outside of Ponyville. Just yesterday, a sentient wolf named Link appeared on the outskirts of town gravely wounded by a beast of unknown origin. Fluttershy has taken him in and treated his wounds. However, it is strange. He has been imprisoned at some point; there is what appears to be a manacle and chain around his left foreleg. I am not sure if he will be a threat to the inhabitants of Ponyville. I am taking the other Element Bearers to meet and asses him this evening and your presence and expertise would be greatly appreciated.
Your Faithful Student,

Twilight Sparkle.”

The reply had come via Spike’s magical fire not ten minutes afterword.

“Dear Twilight Sparkle,

Mine sister is currently indisposed at this time with national business, and is away in the Griffon Kingdom. With the magical and possibly dangerous origin of this situation, I will be honored to take my sister’s place this evening.
Sincerely, your good friend,

Princess Luna.”

Twilight wasn’t sure how happy she was about Luna coming. She was extremely glad to have a chance to see the lunar princess again; she didn’t have nearly enough chances aside from the yearly Nightmare Night. Luna was more fun and a bit easier going than her elder sister. But Twilight would have also preferred to have Princess Celestia there, if just slightly. She had known her since she had been taken on as Celestia’s student as a foal, and she almost felt more at ease with Celestia than Luna. Her conflicting opinions would have to be set aside for the time being, though. After Luna arrived, hopefully with some guards (She expected that all of them would be more at ease with Link if there were some armed ponies nearby), they would travel around town picking up the other four Element Bearers, and make their way over to Fluttershy’s cottage at the edge of town.

The sun had just touched the very peaks of the mountains in the west when Twilight spotted a small black spot in the sky, coming from the direction of Canterlot. Spike, following her eyes after noticing her sudden shift in behavior, perked up a bit when he saw the black speck. He stood off of the porch and waved some dust from his legs, and jogged over to Twilight’s side. The spot in the sky grew closer at a steady rate, slowly solidifying into the recognizable from of a pegasus pulled chariot. The ponies on the street that were going about their daily business stopped for a moment, glancing up at the descending chariot with curiosity. Then there was the almost tangible shrug from the crowd, and the ponies went back to talking, or trotting to their respective destinations.

As the chariot grew closer, Twilight made the shape of the black and dark blue chariot that Luna traveled in, as well as the winged forms of the four black pegasi pulling the vehicle from the front harnesses. As she watched, one of the forms darted off from the harness, hovering next to the cabin before linking back up with the other three guards. The chariot’s front end lifted upward as it neared the ground, and Twilight could see the pegasi straining to slow the chariot’s speed with large beats of their wings. The chariot’s black wheels kicked up swirling clouds of dust from the dirt road as they hit the ground, and Twilight could see the guards take long loping strides and pulling the chariot to a halt about ten feet away from her and Spike. It shuddered to a halt with a few metallic clangs. After the dust cleared, Twilight and Spike took in the sight before them.

The chariot stood about twice Twilight’s height, and the wheels kept the main cab a foot off the ground. The chariot was a collage of black, blues, and white. The main cab was mostly black, with purple swirls reaching around the sides and back, wrapping around the glass window set into the center of the side. Lighter tones of purple bled into darker purple as they neared the edges. Small glittering spots of white were spread throughout the entire body of the chariot, even flowing onto the harnesses that were strapped onto the armored pegasi, giving the whole vehicle the appearance of the night sky. The guards in front of the chariot were all stallions, and large ones at that. Each stood a head over Twilight, and even under their armor, she could see the impressive muscles under their coats. They all held themselves like military ponies, neck straight, eyes forward, and face held high.

They were also Night Pegasi. Night Pegasi were usually found in black or tones of dark blue or purple. All of the guards that Luna had brought were black, with their manes hidden by their icy blue helmets. Plates of similarly colored armor stretched across their broad barrels and shoulders, ran around their flanks and back and obscuring their cutie marks from view. Shining obsidian shoes were on their hooves; thick ones that looked like they could do some serious damage. The center of each chest plate bore a white crescent moon, the symbol of the Night Guard. Night Pegasi, also commonly known as “bat ponies”, had large flexible bat wings filled with flexible membrane folded onto their sides. The guards also had cat like eyes that all Night Pegasi shared. Even with the sun still partially out, Twilight could see the yellow or golden iris’ of each individual glowing softly, with the black slit of the pupil partially hidden in the center.

With their strange pupils and sharp teeth much like a predator, it gave them a fearsome and mysterious look. Most ponies were unnerved and scared by their presence. Twilight had never bought into the fear, as she had had some interaction with them before. She only felt slight discomfort around them, and that was only when they surprised her while she was doing something.

As Twilight and Spike watched, one entire side of the chariot was encased in a dusky blue magical aura, which simmered and danced around the wooden frame. With a magical push from the chariot’s occupant, the entire wall swung open like a door, and Princess Luna stepped out. She was an alicorn, much like Twilight, but a good bit taller and with a horn that was much sharper and longer that rose out of her head like a blade. A small obsidian crown used the base of her horn as a perch. Luna's mane and tail billowed out like curtains from her body, swaying in an invisible breeze. It seemed like the night sky itself was reflected in her mane and tail, both dazzling and subdeoed in its beauty. Her coat was a deep blue, almost black. Luna was tall and slender, but she exuded an aura of power and control. Luna had warm teal eyes, which were filled with mirth and mischief, and a smile broke across her muzzle as she saw Twilight and Spike waiting nearby. She strode ahead to meet them, her guard falling into a respectful distance behind her. “Twilight Sparkle!” She greeted. “It is so nice to see you again.” Her voice was not much older than Twilights, but she had a slight archaic accent, one that betrayed her real age.

Twilight was pleasantly surprised at Luna's tone. Luna had been working with a voice coach back in Canterlot to try and fix her old accent, it was working. She almost sounded normal. Twilight nuzzled her good friend. “You too, Luna.” She couldn’t help keep a large smile from her face, and Twilight felt her worries about the princess disappear.

Luna leaned down and greeted Spike next. “Hello, Spike.” She got a smile and a warm “Hey Luna,” in response. Luna’s face then settled into seriousness, and she addressed Twilight. “What is the plan, Twilight Sparkle?” She asked, staring steadily into Twilight’s eyes. Twilight tried not to look too unsure as she replied.

“We will go pick up Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie. After informing them of the situation, we will make our way to Fluttershy’s cottage.” At Twilight’s nervous pause, Luna nodded her head and indicated for her to continue. “After introductions with Link, um, I am planning on using a memory spell on him to see where he came from. I mean, if that sounds okay with you,” She added hastily.

Luna’s expression had darkened considerably when she mentioned the last part of her plan. “Using a spell to get into somepony’s head is extremely dangerous, and requires an extreme amount of care. If this Link is sentient, as you say he is, this could prove disastrous at one small error.” Twilight flinched back and her ears drooped as Luna replied. Seeing this, Luna’s face softened, and she lifted Twilight’s head with a gentle hoof. "I do not doubt your magical ability, Twilight,” She said softly. “But your experience. There is a reason mental magic is forbidden under my sister’s laws. But if you think you are capable, I will stand behind your plan with full support.”

“I . . . I can do this,” Twilight said. She stepped back from Luna. “I can,” she nodded again, as much for her own reassurance then Luna’s.

Luna nodded once. “Who shall we find first?” She asked. Twilight thought for a moment.

“How about Pinkie? She is the closest,” Twilight smiled a little. “She will also be the most excited to see you.”

Luna chuckled. “Indeed. Shall we?” She motioned down one street with a hoof, allowing Twilight and Spike to take the lead.

Sugar Cube Corner was the arguably most interesting building in all of Ponyville. It outclassed even the Carousel Boutique in originality, a title not easily won. While the shape and size of the building were not all that unique, it was the materials that were used that made this place what it was. Candy. Sugar Cube Corner took its name very seriously, and it did not disappoint. With the tan walls seemingly made out of gingerbread, to the icing and candy swirls along the rooftop, it screamed “sugar paradise!” to all ponies who might catch a glimpse. Twilight and Spike stood a few feet away from the building, with Luna gazing up at it with curiosity. While Twilight and her dragon assistant may be used to the strange sight, Luna was not. She had never seen such a remarkable building!

Spike loved Sugar Cube Corner. Practically everything inside the bakery was delicious, and the menu had all of the sugary combinations he could have wished for. Pinkie had even added an option to “gemafy” a pastry, by adding on slivers of the gems that all dragons took as delicacies, just for him. Spike wiped a bit of drool from the side of his mouth with a claw, and glanced around. Fortunately, no one had seen, and he breathed a sigh of relief. To the Night Guard’s credit, they did not react at the sight of the building. They instead continued to stare stoically forward, seemingly unfazed. Twilight trotted over to the pink doors at the front of the bakery. Encasing them in her magenta aura, she swung the doors open, enticing a small bell to jingle above the doorway an announcement. Spike followed her inside, with Luna shortly after, and the Night Pegasi made their way inside at a clipped and precise pace at the rear.

The inside of the bakery was just as cheerfully decorated as the outside, with many white and pink tables spread across the room. The scant number of ponies in the bakery at this hour jumped up at the sight of not only one princess, but two, entering the room. They all jumped out of their seats and bowed low to the ground (except two foals in one corner that were too focused on their milkshake drinking contest to notice). At Luna’s nod of consent, the ponies all went back to their meals, peeking over the rims of their pastries at the newcomers, especially the armed guards. They continued to do so as Twilight, Luna, and Spike made their way over to the counter at the back of the room.

A yellow stallion, with an orange tail and mane, smiled warmly at them. “Welcome to Sugar Cube Corner, your highness, Twilight, Spike!” He said cheerfully, beaming at the small group. Since Twilight had asked no one to call her by her title, Mr. Cake was only addressing Luna as “your highness”. Mr. Cake, along with his wife Mrs. Cake, ran the bakery. They lived in rooms above the main store, along with their one and only employee. Mrs. Cake was usually gone from the counter most days, up with her two twins in the upper floor. With Pound and Pumpkin Cake just starting to fly or have magic spurts, it was an all time job, and Mr. Cake and Pinkie managed admirably in her relative absence.

“Hey Mr. Cake!” Spike greeted enthusiastically. He then went back to drooling over the pastries behind the glass on the bottom of the counter, his face and palms pressed against the clear surface.

Twilight smiled at the small dragon’s antics. “Hello,” She said, looking back up.

“Greetings,” Luna nodded.

“What can I get for ya’ today?” Mr. Cake asked.

“One Pinkie Pie, actually,” Twilight replied. Mr. Cake nodded and turned to go upstairs, but Twilight caught the puppy eyes Spike was throwing her way out of the corner of her eye. “And one chocolate cupcake,” She said, winking at Spike.

"Gemafied please!” He exclaimed enthusiastically. Mr. Cake smiled and shook his head, but leaned down to get the ordered pastry. Spike let out a small whoop of joy as he took the cupcake, and took a huge bite, munching happily on the small emerald shards woven into the icing. Mr. Cake then trotted over to the stairs at the back of the kitchen, vanishing upward into the other floor. Twilight could hear a series of thumps before a loud whooshing sound. A neon pink blur shot out of the stairway, directly at Twilight.

The blur froze and condensed into a pony about two inches away from Twilight, on their side of the counter. Pinkie Pie was a completely pink earth pony mare. Her coat was neon pink, along with her hair, which curled and bounced like cotton candy. Her blue eyes were wide with excitement, and the tree balloons on her flank were vibrating up and down like the rest of her body.

“Hi Twilight!’ She exclaimed, giving a huge smile. Twilight leaned back as Pinkie's air buffeted her face. “Hi Spike!” She then caught sight of Luna standing a foot away. Pinkie stood up on her hind legs, and put a hoof to her chest. She gave out a loud and theatrical gasp, pointing another hoof at Luna. “Could it be?!” She asked, her eyes wide. “It is!” She exclaimed, answering her own question. She flashed over to Luna, and the princess found a pair of pink legs wrapping around her. Pinkie cheered as she hugged the princess. “Hi Luna! It’s been forever since we saw each other and now you are here and I should throw a party and it would be so awesome yay!” She exclaimed, squeezing tighter.

Luna giggled and returned the pink mare’s embrace. “Hello, Pinkie Pie.” After hugging had stopped, Pinkie stood in front of her for a second, staring at her face. She hummed and her eyes narrowed.

“Twitchy tail, itchy ear, watering eye! There are new ponies in town!” Pinkie yelled, somehow not noticing the four Night Pegasi feet in front of her, who were all still staring forward. Pinkie started pacing in a small circle in front of Luna muttering something under her breath, her eyes squinting in concentration. Twilight and Spike watched the curios display with little reaction, and Luna shot them a questioning glance. Spike shrugged and mouthed, “Just wait. She’ll get it eventually.” Luna nodded uncertainly, and took a small step backward.

Pinkie stopped, staring at the ground, before exclaiming (still looking at the ground), “Four!” She cheered and launched into the air, as if on a trampoline, looking at Luna. “There are four of them! Yay! Now I can have quadruple the party!” She cheered, throwing her front hooves upwards. As she landed silently on the ground, she gave a start and stared at the four guards that she had apparently just noticed. She paced over to them, her head tilted to one side. She did a few circles around the small group, her gaze flashing over each guard individually. After she made a few full circuits around them, she stopped in front of the two pegasi in the front. Then her face broke out into a huge smile, and confetti exploded outward from her body.

“Hi!” She said brightly. “My name is Pinkie Pie, and I know everypony in Ponyville ‘cause it’s my job and I love to throw parties and you can have one! Welcome to Ponyville!” She seized one of the guard’s hoof and shook it up and down madly. The guard just watched her warily, letting his leg be wrenched up and down over and over again. The guard she had chosen was one of the smaller Night Pegasi, with the short crop of his tail that fell down to his knees. His tail was mostly dark blue, with a single orange stripe down the center, the same color as his eyes. His mane was hidden under his helmet, but Twilight suspected it was the same style. Pinkie let go of the guard’s hoof. She got right up into her face, beaming even wider. “What’s your name?” She asked. Twilight noticed that the other three guards took a step away from the guard under Pinkie’s attention, apparently leaving him on his own. Twilight almost felt sorry for the poor stallion.

“Dusk, ma’am.” The guard clipped simply, staring straight forward, as if through Pinkie. Twilight was surprised. His voice didn’t sound any older than she was. She wondered if they were the same age. It was entirely possible. Then she saw the look Luna was giving the guard. It was stern and commanding, along with a small touch of threatening, and the stallion apparently saw it too, because he swallowed visibly. In the blink of an eye, he relaxed. His neck lost its ramrod straightness, and his face relaxed from its stoic unconcern, into a sheepish smile that showed his two sharp incisors. "I mean, uh, Dusk,” he amended, and Twilight gave a start.

Even his tone had lost its stiff military clip, relaxing into a more normal voice. Pinkie smiled from ear to ear, and Twilight turned her head away from the conversation (Pinkie was talking at the speed of lightning while hopping in place, and Dusk seemed fine to just stand there and take it with a bewildered look on his face) to give Luna a questioning glance. Luna leaned over and whispered, “I am trying to get my guards to be more relaxed in public, and when talking to other ponies. I don’t always want them to be soldiers that could be made out of stone.” Luna glanced upwards at Pinkie before continuing. “I feel it’s good for them, and for their public image. Many Night Pegasi do not have any friends, as most are in the military. They never relax.” Twilight nodded in understanding. She watched as the other three guards took another step away from Pinkie and Dusk. She wasn’t surprised, but a little impressed. Most ponies had a worse reaction when they first met the energetic pink mare.

The next stop was the closest building to Sugar Cube Corner, the Carousel Boutique. Probably the second most interesting building in Ponyville, and just like Sugar Cube Corner, it took its name very literally. The top of the building was a cone shape, with decorative robbing in many colors falling down to hook onto the main part of the building. Pony shaped mannequins sat in positions along the bottom of the roof, as if going in a circle, all displaying dresses or other clothing items. From gorgeous dresses to simple vests to hats and shoes, everything in this year’s latest fashion seemed to be on display. The setting suns was halfway beneath the mountains, and it’s yellow and orange sunset back lighted the Carousel Boutique, light dancing and swirling off of the elegant curves.

Luna was admiring the building with an approving look on her face. Near her, Dusk and Pinkie were still talking. After the initial meeting in which Pinkie had talked almost non-stop, she had calmed down, and Dusk was able to get a word or two in occasionally. Twilight had held back near them and listened to the conversation. Dusk seemed like a somewhat shy but likable pony, when he was out of his military mode. Pinkie had already declared them the “bestest friends of ever and ever,” about two minutes ago. Dusk had been ready to protest at first, but the armored stallion had closed his mouth and thought better of it.

Spike eagerly ran up to the front door of the boutique as they got near, and Twilight could almost see the hearts in his eyes. She shook her head and giggled under her breath. Spike had had a hopeless crush on Rarity, the owner of the boutique, for as long as they had been in Ponyville, and it was a bit silly sometimes. It probably didn’t help anything that Rarity called him “darling”. As nice as she was, Twilight didn't think Rarity could find it in her heart to tell the poor dragon what she thought, so she kept quiet. Because of this, Spike thought he was an expert at hiding his affections, when it was glaringly obvious to everyone else. Spike knocked on the front door loudly, rocking back and forth on his feet. A large smile to rival Pinkie’s was plastered on his face.

A high feminine voice sang out from inside. “Coming!” Twilight heard the faint clopping of hooves before the door was pulled open by a light blue magical aura. A white unicorn stood there, blinking at the entourage, before looking down at Spike, who was impatiently tapping his feet. “Oh hello, Spike darling!” she said with a sophisticated accent. Rarity had three blue diamonds for a cutie mark, and the beauty of the gems was appropriate. Rarity's purple mane and tail was styled into elegant curves that fell down one side of her face. Her blue eyes were accented by a touch of makeup on her eyelashes and eyelids, and her white coat shone with the kind of care that Twilight knew only came from very frequent spa trips.

“Hi Rarity!” Spike answered happily, grinning.

“What brings you here?” Rarity paused as she looked upward, and Twilight saw her swallow lightly as she looked at Luna. “Your highness?” She dropped into a low bow, before standing in one smooth motion. “Do come in, all of you!” She said, beckoning inside her house with a hoof.

“Thank you, Miss Rarity,” Luna said as she followed Twilight and Spike inside. Dusk and Pinkie were not far after, with the other three guards in the back of the group again. The inside of Rarity’s home/business was as decorated as the outside. A small hallway to the right led into a kitchen area, and a set of stairs that led onto the second floor were on the right. The center of the building was dominated by a raised stage, with elegant curtains hanging closed. The rest of the boutique was covered in Rarity’s designs, both on mannequins and hanging racks alike. Just like the mannequins on the outside of the building, all of the numerous pony shaped objects were covered in clothing items, draped in formal were or fitted snugly into more practical clothing. All were beautifully made, proof of Rarity’s expertise at her trade. Opal, Rarity’s cat, eyed them with complete disinterest from the entrance into the kitchen. The white cat raised her nose into the air haughtily and ambled out of sight, her tail swishing back and forth on the ground.

Rarity had trotted over to one side of the boutique, near the stage. There was a large red couch, and Rarity settled down onto it with all the grace and poise of a high class mare. She eyed the Night Pegasi at first, but looked away to ask Luna a question. “What brings you here, your highness? And with . . . ahem . . . armed company?” She asked, her voice level as a table. Spike had settled near one of the leg rests of the couch, watching Rarity out of the corners of his eyes, with a goofy grin still on his face.

Luna gestured to Twilight with a hoof, indicating that she should explain. Twilight nodded in understanding. “Well, we actually came here for you,” Twilight said, looking back to Rarity.

“Oh, for me?” Rarity asked, surprised. “Whatever for?”

The house of one Rainbow Dash was another unique house in Ponyville, largely because it didn’t even touch the ground.
It was completely made out of clouds; one that Rainbow Dash had made back in Cloudsdale and assembled once she moved to ponyville. The fluffy white clouds had been pushed into a nearly mansion size, with soaring columns and arched ceilings. Rainbows seemed to spawn out of the top and sides of the cloud structure, spiraling towards the ground before dissolving into prismacolored mist several dozen feet up.

In order to get to the doorstep, Rarity and Pinkie Pie had had to stay behind on the ground, their lack of wings making it impossible to make it up to the house. Spike had volunteered to stay behind and keep them company while the rest of the group flew upward, except for Dusk. Pinkie had begged him to not go, and after her very persuasive grab-onto-his-leg-and-never-let-go method, he had relented. Twilight had been an alicorn for a while now, but the fluffy sensation of cloud beneath her hooves was still relatively new. It was almost like walking on a bunch of warm marshmallows; you would sink into it if you stayed in one spot for too long. Luna stood behind Twilight, with the rest of her guard behind her. Twilight raised a hoof and knocked steadily on the front door, somehow still producing the wooden and hollow sound that most doors possessed.

After a few seconds of silence, Twilight frowned and knocked again, harder this time. The sound of numerous falling objects came from inside, followed by a muffled curse. THe door was flung open with a growl. Rainbow Dash had small bags under her scarlet eyes, and was nursing a small bump on the side of her head with a hoof. Rainbow’s sky blue pelt and her rainbow multicolored hair was in a slight state of disarray. Twilight had apparently woken her up from a nap. Rainbow’s cutie mark, a white fluffy cloud with a red, yellow, and blue lightning bolt was barely visible on her flank. Form her position from outside the door, Twilight could see the smashed form of a cloud lamp just behind Rainbow. How was that even possible?

“Twilight!” Rainbow whined with a tomboyish voice. “I was in the middle of a nap! Today is my day off, you know.” She glared tiredly at the purple alicorn, who gave a sheepish smile.

Luna cleared her throat from behind Twilight. Rainbow looked up in surprise, and she perked up a bit.

“Oh hey princess. Why are you -” She paused to yawn loudly. “You here?” She finished, looking past Twilight’s head at Luna.

Twilight reflected on how all of her friends lived in unique houses as she stared at Sweet Apple Acres. None of them lived in the normal thatched roof and wooden walled houses of most of Ponyville. They all lived in very strange or special buildings, herself included. It was strange. Luna trotted next to her through the high gate into the farm, and Twilight shook the distracting thoughts from her head. Healthy brown and green trees flanked them on every side, numerous red apples hanging from their branches.

Behind her, Dusk was walking next to Pinkie Pie, who was bouncing like a spring down the worn dirt path. Rarity was walking next to the armored Night Pegasi, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. She already had a few ideas for new clothing from the Night Guards unique armor, and she wanted to make sure she didn’t miss any small detail. Rainbow was flying lazily overhead, doing a few loops and spins in the air whenever she got too bored.

Sweet Apple Acres was one of the reasons Ponyville was ever founded. For generations, the Apple clan had lived in this very spot, and the selling of their delicious wares is what had turned a small trading post into the Ponyville it was today. All of the current Apple clan members could trace their ancestry back to Sweet Apple Acres somewhere, even to the years just after Equestria’s founding. The Apple clan took their apples and land very seriously. The main house of Sweet Apple Acres was a renovated barn. With the loved and cheerfully painted wood, the main house was one of the most homely-looking places around. There was a small chicken pen near the house, along with a shed peeking out from behind the house.

Just as Twilight and Luna were walking near the front porch, the sound of something behind dragged came from around the house, and Big Macintosh appeared. Big Mac was as taller and as fit as any of the Night Guards. With large muscles shoulders and a broad barrel, he stood as tall as Princess Luna. He had a orange mane and tail, which were cropped short to his body. He had a red coat, and his cutie mark was that of a green apple cut in half, which dominated his entire flank. There was a wooden yoke around his neck, just above the harness that was strapped around his back and stomach. He was pulling a large empty cart, having emptied the last batch of apples for the day, and on his way to unhook from the cart. Big Mac looked the group over with one single glance, a honed intelligence flashing in his eyes as he gave them a mental assessment. He gave a small bow in his harness at Luna. "Princess," He said, moving a piece of hay from one side of his mouth to the next as he rolled the word around in his mouth.

“Is Applejack here?” Twilight asked.

Big Mac nodded once. “Eeyup,” He said in his deep base voice. He gave a jerk in the direction behind the house with his head.

Twilight nodded her thanks, and with another nod in return, Big Mac was off, pulling the huge cart like it weighed nothing. Luna followed Twilight to the side of the house, and into the backyard. They didn't have to get too close to the house in order to hear the giggling and shouting of fillies and Applejack's drawling voice. As they rounded the house, Twilight stopped and giggled at the sight.

Applejack was in the middle of corralling three fillies that were running around in circles in the backyard. Her orange coat and yellow mane and tail were unkempt more than usual, and she was panting. The hat she always wore, a brown Stetson, was slightly askew on her head. At the sight of Princess Luna, the three fillies gave out excited squeaks and stampeded over. Sweetie Belle, Rarity’s younger sister hopped up and down in place at Luna’s hooves, talking as fast as Pinkie Pie on a sugar rush. She was white like her sister, with curly pink and purple hair. Apple Bloom, Applejack’s little sister , was yellow with pink hair. A large red bow was perched on her mane, and she stared up at Luna with something akin to awe. Scootaloo, an orange filly with purple hair, ran up and threw her legs around Luna in a bear hug. “Hi Luna!” She exclaimed.

Luna, despite being bombarded by all three energetic fillies at once, giggled and leaned down to nuzzle Scootaloo. “Hello, little one,” She laughed. At the sight, Twilight detected the small curve of a smile on Applejack's muzzle.

“Well howdy, Twilight,” She greeted in her southern accent, tipping her stetston back into place with a hoof. “I'm sorry y'all caught me in this state. These three rascals are enough to wear anyone out. So what brings all of y’all here at this time of night?”

Author's Note

Well, that was a heck of a long chapter. Sorry it took so long to put out, but high-school starting jacked up my writing plans. Hope you all like it!
As always, remember to read and review! Comment on any grammar, spelling, or plot errors (there will probably be a lot in this chapter), and I will fix them as soon as I can.

New Lessons Revised

Link was no stranger to waiting. In fact, he had done it so often that he had it down to a science, with a developed technique that had saved his life many a time. When in dangerous territory, lying down to sleep could spell certain death, as any creature could sink a claw into you while you were unconscious. But you couldn’t just not sleep for days on end. Taking on enemies at half capacity or hindered by sleep deprivation would also mean a quick death. Link’s technique was meant to solve that problem.

After Fluttershy had fallen back asleep again on his side, Link had fallen into a sort of meditative state. Most of his mind was in a sleep like trance, while the rest kept track of everything around him. Any sound, scent or sight would immediately alert him, and he would be up in an instant, ready to defend himself or others. Link had actually learned this technique form his own father, mostly used by shepherds to keep watch over their flocks while also getting the rest they needed, or by soldiers in military zones. Link had gotten comfortable on the large couch in Fluttershy’s home, and was now deep into his resting state of mind. His brain catalogued the small rise and fall of the yellow pegasus on his side, and the sounds and smells of the outside world.

So when he heard the small snap of a twig breaking outside in the forest, it took milliseconds for his brain to differentiate the sound between the normal noise of the forest and the sound of someone trying to stay unnoticed, or to get his attention. This also had taken much practice, and learning the art of stealth for himself. Even though Link’s eyes had been open the entire time, they now awoke with the fire of intelligence that had been lying dormant. His muscles tensed, ready for action, and he took in a deep pull of the air. He shook himself , trying to wake the pegasus on his side. Fluttershy was up in an instant, if still a little groggy. She wiped her face with a hoof, feeling a shot of burning embarrassment as she realized she had been drooling. However, she felt exceptionally better than she had just hours ago, and was about to thank Link for letting her lie on him when she saw his eyes.

“What is it?” Fluttershy asked, looking around in the darkened room, not spotting anything to justify the wolf’s reaction. The house seemed peaceful and dark. She could see small shafts of sunlight coming through the gaps in the shutters. She walked over to one, and opened it, looking outside. Nothing out of the ordinary, mostly just her animal friends retreating into their burrows. Night must be falling soon.

Link heaved himself off of the couch, landing on his feet with a stumble. Fluttershy turned quickly at the sound. She gasped and tried to protest, seeing spots of red appear in his bandages. Her words seemed to slide off of him like water, and she could only follow his limping progress to the door, biting her lip with worry. She nearly cried out in worry as she saw him skillfully turn the nob with his teeth and pull the door open. The wolf made it outside and seemed to bask in the evening air. He looked taller, thicker, taking strength from it. The sun was sinking under the mountains on the horizon, painting the sky a beautiful painting of yellows and oranges. Most of the creatures in Fluttershy’s yard were making their way into their houses, preparing themselves for the coming night. The shadows under the trees of the close Everfree forest were deepening, becoming the oppressive and inky blackness that Fluttershy remembered. Link seemed not to care, and turned himself towards the woods.

Fluttershy once again tried to protest, even tugging at him with her hooves. “You cant move yet!” She said softly. “You have to stay inside! It’ll help you feel better . . .” She trailed off as the got closer to the woods. Fluttershy swallowed nervously, making sure to stick close to Link as he unsteadily padded in the wood’s direction.

As they drew nearer, a glow came from a small section of forest. It started off as a small yellow spot, barely visible in the deep shadows. As they grew closer, the light in between the trees grew stronger and brighter, becoming more noticeable. It illuminate Link’s face and chest, painting in and giving the lines and curves of his body a gentle edge. Fluttershy seemed to shrink down into herself, shivering with fear. Just like it always had, the Everfree forest held an air of terror and death that terrified her. Link stopped a few yards away from the tree line, staring expectantly at the yellow glow, which continued to brighten.

Fluttershy was curious as to the origin of the glow, but not enough to keep herself from hiding herself behind Link’s body, eyeing the fearfully forest over his shoulder. She bit her lip and glanced back towards the direction of Ponyville. She desperatle hoped for a conveniently well timed entrance by her friends, anyone.

And then another wolf glided out of the trees, appearing as if by magic. It was as large as Link, a giant predator in its grace and fluidity. It was the source of the warm yellow glow, and the opressive darkness of the every seemed to bend and shie away from the wolfs coat. Fluttershy thought it seemed slightly transparent; she could detect hints of the trees through the giant wolfs body. Its right eye was as red as a burning coal - the left was a steady white. Fluttershy shrank back even farther, her fright pinning her wings to her side as she fought the urge to flee. Link faced the other wolf, staring at it steadily. And in that moment, Fluttershy caught a glimpse of the real Link.

The wind was blowing gently through his fur, making the white highlights ripple with a slight hypnotic motion, highlighted against the rising moon. He looked like an unstoppable force of nature, a fact of reality, something that just existed, as unmovable as the ground he stood on. His head was held high, and even though he greatly favored one side more than the other, confidence and courage floated off of him in a soothing aura, power embodied in his very form. He seemed like a regal king, something that could withstand the fiercest winds or waves, or take on the most vile of demons. And his eyes. They captivated her. They shone like blue fire, burning away all fear, all darkness, with complete determination. They were alight with something that seemed to pierce the blackness of the night, filled with clarity and knowledge. But she also detected a hint of sorrow, of things not meant to be seen. Those eyes had faced unimaginable horrors, and come out victorious. Suddenly the injury to his side was a brother to numerous others invisible to the eye that cut across and through him. She could see his scarred spirit, blows and marks apparent for all to see, telling her soul that if he was there, nothing bad could happen.

The unexpected glimpse into Link's true nature stunned Fluttershy, who stopped breathing for a moment. The wind seemed to stand still as the wolves faced each other. One a glowing yellow, the other of obsidian strength. At an there was an unspoken signal, and Fluttershy could breathe again. She gasped in a breath, and stumbled backward now a good distance away from the wolves. She nearly fell to her haunches, but she couldn't pry her eyes away from the scene in front of her. The yellow wolf bowed his head slightly, a sign of submission, and stepped back. Link sagged slightly, as if the standoff had taken something out of him. Then like lighting, the other wolf leapt. Its teeth closed around Links neck, claws burrowing into his fur, as he stood unmoving.

Fluttershy screamed his name.

Link woke and stood to his paws, shaking his head to clear it. He looked around, gazing into the almost familiar surroundings. The world around him was white, in almost every direction. It stretched off to every side, seemingly unending. It shone from an invisible light source high in the air, which seemed to light up the entire blank world. He could feel that the bandages around his side were gone, the pain of his side absent, and the deep ache in his bones was gone.

But it was the thing ahead of him that gave him pause. A bipedal creature, standing a few feet above his head in height. It was clothed in ancient looking armor, with chipped metal and worn wood. The only thing showing wasn’t skin. It was bone. The hand that held a round shield, the half of its face that peeked out under its horned helmet, were bone. No skin, muscle, or ligaments held the yellowing and chipped bone together; they just stayed in place, held there by something unseen. The visible eye was nothing but a red bulb in an empty socket.

“Hero,” The voice came from the general direction of the armored skeleton, but slightly indistinct. “We meet again. I am proud of the person you have become,” It said, bowing its head. “You truly are worthy of the title ‘Hero of Twilight’,” It’s raised its head, slowly, as if in regret. “But the goddesses have one last task for you to complete. These are the last lessons I will pass on to you, Hero.”

Link nodded, but then whined in confusion after looking down at his wolf body once more.

The skeleton acknowledged this with a nod, and answered the unspoken question. “The lessons I will now pass to you are better served in your wolf body. They will aid you most while you are stuck this way.” Link nodded and barked once to show that he was ready, and the skeleton soldier commenced its lesson. “You now reside in a world of magic, where it is used casually in everyday life by the ponies you find yourself among. Telekinetic and magical attacks are almost certainly used in combat.” Link followed along in his mind, cataloging the information for further use. He had seen magic in use before, when Twilight had been at Fluttershy’s house. “For such attacks that will hit you physically, I now pass on the Iron Shell skill.” The skeleton raised a hand toward Link, bony palm facing the wolf. “Imagine the force is like water, flowing around your body. I will now lift you with telekinesis. Escape.”

Link felt an invisible force press around his body, tightening every second. Though no visible magic was coming out of the skeleton, the air was thick with its scent, and Link could feel himself rising up into the air, the skeleton’s magical grip strengthening all the while. After a few seconds of muted struggling in the air, Link suddenly dropped back to his paws, and panted, taking in a few deep breaths.

The skeleton nodded. “Well done. I will now use a force attack. Some magical attacks you may be able to dodge, but for ones you cannot, imagine yourself as an untouchable wall, and then make it so.” Link took a deep breath, and shifted his weight onto his back paws and lowering himself near the ground, in a ready stance. The skeleton nodded one, and then attacked. As before, there was no visible energy, but Link yelped as the force hit him like a wall, his fur thrashing under the power. Link felt himself buckling, but with a determined growl he stood tall, and the force seemed to dissipate.

“Well done,” The skeleton put down his hand, letting Link shift back into a more relaxed stance. “The skill ‘Iron Shell’ has been passed on!” Link’s muzzle developed a wolfish smile, and he waited for the skeleton to continue. It quickly obliged him. “Other magical attacks will be aimed toward your mind and threaten to kill or incapacitate you from the inside out,” The skeleton explained. “Many will implement the use of black magic,” it said with disdain. Link grimaced, remembering the sickly smell, and the skeleton seemed to share his feelings. “I now pass on the skill, Shout of Courage,” The armored skeleton continued. “Channel your courage and strength into your mind, and then release it with your breath,” it instructed. Link nodded.

The skeleton raised one palm again, and began its assault. Instantly, the world around Link turned to a pitch black. Link’s ears flattened in confusion, but he stayed in his ready stance, not moving. Then something hit his brain like a sledge hammer, and Link whimpered. The pain scattered all of his thoughts. It struck again and again, and each time Link shrunk nearer to the ground under the attack on his conscience. Link wanted it to just stop, to give in and make it go away. But something inside him lit. Link gathered his courage, and barked, raising his head high. This was not the normal bark of a large canine, but something more powerful. Waves of sound rippled out of his mouth, shredding into the darkness like knives. They cut it away, leaving him back in front of the skeleton once more. Link shook his head to get rid of the last traces of the mental attack, grateful to be rid of it. His eyes flicked back and forth, still hearing the echoes from the unbelievably loud bark in the empty landscape.

“Be wary, Hero,” The skeleton caught his attention once more. “In the waking world, this skill will tax your body and spirit. Only use it in the direst of circumstances,” It cautioned. “I will leave you with one last gift, not out of duty but as your teacher and mentor.” It finished.

Link nodded and barked normally once to show his understanding, his tail swishing back and forth slightly. “The Shout of Courage has been passed on!” The skeleton bowed its head, and Link woke up.

Twilight, Princess Luna, Spike, Pinkie Pie, Dusk, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and the three still unnamed Night Pegasi made their way through the steadily darkening evening towards Fluttershy’s house. All of the ponies had been briefed on the situation, and most were silent, pondering about what might happen when they made it to the cottage. Applejack was probably in the worst mood of the group. She had faced many Timberwolves before, usually threatening her farm crops or family. She had been raised with an extreme dislike for them, and, even though she had been informed that Link wasn’t a Timberwolf, was still convinced this wasn't a good idea.

The Everfree Forest was quickly darkening on either side of the dirt path. The braches seemed to loom overhead threateningly, and the shadows had even caused Pinkie Pie to lose some of her bounce, though she still smiled contentedly from Dusk’s side (who was wondering how she was still bouncing. How could anypony have that much energy?). Luna had had to take a quick stop before they left the town to nudge the moon onto its correct course, letting it take its own path across the sky as the sun sunk lower and lower on the horizon, the last of its rays just barely poking over the mountain peaks. It outlined Canterlot in a beautiful array of colors, one that Rarity had eyed thoughtfully, no doubt coming up with even more fashion ideas.

“Today is a wonderful fashion day!” She thought. “Now if only I could get Dusk to be a dear and model for me. I have the best idea for a winter line up, and his armor is just perfect for when I am making the clothing.” She eyed Dusk out of one eye. “Now how would I get him to stand still for enough time . . .” She wondered.

Luna seemed unbothered by the darkness. Being the Princess of the Night, a certain peace came when her celestial body was the one highest in the sky. She actually enjoyed this time of day, when her sister’s hot sun sank to the soothing cool of her beautiful moon. Many ponies across Equestria had taken more time to appreciate the night lately (one of them being Twilight Sparkle, who had always loved stargazing and astronomy, but after Luna had come back she had retaken to it with gusto), and it had perked up her spirits considerably.

The edges of Fluttershy’s property came into view. It was strangely silent, with a tense atmosphere. Twilight frowned, wondering why there was no noise. Even at night Fluttershy’s cottage was surrounded by the hoots of owl and the rustling of nocturnal creatures. The Night Pegasi sensed it too, and had made a loose circle around the ponies in the back. Pinkie poked Dusk in the side, her head tilted. His weight had shifted, bat wings opening slightly, scanning the surroundings with practiced ease. He had taken a step away from her, falling into the formation his armored comrades had created. He was all military mode once again.

Pinkie sighed. “Just as he was starting to get relaxed!” She thought, folding her imaginary legs in her mind. “Maybe I can throw a party for him!” Pinkie’s eyes brightened. “That would get him back to into his super friendly mode!” The pink mare put some extra spring into her step/bounce at the idea.

Then they heard the scream. “Link!” Fluttershy’s desperate cry rebounded off the trees. Even before the word was finished, Rainbow Dash, the Element of Loyalty and Fluttershy’s closest friend, had rocketed over the roof of the house. There one second, gone the next, a rainbow colored trail left in the blue pegasus’ wake. Twilight and the rest of the group weren’t far behind, skidding around the side of the cottage in the damp grass. The Night Pegasi made sure to keep pace with the Element Bearers in the back, keeping in their circle formation. Twilight rounded the corner with Luna not far behind, and she took in the sight in a second.

Fluttershy was crouched on the ground, some distance away from her house, almost touching the border of the Everfree forest. The tall branches had her swallowed in their shadows. Something large and black slumped next to her. The forest the Fluttershy feared so much was only mere feet away, but the yellow pegasus seemed to not even notice. Her head was bowed, her long pink mane hiding her face, falling towards the grass. Rainbow Dash, who had come over the house before the rest of the group, was right behind Fluttershy, rubbign her back with a hoof and muttering softly.

“Link?” Twilight gasped, and rushed to Fluttershy’s side. Rainbow stepped to the side to allow Twilight room. Twilight knelt next to Fluttershy, her brain clicking into analytical mode. Link was lying on his side on the ground, limp and unmoving, his paws sprawled out on the ground. His giant head was cradled in Fluttershy’s legs, who was crying softly. Splotches of deep red were riddled across his bandages, looking
almost black in the low light, staining the white fabric. “Fluttershy? What happened?” Twilight asked, scanning Link over with her gaze. His chest wasn’t even falling or rising. He wasn’t breathing. Not good. Twilight's horn lit up instantly and she started her medical scan, knowing time was of the essence.

Fluttershy shook her head and fought down a sob. “He woke up, and came outside. I tried to stop him, but he wouldn’t listen! And then there was this other giant ghost wolf,” tears leaked down her face and she looked up at Twilight. “And then it attacked him, and he collapsed. I can’t move him, please help me!” She cried, tugging on his head.

“You can’t move him?” Luna asked from behind Twilight. She had heard the entire explanation, and was acting in control and calm, mostly for the other’s sake. The rest of the group, except for the guards, who were still in their protective circle facing the woods, were chatting in a circle near the back of the cottage. Most were casting unbelieving and worried looks in their direction.

“Please, let me try,” Luna asked Fluttershy, leaning her head next to Fluttershy’s. Fluttershy bleakly nodded and backed away. The rest of the Element Bearers let out comforting sounds as they encased the crying Fluttershy in a small group hug. Luna lit her horn and carefully wrapped the unconscious wolf in her deep blue magic. Luna gently lifted, expecting the wolf to rise into the air at a slow pace. Instead, nothing happened. Something invisible seemed to be tethering him to the ground. Luna frowned and pulled harder, trying to yank him upwards. Nothing happened, except for her wasting energy. No matter how hard she tugged, the wolf failed to lift off of the ground. Twilight watched Luna’s attempts in silence.

“He is immovable, it would seem,” Luna said softly. “And not breathing, yet he is still alive,” She frowned. How was this possible? None of this made sense.

“What do we do?” Twilight asked, glancing at Luna, her medical scan confirming Luna's words.

"I am unsure," Luna muttered. "There is only one thing that can be done. We wait,” Luna shrugged. They didn’t have to wait for very long, for as soon as Luna finished her sentence, Link’s body was encased in a yellow glow. Luna and Twilight took a step back, watching in disbelief as he rose up into the air. He floated, suspended above the ground, his head bowed near to his chest and his paws hanging downward. His fur rippled and glowed, flowing in an invisible wind. A huge flash of light made Twilight shield her eyes with a hoof as black spots danced across her vision.

When the spots in her vision had cleared, she glanced around. Twilight heard groans of pain from each side, and caught a glimpse of one of the Night Pegasi stumbling around, a hoof held in front of his eyes. Their sensitive nature had probably made the flash excruciating.
When Twilight looked back at Link, she gasped in surprise. Sitting on his haunches in the grass, as if nothing happened, was the giant wolf. His bandages were gone, and from what Twilight could see, so were his injuries. Normal fur had grown where the slashes used to be, as if they had never been there at all.

“Impossible!” She sputtered. “That amount of magic is . . . it’s impossible!” Twilight was to stunned to move, staring at Link. As most ponies who had researched the medical field knew, magical healing was not an instant solution. It was a long, painstaking process to coax the fibers in the body to heal back to normal. It couldn’t do everything, and it certainly couldn’t do it on this scale.

Luna was just as stunned as Twilight. “I . . . I recognized that magic,” she thought. “But from where?” She racked her memory for the answer, frustrated.

“Link!” Fluttershy exclaimed. She broke out of the silent circle of her friends and rushed towards him. She impacted his chest with a dull thump, her front legs circled around his neck, her face buried into his fur. “You’re okay!” She cried, and Link bowed his head over her shoulder, his huff of breathe ruffling her mane.

The moment was interrupted by a small munching sound. Twilight looked to her left. She rolled her eyes, sighing in annoyance.
Hovering a few feet away, in a floating lawn chair, sprawled a familiar god of chaos. A bucket of popcorn was held in one claw, a pair of 3-D glasses perched on his snout. “Oh, don’t mind me,” Discord said innocently. “This is just getting to the best part!”

Author's Note

As you can see, I am too lazy to continue enter tabbing every single paragraph in every chapter. So I won't.
Hope you guys enjoyed it (even though nothing extremely exciting happened), and as always, remember to read and review!
Also, comment if you spot any plot, spelling or grammar mistakes that I missed. I will fix those as soon as I can.
Have a great week!

The Gates of Tartarus Revised

Zant was dead, and yet he was alive. It was a curious predicament, one that Zant enjoyed to reflect on in his moments of near sanity. Not that reflecting on it would make a difference, but one had to keep themselves entertained somehow. For generation after generation, he had served his master. Split into those hundreds of Redeads when he was yet a teen. Made into the sword of Ganondorf as Ghirahim when he was in his mid-twenties, all to serve his master. He had been in countless bodies, with many personalities. All different, and yet the same.

Time. To Zant it was nothing but a hindrance, a force that should be fought, not followed. His incarnations did not follow the laws of the infernal thing, appearing where his soul was needed by his master the most. He had been born and had died serving, and then born again. Contrary to popular opinion, dying was not painless. It was not just the act of one’s soul simply being there, and then not. It was a long process, one filled with torture, even after you left your body behind. Zant knew this from experience. Zant wondered what his next incarnation would be if he failed, how much pain he would have to endure. He had been lucky enough to be reborn back into this body, his favorite out of them all, when his new Mistress had taken Ganon’s place, the old beloved master that he died over and over again for. All of these thoughts flicked through his mind as he stared onto the door of Tartarus itself.

“The Twilight Realm,” He mused absently, glancing around. “A wondrous place. So unexplored, so full of possibility and delightful horror. And here,” He smiled under his mask. “Here, the gates to the greatest of them all.” The Twilight Realm was indeed a place of dark wonder to most. The natural ground of the realm was a stretching and swirling shadow, almost impossible to see in the penetrating blackness that surrounded everything, a darkness that flowed through the air like smoke. There was no life in this far off place, just a flat never ending roughness of the ground. This place, untouched by even the near-omniscient so called “goddesses” those mortals worshiped. Untainted, perfect in its potential. Unshaped by good or evil, a blank slate of creation. Not many had seen places such as this, as few existed anywhere. Zant felt truly privileged to have had his quest lead him here.

Expect in this one place, this one special place Zant had found. In front of him a large spike with about a ten foot diameter at the base and tapering dozens of feet up, jutted out of the bleak landscape, a mark on its perfect formlessness. And set into the very center was Zant’s objective. The gates of Tartarus were not that all impressive at first sight. Zant would have missed them if his senses relied on those trapped in the material plane. He would have mistaken the rock spike as just another oddity, with a strange obsidian square set into the center. He had seen stranger things in The Twilight Realm in his lifetimes.

No, he had found it by the evil. The radiation of thousands of unimaginable creatures of evil crammed all into one pocket dimension, trapped in a small hole in the universe, festering in their own hatred. It delighted him beyond words. Here! Here was his kin! The ones, the only ones, who understood what it really meant to be truly alive. To hear the screams and pleas for mercy from your helpless victims as they writhed under your power, to feel the life drain from them in their last panicked breaths. It made Zant giggle, just thinking about it.

“I found it!” He crowed. “After many hours and hours of searching!” Zant cackled again as he remembered all of the creatures he had tortured to get this location. He had lost count around thirty. But oh, he had been careful. Oh yes, so very careful. It wouldn’t have done to attract the attention of the mortal authorities, or the Vessel of Wisdom. He had been quiet. A shadow, untouchable and undetected. It had been rather fun, really, to murder and torture undetected.

Zant bowed his head, almost touching his forehead to his knees. “The Gates. The legendary Gates are here. Mistress, what would you have me do?” He asked humbly. He was too giddy to remember his dislike of his mistress’ plans. Suddenly, she was there. Zant held in a gasp as his brain was flooded by a freezing presence. It spread to every inch of his conscience, commanding all of his attention. It was mind numbing, his thoughts scattering and breaking apart in its path.

“My little pawn, you performed above expectations!” His mistress’ voice purred into his mind, seductive and hypnotic. “To find such a place, yes . . . it is perfect, my little pawn. You deserve a great reward. Do not fear, what you have earned will come to you in time, if you are patient. Now I have one more task for you to complete.”

“Yes Mistress. Anything. I live to serve,” Zant replied, his heads swimming with thoughts of his coming compensation.

“Go into the gate. Find the matching gate that leads into the world in which the Vessel of Courage now resides. When you are there, I will provide further instructions. Go, my little pawn.” With that final statement, the cold presence vanished from Zant’s mind as quickly as it had arrived. Zant straightened, and walked with smooth, gliding steps to the door. He raised a hand, and put his palm flat against the smooth obsidian of the door. It hummed and pulsed with a vibrant energy, sending tendrils of magic through his flesh.

Open,” they breathed, twirling in his veins, dark and sinister. “Open us. Come into our realm.”

“With pleasure!” Zant laughed, and he pushed lightly with a palm. With the whisper of hinges, the door opened, swinging inward. Zant was made into a black silhouette by the red light pouring from the gap in the stone. With one more echoing laugh, Zant stepped into the light. The door swung shut behind his retreating shadow, crashing shut with dismal finality.

“The capital city of Canterlot,” Measured Fact mused. “Quite the place, isn’t it?” He said to himself, pushing his glasses further up his nose with a hoof as he gazed out the large window. The tan unicorn smiled sadly as he looked over his home city. “I could visit some old friends, I suppose . . ." he pondered, then shook his head. “No, my duties will not allow it, but, the view does soften my burden.” He smiled wistfully.

Canterlot was indeed a spectacular sight. The city jutted out of the side of Canterlot Mountain, which rose high above the surrounding landscape. The city was styled after the old cities of early Equestria, a picturesque landscape of soaring marble and stone. The mainsion houses, grand in both scale and cost, dominated the edges of the city, ringed by green lawns and foliage that turned black in the rain. The center of the city was a spiderweb of streets and alleyways, home to the finest restaurants, boutiques, and jewelers in Equestria and perhaps the world. The cobblestone streets were slightly wet with the recent rainfall, which had started only a second ago, whispering down from the grey clouds above. The city was very much alive, even at this time of the day and weather. The street lamps were all lit, and cheery light spilled from windows and doorways onto the streets. If one were to be down in the city itself, you would have heard the music and laughter from rowdy clubs downtown. Or if one were more sophisticated, as Fact liked to think of himself, the soaring orchestra at a show in the Canterlot Theater. The show started in three minutes, Fact knew. He would have liked to been there, but since he couldn’t, he would have to be content with thinking about it from all the way up here.

If one wanted a view such as this, Canterlot Castle was an excellent place to see it all, especially if one happened to live high in the spires of the castle. Only the princesses were allowed to sleep here, along with members of their personal guard and assistants, and the tan unicorn looking out from the third highest window in the entire castle had excellent vision. His green eyes swept over the entire scene smoothly, tired from a long and hard days work, but content in the brief moment of respite.

Measured Fact turned away from the window, smoothing his brown spiky hair with his light-green magic, and not for the last time cursed his unruly mane. He was supposed to be a proper and noble member of Luna’s Staff, but he had been cursed with naturally spiky hair since birth, which demanded constant attention. His tan horn, unusually long and spiked, stuck out from the center of his thick mane. The unicorn trotted over to his small and modest desk. His office was conservative, but comfortable. Magical lights lit up the room in a pleasant fashion that made the office seem rather homely, the feel completed with the large plush chairs and pictures hung on the walls next to the bookshelf near the door. A plaque sat both on the door and on his desk that read: “Measured Fact - Personal Assistant to Her Serine Highness Princess Luna.” Fact thought that the plaque was a bit too wordy, but had not bothered to change it since his hiring to this position.

Fact shuffled some of the papers on his desk with his magic, and was getting ready to sit back down top finish for the night when the lights in his office dimmed considerably, casting dark shadows around his desk and on the walls. Fact slowly set down the papers in a neat stack with care and raised his head, looking at the pony that had appeared across from him. The door had not opened at all; it had not even made a sound. Measured Fact made it a rule to make all of his doors noisy when opened.

Standing in front of Measured Fact was Measured Fact. The same tan stallion, complete with green eyes and brown spiky hair. The same rock solid and lean muscles, made from years and years of hard training and practice. He started steadily forward at the Measured Fact behind the desk, who inclined his head politely at the other unicorn. Their matching cutie marks made the scene even stranger. A ruler, that looked suspiciously like a sword if one were to peer closer, standing vertically upon a white piece of parchment, which was shaped like a kite shield.

“Ah, good evening, Measured Fact,” said the one behind the desk, calmly gazing at the unicorn standing patiently in front of the desk. “What can I do for you on this fine evening?” He asked politely.

“The Gates,” The same tenor voice came back from the other stallion, but completely monotone, devoid of feeling. As the other stallion’s mouth moved, tendrils of green magic poured out of his mouth, dissipating into the air. “The Gates have been compromised. Cerberus has been informed. Immediately activate protocol S-45.”

The station behind the desk frowned, and slid his glasses up with a hoof, as they had fallen down on his snout. “Acknowledged, please inform the head of the guard using the documents in file 38-5B in the administrative offices, and notify the ambassadors for the Crystal Empire. We may need their support,” He said with sharply, shutting the stack of papers into a drawer on his desk. He would have to come back to those later. More pressing issues had come up.

“Should this unit inform Princess Luna?” The other stallion asked. His expression did not change with the question, giving him a stone like look.

“No, I will inform her immediately. Get the other Golem and guard the Gates. Nothing goes in or out without my express permission. This is as of now Priority 1. Golem 2 dismissed.” The Golem in from of the door nodded at the command, and with a flash of green teleported from the room. At the Golem’s sudden absence, the lights brightened back up to normal, the long shadows disappearing. Measured Fact hummed thoughtfully. His new Golem spell had improved with his new renovations. He made a mental note to continue to work on the spell to make them more lifelike, once this crisis had been averted.

Fact trotted over to the smaller door into the adjoining bedroom. He lit his horn and opened the door. He went inside, closing the door softly behind him. As soon as the door into the bedroom closed behind him, the lights in the office went out, magically extinguished. The small bedroom was just as modestly decorated as the office. A small bed sat against one wall, with a medium sized chest of drawers next to it. Another bookshelf sat on the other wall, full of large volumes. Another small door led to a closet (Even though it was only used for special occasions that required clothing). Another door led onto a balcony. Rain could be heard lightly hitting against the stone sides of the room. Bright magical lights in the ceiling winked on as soon as he entered, giving the bedroom a comfortable atmosphere. Fact went over to the door that went to the balcony. He opened it with his magic and walked out into the light rain, closing the door behind him. Just like in the office, the lights in the bedroom shut off as he left the room.

The stone balcony jutted out from the side of the tower a few feet, with a rail to keep anyone from falling off, which entailed plummeting two hundred feet to the dark grass of the courtyard below. From the edge of the balcony the city was a glowing sea, of small pinprick lights that blurred as the rain matted his fur to his face.The crescent moon of his employer rose high above him, beautiful in its coolness and soft light. Measured Fact went through his memory, his mind was like a filing cabinet. He sorted through it, picking out a certain memory and bringing it to the front of his mind. In the memory, he was standing inside his office. Not unlike a minute ago, he was with a visitor, though this one was quite a bit more important. Princess Luna stood in front of his desk.

“Measured Fact, my moth faithful assistant,” She began. “I am going on a venture into Ponyville for a matter of importance-”

With the use for that memory gone, Fact filed it back into his mind without finishing it. “Ponyville,” He said, looking out to the west. He knew the exact distance to the center of town from his balcony. “Teleport?” He asked himself. “No, a teleport of that distance could cause me to appear halfway through a wall if I misjudged the distance by even a foot. Flying?” he turned the thought over in his mind. He finally decided that it was the right choice. It was time for a spell he had only used once before.

He lit his horn slowly, letting the magic naturally flow though his body. It grew and grew, wanting to be released, swirling inside his horn. Fact didn’t let it. The magic that Measured Fact was building was of no small amount. He only knew of only a dozen other beings alive that had more magic than he did, four of them being royal Princesses. When Fact was sweating from exertion of holding all of the magic in, he let it go with an explosive breath, casting the spell. The effect was immediate. Two wings burst from his sides. They were completely green, and shone in the rain, hissing and spitting small jets of magic in the light rain. The feathers and bone were completely made out of Fact’s built up magic, slightly transparent. Fact grimaced as he immediately felt the fatigue of the spell hit his body. His magic stores had almost completely been depleted. He was fine physically, but he estimated it would take 2.67 days to replenish his magical abilities back to full power.

“Well, these won’t last forever,” He said aloud to no one. “Better get going.” With a flap of his new magical wings, Fact launched of the building into the grey sky.

Author's Note

Yay! A new Zant chapter and the introductions of one of my personally favorite characters, Measured Fact!
The time you have all been waiting for is coming! THE HUGE BACK STORY CHAPTERS! Yes, you will get all the exposition you desire in the coming chapters. As always, if you find any grammar, plot, spelling, or punctuation mistakes in this chapter, comment on it and I will fix them as soon as I can.

A Little Disappointment Revised

Author's Note

So, I have some bad news to go along with this chapter. The thing with the beta reader fell through, so I actually don't have one. Darn.
But have no fear! This story will continue! As promised, here is the March chapter. As usual, comment about any mistakes you may find. I fear this chapter may have quite a few. Enjoy!

A Little Disappointment Revised

Zant had never met any being coming close to his personality before. His expectations, while not incredibly high, were at least positive. If any place held something that thought along his own lines it would be Tartarus. So it was, when he entered the gates, full of hope and excitement, he was almost immediatly let down.

“You should enjoy yourselves more, or at least try to do something,” he scoffed, crossing his arms. “This place is great! And yet here you are, squandering it with all this screaming and gnashing teeth.” Zant was standing in front of one of large magical cages that stood everywhere in this grey dimension. Most were about twice as tall as he was, and a good deal more around, with a large dome shaped top and a door set into the front. It had the normal metal prison bars going all the way around it, humming with magical energies. The cage stood on a small floating platform a small way off the main path, and was the home of quite a few small creatures.

They resembled spiders, each a little smaller than Zant’s palm. They were a sickish yellow color, and oozed a smell of pus and rot. There was no visible head, instead, there was just a large mound sitting atop eight long legs tipped with wicked claws. The creature closets to Zant stopped, and turned to face him. A slit opened on the top of the pod, and it hissed, the mouth tipped with jagged red teeth. It flung itself at the bars, but was thrown away by a bright flash of magic. Hundreds of the creatures swarmed about inside the cage, flinging themselves against the walls with futile abandon, hissing and screaming with the shocks of magic.

Zant sighed and turned away, hopping back towards the main path. The small motion carried him an impossibly far distance, and he landed daintily on the walkway. He had tried communicating with many of the creatures in the floating cages, to no avail. At best, they had ignored him, and at worst, they had tried to kill him, though their efforts had been in vain. Here were the kindred spirits he had been looking for! Killers, murderers, creations of dark magic that shared his view of the world! Yet all of them overlooked the paradise they rested in because of some silly cage.

Zant did indeed think that Tartarus was a near paradise. The cold air, the freezing winds and blasts of random magic, just waiting to be tamed. It reminded him of his first childhood, where he learned magic. If the creatures overlooked the cage, they could play about with the almost infinite magic in the air. Sure they couldn’t escape, but seemingly real illusions were all too possible in this place. One could live an entire life within their own conscience here, and never know it was not real! His musings were interrupted by a familiar cold presence in his mind. It seemed weaker than normal, as if it was having a hard time coming to him. Shrugging this off, he listened to the words of his mistress.

“Hello again, my pawn,” She purred. There was a tingling sensation in his eyes, and he knew that she was looking through him. “Very good,” she said, sounding a bit surprised. “You have made better time than I anticipated. How are you finding Tartarus?” She asked.

Zant thought for a moment. “Disappointing,” He said curtly, summing up his thoughts with a single word, something he had been thinking a lot lately. A flash of agreement went through his mind.

“Yes,” His Mistress replied. “But onto more important matters. You are nearing the doors of which I told you about before. You will reach them within the day, I suspect. I have a few instructions for you,” He felt a nudge forward on his conscience. “Walk, I will tell you as you draw closer to our objective.

“Yes Mistress,” He replied with a bow, and he continued to walk.

Large rocks are in every dimension. It is nearly impossible to find one without them. They also happen to be incredibly convenient hiding spots, even in a place like this, and from a creature such as Cerberus. So it was that Zant got his first look at the three headed beast from behind one such rock, a large one that happened to sit in the perfect position and distance from the doors to let him hide himself and his magical aura from Cerberus, but also to observe. Zant’s mistress had warned him about the creature, the guardian of the gates. What such a creature lacked in smarts, it made up for in sheer magical and bulk. Zant could feel it’s aura from where he hid, and he could see its physical prowess with his normal eyes plain as day. It stood higher than he did by a couple feet, an incredibly large height for any canine. Black fur did nothing to conceal the mass of rippling muscle and sheer power that made it up. The three jaws dripped saliva, and the six eyes roamed over the landscape as the heads swiveled back and forth.

Zant ducked back into his hiding place as one gaze came to close to him. His mind turned the problem over in his head. How to do this? He went over his vast repertoire of spells, turning each option over in his mind, before selecting one that he deemed best to use. Condensing his magic into a single point, he leaned his head out from behind the rock, waiting for the right time. Just as one of Cerberus’ head went in his direction, he released the spell. Cerberus saw him right as he did this, but its eyes only had time focus before the spell hit home, directly into its forehead.

The effect was nearly instantaneous. Cerberus froze in place, and its body started to shake. All six eyes rolled back into their respective heads, and the saliva was replaced by greenish foam that rolled out of the three mouths. Zant cackled as he stepped from behind the rock, gleefully watching the agonizing seizures that racked Cerberus’ body. Zant had never felt so good! The power that his mistress had given him had exceeded his own estimations, and he was riding the magical high for all it was worth. “Oh, little Cerberus,” He giggling as he drew closer to the shivering beast. “Only you can harm those doors that you guard,” He cupped the chin of one of the heads, uncaring of the green foam that ran over his hand and forearm. “I have something that I need you to do.”

The Ponyville Inn was one of the largest buildings in town. Tourism was actually fairly profitable in Ponyville, mostly because of the famed Everfree Forest in such close proximity. The staff were well paid and well trained, but more than a few of them stopped and stared. Measured Fact looked up from his position on the small table in the foyer, eyeing the ponies. He took another bite out of his bagel and went back to looking at his notes and the infuriatingly high stack of paperwork he had had express mailed to him at the hotel last night.

His flying stunt last night had drained his magic at a considerably extreme rate, and so this morning he had employed a small spell to help him regenerate this lost energy faster. It would drain the abundant magic from the air at an accelerated rate and use it to temporarily boost his own magic until his natural stores could be replenished. The unfortunate side effect was the wisps of green magic twirling off from every part of his body, dissipating into the air. Still ignoring the other ponies in the room, Measured Fact ran a hoof though his unruly hair, frowning. The Golem reports from the Gates of Tartarus were worrying. Cerberus seemed a little agitated than normal, but that hadn't been the problem. Something was happening, of this he was sure. The Gates had been breached again, according to the reports, only an hour ago. It was a small hole, only letting a meager amount of magic through, not even enough to levitate a needle through by unicorn standards, but it was worrisome. Something, no matter how small, had happened. Should this breach get any wider, any number of creatures on the other side of the Gates would be able to escape. Fact took another bite of his small breakfast, and sipped his coffee.

Luna was currently residing near the doors, keeping a close eye on them and Cerberus, should anything happen. He knew there was nothing he could do but wait here in Ponyville and analyze the reports, but he still felt restless. Deciding that he was doing nothing productive in here, he stood and shuffled the reports into a neat pile, levitating them into his pack. He walked up to one of the staff who had the good graces not to stare. “Put this in my room, if you please. Room 13.” He said, floating the pack towards the unicorn. The pony nodded, taking the pack and trotting off into the depths of the hotel. Fact turned in the other direction, strolling casually out of the front door. With his absence, the life in the hotel gradually went back to normal.

Fact stepped out into the sunlight, squinting slightly as he looked around. He was happy to note that the green wisps of magic that came off his coat were nearly invisible in the bright light. Conveniently enough, the hotel happened to be right in the center of town, a good location for his purposes. Most of Ponyville was silent, most ponies still sleeping at the early hour, but Fact could hear and see a bit of motion down the road to his left, towards the center of the town. He trotted in that direction. The tan stallion took time to admire the rustic style of architecture as he passed; something not very common in the larger cities in which he generally resided. The brightly colored walls and the straw roofing were pleasant aesthetics. Fact started to see more and more ponies as he neared the town center, mostly mares trotting about in a businesslike manner.

The reason for the bustle soon became apparent; the town square had been transformed into a sort of market, with numerous ponies selling their wares out of small stands. The day was still young, and a couple of the business ponies were still in the process of setting up their stalls and wares for sale. Fact spotted a familiar orange mare, and trotted over to the stand she occupied.

“Well howdy there, Mr. Fact!” Applejack said as she spotted him, with a large grin. She leaned her front legs on the top of the counter, looking at the tan stallion. “What brings you here at this fine hour?”

Fact’s eyes roamed the stall. A large wagon filled with red apples sat a small ways behind Applejack, and a couple of piles sat close at hoof, in case of a customer. The stand was a small wooden affair, not much to look at besides the large sign in the shape of an apple. “Not much,” He replied. “Getting a feel for the town.”

“Well, if you’re getting’ a feel for Ponyville, you need to get a feel for the original Ponyville apple!” Applejack held up one of said red fruit. “These here apples have been grown in my family orchard since Ponyville’s foundin’!” Applejack directed a shining smile at the tan stallion.

“Nice sales pitch,” He commented.

“Thanks!” The orange pony replied. “So will ya’ buy somethin’?” She asked hopefully.

“I am sorry, but I must decline,” Fact answered. “I currently have no bits on me.”

“That’s a shame,” Applejack wilted, before perking back up again. “Oh, I forgot! Pinkie asked me to tell ya’ to head over to Sugar Cube Corner. She said somethin’ about asking ya’ some questions.”

“Oh?” Fact tilted his head. If he remembered correctly, and he knew he did, than Pinkie Pie was the pink pony who had seemed extraordinarily happy at last nights meeting. He shrugged. “All right. I currently have no plans today, I don’t see why not. Where would I find Sugar Cube Corner?” Sure, Fact had memorized the layout of the town, but that was from an aerial view, just the streets and such. He had no knowledge of where each business was.

“Just head that way,” Applejack waved a hoof down one of the more densely populated streets that branched off from the main plaza. “You’ll know it when you see it. Looks like a huge ginger bread house.”

“Thank you,” Fact said as he trotted off.

“See ya’ later!” Applejack shouted back.

Fact did indeed know Sugar Cube Corner when he saw it. It was perhaps the single strangest building he had ever laid eyes on, and he stood in front of it for a moment, taking it in. How did it still stand up with structural integrity with those materials used in its construction? Last Fact checked, gingerbread was not a stable building material. Fact was having an internal argument on whether or not he should actually enter said building, when a pony stumbled out of the front doors. The dark stallion dropped heavily onto the bench resting nearby. Recognizing him as the guard whom he had met yesterday night, albeit briefly, Fact decided to go over and talk to him, at least to stall a little bit before going inside Sugar Cube Corner.

Dusk looked up sleepily as Fact trotted over. The Night Pegasi’s armor was off, and he still felt uncomfortable, and it showed in his shifty body language. The bright sun stung his sensitive eyes, and his ears were flattened to the back of his head in annoyance, mostly at himself. He ran a hoof over his face, feeling the sagging bags under his eyelids. The orange highlight in his mane and tail seemed a little duller than usual, as if to reflect the way he was feeling.

“Hello,” Fact said cheerfully. “Dusk Light, correct?”

“Just Dusk,” Dusk replied. “You’re Measured Fact right? I hope you forgive me if I don’t bow.” He made a motion to his body.

Fact chuckled. “No, that’s alright. If I may . . .” He paused. “You look like crap,” He stated bluntly and a bit cheekily, his eyes roaming over the Night Pegasi.

Dusk barked out a laugh. “That’s an understatement,” He said. “I am trying to match my sleep schedule with you normal ponies’, but that is proving to be more difficult than I expected.” He yawned as if to punctuate his statement. “Even with my training, staying up for this many hours straight is tough.”

Fact looked away from Dusk to once again eye the building they were talking in front of. “This is where you live now?” He asked. “Forgive me if I don’t envy your position.”

Dusk sighed, but smiled lightly. “It’s actually not so bad. Pinkie Pie is nice, and Mr. and Mrs. Cake, the ones who own the place, are generous and kind. The place smells like sugar all the time though.”

Fact turned the thought that popped into his head over in his mind. Though he had no frame of reference for this particular pony, he assumed that his guess was fairly accurate. “You seem more informal than I was expecting. Yet you seem to be forcing it a bit. Why?” He guessed, hoping that he hadn’t been too blunt.

“Well, between you and me, stallion to stallion,” Dusk ran a hoof through his hair. “Put yourself in my position. I’m a loner, always have been. Most Night Pegasi are,” Dusk looked to Fact, who nodded to show he was following. “We never really have many friends, especially those outside the guard, who are mostly stallions.” Fact’s eyes lit up as he started to understand, yet he motioned for Dusk to continue. The stallion obliged, but his words were softer, as if suspicious that someone might overhear. “And here I am, a stallion who has had very little interaction with the opposite gender, assigned by my princess to live and die for six very beautiful mares should it be required, and to keep them safe in any way possible,” He looked up. “You getting it so far?”

Fact ran through his memories of the Element Bearers, and could see Dusk’s point of view. Each was certainly attractive in their own right, and a stallion who had never had that exposure would be in a difficult position, like the one Dusk was in at the moment. “You hope to get a relationship out of this,” Fact said, and Dusk ducked sheepishly. “You think you might actually have a shot, which you probably do,” Dusk blushed slightly at the compliment, and Fact continued. “You want to be more informal to try and fit in more with the Element Bearers. You will be around them all the time. . .”

“Can't fault a stallion for hoping. I am living with one now,” Dusk finished. “You see my point?”

“Yes,” Fact paused. “And though I might not be the best one to give this advice, and it’s a bit cliché, I would say to just be yourself. Forcing anything won’t help.” He offered, a bit lamely.

“I know,” Dusk sighed. “It’s just hard.” He shook his head. “Anyway, you should probably go in,” He said, waving a hoof at the entrance. “Pinkie was looking for you.”

“What for?” Fact asked curiously.

“I can’t tell you,” Dusk replied apologetically. “She wanted to tell you herself. You should probably get going, she might blow a fuse if she has to wait any longer.”

Fact sighed, looking at the large doors a little ways away. He had a feeling that he was going to regret this.

Breaking The Ice Revised

“Twilight!” Spike shouted. “Twilight!” The small dragon looked inside another door. “I swear,” he said to himself, “That I have passed this room like a dozen times by now.” Although Spike liked the comforts of his new castle home, particularly in that there were a lot of rooms that he got all to himself, he did find that the hallways connecting those rooms seemed to be a maze that one could get lost in if not too careful. Spike tightened his annoyed grip on the letter in his claws and he walked past a large window, one with the same view as practically all the others he had gone past. “How hard can the lab be to find in this place?” He grunted, rubbing his temple with a claw. “Twilight!” He tried one more time.

Finally, a faint voice trickled back to him. “Yes?”

“Where are you?” He shouted.

“In the lab!” Twilight answered back.

“I knew that,” Spike grumbled. “That doesn’t help me.” Despite his worsening mood and headache, he followed the way he thought the sound had come from, eventually finding a open door that he entered.

Twilight was standing near a large table, her horn lit and her eyes scrunched in concentration as she moved a few things on the table. The lights were off, making it difficult to see much of anything, the magic from Twilight’s horn was the only illumination. Spike was not going to spend the time to look at what instruments she was using, so he didn’t try to identify them. “Reply from Princess Celestia to a letter Luna sent her. It’s a copy I’m supposed to give to you, Luna already got hers,” Spike said, grimacing.

Twilight paused. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just got a headache. Probably from staying up so late last night and not getting a lot of sleep." Spike answered.

"Go see Fluttershy, she might have something that can help." Twilight suggested. "And you can help keep and eye on Link too."

"Alright," Spike said, moving towards the door. Twilight looked back to the scroll she held, breaking the seal and unrolling it carefully.

~~~~~

Dear Luna and Twilight,

I hope that this letter reaches you with the utmost speed. It has come to my attention through correspondence with my sister that various strange things have been happening in and around Ponyville. I would congratulate you both for handling the situation as delicately as you did, and for informing me. However, on to more pressing matters. I cannot leave my position in the Gryphon Kingdom at the present time, as numerous delicate political situations need to be put to rest before I can return to Equestria. I will return as soon as possible, but in the meantime, I have a few words of advice for you both.

To my dear Twilight Sparkle, I would advise you to stay near your friends and Ponyville, as well as keep an eye out for anything suspicious. Because of the situation with the Gates of Tartarus being breached and its proximity to Ponyville, I fear that disaster may befall your home should you not be vigilant. Also, please watch the giant wolf Link carefully. It may only be a feeling, but I fear that there is more to his story than anyone might know.

To my sister Luna, please continue to oversee the watch of the Gates, along with your detachment of our guard. Be wary of anything that might come near you, as many creatures will have sensed the breach and want to take advantage of it. Use every asset available to you to keep the Gates shut and secure. You know what horrors lie within that dimension. I will be in touch with both of you, and I would hope that you would keep me informed on the situation as it goes along. Best of luck to you both.

Sincerely and lovingly,

Princess Celestia.

~~~~~~

Luna set down the letter on the table, frowning while she thought. Normally she would be asleep at this hour, but this matter was too important to allow for that. Her large tent was set up in the middle of the camp outside of the Gates, and the various sounds of camp life filtered through the thin walls. Luna stood from her seat behind the desk, walking towards the tent flap. She pushed it aside with her magic, and made her way out into the bright sunshine. The two Night Pegasi flanking the doorway immediately saluted as the Princess stepped outside. She nodded to them to put them at ease, and continued through the camp.

A small tent city had been erected in a circular formation, with Luna’s own as the center. Each tent was made of magically enchanted white cloth, and four tents were always grouped together, each group having a small fire pit in the center. A mixture of Night Pegasi and normal guards-ponies mingled about, though, because it was day time, the number of her guard about had diminished significantly as they slept. The guards talked, laughed, and were good to each other on the whole, despite the subtle air of tenseness that surrounded the camp that the posted sentries at the edges of the forest didn't help. The number of guards she had brought with her were probably not as many as her sister would like, but Luna had her reasons. These were the best of the best, her most trusted. She knew that they would give away no information, to civilian or otherwise. They were all highly skilled in combat, each in their own way.

As Luna strode through the tents in the direction of the Gates, all of the ponies that saw her saluted or bowed, and she made sure to tell them all to be at ease, if only as a courtesy rather than necessity. Luna had positioned her camp strategically to the position of the Gates. Close enough to get there in a hurry, but far enough that anything dangerous that could break through would not immediately fall on a camp of unprepared guards. She traversed the strip of land between the tents and the edges of a gaping crevice that was set into the ground, jagged and sudden, a mar on the otherwise green landscape. The large stone doors were set at the bottom of a large staircase, one that was carved deep into the rock sides of the steep drop. Luna descended into the darkness, the torches that lined the walls illuminating her way. The spiral stairs curved down to an incredible depth, one needed to keep the secrecy of the Gates from any passersby. The sound of her shoes clicking on the stone filled her ears. As the sun’s light gave way to the flickering shadow, Luna began to feel the magic of the Gates, a subtle thing that pressed against her coat.

Reaching the bottom, Luna gazed around the small chamber. The Gates stood a short distance away, carved directly into the rock wall. A large black form prowled in front of them now, as the clicking of claws on stone filled the air. With a flash, Measured Fact appeared in front of Luna. “Progress report, Five,” She asked it, and the Golem dutifully replied, wisps of magic streaming from its open mouth.

“All is normal, Princess,” It said blandly. “The breach has not grown in size. All golems will continue to monitor and assess.”

“Thank you Five,” Luna inclined her head. “Dismissed.” With a stiff bow, and another flash, the Golem had disappeared back into the darkness.

“I don’t like this,” Luna whispered to herself as the stared at the Gates. “Not at all.”

“I really hope Fluttershy has something for this headache,” Spike bemoaned as he kicked a pebble on the path. “Maybe I’m getting sick or something,” He mused, once again rubbing his aching temple with a claw. That combined with the sunshine stinging his eyes had only worsened his mood, to the point that his face seemed permanently fixed in a half grimace. This was not the way he had wanted to start out the day. Thankfully, the walk over the Fluttershy’s cottage was short, and even if he had gone slowly, it was not that long. He was getting closer to Fluttershy’s abode now, a minute away at most, and he was starting to recognize the vibrant animal life that always surrounded the pegasus’ home. Mostly it was small birds, flitting about here and there, but he also spotted some chipmunks, and even what he thought was a weasel in the undergrowth near the path.

Stepping up onto the front porch, Spike shooed away a robin that had decided his green spines were a tree before knocking. He heard some commotion inside, before the sound of someone trotting towards the door. It opened a crack, and a green eye peered out fearfully, before softening. “Oh hello Spike,” Fluttershy greeted softly as she opened the door further. “What brings you here?”

“I have this splitting headache,” Spike answered, grimacing. “Twilight sent me over here to see if you had anything that could help, and so that I could lend you a claw if you needed one.”

Fluttershy fully opened the door with a smile. “Well that's very kind of you Spike, and I thing I might have just the thing,” She said softly, with a small smile. “Come on in.”

Spike sighed. Finally, a chance at relief. “Thanks a ton, Fluttershy. I owe ya’.” he said sincerely, following the pegasus into the house. The cottage was brightly and cheerfully lit, and Spike was expecting the calm and comforting atmosphere that usually accompanied Fluttershy’s residence. So it was, when he walked into an intense staring match in the front room, he stopped.

Link looked over from where he was lounging on the couch, blinking lazily in greeting, and thumped his tail once. Spike gave a nod back, and Link went back to his position, staring unconcerned at the other three occupants of the room, who were squished into the far corner, as far away from him as they could get.

“Apple Bloom? Sweetie Belle? Scootaloo?” Spike looked over at the three fillies, who were doing their best impression of a colored blob as they huddled as tightly together. “What are you guys doing here?” All three fillies tore their frightened gaze away from the giant wolf opposite them to stare at the dragon that had just entered.

After a moment of waiting, Spike threw up his claws. “I can’t deal with this right now,” He grumbled. “I’m not even gonna’ ask,” He informed the other four occupants of the room, before promptly, and quickly, walking upstairs after the receding hoofbeats of Fluttershy. As the grumpy Spike exited, the staring match continued with renewed intensity. At least, for one side. Link yawned, resting his head back onto the arm rest of the couch, his half lidded eyes pinning the three Cutie Mark Crusaders to the wall.

This staring match had been instigated as soon as Fluttershy had been able to coax the fillies out from the newly mangled bushes and into the house, to sit them down and explain the situation. She had then told the group to “Get along. . . I mean . . . if you want, please,” And had gone off to finish some of the chores around her property. Link, being unable to be the first one to start the conversation, had taken to lying in his favorite position on the couch and just watching the reactions of his staring match “opponents”. Their faces, he had to admit, when he had first yawned and showed his canines, had been rather funny. Link liked kids, and always had had a touch with them, but that was back when he could actually talk, and was the same species. With the language barrier, at least on him, he knew that it was up to the fillies to actually start it off.

The staring match for the Cutie Mark Crusaders, on the other hand, was a completely different experience. They had been able to come to a unanimous decision, without even saying anything, that they would stay as far as possible from the huge wolf. In two thirds of the group’s minds, that was perfectly fine. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were content to stay in this position. Scootaloo on the other hand, had the devious hand of curiosity gnawing at her, and the rest of her mind was fighting a losing battle. Link saw it on her face, and had huffed. Finally.

It was with much difficulty and the untangling of limbs that Scootaloo managed to separate herself from her two friends, and stand up. Despite the intense silent protests from Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, Scootaloo took a tentative step forward. “So . . .” She began slowly. “You're a wolf, right?” She asked, her brain failing to come up with a better start to the pseudo-conversation. Link nodded slowly, raising his head off of the armrest to focus on the orange filly. At the feeling of his blue eyes boring into her, Scootaloo’s ears flattened further onto her skull and she swallowed nervously. But she had decided to talk to Link, and that was what she was going to do.

“So,” she started again. “Now that that is out of the way,” She scuffed a front hoof awkwardly on the floor. “I was wondering, well . . .” the orange filly trailed off nervously. Link tilted his head.

“Thanks Fluttershy,” Spike smiled gratefully. “You are a lifesaver!”

The yellow pegasus smiled shyly at the compliment before shooing him towards the door. “Just remember to mix a bit in with your drink every morning and night,” she called, beginning the task of putting away various medicines back into the cabinet.

“I will!” Spike assured over his shoulder as he started down the stairs, eyeing the small box he was holding. Shrugging, and wincing as his headache flared again, he stepped onto the ground floor, and immediately his ears were accosted by the sound of giggling. Blinking in surprise and taking an involuntary step back, Spike watched the scene in front of him. It could not have been more than a couple minutes, but the standoff he had seen coming into the house had completely flipped.

Applebloom and Sweetie had not moved a muscle since he had last seen them, still smooshed into the corner together. Link and Scootaloo however, seemed to have gotten over the initial stumbling blocks and were having a great time together. Scootaloo was currently riding on the wolf’s back as he shook his body violently, sending her rag-dolling as she hung on to his thick mane. She was giggling up a storm, and the sparkle in Link’s eyes hinted that he enjoyed it as well. With an equally terrified and happy scream, Scootaloo was flipped onto the floor as Link rolled over, dislodging her from his fur. The large wolf then proceeded to lie of top of her, and with a squeal, Scootaloo vanished under his bulk. After a second of muffled protests, Link shifted his weight and let the top half of the orange filly pop out near his stomach, gasping for breath in between her laughs.

Spike looked over to the other two fillies, pointing to where Link was now tickling Scootaloo’s stomach with his large nose. They both shot terrified and borderline disgusted looks back at him, obvious reactions to what was occurring feet away. Shrugging, Spike inched his way around the room to the front door, exiting quickly. “Good for them,” He thought.

Inside, Scootaloo finally escaped Link’s treacherous and tickling grasp, rolling across the floor. “Aha!” She shouted triumphantly. Link shifted towards her, his body low to the ground. Unnoticed by both of them, the furious wagging of Link’s tail sent a lamp flying into the wall, where it, thankfully being wood like almost everything else in Fluttershy’s cottage, cracked but did not shatter.

Scootaloo leapt onto the wolf’s face, gripping either side of it with her hooves. Surprised, Link’s first reaction was to immediately drop his weight onto the floor, sending up dust as the floor creaked in protest. Scootaloo used one of her front hooves to start scratching under Link’s ears, which he allowed with a low grumble of pleasure, causing Sweetie Belle to want to hurl.

Then Applebloom stood, and Sweetie looked up in horror at the betrayal. “It,” the yellow filly started, shrugging apologetically. “It looks a bit fun.” She then trotted over to where Scootaloo and Link were lying on the ground. Sweetie Belle looked on with an expression if helplessness.

Measured Fact’s feeling of uneasiness only grew as he entered Sugar Cube Corner. Despite it being a sunny early morning outside, the store was somehow completely dark, except for the light streaming in from the door that he was still half standing in. The sliver of light only showed some pale tile and a few dark blobs that might have been chairs and tables. Closing the door slowly behind him, Fact settled into the darkness in a crouched fighting stance, his muscles tensed. His eyes useless, he flicked his ears back and forth, trying to catch some sound in the blackness. A million possible scenario’s flipped through his mind, and the analyzed them all, ultimately decided not to light his horn as he made his way into the store, inching towards the center of the room.

Fact opened his mouth, about to call out, when he was blinded as someone abruptly switched the lights on. “Surprise!” There is a thunderous shout, and Fact’s magic flares up on instinct. Instantly the hilt of his sword was clenched in his teeth, the green magical blade whipping forward to press against the neck of the pony who popped out in front of him. His eyes were blazing, almost as if lit from within, as he pressed the blade slowly forward. Fact let out an involuntary snarl, still adjusting to the abrupt light change. The pink blob slowly resolved into a pony, one standing on her hind hooves, her other legs thrown into the air in a half surrender, like she was interrupted mid-motion. The mare’s blue eyes are wide and filled with surprise and fear, as they stare back into Fact’s glare. Only when his eyes fully adjusted did the tan stallion recognize the situation.

Sugar Cube Corner had been decked in party paraphernalia, from streamers hanging from each wall to the floating balloons tied to each of the colorful tables arranged around the room. Numerous ponies had popped out from various hiding spots all around the room, all of which were strangers Fact had never seen before, looking on with various degrees of horror. A sloppily painted banner ran across the back wall that read: “Welcome To Ponyville!” Fact straightened, feeling blood rush to his face. He quickly made his blade disappear in a flash of green magic. “I am so sorry Miss Pie,” He apologized. “Are you alright?” He took a step closer, relaxing his stance to inspect the skin where his blade had been resting. He was grateful to see no blood or any other injury. He had held himself back, and he sighed in relief. The other ponies in the room did not seem to share his sentiments, as the feeling of tension in the air was palpable.

“I’m fine!” Pinkie chirped, shaking herself to get rid of the shiver in her tone. “Let’s get this party started!” She shouted, finally finishing her motion of jumping high into the air. A cannon went off somewhere in the room, sending bright confetti everywhere, effectively lightening the mood, well, like a cannon ball. Cheery music started playing, and Fact tensed again as there was a ragged but strong cheer from the room, and the party started in earnest.

It was as if the little occurrence had never happened. The ponies were dancing and laughing by the flick of a switch. Fact was bombarded with friendly greetings and introductions, and he was glad he didn't have to pay much attention, as his memory was filing it all down anyway. He made sure to respond courteously, if a bit stiffly, trying to dispel the awful first impression he had given. He managed to squeeze out of the crowd, making his way over to the snack table that had been set up on one side of the room. He grabbed a cup and filled it to the brim with punch. He had a feeling he would need a copious amount of disappointingly non-alcoholic drink to make it through the rest of the party.

Fact positioned himself at the end of the table, near the corner, sipping his punch, eyeing the crowd with apprehension. He tried to look as if he was engaged with the festivities, while at the same time doing absolutely nothing himself. So he was surprised when a white mare squeezed into his little corner. A bit annoyed, Fact looked over at the mare before blinking as he recognized her. “Miss Rarity,” He inclined his head in greeting.

“So sorry to intrude into your space like this,” the fashionista apologized honestly. “But it seemed like I wasn’t going to be able to talk to you in a real conversation otherwise,” Rarity took her own sip of punch as Fact responded.

“I understand,” He said. “And you are probably correct,” He allowed, using his magic to push the table over slightly to give them enough room to talk without having to be smashed together. “What do you wish to talk about?”

Rarity’s eyes narrowed as she noted that his style of speech had become more formal, only adding to her previous thought. She decided to broach it carefully though, as his reaction at the surprise a minute ago had been more than a bit unsettling. “You seem to not like crowds,” She said. “It reminds me a lot of Fluttershy, the way you were standing in the corner.”

“Well, yes,” He shrugged a bit. “Admittedly, I am not much of a crowd pony. I don’t fear masses of ponies, as much as just . . .” He waved a hoof. “They make me wary,” He finished with, taking a sip of his drink.

Rarity nodded in understanding. “Now, concerning the start of the party . . .” She let the half question dangle in the air. Fact sighed.

“It was a bit of an overreaction,” He said lamely. “In every respect. I have never been the most relaxed of ponies, and when I am surprised instinct tends to take over.”

“Instinct?” Rarity tilted her head.

Fact thought of the best way to explain it, letting the silence stretch for a second. “You know that I am extremely close to Princess Luna, do you not?” He asked, looking back at the white mare.

“Yes, the way you and her interacted last night was evident. You seem to know each other well.”

“I am,” Fact said. “Luna’s right hand pony. Anything she doesn’t do herself, is me. I am her accountant, paperwork pony, the PR department, her butler, and the head of her personal guard, among other things.” He nodded off the list. “That last one is the most important.”

“Oh, you have a military background?” Rarity asked, curious.

“You could say that,” Fact said slowly. “But onto the most important thing. Being the so close to Luna has make me wary, cautious of most ponies,” He took a drink of punch. “I fear it has made me un-trusting of most everypony, I'm afraid.”

“Why?” Rarity thought it over. “Luna is an alicorn. I would think that any situation you two could get in would be more dangerous for you than her- not that is an insult to your skills,” She added hastily.

“None taken,” Fact tilted his head, and the light reflected off of his glasses in such a way that Rarity couldn’t see his eyes when he next spoke. “Do you know how many assassination attempts before they got to Luna that I have stopped in the past year?” He asked, his voice low and hard.

“No,” Rarity asked, shrinking back a bit at the steel in his tone. “How many?”

“Over a dozen,” He replied, still looking away from her, the glint on his glasses giving him a menacing look. “Far, far too many.” There was a tense silence. After a moment, Rarity offered her apologies and moved away into the crowd. Fact stood in the same corner for most of the party, lost in his own thoughts and only participating when it was absolutely neseessary. He found a but of comfort once Pinkie announced the conclusion of the real festivities and the crowd began to thin. Partially out of guilt for not fully enjoying Pinkie’s thoughtful party, Fact readily volunteered to help with the cleanup, and was quickly conscripted to help clean the floor, a duty he slot himself in and only resurfaced after a few minutes with a long blink as a body levitated past his face.

Measured Fact watched as Pinkie and mint unicorn he didn’t know carried the unconscious Dusk inside, Pinkie clearing a path in the mounds of confetti and streamers while the unicorn levitated the guard with her magic. Fact turned away, grabbing a load of the stuff, dumping it into a trash bag that he held. “Do these parties usually require this much clean up?” He asked over his shoulder.

“Eeyup.” Applejack answered. The orange mare had closed her stall and showed up right as the party was ending, much to her dismay. Even though she hadn’t even participated in the festivities, she still volunteered to stay after with Fact, Rarity, Pinkie, and the aforementioned unicorn, who was probably leaving after she dumped Dusk onto a bed somewhere.

“Well, at least the punch is good,” Fact levitated over a glass and took a drink, while he continued scooping confetti into the black plastic trash bags.

“If you don’t mind my saying so Fact,” Applejack said tilting up her hat. “You seem much more at ease now that t,he party is over.”

Fact waited to answer, watching as, like he had guessed, the mint unicorn mare trot out the front door after saying goodbye to Pinkie. He ripped down one of the blackout curtains from a window, responding. “I feel better with people that I know and trust.”

“Trust?” Applejack said from her position near the almost empty refreshments table. She grabbed one of the remaining cupcakes, shoving it into her mouth as she spoke, spitting crumbs onto the floor. “Y’all just barely met us last night,” she said, eyeing the crumbs she had deposited on the floor.

“I don’t need to have known you for long- here you go Miss Pie.” Fact handed the pink mare the full trash bag before continuing. “You are all Element Bearers and personal friends with Princess Luna. That’s good enough for me,” he shrugged, looking around for more he could do, adjusting his glasses with a hoof.

“Well, I’m glad you feel so at ease around us,” Rarity nodded from her place on the other side of the room, using her magic to capture a few balloons loitering near the ceiling. “I would hate to make you uncomfortable, since I have a feeling we will be around each other quite a bit in the weeks to come.” Applejack hummed her agreement from the other side of the room.

“Hooray!” Pinkie popped up from behind the main counter. “We’re done!” She announced, as if it was some national holiday. Fact, Rarity, and Applejack noted that indeed, the entire main room of Sugar Cube corner was orderly, with table and chairs all back in their proper places and cleaned.

“Thank you for the party, Miss Pie,” Fact said.

“Oh, it’s nothing!” Pinkie waved off his thanks. “I do one for everypony!”

Fact shrugged. “All the same, I appreciate the thought.” Never mind his actual thoughts on the festivities themselves. It had been nerve racking.

“You’re welcome!” Fact suddenly found his face surrounded by pink as the shorter mare hugged him from across the counter. When she pulled back, he gasped, happy to be able to breathe without the hair from Pinkie’s poofy mane getting in the way. Both Applejack and Rarity stifled giggles as Fact adjusted his glasses once more, clearly uncomfortable with what happened. Pinkie, oblivious to his discomfort, hopped cheerfully in the back room.

“Well,” Fact cleared his throat. He let the one word hang in the air, not sure what to say. Rarity snorted at this, before quickly clamping a hoof over her muzzle. Applejack walked up the tan stallion.

“Not used to much pony to pony contact, are ya’?” She asked.

“No,” Fact answered. “It’s not really my thing.”

“I can tell,” Applejack turned back to Rarity. “I gotta’ to get back to my stall, could you show Fact around? Can’t have a newcomer go without seeing the town.”

Rarity gasped theatrically, holding a hoof to her chest. “I cannot believe you Applejack! Asking me give him a tour he hasn’t even asked for yet!” Applejack raised an eyebrow, looking at Fact. He took the hint.

“Miss Rarity, would you like to show me around town?”

“I would be delighted, darling!” Rarity beamed, and Applejack rolled her eyes, mumbling something under her breath before trotting out the door. “Right this way,” Rarity sung as she followed. Fact shook his head before jogging out to catch the mare.

“So, where to first?” Fact asked as caught up with his guide, who was practically prancing along, beaming in the sunshine. He moved his head side to side, letting his eyes roam over everything. He felt the mental map being constructed, even if he wasn’t really paying attention.

“Well,” Rarity quipped. “I have a spa appointment in ten minutes, and-”

“That’s the real reason you wanted to leave with me, isn’t it?” Fact hedged.

“Well,” Rarity bit her lip, trying to hold back her words. But the fashionista in her couldn’t. “Just look at your mane!” She blurted. The words came out in a stream after that. “It’s messy beyond belief, and while that look might work for you, it is way to long for your face and body type! A little trim and some styling would do wonders!”

Fact frowned, levitating a long strand of hair in front of his eyes. “It’s not that bad,” He defended.

“You have three natural tones there, Fact! Three!” Rarity exclaimed, exasperated. “A stunning mix of copper, chestnut, and mahogany. You have the mane that half of Canterlot would die for! If you were to let a stylist work with it, it would shine!” Her eyes grew wide at the prospect. “And with a new brush to your coat, you would look absolutely stunning.”

Fact shrugged. “I’ve never paid much attention to my looks, except for anything really formal, but that was more Luna’s responsibility. I just planned the events.”

Rarity clucked her tongue in disappointment. “Well, you will certainly pay attention now. I’m taking you to the spa, and after that the salon.”

Fact tried to stop her, searching for excuses. “I don’t have any bits. I couldn’t possibly pay for it all.”

“Nonsense!” His white companion gasped. “I will cover it all!”

Fact sputtered, watching his excuse go down in flames. “B- but, Miss Rarity, I-”

Rarity shut his mouth with one hoof. “Don’t mention it!” She tittered. “It was my idea after all. I can’t pass up the opportunity to help a pony in need of my fashion expertise,” She tossed her mane over her shoulder with a hoof, in an obviously practiced maneuver. “Come now,” she sang. “The spa awaits!”

Author's Note

Holy crap I procrastinated this chapter. Last day of April but its here! I hope you enjoy. As ever, if you find any problems PM me or comment, and I will get to it when I can. I hope to get the next chapter out sooner as school starts to die down :twilightsheepish:

Grave News Revised

Fluttershy could not have been happier. As she stood at the bottom of the staircase, a huge smile lit up her face at the scene in front of her. Link, by far the largest mass in the room, was lying on his stomach, as flat to the floor as he could get. He opened his eyes as Fluttershy stepped into the room, blinking in greeting, offering a sheepish smile that flashed his canines. Flutteshy noticed the ruffled look of his coat, grinning wider.

Applebloom’s head was propped up onto Link’s ribs, her hind legs trailing out in front of her her. The yellow filly’s bow had been discarded sometime in the fray, and it was lying in a crumpled pile next to her. Applebloom was snoring, her mouth open and a bit of saliva leaking from the corner of her mouth. Sweetie Belle was nearby, lying on the couch that had been pushed to one side of the room, fast asleep, her hair a complete mess that would have mortified her older sister. Scootaloo, last of all, was draped over Link’s back like a blanket, her head on one side and her hind legs on the other. She was snoring as well, louder than Applebloom by a large margin.

“Got a little played-out?” Fluttershy asked Link quietly as she floated off the ground, flapping over and righting a lamp that was lying on the floor. Link huffed in answer, grinning again, not at all sheepish of his state. “Oh, that’s just wonderful,” Fluttershy cooed, leaning in to one of the sleeping fillies, a loving expression on her face.

Link huffed again, thumping his tail once. “Oh, I suppose,” Fluttershy answered. “Though they do look really comfortable,” She teased. The giant wolf merely stared at her, one eyebrow cocked, and Fluttershy could almost feel the force his smirk. Shaking her head slightly and smiling, Fluttershy gently scooped up the sleeping Applebloom, depositing her on the couch next to Sweetie Belle. She did the same to Scootaloo, and left the three sleeping together on the plush cousins.

Link, glad to be free, stood and stretched, shaking his head to try and smooth his mane. He did the same with the rest of his body, more careful this time of the furniture. Turning to the yellow Pegasus when he was done, Link wagged his tail in silent communication.

Fluttershy looked at the clock on the wall. “It is almost time for Twilight’s meeting isn’t it? I didn’t realize I had slept in that long . . .” Fluttershy mused, continuing to fix of the room that had been thrown into disarray. Link padded over, nudging her side with his, wagging his tail again.

“Oh, okay, we can leave a bit early.” Fluttershy consented, and Link’s eyes lit up in triumph. “I’was never one to complain about being outside for too long.” Fluttershy looked over at the three snoring fillies on her couch. “But what about them?” Right at that moment, Angel made the unfortunate decision to hop into the room, wondering if the battle that the living room had turned into was over, and he could actually get around the hosue. Seeing that the coast was clear, he started to hop lazily over to his flap in the front door, but he froze when Fluttershy called his name.

“Angel,” Fluttershy beckoned him over. “Would you watch them while we are gone?” She asked politely. Angel raised one eyebrow, jabbering something at her in his own tongue.

“What’s in it for you?” Fluttershy thought, tapping a hoof on her chin. “I’ll make you a full carrot meal when I get home,” She offered. Angel shook his head, beginning to turn. “With a dessert?” Fluttershy said, and the bunny froze, considering it. With a grudging nod, he turned around and offered his paw. Fluttershy shook it with her hoof, and Angel hopped over to the small end table, taking up a post there.

“Come get me if anything happens,” Fluttershy said, and Angel gave a lazy salute with one paw.

With a doggish smile, Link padded over to the door and opened it with his mouth, vanishing outside. Fluttershy followed, shutting the door behind her. Angel watched as they left, and as soon as the door closed, grabbed a small pillow from the couch and fluffed it, placing it down and promptly falling asleep.

Traveling into town with Fluttershy was a slow process, as Link found out. She made it a point to stop and talk to every animal they met on the path, from soft greetings to full conversations. Link didn’t care much. The warm sun felt good on his face and back, and it was a relief to be walking around again after being somewhat trapped inside the cottage for the last day. The green leaves of the forest were swaying in a light breeze, and Link tilted his face into it, chuffing happily. The cloudless blue sky had no trace of the storm that had happened yesterday, just a pristine expanse with the beaming yellow sun. This had Link, and most of the other animals in a good and apparently chatty mood, as Fluttershy stopped to talk to another bird that came flitting across the dirt path.

“Oh hello there!” She smiled. “How are the chicks?” The pegasus listened to the tweets that the small red bird gave in response, before beaming. “Oh, that’s just wonderful. Give your wife my congratulations, would you?” The red bird nodded before flying off. Fluttershy watched him vanish into the trees, before something fuzzy pressed against the side of her face, forcing one eye closed. She looked over with her other, to see Link’s face right next to hers, his nose pushing gently on her cheek, blue eyes alight. She giggled, and swatted it away. “You seem excited for this,” she noted as Link bounded into step next to her as she started walking again. “You’re acting like Winona before she gets a treat.” Link flattened his ears sheepishly, but couldn’t help his emotions, as his lolling tongue indicated. Being in nature to Link was like being in water to fish; keep him cooped up for too long and he got restless. He was born to be outside. Sure, he had dealt with extended periods of time inside, but that didn’t mean he liked it.

Fluttershy nodded, somehow picking up his thoughts. “Today is lovely,” she agreed. “It’s no wonder you wanted to be outside.” The yellow pony paused to wave at a passing squirrel before continuing to walk. Link wagged his tail in response, looking at the squirrel that Fluttershy had greeted. His stomach let out a low rumble, loud enough for Fluttershy to hear.

“Oh my goodness!” Fluttershy gasped. “I forgot to feed you breakfast this morning! You must be famished!” Link nodded, his stomach growling again. “I’ll be right back,” The pegasus took to the air with a few beats of her wings. “I’ll grab a fish from the house, you just wait right here.” With that, she flew back towards the cottage at a decent pace. Link sat down in the center of the path with a huff, his bulk sending up a puff of dust. He sniffed the air, before a violent sneeze sent his head whirling. What was that smell?

“Oh my! What a coincidence to see you here!” The voice was accompanied by a bright flash that left Link’s vision with spots. Shaking his head to clear it, he blinked in confusion at what had appeared in front of him. A snake like creature, with large yellow and red eyes, stared down at him from atop a floating carpet, hovering a few feet off the ground. The creature seemed to be a bunch of different animals smashed together, with a lion paw but a lizard leg. The whole thing reeked of chaos, making Link recoil. He flashed to a fighting position, his legs bent and his teeth bared in a snarl. The creature continued talking, regardless. “It is a lovely day for a walk, quite beautiful, wouldn’t you say,” Discord mused, glancing down at the wolf. Link let out a rather aggressive bark, sending a cautious glare at him. “Oh, no need to be so angry,” Discord said, snapping his fingers.

With another flash, a metal muzzle appeared on Link’s face, clamping his jaws shut. Link’s blue eyes flashed dangerously, as a yellow light lit up his front left paw. The sound of tearing metal rent the air as he forced his mouth back open, shattering the muzzle into numerous pieces, which dissolved into the air. Discord smirked.

“It seems the dog has a bite,” He teased, snapping his fingers, vanishing his flying carpet. He floated down to Link’s level, holding his gaze, before doing a mock bow. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Discord, god of chaos and disharmony, bla bla bla.” He waved his lion paw in a circle. Link opened his mouth to respond with another bark, but a finger on his lips paused him. Discord’s hand had floated off of his body, and tapped Link’s lips again, before flying back over and reattaching with a loud pop. “Don’t bother,” Discord laughed, before becoming suddenly serious. “I know who you are, Vessel of Courage.” This gave Link pause. He tilted his head to the side in confusion, his stance relaxing a bit. Discord, much like Fluttershy, read his body language before responding.

“How?” He tapped his chin. “Well, I have visited your dimension before, a long while back. Started with an H, I think,” He muttered. “Anyway, nice place, got to meet with your three goddesses actually. Lovely ladies." He leaned in to Link, as if whispering a secret. “They didn’t like me very much.” He straightened. “But I got a good idea of the way things worked there.”

Link shook his head, letting out a huff. He looked back down the path, but only saw a small yellow speck in the distance. He turned back to Discord. “Why am I here?” Discord asked, and a small halo appeared over his head. He gave Link his most innocent expression, but was only met by the stony face of the wolf. “I only wanted to talk. Can’t I get to know one of Fluttershy’s new friends?” Link raised a single eyebrow. You didn’t need to be Fluttershy to understand the clear “No” he was giving Discord.

The god sighed, straightening a top hat that had just appeared on the top of his head. “I can tell when I’m not wanted,” He told Link. “So I'll make this quick." The god was suddenly very serious, face set as if in stone, his eyes glowing dangerously."Fluttershy is very, very important to me. If something happens to her, I will personally hold you responsible." ANd with that, Discord was back to his old cheery self. "Just know, that I will be watching.” There was another white flash, and Discord was sitting on a purple lawn chair that appeared to have a pair of rockets on the back. “Ta ta!” Discord waved, before speeding off backwards, even though the rockets were facing the other direction.

The encounter left Link more than a bit confused, but his thoughts were interrupted when a panting Fluttershy landed next to him. “Here . . . it is,” She placed a big fish that she had been holding in her hooves on the ground next to Link. “I flew as fast . . . as I could.” She landed back on the ground, her face streaked with sweat. Link rubbed his side against hers, not minding the dampness, to show how grateful he was, and the yellow pegasus found herself blushing. She waited as the wolf devoured the fish, licking his chops after he had finished. Noticing his confused air, Fluttershy frowned. “Is something wrong?” Link shook his head, but Fluttershy quirked her mouth in disbelief. She decided not to pry, and started slowly down the path once more. Link fell back into step, the two having a seemingly one sided conversation as they made their way towards the distant Ponyville.

Tartarus, Zant found, was a big place. The caverns and floating cages went back endlessly, probably more literally than figuratively. There was no variation - the same metal and rock and blackness greeted Zant at every turn. He was starting to understand how this place might be so great after all, especially after being trapped here for millennia, as many of the beings in the back reaches of the infinity had been. As Zant got farther and farther away from The Gates, the spaces got less occupied as the amount of empty cages increased. The creatures became more evil the longer he walked, as if someone had shoved the worst into the back corner that stank of evil and hatred and had immediately forgotten about them.

Zant’s mistress had given him exact and complete instructions about the specific thing he was supposed to find, but he found it hard to not stop and stare at some of the stranger creatures, and even to talk to some of the more sociable. The feeling of malevolence in the air had intensified until it was almost tangible, pressing in like a smothering blanket on Zant’s skin. He had been walking for hours now, but he knew he must be close. When he finally reached his destiantion, he almost skipped right past, but he caught the barest glint of shaping and bending sinew out of the corner of his eye. Stopping abuptly, he turned and hopped the small distance to another floating platform. The cage on this one was huge, nearly the size of a two story building. There was only a small strip of rock around the outside for Zant to balance on, the black void yawning below. The occupant of the giant space was not that big, in stark contrast to the mass of flesh that had caught Zan’t eye only a moment ago. A black rodent, maybe six inches tall, sat upon a small stone seat in the center, beady red eyes gazing off in the direction away from Zant. Its small nose twitched, as if the rat was in deep thought. Zant tapped lightly on the cage bars with a hand, the magic of the bars spitting sparks at his touch.

The rat turned, eyes lighting up. The voice that came out of its mouth was deep and sinister. “Oh hello,” The rat was suddenly floating a few inches away from the bars. There had been no flash, no sign of the transportation to give Zant warning. He took a step back out of reflex. The smile on the rodent widened uintil its maw was stretching almost ot the back of its neck. Saliva dripped off of rows of wicked teeth. “What would bring something like you to my modest abode? I haven't had visitors In a very long time.”

“I am Zant,” Zant answered. “I am here to make a deal of behalf of my mistress.”

“I am Mind Walker,” The rat answered, and with an almost disappointed sigh continued. “And I am afraid I must refuse.” The rat bared its teeth in a hiss. “Now leave.” With another instantaneous teleportation, Mind Walker was sitting back in the same position as before, completely ignoring Zant.

“You would be able to escape this cage,” Zant called, confident still that he would get what he came for.

“Even if I could,” The rat was once again in his face. “I only deal with the top man, it’s my,” The rat twirled a paw. “Policy, shall we say. Now you, you are just,” With a swirl of black smoke, a giant Zant stood in the cage. The mouth opened jerkily, and its eyes flashed red as Mind Walker’s voice issued through. “A puppet,” The Zant floated a couple inches off the ground, turning to wood instantly, hanging as if by invisible wires. “With a master at the strings,” With another swirl of black smoke, the rat was back, waving an un-amused paw. “I thought I told you to leave.”

Before Zant could formulate a response, his vision cut to black. His hearing vanished, along with every other sense. HIs mistress must have been watching him closely, to take control at such short notice. He could feel his own jaw moving, formulating words independent of the body it belonged to. After a minute or so, Zant blinked as his senses were abruptly flipped back on. Whatever his mistress had said clearly had had an effect on Mind Walker, as the rat was sitting on the ground, looking up at Zant, as if waiting. Surprised by this sudden flip in personality, it took Zant a bit to remember what he had come here to say.

“I am glad you have seen my side of things,” Zant said.

The rat nodded. “I was . . . persuaded,” Mind Walker said, hesitating. “Your mistress is a persuasive one. Something I don’t remember from when I was still walking around on my own two paws or what have you, but we were able to come to a mutual agreement.”

“The task for you is simple, then.” Zant pulled something out of his pocket, twirling it in his fingers. “There is a wolf I need you to find and kill.”

“A wolf?” Mind Walker asked with a snort. “That’s it? I am tempted to feel insulted.”

“A very, very special wolf, one that must be disposed of.” Zant smiled, running his tongue over his teeth. “I want you to bring me his head in a weeks’ time.”

“How am I supposed to find this “special” wolf?”

Zant revealed the object in his hand. A small black stone, diamond in shape. Small red cracks ran through the rock, and the thing hummed with a subtle but powerful magic. “This stone,” He held it up to the flying bat that was suddenly at eye level, inspecting the object with far too many eyes. “Is directly linked to the wolf, both his spirit and form.”

Mind Walker nodded, a rat again. “I understand. I trust that you will uphold your end of the bargain? I’m not one to cross in such matters.” The rat’s eye had a deadly glint.

“Free reign over the entire dimension once the task is done, yes? All the food you could want and more. I assume my mistress promised something along those lines.”

“You have yourself a deal.” Mind Walker replied. “I assume you have a way to get me out of this place?”

Zant nodded. With a shout and a fling of his arm, the door to the cage ripped off and went spiraling into the dark abyss. The magic seal on the cage screamed as it was broken, the power disintegrating in a flash of white light. Mind Walker, now a large flying creature with six wings and four hanging arms, flew out next to Zant, sighing in relief at his escape. His sigh turned into a screech of pain as Zant touched a small white gem to the side of his wing.

Mind walked reeled sideways, before flashing into Zant’s face with a scream of fury, A huge mouth on its torso gaping in front of his mask.

Zant held up the white stone, now with a swirling mist of red in the center. “I wouldn't do that if I were you.” Mid walked hovered back a few feet, hissing and spitting saliva in anger. “Just a bit of . . . insurance,” Zant pacified. “I must be sure of your return. If you do not bring me the wolf’s head by the end of the next week,” Zant pocketed the small gem. “I will destroy the gem, and you along with it.”

Mind Reader said nothing, still pulsating in anger.

“Now, this way please,” Zant said, smiling and holding out an arm. “I have a perfect vessel waiting just for you at The Gates."

“It . . . doesn’t look as bad as I was expecting.”

“Of course not darling. Those mares work wonders!”

Fact examined himself in the full size mirror on the wall of the hair stylist’s room. He barely recognized himself to coin the cliché term, even if it was more false than not, but he did look different. His tan coat held a shine that it had never held before that made his cutie mark stand out boldly. His mane and tail had been cropped short, but not too short, and the three colors Rarity had mentioned really did weave together in a shining pattern. The shorter hairstyle accented his muscular physic and sharp framed glasses, and brought out the already piercing green of his eyes, something that had been commented on by the spa staff and the hair stylist. Like he had said, it didn’t look half bad.

“You look simply fetching, Fact!” Rarity fawned. She took the moment to discretely examine at his flank. He looked back at her right at that moment, raising an eyebrow. Rarity’s face lit up red, and she choked on her next words. Thankfully, Fact decided not to comment, and Rarity continued, forcing down the flush in her face. “How do you feel?”

“Different,” He settled with. The one word answer was all that was needed. He was the same, yet the new look made him feel simply . . . different.

“And that’s . . .” Rarity let the last word drift.

Fact shrugged. “Good, I suppose.”

Rarity stomped a hoof on the ground in delight. “Wonderful! Then I can say that this trip was a complete success.” She tilted her head to the side, examining her own mane in the mirror. She liked the new way it sparkled after the treatment, it had been seeming a bit dull lately. But as she well knew there was nothing a good spa trip can’t fix.

“Could I get that tour of the town now?” Fact asked, turning away from the mirror and pushing his glasses up on his muzzle with a hoof.

“Of course!” Rarity replied "How time just slips away at the spa. Onwards!" After a minute at the front desk, figuring out payment and the like, the two made their way outside into the sunshine. Despite it only being 10:12 according to Fact’s internal clock, the sun was bright and the spring day was already warming up to a comfortable temperature. The hair stylist’s shop was one of the many buildings ringing the town square, outside of the erected stalls. Fact spotted Applejack and a large red stallion at the Apple family booth. Rarity waved energetically, trotting over. Fact followed, once again peering around to let his mind soak in all the details.

“Howdy there Rarity, Fact,” Applejack tipped her hat upwards so she could see better. “Long time no see,” she teased.

“Oh, of course,” Rarity played along, but Fact could see her vibrating with excitement, probably to show him off to her friend. He shrugged, looking over to the stallion as the two mares made small talk.

“Greetings,” Fact held out a hoof.

The red stallion bumped Fact’s hoof with his own. Fact could see family resemblance between Applejack and this pony, with the hair color and the apple themed cutie mark. There was a spark of intelligence in his large eyes, one that Fact immediately respected. When he spoke, his voice was deep and thoughtful, with an accent similar to that of his sister’s. “Howdy, name's Macintosh, but call me Big Mac. Everypony does.”

Fact nodded, and went to say more when he found his head yanked to one side by pale blue magic. He immediately went to cast a counter attack spell, his eyes flashing, but stopped when he saw who was moving his head. “Doesn’t he look marvelous?” Rarity asked Applejack, dancing happily on the tips of her hooves. She was keeping Fact’s head at the strange angle to his body, which he hurriedly corrected by shuffling to one side.

“Hello,” he greeted lamely.

“You certainly look different,” Applejack answered, looking him over. Rarity huffed and Fact hled down a smile while the white mare grumbled something under her breath. “The shorter hair looks good on ya’, I’ll say that much.” The orange mare nodded, and Rarity beamed.

“I’m so glad you think so! I took him to the spa, and it worked magic, like usual,” Rarity flipped her curly mane over one shoulder proudly.

“O' course,” Applejack rolled her eyes slightly. “Like usual.”

“Though I still have not gotten that tour I was promised,” Fact spoke up.

“Oh, we’re getting there darling.” Rarity hushed him. “Anyway,” She turned her attention back to Applejack. “We were thinking of stopping by at Twilight’s afterward, for the meeting. Would you like to join us on the walk?”

“Sure,” Applejack answered. “I have to finish up here, but I’ll grab Pinkie and Dusk on the way over.” She asked, and Fact perked up, interested.

“Does somepony need to grab Fluttershy and Link?” Applejack asked.

“I’ll ask Spike to do it,” Rarity waved a hoof. Fact couldn’t help but think that her dismissive tone of voice towards this “Spike” was a bit rude. He felt bad for whoever this stallion was if Rarity used him in such a way, but he kept his thoughts private.

“It’s all set then,” Applejack shooed them away. “Y'all better get back to that tour, and I’ve got apples to sell.”

“Of course,” Rarity turned, finally releasing her magical grip on Fact. “This way!” She sang. Shaking his head, Fact followed.

“I just gotta’ go take a dump,” The blue pegasus guard stood, laying his hoof of cards down on the small stump that his tent had been using as a table. “I fold anyhow.” The orange unicorn across from the pegasus let out a whoop.

“Another one down!” He cheered. “It’s only us now, Hammer.” The unicorn narrowed his eyes at the huge brown earth pony sitting as the third member of the circle, who grunted, shifting on the ground.

“Be careful.” the earth pony warned simply, eyeing the pegasus out of the corner of his eyes, before laying a card down on the stump. The unicorn stuck his tongue out as he squinted at his cards.

“I’ll only be a couple yards away, I’ll be fine,” Steel Wind snorted, trotting away from the barely smoldering campfire towards the tree line of the forest. As he passed a tent of female bat pony guards, he flashed his trademark smile, his handsome features only increased in his guard armor. One of the Night Pegasi mares sighed and rolled her eyes, and the other one waved lazily at him, yawning a bit. Steel continued on, smirking, but it vanished when he neared to sentry who stood near the edge of the forest. It was a earth pony guard Steel didn't know personally, but the pony's grim expression and stiff stnace let Steel knew he had to be a bit serious. "Going to take a leak real quick," He called as he neared. The senrty eyed him, but said nothing. Steel trotted past the sentry, quickening his pace once into the forest proper. He swallowed as the black wall of trees loomed upward, obscuring his view of both the camp and sentry, but his bowels and sense of privacy drove him onward.

The Everfree somehow absorbed the light out of the bright morning, making it seem menacing, with dancing and flitting shadows. Steel swore as he pricked the bottom of a front hoof on the thorns of one of the black trees. He cursed himself for taking off his metal shoes. “Hate this forest,” Steel grumbled under his breath, smacking a branch aside with his wing. Thankfully he had decided to keep his wing blades on, and the thorns only glanced off of the light and sharp metal around each feather. Finding a good spot behind a large tree, Steel adjusted his armor and did his business. He finished quickly, and was starting to walk back to camp when something shiny in the undergrowth caught his eye. He brushed aside the thorny twigs on the ground, before grabbing the curious object in his hoof and holding it up to eye level.

It was a black, smooth stone, with red lines twisting inside it, and it seemed to be slightly glowing. He held it farther upwards to try and get a better look at it, and it rolled on his hoof, directly onto the small prick, which was bleeding only slightly. The small stone seemed to soak in the small dot of blood on the fur, pulsing darkly. At the same time, he felt a tug on his mind, and he nearly fainted as something slithered into his conscience, his vision turning grey and his thoughts scattering. He faintly heard the sound of deep laughter.

Author's Note

Here you go! The first June chapter done, just like I promised. Comment if you find any errors, you all know the drill at this point.
But on to more exciting news! My second ever fanfic has been posted! It is called "A Soldier's Rest" by yours truly, and I hope you will all go check it out! It is another cross over fic, my specialty.

The Lucky Shadow Revised

Luna let out a small yawn, careful to conceal it with a hoof. The hours without sleep had begun to creep up on her, and her nap that had meant to relieve her fatigue had been interrupted a few hours before, and the two trips back and forth to The Gates hadn't helped. “No rest for the weary, I suppose,” The princess thought to herself, and she would have chuckled under any other circumstance. When Luna had been notified by the situation with Cerberus by one of Measured Fact’s golems, only a few short hours after checking on Cerberus herself, she had immediately rushed to the scene. She had come across an unconscious Cerberus lying in a rapidly dissolving pool of green foam, the beast’s normally powerful magical aura dim and fleeting. Although Luna had tried every spell she could think of, nothing seemed to wake or even affect Cerberus.

Luna had contented herself to cleaning the giant three headed dog off as best she could, sitting at his side fretting a few yards away from the glowing doors of Tartarus. Fact’s golems stood in a loose protective circle around her, their magical combat programming leading them to scan the cavern with lifeless eyes. The Princess of the Night watched as another dribble of green foam dripped onto the stone from Cerberus’ left head. She sighed and grabbed a rock in her magic aura, levitating it along the ground to scrape a few feet away to where it would evaporate into the air. Luna had discovered when she first arrived that the green foam acted as some sort of magical conductor, nearly immediately absorbing the magic with little or no effect, meaning she could not levitate it. It was probably the reason Cerberus was still so weak. The foam’s properties would be wreaking havoc with his magic systems. Were Cerberus a weaker creature, he probably would have died. Luna gently stoked one of Cerberus’ head as he let out another growl, one paw twitching in his sleep. The alicorn’s metal shoes were smeared with the green foam, and she flicked them to the side to get rid of the slippery substance.

“Princess!” Luna’s head jerked up as the voice filtered down from above. “Princess Luna!”

“You may come down!” She called up, and she heard the clanking of armor as a pony descended the stairs in to the underground cavern.

A deep blue stallion stepped onto the stone floor, looking warily around the cavern. His mane and tail were black with a few darker streaks of blue and one a deep purple. Both were styled in the short crop that the military preferred. The stallion’s eyes were the same dark purple as the streak in his tail, glowing in the magical torchlight. A large spiral horn came out of the stallion’s mane. The pony was wearing the dark armor of Luna’s guard, even though he was noticeably not a Night Pegasi. The stallion’s armor concealed his cutie mark and most of his body, and it was obvious the stallion had poured lots of time into keeping it in top condition. The same was true with the two swords that were strapped to either side of his body. Since Luna was sleeping during the day, she had a small detachment of soldiers to guard her rooms when the rest of her guard were sleeping. Celestia had a similar arrangement, just with some Night Pegasi for when she had retired at night.

“Princess Luna.” The stallion saluted sharply as he spotted her. Luna was not surprised it took him a moment; most of her was shielded by the huge body of Cerberus, and Luna’s black coat was extremely similar to that of the huge dog.

“Shadow Blade,” Luna greeted. She did not stand as she normally would, and instead she waved him over with a hoof. The stallion trotted over, watched by the golems that stood around Luna and Cerberus.

When he got close to one, he shook his head and shivered a bit. “I may not know Sir Fact very well, but I can’t believe he doesn’t find these things creepy,” He muttered under his breath, watching the golems out of his peripheral vision.

“What is it?” Luan asked, and Shadow snapped back to attention. He chided himself for being distracted, even if it was only for half a second. This whole deal with The Gates had him a bit jumpy, and he knew every other guard was feeling it also.

“One of the guards has gone missing, Princess. We found out during role call half an hour ago." He informed her, relaxing a bit.

“What?” Luna stood finally, but not after patting Cerberus one last time. “Who?”

“Steel Wind, princess,” Shadow looked thoughtful as he recalled the details. “A corporal assigned in the 3rd Celestial Airborne. Blue coat, white mane, and golden eyes, cutie mark of blades arranged in a wind pattern.”

"Where did he go missing?"

“He went out into The Everfree to relieve himself while in a game of poker with his squad mates, Solid Resolve and Quick Draw. The north eastern sentry, Private Stone allowed him to leave. Corporal wind never returned.”

Luna started to pace a bit, thinking. “Into The Everfree?” She asked, and Shadow nodded. “This was when the animal attacks had just ceased, correct? Right after Cerberus collapsed and I came down here?” Luna remembered another guard telling her the news with the animals a while ago, but she had been otherwise occupied with Cerberus.

“Yes ma’am,” Shadow answered, and Luna could see the wheels turning in his head as he came to the same conclusion as Luna had.

“Notify the guards stationed near Ponyville. They are to remain unseen by the populace, but if they see Corporal Wind they are to detain him immediately. If he resists, force is authorized.” Luna stated, and Shadow nodded sharply.

“Right away Princess.” At Luna’s nod of dismissal, he raced up the stairs. Luna could faintly hear the dark stallion barking something as he neared the top, but the words were lost to her.

“Oh Tia,” Luna muttered to herself as she sat back next to Cerberus. “I fear this may be out of my control.” The princess gazed at the distant rock ceiling, wishing that her sister were here.

Mind Walker cursed in his native tongue as his new body stumbled into another tree. He was out of practice; controlling ponies was hard enough without being rusty from over a thousand years in Tartarus - not that Mind Walker was complaining much though. Whatever spell that Zant character had used on his first recent host, Cerberus, had made things incredible easy for him. He only had needed contact with a drop of the beast’s blood to slip in, which was easily enough managed. The only downside to the spell was the fluorescent green foam, but that could be hidden easily enough in a pony body. Mind Walker also couldn’t believe his luck at the host he had managed to grab. An entire detachment of armed soldiers right outside The Gates had been promising, but he hadn’t expected to grab one so easily. He had only had to attack using animal hosts for a measly forty minutes before this pony stumbled into him.

Usually Mind Walker required a good deal of time and exposure to a pony’s blood before he could attach on. It was one of the reasons he had been banished so quickly by Princess' Celestia and Luna; He would usually have to tie down a pony and drink their blood to quickly change hosts. Due to the sadistic and twisted nature of his transfer, they had not been hesitant in sending him to Tartarus. He still to this day wondered why they didn’t just kill him, instead of just putting him in a prison dimension. Mind Walker mentally shrugged, deciding it was their loss and not something he would have to worry about.

Mind Walker managed to push himself off the tree, armor clanking against the wood. He sloppily flipped a wing forward to clear a small path with the blades, growling under his breath as his messy move only smacked the flat of the steel against the foliage. The pegasus’ body had not changed much after Mind Walker had taken over, but the controller was now significantly more challenged in the coordination area. The only visual tell that Mind Walker was in control and not the original host was the occasional green foam that Mind Walker had to spit to the side. He had discovered that it tasted unbelievably nasty upon using his new taste buds.

Mind Walker clumsily pushed his way through another particularly dense patch of trees, emerging into a small grassy clearing, his blue chest heaving. Spitting another small glob of green foam out of his mouth, he shook his head and looked to the sky. The sun was still climbing in the blue sky, and he estimated that it was only around 11:00 in the morning. He reached back to his armor on his side, rummaging around with a hoof, before finding the small hidden pocket. He pulled out the black stone that Zant had given him, tapping it to his forehead. He immediately felt a pull in one direction, stronger now than it had been at first.

He placed the stone back into the pocket, running a hoof through his mane, relishing the feel of real flesh and bone. It had been too long. He ran the hoof over his face as well, taking in the shape and feel of it. Oh, his host was quite the looker. Mind Walker smugly smiled, resisting the urge to laugh. What luck! This would only make things easier. With a new spring in his step, the blue pegasus, until recently Steel Wind, continued on, following the pull of the small stone. He was close, he could feel it.

Applebloom woke gently, the lingering shreds of a happy dream slowly fading into wakefulness. The yellow filly let out a small yawn, the warmth of her bedding enticing her back into sleep. She shifted, trying to get more comfortable, her eyes still closed. Her side bumped into something soft and fuzzy, and Applebloom smiled sleepily, hugging the stuffed animal close. With another yawn, she let her mind be pulled back into the darkness. Her eyes shot open as the stuffed animal shifted under her hooves, mumbling something incoherent. Applebloom quickly saw the orange and purple mass was not a stuffed animal like she had thought, but was Scootaloo, who said something under her breath before turning away.

The yellow filly sat up quickly, taking in the living room of Fluttershy’s cottage, and the other two sleeping fillies in the same couch. Shaking her head to clear it of the last of the cobwebs, she nudged Scootaloo. “Wake up Scootaloo,” Applebloom said softly. When all she got in reply was another mumble, she tried again, louder. Still nothing. Grinning evilly, Applebloom took in a huge breath. “Wake up!”

Scootaloo was up immediately, hooves flailing and wings buzzing on instinct. Sweetie Belle, unfortunately on the side of the couch without a back, promptly toppled off onto the floor, before looking up with wide and clouded eyes. Scootaloo’s flailing knocked against the small table at the end of the couch with enough force to wake Angel and nearly knock over his makeshift bed as well. The rabbit shot a glare at the tangle of three fillies before hopping away with his pillow to sleep somewhere else, gibbering curses only he could understand.

“Huh? What?” Scootaloo finally stopped moving, her eyes clearing as she gazed around confusedly. “Applebloom?” Her gaze fell on the yellow filly, who was trying and failing to hold in her laughter at the reaction her shout got.

“Ow,” Sweetie Belle groaned from the floor, her ears ringing. She let her head fall back to the carpet with a muffled thump. This sent Applebloom into a fresh round of giggles.

“What the heck Applebloom!” Scootaloo rubbed an eye with a hoof, glaring at her.

“Sorry,” Applebloom apologized, snorting. “I couldn’t resist.”

“Ow,” Sweetie Belle lifted her head off the ground. She stood, noting the blanket that had been thrown off of the three fillies in the commotion. She levitated it up with her magic, her tongue sticking out of her mouth. She managed to work the green aura to get the blanket into a semi-folded state, before placing it on the ground next to the couch.

“Where’s Fluttershy? And Link?” Scootaloo asked, pushing Applebloom off the couch so she could stand on the floor. “How long were we out?”

Spying the clock on the wall, Applebloom answered. “Around a half an hour. Not long.”

“Good, that still leaves us some crusading time today,” Scootaloo said excitedly.

The other two fillies groaned in unison. “I don’t want to do anything right now,” Sweetie Belle moaned. “It’s not even noon yet, and you two woke me up way too early today.” She shot her friends and accusatory glance. Applebloom smiled sheepishly, but still nodded in agreement with Sweetie Belle.

“Come on!” Scootaloo hopped up and down in place. “It’s a great day today! We could do so many things! Come on!” She pestered. “I know you’ve been dying to try out for the ‘working construction machinery’ cutie mark.”

“Fine,” Applebloom rolled her eyes. “But let’s go back to town first. I bet my sis is wonderin’ where I am.”

“Same here,” Sweetie Belle chimed in. “And I bet that’s where Link and Fluttershy are too. We should thank her for letting us sleep on her couch.”

“Sounds good!” Scootaloo threw open the door with a hoof, letting the sunlight stream through. “Come on!” The orange filly vanished outside. The other two followed, both shaking their heads at their friend’s excitement.

“I think today should be a day free of crusading,” Sweetie whispered to Applebloom. “I’m not in the mood as much as usual.”

“Me neither,” Applebloom confessed as she stepped down from the front porch. Scootaloo, already far ahead on the path, waved to them frantically to hurry up. “I don’t know what it is lately, I just haven’t been in the mood for crusading.” The two fillies quickened their pace at another wave from Scootaloo. Unfortunately, the orange fillies scooter had been all but destroyed in the crash earlier that morning, and Applebloom doubted she could be convinced to get back on it even if it was working.

Sweetie Belle shrugged, continuing as Applebloom waved a hoof at a bird that had taken up a perch on her large bow. “Maybe what Scootaloo has planned will give us fresh excitement,” she suggested.

Applebloom opened her mouth to answer, but was interrupted by a rustling in the bushes along the path. Both of the fillies stopped, despite the cry of “hurry up!” from Scootaloo. The sound came again, like something large and heavy moving through the undergrowth. Scootaloo raced back to her friends, about to tell them to hurry once more, when something large and blue burst from the trees. All three fillies took a few steps backward to give the newcomer some room.

It was a pony, dressed in guard armor. He was a pegasus, with bladed wings that flashes in the light as he moved. His white mane and tail were cropped short to his body, which was mostly covered by plates of armor. “The guards don’t patrol this far,” he murmured to himself, before starting a bit. His golden eyes fixated on the Crusaders. A flash on some emotion crossed his face, akin to surprise, but was replaced by disarming warmth. “Hello,” He said, a bit sheepishly. “Sorry to surprise you like that.”

“No problem,” Scootaloo answered cautiously, taking the lead. The other two fillies shot her a grateful glance. “Who are you, and what were you doing in the woods?”

“Steel Wind, nice to meet you,” He chuckled. “And I am afraid I am a bit lost.” He perked up. “Can you help me?”

A royal guard, lost in The Everfree? The three fillies shared a brief look, unconvinced. But the stallion seemed harmless enough, with a slightly dopey but hopeful expression. Unnoticed while the fillies looked at each other, the stallion tilted his head and spat something into the foliage. The noise brought the attention back to him, but he was back in his normal position once more.

“Sure, I suppose we can help,” Applebloom nodded. “What do ya’ need?”

“What town is at the end of this path?” Steel asked, waving in that direction. “If I can find my way there, I can get back to my post.”

“That’s Ponyville,” Sweetie answered.

“Thank goodness,” Steel wind sighed in relief. “You wouldn’t mind leading me there, would you?” He looked hopefully at the small group again, wing blades clinking together as he shifted in his armor.

The three fillies shared another look, nodding to each other. “Sure, we can lead you there. But . . .” Scootaloo paused. “I still don’t understand why you are here.” Her two friends nodded, and the blue pegasus straightened, the unreadable emotion flitting over his features again.

“I suppose I owe you and explanation,” He allowed, before motioning down the path with a hoof. “I’ll tell you while we walk, how about that?”

Author's Note

Well, the second June chapter is posted on July first, but I suppose that's close enough. Not a very long or important chapter, but a good build up to some action from the next few. Hope you like it!
As always, comment on mistakes, bla bla bla, you know the drill by this point.

A Battle From The Past Revised

Link wouldn’t say he was experiencing déjà vu in the purest sense of the word, but it was definitely something similar. He could say, however, that the experience was better this time around. The castle Fluttershy had led him to was a good deal bigger than the timid pegasus’ own cottage, dwarfing even the largest houses in Ponyville by a huge margin, wihch was a defenit plus when you were trying to fit ten occupants into one single room. The room in question was sometihng more reminiscent of Hyrule Castle Town than Fluttershy's cottage, which was more similar to the place that Link had grown up.

The throne room of the crystal structure was of impressive construciton; crystal pilalrs supported an arched roof and what seemed to be the trunk of a giant tree, with glittering strings of gems handing like suspended rain drops. The light from the windows negated the use of the magical lanterns, and the sunlight set the crystal of the room aglow with stripling rainbows that danced around the walls. The thrones were rough and jagged, but impressive in size and beautiful in their own way. The ponies in the room notwithstanding, Link wouldn't have had any problem envisioning the large throne room inside Hyrule Castle before its destruction what seemed like so long ago; The Princess and her advisers at the thrones rather than Twilight and her friends.

Fluttershy was the only pony not using the throne with her cutie mark inlaid in the center, having decided to give her seat to the still drowsy Dusk, who was fighting to keep his eyes awake under the weight of the long sleepless hours over the past two days. Fluttershy sat instead with Link on the floor, once again leaning on his stomach as the wolf lounged on his side. The pegasus was still breathing hard from the trip across Ponyville, but the clinking of the chain manacled to Link's leg was therapeutic, and she could feel herself calming as she held it in her hooves.

Measured Fact was sitting next to Spike on the floor, the two talking next to Rarity’s chair, who leaned over to chip in to the conversation now and then, engrossed Fact's story about a conference he had attended with Luna in The Dragonlands that almost turned into an international embarrassment, if not for the Princess' fast thinking.

Twilight was once again reviewing her memory spell, adding occasional tweaks from what she had learned the night before. She had theorized that one of the cuases of the painful return to the real world had been a small string of magical code that she had removed, and the end product looked remarkably similar to Starswirl the Bearded’s Time Stop spell, interestingly enough.

Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie were all sitting in relative silence, enjoying the time off from work to relax before getting thrown back into Link’s memories, an experience that none of them were particularly looking forward to. Overall it was a comfortable scene, with the group talking and interacting together while cheery sunlight illuminated the room. Twilight was loathe to interrupt everything as she put the finishing tweaks on the memory spell. With the hectic last few days she knew that it did everyone good to relax for a while, but she stood anyway, tapping a hoof loudly on the large crystal table in the center of the room.

“Everypony!” She called, and the noise ceased. Pinkie Pie leaned to one side and tapped Dusk on the forehead. The Night Pegasi jerked, blinking rapidly, before looking to Twilight apologetically, yawning loudly. Twilight chuckled and nodded before continuing, her eyes sweeping the group.

“All of us, Fact excluded know the drill at this point,” The purple alicorn began. Fact inclined his head. “But,” Twilight continued, “I assume he already has a good grasp on the procedure for this spell,” Twilight lit her horn as the tan stallion nodded. “So let’s get this over with,” Twilight sighed to herself, before shaking her head, looking to where Fluttershy and Link were sitting. “Link? Come over here please.”

Fluttershy leaned her weight off of the wolf, and Link stood, padding his was to the relative center of the room, which was to Twilight’s left because of the large table. He nodded at Twilight, signifying he was ready. Lighting her horn, Twilight took a deep breath, preparing herself, and she heard the rest of the room do the same. The princess slowly leaned over and touched her lit horn to Link’s forehead. The breath Twilight had taken was ripped from her body as her vision spiraled into darkness.

Just like the last memory spell, the temperature hit Twilight first. But instead of the swampy and humid atmosphere she had been expecting, a wall of scorching air hit her, stripping all of the moisture from her lips and making her mouth and eyes uncomfortably dry in an instant. It felt like she was in the middle of a fire, and Twilight instinctively tried to cast a cooling spell, but nothing happened, her lack of a horn making any magic impossible. Twilight endured the pounding heat for what seemed like an hour in the pure blackness, and she sighed in relief once the spell really got underway.

Once again, a grey blob appeared below Twilight, in the same position as the first spell. It slowly formed into the vague shape of the bipedal Link, before snapping into focus in the blackness. Much was the same about Link, namely the blonde hair and green attire, but there were a few differences. The wooden shield Twilight had seen last time was gone, replaced by a rectangular plate of metal, held together by large rivets on the edges, the front surface pitted with dark scorch marks. Despite the shield’s apparent weight, Link seemed to bear it fine, holding it out in front of him with one arm, fist clenched around the holding strap. An ornate bow was strapped over the sheath on Link’s back, the design breathtaking. The weapon was beautifully carved with swirls of silver that danced across the two ends to sharpened points, deadly tips added to already sleek and predatory looking weapon. The hand grip was also elaborately carved, with a few sparkling gems inlaid into it. A quiver in the same style sat next to the sheath, and Twilight saw numerous feathered arrows sitting at the end. The arrows were of obviously good construction, each ornately decorated as well with the same striking designs.

Twilight's inspection of the masterfully made weapon when Link's back heaved, his voice obviously pained. Twilight spiraled her view point around Link, alarmed. The whites of his eyes stood out like bones from his soot covered face, the ash coating his cheeks and forehead, beads of sweat painting grey lines down his face. His green clothes looked just as hammered, and his sleeves, forearm guards, and boots were especially singed. Despite the overwhelming heat, Twilight could see that Link was still wearing chain mail under the green tunic, its shine dulled and blackened, but it was still holding. His fingers, which were wrapped around his sword’s hilt, were a bright red and blistering. The tunic weighed on Link's body, and his chest was heaving in the dry air, but his blue eyes were burning as bright as ever.

Twilight had barely finished her examination when a room came into focus, breathing life into the darkness. The air rippled with heat, blurring her vision and making her feel the need to blink incessantly. It was large, probably the same size as her throne room. It was made of red stone, with a domed roof that was held up by large stone pillars that ringed the edge of the room, the huge blocks of earth rent by some force, slashing lines of stone ripped from them.The room was decorated in large, worn down carvings, lining the walls and running up the support pillars to converge on the roof. A giant stone door, easily twice as tall as Link, was set into one side of the room, firmly shut, and the thing it was meant to keep in dominated the center of the room.

The thing was bipedal, with arms and legs thick as a tree trunk, tipped with hands that were big enough to envelop her whole body in their crushing grip. The monster's head almost touched the ceiling, and a giant mouth filled with jagged teeth was hanging slightly open in the center of the horrible face, red saliva dripping from its jaws, hissing as it hit the floor. The things skin was black as tar, and liquid fire seemed to be streaming around it, weaving and shining as it wound around the monster. Giant metal chains were clamped to its wrists and ankles, set into large metal rings set into the stone of the floor. The chains were slack against the floor as the monster stood unmoving, not even breathing. The room sat in its silence for a moment, before Link took a cautious step forward, and the thing stirred. A giant red eye, set into the middle of the monsters head, slowly opened. The slotted pupil instantly focused on Link, and Twilight was taken aback by the sheer hatred that shone from it.

A voice flowed into her mind, breathing one word. Fyrus.

Link tensed as Fyrus looked at him, a first shuddering breath ripping from its chest. Then the giant creature began to shake, slowly at first but then more violently, the red eye locked onto Link the entire time. Fyrus opened its mouth fully, letting out a roar that shook the room and made Link step back, covering his face with an arm. The inside of Fyrus’ mouth was glowing a deep red, and the temperature in the already burning room stepped up a notch. The chains rattled into stiffness as Fyrus strained towards Link, bellowing once more. The chain holding Fyurs's left hand snapped with a violent sound as the creature heaved towards Link, its hand straining towards him, the huge fingers flexing madly. Fyrus hurled itself against the chain’s restraints, and Link took another step back as a second chain was pulled apart, freeing Fyrus left leg.

Twilight looked on helplessly as Fyrus, with one more motion, snapped a third chain, this one manacled to its other arm, its single eye still staring at Link. The last chain went soon after, the metal ring it was attached to being completely pulled out of the stone ground, leaving a large hole in the center of the floor. Fyrus raised its face upward, roaring out in triumph. The room shook and streams of dust fell from the ceiling as Fyrus lowered its head once more. The giant mouth set into the creatures face was smiling, the jagged spears of teeth scraping together. Fyrus charged Link with surprising speed, arms held out in front to tackle its smaller adversary in a burning hug. Fyrus’ huge footsteps shook the room, pounding into the stone floor. Link’s eyes widened, and he sprinted along one side of the circular room, an arm covering most of his face. Fyrus extended a giant claw in Link’s direction, but Link slipped just out of reach, and Fyrus roared as his momentum carried his past his prey. Fyrus slammed into one of the large columns, his roar cut off with a violent crack of skin and bone against stone. But instead of bouncing off dazed like Twilight expected, Fyrus kept going, speeding through the pillar and into the wall itself. Chunks of stone rained across the room, and Link held up his shield to protect his face from the falling projectiles. The impacts must have been jarring, but Link held strong, his eyes still watching Fyrus’ back.

Shaking its huge head, Fyrus turned. Jets of black smoke poured from its nostrils as it snorted, charging Link again, but Link was ready this time. Steel sung as Link sheathed his sword in a lighting quick move. He fell to one knee, smoothly grabbing the bow off his back and notching an arrow. Link narrowed his eyes, and as Fyrus reached the center of the room, drew back and let the arrow fly, his fingertips gently gliding across his cheek. The arrow sliced through the air, magnificent in its flight, the fletching on the back gracefully spinning the projectile. The tip of the arrow glowed red hot as it sliced into Fyrus’ single eye.

Fyrus bellowed, its charge turning into a stumble as Fyrus smashed into another pillar to Link’s left, hand held over its face. Rebounding off the wall with a tremendous crack, Fyrus lurched in the other direction, chains trailing on the ground as it wiped desperately to free the arrow that was still lodged in its eye. Link put the bow away with the same grace and speed as he had drawn it, standing in the same motion, face set in steely triumph. His eyes locked onto something on the floor, and he sprinted towards Fyrus’ back, not wasting a moment. It took Twilight a second to find what Link was running towards, but it quickly dawned on her.

The iron ring, the one that had been ripped from the floor when Fyrus freed himself only moments earlier, was scraping along the ground as Fyrus stumbled away from Link in its agony. The giant metal chain was still attached to the creature’s leg, and Link skid to a stop. He scooped up the ring in both hands before planting himself as firmly as he could. There was no way he could hold the giant Fyrus with strength alone, but Link had a trick up his sleeve. As Fyrus swiped an arm at another pillar, roaring once again, Link hopped up into the air a couple of inches, tapping his feet together in midair. With a bright flash of light, Link crashed back into the ground with a crash of metal. Where his boots had been simple just a moment ago, they were now clad in metal shoes of outstanding workmanship, simple but effective in their construction. The silver footwear reached halfway up Link’s calves, and golden and blue patterns swirled around the thick metal, seeming to shine with an unearthly light. As Link impacted the ground, panels of metal on all sides of the boots detached from the main body, speeding downward through an inch of stone, effectively cementing Link in place.

Link heaved, the prominent muscles in his arms straining with the effort. Fyrus jerked as one leg came to an unexpected stop, swiveling its head to gaze back at Link. The giant eye in the center of Fyrus’ face was leaking a black fluid, the arrowhead finally dislodged, but the hatred and intelligence there were anything but gone. Link let out a groan, teeth grinding as he heaved again. Twilight noticed with alarm the red liquid sliding around Links hands from where he gripped the jagged iron ring, sizzling and popping with the heat. The sections of metal clamped into the ground from his left boot lifted for a moment, slamming back into the stone again as Link stepped backwards. Fyrus strained on the chain, but somehow Link held true, and Fyrus faltered. With a shout of exertion, Link jerked his right foot back as far as he could, the metal sections impaling the floor once again. Fyrus roared as its leg was jerked back too far for it to keep its balance, and the creature crashed onto the floor, spread eagle on the ground.

The sections of metal on Link’s boots unfastened from the ground the instant Link made an upwards motion, and he hopped slightly into the air once again, despite the weight that the metal shoes encasing his feet must have pulled on him. Tapping his feet together in the air once again, and the boots vanished in a flash of light, Link’s normal brown footwear lightly impacting the floor as he threw the metal ring aside. Link sprinted forward once again, straight towards the dazed Fyrus’ head, drawing his sword with a hiss of pain. Fyrus’ eye focused on Link as he ran past its shoulders, quickly clearing as it saw the shining steel Link held. With a shout, Link slashed his sword savagely across Fyrus’ single eye, cutting a quick x with the blade. Black liquid exploded outward, splashing across Link’s tunic and pants, hissing as it landed the fabric. Link took a step backward with a cry of surprise, and Fyrus took advantage of the momentary pause.

Fyrus’ right arm came out of nowhere, and Link only had enough time to raise his shield above his chest before a giant backhand sent him spinning into the air. Link was tossed like a ragdoll into the near wall, his back smashing across it before he fell to the ground. Fyrus pushed itself to one knee. Fluid from its ruined eye gushed over its face and into its smiling maw, giving the creature an even more savage and terrifying look as it swiveled its head towards Link. Fyrus’ eye was destroyed, ragged strips of flesh hanging from the pupil and iris where Link had struck. But even as Twilight watched, the flesh of Fyrus’ eye began to knit itself back together, the river of black fluid slowing to a trickle. Soon the eye was whole once again, and Fyrus’ smile became even more sinister.

Link raised his head off the ground, eyes blazing with fury. He had somehow managed to hold on to his sword, and he tightened his grip on it as he pushed himself to a kneeling position, nearly mirroring Fyrus. Link stood, and Fyrus copied the motion. The back of his tunic was ripped to sheds from the impact with the wall, the exposed chain mail underneath dull in the low light. Despite obvious difficulty, Link stood on steady legs and his guard. Had Twilight been in Link’s position, she would have been smashed into thousands of bloody pieces as the giant chain whipped through the air. The metal gouged huge streaks into the pillars and the wall behind Link as it sped past, barely a blur as Fyrus’ snapped his arm and wrist in Link’s direction, using the measures of his own restraints as a devastating whip.

Link’s quick reaction time was the only thing that saved him. He had ducked just in time, but even with his unbelievably fast motion, a link of the large chain ripped across his tunic as it flashed past. Twilight was relieved to see Link apparently unhurt, but he had lost his balance, stubling from the near deadly blow. Link turned his stagger into a roll to the side as the second chain came down vertically, Fyrus retracting one giant arm even as the other moved. More stone of the wall pelleted Link as he avoided the attack. Link ended his roll in a run, his body unfurling from the ground at a dead sprint, sword still held aloft, the hilt stained red as blood dripped from Link's palm. Fyrus failed to twist around in time, and Link slashed at the creature’s thigh as he sprinted past. The strike only elicited a grunt from Fyrus, and it turned in Link’s direction, monstrous chain flying through the air once again, slashing a diagonal stripe from ceiling to wall through the rock a foot away from the dodging Link.

Link didn’t even take the time to pause or to aim this time, turning his torso to face Fyrus in an incredible show of body control, the arrow held across his chest. The arrow was loosed in the blink of an eye, slicing through the air. Fyrus had learned its lesson however, and held an arm in front of his face, the arrow shattering against its skin. Link notched another arrow, and let it fly on the heels of the first, stopping his sprint on a dime and taking off in the other direction. This one fared better, glancing off the side of Fyrus’ face, but it still did no damage to the creature. Link grunted in frustration, dropping into a slide across the floor as Fyrus tried to catch him with the chain once more, whipping the metal horizontally at the level that Link’s head was a moment before. As the chain passed above him, Fyrus’ arm came away from his face to ready for the next strike.

Link’s eyes widened and he notched an arrow mid slide. With a grunt, Link released his hand, right before his side skidded into a stone pillar, his slide ending with a paiunful smack against stone, all the air in Link's lungs rushing from his body in a huge gasp. But Link’s aim was true, and the arrow sunk itself into Fyrus’ eye. The beast, caught unawares yet again, bellowed as it stumbled backward, tearing at its eye with its hands. Link took the moment to stand, grimacing as he attached his bow to his back one again, his face marred with dark bruise. Link’s eyes set into a stare that might as well be hewn from stone. Bright and courageous as ever, his gaze burned like twin pillars of blue fire.

Fyrus, getting purchase on the arrow in its eye, ripped the offending piece of wood away in a shower of red hot splinters. Link unsheathed his sword with a ring of steel, holding it in both hands in front of him. With barely a pause, Link was in motion, right towards Fyrus’ writhing form. Fyrus bellowed once more, shaking its head back and forth near its chest, trying to focus. It wrenched its head forward, focusing on the blur of green. It found Link too late.

Link leapt upward through the blistering heat of Fyrus’ breath with a roar of his own, whipping his sword forward. With both hands, Link plunged the weapon hilt deep into Fyrus’ single pulsing eye. Fyrus froze, as if not sure what had just happened, arms falling limp by its sides, chains falling motionless on the ground. Link’s burned and bleeding hands were unable to hold onto the hilt of his sword any longer, and he slipped to the floor, staggering before regaining his footing a few feet away from the frozen monster.

Fyrus’ chest convulsed once, black blood dripping across its face. With a flash, Fyrus was nothing but a silhouette, with the still bright steel of Link’s sword impaled in the motionless face. Link covered his face as a blast of air exploded from the monster, small black cubes flying in every direction. Fyrus was gone, and Link’s sword clattered to the stone as the last of the cubes dissolved. A black object arched to the center of the room form where Fyrus had been moments ago, the mysterious object once again resembling a piece of some elaborate headset. It hung, spinning slightly, a few inches off the floor.

Link took a deep breath in the silence. His face and clothing were covered in soot and marred by injury, and his hands were still red, blistering, and bleeding heavily. Link reached into the bag at his side and pulled out small glass bottle of a thick purple liquid. Uncorking it, he downed the contents, before placing the bottle back in the bag. The change was instant. Link’s raw face flushed back into its normal color, and the skin on his hands miraculously began to knit itself back together. In mere seconds there was no evidence of the fight but the burn marks on Link’s tunic and forearm guards. Link, taking a step forward, picked his sword off the ground. With a flourish, he sheathed it, a triumphant smile lighting his face. Twilight could feel the temperature in the room cooling dramatically, and she appreciated it as much as Link apparently did.

Twilight started once more as Link’s shadow came to life, the shadowy red eyed imp suddenly appearing next to the black spinning object. With a high giggle, the imp reached out and tapped the object with a single finger. With a sickening jolt, Twilight was sucked away.

Author's Note

Whoo boy! This one was long overdue, but I got it done! I hope you enjoyed another boss battle from Twilight Princess, as I enjoyed writing it. As always, comment on anything you find, etc, etc. I will have a more regular schedule with posting these chapters from now on though, so you can expect more chapters soon!
P.S. Expect a chapter for my other story as well soon!

The Escape Revised

The wolf streaked through the forest. The moonlight shone down onto its black fur, it's white belly a streak of light in darkness. An intricate white pattern waved on its forehead, framed by piercing dark blue eyes. The wolf shot through the forest in a full on sprint, its lean and iron strong muscles rippling with motion. A small manacle and piece of broken chain was attached to its left foreleg, which rattled piercingly as it ran. A small blue earing glinted in the wolf’s right ear, the same color as the eyes. Sparkling in those blue eyes was an intelligence and emotion that one would not expect in what was considered a fearsome predator. But abounding in those eyes was fear. Complete and utter terror, spurring the wolf onward.

Through the trees came the smashing and howling of something unnatural, that grated into the wolf's ears and danced on its brain. The wolf glanced backward, but its piercing eyes saw nothing but the oppressing darkness. It continued its sprint.

The wolf heard a sudden sound, and its ears swiveled to the right. Something shot out of the forest directly at the wolf, like a living shadow. The wolf leapt to the side, tumbling painfully into the ground and against a tree with a painful thud. The wolf let out only a small grown as it shot back to its paws, its vision focusing on the creature that stood before it.

It was completely midnight black, and taller than the wolf by three feet. It was bipedal, but its long arms reached down to the ground, like an ape’s. Long claws glinted on its grotesque feet and hands, stained black with drying blood and dirt. Its face was completely flat, as if it had been smashed into a wall, and it was too large to look natural. There were a few long hairs sticking out of the top, and red energy danced underneath the creature’s skin. The giant creature swiped at it the wolf with a claw, aiming to take advantage of its fall, but the strike was slow and clumsy. The wolf sidestepped the strike, set its weight back on its hind legs, and launched itself at the creature, latching its jaws on the things neck.

The wolf ripped and tore with all the ferocity its kind was known for, razor sharp teeth rending flesh and bone. The creature reached up to swat the wolf away, but the heavy strike was too late. With a black spray of fluid, the wolf ripped out the creature’s throat, and nimbly danced away, black fluid dripping from its jaws. The black creature collapsed in a limp heap, like a grotesque puppet with its strings cut.

The wolf turned and began to run again, leaving the corpse behind, when the forest screamed. A hundred perverse voices, thundering with no semblance of any pitch and louder than anything the wolf had ever heard, burning like a brand in its mind. The screams created a cage of sound around it, spurring the wolf forward, to the only place of silence. The wolf knew that death came for it in every direction but ahead, so it ran.

The wolf flattened its ears, and whimpered in pain as the sound continued to rebounded around the trees, but it did not stop. There was a cracking from behind it, and the wolf risked a glance backward. The creature it had just killed was slowly rising to its feet, the strings back in control, as if it had never been injured at all. The thing’s flat head swiveled towards the wolf lighting fast, locking on. The wolf’s blue eyes went wide, and it began its desperate sprint once again.

The next attack came not long after. Three of the same creatures exploded out of the forest, trying to surround the wolf. The wolf leaped and rolled out of the way of all three, and continued its run without trying to fight; it knew it couldn’t beat them all. But it was an ambush. A fourth creature was lying in wait a few yards up the path, and the wolf didn’t see it coming. The creature swatted the black wolf on the side from the shadows as it sprinted past, its claws tearing gaping gashes into the wolf's hide.

The wolf’s sudden forward momentum was completely halted, and it was thrown to the side. The wolf rolled limply for a moment, before shakily standing back up. Blood was flowing steadily onto the ground form three vertical slashes in the wolf’s side, matting the fur and staining the dirt, the red color shining sickly in the moonlight. The wolf limped forward for a few moments, before growling in defiance, its lips peeled back from its teeth. It growled again against the pain, and began its sprint once more.

The desperate dash was nearing its end, the wolf knew. Its only chance for survival was only a few hundred yards away, tantalizingly close, but it was going to be a close shave. Dozens of black creatures could now be seen loping after the wolf, getting closer with every stride, flying over rocks and roots, flashing around the trees. They were in every direction, a wall of death that was slowly gaining ground, their screams growing in volume as they came closer to their helpless prey.

The wolf put on an extra burst of speed, hoping beyond hope to make it. It was getting closer, closer. A huge arm reached out to grasp the wolf’s tail with its claws. But suddenly the wolf was free, leaping out of the trees and into the shallow pond. It whimpered and stumbled on the landing, drops of blood staining the water red. The wall of death halted at the tree’s edge, hissing and screaming in frustration, pounding claws into the dirt. The wolf took a second to breathe, before turning around.

It was standing in a large pool. The water flowed from a small river in the back, which in turn bubbled from a natural spring in the ground. The river fell down three miniature waterfalls, until landing gently in the main body of water. Behind the pool was the complete blackness that was all around, but the shallow water the wolf was standing in shone with a gentle light. The sound of the water and the light seemed almsot to lift a heavy weight off of the wolf's shoulders. It had made it. The wolf slowly padded to the center of the pool, and stood waiting. After only a moment, the pool rippled in the center. A small drop of water was spat into the air, and when it impacted back into the water in front of the wolf, ripples spread outward.

A creature began to form. A huge ball of pure light was first, which hung suspended high in the air. A pair of glowing ram’s horns was next, the orb of light in between them. From there, a head, shoulders, and back. When the short transformation was complete, a huge ram stood in the air above the pool. Its skin rippled and swirled with light, making the are seem as if the sun had risen. The creatures at the edge of the water hissed and shied away from the light, withdrawing into the shadows.

“Hero,” An ancient voice rumbled into the wolf’s mind, caring and compassionate. “Our time runs short.” The giant ram bent its neck to look the wolf in the eyes. “I cannot hold them off forever,” It said quietly. “I will call for my brethren. We will fight, and give you ample time to escape.” The wolf nodded its head in thanks and understanding. “But,” the ram emphasized. “Our power is not infinite, and we will be defeated. Be ready when they come.” The ram lifted its head to look into the trees. “Go!” It commanded. “To the back of the spring! Do not look back!”

The wolf obeyed, clearly still in great pain, limping over the three steps and nearly falling, the stone slick with moss and water. After the last ledge, there was a large cliff face that rose high into the air. The wolf continued right up to this wall of earth, and set its nose near the ground, powerful nostrils flaring. At some unknown mark, the wolf began to dig. Its claws scraped at the dirt, gouging huge chunks out of the ground. The wolf shoved its head into the hole it had made, with its torso following soon after. When its tail had disappeared into the ground, the earth it had displaced fell back into the hole, covering up the only trace of where it had vanished to.

In a cave not too far away, a scratching noise could be heard. A small patch of earth danced and rumbled, from some unseen disturbance underground. Then, a small black muzzle appeared, followed by a head.

The wolf hauled itself out of the earth, shaking the dirt off its fur. The wolf winced when it was fully on the ground, setting weight into one side hesitantly. Soil and rocks were caked into its fresh wounds, stinging and burning like fire. Shaking its head, the wolf limped forward, taking its its surroundings. The small cave it had emerged into stretched before it, a wall of stone blocking its path behind. Not that it would go back. The wolf was cautious as it padded its way forward, the only sound being the soft clinking of the chain attached to its foreleg. The cave seemed to run off into the darkness forever, never varying from its straight path. The wolf struggled on.

After an unknown amount of time, the wolf froze. It lifted its nose high into the air, taking deep huffing breaths. The wolf growled and its hackles rose, detecting a change in smell. It was not the same scents of the wolf’s normal world, and it set the predator on edge, making it shift its weight painfully and swivel its ears in every direction. The wolf continued on nevertheless, until a dull light could be seen. The wolf stepped out of the cave into bright moonlight. A jagged cliff face rose behind it, much like the one it had dug underneath, the cave mouth yawning behind it.

The forest ahead much like the one it had left, but this one was more peaceful. The normal sounds and sights of nocturnal life were present, owls hooting and bats swooping after insects. The wolf padded slowly out of the entrance of the cave, into the black trees. Its blue eyes shone in the darkness, pinpricks of light as the predator slinked through the shadows. It came too close to a tree once, distracted by the pain in its side and the fuzziness of its thoughts, and received a small gash on the snout from the sharp low lying branches. As the wolf huffed in annoyance and examined the branch, it could see hundreds of tiny thorns sticking out of the black bark. Carefully avoiding any other trees, the wolf continued its silent trek.

It came to a small dirt path in the woods, barely large enough for the wolf to walk on. The wolf bent its nose to the ground and tried to sift out the smells, but to no avail. They were too mixed and unfamiliar to get anything out of it, and the wolf was too weakened. The wolf went on the path, keeping its body low to the ground, alert. But the wolf knew it wouldn’t make it much farther. It had lost too much blood and its vision was starting to blur, its steps growing slow and lethargic. It tried to push on, but with one last whine of pain, it slumped to the ground unconscious.

Not so far away, on the very edge of the forest, was a small cottage. It was completely made out of wood, and the cheery yellow and white of the paint shone dully in the moonlight. The back and front lawns were covered in small houses and burrows, with many animals slumbering peacefully away. Inside the small cottage, up a short flight of stairs, a bedroom door was closed. Inside the small room, there was a bed pushed up against the back wall. Next to the window there was a small nightstand, a single book laying there, a faded red bookmark in its pages. A small dresser sat against the other wall, and there was a pair of hearts carved into the white doors.

The covers on the bed were slowly rising and falling, its occupant sleeping. There were a few mumbled words, and a head peeked over the covers, eyelids barely opened. The face was yellow, with sleepy green eyes. Long pink hair fell past the face of the bed’s occupant. Fluttershy wasn’t quite sure what had woken her up, but she blearily rubbed her eyes with her hooves to clear away the drowsiness that hung over her like a shroud. She got out of bed and let out a small yawn, stretching her canary yellow wings on her back, before opening the door.
She unconsciously found herself checking on all of the small animal houses in her cottage, before she was fully awake. As she peeked into a bird nest housing four slumbering robins, she realized what she was doing.

There was a small tug on the back of her mind, a familiar pull that she had had as long as she had had her cutie mark. One that usually symbolized when an animal needed taking care of. The three pink butterflies on her flank symbolized her talent with animals, and Fluttershy knew from experience that a pony shouldn’t ignore what their cutie mark was telling them.

The pegasus kept checking on her animal friends, growing more and more distressed when each one appeared to be fine. After checking the den of her friend Mr. Bear, Fluttershy stood on her front porch, trying to figure out what was nagging at her mind. Animals were very important to Fluttershy, and the feeling usually came with the name of the creature that was injured along with the ailment it was suffering from. This feeling was more of a vague direction, one that Fluttershy was forced to admit. It led into the Everfree forest. The magical and sinister forest sat less than fifty yards from her house, but Fluttershy only rarely dared into its depths, for a very good reason. Many mean and deadly creatures called the Everfree home, and some would not hesitate to call a small yellow pegasus breakfast. As Fluttershy slowly got nearer to the forest’s edge, she slunk farther downward and slowed until she was practically crawling forward, her face hidden by her pink mane.

The trees loomed above her, seeming to sprout evil eyes, their branches reaching out, trying to drag her inside. Shadows danced like evil spirits, leaning towards her. The pegasus was now trembling with fear, but she gathered her courage.
“One of my animal friends needs me, and I won’t let them down,” She thought resolutely. Even that thought didn’t keep her from trying to trot as silently as possible, eyes darting wildly around at every sound. She slowly slunk into the forest, following the small path to her friend Zecora’s hut. The trees in the Everfree were completely black, with sharp little thorns the pegasus was careful to avoid. As she kept going forward, ever so slowly, the tug on her mind grew stronger, pulling her insistently down the path.

After ten minutes of walking silently, Fluttershy noticed a large dark trail on the path, which came out of a gap in the bushes and foloowd the path towards Zecora’s hut. Fluttershy bent her head down to the ground, curious, and as she bent close, she inhaled.
She recoiled violently, trying to wash the coppery smell from the back of her mouth. It was blood, and lots of it. Her fear forgotten, Fluttershy’s pace quickened, not even needing to see the trail to follow its metallic scent. After about two hundred feet, Fluttershy stopped. There was a huge black lump on the ground, larger than a pony. Fluttershy, despite the blood trail that led to the lump and the now overwhelming sensation in her mind, cautiously slinked forward, until she was about a foot away.

The pegasus’ green eyes widened as they took in the sight as the moon illuminated the scene, full of concern and fear. She spoke, her soft voice barely above a whisper. “Oh my!”

Author's Note

Well, that was the first chapter to my first story ever. Hope you guys like it, and remember to Read and Review! If you have any questions, just send me a personal message, and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Chapters should come out every two weeks or so.

Zant's Dilemma Revised

Zant ground his teeth together as he surveyed his enemy’s defenses. The three blasted light beasts had been calmly decimating his armies for almost an entire day, and, though he hated to admit it, they had him completely stuck and there was nothing he could do about it. Zant was standing a few yards back from the edge of the tree line, his view consisted of the small spring of water that the light beasts had made into their fortress. Sunlight shone down through the irritatingly bright sky onto huge wooden barricades, about twenty feet tall, which circled the three exposed sides of the pool of water. Huge logs were set up vertically, thrust into the soil around the pool of water with no space in between them, and Zant almost couldn't believe their simple effectiveness.

The four light guardians were deceptively cunning, turning their small fortress into a nearly impenetrable defense by using a surprising amount of strategy. Land attacks from Zant’s larger Twilit beasts could only come from three sides, and the bests simply swatted anything less hardy right out of the air. As Zant was sullenly mulling over his options, there came a noise like a large horn from right behind him, which blared loudly and slightly off key. Zant turned his head, and made out one of his flying beasts through the eye holes in his mask.

The huge bird like creature stood on two legs behind him. Its skin was the waxy black that all Twilit beasts shared, with the red veins of energy pulsing under its skin. Two huge bat-like wings were folded over its scrawny body, and its legs were tipped with large black claws. The bird’s face was almost completely flat, but it had a border around the center, about two inches thick. The border seemed to move and pulsate in small cubic sections as the thing blared its horn-like voice. Zant held up a hand in the signal to wait. His long sleeves were black with green patterns woven into them, and they hid his entire arm, only letting the tips of a few of his fingers peek out. The creature bowed its head in respect and backed away, going back to join the ranks of its comrades. Zant turned back to the wall, grinding his teeth.

His flying beasts were next to useless, despite their determination and loyalty. Being too small and weak to do anything of sustenance to the powerful light deities, they served as a mere annoyance at best and cannon fodder at worst. Even with the advantage of being able to fly over the large barricades, they were killed too fast to help, even in large numbers. If the beasts he was able to summon with his new power didn’t come in packs (Thirty flying beasts and around forty land ones) he wouldn’t summon the flying creatures at all. Zant sighed, determining that his small pity fest had run its course, and held up the other hand. With roars and screams for bloodshed, his forces exploded from the tree line around him, the flying beasts immediately rushing into the air with their powerful wings. The land bound creatures rushed forward, huge claws pounding into the soil as they ran, their flat heads leaning into the wind. The tall creatures streaked around Zant, parting around him like water around a stone.

The flying Twilit beasts made it to the wall first. They condensed into one huge group, about to dive onto something, and Zant sighed in defeat. He knew what was coming. A huge beam of bright light shot from behind the wall, bright even as he turned his head away. Zant could feel the power of the blast even from his vantage point, the pure magic sending tingles down his spine. The beam cut into the mass of creatures like a scythe, burning and charring skin and bone. More than half of the flying beasts were cut down by the initial attack, screaming as they fell toward the earth, their bodies shedding black cubes into the air that dissolved before their body hit the ground. Soon, nothing would be left of the corpses, transformed into the vanishing black cubes completely. Before the rest of Zant’s flying creatures could compose themselves, another beam of light erupted from behind the walls. It did the same as the first, cutting down the rest of the flying beasts, which fell to the ground with screams of pain. The slower land bound beasts sprinted and leapt over the dissolving bodies of their comrades, unheeding or caring, and smashed into the wooden wall claws first.

They ripped and tore at the wood, causing splinters to fly off in every direction. When one of the huge vertical logs groaned under the strain and began to topple over, Zant had his first gimmer of hope. The waves after waves of beasts had finally done something. Perhaps now he could finish off these annoyances for good. The beasts that were under the toppling barricade moved to the side, and the log crashed into the soil, throwing up dust and pebbles. The beasts roared in victory, and streamed toward the hole in the defenses, every one of Zant’s army on the battle field condensing into one pack, pushing and shoving to make it through the narrow gap.

Zant's hopes were dashed nearly immediatly. The first beast reached its waxy arm into the hole, and was about to push forward, when it disappeared. It was there one moment, and gone the next, yanked into the spring almost instantly. There was the loud scream of a Twilit beast from behind the wall that made the rest pause, wary. There was moment of almost complete silence; the only sound was the near imperceptible gurgling of the water in the spring. Then the owl came. It rose over the wooden walls like a sun, making Zant cover his eyes from the sheer brightness. Its huge wings were at least fifty feet long, and they made the grass press backward, the trees waving and shaking from the force of its wings.

The four light beasts of Hyrule were a fierce sight to behold, even when just guarding the orbs of light entrusted to their possession. When they knew an attack was coming, they transformed, absorbing the light into their own bodies, making them as bright as a miniature sun. Their skin danced and spun with energy, swirling in majestic patterns. Their skin became as hard as stone, and their actions almost too fast to see. The guardians, too, were very smart about conserving their power. By each taking turns every attack, the four beasts were able to rest and restore some of their power while another fought. It took Zant about an hour to summon another pack, in which they repaired their wooden wall and rested until the next engagement. Zant knew he would defeat them eventually, but they were brilliant at stalling him for an infuriating amount of time.

The owl was still in the air for a moment, before acting faster than lighting. There was an explosion of light bright enough to sting Zant’s eyes even behind his arm, causing his vision to flash painfully. There were screams and crashes for a moment, and then silence. When Zant shook the spots from his eyes and surveyed the field, he was met with the grizzly sight that he had seen a dozen times before.

The remains of his small army were everywhere. The large beasts lay in piles around the trees, heaps of dissolving bones and charred flesh, wet with their own blood. One beast twitched lightly in a tree, having been impaled though the chest by a thick branch. Black blood dripped slowly around the puncture, and fell to the forest floor below. The light owl that had devastated his forces was nowhere to be seen, already back behind the wall. The clear spring water was pockmarked black with dissolving Twilit bodies. Zant felt disgusted as his eyes swept over the carnage, before turning away. “Such a waste of power,” He thought bitterly. “Just my luck to be reincarnated by an impatient fool.” But he could not disobey his new mistress. He owed his life to her, after she made him reborn from the ashes of his previous body. He would fight and die for her, just like he did for his master before. He would follow her command to the very letter. But that did not mean that he liked it.

Zant paused as he felt a slight tug on his consciousness. He was being summoned. Zant sighed, before holding his arms upward in front of him. He built black power in the palms of his hands, feeling the magic surge through his body. With a loud crack, he clapped his hands together, and disappeared in a flash of black cubes. Zant shook off the temporary disorientation from the teleportation, before surveying the place he had appeared in. He was standing in a blank desert, which stretched out on every side. The sun glared down onto the white sand, but with no heat. There were no cacti, or life of any kind here. The dreamscape his mistress chose to meet him this time reflected her mood, and Zant knew she wouldn't be happy. Without anything else to do, Zant stood silently in the shifting sand, unmoving, letting a small breeze shift his long sleeves around his arms.

It took about ten minutes for his mistress to appear. A large mirror flashed into existence before Zant’s eyes, floating a foot above the sand. Its edges were black obsidian, with swirling light blue patterns. The perfectly smooth surface of the glass seemed to shine dull blue for a moment. An image appeared in the glass, swirling a moment before settling. A pair of teal eyes, much larger than Zant’s own, glared out at him from the glass. Not once had Zant seen his mistress' full body, just her pair of cat-like eyes.

“Hello, my little pawn,” A feminine voice came from everywhere at once. “I hope things are going well,” She purred, and Zant felt that she knew exactly how well things were going.

He decided to be honest. “No mistress,” Zant’s said, shaking his head. “The light beasts are losing power, but at this rate they can repel my forces for days at best.” This was not Zant’s only concern, but he did not voice it.

“What is it, my little pawn?” His mistress asked, as if she had read his mind, her voice a sickly sweet blend of fake concern. “Speak freely now.”

Zant did a small bow at the mirror. “Of course mistress.” He took a breath before beginning. “This plan . . . your plan, mistress . . . revolves on luck,” Zant said simply. “All it would take to destroy everything is one light dweller from Hyrule discovering my forces in the forest. If the Vessel of Wisdom came down and allied herself with the light beasts, we would have no chance.” Zant shook his head. “My beasts may be powerful, but a full army of light dwellers would be more than capable of decimating the small forces I can summon, especially with the goddesses' help.” Zant was extremely;y careful to not let a trace of his disdain into his thoughts. His last master, the master he had greatly respected, had been careful. Taking the light beasts by surprise, plunging the light dwellers into Twilight. Defeating the Vessel of Wisdom practically before the battle even began, imprisoning her in her own castle. He had only made one mistake, and that was not taking the real Princess of Twilight into account. That careful style of pre-planning and flawless execution was in stark contrast with the strategies of his new mistress, and her rushing and impatience frustrated Zant to no end.

“I realize these facts,” his mistress said, her voice losing some of its light tone. “But do not concern yourself with those at this time.”

“Yes mistress,” Zant bowed again in submission.

“Now the thing you should really be worried about,” His mistress' voice suddenly whispered into his ears, “Is me.” Zant looked up in surprise.

“You, mistress?” He asked.

“Yes,” her voice was cold as ice. There was a moment of silence, before she spoke slowly, emphasizing every word. “You let the Vessel of Courage, the only one who can stop me, ESCAPE!” She roared, and Zant’s clothes ruffled in a sudden wind. “In his wolf body! Were he in his Ordonian form, the world he is in now would have rejected him, and he would be dead. Instead, you might have ruined everything! All of my planning! Just so you could have your petty revenge!” She ranted angrily.

Zant made sure to guard his next thoughts. "I had him right where I wanted him, but you summoned me away before I could finish. It is your fault", he seethed internally. But to voice this to his mistress would be suicide. She was a magnitude of power above his own, and he would have no chance at survival.

“I apologize, mistress,” He said instead, bowing once more.

He could hear the smile in her next words. “I will have to take care of the Vessel of Courage myself, but in the meantime,” her voice grew a hard edge, mixing with the glee in her tone. “Your punishment.”

Zant screamed.

After what seemed like an eternity of agony, Zant struggled back onto his feet from the sand. He swayed lightly when he settled his weight onto his two feet. His mistress was still looking out from the mirror, an evil glint in her eyes.

“Now, my little pawn, I have a task for you.” Zant couldn’t find the strength to speak, so his mistress continued. “Search any source you can for a way to deal with the light beasts. Find a way around, through them, i don't care. Explore any rumor, tall tale, or myth. Find a way.” With these last words, the mirror and Zant’s mistress’ teal eyes vanished, leaving him alone in the blank desert.

Despite his pain, a small smile found its way onto his face. “Any myth, mistress?” He rasped, his smile growing. “I might have just the thing.”

After introductions, and with Link continuing to struggle to his paws, Fluttershy and Twilight had decided to find a middle ground and help him downstairs so that he wouldn't hurt himself. Getting Link out of bed and downstairs had been easy enough with Twilight helping. When she encased him in her magic at first, he had stiffened and growled, but he eventually let her carry him down the stairs. She had set him on his side on the pink couch in the family room, with his head on the leg rest on the side, letting him see everything, and he seemed to be mostly content for now. Spike had accepted the wolf’s apology, but was still unwilling to get within a few feet of Link, eyeing him warily from the opposite side of the room.

Twilight had teleported a notepad and some quills from her house, and she was sitting in an easy chair across from Link and Fluttershy, taking notes on everything she had learned. Link was letting her scan him with magic once again, with the purple alicorn furiously scribbling everything she noticed or observed with the magic encased quill. “Likes to be petted, like Wiona, see ‘Friend’s pets list number one,’” Twilight wrote down. Fluttershy was sitting on the cushions in the space between Link’s back and front legs, and was slowly running a hoof over the back of his head (with his permission of course), and down into the fluffy scruff on his neck and shoulders. She seemed to be enjoying it, as it had a slightly lethargic effect, especially in her current state. She was leaning her head on his side while she petted him, her eyes drooping more closed every second.

Link seemed to be enjoying it also, having never really been pet before, and was making no move to stop Fluttershy. He instead opted to stare at Twilight with his ice-blue eyes. His tail was thumping softly against the other leg rest of the couch, a soft metronome in the quiet of the room.

Spike poked one of Twilight’s legs with a claw, getting her attention. She looked down at the baby dragon, and the notepad and quill she was levitating ceased moving. “Yeah Spike?” She asked. Spike cast a suspicious glance in Link’s direction. His eyes were met with the cold gaze of the black wolf’s, and he shivered slightly. Looking back up at Twilight, he jerked a claw in the direction of the door, indicating that he didn’t want Link to hear.

“Fluttershy, Spike and I are going to go now; we will be back later, okay?” Twilight said, rising to her hooves. The yellow pegasus’ only response was a light snore, as she buried her head farther into Link’s warm side next to the bandages. The hoof she had been petting Link with had disappeared into the wolf’s mane-like scruff, and didn’t look like it was going to re-appear any time soon. “I have some questions for you, Link, once I get back,” Twilight said, switching her gaze to the wolf. Link nodded in understanding, before closing his eyes in an effective dismissal.

Twilight picked up her saddlebags from next to the chair, and secured them onto her sides with her magic, dropping the pad and quill inside before closing the flap. She trotted over to the door, and opened it with her magic. Spike went out into the bright afternoon sunshine first, with Twilight closing the door behind her as she followed. Twilight was glad to be out of the dark house, and was thankful to see that the wall of animals that had greeted them this morning was nowhere to be seen. A few birds chirped and flew about in the green trees surrounding Fluttershy’s house, diving and swooping around in a playful matter. Twilight felt a smile settle onto her features at the sight as she started back down the path.

Spike opted to walk next to Twilight instead of riding on her back. The afternoon was comfortably warm, and it perked the little dragon’s mood up a bit. “So, let me guess what your plan of action is,” Spike said as they walked down the path. He held up his index finger. “You are going to write to Princess Celestia, asking her to come down to Ponyville to meet Link for herself, to see if she thinks he is a threat.” Spike held up another finger. “You are going to gather all of your friends together and take them to meet Link with Princess Celestia.” He held up another finger. “You are going to cast some sort of spell on Link to see where he came from and how he got here.”

Twilight stumbled a bit in surprise. “Spike, how did you?” She sputtered, looking at her assistant.

Spike sighed. “It’s practically the same thing you do every time something like this happens.” He went back to looking forward.

“Well, the first two, yes,” Twilight admitted. “But not the last one. How did you know that one?”

Spike shrugged. “You are the Element of Magic. Magic is your thing, so it makes sense you would use it.” He stated, as if it was obvious. “Also, you didn’t ask a single question on why he was here or what attacked him. You must've had a plan to figure it out by yourself.”

Twilight was a little bit troubled by the extreme accuracy with which Spike had guessed her thoughts. Was she really becoming that predictable? It was the perfectly logical and reasonable way to approach this situation. “Okay, so you got me,” Twilight said, as they walked side by side back to Ponyville.

Back at Fluttershy’s cottage, Link had drifted off as well. The ache of his wounds and Fluttershy’s gentle massage had lulled him into unconsciousness, giving them both some needed rest. The room was silent and peaceful for a time. This was finally interrupted when a creature walked out of the kitchen into the front room.

It was a mishmash of different animals, with one horse leg and a lizard leg. A bird-like claw held a silver platter filled with sandwiches next to his head, while a lion paw was held behind his back. A black suit covered most of his long, skinny body, with a hole in the back to let out his large red tail. There was a small plume of white hair on the end of the tail, along with a small beard at the end of his long face. A purple bat wing was folded next to a blue feathered one on his back. Two mismatched horns sprouted from above his red and yellow eyes, each with a slight mischievous glint. “Ooh, what do we have here?” Discord, lord of chaos, asked softly, a grin showing the one large tooth that jutted from his upper lip. With a soft snap of his claws, his attire and the platter disappeared as if they had never existed.

Discord floated over to the pair on the couch, his serpent-like body flowing behind his head, as if a liquid. He did a few circles around the sleeping wolf and pegasus above their heads, before landing softy in front of them. Discord’s eyes narrowed and he reached out one claw. He gave the sleeping wolf a single tap on the forehead, gentle enough to not wake him. After a second, there was a bright light that shone from one of the wolf’s paws. Below the manacle and chain, on the back on his left forepaw, were three triangles. Discord gasped in delight as he saw the symbol. Three equilateral triangles making up a larger triangle, with another triangular gap in the middle. They glowed bright gold, shining out of the wolf’s paw and onto his face and the wall. The wolf shifted a bit in his sleep, but did not wake.

Discord gave a quite cackle. “Well, Vessel of Courage, you are going to make things oh so very . . . interesting,” He said, loving the way the final word rolled off of his tongue, an grin forming on his face.

Link gave a loud yawn as he came back into the waking world, his jaw stretch showing his large teeth. The family room of Fluttershy’s house was dark and still. Link yawned again, flicking one of his ears. As he inhaled, a scent unlike anything he had ever smelled assaulted his nose. It was completely . . . chaotic. That was the only way Link could have described the complete jumble of smells. It was as if someone had smashed things together, with no regard for normality or the laws of physics. And it tickled his nose. Unprepared for the sensation, Link sneezed loudly. He then shook his head to get rid of the remains of the smell. The jerk of his body caused a movement on his side. Looking over, he saw Fluttershy rising sleepily, apparently having woken up by the sudden movement. She raised her head off of his side, and blinked a couple more times.

Upon seeing where she was laying, her eyes snapped open. She struggled to all four hooves, glancing about the room, before looking back at Link. “Oh!” She exclaimed. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you!” She said apologetically, partially hiding behind her hair. “I hope I didn’t hurt your side . . .”

Link just blinked at her, before releasing a huff of air, resting his head back onto the leg rest of the couch, and Fluttershy let out a sigh of relief. Fluttershy didn’t speak with animals, per se. To her, breaths of air, or a twitch of the tail or an ear made up their own language, most of the time. It depended on the animal she wanted to speak to; if it wanted to communicate with speech. She was normally able to translate those into Equis, and make actual words or sentences out of them. Link had only said one “word” to her this entire time, his name. He seemed to rely completely on body language and the expression you could see in his eyes, ones that Fluttershy couldn’t translate, but she didn’t need to. Despite his lack of language, even to Fluttershy, he seemed able to convey his meaning clearly with just these signs.

Fluttershy perked up a bit as she remembered something. “Link, have you eaten anything all day?” She asked. The wolf shook his head slightly. Fluttershy gave a small smile. “Well, I’ll be right back, just sit tight.” Still trying to shake off her fatigue, she went into the kitchen. Flutershy looked around, and rummaged through the white cupboards over the counter top. Not seeing what she was looking for, she sighed. She forgot that they were in the basement. She trudged tiredly back into the family room. Going to a door across from the front door, right next to the gap that led into the kitchen, she turned the doorknob with a hoof. A set of worn wooden stairs stretched down into the darkness. Link watched her form go into the darkness, and he shifted on the couch to get into a more comfortable position with his bandages, though no matter how he positioned himself they still ached.

Fluttershy relied on her pegasus eyesight, which was better than a unicorn’s or an earth pony’s, to navigate down the stairs and into the small room at the bottom. Fluttershy’s basement served a dual purpose. It was a convenient place to store all of the things she had no room for up above in her house, with a couple boxes full of small items she had gathered over the years. It was also a food cellar. Bird feed and crates of berries and fruit were stacked in one corner, next to a large metal box. Any supplies she also might need were stored down here, a couple of small bird houses were clustered in one corner, and a few ferret toys in another. Fluttershy made her way over to the metal box, avoiding tripping over the few small items on the floor.

She opened the metal lid with a hoof, and bent her head backward as a swath of cool air brushed cross her muzzle. Twilight had enchanted the inside of the box a while ago, a few months after she had come to Ponyville. It kept the contents cold, preventing it from spoiling. An icebox of sorts, but without the ice. As such, it made it the perfect place for Fluttershy to store her meats - mostly fish. Even though she hated the idea of eating meat, some of her animals, namely Mr. Bear, had a partially carnivorous diet, and she had come to terms with that years ago. She usually took fish which were nearing the end of their lifespan, taken from the river near her home right before they died. The fish were stacked in neat rows in the box, coated in a small amount of magical ice. Fluttershy thought that they looked extremely creepy, with staring black eyes and gaping dead mouths.

Fluttershy gingerly closed her teeth around the tail of one fish, making sure to keep her tongue and lips away from its cold scales. She closed the icebox with a hoof and made her way over to the stairs, the fish swinging slightly in her grip. She trotted back up the stairs and into the darkened living room. Link, having smelled the fish before she had made it upstairs, was staring at the door when she came in. His ears were perked up, and he was looking in her direction, his head lifted off of its resting place. Fluttershy went back into the kitchen, grabbed a white ceramic plate off a stack on the counter, and set the fish onto it. She made a face as she released her teeth off of the fish’s tail. Grabbing the edge of the plate with her mouth she trotted back into the living room. Link had tracked her movement across the rooms, and was still waiting expectantly. She placed the plate down on the floor near the end of the couch his head rested on. When she straightened, Link gently nudged the side of her neck with his nose in thanks, before bending down to the meal.

Fighting down a blush, Fluttershy glanced around. She had a feeling she was forgetting something, but she only remembered when she saw Angel peeking his head into the door through his flap. The small white bunny waited until she saw him, and then ducked back outside. Her chores, that was what she was forgetting. Fluttershy gasped in dismay as she remembered. All of her poor animal friends needed to be fed, talked to, and cared for! Fluttershy said something about being back soon as she rushed out the door. The only sign that Link had heard her was an ear that flicked in the door’s direction, the rest of his head was engrossed in eating.

Fluttershy stumbled back into the room an hour and a half later. It was about 4:00 in the afternoon at this point, and would be evening soon. What energy she had gained from her nap on Link’s side had been expended doing her chores, leaving her almost as tired as before. Link was resting his head once more on the couch, but he looked up when the groggy pegasus entered the room. The fish was gone from the plate, not even bones left. His brows furrowed in concern when he saw the state Fluttershy was in. Her hair was messy, with a few stray hairs poking out of her main and tail. She had pronounced bags until both eyes, and she was standing just inside the doorway, as if unsure what to do.

When she spotted the plate on the ground, she blinked and shook her head. She moved over to the couch in the intent to pick up the plate to clean and put away, but she was interrupted. When she neared the leg rest, Link reached out his head and tapped her barrel with his nose. Fluttershy looked down in confusion, and opened her muzzle to ask a question. She let out a sound of protest as she was firmly pushed towards the couch by Link’s large head. Link made no indication he had heard her, continuing his gentle nudges that Fluttershy had no energy to resist. When she made to get up, she was pushed back onto the cushions, and given a stern and concerned look by the giant wolf.

After a few more attempts to rise, which all failed, she resigned herself to her fate. She rested her head on Link’s side, his body’s warmth making her yawn. After a few minutes, she was fast asleep and breathing deeply, her body resting comfortably on Link’s. ink figured that with all that Fluttershy had done for him, without even knowing him, the least he could do was act as a large pillow for a while longer.

Author's Note

Well, longest chapter yet. Hope you guys like the glimpse of the antagonist! Ooh, spooky. Get ready for a bunch of back story next chapter. As always, remember to read and review. If you find any mistakes, feel free to comment and I'll fix it.

Not So Normal Beginnings Revised

Author's Note

So, here is another chapter, finally. I apologize for the lateness, life happened rather unexpectedly. Anyway, I edited the boss fight from Twilight Princess to make it shorter and the like. If you don't know what happens in that fight, Google it, though I tried to keep the essence of the battle there.

More so with this chapter than the others, this one is still rough draft-ish. If you find any errors in plot, grammar, spelling, or anything else, just leave a comment on it and I will fix it as soon as I can. I will see you guys when I post the next chapter!

Not So Normal Beginnings Revised

Fluttershy’s house was, to say the least, crowded. When Rainbow’s keen eyes had spotted the brewing of a storm over Canterlot, the whole entourage had moved inside. It was good timing too, as light rain had started to spatter against the roof and windows soon after. It now ran in fat drops down the glass, leaving small droplet trails. Fluttershy, with the help from Twilight and Luna, had moved around the furniture in her living room to try and accommodate everyone. Her small end table and her couch had been magically pushed into the kitchen, along with her large cabinet. Mostly everyone now sat on the floor or stood in order to make room.

All of the Night Pegasi, including Dusk, stood near the door in a small clump. Luna was sitting to their left on her haunches, where the beginning of the couch used to rest. To her left in order were Rainbow, Applejack and Rarity, who was unhappily squished into one of the corners, hooves crossed over her chest. Discord had decided to claim most of the stairs as his own, and was now lounging on them like a bed, his form bending down the flight as if he were a liquid. The bag of popcorn was still in his hand as he munched on the kernels absently, a gleam in his eye.

Much to Discord’s amusement, Pinkie Pie sat to his left, across from Applejack. He had found that if he tossed a few pieces of popcorn into the air randomly, the happy pink mare would try to catch them all on her tongue, usually failing miserably as they landed in her mane or on her forehead. Twilight was sitting to Pinkie’s left, her eyes flicking as if she was reading invisible script in the air as she went over the last tweaks on her spell. Spike, who was usually next to her side, actually sat on the stairs with Discord. The chaos entity had, surprisingly, summoned him up a bag of jewels to much on as they shared their collective boredom.

Fluttershy and Link sat next to Twilight, in that order. Link, being bigger than most of the mares in the room, had been given the spot in the entrance to the kitchen, where he sprawled on his side lazily, his blue eyes taking in everything. Fluttershy sat in the alcove his body had made, examining his side that had miraculously healed no more than mere minutes ago. She frowned as she pulled more hair gently out of place, seeing the large scars underneath the fur. Apparently the slashes on his side had healed, but not without a trace. How they had appeared hidden below his fur, she would never know. But that wasn’t what had her worried. Link was covered in scars. Most were small cuts that had never healed right, deep enough to warrant a couple stitches but not much more. Some were deeper, and there was even a mottled patch of skin that looked as if it had been badly burned in the past, about the size of half of head on one side. The sacrs were everywhere under his fur, even up to underneath his neck scruff. As Fluttershy continued her worried examination, Rainbow broke the silence that had been abounding in the crowded room.

“Are we going to do anything?” She moaned theatrically. “Or just sit here and stare at each other?”

“Oh, yeah,” Twilight blushed slightly as her friend broke her concentration. “Sorry, just putting a few finishing touches on the spell. I had to be really, really sure.” “Okay, here is the plan.” Twilight cleared her throat, drawing attention to herself. “I am going to perform a memory spell on Link, one that I have approved with Princess Luna and that I have made sure is perfectly safe." She swallowed lightly. "It will show us where Link came from and what he is doing here. It will be easier than trying to breach the obvious language gap.” This seemed to draw Discord’s attention, as the god lifted his head off of the stair where it was lying disconnected from the rest his body. He smiled and reached over with a hand, sliding his head back onto his neck with a small pop. “Is that okay with you Link?” Twilight asked, turning to the wolf in question. There was a nod from him, and Twilight turned back to the group, more specifically, the Night Pegasi standing near the door. “I assume you will be opting out of the spell?” She asked. All but one of the Night Pegasi nodded stiffly. Dusk for his part, sent a glance over to the Lunar Princess. A wordless conversation passed between them, and Dusk spoke up after looking back at Twilight.

“I will be going, actually,” He said. Luna nodded slightly, as if in approval.

“I will need you to take off your armor, then. The metal and charms embedded into it would interfere with the spell.” Twilight answered.

“Are you sure?” The Night Pegasi looked nervous. “I’m not really comfortable without it on.” The other Night Pegasi nodded.

Twilight gave him a deadpan look anyway. “Would you rather kill everyone involved?” She asked bluntly.

Dusk shook his head quickly. He took off his helmet first, letting his black short mane show on the top of his head. The other Night Pegasi helped him out of his armor, efficiently undoing all of the magical clasps and hooks that held it in place. Within a matter of seconds, the armor was lying in a carefully ordered pile on the floor. Dusk did look unsettled without his armor on. He was used to its constant weight, and without it on he felt light, naked. He folded his bat wings over his sides, holding in a shiver at the feeling when they brushed on his fur. He was a very fit stallion, with lean and toned muscles, that didn’t quite match his young face. Twilight and her friends got their first look of Dusk’s cutie mark. It was of a half-moon shrouded in a black mist, shining a soft white. It actually appeared as if the moon had been broken in pieces, as small white chunks were floating off towards the front of his body.

Twilight nodded. “We should be all set then. I’m going to start the spell.If you lost your vision or feeling for a second, that’s normal. We will be seeing the most important details of Link’s journey here, from a perspective slightly above and behind him most of the time. Any questions?”

“How long will this take?” Spike asked from next to Discord.

“It depends,” Twilight shrugged, looking at the large wolf in question. Link was giving her a look that somehow read ‘longer than you might think.’ He flicked and ear once.

“Yes, let’s begin,” Twilight said, answering the question. “Link would you come stand right here?” She indicated the empty area right in front of her, in the center of the circle. The large wolf padded to the area, sitting back down on his haunches in front of Twilight.

The purple mare’s horn began to glow brightly, and she narrowed her eyes in concentration. The lights in the room began to darken, as Twilight’s magic became more intense, the purple aura waving and dancing. Twilight, her eyes clinched shut, began to lean forward. She touched the tip of her magic to Link’s head, and then there was nothing.

The first thing that Twilight felt was the air. It was hot and swampy, almost shockingly so. She couldn’t feel any of her body, but she could imagine her fur matting up and her tail frizzing in the humidity. All she could see was blackness for a few seconds. Then a solitary shape began to come into focus. It was a few feet in front of her, and below her. The top of the blur reached almost to her sight line it was so tall. If she could estimate, she would only come up to its middle area if she were standing, though she had no exact frame of reference. The blur continued to slowly sharpen, solidifying into the shape of a bipedal creature. It had two long arms on each side, and two legs. Its body was bulgy and bumpy, with a long tail-like shape hanging from the top of its head. Confused, Twilight continued to watch the strange grey blob.

Then with a snap, colors appeared and the creature came into perfect focus. If Twilight had eyelids, she would have blinked in surprise. Like she had seen before, it was a bipedal creature, but now she could see that the numerous bulges were actually clothes. It was garbed in green, loose fitting fabric that hung from its shoulders, with light tan pants. Brown boots were on its feet, reaching up near its knees, and the wind sock-looking hat it wore hung down from its head to the middle of its back. From her position behind it, she could see long pointed ears, with familiar blue earrings. Locks of blond hair fell down onto its shoulders, mostly hidden beneath the strange hat. Its hands had brown gloves that did not reach to the end of his fingers, leaving them bare.

Was this Link? It had to be, it was the focus of the spell. But how had he changed so much? Link, in his new form, at least to Twilight, also held a long sword in his right hand. It was shining from an unseen light source, long and thin. Two curved rams’ horns curved from where they were engraved on the steel. Link had thick forearm guards that were covered in swirls on the outside. Twilight caught a glimpse of chainmail underneath the green tunic, flashing underneath the fabric. An engraved sheath was attached to his back, brown with simple silver patterns. Link had a large wooden shield on his other forearm, held out in front of him. A belt ran around his waist and across his shoulder, the one that held his scabbard in place on his back, along with many other pouches and pockets. He looked ready for battle.

And then the scene came into focus in an instant, and Twilight’s nonexistent eyes widened in fear. The room Link was standing in was large and circular, probably able to fit dozens of ponies inside it, and the ceiling so so far up ahead she could barely make it out. The walls were made out of living wood, covering in jutting vines and plants, even the odd flower. A circular hole in the ceiling let bright light shine in through green foliage high above. The floor looked like the inside of a tree trunk, with many dark rings going towards the center of the room.

The other half of the room, the one Link was facing, was a large swampy area, mostly covered in purple brackish water. And the thing occupying it was a gigantic creature, more horrifying than anything Twilight had ever seen. It was a giant plant. The bulbous mass sat in the center of the water, green and yellow, smelling of puss and rotten meat. Three long necks poked out of the top of the mass of flesh, spiraling high into the air. Huge plant heads sat on the end of the necks. The two on either side were blue, and the gaping mouths were dripping purple saliva. Huge white teeth, each the size of a pony, lined the huge mouths as they were opened hungrily. The third head, the one in the middle, was yellow with streaks of red, its mouth closed. It seemed to be smiling. One word whispered in Twilight’s mind. Diababa.

Link, seeming so small and insignificant compared to the sheer size of the monster in front of him, stared it down fearlessly. Twilight’s view point shifted, and after a moment of swirling vertigo, and she could see his face. It was young, with a sharp chin and sloped cheekbones. The eyes, however, were the same. Younger, less weary, but just as bright. The blue eyes, piercing and fierce, roared back a challenge at the monster.

The heads pulsated and stretched, and there was a gurgling sound, as if the large creature was laughing, a waterfall of saliva dripping from the mouths, splatting thickly onto the floor. Twilight recoiled more, drawing her view point farther away from the plant. One of the large heads reared back, and came speeding towards Link. With a spin and an exhale of breath, Link danced out of the way. The huge head impacted the floor where he had been standing with a tremendous crash, throwing splinters into the air. Link slashed at the creature with his sword, the cut drawing a line of black blood on the side of the head. The other two heads roared in pain so loud the whole room shook, and the head on the floor retracted.

Link once again faced down the three heads as they regarded him once again. Link twirled his sword in his hand, the steel flashing. Diababa took it as a challenge, and the middle mouth opened. To Twilight’s growing horror, a large red and yellow eye held on a thin stalk sat in the center of its gaping maw.

Another head came speeding down towards Link, this time from the other side. Link once again hopped away at the last second, his sword flashing. Diababa was smarter this time, and the head retracted fast as lighting, and Link’s sword thunked into the wooden ground, where it stuck slightly. Link’s eyes widened and he fought to free his weapon, jerking on the hilt. The head from the other side came down again, speed towards Link. Link ripped his sword out of the ground, but it was too late to dodge. He raised the shield, hiding his body behind it as a last resort.

The impact sent him spiraling yards away, tumbling Link through the air. He landed, scraping and rolling harshly on the wood. The large blue head lifted back into the air,and Diababa let out a tremendous roar at its successful strike. Link stood a little unsteadily, shaking his head to clear it. A thick line of red ran down one side of his neck, where a piece of wood had scratched. Link grabbed his now dented shield from where it had landed next to him, facing down again at the creature, steadying his grip on his sword. Another head was getting ready to come down, when there was a loud screech.

Link looked high on one wall for the origin on the noise. A large white monkey was sitting inside a small alcove, jumping up and down while clapping his hands to get Link’s attention. He lifted something black in one hand, and Link perked up a bit. The monkey gripped a thick vine that spanned the room with his hands, the black object being transferred to his agile feet. It jumped and started to slide down the wire, the black object flashing red.

“It’s a bomb!” Twilight realized, seeing the spark from the fuse on the top. Link seemed to come to the same conclusion at about the same time, his eyes widening. Diababa decided to strike again, and tried the same head smash technique as before. Link danced out of the way, doing a sideways roll. He stood, but instead of attacking with his sword, he sheathed it with a ring of steel. He snapped his fingers in front of him, and there was a small flash. Where Link’s hands had been empty, he now held a boomerang. It was large, with blue and gold swirled in beautiful designs all over it. The tips were white and curved, looking like a gust of wind. Link looked upwards, where the white monkey had made it hallway down the wire, and was now starting his journey upwards, the bomb still gripped in its feet.

Link aimed and cocked back his arm, hurling the boomerang in the monkey’s direction in a tight spiral with a shout. Twilight watched, amazed, as a small tornado began to form around the boomerang, swirling with a greenish light. Diababa watched it with his other two heads as the third began its ascent back upwards, confused. The boomerang hit the monkey, but instead of harming it like Twilight had been expecting, the bomb was swept from its grasp. The monkey finished the length of the wire, sliding into another alcove on the other side of the room, disappearing from view.

The boomerang started to curve towards Diababa, who still watched it without moving. The bomb that was held in the tornado began to blink red very rapidly, the fuse almost disappearing into the explosive. The boomerang impacted the left head squarely, the bomb exploding with a large crack and a rising fireball. Diababa roared in pain, the blackened head sinking down towards the water, limp. The eye in the middle head pulsed and grew even more crimson, staring down angrily at Link. The boomerang finished its journey, impacting Link’s hand with a loud smack. It disappeared with another flash of light, and Link reached up and unsheathed his word before him once again, smiling slightly. Twilight twitched as a small giggle could be heard, curiously enough, from Link’s feet.

Diababa’s remaining blue head started to shake madly as the single eye stared down at Link. Its neck grew and grew, still pulsating. A torrent of purple saliva dripped from its jaws, slashing into the water below. Link hesitated, watching warily. The head’s mouth closed, its cheeks beginning to swell. It opened its lips, and a huge stream of purple liquid shot out like a hose, straight for Link. Twilight wanted to gag as the bubbling and steaming liquid rushed towards Link, smelling of putrid rot worse than Diababa itself. Link’s eyes widened, and he turned and dashed towards the other wall. The liquid hissed as it made contact with the floor, steaming slightly. The blue head slowly turned, angling the stream in the running Link’s direction.

Link had touched the opposite wall when the stream started to sputter out. The head opened its mouth fully again, and the last of the liquid splashed onto the floor. It seemed disappointed that its attack hadn’t worked, so it settle for the familiar head smash, sending its head into the floor once again. Link danced away, avoiding the still bubbling wood where the liquid had splashed. There was another screech from above, and Link looked upward. The white monkey was once again on the wire, a bomb held in its feet. With another screech, it started its quick decent. Diababa had apparently learned its lesson, and instead of trying to smash Link, made a fast bite to try and eat the offending monkey. With a nimble flip over the wire, the attack was avoided, the bomb still safe and sound.

Link sheathed his sword once again, snapping to summon his boomerang. In \the blink of an eye, he had aimed and sent the boomerang flying into the air. Again, the tornado swirled around it, shining slightly green. The bomb was plucked from the monkey’s grip, who had started upwards onto the other side of the room. The flashing black sphere flew true, guided by the boomerang. It impacted Diababa’s orange middle head with a loud explosion and another gout of flame. The monster’s roar shook the room, Link stumbling a bit. The blackened head fell forward, hitting the wooden grounds in front of link with a smash. The other blue head fell limply into the water, vanishing from sight.

The red eye was hanging outside of the silent head’s jaws, resting on the floor. Its red iris stared up at Link, its hatred evident. Link walked forward smoothly, his sword twirling in his grip. He stopped in front of the eye, which only reached to the top of his foot. With a sharp motion, Link drove his blade through the eye and into the floor. Twilight’s view jerked in surprise at the brutality. She could only image what Fluttershy was thinking.

Instead of the spurt of blood Twilight was expecting, something completely different happened. The entire creature flashed black in an instant, turning into nothing but a silhouette. Link’s sword was still driven through the small black orb on the floor as he took a step backwards in surprise, looking up at Diababa. With an explosion and a rush of air that made Link cover his face, Diababa disappeared. Small black cubes flew in every direction, before quickly dissolving into the air. The room seemed to brighten, more light streaming in. Link’s sword now stood alone in the center of the room, driven into the wooden floor. Link grabbed it with one hand and pulled it outward. With a small smile and a twirl, he sheathed his sword, attaching his shield on top of it with a snap.

A small black object arched high into the air from the now empty space over the purple water. It spun as it came to rest behind Link, who turned slowly. Twilight curiously inspected the black object. It reached about to Link’s knees floating off of the floor. It was curved and shaped like a piece of clothing, but it was incomplete, as if it had been broken off from something.

Twilight heard another small giggle, still coming from Link’s direction. Then Link’s shadow seemed to stretch and warp, jumping off the ground. The shadow molded in midair, turning into another figure. This one was smaller, maybe only a couple of feet tall. Its limbs were completely black, but its stomach and chest were a more greyish color. Its long hair was glowing orange and yellow, in a large ponytail that floated instead of falling downwards. One side of the small creatures head seemed to be encased in stone, of a similar make of the black thing in front of Link. The one eye that could be seen was yellow with a red iris, which gleamed with mischief. The imp like creature reached out, and tapped the object. With a gut wrenching twist, Twilight was ripped from reality.

Pain, fire, screams. Flashing beasts that tore though the village, blood in their wake. The sky turned black, and all hope had been lost once more. Captured, torn, chained again by a familiar enemy. The eyes of the being he thought had been defeated.

The memory spell for Link was a completely different experience. As soon as Twilight tapped his forehead, time seemed to freeze. Every single pony in the room held their position like stone, and even Angel, who. was frozen mid hop as he came in from the kitchen. Link huffed in confusion, moving away from the frozen purple unicorn. He stood, looking around. He walked in a small circle around the room, looking everyone in the eyes curiously. None of them even registered his existence, staring blankly forward. Link could tell from his hearing and sight that they weren’t even breathing, an unnerving fact.

Link reached out and tapped one of the Night Pegasi with a claw, tilting his head. When nothing happened, he shrugged in his mind. Time spells were familiar to the large wolf, and he decided to make the most of it while he could, even if he had no idea why this was happening.
Making it out the door was a more difficult task. While the Night Pegasi, acting as a barricade, did not move to stop him, he couldn’t move them either, no matter how hard he pushed. Link huffed in annoyance, flicking an ear, his latest attempt at moving Dusk a failure. He settled for crawling over them.

Careful not to use his claws, Link scrambled onto the Night Pegasi, doing a precarious balancing act to make it over to the door. He was perched on top of the last pony’s back, looking at the door in a matter of minutes. Thankfully he discovered it had enough of a gap for him to open the portal and squeeze out. When he made it out onto the porch, he shook himself in relief. Looking outside, he discovered another obstacle. The rain, just like everything else, had frozen in place. The shining droplets hung in midair like a huge curtain, as far as the eye could see. Link craned his neck upwards, and saw that it reached all the way to the clouds. Link touched a drop of frozen water with his nose. He instantly recoiled, as the drop unfroze and slid down his face. Licking it off of his muzzle, Link looked around once more. Everything else was as it had been before, except for a small empty space where that one drop had been. With a heavy sigh, he set off.

Most ponies do not realize that water was one of the greatest substances for magic. It absorbed it easily, and retained it for a long period of time. The only thing required to move magic out of water was to put a small amount of physical force on it, break surface tension, and the magic flows easily. Even in, say, a time spell. For this reason, a very wet and grumpy Link slogged through the rain down the path, leaving an empty tunnel of air behind him. The droplets he touched all unfroze and soaked him almost effectively as the actual rain would have. Link’s fur was matted to his sides as he glared down the path. His plan to go explore the town while time was frozen still stood, but the prospect was much less appealing now that it had been a few minutes ago.

The first buildings had come into sight, and Link finally made his way into the streets of Ponyville. The brightly colored buildings stood on either side, with closed doors and shutters. Light streamed outward from most of the houses, lighting the street with thin lines that stretched across the dirt. Link tried to stick underneath awnings and such as he went, trying to stay as dry as possible. A map began to form in his mind as he continued, weaving his way through the quiet town, as the large wolf memorized its layout. Every now and then, a few ponies stood frozen in the rain, either small fillies or colts splashing in puddles, or a stallion running through the town, his coat turned up to protect his neck.

Link made his gradual way through the entire town. He was about to start his way back to the cottage, deciding that if this wore off and all of the ponies saw him missing it might be bad, when there was a rumble. Link froze, looking around. Everything was silent and still, yet something trembled at the edge of his mind. Sniffing around and perking his ears, Link turned in small circles, trying to locate the reason for his gut feeling. Still finding nothing to his frustration, Link stopped and closed his eyes.

With a slow exhale, Link opened his eyes, but the world had changed. Everything was black, but for a few feet circle around Link. The small circle was tinged a dark green, wavering like it was smoke. Link’s blue eyes blazed as strong as ever in this new world. Link looked around, still sensing nothing. He did a full circle again. He paused and looked over to his left, squinting. A small dot of light pierced the void from that direction, shining right into his eyes. The rumble grew in Link’s mind as he stared at the beam, turning from background noise to a full roar, drowning out any thoughts.

With a snap of pain and a shatter of his thoughts, Link was pulled from reality.

With a gasp and a spike of pain, Twilight came back into the real world. Rubbing her now aching head with a hoof, she looked around. Fluttershy’s room was still the same, and the rain still pattered against the roof. Twilight had fallen backwards, the backlash of her breaking spell sending the back of head painfully into the wall. There were a few groans as the rest of the ponies in the room came back from the spell. The Night Pegasi, except Dusk, watched with curiosity. Link blinked heavily and shook his head, his blue eyes clouded. He looked around, as if confused with where he was.

“Twilight dear, what happened?” Rarity moaned from the opposite wall, rubbing her head with a hoof.

“My head feels like someone hit me with a bunch of hammers,” Rainbow agreed.

“I concur,” Luna said, though she was already shaking off the effects of the broken spell, the fastest of all of them.

“What happened?” Spike asked, unknowingly repeating Rarity. After his question, he looked to his side, and the small dragons eyes lit up at seeing his still full bag of snacks. He popped a sapphire into his mouth, instantly feeling better.

“I don’t know-” Twilight began, but was interrupted by a loud and furious knocking on the door. One of the Night Pegasi turned, looking through the peephole.

“Who is it?” Twilight asked.

“Sir Fact, ma’am,” The guard at the door answered. Twilight tilted her head at the unknown name.

“Oh!” Luna exclaimed, her eyes widening. “Let him in!” She stood. “He’s a good friend, though I don’t know what he is doing here. something must have happened.” She explained to Twilight. With a nod to Luna, the guard opened the door. The Night Pegasi parted to make a tunnel, if small, to let the unknown pony to get into the room. In walked (or rather, squeezed) a tall tan unicorn stallion. His brown mane was plastered to his face, and his fur was dripping from the rain. The glasses that were perched on his nose were fogged, so the stallion’s green eyes looked over the useless spectacles at the room. His cutie mark was that of a ruler and a piece of parchment, though both were oddly shaped.

“Sir Fact!” Luna greeted warmly, a large smile on her face as she greeted the stallion.

“Princess,” He answered, giving a slight bow, before pushing up his glasses on his nose with a hoof. He looked to the rest of the room. “Oh, I apologize!” he said, noting the number of occupants. “I did not realize I was interrupting a gathering,” His eyes alighted first on Discord and then on Link, where they stayed for a moment.

“It’s fine, the error was not yours,” Luna said, waving away his concern with a hoof. “Now, Sir Fact, why have you come? I assume it is for me.”

“Yes Princess,” He responded, his tone growing serious. “The Gates have been breached.” Luna stiffened in surprise, her eyes widening.

“And that is what happened, Twilight,” Luna said absently. She turned back to the tan stallion. “Tell me everything.” The newly introduced ‘Sir Fact’ took one look at him, and bustled all of the ponies, plus Spike, outside.

Link knew he was being left out. Frankly, he really didn’t mind. He could understand his own situation, and it suited him just fine. Link thought it was rude of him to make them stand outside in the rain just because they didn’t want him to hear, but that wasn't his problem. What was his problem, however, was the one occupant left with him. Discord.

The said god of chaos was sitting across from Link, actually being pretty calm for a moment. Link was still reclining in the entrance to the kitchen, with his eyes closed. He could still feel Discord’s eyes burning on his forehead, and he lifted his head with an annoyed huff. “Oh, I apologize,” Discord said, with no trace of sincerity in his tone or face. “But you are just so very intriguing,” A smile stretched across his face. “Vessel of Courage.” Link started, his eyes widening in surprise. “Oh yes,” A small cap appeared on Discord’s head, and a magnifying glass in one claw, which he leveled in Link’s direction. “I know. Much besides that,” He shrugged. “I don’t know.” Doing an impressive slithering motion, the god of chaos wormed his way over the large wolf. Discord lifted his left paw with a hand, tapping it with a finger. A trio of triangles started to glow a soft yellow on the top of his paw, and Link’s eyes narrowed at Discord dangerously. “How do I know about this?” Discord snapped his fingers, and with a small pop, he was back in his sitting position across from Link, the smile still on his face. “A magician never reveals his secrets.” the cap changed to a large and pointy wizards hat.

Link’s intense scrutiny of Discord was interrupted by the ponies emptying back into the room, most of them retaking their positions, and they were all curiously dry. Link chalked it up to magic, as most things had seemed to be that way recently. Luna addressed Link first. “I am sorry to cut our visit short,” She said curtly. “But I must be off. There are matters to attend to. I will let Twilight fill you in. It was nice meeting you, Link.” Link gave a nod, and Luna and her guards vanished out the door. All but one. Curiously, Dusk stayed behind, standing awkwardly near the door as it shut behind his comrades. He swallowed loudly.

“So,” Twilight took up the conversation from the quickly departed Luna. “Link, you will be staying with and around Fluttershy for at least the next little while.” What didn’t go spoken was the because we don’t trust you. Link agreed with another nod regardless. Twilight shifter her gaze. “Measured Fact will be living out of the Ponyville Hotel, under Princess Luna's orders.” The tan stallion yawned loudly from his sitting position on the floor. There were bags under his eyes, and his coat was still dripping. “And lastly, Dusk will be staying with Pinkie Pie, for similar reasons.” After hitting on everyone in the room that needed to have things arranged, Twilight allowed herself a yawn. “Anyway, it’s late. We should all get to bed. If anything is needed, I can call a meeting over here again. Until then, we meet tomorrow at the castle at noon. See you all then.” The other occupants in the room made noises of agreement, each feeling the effects of the long day. Various goodbyes were made, and the room started to empty. Discord was the last out, with a snap of the fingers and a bright white light.

And finally, after hours of madness, Fluttershy’s cottage was finally peaceful, and the silence was welcome for a while, but after several minutes of her and Link not looking at each other Fluttershy began to sweat. She had come upon an interesting predicament. Fluttershy wasn’t normally good at talking with other ponies. Ever since her childhood, except for the brief stint with a certain Iron Will, she had a hard time forcing words out of her mouth. Her animal friends had always been the exception, the outlet for all the words she wanted to say. The day she got her trio of butterfly’s as a cutie mark had been one of the happiest of her life. But . . . Link was an animal, at least in the physical sense. He moved like one, he looked and smelled like one, heck, even had the same body language as a few of her carnivore friends. But mentally, he was as smart as any other pony she knew. His eyes were highly alert, if a bit dulled by the late hour, as they regarded each other across the room. Fluttershy had suddenly found herself at a loss of words after the rest of her friends left.

The uncomfortable silence raged on, with Fluttershy as its only apparent victim. She shuffled her hooves on the ground, looking around everywhere but at Link’s eyes. She had had no problem talking to him before, yet now she couldn’t even put a coherent sentence together without it petering off in her mind. “Do you need anything?” She finally settled with, whispering the last word. She felt her face flush as one eyebrow slowly rose on Link’s face. Link didn’t feel like making the yellow pegasus suffer in the silence any longer, so he let out a large yawn, his teeth flashing. “It has been a long day, hasn’t it?” Fluttershy agreed, talking louder this time. Link gave a nod of agreement, and Fluttershy stood. Link followed suit, stretching a bit with another yawn. Fluttershy giggled at the pose he was striking, his rear end up in the air and his tongue hanging out. The large wolf shook himself briefly, looking to Fluttershy expectantly.

“I do have sleeping arrangements,” She started hesitantly. “Though, they were for when you were still injured, uh . . .” She swallowed. “I can move them around, if you want to, I mean . . .” Link rolled his eyes with a huff, and nudged her shoulder with his. “Well, alright then, if you think that it’s okay,” the mare responded, giving him a grateful look. “It’s just up here,” She said, trotting up the stairs. Link padded after her, leaving the bottom floor empty except for Angel. The white bunny looked around the room after entering through the flap on the door, noting the shift in furniture, before shrugging. The room Link followed Fluttershy into was, surprisingly enough, the same room he had woken up in, just this morning. The bed sheets had been changed, and the room no longer smelt of blood, but everything else was the same. Link noted the mat and blankets laid out of the floor next to the bed.

“Well, I’m sleeping here,” Fluttershy pointed to the before mentioned arrangements on the floor. “And you will have the bed. It was for when you will still injured, but your better now, and I haven’t had time to change them . . . and . . .” Fluttershy trailed off, looked up to Link for his opinion. The large wolf’s eyebrows were drawn together, and he looked at her accusingly. Fluttershy cocked her head to the side. “What? Is something wrong?” She asked hesitantly, not able to decipher his thoughts from his expression alone. Her next sentence was cut off by a squeak as Link’s nose pushed her towards the bed, the wolf’s blue eyes firm. Fluttershy got his meaning, and instantly began to protest.

“I can’t let you sleep on the floor! You are my guest, and should get the bed. I have to be a gracious host,” Fluttershy nodded, trying to project an air of finality. Link regarded her calmly, that one eyebrow hitched up again. Fluttershy reached over and flipped off the magical lights, looking away from the large wolf’s eyes, determined to settle down on the floor before Link could do anything.

With a smooth motion, almost too fast to see, Fluttershy was up in the air, lifted by Link’s nose and head underneath her stomach. With a smooth roll of his body and a fast jerk of his legs, Fluttershy was deposited on the bed in a tangle of limbs. The yellow mare was too shocked to say anything as the large wolf admired his work. Seeming satisfied, Link turned in a few circles on the pad, his tail swishing back and forth, before falling onto it with a huff and another yawn. His back paws were stretched out past the end of the blankets, but he was sleeping on top of them anyway, and didn’t mind.

Fluttershy untangled herself, her cheeks pink. She looked at the wolf on the floor, then climbed under the blankets, getting comfortable. She could barely see the rise and fall of Link’s body from her position. Apparently he was already asleep. Letting out a yawn, Fluttershy let herself succumb to the weariness that had plagued her all day. Link slipped into the darkness, and it seemed almost like only an instant before he was climbing back into wakefulness, his internal clock ringing.

Link had to give this new world some credit. His rise from sleep was the most peaceful he had enjoyed in months. He hadn’t been assaulted by nightmares and bad dreams, a rare and thankful occurrence. Sunlight fell in thin shafts onto Link’s face, and he blinked his eyes drowsily. He yawned and slowly got to his paws, glancing around the room sleepily. Fluttershy was still asleep, the rise and fall of her body the only indication that there was a pony under the lump in the blankets. Having been raised on a ranch all his childhood, Link’s body was accustomed to waking up at the crack of dawn, and the last year hadn’t helped that habit at all.

Link had enough practice with doors to get himself out of the bedroom without waking the yellow mare. Shaking himself to get rid of the rest of the cobwebs in his brain, he silently went downstairs, and outside. Angel, grumpy from being woken up by the large wolf brushing past his position in the main room, glared at his retreating form. Link paid it no mind, deciding to enjoy the morning while he could. The world was peaceful, the green leaves and grass waving in a small breeze. There were the sounds of the animal world awakening, numerous birds swooping and calling in the morning air, though most gave him a wide berth. The colors of the sunrise painted a mirage across the sky, a beautiful spectrum of yellows and reds. It was perfectly captured by the mountains, making it all seem almost like a painting. Link sat down on his haunches, closing his eyes, relishing the feel of the sun and wind on his face.

The large wolf had enjoyed it for only a minute, before he heard the buzzing noise. He frowned, and flicked his ears down in the direction of the path, opening his eyes. He could see a small speck in the distance, the source of the buzz, which was getting closer, fast.

“Scootaloo! What the heck are we doing out here at 6 in the morning!” The whine was in a hushed voice, as Sweetie Belle tried to berate her friend without running the risk of waking her sister upstairs. “It’s way too early to be up!” There were bags under the white filly’s eyes, and her pink and purple mane, which was usually curly, was more of a vicious case of bedhead, stray hairs poking in every direction.

The orange filly smiled nervously, scuffing one foot at the carpet at her friend’s anger. “It’s not that early,” She protested. “Applebloom is just fine,” She pointed out. Said yellow filly looked her normal perky self, with no trace of the weariness displayed by Sweetie Belle as she smiled. She earned another glare from her tired friend.

“She’s raised on a farm, that doesn’t count,” Sweetie mumbled to herself. Shaking her head, she looked back to Scootaloo. “What do you want?” She asked bluntly, brushing a hoof over her eyes.

“Well,” Scootaloo began, “We haven’t used my scooter in a while, I thought you might want to come out and try it again, for old times’ sake,” The end morphed into a half question.

Sweetie Belle had the perfect expression of dull surprise. “That’s what you woke me up for? And we drove to school last week! She said, not believing the audacity of the orange filly. Scootaloo smiled, oblivious. “Fine,” Sweetie Belle sighed, giving in. “Let’s go. At least it’s a Saturday."

“That’s the spirit!” Scootaloo cheered, rushing out the front door, slamming it behind her. Sweetie Belle winced at the loud sound, hoping it hadn’t woken up her older sister. With another sigh, she followed Applebloom into the crisp morning air. The sun was rising just over the mountains, and Sweetie took a second to admire it before turning back to her friends.

The front yard was an obviously well used scooter. There were many nicks and dents in the frame, evidence of many, many crashes. Scootaloo was standing on the scooter now, her front hooves on the handle bars, while her back legs held her up in the position. She was slightly too tall for the thing, having to bend slightly down to reach the handle bars. Two ropes were attached to the back of the scooter, which led in turn to two different skateboards, old things they had purchased years ago. The point was to stand on the skateboard and hold the end of the rope in either the teeth or front hooves, whichever you would prefer. Applebloom was already on hers, the ropes gripped in her hooves. She jerked her head to Sweetie, to motion her over. Sweetie went over to the other side. “Let’s get this over with,” She thought. “Who knows? We might just have a normal ride,” She immediately scoffed.

That would never happen.