What Came Before and Beyond

by Squid-Hoof

Rating: mature
Tags: Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Romance, Fluttershy, Adventure, Discord, Human, Main 6
Length: 229876

An insane avatar of evil plunges Equestria into darkness in the name of revenge.

Hello Mr. Journal, this is the first time I will be writing in your pages, and very likely the last as well. Well, I guess you're not really mine to write in, are you? I hope you're not too angry about it, since I'm not really supposed to write in you. You already have two people that write in you after all.

It's already been five months since he's come here hasn't it? So much has changed, and most of it not for the better. It wasn't at all like the time Twilight moved and settled here, I don't think I can honestly say that I prefer it to be like this compared to how it was before.
Meeting a new friend shouldn't be this painful...

It was very surprising to see Fluttershy open up to him first, the meekest, and the weakest among us. She really is kind, more than I ever thought anypony could be. It gave me hope, Fluttershy that is. That the most timid among us wasn't only the first to stick a hoof out in friendship; but she was also the one that believed with all of who she was, and kept on believing, even when so many other ponies had given up.
She still does, I'm sure of it.

I'm not as strong as her.
I keep thinking how it could've been different.
How if I did something in the beginning, nopony would've had to have been hurt.

I don't want anypony to fight anymore.

To hate each other.

To look into each others eyes and wonder if they're somepony they should hug or pretend to hug.

All of you are my most precious friends. I love all of you, so please stop fighting.

Pinkie please, I won't ask for a promise

Published 2012-04-25 06:14:01 UTC
Last updated 2015-01-01 17:40:17 UTC

1: A Bird in Hand

Chapter 1- A Bird in Hand

It had been a week already since the human had left Ponyville. It had been mostly uneventful, just a birthday party for one of the town's folk thrown by Pinkie Pie, and a quick thundershower organized by Rainbow Dash and her team to get caught up on the rain schedule. The mayor had requested they hold off on any showers for a few days in the summer for the oncoming festivals, and they needed to correct the dry conditions.

The two of them, along with Twilight Sparkle and Rarity, were now sitting around a table in the main room of Twilight's library, each drinking a tall bottle of apple juice from Sweet Apple Acres. They had just finished reorganizing the books after another three day study session by Twilight. The normally neat and organized pony had dug into her reading with reckless abandon, doing her best to figure out just what had shown up in the village last week.

"So you're not still mad with us then Pinkie?" Twilight said, and scrunched up her nose at the thought. Who in the world would WANT to meet a predator? Then again this WAS Pinkie Pie- she worked and thought on a different level then any of her friends.

"Nopers! I was disappointed at first, 'cause I really wanted to throw a party, but then I realized you guys were probably right. So we had that birthday party anyways and I was all okie-dokie!" As she said this she physically bounced around the room, rolling into a cartwheel on the word "probably" bringing her right up into Twilight's face. As much as she was a good friend, Twilight had never gotten fully accustomed to Pinkie's "antics".

Rarity wore a look of mild confusion on her face. After that episode last week with the human, she was still a bit shaky. Her dress orders had started to slow down however, due to it being early fall, and colder weather was on its way, so she had been able to take it easy, get her work done early, and come out to help.

"Sweetie, you mean to tell me that you only really cared because you wanted a party? You didn't actually care about HIM?" she asked incredulously.

"Well of course I wanted a party silly! I'm sure he would have enjoyed it as well, but you girls said he was probably dangerous, so I understand why I couldn’t throw one for him. Well back to Sugar Cube Corner for me! I have a large order of cupcakes to decorate!" She squealed the last few words.

"Don't you mean you have a large order of cupcakes to bake?" Rarity inquired with an arched eyebrow.

"No silly! Baking them would take sooo long! They're going to be picked up in a couple of hours!" She gave a huge smile and bounced out the door in the direction of the bakery.

"Ok how..." Rainbow Dash started to ask, when Twilight shot a hoof in the air in front of her face and interrupted.

"It's better not to ask. I don't think the answer would be any less confusing, do you?"

"Darn, probably not." Dash sighed. After the impromptu thundershower, her work days had been mostly free to go out and work on her flying or help her friends. She still didn't like the idea of something they knew nothing about wandering the forest, and had offered to go out and find this Nathan. She wanted to follow him and make sure he wasn't going to cause them anymore trouble. The others had quickly shot that down. As if suddenly remembering this (she had really been dwelling on it all morning) she launched in again.

"I still don't understand why I couldn't go out and find Nathan. He could come back, or he could be just inside the tree-line, watching and waiting for someone like Scootaloo walk by! Then he could jump out and grab her and eat her!”

"We've already talked about this Dash," Twilight replied, "with him being in the Everfree forest the only way you were going is if AJ came along too. The canopy is thick enough for anything to hide in easily; you wouldn’t be able to react fast enough if something tried to grab you. As it is, she's working on the last applebuck season and doesn't have time to chase down a monster that most likely won't come back." Dash looked begrudging, but accepted the answer. Turning to Rarity, Twilight inquired about their other friend, who was absent at today's little get together.

"I haven't seen Fluttershy in almost a week Rarity, I'm a little concerned for her. The two of you talk regularly enough; do you know what’s going on?" Twilight asked, concern plain on her face and in her voice.

"I'm confounded by it, really." Rarity replied, shaking her head. "She's been so happy lately, and then that human came to town, and she's been upset ever since. You don't think she could possibly be upset with US do you? We were just doing what was best for Ponyville. She must see that right?"

"I'm not sure Rarity. She was awfully upset with the way we handled the situation. I know animals are her thing but... this one was different. It was better that we dealt with him, rather than let her possibly be hurt in her misguided attempt to care for him. He's dangerous. I don't know why, or how, but I just know he is." The three of them shuffled uncomfortably at the thought. Rainbow Dash was the first to break the awkward prolonged silence.

"Well, I'm going to go see her. See what I can do to get her back in the mood. I mean it's been a week. She needs to stop moping. See you later girls!" With that she shot out the door and headed for Fluttershy's cottage.

Rarity took this as a cue the get-together was over. "I must also be getting back to work Twilight. I have one more order to finish tonight." She raised up on her legs and elegantly started to trot away.

"Thanks again for the help Rarity. I appreciate it." Twilight's words tweaked something in Rarity's head and she turned back.

"I almost forgot- your research! What did you discover?"

"Not much I'm afraid. There are a few references to bipedal sentients in my books, but nothing that indicates what they did or where they came from."

"Centipede basements who now?" Rarity asked, clearly confused. Twilight chuckled at the thought of centipedes living in houses and having basements, but shook the idea out of her head and explained to her friend.

"'Bipedal sentient'. A couple fancy words that mean they walk on two legs, and have enough intelligence for true self-determination." She could see though that even this was too complicated for the dress designer. She sighed. "Ok, look, we walk on four legs. That makes us quadrupeds. Also, we can decide things like ‘this dress look better than that one.’ The animals here have a bit of sentience, they can make some ‘decisions’, but mostly because of how close they live to us and the magic that binds us. A non-magical animal goes only off instinct. It’s hungry, so it eats what it can find. It’s cold , so it finds whatever shelter it can. That’s the way things are in the Everfree forest. This is what’s concerning me the most about this human though.” Rarity was starting to grasp what her friend was telling her.

“Ok, I understand roughly what you’re saying- he walks on two legs instead of four, and can make educated decisions like we can, but what’s concerning you so much?”

“Well, he’s not magical. At all. Not only does he not have the ability to use it, he’s also not passively tuned in to magical currents. He’s a very dark spot in a bright sea of light. Despite this however, he has shown self-determination- “sentience”. He can think and act at our level without the magic that permeates us. I shudder to think what would happen if he suddenly became in tuned to our magic. He’s already probably as smart as any of us….” she trailed off letting the thought linger. With a light shudder, having grasped the gravity of Twilight’s words, Rarity turned back to the door.

“Well he’s deep in the forest by now dear, so there’s nothing to worry about I’m sure. Now, if you’ll excuse m-” her last word cut off by Rainbow Dash crashing through the door into her. “Rainbow Dash!! Just what do you think you’re doing!” Rarity cried, nursing a bruised forelimb. Out of breath, Rainbow dash spit out a torrent of exasperated words.

“Not… at cottage… orchard… bakery… sh… wha…. why…. How…”

“Slow down Dash, what’s going on? Who‘s not there? What are you talking about?” Twilight placed her front hooves on Dash’s back, helping her to calm her breathing. Taking a deep breath Dash started over.

“I searched the whole town. Everywhere I could think. The fields, the lake, anywhere our friends were. She’s just not there. By the looks of things at her place she hasn’t been there in a few days… “ Twilight feared where this was going but she had to ask

“Who Rainbow Dash? WHO is not there?”

Finally, the frustration pouring out of her mouth, Dash spit it out. “Who else would it be?! Fluttershy! She’s gone!”

It had been another beautiful morning. After the rainfall the night before, the plants and flowers had perked up, and as all of her animal friends slowly came awake she could see that they were all chipper and ready to start the day. Fluttershy thought to herself it would have been the perfect morning except for what had happened a few days ago. She couldn't shake off her feeling that they had committed a wrong. Being the custodian of the element of kindness, she sought to be kind to anypony she could. Nopony had been very kind to Nathan at all. Yes Applejack had given him an apple, and Pinkie had had a conversation with him, but that was it. Worst of all she couldn't even manage to say anything to him. Another perfect day...

Fluttershy went about her morning chores, cleaning up debris from the storm the night before, feeding and tending to all of the animals in her care, and started to clean her house. She had been a little lax on the cleaning lately; spending too much time dwelling on the encounter a couple days back. She couldn't help it though. If only she could have said something. He didn't seem so bad. Weird maybe... and yes possibly even a predator, but it's not like he had attacked. She had a bear for a friend, and he was a predator. Nathan had barely said anything. And his coat- clothing she corrected herself mentally- was in tatters. She was lost in thought and barely heard Angel come up behind her.

The small white rabbit impatiently tapped his foot waiting for Fluttershy to notice him, she continued her work. Finally, he leaped up, grabbing her pink mane in both paws and hanging right in front of her face. She startled, letting out a little shriek.

"Angel! What are you doing? You st-st-startled me. What is it?" she asked, confused and not just a little nervous. Dropping to the ground he started making little noises, and pantomimed a scene. She repeated back what she was seeing so he knew she was understanding him.

"Walking... talking... looking... Oh you were walking around and talking to other animals and you were looking for something?" Angel nodded. "Ok where did you go? What were you looking for?" Angel continued to play out the scene. “Ok looking… tall… dark… scary. Oh Angel! You didn’t go into the Everfree forest last night during the storm did you? You know you shouldn’t do that. Who knows what could be lurking just inside the tree-line?” Or who… she mentally thought to herself. Angel gave a mocked look of fear, and shook his head and finished up his little act.

“Ok… talking some more… manticore… wait manticores?!” Angel nodded and indicated that he hadn’t actually seen one; he just needed to get a point across. He re-mimed manticore, and gave a nod and thumbs up. “manticores good… no, manticores proper? No that’s not it… wait, manticores belong? Is that it, you’re trying to tell me that manticores belong in the Everfree forest?” Angel nodded. “Well we all knew that silly, of course they do. I hardly see what you’re trying to…” Angel tapped his foot impatiently again, obviously irritated at his pegasus caretaker. “Ok, sorry Angel, finish your story.”

He continued to act out several different creatures that lived in the forest, each time giving the thumbs up. Zecora, a cockatrice and a few others cropped up. “Ok I get it Angel, those are mostly monsters, except for Zecora, and belong in the Everfree forest. What’s your point?” At this, Angel got up on two hind legs, and started miming somepony walking around on them. “Two legs… like… like a human? Like Nathan? Is it Nathan?!” Angel nodded, then his expression turned serious and gave a big thumbs down shaking his head. “So you asked all the animals in the forest about the human and they said he didn’t belong there and should have never been there in the first place?! Angel tell me that’s not what you’re saying!”

The little rabbit looked up at Fluttershy sheepishly and gave a half shrug. That’s exactly what he was saying, and she knew it. Oh stars had they made a mistake! A huge mistake. Who knows what could happened to him. Was he ok in there? Did he know how to survive, did he have any food, or protection? Last she saw him he had tattered clothes and an apple. Not much else. Could he have even survived in there? She had to know.

“Angel, I need to go in there and find him!” Angel tried to act out the other ponies but Fluttershy shook her head. “No Angel, nopony else is going to come. They would just try to talk me out of it, or worse, stop me. This is something I need to do. I need to be brave.” Hearing the word brave come out of Fluttershy’s mouth made Angel break into hysterics. He started rolling around on the floor, fists pounding on the floor, and tears leaking out of his eyes. “I am too going to be brave!” she said interpreting what he was laughing about accurately. “Angel, I’m gathering up some supplies. I need you to be in charge of feeding the other animals for a bit, in case this takes me longer than I expect it to. You are not to mention a WORD of this to the others. Promise me! Or I‘ll give you ‘the stare‘!” Angel looked distressed, but ultimately nodded his head. She would be back before long, too scared to go further than a few steps into the forest anyways. Nothing to be concerned about. Fluttershy finished packing supplies, slipped on her saddlebags, and flew out over the forest looking for… looking for anything.

“She’s totally gone guys! I just went there to find her and she wasn’t at her place! It looks like Angel was in charge of feeding the animals and tending to the cleanliness. ANGEL of all creatures. She’s gone!” Rainbow Dash was still heaving for breath and the drool of her panting and her sweat was starting to pool on the floor of the library. She could barely look up as Spike wandered down the stairs. The baby dragon looked down at the scene of Rarity and Rainbow Dash piled up in the corner, and Twilight with her hooves on Dash’s back, and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

“What’s going on down here guys? I could sleep through all the organizing and cleaning earlier, but I heard a crash and woke up. What’s the problem with you Dash?”

“Fluttershy is gone! She’s been gone for days by the looks of things. No notes, no sign of where she went, just gone!” Dash sputtered. Spike’s eyes went wide at the revelation, quickly jumping down to the pile of ponies.

“What? Really?! We should tell somepony, we need to get help! We need to find her!” He ran over to where Rarity was lying “Can I help you up Rarity? Do you need a claw?” Spike was obviously still head over heels for the majestic unicorn, and sprung to her side.

“I’m fine, thank-you Spike. I can handle myself.” Rarity said, rising up again. “But yes, we should get to the bottom of this post-haste, I am concerned for Fluttershy. Where could she have gone? Why…” and then as if a light bulb had gone off, she let out a gasp. “You don’t think she could have gone to the forest? To look for that human do you? Oh no! We need to find Angel right away and get to the bottom of this.” With that, three ponies and a dragon all barreled out the door, running as fast as their legs could carry them, Spike leaping on to Twilight’s back.

Nathan had been walking for a couple days now. After the rude reception in Ponyville he wasn’t about to head back there any time soon. He understood their trepidation of course. It’s not like he was from there, or anywhere else around here it seemed, and they did seem legitimately scared of him. It hurt him to see that, being the object of terror for such small creatures, but he couldn’t help who he was, and to them he posed a very plausible threat. He had taken a tumble down a long hill, his jacket taking most of the abuse on the way down. What was left of it was torn apart by the rocks and branches as he tumbled past. Without it he just has a ripped t-shirt to cover his upper body. At the end of the fall, he had knocked his head on a stump, passing out for a bit. Not long, he estimated based on what little of the sun he could see through the tree-tops. When he awoke, he didn’t see any talking ponies, or any other animals for that matter. He hoped to himself that it had just been a dream, and this time waking up he was back where ponies didn’t talk, or fly, or have glowing horns. However, he still couldn’t remember many details of how he got there. He from his surroundings, there was little ascertaining where he might be, so he kept walking. Now, two days later, nightfall was setting in.

He had found an uprooted tree that made a decent tent the first night, its long full branches drooping down at angles to simulate the sides of said tent, and when a storm set in on the second night, he had the good luck to find a cave to hole up in. There was a family of raccoons in there too, but their fear subsided after a bit and they didn’t seem to mind him being there sleeping in the entrance for them. When he had awoken that morning he notices a couple had even curled up next to him. That is… bizarre he thought to himself. While he did enjoy the company of animals, wild animals shouldn’t want to be anywhere near a person. Especially one they had never seen before. What is up with this forest, and why are the animals here so weird?

That was hours ago though. His stiff boots had finally given out after two days of hiking and he had stopped to scavenge what he could from them. He walked a bit in only his socks, but within another hour they also had worn away to a point they weren’t doing anything for him. Now walking barefoot, his progress was significantly slowed. He had been lucky enough to find some wild raspberries growing near the cave, and had greedily stuffed his mouth to fullness. The sugar and fiber gave him a much needed energy boost, and the storm had given him the opportunity to stand out with his mouth open and drink up. Normally he would have built a fire, but so far he couldn’t find any flint.

With twilight hours approaching he started in earnest to find a new shelter. He had done well in using the position of the sun to track the direction of his movement, trying to keep his heading to the east. The thick canopy made it difficult to always follow the sun though, so the true direction of his progress wasn’t clear. He saw a clearing ahead, and hoped that another cave or knocked over tree was nearby. Just as he turned towards the patch of open forest, he heard a growl and a shriek.

Setting off from her cottage, Fluttershy had flown low over the forest for the better part of the day. She wasn’t nearly as fast or agile as Rainbow Dash, but her little wings could carry her for long distances as long as she didn’t push herself too hard. As it was she was getting worried she wasn’t going fast enough. There was a lot of forest to cover, and could only roughly estimate how fast a human would walk through it based on what she saw when Nathan left. She didn’t have any major fears flying over the forest, but actually going down into it would be another matter. This was already the furthest from her cottage she had been without the others. That alone was putting the edge of fear into her. Looking down through the canopy she saw some animals gathered around a small pond. Gulping hard, she consciously reminded herself she was doing the right thing, that she was brave, and had to face her fears. Slowly descending through the canopy, she lightly set herself down a few paces from the gathered animals. Clearing her throat, she pitched her inquiry at a volume just above a whisper.

“Excuse m-me. S-sorry to interrupt. I was w-wondering if one of you might be able to help me. You see…” As she spoke, the assembled creatures instantly darted for the woods. These animals didn’t live amongst ponies, and thus were shocked when somepony started to speak to them. “No wait! I need your help! Please.” Defeated, she padded over to the pond for a drink and started to cry a bit, a long slow tear rolling down her cheek. Seeing the distraught pony, a few of the less timid animals came back out. One of them, a squirrel, looked up into her eyes.

“Oh… hi.” She sniffed. “I’m sorry I’m crying. I was looking for somepony and I have no idea where they could be. Have you seen anypony strange today?” The squirrel sadly shook its head. “It’s ok, I’ll just keep looking. Thank you for coming back to talk to me.” She managed a weak smile. However, just as she was about to give up and take off again, a raccoon wandered up, it’s fat rump swaying back and forth with its waddle. He tapped her shin and looked at her. He looked very thoughtful for a moment, and then started miming a two-legged animal not unlike Angel did.

“Yes! Yes that’s exactly who I was looking for! Have you seen him?” Excitement had taken over her complexion now, the last tear wiped away. The raccoon motioned towards the direction of the cave he had shared with the strange creature the night before, then pointed in a direction roughly indicating the direction Nathan had walked. Fluttershy lifted the raccoon up and gave him a hug. “Oh, thank you so much Mr. Raccoon! You’ve been the best of help.” With that she took off again. She was getting somewhere!

Nathan came closer to the edge of the clearing. Carefully treading closer he could hear the growling and the shrieking getting louder. Stooping low, using the foliage to cover his movement as best he could, he took size of what he was seeing. “Dammit, and here I thought everything was going back to normal.” he muttered to himself under his breath. “If I don’t do anything and this isn’t just a bad dream… dammit dammit dammit.” He contemplated his options for a moment, then made his decision, and kept talking to himself to reinforce it.

“Well, I need to get my good deed badge for the day right?” He pulled something out of his belt. “What the hell am I doing?! FUUUUUUU-----”

Fluttershy had continued flying in the direction the raccoon had offered her. Even if he was lying, but she was sure he wasn’t! It was as good a direction as any, but so far she hadn’t had any additional luck. The light’s rays were starting to disappear over the mountains to the west. Luna had begun to bring out the night, and it was going to be dark soon. Too far in to fly back now, Fluttershy made the decision to set down and camp the night. She had brought a modest little tent and enough supplies to make a fire and eat, but she had honestly not expected to need to spend the night out here. More so, she was surprised at herself for not just turning back as soon as Ponyville was out of sight. Even the parapets of Canterlot were obscured by the mountain mists at this point. Seeing a clearing a little ways ahead, she came down and surveyed her surroundings. It wasn’t a large clearing, some fifty feet across, with a babbling brook running along one side. Enough moonlight was scattered across the grounds that she could easily make the dimensions and features. Besides the brook, there was a large log having begun to decay into the ground already, and a couple small hills. The ground was covered in grass, foliage and a few wildflowers. They weren’t of the kinds she kept in her garden, but they were still very pretty.

She had just started to set up her tent when she heard a low growl nearby. With a small scream she dropped the poles she had been holding in her mouth and leapt into the rotting log. The feel of desiccated wood mush on her hooves and coat was almost unbearable, but the low growl began getting louder. Shrinking into a ball as small as she could she waited to see what would happen. Outside the log she could hear the growling growing in intensity, followed by something sniffing the air. As the sniffing continued she slowly crept backwards through the log. Whatever it was, it could have her tent and supplies, she just wanted it to leave. The sounds all stopped, and she relaxed a bit. Whatever it was it had probably left. She slowly made her way down to the opposite end of the log, watching the end she had come it for any sign. Seeing none, she carefully turned herself around, and prepared to fly out the end.

Not seeing anything, she took a couple timid steps out the end of the log, spread her wings and...

“AHHHHHHH!!!!” She shrieked. A hot pain surged through her back. She leapt to the side, still flittering in pain. The growls had returned, and not just growls but roars. She turned to face the most aggressive bear she’d ever seen. Its mouth frothed, blood dripped from it claws, muscles and sinews rippled with raw strength, teeth glistened in the freshly growing moonlight. Sparing a glance at her back she looked with horror as one of her wings lay limp at a wrong angle, broken and unusable. She was grounded. She backed up slowly away from the bear.

“N-n-n-nice b-b-bear. G-g-g-good b-bear. You don’t w-w-want to e-e-eat me. I know you don’t. I have a friend who’s a bear. You guys aren’t so b-b-bad.” She squeaked out, barely audible over the growling. The pain in her wing was excruciating. The bear glanced at her for a moment, slight confusion in his eyes, and then the look of malice returned. He was hungry, and he had found his next meal. The enormous bear reared back on its hind paws, standing fully over five times the height of the terrified pegasus. With a terrible roar he came back down, causing the ground around him to shake. Fluttershy fell over, caught by surprise at the sheer ferocity of the beast. She did her best to scramble to her hooves, and to start running. Her broken wing bobbing at her side slowed her considerably, every stride sending waves of pain shooting through her. She ran towards the edge of the clearing, but the bear and his powerful legs were just too fast for her. He closed the distance between them quickly, and with a growl swiped at her rear leg. Hearing the satisfying sound of the pony squealing in pain and the snap of another broken bone the bear stood back to admire his work.

Fluttershy was lying in a heap, crying. Her broken wing splaying out uselessly across the clearing’s floor, while her left rear leg was jarred out at an angle that suggested a complete break. She screamed in terror. This is how she was going to die. Maimed and eaten by one of the animals that she cared for. She laid her head down, sobbing. As terrified as she was, there was nopony coming for her. This was it. The Elements of Harmony would be reduced to five, and none of them would know where she ever went, or what became of her. The bear closed in. She weakly looked up at the bear and a whisper escaped her mouth.

“… P-please just make it fast.” The bear reared up again, its paw raised to make the final killing blow. She closed her eyes and braced herself for the last moment of life. Before the bear could come back down though, he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Suddenly, something bit into his shoulder. Hard.

“------ck me!!” Nathan leapt from the bushes, brandishing a knife. It sunk deep into the flesh of the bear. It roared in protest, feeling the blade cut through muscle and fat. Spinning around, the bear threw his assailant away, causing him to tumble over a few feet away. Falling down into a roll, Nathan came to his feet and pulled out a second crude knife. Though he was larger than the ponies, he noted the bears here still looked about the same size as those he had seen before. For a moment he deeply regretted his decision to jump in, but it was too late to change his mind. He noted with satisfaction his first knife blow had put a solid gash in the bear’s shoulder, and it was having issues keeping it operating. Probably severed a few tendons or nerves. Seeing the bear preparing to go on the offensive, he steeled himself.

“Now, listen here, bear,” he said as loudly and bravely as he could, “I’m giving you a choice. You can walk away and leave us both alone and I won’t attack you again. However, if you try to kill that pony again I will have to intervene.” Twirling one of the knives in his hand for emphasis, he rebalanced himself. The bear was confused. This creature was not only harming him, but threatening to do it again? It couldn’t comprehend what it was seeing. However, it wasn’t going to let this animal get the best of him. Gripping all four claws into the soft earth it charged. “Well, so much for intimidation.” Nathan said and braced himself for the attack. A wall of teeth and claws bore down on him, foam and froth flying to the sides. At the last moment Nathan stepped to the side, holding out both knives, cutting lines down the left side of the bear. The shock of the sudden pain caused the bear to crash out of control into one of the loamy hills. It was back on its feet before long though.

Taking a moment to plan its next action, the bear hunched down. Suddenly, using the extra momentum of its bent legs, it sprung forward into a dead rush. Nathan tried to sidestep again, but the bear was ready. He came to an unnaturally abrupt stop and brought down a heavy paw. The stunned human had little time to duck to the side, and paid for it with a gash on his arm. It was a light wound, but enough that he dropped one of his knives. The bear was learning too fast. He wouldn’t be able to keep this up. He could hear the light sobbing of the yellow pony though, and he couldn’t let the bear kill her. Not if he was still alive.

“Alright you damn brute, I’ll give you one last warning. Get out of here. If you don’t leave I will be forced to end you.” The bear just plodded forward. “Fine. You want me? Come and get me.”

The bear stalked forward, malice and hate in its eyes. It didn’t even want the meal anymore. It just wanted whatever this… this THING was to die. It was going to die by its paws. Nathan just stood there, hunched over, grasping the ground looking for his other knife when he found what he was looking for. The bear closed in, slowly at first, but finally started running again. It was so focused on its prey that it failed to notice the rock spiral out of the human’s hand and right into its eye. It roared in pain as it brought up claws to protect its face from further assault, but its momentum was already carrying it towards Nathan, who was waiting for an opening just like this. Raising his remaining knife in both hands, he held it firm as the bear slid into it. The hot pain of the blade ended as soon as it started though, as it sunk into its heart. It crashed forward on top of the human. It gave a couple more heaves and then laid still. Nathan couldn’t have been sure, but he swore the last thing he saw on the bear’s mouth was… a smile?

Shaking the thought out of his head he used what strength he had left to push the carcass of the bear off his body. He got up and surveyed what he saw. He had three evenly spaced cuts running the length of his forearm, and various cuts and bruises, but overall he was ok. The claw marks would likely scar though. He was broken out of his concentration when he heard sobbing coming from the yellow body at the side of the clearing. Running over he checked Fluttershy over. She had a couple vicious fractures that needed to be cared for, especially the angle of that leg, but he felt that she would likely live with the attendance of a doctor. However, he had no idea where the closest one was. As he bent down to try and help her she did her best to shrink away.

“Y-y-y-y-y-you killed it, didn’t you?” she whispered at first.

“I’m sorry what…”

“YOU KILLED IT!! DIDN’T YOU?!” She shrieked. “They were right you ARE A MONSTER. YOU KILLED IT. YOU KILLED IT.” she shrieked over and over. Finally the stress and pain got the better of you and with a final “.. YOU Killed… it” she passed out.

“I thought for sure that that bear would handle it!” a frightened voice echoed in the dimly lit chamber. The castle they were in was many centuries old, forgotten by almost everybody, and time itself. Its foundations were laid long before Canterlot was a twinkle in the eye of an architect. Many years of disuse had led to many parts of it crumbling and decaying. Two bodies stood near a cauldron full of potions and magical reagents too numerous to count. Many more ingredients lined the shelves, a fraction of the resources that they had available to them. Damp ooze lined the cracks where the mortar had long ago crumbled away in the cracks. A few torches marked the few usable rooms left in the castle. The other being in the room sighed and rolled his eyes.

“Trixie, you promised me that you could kill one of the Elements! It was the perfect opportunity. Her friends were nowhere to be seen. What went wrong? I think I’m starting to get angry with you.” The blue mare shuddered in the corner. She had been wandering around trying to figure out what had gone wrong after the magic show in Ponyville when she was confronted by a powerful being. He never revealed who he was to her, always staying in the shadows… no, not just staying in the shadows, the shadows actually followed him, and conformed to his body. She had never seen more than a single clawed hand, only knowing the voice well. Now this voice was angry, and she balked at what he could do to her. “You had better give me something good, or…” he paused for emphasis and pointed one sickly claw towards the cauldron. “… or I’m going to be having unicorn soup for dinner. I’ve had it before and I will again. It’s delicious with a side of spider legs.” She suddenly shrieked.

“I-I-I didn’t say I COULD kill her, I said I might be able to. The great and po…. I mean, I, have been doing my best to assist you. I don’t have much of a choice do I? You’ve been keeping me here for two months.”

“Trixie, Trixie, Trixie, I am losing my patience here. I showed you the spells; I even made sure there would be a bear there at the right time. What went wrong? What could have possibly come between you and ending that miserable pony’s life?” His claw grasped around her throat lifting her as high as his face. She struggled to breathe.

“Hnnkkk… there was… another there. I’ve never seen something like them before. Hnnnk…”

“Oh, and WHAT was it pray tell?” he replied in a mocking voice. “A squirrel, a giraffe? Maybe her pet rabbit?!!!!” He shrieked the last part.

“No, I’ve never seen it before. It walked on two legs and no fur…” life was beginning to slip out of her, and her eyeballs rolled back in her head. His eyes shot wide at the mention of this. Dropping the pony to the ground, he began musing in his head. Trixie began to greedily suck up the air, feeling the colour return to her cheeks.

“Two legs you said? It had two legs? Tell me again that’s what you saw in the cauldron!”

“Yes master, that’s what I saw. Two legs, no fur, about two of me tall.” She looked up at into the shadows, confused at this turn of events. “Why, what does it mean?” Her confusion only grew when a chuckle escaped from the concealed figure. The chuckle grew into giggle and a full on belly laugh.

“Oh Trixie! This is perfect! Even better than the bear! I’ll be able to deal with all of them! All six! Them and that pair of princesses they hold so dear. Absolutely perfect!” Regaining her composure, Trixie let a small smile return to her face.

“So you’re not angry with me anymore? Everything’s ok? You‘re not going to eat me?”

“Oh Trixie! Everything is better than okay! This is fantastic news!” he then let the serious tone to his voice return “But I’m afraid your employment is at its end. I no longer am in need of your services. Oh don’t worry though, I’m not going to eat you.” He finally let the shadows fall away from his face. “But I’m afraid you won’t be leaving here. Ever.” The grotesque visage of his face fully revealed, Trixie shrank back in horror. The last thing she could say, before becoming fully encased in stone came out as a horrified whisper.

“No… Not you… It couldn’t be…” The figure returned to his shroud, a grin playing across his face.

“Yes Trixie. It could be, and it is.” He picked up his new pony statue and put it down in the main hall with the others he had collected so far. For once, things were going to start going his way, and he liked it.

The campfire crackled under the night sky. Nathan had since done what he could to conceal the body of the bear. It was still visible under the blanket of branches he had put over it, but it was better than nothing he reasoned. Fluttershy started to stir. She kept her eyes closed and pretended to still be asleep while she formulated a plan. Her wing and leg were still broken. What was she supposed to do just lay th....

"I know you're awake. You can cut the act." the human's voice startled her. She slowly opened her eyes and let them adjust to the light of the campfire. She finally looked over at Nathan.

"H-how did you know?"

"You whimpered in your sleep. When you woke up, you shifted a bit, kept completely still and stopped making noise entirely."

She took in the clearing now, transformed from a couple hours ago. It was obvious that the human had gone through her saddlebags. The tent was fully set up around her, and her food and water supplies were lined up just outside of it, save for one half drunken bottle of water sitting next to Nathan. She glanced over towards the half-buried carcass of the bear and shuddered, remembering the violence. Her wing and leg had been snapped back into their correct alignments while she was sleeping and she could feel the poultice she brought to help injured animals working in the wounds. The pain threatened to make her faint again but she gritted her teeth and focused on staying conscious. They had been splinted and bandaged with some cloth she didn't recognize. That was most of her supplies consumed, she thought to herself. Nathan was eating something. Based on the faces that the human was making she reasoned that whatever it was wasn't very tasty, but he forced himself to keep eating it anyways. After a long silence she asked the question she was dreading.

"Why?"

"The bear?" he asked, to which she nodded. He sat in contemplation for a bit, then twisted his face and launched into a practiced defense he had been considering for the last hour. "I gave it the chance to walk away. I really did. It didn't listen. I didn't want to kill it, but it gave me no choice. It was him or you. I chose you. If that makes me a monster..." he dropped the defensive attitude and let his eyes fall to the ground. "... Then I'm sorry. I just couldn't let it kill you." She hadn't considered the fact yet that he had saved her life, and here she was calling him a monster. Quietly she replied

"I'm sorry. I was in shock and I've seen anypony kill something before. I do appreciate what you did for me. I don't really think you're a monster. Just give me time to think." Nathan nodded and resumed gnawing on whatever he was eating. Fluttershy finally gave herself some to look over her protector. He had lost much of his belongings since she had last seen him. He was now bare from the waist up, and bare-foot, the last vestige of clothing was some pants, and a pair of gloves lain by his side. The pants didn't have much life left in them by the look of things. His body was covered in cuts and bruises, her eyes widened and she gasped at the three streaks down his arm. Seeing her concern he spoke up.

"I had to use the entire poultice on your wounds, and you had in much more need of it than me. I set your limbs as best I could while you were asleep. Sorry for touching you without asking, but it would have been painful if I had waited until you were awake. The bandages are whats left if my shirt and my knives both broke trying to get everything set up." She blushed a little at the thought of somepony handling her in her sleep.

"But your arms- they could get infected!"

"And you might never be able to fly or walk properly again if I didn't treat those breaks! I assume you fly?" he yelled back. She nodded, cursing herself for again questioning someone who just wanted to help her. Motioning over to the small pile of broken metal she asked.

"Where did you get those knives though? Did you have them the whole time?"

"No, steel shanks out of my boots. That's why they wore down so fast- just roughly sharpened strips of metal. Garbage now. My arm will be fine. I just need to get some food in me and some rest and we'll head out tomorrow morning. I made a carrier of sorts to drag you back, but it's probably going to be slow going. Three days based on how long it took me to get here. I'll get you back though. I’m sorry again for what you saw."

“Just what are you eating anyways?" she inquired. "It doesn't seem like you enjoy it very much."

"No, it's very strong and gamey. Nothing to season or break it down with. I need the proteins though."

"I'm sorry, what is it?"

Nathan contemplated how to answer the question. If he was going to earn her trust he was going to have to be honest.

"I uh... cut a strip off the bear and cooked it." Fluttershy went white as a ghost, her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she passed out again.

"Is this going to be a habit?" Nathan asked to nobody in particular. He looked over the pegasus sleeping away. She was being a little ridiculous he reasoned, but then she was just holding to what she knew. She was quite graceful though, and had seemed grateful. With a sigh he took one last unsatisfied bite and threw the rest of it in the fire. "Bah... stupid bear meat tastes like ass anyways."

2: Life's Just not Mare

Chapter 2- Life’s Just Not Mare

Fluttershy awoke, feeling herself sliding along the ground. She was tied to a spit, her legs wrapped around it and bound together on the opposite side. She opened her eyes to see Nathan dragging her along the ground, a wild look in his eyes. Everything around her was still dark, Except for the campfire which had been built-up to a bonfire lined with a-frames. They were still in the clearing. Fear clutched her chest.

"W-where are you taking me?" she demanded.

"The bear meat wasn't very good. But I'm sure Pegasus meat is delicious! I've made a fire just over here. I hope you don't mind..." As he fully turned to face Fluttershy, only now could she see the colour of his eyes: a deep blood-red that seemed to swirl in the light of the fire. His teeth were sharpened to points, and the nails on his fingers curled around into crooked claws. She screamed in terror.

"What? No, you can't! You couldn't!"

"Good-bye Fluttershy. It will be nice having a last meal with you." Nathan licked his lips and twisted is mouth into a devious snarl. With that, he hurled her up on the a-frames and started slowly turning the spit. The flames licked at her body, and she could feel her flesh heating up.

"No!!! Help!!!!" she screamed, her eyes wide with terror. "Noooooo..!"

"Noooooo!" Fluttershy screamed as she awoke. Nathan, startled by the scream, dropped the frame he was carrying her on. Quickly stooping to grab it before it could hit the ground, he could see the surprised look in her eyes.

"Are you alright? Did I jostle you?" Nathan inquired after a moment of silence and readjusting his load.

"N-no, just, ah, just a bad dream." she sheepishly said, her head burrowed in her side, trying to not make eye contact. She did catch his eye colour though- relieved it was actually a deep brown. Overall she was fine. She still harbored the fear she would end up a meal yet, but she quietly reasoned that the human had been given ample opportunity to kill her, and hadn't done so. He was even dragging her back to Ponyville. Maybe he wasn't that bad. Her leg and wing sure hurt though.

The sun was just peeking through the canopy of trees, and she could see the human had managed to get her saddlebags and gear wrapped around one of his arms. He was dragging her along, and, as predicted, it was a slow pace.

Nathan had cut off most of his pants and used them to rig up the frame and strap it to his other arm over his shoulder. His back glistened with sweat, and she could see his muscles straining a bit under her weight. She wasn’t very heavy, as a pegasus, but the thick forest offered enough resistance that the human had to work to keep the 'sled' in motion.

"I-I'm sorry to bother," she broke the silence, "but how long have we been walking for?" Nathan turned to look at her, glad for the reprieve from the monotonous silence.

"About an hour, I'd wager. Hard to tell based on the sun. Canopy’s too thick."

"Oh, ok." she whispered in reply. The fear surrounding her was palpable, but she didn't have much choice but to let her new acquaintance drag her along. Nathan walked in silence for another ten minutes, and then turned back to face the pony again.

"Why were you so far out here?" The question caught her off guard. She knew the answer, of course, but after the events of the evening before, she wasn't sure how Nathan would feel about it. Finally, she summoned up the most calm, even voice she could command and replied to him.

"I-I-I was looking for you, actually. I just thought my friends had been hasty in dealing with you, and weren't being fair. I mean, mostly not fair. I mean, you don’t mind I was looking for you right? Then there was that bear and..." she trailed off in an attempt to not offend her savior. Nathan mused over this information and gave a weak smile.

"Well that was kind of you. You probably shouldn't have, but I appreciate it all the same. And your friends weren't necessarily wrong to be wary of me. They didn't know me, and by the looks of things you guys haven't even seen a human before. Which confirms what I'm starting to suspect: assuming I'm not dreaming or on some massive amount of drugs, I'm not where I'm supposed to be." With that, he let out a long sigh, expelling the frustration and letting a calm smile play across his face again. Fluttershy was still confused by that word he used. 'Drugs'. She made a note that if she lived through this experience, she would ask more about it. In the meantime though there was another word she was confused about.

"So, when you... attacked... that bear, you used a word that confused me. I'd never heard it. Ka-me? Was that it?" Hearing her try and reason out what he had said, Nathan started to blush.

"Well, that is to say, um... it's not a word for ladies."

"Oh... well ok. If you say so. So… um… as long as we’re walking anyways did you want to tell me? About yourself? If you know, you feel like it?”

"Not much to talk about really. I‘m an average human in most respects. Grew up getting into trouble, screwing around, spent weeks in the bush on various camping trips. Scouts and the like. Would have been a lot harder to build a frame like the one you’re lying on without it. Went to school. Found a career. The usual for a human. Miss…?" Fluttershy shot another look of confusion his way.

"O-o-of course you know my name! You were calling me by it...." she suddenly cut herself short. It had only been a bad dream she had had. "I-I mean, Fluttershy. My name is Fluttershy. F-for someone who thinks they’re average, you seem so brave, saving me from that bear. Would all humans have done that?" Her words came out quickly at a little above a squeak. Nathan raised an eyebrow at the diminutive Pegasus. Letting the obvious question slide, he focused on her last statement.

"Are you kidding? I'm scared sh-- er, I'm pretty scared. I'm still not convinced that this is real. That you're real. I'm dealing with it though. Other humans? No… I guess a lot wouldn’t have. You seem pretty brave yourself, coming out on your own to find me." He had mentally decided to avoid swearing within earshot of any of these ponies. They just seemed too... innocent. Especially this one.

"W-who me? No, I'm not brave. I'm quite timid actually. I just needed to... make sure you were ok. That's all. What about your family? They must miss you dearly right now!”

“My family? Not much to talk about there.”

“Really? Do you not talk to them often? I don’t talk to my parents often either, since they live so far from here.”

“Something like that.”

“Well, what are they like? Your parents, I mean. And how about your friends? You must have so many of them.”

“My friends are pretty alright, not as many as you’re fantasizing though. But they were a pretty okay bunch.”

“But, how about your mother and-”

“Fluttershy, there really isn’t anything to talk about there.” Nathan's eyes were lidded, and while his tone was calm and even, Fluttershy shifted uncomfortably at his voice.

“Do you think that your family knows you’re out in the forest with me right now?”

“N-no…”

“Exactly. Mine isn’t here. So they don’t matter. End of discussion.”

“I-I see. I’m sorry I bothered you.” Nathan shrugged and kept walking. Not wanting the conversation to end, Fluttershy clung to anything she could question the human about.

“So, camping with ‘Scouts‘? You said that’s how you figured out how to organize all of this right?" She motioned broadly to the frame around her with one of her hooves.

"Yea, survival skills. Took some as a kid."

"Kid? What's a kid? Does a human grow up from a baby goat or something?" Fluttershy twisted her face into a knot trying to fathom the idea. She decided she didn’t like the idea. Nathan laughed at this. Fluttershy was just more confused.

"Ahahaha no. Oh no. 'Kids' is just a slang term we use to refer to our children, our youth."

"Oh, so when you were a little foal you mean?"

"Kind of, but not being a pony 'foal' doesn't really work."

"Oh of course, right. Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you!" she stammered back. "So what did you do for work?"

"You mean what do I do for work. Engineering. Designing and building stuff."

"What kind of things do you build? Like houses or fences? Oh my friend Applejack needs some fence work done! Maybe when we get back you can help her build some new fences for her orchards. Oh! I need a couple new animal pens built too." Finally! Something she could relate to. At least she thought so, but his sudden laugh caught her off-guard.

"Oh, well I definitely COULD help with building fences, but that's not what I really do. When I design and build things, I mean technical things. Engines, motors, equipment." Seeing the confusion spreading across Fluttershy's face, he finally realized just how far from home he was. "You have no idea what those are, do you? Of course. I wake up in the middle of a field, after what I assume is the worst night of drinking ever, clothes falling apart, accosted by talking magical flying ponies, and by the way I don't believe in magic, and the technology level here is something straight out of the dark ages!" He had been scared, frustrated and confused, but now he was just mad. Nathan realized he had been yelling the last bit. Fluttershy shrunk back and whimpered a bit, clearly frightened at having angered the human.

"I'm s-s-sorry." were the only words she could squeak out. Nathan's features softened, and he allowed himself to relax. It wasn't this poor pegasus' fault he was in the middle of this forest. So far, she was the only one who had shown any kind of concern for him. He sighed another long drawn out sigh.

"I'm sorry Fluttershy, I shouldn't have yelled at you. I'm just frustrated. I'm frustrated and scared. I don't know where I am, where I'm supposed to go, or how to go home. For all I know my home isn’t even reachable by foot. Right now you're the closest thing to a friend I have and you don't deserve any verbal abuse from me." While he had earlier been glad for the conversation, Nathan was quickly regretting it. Fluttershy nodded, and turned her face up towards him.

"Equestria."

"Sorry, what?"

"Equestria. You're in Equestria, and the town I live in Ponyville."

"Of course. Everything here has to be a reference or pun based on ponies. Let me guess, you have a castle around here somewhere and you decided 'Canterlot' would be a good name for it?"

"Actually that's our capital. Our princesses rule over the land there." Nathan glared down at her. He could see Fluttershy was serious.

"Oh for f--" Biting off the expletive he wanted to spew, he gently laid down the frame and allowed Fluttershy to ease onto the ground. "Pardon me for a moment." He walked over to a hollow stump, and shoving his head in and covering it with his hands he screamed and allowed a torrent of curse words to line the sides of it. Fluttershy couldn't make out any of it, but inferred Nathan was fairly upset. After a moment of steadying himself he returned to where the yellow pony was lying, picked the carrier back up, and continued walking. He was much calmer now.

"F-f-feel better?" Nathan nodded.

"Yes, I do thank you. Sorry, can we just walk for a bit? I need time to think."

"Sure. I'm sorry if I said anything to upset you."

"You did, but it's not your fault." Nathan trudged on, dragging the frame and pony behind him, and the rest of the say they walked in silence.

Celestia walked through the halls of Canterlot on her morning stroll. She had completed her duties early for the day, making sure the sun rose, seeing her sister Luna off to bed, and had taken the rare opportunity to walk and admire the architecture of her grand palace. The light was filtering in from various stained glass windows and archways, and she could hear the sounds of the city being carried to her on the light winds blowing that day. Children laughing, buskers making sales, musicians practicing, a foal crying. She closed her eyes and let the feeling of contentment roll over her. This was her kingdom, and all was well.

Ever since Luna had returned to ruling Equestria beside her, Celestia had found herself with more time on her hands to take in the finer aspects of life. Where before she would spend every waking hour dealing with civil issues, raising the sun and the moon, and conversing with dignitaries from other kingdoms, now she found herself enjoying her new found freedom. To be sure, there were still many trials and duties that fell before her, but with her sister responsible for a good share of the workload, she never felt as consumed by it anymore.

Walking out to the gardens she wandered amongst her artwork. The gardeners had done a fabulous job this summer, tending to the flowers. Even now, in the early fall, many of the plants still bore their colourful accents, proof of the hard work and dedication of the ponies in her employ. Many statues ringed the paths that wound their way through the different parts of the garden- great ponies that had come before and during her time, a gryphon or two she had personally known, even a dragon that snaked alongside one of the western pathways. They were all beautiful, and all held a special place in her heart. All except one. As she brought herself to gaze upon it now, the content smile that had played across her face fell into an uncomfortable frown. Hideous to gaze upon, this statue held no joy for the princess, for this statue wasn’t really a statue at all. It was Discord.

Discord.

As the name crossed her mind, visible disgust dripped from her visage. All he sought was to sow the seeds of chaos throughout her kingdom. When he was living, he used his powers to use ponies like puppets, dangling them on strings and watching them do his uncouth bidding. She and Luna had used the Elements of Harmony to seal him away once over one thousand years ago, whilst Twilight Sparkle and her friends had done much the same only a few months back. Both times he had been encased in a solid statue of stone. Good riddance. The thought crossed Celestia’s mind as easily as any other. Discord was the living antithesis of the order she had worked for, and she would not suffer him.

Confident that the magics that sealed him were still holding firm, Celestia continued on her walk. The path continued on towards the palace, and she took one last look over the garden. Everything was in its place, every tree pruned, every flower tended to, every cobblestone properly set in the ground. Orderly, clean, perfect. She allowed the smile to grace her face once more. Everything was… wait. She spun back around. Discord’s statue… was it her imagination or was it facing the other way before? No, no that was the way it had always faced. I really must stop working myself up she thought to herself. Her appraisal finished, she completed her rounds and returned to her throne room. Just as she thought before. Everything was orderly, and perfect.

The three ponies and Spike made their way to Fluttershy‘s cottage as quickly as they could. Rainbow Dash had regained her stamina and flown ahead of them, and Rarity and Twilight found her tapping her foot impatiently just outside Fluttershy’s door. She was itching to get back inside and get what information they could from Angel. The rabbit was Fluttershy’s pet, and one of her closest confidants, and if anypony knew where Fluttershy had gone, he would. Rarity raced up first, spurred on by the fear that her fragile friend had done something rash.

“Rainbow Dash honestly! How hard is it to wait for us? We want to know what happened to Fluttershy as much as you do. It’s not our fault we can’t move as fast.” She sputtered, nearly out of breath. Twilight brought up the rear, her assistant dragon hanging off her mane for dear life.

“Ok, ok we’re here. Let’s get to the bottom of this. Now Dash, you’re SURE that Fluttershy isn’t here? You could have just missed her. I don’t want to barge in. I don’t think she would appreciate that.” Rainbow Dash just twisted her face into a look of frustration and anger. She had been here once already and barreled through most of the town looking for Fluttershy already.

“No! She’s not here, OK?! I’ve already looked in the keyhole, she’s not there. NOPONY is there. Look, Twilight, I know just rushing in to somepony else’s house isn’t your thing, but I’m really concerned for her. She’s shy, and frightened of everything. She can barely take care of herself. She can’t be out and alone.” Dash’s eyes pleaded with Twilight. She needed them to do this. She needed to find Fluttershy. With a sigh of resignation Twilight nodded, closed her eyes and dropped her head. A faint lavender glow encircled her horn, and they heard the soft click of the lock on Fluttershy’s door, and it swung open.

“Ok Dash, let’s go inside.” Twilight motioned towards the open portal with her hoof and waited for her friends to walk through. Rarity went in second, pausing for a moment to turn to her friend Twilight and nod her thanks. She respected another pony’s privacy as much as anypony else, but she just needed to get to the bottom of her friend’s disappearance.

“You’re a good friend Twilight. You have my thanks as well.”

The only light in the cottage came from the open door, and as such their elongated shadows played across the far wall. All of the blinds had been pulled shut, and a light layer of dust covered everything. A half-consumed pot of tea sat over a fire that had long burned itself out, its ashes spilling out across the stone hearth randomly, leaving a black sooty mess on the side of the room. A few half empty food dishes lined one of the other walls, a few animal tracks visible in the dust coating. The animals were coming in and out through a few of the holes in the side of the cottage, but by the looks of things nothing larger than a rabbit. It was this rabbit they were looking for now.

Rainbow Dash took a cursory survey of the open main-room of the cottage, looking for any clue of what could have happened to her friend. There were no notes, no sign of a struggle or a fight. The animal food stores were about what they should be based on how many Fluttershy was currently caring for. Stumped, she resumed her search for Angel. Rarity had similarly given up her search for clues, resigning herself to do some cleaning and dusting. Her desire to keep everything neat, tidy, and clean was overriding her desire to get a quick answer to their query. Twilight noticed her dusting, and placed a hoof on her shoulder.

“Rarity, I know that seeing the disorganization and dust is distracting for you, but we really need to focus on Fluttershy. If something has happened to her, every minute might count. We can help her best by finding Angel and getting an answer. Please, let’s just focus on the task at hand.” Rarity gave a few more nervous glances around and sighed. Cleaning could wait. Where was that rabbit?

After five minutes of searching, they still had nothing. The upstairs was just as devoid of life as the main-floor. The odd chipmunk or bird hopped in through their respective tunnels, but they still had not been able to locate Angel. Dejected, they exited the cottage and locked the door behind them. Twilight broke the palpable silence first.

“Well girls, what’s the plan now?” Being greeted with only frustrated shrugs, they started down the path back towards town. Out of the corner of her eye, Rarity caught a flash of white. There. That sneaky rabbit. Angel had been hiding in the chicken coop while the three of them had been in Fluttershy’s house, and had evacuated his hiding spot a moment too soon.

“There he is! Twilight quick!” Rarity cried. Angel hopped away as fast as his legs could carry him, making it as far as the edge of the Everfree forest when the purple light encased him and lifted him off the ground. Twilight’s magic held him in place a couple feet in the air while he struggled to get free. Finally accepting defeat, he went limp and allowed himself to be carried back to the three waiting ponies and their dragon accomplice. Twilight scrutinized the rabbit closely before speaking.

“Now, I’m going to let you go, but Spike will be watching you. If you so much as flinch the wrong way he’s going to jump on you. Failing that, my magic will make sure you stay put, and I won’t be as gentle the second time. Do I make myself clear?” Spike reacted to this statement with whining.

“Awww Twi do I have to? Remember the last time I watched any of Fluttershy’s animals?” he grumbled.

“Yes Spike, you do. Now Angel, do you understand?” The tiny rabbit looked furious at having been caught, but nodded his agreement to the unicorn. She was the most powerful magic user that he knew of other than Celestia. He wasn’t about to test the honesty of her words.

“Good. Now,” Twilight said as she set him down, “talk to us. Where’s Fluttershy?” Angel crossed his feet, and looked to the ground. He glanced at the tree-line, wanting ever so badly to have the opportunity to make a break for it. Unfortunately he had obstacles in the shape of a baby dragon and a magic using pony that would make that proposition nearly impossible. Fluttershy had made him promise not to say anything, but it HAD been three whole days. That was too long for her to be gone. Something must have happened. Perceiving his internal conflict, Rarity took the opportunity to make inroads with Angel.

“Angel, darling. I know that you look up to Fluttershy with the utmost respect, and it’s very obvious to us she’s trusted you to do something for her, and it is making it so you can’t answer our question. We understand the word of a friend is important, and you don’t want to risk making her upset. But, we’re her friends too. We only want the best for Fluttershy and to make sure she’s fine. If she’s gone someplace nice like Canterlot for a couple days then we’re happy for her. Everypony needs to get away once in a while. However, if something else has happened, we need to know. Please Angel, tell us what has happened.” Her words hung thick in the air, surrounding the rabbit and choking him in emotion. A single tear rolled down his cheek and he nodded softly. Fluttershy had made him promise not to tell, but he was too scared for her not to. Tearfully, he pantomimed out the whole scene. Spike followed along and relayed the information to his equine friends.

“Rarity was right. She went to the Everfree forest to look for the human. According to Angel, he spoke with some of the forest animals the other night and it turns out that this Nathan didn’t belong in the forest. Never came from there, and never should have been there. Fluttershy heard this and headed out right away.” A lump stuck in Twilight’s throat, not only for the fact Fluttershy had gone off alone, but also at the knowledge that they had potentially sent somepony into the Everfree forest that didn’t belong there.

“How long though Spike… how long ago was it?” Spike looked crestfallen at the question, struggling to come to terms with it.

“This time… this time Rainbow Dash was right. She’s been gone for… three days. Three days Twilight. She’s been out in the Everfree forest for three whole days.”

That night Nathan set up camp in the shadow of a cliff overhanging a small river. The nearby fresh water helped to top off their supplies, and gave a bit of background noise to an otherwise silent forest. They had walked most of the rest of the day in silence, broken only by a few sobs and squeals of pain from Fluttershy as her injuries bumped along with her. Nathan was being as gentle as possible, but if they were going to make it back to… ugh Ponyville… within the next couple days they had to keep moving. Now that they had a warm fire made and the tent was erected around the splayed out pony, they had time to relax.

Nathan sat in silence, watching the fire crackle and spit. Deep in thought, he pondered his current predicament. He decided the best course of action was to accept he wasn’t dreaming and move on. For better or for worse, he was stuck in this land of ponies. Was it still earth? Was it another dimension? Was it even the same date? He didn’t know, and had a feeling no one else around there was going to know either. He poked the fire with a stick, exposing a bed of ashes and feeling the heat flood out again. He had, with Fluttershy’s reluctant and uneasy permission, caught a small trout and was half-way through cooking it. Apparently fish didn’t go by the same rules as the rest of the animals here. Either way he wasn’t going to let an opportunity to load up on protein and fat go to waste.

Fluttershy quietly nibbled on some fruit and grains. They were going to start turning soon, but she estimated that her supplies should be good for another day. Assuming that the three day prediction held true, she would run out of food sometime the next evening. Looking over to her strange human companion she started to feel at ease. He had predatory instincts, ate meat, was quick to anger and right now he was frustrated with his situation, but he also seemed kind and generous. She wouldn’t have expected many ordinary ponies to carry her for three days after saving her from a rabid bear. If not for him she would be dead right now, a meal in the belly of a bear. She shuddered at the thought. Then again, if not for him I wouldn’t be out here in the first place she considered. Seeing her face scrunched up in thought, Nathan spoke up.

“So, uh, Fluttershy. Tell me about,” he struggled to keep his face straight as he said it, “Ponyville. How long have you lived there? Do you have many friends? What do you do for work?”

“Oh… uh…” she stammered. “Um well I’ve lived there for a few years now. I grew up in Cloudsdale, but ended up coming down to Ponyville and discovering the animals there. I decided I would rather be down on the ground helping the animals of the forest than fly amongst the clouds so I’ve been there ever since. I’m not sure how it compares to your life-span, but I started living there when I was around fifteen or so, and been there ever since. I’m twenty-one now. Oh, but you weren’t asking me my age, sorry.” Fluttershy blushed, before continuing. “My job is caretaker of the animals as I’ve said. From the smallest to creatures as large as… b-b-bears.” she choked back a few tears, memories of the day before still fresh in her mind. She was still mad that Nathan had killed the bear, but come to terms with the fact that chances were that if he hadn’t she might not be still here alive.

“I’m sorry again about that. I didn’t see an alternative at the time.”

“No, I know, I understand. I’m still upset, but I know you were just acting on what was in your heart. Anyways, I have a pet rabbit named Angel who..! Oh no ANGEL. He must be so dreadfully worried. I left him there alone to watch the animals for me, and I’ve been gone over a day. We must get back as soon as possible.” She shifted uncomfortably in the flickering light and attempted to stand up. The pain intensified to her injured limb and she collapsed, a small scream escaped her lips.

“Don’t be foolish Fluttershy. You have severe lacerations and a massive fracture to your leg. The only thing that will heal that is a doctor and time. We’re going to have to take it one day at a time. I’m sorry, but that’s what we’re faced with.” Fluttershy groaned and restlessly flailed at the ground with her good hooves.

“I know, you’re right, but I don’t have to like it. Anyways, where was I? Oh yes! I have the most wonderful friends. You actually met most of them when you first arrived in town. I know they might have seemed uncaring when you first saw them, but you have to understand they were just doing what they thought was best. The six of us form the Elements of Harmony, one of the most powerful magical forces in Equestria. Unofficially we’ve taken it upon ourselves to keep the peace and sanctity of Ponyville. They really are good ponies. Just wait until you have the chance to meet them properly.”

“I’ll take your word on that, Fluttershy. Sorry, that actually just reminded me of something to bring up. Magic. I’ve seen things here that make me think “magic”, but now you’ve just used the word itself. I don’t know anything about these Elements of Harmony, but I’m perplexed by what I’ve seen so far. First of all, talking ponies. Ponies that fly. Ponies that have glowing unicorn horns. I don’t want to sound crude but, what the hell? Where I’m from, magic is a fun thought, but it doesn’t exist. Here, it seems to be everywhere. Is it really magic, or something else? Something that you just can’t explain?”

“D-did you just say you don’t have magic where you’re from? You can’t use it or feel it?” Fluttershy gasped. The thought didn’t seem possible. For somepony to not feel the magic permeating the environment around them… it seemed almost cruel.

“Nope. Never have, never will most likely. Oh sure, we can do a lot of things that seem magical, but we use technology to accomplish it. I don’t understand why that’s such an issue though. I mean, I’m guessing that the glow of the purple one’s horn I saw earlier..”

“Twilight.”

“Right, sorry, Twilight. The glow of Twilight’s horn must have been “magical” in nature, but not everything here is magic right? Is there something I’m missing? What could she do with that glow anyways?”

“Oh, well yes, nearly everything here is magic. The unicorns can use their horns to perform minor tricks and incantations, while us pegasi use it to support our flight and to control the weather. We can move clouds and create independent weather systems. Every creature that lives here, including the earth ponies feels magic in a more passive way.” Nathan arched his brows at this revelation. Magical connections between everything, controlled weather, tricks and incantations. It just couldn’t be right. It shouldn’t.

“So… you could control the weather if you felt like it?”

“W-well yes, I guess I could. You, know if you wanted me to. I’m not very good at it though. I’m not as strong a flyer as some of the other pegasi so I usually find other duties. Rainbow Dash, who you also met, is the chief weather pegasus in Ponyville, and she usually does most of the work. Even the sun and the moon are magically willed to raise every day by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.” Nathan balked at this last bit of information.

“S-sorry? Your astral cycle is also controlled by magic?! That shouldn’t even be possible… how? Never mind, I think if I understood my brain would break down. Let’s move on to this more active magic of the unicorns.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and blew a line of air out of his puffed cheeks. “What sort of ‘magic’ can they perform?”

“Well, most of the time their abilities revolve around what their skill is. A gardener might have control over the plants he is working with, or a business-pony might be able to use their magic to ascertain good business deals. They all have a little bit of ability to levitate and manually control objects though. Nothing huge or intricate, just small bobbles.” Nathan was doing his best to wrap his head around the idea of real, functioning magic. It shouldn’t be that much of a stretch, considering he was having a conversation with a talking pony, but still- magic?

“What about Twilight? I just asked about her. What is her special skill?” Fluttershy had anticipated this question and had a reply planned in advance, which she quickly launched in to.

“Oh Twilight? Her talent IS magic. She’s one of Princess Celestia’s faithful assistants from Canterlot and spends most of her time learning new magic and new spells. The only ponies I know with more magical ability are Luna and Celestia, and I’ve heard Celestia say that with enough time Twilight should surpass both of them. She’s simply amazing, and a wonderful friend too.” Pondering the pegasus’ latest words an idea dawned on Nathan.

“Do you think maybe she would know how to send me back to where I came from? Or know how to get to where I came from? With so much magical ability, assuming it’s real, she must be able to do something right?” Fluttershy looked anxious for a moment. Why did he want to leave already? He had just gotten there and she was just getting to know him. He wouldn’t just leave like that would he? Stopping her train of thought she silently berated herself. He doesn’t even belong here, and what do you care Fluttershy? Finally after a prolonged silence she replied to his question.

“I don’t know. Possibly. If anypony does it’s probably her. She’s always dabbling in some new magic, and I’ve seen her open portals in time. We should talk to her when we get back. Even if she can‘t figure it out, Celestia would probably know.”

“I agree.”

“Can I ask you a few things now?” Fluttershy batted her eyes shyly, not wanting to impose on her companion's hospitality. After a moment Nathan took a few deep breaths to center himself and nodded.

“Sure Fluttershy, I think I’m ready for it now.”

“A-actually, my question is a little more personal. Earlier today, we were talking about your family. You seemed awfully upset, and I wasn’t sure why. Did… did you want to talk about it some more?” Nathan sighed and rubbed his face with both palms.

“Fluttershy, honestly. Again with the family. What is it with you? What does it matter?”

“W-w-well I just thought that… you know… I’m a pretty good listener and it sounds like there’s something bothering you about your family. You could tell me about it. I could help you.”

“I understand to you, as an innocent pony in the wonderful land of magic, friendship and family are very, very important to you. I understand that. I keep that in mind every time you speak to me. I keep that in mind when you ask me questions. However, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to take it with a grain of salt.” He had inadvertently grabbed a stick and was bending it between his hands.

“But I… but I just want to help! I help all my animal friends! Isn’t that what counts? Don’t you want help?” The stick snapped, and Fluttershy cowered before the agitated human.

“No, Fluttershy, I don’t need help. I understand why you would concerned but don‘t be. Really. There is nothing to talk about. Ok?” She whimpered slightly, hiding behind a wing.

“I’m sorry please don’t be upset with me.” Dropping the stick to the ground, his expression calmed and he nodded to the yellow pegasus.

“I’m not upset with you Fluttershy, I don‘t want to hurt your feelings. Just drop it ok? Ask me about other things. More general things.”

“I-I can still ask you questions? You don’t mind?” Nathan chuckeld.

“No, I don’t mind. Go ahead.” His permission granted, relief washed over Fluttershy, boosting her confidence.

“Oh good. Well, tell me about where you’re from. What are the humans like? Is everypony like you? What is your Princess like? I know you can’t remember much, but anything would be nice to know.”

“Hmmm… well everyone is physically similar to me if you’re referring to being a human. However, we’re a very diverse race. Our body colour scheme isn’t as wide as yours- they run from a dark black to a light white. We’re capable of great compassion and kindness, and horrible atrocities. We’ve created medicine that saves millions, and created bombs that have killed just as many. At any one time in the last fifty years any single nation has had enough firepower to cause any number of extinction events and destroy the world, but enough tolerance for our fellow man has kept us in check. We’ve built great cities, with towers flowing thousands of feet into the air. We’ve created microscopes that can see down to the basic constituent atoms of a substance. No magic, however. Oh sure, there are a few people that claim they can perform feats unexplainable by science, and a few others practice the art of illusion- using sleight of hand and distraction to give the impression something magical has happened, but they can always be explained in the end. Also, we‘re not really ruled by any one princess. Most countries have non-royal governments.”

“D-d-d-destroy your whole world? H-how would you do that?” Fluttershy was terrified. Who were these humans that they would so callously create the means to end their own existence so readily? Nathan sighed.

“That would be the thing you got caught up on. It’s not important- said weapons haven’t been used in decades, and hopefully won’t be used ever again. Has to do with the atoms I talked about before. Either way, I don’t think it’s anything you have to worry about. I doubt very much that anything like that could happen here. I just wanted to give you an idea of where I come from. The kind of people humans are.” Sheer horror still running like ice through her veins, Fluttershy couldn’t understand anything that she had just heard. Nathan had explained away the ability to destroy a world like it was a common happenstance. She started to cry quietly to herself. She had come out here to find somepony that was misunderstood, and she was confronted with this human that had skewed her views of the world in the course of the day. Or at least her view of what could be the world.

Seeing the Pegasus crying to herself in her tent, Nathan suddenly felt guilty. The weight of an entire world started to weigh down on his shoulders, forcing him to bow his head and pinch the bridge of his nose. He didn’t have the right to corrupt this poor mare with horror stories from a world removed from her own. With a sigh he looked upon the clearly upset pony and muttered a quiet “I’m sorry.” The whole experience was overwhelming him, and he could recognize when he had overstepped his bounds.

“W-why even tell me these things? Why not just lie to me? Why not just tell me you come from a land where everything is happy?” Fluttershy finally managed to reply.

“I don’t know. I needed you to know the honest truth about us. About humans. Partly because you asked, partly because everything around here, including you, is too goddamned innocent. Too clean, too pure. I’m so uncomfortable here. You’re just so sweet… and I feel like I’m.. .a monster..”

“N-n-no! Oh no, so far you’ve been very kind to me. I never expected any of this from you. I don’t know how you humans are, but you seem nice enough. Please don’t feel bad on my part. You’re not a monster. Trust me, I‘ve met monsters.” She managed a weak smile. Content with that reply, Nathan laid back and rested his head on a rock.

“Well thanks, Fluttershy. You’re not so bad yourself. We should get some rest. We probably have a couple more days of hiking ahead, and I’m beat. One more question. This permeating magic- am I part of it now that I’m here? Am I connected to you in some way?”

“Yes. I m-mean no! I mean. Yes but no! Err that is…” Fluttershy blushed and tucked her head under her good wing. Nathan lifted his head and glanced over at the pony, arching an eyebrow.

“O… K?”

“I mean.. um… no. I don’t know if magic works that way. Sorry.” Satisfied with the answer, they both started to drift off to sleep.

Struggling to sleep, as soon as he heard the soft snoring from Fluttershy, Nathan stood up and went for a walk. Staying within earshot of their camp, he stretched his legs and took in the cool night air. So much had happened in the last couple days. It would take a while before he fully accepted everything that had happened. The conversation with the Pegasus had helped to jog his memory, but details escaped him.

Off to the side he heard a light hissing sound. Crouching down, he looked into the bushes, and noticed a chicken looking out at him. He chuckled to himself.

“Oh? How did you get out here little guy? Do you need a lift back to town…?” His query was cut short when the chicken lifted itself out of the bushes and continued to hiss. The head was followed by the body and tail of a serpent, leathery wings fanning out to the sides. Fear gripped Nathan’s throat, unprepared for this turn of events. The creature looked Nathan straight in the eyes and started to stare at him intently. After a few moments, Nathan and relaxed and looked at the creature quizzically.

“Ok. So, that’s what you do? Stare at people? What a strange creature you are.”

The chicken-lizard intensified its glare, beads of sweat developing on its forehead. Why wasn’t this working? It had worked on other creatures and ponies several times over. Why wasn’t this new creature reacting to it? Finally it gave up. With a hop, it screeched and tried to dig its foot talons into the human’s face. With a shot from his arm, Nathan punched his assailant out of the air, and watched it go limp. He noted with relief that it was still breathing. Unconscious, but alive. Picking it up and bringing it back to camp he gently woke Fluttershy.

“Hey, Fluttershy, sorry to bother you, but there’s this thing that tried to claw me in the forest. It’s still alive but I knocked it out. Do you know what it is? Have you seen something like it before?” Fluttershy stirred awake and saw the unconscious cockatrice hanging from Nathan’s arms and averted her eyes.

“Don’t look in its eyes!”

“What?”

“Don’t look in its eyes! It can turn you to stone with a blink! I’ve seen it turn several ponies to stone before. Did you say you knocked it out?”

“Well yea, it jumped at me. It stared in my eyes for a bit, then tried to claw me. I don’t know about the whole stone thing though. I seem fine.” Fluttershy proceeded to carefully scrutinize every inch of Nathan’s body. Nothing was turning to stone, no signs of anything wrong with him.

“I don’t understand… you should be solid stone right now. How…”

“Assuming you’re right about this thing being able to turn somebody to stone, I couldn’t tell you.” Fluttershy was perplexed by this turn of events. It didn’t make any sense. Who was this human that had shown up? Why did the cockatrice’s curse have no affect? Her confusion became a shudder rippling through her body. She just didn’t understand anything.

As she was trying to come to terms with the situation, the cockatrice awoke. Recognizing the pegasus as the same one who had managed to stare it down a few months back, he screeched and squirmed out of Nathan’s grasp, tearing off into the woods. The human and pony listened as the screeches and hisses grew softer and softer, until they finally faded away. Fluttershy looked back up at Nathan.

“The more time we spend together the more you frighten, confuse and interest me. At first I thought I had been wrong to come out and find you. Now… now I just want to know more. I think some of Twilight has gotten into me. T-this is so strange. I don’t know why you’re here Nathan, but thank-you for showing me… something new.” Nathan stood in silence for a bit, gauging his equine companion, scrutinizing her face for any sign of lying. Seeing that Fluttershy was legitimately expressing her feelings, he nodded and returned to the rock he had chosen for a pillow. “Nathan… I’m sorry, but I’m cold. Could you… could you come lay next to me and keep me warm? I mean, if it’s ok with you? You can share my pillow.”

Nathan hesitated; unsure he could carefully get inside the tent without injuring her further, but managed to reason out in his head how to do it eventually. “Sure Fluttershy, whatever you need. Watch out a moment, going to be hard getting around your wing.” A moment later, the night air was pierced with two new sounds- the snores of a pegasus and human entwined together.

The next two days passed uneventfully. The wounds on Nathan’s arms began to fester a bit, and the poultice on Fluttershy’s wounds had long ago outlived their effectiveness, but the two new friends were in good spirits. After the first difficult day together, conversation began to flow easily between the two. Nathan shared what interests he could with Fluttershy, and she returned the favour. Even as their food ran out at the end of the second day, they felt they were close enough to Ponyville they would be able to make it back by the next nightfall. Towards the middle of day three, Fluttershy began to recognize landmarks, and could better direct Nathan towards the town. Before long they would be back home. Well, at least Fluttershy would be.

The confirmation that their friend had been out in the woods alone for three days frightened Rarity terribly. As much as she loved Fluttershy, she had to acknowledge that the poor dear was a scaredy-pony. Nopony ever expected the yellow pegasus to stand up for herself. What was she thinking, going off into the forest to look for a predator? How had she managed to slip away without saying anything? The thoughts raced through her head as they began to comb the edge of the forest for any sign of her. Lost in thought, she barely noticed the sound of something dragging along the ground in their general direction.

Dropping low to the ground, she peered through the trees, looking for any sign of what was making the racket. She managed to get Rainbow Dash’s attention and subtly motioned towards the sound with her horn. Whatever it was, it was getting closer. Twilight Sparkle joined her friends, and the three of them hid in a shrub. The sight that greeted them took their collective breaths away. The human had returned. Scratches and bruises lined his body, and three festering cuts ran the length of his left arm. He was dragging a frame… carrying the limp body of Fluttershy! Her wing and leg were bandaged and she wasn’t moving, and every few steps she let out a soft whimper of pain. Dash was the first one to react.

“Rarity! Twilight! Look! That’s what happened to Fluttershy! That human must have attacked her! Well I’m not letting that go any further.” With a scream she leapt from the bushes they had concealed themselves in. Rarity and Twilight were too slow to dissuade their fiery friend, and Fluttershy saw it coming too late.

“R-Rainbow Dash? No wait Dash don’t…!” The cyan blur was already in motion though, and by the time the other Pegasus’ protests landed on Dash’s ears she was already following through. With a powerful flap of her wings she landed a solid kick on the side of Nathan’s head. Loosing grip on the frame carrying Fluttershy, he dropped to his knees and struggled to keep consciousness. Tumbling forward into the grass, he felt his vision blurring and surging. The last thing he remembered before the darkness took him was Fluttershy berating Rainbow Dash.

“Dash! What are you doing! You’ve hurt him! Oh no he’s starting to pass out! Somepony help him…”

“I don’t believe it. I mean, I guess I should believe it, but come now! Usually my plans are too unpredictable!” The shadowy figure continued to work through the nights, planning every aspect of his revenge down to the tiniest detail, talking to himself all the while, cackling into his cauldron and descending further into madness. He knew that, eventually, a creature from some other plane of existence would end up in Equestria, but the fact it had happened so soon tickled him pink. He would have been content with the destruction of one of the Elements of Harmony, but the opportunity to not only crush all six of them, but Celestia and Luna along with them? As cruel a mistress as luck was, every now and then she rewarded her servants.

It had been simple really. Celestia was convinced that she would never see him again. Why would she think otherwise? It had been planned perfectly. Oh, he knew exactly what would happen when he tried to overthrow the kingdom again. He was actually surprised Celestia hadn’t called him on making it too easy for the overzealous ponies led by that Twilight Sparkle. If she had only taken a moment to examine the situation more closely, his plans may have been put to a stop right there. However, she had not taken any such steps, and it had freed him to pursue his latest scheme. Which, shockingly, even to him, was starting to form before his very eyes.

Another cackle escaped his twisted lips, the sickly odor of death and decay laying heavy on his breath. One more ingredient went into the cauldron, and an image started to form. It looked for all the world like a dream, because it was. He had spent many nights casting the same incantation, slowly and subtly working his magic. Tonight would be no different.

“Well Celestia, what are we dreaming about tonight, and how can we shake it up a bit?” A blood-curdling laugh escaped his belly, shedding his careful calm demeanor a plunged head-first into the cauldron.

4: Jour-nal Gonna Believe This

Chapter 4- Journal Gonna Believe This

‘It's been a month since I found myself in Equestria. So much has continued to happen that I've decided to start this journal of my stay here. At this point, I'm fully convinced that not only is this not a dream, but it is in fact a completely different world. I have never tasted water so pure. The air I breathe seems to carry more oxygen, and fewer pollutants. I've never felt healthier. My diet probably goes a long way to help as well. The rest of the ponies, like Fluttershy, have grudgingly allowed me to continue to fish, but aside from that the majority of my caloric intake comes from fruits and vegetables.

While their diets consist chiefly of fruits and vegetables as well, my new colourful co-habitants of this town seem to take in an alarmingly high level of cakes and sweets. I have yet to see any I would consider overweight. Hell, that damn Pinkie Pie can consume an entire cake to herself and still want more. I'm no biologist, but I would guess their metabolisms work very differently. It could be environmental- I've noticed my fat burning off faster since I started living here, but that again could be chalked up to diet and my employment at Sweet Apple Acres. I'll attempt to continue taking observations of the ponies and the surrounding area. Even if I never get home, wherever home is, the information could be valuable to the ponies themselves.

The six mares I initially encountered upon my arrival have gone off to the Everfree forest a couple of times in the last couple weeks. According to a shop-keep that would actually converse with me they seem to be favoured students of what passes for government here, Princess Celestia. Is she merely royalty, or also a deity? More research is needed. Apparently both her, and her sister Princess Luna are over a thousand years old. If this is true I'm leaning towards living deity. I’ll admit this is somewhat troubling to me. If this is the being I am trusting to decide my future, it could go very badly.

Back to my original train of thought- the six of them seem to be very close and Fluttershy has explained to me about the "Elements of Harmony" in more detail. Crazy powerful magic. May be able to harness their power to get home. Again, more research needed. That is, assuming they would let me get near the elements or let me use them. Not sure why they are going out into the forest, but they seem dutiful about it.

Things have been going better the last couple weeks. I haven't been knocked unconscious by anything or anyone since leaving the hospital. I’ve started trying to incorporate more of their speech conventions into my vocabulary, but it’s difficult to convert fully. I guess I should have written “anypony”. A few minor inconveniences have come up, and apparently I've become the favoured target of Pinkie's and Dash's pranks.

Bend me over a barrel and flog me with a stick the two of them can be real assholes when they try. At least for Pinkie it's all in good fun. Dash, on the other hand... let's just say that if I wasn't trying so hard to fit in I'd have put my fist through that uppity pegasus weeks ago. Maybe I'm the holder of the seventh virtue- patience. So much damn patience. Obviously that's not the case... But sometimes I swear that woman (Mare? Woman? Can I use both interchangeably? Probably not to their faces.) needs a good slap. It’s ok though, things have improved. I’ll write about that in a bit.

For now though, well, what else can I say about the last few weeks, journal? Some stuff has been great after all...

Nathan had just finished clearing out the rest of the equipment cluttering the basement of the library. It had taken him the better part of the weekend, but he had managed to set himself up a small sleeping area, complete with a bedside table and oil lamp, a small personal workshop with some leftover tools, and a leftover ingredient rack after sorting away Twilight Sparkle's personal supply. He only had a small bedroll at this point, but it was better than sleeping on the floor. He mentally reminded himself to start saving for a proper bed. You know, after I pay for food, supplies, rent, new clothes. He sighed, realizing buying a bed might be a long-term goal. Oh well, at least he had a roof over his head.

His meals were simple affairs- Fluttershy had picked up some vegetables and buns from the market and brought them by for him. It wasn’t the balanced meal he needed in the long run, but for the time being he would make due. He appreciated the fact she had gone out of her way to take care of him. Even if she was the only friend he made in Equestria, he was content. The first night he had slept like a log. The last few days of adventure had taken their toll, and he had gone to sleep well before his door was locked, and awoke long after it was re-opened. Aside from Fluttershy, the only visitor he had had was Spike, coming down at one point to make sure he wasn’t breaking anything. The small dragon seemed more tolerant of the human’s presence, and had attempted some small talk. Having nothing in common though, the effort was ultimately wasted.

Nathan was disappointed to find that the “equipment” that Twilight spoke of was mostly empty cabinets and meters. The had some wiring inside, but no precision instruments, servos, capacitors, inductors, power sources or circuit boards of any kind. For all intents and purposes, none of the equipment should work, and in fact Nathan doubted if they ever had done what Twilight Sparkle had intended them to. With a bit of work and basic carpentry skills, he had managed to set himself up a drafting table at least, and as soon as he could find some paper and writing utensils he could start working on some projects he had in mind. Not having the magic of the unicorns, the strength of the earth ponies, or the flight of the pegasi, he found himself at a distinct disadvantage, and fully intended to rectify that as soon as possible.

As he mused over whether he should make any last minute adjustments to his set up of the basement, he heard the door gently click open. It’d probably be a good idea to get a lock for the inside of the door too. I’d like some privacy down here he thought to himself. At this point however, his “guest” was already making her way down the stairs and turning her away would be rude. Turning to face the approaching pony, he caught a look of slight wonder on her face.

“Good afternoon Twilight. I’ve got all your equipment and materials organized in this corner of the basement out of the way. I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve appropriated a few things in order to furnish out my home.” The sound of the word “home” had a nice ring to it, and Nathan had started to feel at ease for the first time since arriving. “I haven’t used any of your ingredients though, and they’re all stored away in that one cabinet. How are you today? Done working in the library for the evening?” A slight smile crept on to his face. Relations were at best strained with Twilight, but he was genuinely trying to be friendly.

“Oh sure, that’s fine. It seems so neat and tidy down here for once. You could probably show Spike a thing or two about organization. I appreciate you respecting my property, I was concerned you would use up all of my reagents. You may certainly use that furniture.” She was still marveling at how a weekend of work had turned a normally cluttered environment she couldn’t stand into a clean, orderly and functional workshop and bedroom. “Now that you’ve had a couple days to settle in, I was wondering if we could talk?” Nathan bristled a bit at the thought. He knew she was sending letters to her Princess in Canterlot to find out what to do with him, but would they have arrived so soon? Was he being kicked out again? No, she was being too friendly. Then what?

“I thought we’d already talked enough- outside the other day. You made your opinions and ideas pretty clear. I just wanted to say I respect your decision and won’t make any trouble. I’ll have rent for you too as soon as Applejack pays me.” He hung his head, exhausted from two days of organization, and really wasn’t looking forward to the assumed fight incoming. Twilight’s eyes went wide, then returned to their original size, a sad expression covering her face.

“Oh, Nathan, no I’m sorry. I know we’ve been kind of hard on you, and I know that you understand it, but I wanted to say… I don’t like this. I really don’t. I wish we could just trust you, and move along. I can’t though. The others look to me for guidance and support, and I need to keep their best interests at heart. If I was listening to Rarity, I wouldn’t have even let you stay down here. I’d like to get to know you better though. For now, though, this is the way it has to be. In the meantime, feel free to ask me anything you would like. I know all sorts of stuff about Equestria, and would be glad to educate you as best I can.” Pleasantly surprised, Nathan allowed the smile to cross his face again. Perhaps this wouldn’t be so bad.

“Thanks, Twilight. I appreciate the sentiment. I know it must be difficult for you too, and I’ll do my best to make it as easy as I can. I did have some questions though, about Equestria and the way things work around here in general since you’re here though. Did you have time now?” Twilight cocked her head and considered the request. Initially she had only said it to be polite, but now confronted with it, she was taken aback. Finally she nodded. She didn’t have any plans until later that evening anyways.

“Ok, so first off… your ‘equipment’. It’s non-functional. At least as far as the way I understand it. They consist of empty cases with the odd rough wire running inside them. Does this stuff actually work? Do they do anything?”

“Oh of course they work… for me. As a unicorn, I have control over magic. Our horns act as a magical outlet of sorts, and by focusing on it, we can project fields of energy to perform various duties and tricks. Nearly all unicorn ponies can do things like telekinesis, and most of us can perform small illusions, like making small objects appear and disappear, but each one of us has greater control over some aspect of their life, dictated by their ‘special talent’. Rarity for instance can use hers to find gemstones in the ground and in rocks.”

“What does yours do?” Twilight blushed, usually not comfortable expanding on what she considered boasting. Being that Nathan was new to town, and magic in general, though, she humored him.

“Actually my special talent is magic. I can do all sorts of things. Even learn other unicorns’ spells and use them myself. I spend a good deal of my personal time researching new spells and abilities to put into use. For instance, I designed these cabinets with the concept that they would be able to identify various aspects of a ponies state of being. Heart rate, nervous twitches, breathing, perspiration. All identifiable by these machines. However, they only work if I am magically willing them to. It’s not so much that they actually work, as much as I will them to be functional. Without my direct control, they aren’t much more then, as you put it, a couple cabinets with some wire in them.”

The revelation was stunning to Nathan. That their technology was based on magic wasn’t shocking. He had surmised that from the first time he had seen a lantern light up without any manual outside influence. However, that their technology was just a psychokinetic extension of their will was… frankly disturbing. The implications were myriad. Because they felt something should work like it does, it did work that way. That would go a long way in explaining other unbelievable facts of life around here. Weather control for one. While the pegasi didn’t have the same magical control, they still had passive magic that allowed for them to control and walk on clouds. Which was impossible, but they did. They must think they should be able to. Nathan struggled with the idea. Seeing him deep in thought, Twilight inquired.

“Something wrong? You seem distraught.”

“What? Oh, no nothing is wrong. I’m just thinking about technology and magic here. The way it works and how it differs from where I’m from. It’s going to take me a while to get used to it. Oh! Hey Twilight that reminds me. I saw you have a telescope- one of these nights would you be ok with me coming up and using it? I wanted to view the star field surrounding Equestria.” Twilight wrinkled her nose and thought about it for a moment.

“Sure. I guess that’s ok. One of these nights when it’s nice and clear. I’ll let you know what night works for me.”

“Sounds good Twilight. One more thing- books. I need some research material. I want to know the history of you ponies, your monarch, the creatures and monsters that live in the forest. Anything that might pertain to me.” Twilight smiled and nodded. Books! He certainly knew the way to her heart. She started bounding around the room as Nathan looked on, bemused.

“Oh of course! Sometime this week we’ll set it all up, and I’ll get everything organized and we can go through it together and Spike can help and you can help me fill in my human research and…” She stopped herself and sheepishly looked at the ground. “Oh heh heh. I get excited when people talk about books. We can do some reading another day.”

“Sure thing Twilight. I’m going to get back to work now. Still have a bit of organization to sort out before I go to bed. Thanks again for the place to stay. You might not trust me, and I might not trust you, but I think we can work through this.” Twilight flinched when Nathan mentioned he didn’t trust her. Well what does she expect? I’m just one step above a prisoner here.

“O-Ok then. I’ll just be going” Twilight started to make her way up the stairs. Nathan felt a little bad about hurting the unicorn’s feelings, but shrugged and went back to work. If he let it get to him every time he said something upsetting to one of the ponies, he’d be buried in remorse by the end of a week.

'Being able to relate to each other has gone a long way in nurturing a growing respect between the two of us. Twilight has stopped locking me in the basement at night, and Spike has been generous enough to bring me down lunch on days I don't work. It's just an excuse to ask me about my projects, but I appreciate it nonetheless.

Twilight also has allowed me to use her telescope as I requested. I'm not at astronomer by any stretch, but I thought I might try and find some constellations I was familiar with. Big and little dippers, Cassiopeia, etc. I ran into a problem though, one which I had not anticipated. They're there. Every single one of them. Which means, unless I'm mistaken, I'm viewing them from a similar position as North America. So, is this a different dimension? Far in the future or past? I have yet to figure it out.

My projects so far are ongoing, but I'll write about them later. I should tell you about my farm work first'

The midday fall sun was beating down, licking its rays over Nathan's skin, leaving an ever darkening tan. He had been working at the orchard with the Apple family for a little over a week now, and finally had gotten the hang of it. It was monotonous work, but he performed it gladly, happy to have income.

Nathan would start a bit earlier and place out the bins under the trees they were to harvest that day, and then Applejack and Mac would go out and buck them. It was a simple system, but so far it had worked out well. While Nathan was grabbing bins, Applebloom would run around and pick up any stray apples that had been missed or dropped. Unlike her older sister, the juvenile pony had taken a liking to the human immediately, and enjoyed playing out in the orchard while they worked. Currently school was on a break, and she had much more free time to hang out at the farm and pester Nathan with questions.

The first couple days of work had been difficult, but by the time he got through them he almost felt transformed. The air was so clear, the water so clean. This first week alone he'd dropped close to ten pounds and was feeling the best he physically had in years. Work on the farm had definitely been in his best interest. By the end of the week he was collecting bushels faster than the larger earth ponies could produce.

Their work days shortened, the family had much more time to catch up on maintenance and repairs that had plagued the farm for months, as well as more time for idle chatter that normally would be focused on getting in the day's quota of apples. After another successful day Applebloom ran in the house and retrieved a quartet of chilled bottles of apple juice. Note to self: they can somehow chill food and drink, I'll have to ask about that. The four of them- a colt, a mare, a filly, and a human sat around a picnic table and drank deeply.

After a while, their respective thirsts quenched, Applejack sat in quiet contemplation. It had only been a week working with the human, but being so close to him for even this length of time had been a constant reminder of the situation she was in as his employer, and her anxiety had continued to grow. Perhaps answering some questions would help to calm her. If not for herself, but to get Rarity off her back. The white pony had been directing snide comments at Applejack anytime they were within earshot of each other, and she was sick of it. Caught in her thoughts, Big Macintosh began to speak.

“First week in the orchards. Ya worked hard.”

“Thanks Big Macintosh, I appreciate that. It’s been good working here, and I feel great.” Applejack wondered if that was true.

“Ah can't imagine it's as fancy as what you used to do.. What'd Fluttershy call it? Enj.. enjasneer? That it?" Nathan chuckled.

"Engineer, Applejack. I'm an engineer. And no, it's not as fancy but it's rewarding work and it's been a long time since I've felt this good. I'm glad you took me on. I hope you’ll keep me on for the rest of the fall too. I could use the income.” Applebloom chuckled and shook her head.

“Big Mac wouldn’t fire ya. Especially after how hard you’ve been working. They wouldn’t have hired ya in the first place if they were going to fire ya. Right?” She looked up at Big Mac, and to her dismay rather than his customary smile he wore a nervous look and kept glancing between her and Applejack.

“Applejack why’s Mac looking so…” Looking at her sister, she could see a matching disposition. “Hey what’s going on here? Ah thought an Apple was supposed to be honest. What are you guys hiding?” Nathan saw the matching expressions on the older ponies faces, Mac refused to meet his eye. “There was something more to this arrangement than simple charity wasn’t there?”

“…Eeyup.” Nathan had learned since his hospital visit that Mac was usually a pony of few words, tending to only speak to confirm or deny. You didn’t need to live in Ponyville for long to realize something was up. Nathan raised his eyebrow.

“Ain’t nuthin’ upstanding about what we did.” He hung his head low, Applejack grimaced, and Applebloom was almost beside herself in a fit of disbelief.

“W-what do ya mean big brother? Of course it was upstanding! Applejack told me how you offered him the job yourself and everything!”

“Eenope. At the hospital, most a’ what Ah said was jes’ hogwash.” Nathan just laughed, drawing confused looks from the ponies.

“So why did you hire me then?” Applejack kept her eyes to the ground.

"Sorry Nathan. Big Mac and Ah had a talk after we hired you; he didn't have the most... generous reasons to hire you. He figured that since we needed the help, we should hire you, being the outsider. Iffin something happened, or you weren't very good, we could fire you without feeling guilty. Ah mean, you've done a great job, better than expected, but that was our thinking at the time." Applejack grimaced a bit at this.

"Eeyup." Big Macintosh turned a darker shade of red. Nathan continued to laugh.

"What, you're embarrassed for making a good business decision based on the strange 'predator' from another land? Jesus you ponies are too innocent. Too funny." He rolled his Ahead back and continued to laugh deeply. Applebloom shook off her earlier discomfort and laughed along with him, mostly because she felt there was a joke she had missed, and it felt better to laugh with the human than dwell on the dishonesty of her siblings. Applejack wrinkled her nose and a cross look enveloped her face.

"Well Ah'm glad you find it funny. Ah’m sure Mac has felt just awful about it all week, and it hasn’t been the best experience for me either. Who you calling innocent anyways? This the way things work where you're from? People just get fired for whatever reason? Who the hay is Jesus?!" Nathan tried his hardest to stifle his laughing in the face of the agitated mare but it was proving difficult. Between giggles he responded to her outburst.

"I-I'm sorry you've felt bad Applejack. Don't w-worry about me though, it's fine. To answer the rest of your questions: yes that's how it's done, yes you're all innocent compared to what my home is like, and as for J-J-Jesus, that's a much longer conversation, that you probably don't care about right now." At this point Big Mac was chuckling too, amused at Applejack's look of exasperation. Applebloom spoke up first.

"Oh Applejack, you should see the look on yer face. He just told you he was content and ye'r taking it like a slap in the face. Ye'r being ridiculous!" Applejack still looked like she wanted to argue, but she ended up blushing and staying quiet. Two ponies and a human laughed, while Applejack muttered to herself.
As the previous merriment died down, Applebloom had some questions of her own.

"So uh.. Mister Human.."

"Nathan, please Applebloom. Call me Nathan."

"Right, Nathan. So.. can you tell me about yer world? What the ponies are like? What's yer cutie mark anyways? Are all humans like you? You sure grew a beard fast. How did you do that. Where is that cutie mark anyways?" At the last question, Applebloom had hooked a hoof into the top of the human's pants and was attempting to pull them down to get a look at his hindquarters. Blushing he quickly grabbed them and kept them from being hoisted down.

"A-Applebloom, you can't just pull my clothes off. It doesn't work like that!" Applebloom shot a questioning look.

"Why not?"

"Well... humans aren't like ponies. We don't have a covering... coat. We don't have coats like you." Applebloom looked confused but nodded. Nathan shot a concerned look towards Applejack. Fluttershy had told the earth pony about their conversation in the forest, and Applejack, knowing her sister's insatiable curiosity, had approached Nathan and asked he try not to tell Applebloom too much about where he was from.

Applejack was pondering the appropriate response to her sister's inquiries. It didn't help that Big Macintosh had leaned in, also eager to hear about the world of humans.

"Applebloom, Ah'll allow Nathan to answer yer questions on one condition. You have to Pinkie Pie promise not to tell anypony else about what he tells you. Not even the other crusaders. Do ya promise." Applebloom's internal struggle was visible. Her curiosity was fighting with her desire to share everything with her fellow CMC's. Finally she nodded.

"Fine, Ah promise."

"Good. Now Nathan, you can tell her whatever she wants to know, but you might want to... gloss over a few details." Nathan nodded and proceeded to fill in the trio of ponies first hand what his world was like. He avoided talking about wars and weapons as much as possible though. He used a piece of charcoal recovered from a nearby fire pit to draw a few pictures, giving the ponies a visual aid for several points.

He finished his explanation, sat back and drained the rest of his bottle. Wish this was beer he thought to himself. Probably don't have alcohol here.

"Wow!" Applebloom's eyes were wide as saucers, amazed at the story she had just heard. "Wait, you just talked about all humans.” Her face turned to a look of puzzlement. “What about the ponies in yer world? Do you not live near them?" Nathan struggled to find a satisfactory answer for the filly.

"There are ponies where I'm from yes... but they're different than they are here." he hoped that would be enough. Of course, it wasn't.

"Different? Like how?" Now Applejack was interested. She too had been wondering what his ponies were like, and why Nathan had been so uncomfortable with the pony folk he had met. Failing to find an escape route, he just sighed, and let it out.

"Where I'm from, the ponies... are just animals. No intelligence, no talking, no magic or flying. Just grass eating animals." The three apple farmers gasped. Seeing the obvious hurt in Applebloom's eyes, Nathan quickly added "That's not how I think of you though Applebloom... that's just the way things are where I'm from. I'm sorry if that hurt your feelings." Again, inadvertently hurting one of the ponies. Man I am such a dick.

"Ah.. Ah'm ok. Ah know you were just answering my question. Ah.. Ah should go though, Ah have homework to do." Applebloom finished her drink, got up and ran to the house. Nathan caught a stream of tears flowing out of her eyes as she turned and reached an arm out after her, grasping at the empty air between them.

"Applebloom..." He closed his eyes and shook his head. What a great end to the week- now he was making children cry. Applejack saw the pained expression on Nathan's face and offered a meek smile.

"It's ok. Ah know she was asking too many questions. You probably didn't need to stomp on her that hard though- why lie about the ponies in yer homeland? Even if maybe you don't like them.. or us.." Nathan looked up, realizing the implication behind Applejack's words. Already stepped on one Apple filly's toes- hooves?- today. Might as well make it two.

"Applejack... I'm sorry but liking or not liking has nothing to do with this. What I spoke was the truth. The ponies where I come from have less intelligence than your dog. They can't do anything that you can here." The words hit Applejack like a sledgehammer, and she took a moment to swallow the bile welling up in her throat.

"Y-ye'r serious ain't ya?" Nathan nodded slowly. He felt terrible. Applejack struggled with the thought, then allowed her frustration to pass. "Well it's not like it's like that here, and you seem to be trying to get to know us. You don't hate us for being ponies or anything?"

"No Applejack of course not. You've been kind enough to me, regardless of motive. I'm glad to have an acquaintance here I can count on. You and your family are great." He walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder, looking her in the eye. “Applejack, you shouldn’t regret a good business decision, especially when it benefit’s the employee as much as the employer.” Applejack had to force down a tear of gratitude.

"Ya darn critter, y'know just what to say to brighten a mare's day don't you? Ah reckon Big Mac here made the right decision hiring you."

"Eeyup." The red stallion smiled in his sister's direction.

"That's all the work for this week though. We've gotten so much done we can take the weekend off and catch up on repair work. Thanks for the hard work. Here's your pay." Applejack grabbed a bag of bits out of a sack next to the house and threw it to him. Having no context he didn't know if he had received fair pay, and politely pocketed the bag without looking inside.

"That's more'n we'd normally pay for the work you did, but we figured you needed a bit more to get settled."

"Thanks Applejack. I'm going to head down to the market to pick a few things up. See you guys on Monday?"

"Eeyup." Big Mac replied.

"Oh before I leave, what's this cutie mark everyone keeps talking about?"

'Before I had left the farm, Applejack explained to me the cutie marks and their significance. They manifest themselves as the tattoos that adorned both flanks of mature ponies, and usually pertain to whatever special skill or talent that makes the pony unique. It's very perplexing really... the cutie marks don't appear until later in their lives, but almost always pertain in some way to their name, and whatever occupation they end up holding. I'm really not sure whether the chicken or the egg is coming first here, but somehow the adults just seem to know the right name for their foals. Probably more of this passive magic. Applejack still seems to be a mite nervous around me. Big Macintosh and Applebloom don't seem to share her disposition though, so I imagine it's probably Rarity continuing to talk to her behind my back. Probably burns her up thinking one of her best friends is employing me. Oh well, she's a bitch.

With the money that Applejack gave me, colloquially known as bits, I was able to purchase a couple weeks worth of food, pay Twilight some rent, and a bunch of supplies for my projects. At this point I've also managed to purchase a bed, and sleep comes more easily now.

I've almost finished a windmill I plan to install on the top of the library, with the intention of generating a bit of electricity. I noticed during early testing that I was getting a much stronger charge than I expected. Conversing with Twilight, I've come to the conclusion that the magical fields encompassing Equestria are somehow boosting the effect.

I'll be putting in the windmill tomorrow, and should have a small generator going within the week. I've detailed some of my designs and diagrams here in case I need to redo them, or make alterations. There's one other project not listed here, but I'm not writing that one down. I don't need Twilight reading this and getting nervous about my work. (While you're down in my room reading this Twilight, and I know you are, please don't make a mess or touch anything.)

As with everything else here in Ponyville, the chilled drinks was of course a work of magic. They have large ice-chests of thick metal, and a unicorn in town (the appropriately named Frostmane) uses his magic to create blocks of ice which he sells. Twilight had an ice chest she wasn't using so I annexed it and set up a fridge for myself.

Speaking about that windmill again, that reminds me. I need a strong Pegasus to put it up there for me. I think after a couple weeks ago I could probably twist Rainbow's wing into it. Like I mentioned before, things between of have gotten better. That confrontation was a long time in coming.'

Pinkie Pie was waiting in a bush outside the library. Being a Saturday morning she didn't have any work to do, so she decided she would have a bit of fun. Peering out of the foliage, she waited for the human to come out. The door to the library finally creaked open and Nathan stepped out into the sunlight. He heard the bush behind him rustle, and jumped.

"Hiya Nathan! Whatcha doing today? Going out for a walk?" Nathan gave a short yelp. Oh no, here it comes, another Pinkie prank. Looking around, for once he didn't see Rainbow Dash anywhere.

"Uh hey Pinkie. No Rainbow Dash today? No pranks?" He was still looking all over, waiting for Pinkie to do... well whatever she was planning.

"Nopers! I just wanted to go for a walk with you. I want to get to know more about you. I I never got to throw you that party I never got to throw you! And I always get to throw everypony a party, even if you’re not an everypony or even an anypony. Nathan relaxed slightly, hoping the small party pony was being sincere. Even if she was planning a prank, he knew the bubbly creature didn't have a malicious bone in her body.

"Ok Pinkie, we can go for a walk. I'm on my way down to the lake for a bath. I finally found some soap, and a knife sharp enough to deal with this beard. It's no razor, but it'll do."

"Oh that sounds good. I need a bath too. I normally just us my bathtub but going in the lake sounds fun. Can we stop By Sugar Cube Corner on the way? I'll grab my stuff too!" Nathan wasn't sure how awkward it was going to be having a bath near Pinkie was going to be, but he agreed to her request. After a short stop at the bakery (during which the Cakes hid inside a large mixing bowl) the pink pony and human were on their way to the lake.

They walked in silence for the first few minutes, but Nathan kept catching Pinkie glancing up at him and wanting to talk. A large brush and soap-on-a-rope clenched in her mouth prevented any sort of conversation. Finally, feeling sorry for the naturally chatty pony, Nathan reached down and grabbed Pinkie's bathing supplies, freeing up her mouth. I'm so going to regret this he thought to himself.

"Thanks! So, can I ask you something?" Nathan chuckled. Wasn't that the predominant question of the month.

"Why should you be any different Pinkie?"

"Wha?" a confused look crossed her face. Nathan returned the look with a nod.

"Sorry Pinkie, of course you can ask me something." Her characteristic smile returned, then she became very serious.

"Why don't you want to be my friend?" Nathan stopped walking and looked down at the suddenly sullen pony. She was under the impression he didn't care for her. Nathan felt sort of bad by this. "Rainbow Dash and I try to include you in our fun, and pull a few pranks, and you get so upset."

"Pinkie, I never said I didn't want to be your friend. I'm just getting settled, and I know you mean well, but Dash doesn't. She leaves a bad taste in my mouth every time you two try to play a joke on me." Pinkie took a moment to process this thought and then responded.

"We just want to include you! Really! What's wrong with the odd whoopee cushion, or putting some black ink on Twi's telescope before you use it?"

"Nothing Pinkie. Those are fine. I even had a good laugh with Twilight the first time you got me with the telescope. But sticking a rock in my way while I'm working so I trip and have to spend five minutes refilling my bushel of apples? Starting a rumour I had kidnapped Scootaloo and eaten her? Which, I might add, started a town-wide panic until Scootaloo showed up asking what the commotion was about.

"Those aren't harmless pranks Pinkie. I could have been hurt by every one of them. It's hard enough living here with the moniker of 'predator' hanging over my head."

"B-b-but I didn't do any of those pranks... they were all... Dash..." The revelation finally dawning on her, Pinkie went silent again

"My point exactly. Do you really want to be my friend Pinkie? Just like that?" Pinkie brightened again, a big grin on her face, tempered by the look of dead seriousness on Nathan's face.

"Yupperoonie! I'd love to be your friend."

"Then be my friend Pinkie. I would like a friend too, but I won‘t let Dash bully me in the name of whatever misguided fun or concern she has."

"Okie-dokie-lokie! We can be friends then. Yay! Oh look the lake! Bath time!" Carefully scanning the hills to confirm there weren't any other ponies in the area, Nathan turned to Pinkie.

"Do me a favour Pinkie? Can you close your eyes while I take my clothes off?"

"Why?"

"Just... please Pinkie?"

"Oh fine. I don't understand why you where clothes all the time anyways. Seems silly."

"Trust me Pinkie, the alternative looks even sillier."

Carefully stripping, he hopped into the lake then called after Pinkie Pie. The two of them cleaned up, and Nathan managed to shave down to a light stubble. The relief of a clean face did wonders for his stress. Cleaned up, the two new friends continued their conversation.

"So I've already heard from the others what your home is like, but I want to know more about you. I know you don't remember much, but what do you plan to do while here?"

"Try and live a quiet relaxing life until I get home. If I never get home, well, working the orchard has been pretty good. I'm also trying to put together a bit of my world here too. Whatever I can do to be comfortable."

"Wow! You're taking this whole 'I'm no longer on the Earth I remember and grew up with' thing pretty well. I'd probably be much more frightened."

"Wait Pinkie, w-what did you just say?" She couldn't have just used that word...

"I'd be really scared?"

"No no, the other thing!"

"What other thing? Oh I forgot, what were we talking about? Oh Rainbow Dash and her pranks right?" No Pinkie, that's not what we were talking about at all... Nathan shook his head, letting the utter confusion slip away. Must be that 'Pinkie Sense' Twilight was talking about.

"Don't worry about Dash. Next time I see her I'll talk to her about not playing anymore pranks on you." She looked sad and deflated, like the air had been let out of the balloons adorning her flank. Nathan shook his head.

"No Pinkie, pranks are fine. Just no cruel pranks."

"Oh good!" She was smiling again.

As the two splashed around the lake, absorbed in conversation, a figure cloaked in a dark cloud moved closer and closer. At the last minute Pinkie turned to see the figure burst from the cloud and bee-line straight to where Nathan's clothes were.

"Rainbow Dash stop!" Pinkie Pie screamed, but once again it was too late. The cyan Pegasus had already scooped up the crudely fashioned clothing, and proceeded to toss it up a nearby tree. Getting caught on some of the branches, little rips formed all through the outfit. Rainbow Dash was back up on her cloud, laughing with all four hooves in the air.

"Hahaha you should see the look on your faces. That was too funny. Now you won't be able to wear those stupid clothes. Hahaha you're such a sucker. This so so funny right, Pinkie Pie?" Pinkie wasn't laughing though.

"No Dash." Dash slowly stopped laughing. "This isn't funny." Nathan was barely containing his anger.

"Wha... oh Pinkie, not you too. First Fluttershy, and now you? He's just a big dumb predator. Why do you care about him?" Pinkie summoned her courage, and as evenly as possible replied.

"Because he's my friend."

"What?"

"Nathan is my friend! He needs those clothes. That was cruel. You bring them back right now!"

"Pinkie, why does need them? They're just dumb clothes. They don't even fit him right, and he wears them all the time." Nathan had heard enough. He couldn't bite his tongue anymore. he turned to Pinkie Pie. The anger had drained from his face, and he looked down at the pink pony.

“No Pinkie, it’s ok. Dash is right. I’m just an animal. You don’t need to feel sorry for me or be my friend. I don’t have any feelings.” Pinkie Pie stood there with her jaw open. What was Nathan saying?

“Of course you have feelings! Everypony has feelings! Even if they’re not a pony!” She looked up at Rainbow Dash. “Dash- look. You’ve hurt his feelings!” Nathan shook his head and sat lower in the water, staring into the lake, away from where Dash was in the tree. Pinkie Pie ran over to the shore and started yelling at the cyan pony. “Rainbow Dash! Look what you’ve done. You’ve made Nathan cry!”

Rainbow Dash glared down at Pinkie. However, as the party pony’s accusatory eyes burned into her soul, Dash slowly let her indignant attitude drop. The feeling of remorse overtook her and she gazed out into the lake, observing the now emotionally distraught human sobbing to himself in the water. Dash sighed, and slowly started to flutter over to where he was sitting.

“Nathan? Nathan look I’m sorry.” Nathan didn’t move or do anything, he just sat there, alone. Rainbow Dash flew closer. “I just wanted to have some fun. I didn’t think it would hurt you so much. I don’t want to be a bully.” Fearing the worst after receiving no response, Dash flew up right next to Nathan. “Nathan? Can we t.. AUUUGGHH”

Her sentence was cut short as Nathan burst from the water, leaping onto the stunned Pegasus and dragging her down into the lake. He held her head under the water for a few seconds then let her back up.

“I’ll show you a prank! How do you like this prank?” He forced her head back underwater. He repeated this a few times, each time Rainbow Dash managing to fragment out a sentence.

“Hey what… are you trying to do… are you going to drown… me or something?… I can barely breath… stop it!!!” Finally Nathan let her go, and she rocketed back up into the tree, shaking off as much water as she could. Anger covered her face. Nathan stood there laughing.

“Hahaha I can’t believe you fell for that. Seriously? ‘The big bad human is crying to himself because I took his clothes’? Dash you’re a riot.”

“Yeah well! I didn’t think you’d try and drown me! That wasn’t nice!” Pinkie Pie was laughing now too. After a few moments, even Dash couldn’t suppress a giggle. Nathan let the laugh die away before speaking.

“No Dash, you’re right. It wasn’t very nice. Neither are most of your pranks on me. As you can see, my clothes are in tatters, and unlike you I need clothes.” Pinkie Pie was still giggling, and Nathan wasn’t sure why until he took stock of his situation again.

“Hehehe! Oh you were right Nathan. It is more ridiculous without clothes.” She had trotted back over to wear Nathan was standing, as he blushed and tried to cover himself. She crouched down on her forelegs, and poked one hoof towards it. “Oh wow, look at that thing! Can I to-”

"No!" he yelled at her. Seeing her yelp and jump back, he softened his approach. "Sorry, Pinkie. No, you can't. I'm sorry for yelling." Looking up at the mare also laughing in the tree.

“If I had one of those following me everywhere, I’d wear clothes too. I’m so sorry let me get your clothes for you.” Dash deposited them on the shoreline. Nathan sighed and shook his head. This is becoming a bad habit. Just need Twilight and Rarity to have a show and I’ve collected the whole set! Damn.

"Ok, I'm sorry. I'll be more considerate in the future. I just wanted to have fun, and you were such an easy mark. I was wrong though. Can we move on?"

"Yes Dash, we can move on."

"Oh good." A smile played across her lips. "If you need a favour sometime let me know. I'll do something to make it up to you."

"Ok Rainbow. I'll call you up sometime. I'm going to head out now though. You have a good day." With that he walked back to town. Rainbow Dash flew down next to Pinkie Pie, who was still wrapping her head around the "show".

"So your new friend knows a few pranks of his own I see.

"Yepperoonie. He seemed really angry at you too initially. I was surprised he let you off with a little joke. You need to be nicer to him. He's a good human. You'll see." Rainbow Dash nodded. He was kind of impulsive like her, and he could stand up for himself. Kind of like her...

"Hey Pinkie... do ya... do ya think he'd be my friend too?" Pinkie Pie shot a knowing look over at her friend.
"I think he already is Dash."

'I'm sure by now you can gather I'm starting to make a few friends here. Overall the ponies are still terrified of me, but there are a few that seem to tolerate my presence. Pinkie Pie has quickly become my best friend here outright. She's still bummed we never had that party, but we've had a couple more lake adventures since then. Dash is still an asshole, but I think that's her way of trying to get to know me. Twilight and Applejack have built working relationships with me, and that's good enough for me. Fluttershy and Rarity though? Those two are as frustrating as ever, for totally different reasons…’

It was the fourth time that month he had gone down to Carousel Boutique looking for Rarity. As much as he disliked the unicorn's attitude, no one- no pony? he still hadn't gotten used to some of their conjugations- had as much tailoring skill as her. In fact, as far as he knew, no one else in Ponyville made clothes period.

Every time Nathan had visited previously, he had been met with the same hostility as he had the first day he met Rarity. True to her word, so far she had been too busy to bother with a wardrobe for the "disgusting" human. Last time she had reminded him that even if she didn't have any other work she would be hard pressed to come up with a good reason to make them anyways. Today though, Nathan had a plan.

Approaching the door, he heard both the boisterous Rarity and another voice, one he recognized. Perfect! Two birds with one stone. He gently reached out and proceeded to knock.

"One moment darling!" she called out from behind the door, unaware that she was sparing such politeness for Nathan. He snickered a bit. The look on her face when she realized who was at her door was always worth it.

The door emitted that characteristic glow for a moment and swung open. "Now, what ca-" she stopped mid-sentence and allowed her cool exterior to dissolve into disgust. "Oh, you again! How many times do I have to yell at you?" Peering past the agitated pony, Nathan could see, as he had guessed, Fluttershy sitting at the table having tea. Ignoring Rarity, he waved at the Pegasus.

"Good morning Fluttershy." A smile played across her face, but wad quickly replaced by trepidation, seeing Rarity so upset.

"Oh good morning Nathan. I haven't seen you in a week or so." In fact, it had been nearly a month. The last time he had seen her was the day he had been the day she brought him food to hold him over. Warned off by Rarity, she had been avoiding him for the last couple weeks, but she seemed so happy to see him. Nathan was at a loss to explain why. While he contemplated the situation, the hot-headed unicorn in the doorway snapped his attention back to reality.

"Don't you ignore me! Brute! Ruffian! What have you eaten today? More bear? Some defenseless cow? Maybe a pony?! Why are you even here? I told you- I am never going to drag myself low enough to make clothes for the likes of you. Now, be gone!" Time to bait the trap...

"Sure thing Rarity. I'll be going now. I just wanted to come by and let you know I won't be needing your services after all. Twilight told me about some tailors in Canterlot that could make me some clothes. I’ve contacted one and I’ll be heading there next week. I won't bother you anymore." Rarity looked perplexed. A month of this human asking for her services, and now he didn't need her clothes?

"O-oh. Well good. I'm glad. I was getting tired of your incessant visits. So then, I bid you a good day." Nathan smiled and nodded.

"You too Rarity. I'm actually glad you turned me down. You couldn't handle the job anyways, so you forced me to find someone who could. Bye now! You too Fluttershy."

"Bye Nathan!" Fluttershy called back. She looked like she had more to say, but stifled it. Rarity harrumphed and closed the door. Nathan could hear a faint 'good riddance' come from inside the Boutique, turned and started to walk away. Five, four, three, two, one...

He heard the door behind him slam open again. Gotcha. He put on the most surprised face he could and spun around, seeing a clearly worked up Rarity. She was positively bristling, snorting through her nose.

"I'm sorry..." she spat between clenched teeth, "... what did you say?"

"Whoa Rarity. What did I say about what? That you couldn't handle my wardrobe requirements? I'm sorry I didn't think you could."

"Didn't think I could? Didn't think I could?!" She was fuming. "I can create anything for anypony anytime I want!"

"Oh you can? Well I just thought that with, you know, how much you have turned me away, I just assumed it was too difficult for you."

"Too difficult?" she screeched. "You are looking at the premiere dress maker for miles, possibly in all of Equestria. I can make anything. Your bits! Where are they?!" Feigning as much shock as possible, he reached in his pocket and pulled out a bag of coins.

"These you mean?" Magical light surrounded the bag, pulling it over to Rarity.

"Yes, yes those. Good. Now come back tomorrow and I'll show you just what I can and cannot do. Now go!" Game. Set. Match.

"Are you sure you can handle this Rarity?"

"Yes! Go! You too Fluttershy, I have work to do." Fluttershy gave a shocked 'eep!' and exited the Boutique as fast as her wings would take her. She landed next to Nathan, and they watched the door slam shut. Fluttershy smiled and blushed at Nathan.

"Well that was... sudden. D-did you want to walk me home? That is, if it's ok?" Nathan smiled back. Finally, a chance to talk to her. Fluttershy was trying her hardest to contain her glee. She wasn't doing very well.

"Sure Fluttershy, that would be nice. So, how was your tea with Rarity?" Fluttershy looked amused. She thought for a moment, and then responded.

"It was... it was nice. Short though- I'd only been there for half an hour before you knocked. We had just been talking about how busy we've been lately. We haven't had time for a spa visit. Oh.. and we talked about you." Nathan laughed, and doing a prissy little strut, throwing his head back. He started doing as good an impression of Rarity as he could, with an added accent.

"Goot day to you darlink. How are you this fine mornink? Vhere have you been lately? I hope not too busy- ve have much to catch up on. Vhat sort of rumours can we make up about the human? Oh I know! He ate the Cake's babies! I heard he ate Scootaloo!" Fluttershy laughed at the over exaggerated impression. She became serious again before laughing though.

"Oh N-Nathan she's not that bad. She's just scared of you and what you might do to me... I-I mean us. She's scared what you can do to us. You have to admit you didn't make the best first impression." Nathan thought back to the hospital prank again.

"No you're right Fluttershy, I didn't. I'm sorry for that." She nodded.

"I know. It's ok. Rarity will come around eventually. She's my best friend. We need to be strong for each other. I have a feeling she knows more though. About you I mean. You've really never met her before?" Nathan considered the question.

"No. As far as I can remember I've never met another magical talking pony. You were the first I really got to know. Speaking of, there's something I wanted to talk to you about. We spent three days together in the forest, another two in the same room as the hospital. I thought we would be friends by now. Or at least talk to each other more. Are you avoiding me? Did I make you mad?" Fluttershy had a shocked look on her face. That's how he was taking her not being around him?

"O-oh no. No no no. I haven't been avoiding you because I don't like you. I've been not looking for you because I don't want you to feel like I'm bugging you too much. That and Rarity keeps sending everyone to me for pet-sitting. I didn't think you would think I'm mad at you! I'm so sorry." Nathan was smiling again.

"It's ok Fluttershy. Nothing you could possibly do would make me feel bothered. If you want to hang out some time you just let me know. We can... I don't know. Go for a picnic, or for a walk like we are now." Fluttershy was blushing.

"Oh I would like that. I'm sorry you thought I was mad at you. Don't worry about Rarity. She'll come around eventually."

The two of them continued their walk through Ponyville. Several minutes went by, with neither of them talking. The townsfolk had started to get used to the human, and managed to continue working, even with him passing by. Octavia was practicing in the park, Cheerilee was taking a group of foals on a field trip, Pinkie Pie was carting a wheelbarrow full of flour to Sugar Cube Corner. Applebloom, with the rest of the foals, waved at Nathan, and he politely waved back

"What's the flour for Pinkie?" another pony called out.

"Oh Derpy wanted a pony-sized muffin, and I thought 'what better way to make a pony-sized muffin, than to make a muffin the size of a pony!'" Nathan shook his head and laughed. Pinkie Pie logic at it's finest. Fluttershy herself was suppressing a giggle. The town was definitely bustling today. Winter was going to blanket the land soon, and most of the pony folk were doing their best to prepare the village. Finally, Nathan broke the silence.

"It's beautiful, you know?" Fluttershy had that cute confused look on her face again.

"I-I'm sorry?"

"The town. Ponyville. It's beautiful. I'm glad that of all the places I could end up, it was here. Of all the ponies that I could meet, it was you." Fluttershy was beaming.

"Oh Nathan, I'm so happy. I was getting worried you didn't like it here. The other girls have said you spend a lot of your time working. You do like it here right?" Seeing the hopeful look in her eyes, Nathan had to bite back his initial response. No, Fluttershy, I don't like it here. I don't belong here. I'm probably doing some sort of irrevocable harm to your kingdom just by existing here. In the end, the best he could manage was a half-truth.

"Yes, Fluttershy. I like it here. Better than other places I could wind up. Until Celestia gets back to us, I don't think I'm going anywhere anyways." Fluttershy nodded, oblivious to the lie. They had finally reached her cottage and were leaning against one of the fences watching a couple of chickens chase each other around.

“I’m glad you’re here. You’ve shown me something different from the ponies. I should get back to work th- OH!” Fluttershy had a look of realization cross her face. Her eyes were wide, and she was having trouble forming her words.

"What is it Fluttershy, you forget something in town?"

"N-no I was just thinking of that poor tailor in Canterlot." Nathan raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry?"

"You know! You had Twilight contact a clothes maker in Canterlot for you. Now that poor pony won't make a sale!" Nathan tried to stifle his giggle, but it was no good. It rolled into a deep belly laughed, he clutched his sides and fell on the ground, laughing the whole way.

"Oh Fluttershy. There IS no Canterlot tailor."

"You mean you..." His sides hurt so much from laughing he could barely respond.

"Yeah! And she bought it hook, line and sinker!" Now it was Fluttershy's turn to laugh. Both friends rolled around, and found themselves staring up at the clouds. It might not be home... but sometimes all it takes is a friend and a laugh to make it feel like it
.

The cloth flew all around the room. Ideas were flowing in and out of Rarity's head. These would be the most magnificent clothes that human had ever laid eyes on. Couldn't handle it? Please. This would be foal's work. Opalescence made her way down the stairs, looking questioningly at her master's current project.

Seeing the cat's confused look, The unicorn informed her.

"Just putting together an outfit for that beastly human. He was going to go to a Canterlot pony because he didn't think I could handle it. We'll show him though. Still, I wonder who was going to do the work? Probably one of those new designers out of Marelan, but I can't imagine they would want anything to do with..." Finally putting two and two together it hit her like a sack of bricks. All of the cloth dropped around her and she closed her eyes.

Opalescence meowed, an even more confused look on her face. Rarity looked down at her pet.

"Oh Opal... I think mommy just got played for a fool."

'Even though she figured out what I had done, she was still a good sport about it and made the wardrobe for me anyways. She was sure pissed off though. Oh well. The clothes were nice enough. A bit more... classy then I would prefer, but good enough.

So, a month has passed and I've made a couple new friends. I'll finish that one project next week I hope. Hopefully this Princess Celestia will get back to Twilight Sparkle soon. As much as I have been enjoying my stay here at times, I want to go home. Something just isn’t right about me being here.'

Deep below the ground, Queen Chrysalis was still licking her metaphorical wounds. It had been months since the wedding and her failed take-over of Equestria, but she was still distraught over how everything went so wrong so fast. If not for Twilight Sparkle, no one would have been the wiser. She would someday get revenge, but for the time being she had been too busy dealing with her subjects.

Let down by their perceived all powerful queen, many of the changelings began to question their ruler. She had already brutally put down one such rebellion, and the more loyal of her subjects had filtered through information that another one was coming. It was difficult to plot revenge when your own subjects were untrustworthy.

So it was she spent another night on her twisted throne, plotting how to re-establish her rule, surrounded by her guards. As she sat their in silence, a myriad of plots clicking through her head like clockwork, she heard the garbled cry of changelings across the subterranean city. Concerned, she leapt from her chair, peering out the window of her citadel.

A dark cloud blew across the spires that marked her city. Randomly at first, then building and funnelling into a distinctive pillar, aimed directly at her throne room.

"Guards!" she cried out. "Protect your queen!" The changelings complied, moving into defensive positions, several taking the form of threatening monsters. Their efforts were in vain as the cloud blew through them, knocking a majority of them unconscious. Seeing her protectors defeated, Chrysalis shrieked. "What are you? What is the meaning of this?!" She herself morphed into a juvenile dragon, magical green fire licking the ground where she stood. A rumbling laughter escaped the smog.

"Hahaha, you always were good for a laugh Chrysalis." She squinted her eyes, claws at the ready.

"That voice... I've heard it before..." Her pondering was met with further laughter.

"Well of course you know me. I was counting on it. Here, let me slip into something... more comfortable." The cloud cover slowly dropped, rolling into the corners of the corners of the room and dissipating. As the last of the darkness fell away, Queen Chrysalis' eyes went wide, and she shuddered. The shock forced her out of her concentration and her own draconic shroud fell, leaving her perforated black form behind. He stood in front of her, fully three times her height. Each appendage ended in a different claw or hoof, his tail matched nothing else, and his face was twisted in a sickly cruel grin.

Discord.

"Y-you?! This is your doing? Where did you get this kind of power?! Why are you here? How are you here?! I thought..." The sickly visage demi-god in front of her curled his lips around his cruel looking teeth, his breath carried the odour of death.

"Oh my dear, sweet Queen Chrysalis. The how’s and whys aren't important. What is important is that I'm here, and I have an offer you simply... cannot... refuse."

"What? You come into my kingdom, assault my subjects, invade my throne room, and you have the audacity to ask me for something?! Why shouldn‘t I just have you imprisoned?"

"Oh of course. When have I ever cared for etiquette? You know me better than that. I mean it has been hundreds of years, but still. Now, listen. I've got a few endeavours on the go, but I'm short a few...hooves. The way I see it, I have the magic and the ability to strike back at those pesky ponies you and I hate so much, and you have the army I need to move forward with my plans. What do you say Chrysie?" Queen Chrysalis was furious.

"W-w-what? You want my changelings for an army? Don't make me laugh. I don't think you understand where you are. This is my domain. I am queen here. Why would I help you? What possible reason could I have?"

The grotesque being's lips were still curled in that sickly grin.

"Actually there are two reasons. One: from what I hear, the way things are going, you might not be queen much longer." Chrysalis flinched. Discord was right. "Two: well, do you care for this changeling over here very much?" His claw waved in the general direction of one of the now recovering guards.

"No not particularly. But wh..." The question was lost in her throat as the demi-god snapped his finger. The changeling looked uncomfortable for a moment, his body trembling a bit, before finally succumbing to the magic and exploding, leaving gore covering all in assemblage. Chrysalis was stunned. The once grinning demon now wore a deadly serious look.

"B-but you've never... why... the ponies..."

"What about them?! I'm tired of playing by their rules. I've learned a few new tricks , and I'm putting them to use. Playtime is over, and as you've seen this offer is non-negotiable and not to be refused. I’m done bucking around. Now..." he swung his claw out to the trembling monarch. "... do we have a deal?" Hanging her head low, Chrysalis held out her fragmented hoof and shook his claw. Shudders overtook her body as she realized just how much power he had attained. The energy positively flowed off of his body.

"Ok. You win. My army is yours to command. Let us crush Celestia and her little ponies."

"Oh I knew you'd see reason dear. Now then, let's go discuss the arrangements." Once again the laughter started. Things were still moving along perfectly. For tonight he wouldn’t have time for dream-walking, but as it stood this was a much more important victory. For once in a long time, his laughter was genuine. He was enjoying his newfound power, and he would be sharing it with those ponies before long.

It had been a long time in coming, but Discord was finally ready. By his claw, Celestia would fall, and Equestria would follow her into a shallow grave.

5: The Pink of their Lies

Chapter 5- The Pink of their Lies

A couple months had passed since he had started his journal. The apple bucking season had long ended and Nathan found himself unemployed as the first snow of winter started to fall. He had saved up enough money to last through the winter, and paid Twilight Sparkle in advance for his lodging, but the lack of income slowed his projects. Apparently Celestia had yet to respond to Twilights letters.

The small generator he had set up had done wonders for his quality of life. It was crude, and the electrical supply was sporadic, but he managed to rig up several devices using Twilight's cabinets and wires- a small heater, a rough battery, even an electrical lamp and a furnace. It had helped greatly with his primary project.

It had taken longer than initially anticipated, but he had done it. Getting the barrel just right, removing all the burrs, carving the handle from a fallen apple tree, reinforcing it with a stylized bracing plate. It had taken time. Now though, it was ready.

"Finally, something in this world that feels right."

He had crafted himself a shotgun.

He had considered not finishing the weapon, debating on whether or not the armament was necessary, but in the end he felt his personal safety trumped any faith he had in the safety of the village. Having a deadly weapon was probably going to get him a one-way ticket to… wherever ponies send their criminals. Twilight had mentioned something about the moon. With that in mind he had rigged up a few dozen bean-bag cartridges. As he sat there admiring his work, and carefully etching a pony motif into the bracing plate, he heard a noise behind him. Too late to hide it, Pinkie Pie bounded down the stairs. Dammit. I still never bought that lock.

"Hiya Nathan! Whatcha doing today? Want to come out and play in the snow? It's so gorgeous out! We can make snow ponies! Ooo or snow humans! Oh oh oh or snow dragons!! And drink hot chocolate! Wait... What's that?" Pinkie peered down curiously at the strange tubular object on the workbench. She saw the forming shape of the pony on the side and giggled with glee. "Ooo is that a new art project? Can you draw me on it? Please please please?"

"It's nothing Pinkie. Just something I put together. Just in case." He was a little nervous, unsure how the ponies would take the existence of a firearm. Even a non-lethal one.

"Just in case what?"

"Um... just in case..." That mob finally shows up looking for my head. "...I need to... point at something across a room?" It was the worst lie he had ever come up with. Even Pinkie Pie could see through that.

"Why don't you just show me? I'm usually embarrassed to show off new things too." Nathan shook his head.

"You? Embarrassed? I find that hard to believe."

"Ooo it's true. One time I made a new cupcake recipe that involved custard and I thought it would be really good but I didn't think anyone else would like it so I kept them to myself but then one of the Cakes found one and ate it and they said it was good and I just needed a taste tester and it would be ok and..." Nathan held up his hand to Pinkie's snout, silencing the prattling pony.

"Enough Pinkie. You want to help? Do you have any protective gear? Can you get it for me?"

"Okie-dokie-lokie!" She zipped off and re-appeared a moment later wearing a full set of what passed for protection here. Several pillows tied to her body, knee pads, a helmet, face shield, and a rubber ducky shaped water ring. Nathan sighed.

"I meant for me Pinkie. I don't trust this thing enough for you to be the tester. You could be seriously injured." Or killed. Pinkie giggled.

"You trust me though right?"

"Well... yes."

"You know I trust you right?"

"At this point I hope so." Nathan knew where this logic was going. Infallible Pinkie Pie logic was going to break him down.

"Well then I trust that whatever you've made won't hurt me. I trust you. Come on, it took me forever to get into this stuff. Please?" Nathan struggled with the request. Finally he relented.

"Fine Pinkie Pie. We'll test it on you. I'm sorry if this hurts. Stand over there please, and face me with the most protected area you have." Pinkie complied, rearing up on her hind legs so her stomach covered in three pillows was in front. Nathan loaded one of the bean slugs in the chamber and snapped it shut. He took aim. "Are you sure Pinkie?"

"Yupperoonie! Ready when you are." Nathan slowed his breathing and nodded. Sighting down the barrel he gently pulled the trigger.

BOOM!!!!

The slug flew out at an impossible velocity and impacted Pinkie Pie dead center. She rag dolled against the far wall, lifted in the air by the shot, and collapsed in a clump on Nathan's bed. The kick-back was almost enough to tear the firearm from his arms. Nathan dropped the boom stick and ran over to where Pinkie had landed. Fearing the worst he cried out to her.

"Oh shit. Pinkie are you ok?!" After a moment she started to giggle. Relief flooded through Nathan's body. "Oh thank God you're ok."

"Of course I'm ok silly billy! That was so much fun. I want to do that again! Can we go again?!" Now Nathan was laughing.

"No Pinkie, that was enough of a test." How could it have possibly had that much kick? Something isn't right here. Could it be the magical fields that affect my power generation also affect chemical reactions? "Thanks for helping though. For some reason it had too much punch. I'll have to figure it out." Taking her pillows off, Pinkie Pie could see a purple bruise spreading across her abdomen.

"That's probably why I have this huge bruisey woosie now." Nathan looked apologetic.

"I'm so sorry Pinkie. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Don't be silly it was fun. The bruise will go away. What are you going to call that thing! It needs a name! Ooo how about a bean-boom? Or a bag-pipe? Oh oh oh! I know! How about Nightmare Boom?!!!"

"Actually Pinkie, I was going to call it the Pie Cannon." Pinkie Pie wrinkled her nose.

"Pie Cannon? That sounds like it should launch pies." Nathan had a tiny grin on his face.

"Well, wouldn't you say it just did?"

"No it... wait... oh that's what you mean? Oh I get it! That's funny!" Pinkie Pie was rolling with laughter again. "Oh, ow." She held her side and snickered. "I guess I should take it easy on the laughing for a bit." Nathan nodded.

"Sorry again Pinkie." She shook her head.

"It's ok, really. But Nathan, why did you make that? Really? I'm your friend. I'll understand." Nathan sighed. He was hoping the pink pony would just drop the issue after the demonstration. Obviously he misjudged.

"Well... as nice as you ponies are, I'm sorry but right now I just don't trust you to be able to help me if something happens. If your princess finally gets around to responding to Twilight and comes to imprison me, or some of the other ponies decide to run me out of town, would you be able to stop them? Would you even try?"

"They wouldn't do that! They’re all so nicey wicey and stuff!”

"I'm not saying they would. I'm saying 'what if'?" Pinkie Pie looked sad for a moment.

"Nathan... you... you don't have a lot of trust for us, do you? You really aren't comfortable are you? I'm sad for you." Nathan just looked off into a corner of the room. She was right of course. As ludicrous as the pink party pony could be, she had such piercing observational skills when she wanted to. Finally Nathan responded.

"I'm sad for me too. Pinkie. I'm sad that I've come to a place I don't know and I'm dragging you all down to my level." He punched an empty cabinet, leaving a sizable dent in it, his knuckles splitting open at the impact. A small trickle of blood rolled down his fingertips. Pinkie Pie squeaked at the sudden impact but kept her cool.

"Nathan, I'm not sure why you're here, or how you got here, but you're here now. You'll always be my friend. No matter what. I just let you shoot me with an untested shotgun. Please feel safe with me here." Wait... she just did it again... how... no. She’s not squirming out of it this time.

"Pinkie, how do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"How did you know what device I had built? I haven’t told you what we call it where I come from, or even how it works. Yet you knew roughly how it worked, and what it was called. Don’t screw with me Pinkie.”

"Sorry what?" she giggled nervously. "I just said I let you shoot me with the untested pie cannon."

"No. You didn't. You said shotgun. I know you did. I can see it in your eyes that you know you did. Pinkie... I‘ve told you once. Don‘t. Screw. With. Me." Now it was her turn to look distant.

"Look, if we're putting all of our cards on the table, I need to know something first."

"Yes Pinkie?"

"When we finally talk to Celestia, do you plan to go back? To Earth?" Now he knew she wasn't kidding. She knew. As much if not more than every other pony.

"I've already had this conversation with you Pinkie, and the others. Yes. I want to go back. At this point, I'm not sure what I'll find, or what my life will be. But this isn't my home. This isn't my life. Yes, I've enjoyed hanging out with you, and I've even gone out with Fluttershy a couple times, but this won't work." Pinkie gazed off, and a lone tear rolled down her cheek. Wiping it away before he could see it, she looked back to Nathan, forcing a mock smile on her face.

"Thank you for being honest. Wait you went out with Fluttershy a couple times? I didn't know that." Nathan blushed.

"Yeah apparently she's pretty smitten by me, much to Rarity's chagrin." Pinkie Pie looked deep in thought for a moment.

"You guys haven't..."

"Haven't...? Oh that? Oh. Oh God no. She's nice and all, but she's still a pony. Let's just say that at this time, that thought... disturbs me. For lack of a better word. We're side tracking though. How do you know these things Pinkie?" Pinkie was slightly miffed for a moment, then regained her composure.

"The other girls... they don't take me very seriously, you know? I'll say things and they just laugh and say 'that's just Pinkie being Pinkie'. I know things though. I don't know how I know, I just know. I knew what it was you were testing. I've known for the last two months you were working on it. Don't ask how, I don't know. You were right though."

"Sorry?"

"You were right not to tell anyone else. Twilight would have you thrown out of town so fast if she knew. Once you had it done, I waited until Twilight and Spike were out of the library, and made sure I was the first one to find you."

"I was wondering why neither of them came running after it discharged."

"They're across town having lunch with Bonbon and Lyra."

"So you know more about where I come from?" Pinkie Pie shook her head.

"No it doesn't work like that. I just know pertinent things about situations. I know you're from Earth, at least your Earth. I know what you've created.” Nathan sat there dumbfounded. He was busted. He knew it. “What I want to know, is why you designed that in the first place. Who were you going to hurt?”

“I told you Pinkie, I didn’t want to hurt anyone.”

“Not anypony?”

"Yes Pinkie. I don't want to hurt anypony. What do you think I should do with all this? You claim you‘ve known for months. Now that it‘s done you confront me?" Pinkie Pie sat in quiet contemplation. After a while, she formed an answer.

"You should keep it. You worked so hard on it, I can see the hours you poured into it's manufacture. I need you to promise me a couple things though."

"What do you need Pinkie?"

"First, I need you to promise that you won’t try and kill anypony else as long as you’re in Equestria. I don’t know if you could, but I want you to promise me. Also, I want you to be honest with me from now on. No secrets or lies. If the others find out before me, you’re going to be in trouble. Pinkie Pie promise!”

"I promise Pinkie Pie. You have my word."

"Good." A smile spread across her face and the old Pinkie Pie was back. "Now I'm so gosh darn hungry I could eat a whole bushel of apples! I'm going to go grab some lunch. Let‘s go out to the forest near Fluttershy‘s cottage later on and ‘point at‘ some trees!!" With that she bounded off up the stairs.

Nathan sighed, replaced the case under the bed and got back to his art project. She might be the craziest of the ponies, but she was the most intelligent too. In her own way. He started to add a curly mane to the pony he had etched in the side of the firearm. Who else would be appropriate on the side of a gun called the 'Pie Cannon'?

A couple hours later, bundled up to fight off the chill in the air, the two of them were at the edge of the Everfree forest. Walking in for five minutes, Pinkie Pie and Nathan found themselves in a small clearing with a couple large trees encircling it. Careful to conceal the potentially deadly device, Nathan had prepared a locking case for the gun as well.

Pulling it out now, Pinkie Pie could see the image of herself on the side, and found herself both embarrassed and happy that he had taken the time to add her to what was currently his most valuable possession in his eyes. She knew, at the very least, every time he lifted that weapon, he would know she was guiding his conscious.

"Awww you big softie. You did draw me on it too! You're the best. Okie-dokie! Let's get this show on the road." Nathan, nodded, loaded the chamber to capacity and snapping it shut. While the tools and materials he had to work with were crude, he had managed to rig the shotgun up to hold three shots.

"Ok, Pinkie. Let's see what this can do." Taking aim at a tree, he braced himself and pulled the trigger three times in quick succession.

Crack-ka-ka-BOOM!!!

The tree in front of them had three evenly spaced and sized dents in the bark, and the impact had been enough to bend it over slightly. The sheer friction had scorched burn marks into the trunk, and it was currently smoldering. The power was still far too much for the purpose he had built it for.

“I’m going to need to halve the charge on these things. It’s still too dangerous and potentially deadly in this state. When we get back to the library I’ll see about fixing that.”

"Yupperoonie! I was thinking the same thing, and I'm glad you agree. Ok so let's..."

"Nathan? Pinkie Pie?!" They heard Fluttershy call out behind them. Spinning around, they both sheepishly grinned at her. Nathan slipped the gun case behind his back, while Pinkie hid the ammo case in her mane. Holy crap. How much can she conceal in there?!

"Oh hiya Fluttershy! Whatcha doing?" Pinkie Pie bounced around while Nathan smiled as naturally as possible.

"Well, I heard several loud noises come from the forest. I was looking for you two anyways and stopped to investigate. Oh!" Fluttershy had spotted the now smoking tree. "W-what happened?" Nathan and Pinkie looked around nervously before answering.

"It was... It was lightning! It struck the tree and we too came to find out what it was." Nathan responded. Pinkie Pie nodded emphatically.

"Lightning?" Fluttershy examined her friends suspiciously. Neither of them were capable of using magic, granted. But still... "In winter? Not controlled by a Pegasus? I don't see a cloud." Pinkie Pie blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Uh... well it's really dry out, so there's a build up of static, and the cloud was there, and it’s the Everfree forest and it made this freak super lightning bolt. Like 'ka-blamo!' and the tree was all burney-wurney.”

"O-ok. I'd never heard of that before. Either way, you two need to come to town hall. The mayor is holding an emergency meeting and everypony needs to be there. You too Nathan." Confident their cover-up was successful, the pink pony and human relaxed.

"Sure Fluttershy, we're on our way. I just need to stop by the library on the way. I'll meet you girls there." Nathan walked on ahead, the gun case tucked into his side under his arm. Pinkie turned to follow, but as soon as Nathan was out of ear shot, Fluttershy stopped her.

"Back off."

"Back off what?"

"You heard me Pinkie Pie. Back off. I don't know what you're playing at, but he's mine. He's going to be mine. I don't see you going on any dates with him." Pinkie Pie blinked a couple times and started laughing.

"Oh you thought I wanted him? Don't be silly Fluttershy. He's all yours. He's not really into ponies though. Just saying."

"I don't care. He will be. You just watch yourself." Pinkie Pie bounded down the path towards town.

"Okie-dokie-lokie!"

"Order! Order I say! We must have order!" The mayor was calling out over the assembled ponies, a cacophony of voices crying out for answers.

"When did they come back?"

"Where are they now?"

"What is being done to stop them? What is Celestia doing?"

"My brother lives in Appleloosa, have they been seen there?"

"We demand answers!"

"If you would all kindly just quiet down, I can let you all know what Information we have!" Having returned the gun to his room, Nathan had rejoined Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie at the back of the group. Most of the town's ponies were there, and he could see Twilight, Applejack and Rarity up towards the front. Rainbow Dash was on a cloud directly overhead. He looked down at the meek yellow pegasus.

"What's going on Fluttershy?"

"I'm not s-sure. Something has the town in an uproar. Looks like the mayor has things under control now." Calling out over the crowed, the mayor began to speak.

"Listen, everypony. What I am about to tell you is of vital importance, but you must not panic. Princess Celestia is aware of the situation, and is doing her best to send aid to every town. I've called you here to confirm the rumours you have heard. Yes, it is true that changelings have been observed roaming the wilderness abducting ponies they come across. We don't know why, or what their plans are, but they seem to be avoiding towns at this time. As long as you stay inside Ponyville, you should be safe.”

"What is Celestia doing to help?"

"What can we do?"

"What if they come here?" Clearly, the mayor was becoming flustered with the questions. Nathan had heard about the Changelings from Twilght before. One of his evenings had been spent reading about various monsters and opposing forces the ponies dealt with on a regular basis. Small and crafty, they weren’t very strong. However, she had made it clear that they tended to work more subtly until they had been discovered. To be so aggressive was out of character for them.

"Please, my ponies. Calm down. Guard ponies will be coming to erect shields in every town. With winter upon us, it is expected that the changelings will be slowed." Nathan turned to Fluttershy and Pinkie again.

"Changelings eh? How concerned should we be?" Pinkie shrugged. Another voice called out and joined them.

"Probably not very. They're only dangerous in large groups, or if their Queen is with them." Twilight had spotted Nathan at the back of the crowed and had waded back to him, fielding his question.

"However, this is brazen for them. Nothing like what I've researched. It does concern me, but if Celestia is already sending help, we should be fine. We've defeated them before." Turning their attention back to the front, they continued to listen to the speech.

"... yes, Wall Flower, other towns have not been attacked either. It's only the wilderness. Once the guards arrive later today we will be safely sealed inside." The assembled ponies were still murmuring, but seemed to be calming down. Nathan was surveying the crowed, when he caught it out of the corner of his eye.

One of the ponies had slowly made it's way to the front of the crowed and circled around the backside of the mayor. She was so wrapped up in her speech she hadn't noticed. Nathan whispered out the side of his mouth, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end.

"Twilght..."

"I see him Nathan. What do you think he's doing?"

"I don't know, but if I were you I'd be getting my magic re..." the sentence was lost in his throat as they watched the mayor's eyes roll into the back of her head. In almost slow motion, she dropped to the ground, the bloody hoof of the pony who had just struck her waving in the air. The assembled ponies cried out in shock. In a slow curl of green flame, the flesh of the offending pony fell away, revealing a changeling in its place.

Seeing the shocked look on Twilight's face, Nathan knew she had seen the same thing as him. Where in the books Twilight showed him portrayed changelings as lithe creatures roughly the size of a pony, the creature in front of them was larger than Nathan was by half. The hooves were covered in jagged claws, the fangs protruded nearly a half-foot from it's mouth, and it's muscles rippled underneath the flesh. Veins on its neck pumped blood furiously. Nathan reiterated his previous concern, this time fear in his voice.

"Twilight..."

"Dammit Nathan I see it!" She covered her hoof with her mouth and blushed. Yep, definitely corrupting these ponies. Definitely going straight to hell. Standing to its full height, the monstrous changeling roared at the crowd. Several ponies expelled green flames and turned back to their changeling forms. Two more of them were the large type.

Panic.

The ponies screamed and ran for cover. The small changelings began to chase down the closest targets in sight and held them down so the larger ones could jump in and finish the ponies. Nathan noted they seemed to be merely knocking the ponies out, not trying to kill. Fluttershy took off as fast as her little legs could carry her, bolting for her cottage. She dodged a blow from a larger one and hid under a porch. Seeing she was momentarily safe, Nathan took off running for the library.

"Some friend he is, Pinkie Pie. First sign of trouble and he takes off running." Twilight saw the look of trepidation on Pinkie's face. "Just realizing now that he‘s a wimp?" Pinkie shook her head.

"No Twilight... I'm worried it might be worse than that."

"What?!"

"Doesn't matter right now- here come the changelings!" She leapt out of the way as one of the brutes brought down a hoof. The ground cracked where he had struck. She pulled a streamer out of her mane and tripped him up, smiling at the satisfying thud the changeling made. She squeaked and took off running as soon as a pack of small ones came her way.

All five of the friends were fighting off the changeling attacks. A flash of magic here, a dropped pan there. Applejack was furiously bucking anything that came within sight. Rainbow Dash was doing her best to target the offending creatures with lightning bolts. Several struck home, dazing them. Pinkie was pulling whatever she could out of her mane in an attempt to trip or waylay the group chasing her. Another streamer, a couple balloons, a few balls. A few tripped, but the remainder kept on her heels.

Another group was being taken care of by Twilight, her magic blasting several unconscious. She yelped as one managed to reach her and gouge her with a tooth. A small line of blood ran down her coat as she rolled away. Seeing her friend injured, Rainbow Dash swooped down and nailed the offending shape-shifter with a well placed kick.

"Thanks Dash."

"No problem Twilight. Look out, here comes more!" Another wave approached, and while Applejack continued to buck, Rarity used her magic to grab whatever nearby objects she could find and throw them at their foes. A potted plant struck a small changeling square in the jaw, taking it out of the fight.

"Nice work sugar cube. Keep up the pressure!" Applejack called out.

"A lady always puts the pressure on!" Rarity shrieked back. One of the changelings leapt for her head, missing her as she ducked and sailed well clear into a hedge. "Ruffian! Uncouth lout! Sneak up on me why don't you?!" As if on cue, one of the brute types reared up in front of her. A grin spread on it's face. "Oh... dear..."

Delivering a brutal backhand, Rarity spun back against the side of a building, spitting up a bit of blood. She slumped over, barely conscious.

"Definitely not lady like. A little help girls..." Her moan was barely heard over the fighting. Applejack dove in front of her, threatening the brute.

"Ah don't think you've any right to lay a hoof on mah friends. Twilight?!" Twilight and Rainbow Dash were busy trading blows with another brute. Several cuts covered their body, but they nearly had it whittled down. "We're gonna need more help! Ah don't think we can handle this alone! This ain’t like that time in Canterlot. These big ones are a whole other bushel of apples!” The brute in front of her took another swing, nearly cleaving her Stetson in two.

"We just have to hold out for Nathan. He'll be back!" Pinkie Pie screamed out. "I know he will be!" She had located her party cannon, stashed behind a nearby building, and was putting it to good use, dropping several of the smaller changelings.

"What? That yellow bellied snake? He took off runnin’ at the first sign a’ trouble."

"No, he'll be here! Just hold out!" One of the changelings dodged a blast and managed to put a hoof into her stomach, her bruise still fresh from the morning. "Augggh!!!"

"Pinkie!" Twilight cried. "You're hurt! Get back! We need to fall back and re-think this! The five of us can‘t do it alone!"

"No! Twilight! Just... hold... on..." Pinkie staggered but held her ground, firing point blank into the changeling. It arced over a nearby wagon, landing face-down in a pile of mud and snow.

"Pinkie Pie..." Twilight looked over at her friend, concerned for the unfounded faith she placed in the human.

Fluttershy cowered under the porch and cried.

Nathan sprinted in a dead run towards the library. The main changeling force was amassed near the town hall, but he could hear the screams of ponies come from all around him. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw a pack of changelings carting off a group of ponies. His attention was forced back to the fore as a group of changelings burrowed up from the ground, positioning themselves between him and the library.

"Oh hell no. You assholes can burrow now too?! That wasn't in the book!!" A quick glance confirmed these were yet a third strain of changeling. Completely lacking hooves on their fore-legs, their appendages ended in huge curved claws designed for burrowing, each ending in a razor sharp point. While the same height as the standard variety he could see that their body was elongated, making a slim form that could cut through the ground with ease. Similar to the brutes, he could see the veins on their body stand out.

They spread out in a semi-circle and one of them lunged for the human. Leaping to the side, he tucked into a roll bringing him up in front of another. Landing a solid punch across the face he noted that the back was covered in a thin sheen of armour. The changeling shook off the blow and countered with a claw swipe. It cut Nathan across his chest, drawing a line of blood. He winced from the pain and rolled away. He started running across the snow-covered ground away from the burrowers while trying to formulate how to get back into the library.

Two of the changelings went under, popping up moments later right in front of him, reminding him of their mobility. Looking behind him, the three others were slowly moving in for the kill, and all five wore a look of bloodlust. Nathan searched for an escape. Think dammit, think. How can I stop these things? What can I use? What… Ah ha! He had found his out. He watched for his opening. It came as one of the burrowers made another lunge for him. Hopping onto the reinforced back of the attacker, he leapt up from a nearby wagon, to a small tree, onto the roof of a house. He smiled down, seeing the disappointed looks of the thwarted monsters.

Climbing higher, he made his way to the apex of the roof and made a quick scan of the town. From his vantage point, he was able to take in the severity of the situation. Dozens of ponies were being rounded up in carts. The larger changelings were crashing through houses and grabbing whoever they could find, while the smaller ones continued to round of the stragglers. Those that resisted were soundly beat into submission. Off in the distance he could vaguely make out Rainbow Dash flying about, obviously doing her best to waylay the oncoming forces. It was clear though that they were losing. Nathan had to act quickly.

Taking a running leap, he bounded from the roof to a weather-vane and launched himself onto the nearest balcony of the library. Tucking into a roll he crashed through the window, several shards of glass piercing his flesh. The fresh blood left lines across the walls and floors as he came to a stop inside the library. Standing and brushing himself off, he gazed down to the library floor in shock. He had assumed that because Twilight kept her library locked while she was out that it would be devoid of changelings. He failed to assume that they wouldn’t just break the door down. Which they had. The library now contained several standard changelings and a brute.

They had noticed him as soon as he had crashed through the window, and the smaller ones were making their way up the stairs as fast as possible. Thinking fast, Nathan leapt out and grabbed a light fixture hanging in the middle of the room, striking several with his feet as he swung by. The rope supporting the lamp wasn’t designed to carry his frame, however, and it began to sag, threatening to snap. The smaller ones spread out, standing back from the sagging structure. Why don’t they just fly up? They have wings. His internal question was answered almost immediately, as the brute brought his front hoof-claws down on the library floor. The power shook the library, causing a crack to ripple up the side of the wall and ruin any remaining support for the light.

“Oh shit!” The lamp and human came tumbling down, landing unceremoniously in the middle of the library floor. A few of the more unlucky changelings had been standing directly underneath, and the weight of his body had taken them out of the fight, but many more were still conscious and began to surround him. Nathan groaned and stumbled to his feet. He still bore several cuts, split further from his impact, and his head and back were now killing him. “Oh boy. Not good.” The pack of changelings slowly moved in, while the brute stood back, a toothy grin spreading across it’s face.

It wasn’t going well. Rarity had barely recovered from her thrashing, and Applejack was running on empty. Twilight’s magic was starting to burn out after they had managed to take down the one brute, and Rainbow Dash had been grounded due to a lucky shot to one of her wings. Pinkie Pie was still going strong, but the spreading discomfort in her stomach slowed her considerably. All around them the snow was patterned with red, a testament to the amount of blood that had been shed. So far no one had been killed, and most of the injuries were superfluous, but the sight of blood had been enough to overwhelm Fluttershy, and she was now unconscious. Even if she had been awake, she had been in no condition to participate. They were going to lose this fight.

Evaluating the circumstances, Twilight made the executive decision. They had held the square as long as possible for Pinkie’s misguided loyalty in her friend, but enough was enough. Other ponies needed their help, and they would be no good to them locked up inside a cage or laid out to die.

“That’s it girls! We’re leaving! Applejack, grab Fluttershy. We need to move back and rethink our strategy. We can’t win like this.” Twilight started backing herself one of the town alleyways, motioning for the others to follow.

“No! Twilight!” Pinkie Pie cried out. Twilight, however, merely shook her head and blasted away another changeling.

“Pinkie! That’s enough! We’re going. With, or without you. Nathan isn’t coming back. Stop being so stupid. Let’s go!” Upset by the implication and insult, Pinkie sputtered out a sob, turned her cannon on three approaching foes and levelled them in quick succession. Wordlessly, she sprinted back to the alley, taking up a defensive position behind Twilight. The others followed, knocking away whichever changelings happened to be closest at the time. Applejack had hoisted Fluttershy on her back and leapt behind the cover her friends had provided.

Proceeding down the alleyway, they made their way towards the edge of town. Their best bet was getting to a safe position, finding Spike and getting a letter to Celestia. Either she would have to deal with the changelings, or she would need to bring the Elements. During the meeting Spike had been tending to Fluttershy’s animals, and they expected she would still be at her cottage. As they proceeded, they continued to strike down any changelings that came close enough, but for the most part they weren’t hounded. The two remaining brutes were following at a distance, keeping within sight, but not close enough to hamper their escape.

Twilight was planning out their next move when it slowly dawned on her what was going on. She frantically debated how to proceed, but ran out of time. Coming into another open area, she noticed the houses on either side of the five streets that entered and exited the intersection had barrels stacked on top. Two more brutes sprang out and drove their claws into the ground, causing the barrels to tumble over and block the exits. Behind them the brutes, who had now closed the distance to the ponies, had done the same thing, blocking their escape from behind. Only one street was left, and it was blocked by a horde of changelings. They were trapped.

“Aw horse apples.” Applejack managed to spout.

Nathan found himself in a similar situation, and had a terrible feeling that unlike the ponies, who Twilight had explained the changelings parasitically lived off of, the monsters would probably not spare a second thought as to whether or not to rip him apart. The burrowing ones had made that abundantly clear already. He searched the room, trying to figure out how to survive this. Scanning the shelves and the tables in the library, a plan came together. Sorry Twilight, I don’t see another way. He rolled through a nearby pack of changelings and retrieved the fallen support rope for the now smashed lamp. Hooking it around one of the free-standing shelves he pulled with all of his strength. It took a moment, but it started teetering over.

Several changelings, distracted by the anticipated bloodshed, noticed too late that the shelf was coming down on them. With a crash, the books came down, plowing through a large swathe of foes, leaving a gap in their ever-tightening circle. The brute roared, and launched another seismic attack towards the human. However, Nathan had been anticipating and expecting this, and positioned himself in front of another shelf. Dodging at the last moment, the blow struck the shelving unit, sending another pile of changelings to nimbus land. A few of the smaller were still left, but Nathan felt the herd had been thinned enough he could deal with them himself. That brute on the other hand…

Diving through another offending group, he managed to get himself to the door of the basement and tore off down the stairs, closing the door behind him. He snickered as he heard a few of the more aggressive changelings thud against it, but realized that the door would buy him a few seconds at best. This is going to ruin so many months of work. Dammit. Not fair. Well it’s either this or die in a strange land by the claw of a monster that eats love and shits out malice… His decision made, he emptied every bucket of water he had on the floor, retrieved the Pie Cannon, knelt on his bed and waited. Within moments, the changeling mass burst through the door and proceeded down the stairs. Seeing it was a dead end, they took their time, slowly closing in for the kill.

Nathan steadied himself and waited. His nerves were trying to get the better of him, and at any given moment it was an extreme struggle to keep calm. Freaking out would cost him his life and he knew it. He waited. They came closer, the first few setting hoof on the basement floor, treading the ankle high water. He waited. Most of them were down now, and had begun to circle the room, filling it and assuring that Nathan couldn’t escape. He waited. Now the brute was in the room, and wading to the front of the pack. He was going to be responsible for the killing blow. The annoying pink flesh person was his. Nathan steadily levelled the shotgun at the monster’s face.

The brute laughed. What? This puny creature was going to poke him in the face with a tube? Hardly. He rose one claw-hoof high in the air, anticipating the kill, pausing to allow the dread to fill his target. Nathan just smiled.

“Every one of you creatures in this world are so god damned stupid. Seriously, I’m never getting sick of screwing with you quadrupeds.” Confused by the human’s words, the brute paused further, giving Nathan the time he needed to line up his shot. He pulled slightly to the side.

BOOM.

One of the bean-bag cartridges went off, cleaving a support post for his windmill system in two. The loose wiring from the battery fell loose and dropped in the water. An electrical shock rippled out from the impact point and the assembled changelings began to convulse. After a few moments, the remaining power stored in the battery was discharged and the monsters dropped still. Except for the brute. Fried but conscious, it managed to get a “weak” hit in while Nathan was distracted by his handiwork. Striking with the force just short of a sledgehammer, it spun Nathan back, forcing him to drop his armament.

Knocking him into a bedpost, the brute noted with satisfaction the human had gained a few more injuries on the way down. A black eye, a broken rib, and a myriad of cuts and bruises now covered Nathan’s body. Struggling to his feet, he frantically searched for his gun. The now dark room made the search futile, and it didn’t help a weakened but furious changeling was standing in front of him. Another blow rained down, but he sidestepped it, clutching his impacted ribcage as more pain shot through his body. Steadying himself, he grabbed the only thing within reach, brought himself up in front of the brute, and put on the boldest face he could.

“I don’t know how to dance, but you really seem like you want to, so you lead. I’ll pick it up as we go.” Nathan winked and brought his fist down across the beast’s face. The stunned changeling roared in pain. Nathan had wrapped a loose chain around his fist, and had put a dent in the face-armor of the brute. While pleased with the hit, the human was unprepared for the toughness of the brute’s skin, and his knuckles split open again. The angered monster brought down another hoof, trying to slam Nathan into the water. He stepped to the side again, but this time the brute was anticipating it. He altered the trajectory of his attack and caught Nathan on the leg, drawing a long gash from his knee to his ankle, ripping through whatever meager protection his clothes had held.

Screaming from the pain Nathan lashed out again. This time the beast was staggered and took a step back. The shot had sealed up one of it’s eyes, and it was starting to get disoriented. Without missing a beat Nathan struck again, and again and again. The chain fell away and soon the human was raining down blows with his bare hands. Blood mixed with the water at their feet, though much of it was his own.

“I. AM. NOT. BEING. KILLED. IN. CANDY. LAND. BY. A. GOD. DAMMED. LOLLYPOP. VILLAIN!!!” Finally, the brute stopped moving, and Nathan stood quivering, allowing the excess adrenaline to seep out of his pores. Taking a moment to inspect the defeated changelings, he noted that he had managed to not kill any of them. He spoke out to the room. “I’ve keept my promise to Pinkie Pie. You’re all lucky that pony got to me before you.” He retrieved his fallen weapon, loaded up on cartridges, and took off as fast as his injured leg and broken rib would allow him.

The girls were surrounded on all sides by the changelings. Twilight could have escaped if she teleported out, but she wouldn’t leave her friends behind. Fluttershy had come back around, but was quivering in fear, whimpering as the beasts closed in around them. The rest stood firm, but were sharing knowing looks. They’d been beaten.

“Last stand girls, or do we back down?” Applejack asked the assembled ponies. Fluttershy, of course had nothing to say, and was nearly catatonic. Rainbow Dash piped up first.

“If it was just us, we could take them, but the town is full, and who knows what the changelings will do to the townsfolk. I think.. I think we need to surrender.” Twilight nodded in agreement.

“I agree. If I could focus for a few moments I could erect a shield to repel the changelings, but it will take too much out of me, last for a few minutes only, and there are just too many of them. For now, they have us beat.” Pinkie Pie was breathing heavily, her internal injuries keeping her doubled over for the most part. She could barely contain the saliva dripping from her mouth.

“N-no, you g-guys. Everything will be okie-dokie. Trust me..”

“Aww horse apples Pinkie. Nathan had his chance to come back. Mah bits are on him being miles from here. He’s left all of us. He was nothing but a stupid predator.”

“Don’t say that about him.”

“Pinkie..”

“Don’t say that about him!!! Fluttershy! Help me out here- you care for him! Tell them!” Fluttershy was still cowering behind her friends. She wasn’t sure about anything anymore.

“W-w-well Pinkie. I-i-f you say so. I believe in h-him.” She smiled meekly. Rarity responded crossly.

“Oh dear, he’s hardly worth the air he breathes. I still don’t understand what you two see in him. It’s bad enough that you want to date him Fluttershy, but Pinkie choosing to take blow after blow in blind faith? You two are quite the pair.”

“NO!” Pinkie shouted, then her ear tweaked.

“Pinkie? What was that?” Rarity asked. Off in the distance, they heard several booming noises. Pinkie’s eyes went wide. BOOM. BOOM. BOOM. A few moments passed, and was followed by more strange sounds. BOOM. BOOM. Pinkie looked nervous. Rarity looked back at her again. “Pinkie, what’s going on? What aren’t you telling us?”

“Rarity… I…” Pinkie closed her eyes “…you’re going to find out in a moment. Please Nathan, don’t be using them…” The booming became louder and louder, and soon following every crack, they could hear changelings screeching in pain. The group that had blocked in the six ponies, stepped away to see what was going on, leaving the brutes and a few small ones to close in the gap. One of the brutes came right up in front of Applejack, and raised a hoof-claw. She shut her eyes, prepared for the worst.

BOOM BOOM BOOM.

Her eyes flew wide and just caught the sight of three bean-bags catching the changeling on the side of the face and throwing him into a wall. The other changelings had scattered, panicking over the quickly dissolving situation. The six looked over at the entrance, and all but Pinkie Pie had their jaws agape. Pinkie did her best to stand up straight while clutching her side, and offered the meekest “I told you so” look she had ever given.

There stood Nathan. His eye sealed shut and bruised, blood running over his cracked knuckle, his leg torn open, and lacerations covering the front of his chest. Smoking in his hand was an object that Twilight Sparkle had never seen before. Whatever it was, it caused a chill to run down her spine. The human clicked it open, slid three more rounds into the chamber, and snapped it shut. Spitting out of the side of his mouth blood spattered the snow around him.

“Now,” he stated to the assembled changelings, “would anyone else like to be an asshole and piss me off right to hell?” A few of them exchanged nervous glances, then snickered. Two of the remaining brutes dashed towards him, hoof-claws raised for the kill. Nathan snapped off the three shots at his disposal, then flipped the gun around grabbing the barrel. He could hear the heated metal scorch his skin, but his hands were numb from the pain of crushing them against the library changeling’s face. Two shots collided with one brute, while the third drilled his partner in the middle of the forehead, dazing him long enough for the human to swing the firearm around like a golf-club, catching the brute on the chin. Both beasts crashed against opposite walls of the street, leaving boulder-sized dents in the houses they struck.

The remaining changelings were nervous now. With three more brutes taken out, their overall strength had been greatly diminished. Rarity was the first to react to their stunned state.

“Twilight. This would be a good time!” Twilight was confused for a moment.

“A good time for what?! Oh right that!” She focused all of her magical energy on the horn extending from her forehead, and braced herself. Drawing in as much of the surrounding power as she could she projected it all in a spell that encompassed the entire town. Every single changeling remaining in Ponyville was violently ejected. Her spell wasn’t as strong or as large as she had seen her brother project around Canterlot, but it was enough to push away the relatively small force that had invaded the village. The spell complete, she staggered on her feet and then crashed to the ground. As her eyes shut down, she heard Fluttershy scream. Opening the one eye long enough to figure out what the issue was, she noticed that the changelings weren’t the only thing gone.

Nathan was no where to be seen.

Whispering under her breath, she began to calculate the implications even as darkness took her. This could be a problem…

Nathan awoke a little while later, near where Rainbow Dash had assaulted him a few months before. Now that the immediate threat was taken care of, he was able to lay back, and allow the pain to wash over him. God damn that hurts. Those guys weren’t kidding around. He was going to need a few days to repair and reflect on what had just happened. This was nothing like what Twilight had explained about the changelings before. That they were so totally overwhelmed… something was wrong. Even he could tell.

Off in the distance, he could see Fluttershy flying towards him. She was screaming at him, but he couldn’t hear a word she was saying. He could feel the blackness closing in around him, and struggled to keep awake. Looking down at his chest, he noticed now that not only was his rib cracked, but had actually pierced the skin, and now the tip was exposed to the air.

Oh.

Fuck.

He finally passed out.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Nathan opened his eyes, finally recognizing the telltale sound of the heart monitor in the Ponyville hospital. In the room were Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy. Seeing him come to, Fluttershy rushed over to him and threw her hooves around him in a huge hug. The pressure was painful on his chest, but Nathan accepted the embrace, allowing a smile to cross his face. Pinkie bounded over to him.

“Oh Nathan! You were sooooo super-duper awesome! Those meany-weany changelings didn’t stand a chance against you and your… whatever it is! How did you do that? I thought humans couldn’t use magic? Was it magic? If not what was it? How did you do it? Tell me tell me tell me!” Nathan eyed Pinkie carefully. She knew exactly how he had done it. She obviously had not let her friends in on the secret. I really can trust you, can’t I Pinkie?

“Oh uh… well that will take a long time to explain, and I’d have to show you how things work.” Twilight wrinkled her nose and pouted in disgust.

“Well that’s going to be hard seeing as we can’t find whatever it is you were using. It seems to have disappeared entirely.” Nathan looked crestfallen. Damn, my only protection and it’s gone.

“That’s too bad. Oh well. So, what’s the news? How long was I out this time?” Twilight began to fill him in on the details.

Soon after her spell took effect and ejected the offending army, the Canterlot guard ponies arrived to shore up the barrier and make it permanent. All the other towns and cities of Equestria had been similarly protected, and now guard stations had cropped up all over the country. Princess Celestia had wasted no time in declaring a sort of martial law, and her troops had clamped down on every major town and city. Being a benevolent leader, she and her sister had not abused their power, and for the most part, ponies were free to go about their days. However, inter-town travel had been restricted for all but the most privileged traders, and even then those had to bring along guard regiments for travel.

The spell had drained most of Twilight’s life energy, and she had needed a few days to fully recover. Even now she still was restricted to minor spells, but could perform most needed tasks. The others' injuries had been minor for the most part, except Rarity who had needed her abdomen bound for a few days to improve healing. As for the rest of the town, most of them escaped with little or no injuries, including the mayor, who escaped with a minor concussion. There had been one death, but the prevalent opinion is that it was self-inflicted in the panic. The changelings, for the most part, had not been there to kill, only detain. Overall, Nathan was in the worst shape.

He had been out for a week, while the doctors and nurses worked frantically to put him back together. Their magical ability worked wonders, resealing his cracked ribcage and mending his cuts and bruises. After several days of intensive care, they surmised that all he needed was a good sleep to recover fully. Now awake, his body ached everywhere, but surveying their work he could see that any pain at this point was superficial. Even his chest barely bore the scar of the piercing rib. As the three ponies finished their detail of the last week, Nathan was prepared to ask a few questions.

“So, Twilight. First, that spell. That shielding-slash-repulsion spell. I understand it was the heat of the moment, and you needed to act quickly, but really? You couldn’t tailor it to leave me out? I noticed it didn’t affect the other ponies.” Twilight shook her head.

“No, it doesn’t work like that, I’m sorry. It’s a very specific spell used to thwart enemies of Equestria. It’s too powerful to be altered very much, and I had one chance. It nearly killed me to cast it as is.”

“Oh. So you have it set so it removes anybody except ponies?” Twilight shifted her eyes and shuffled her feet nervously.

“Uh… yes! That’s exactly it. It removes anypony that’s not a pony. Which technically means it doesn’t remove anypony, it removes any not anypony. If you know what I mean eh heh heh…” Nathan raised his eyebrow. Something was off, but he wasn’t going to push it.

“Well I’m glad everything worked out in the end. Things seem to be getting back to normal. I’m assuming that Princess Celestia finally responded to your letter you sent when I arrived, especially since from what I gather Ponyville was hit hardest by the initial attack?” Twilight shuffled her feet again, and looked up at the two other ponies and the human.

“Well, um. I have a confession to make. I never sent a letter in the first place.” Pinkie’s and Fluttershy’s eyes went wide. The situation blew out of control a moment later, as the other three Elements walked through the door, catching what Twilight had said.

“WHAT?!” Rarity screamed. “You assured us over, and over, and over again Twilight Sparkle that you and Spike had sent off the letter right away. You just kept saying ‘well you know how busy Princess Celestia is. She obviously has more important things right now. She’ll get to us’. Now it turns out you never sent it in the first place?! What were you thinking?!”

“I wanted to study him! I was looking for a new research project and this human dropped into our laps! I wasn’t going to let Celestia get rid of him before I got a chance to do a proper study and learn about him!” Applejack jumped in now.

“Ah might be just a simple farm pony, but ah can tell just as well as any of us how reckless that was sugar cube. You don’t know what he might have done. Ah mean, did you see that death pipe he was carrying? It took you and Dash several minutes to take out one of the big ones. He dropped three like it weren’t no thing.”

“Not only that!” Rarity was screeching again. “Do I need to remind you of his own admissions? He comes from a place where many people have these sorts of things. Bombs, guns, weapons. Twilight. Think about it. Nuclear. Warheads. They have that sort of thing!” Now Nathan was confused. Yes he had made reference to weapons of mass destruction, but never so specifically, that he could remember. He must have told Fluttershy at one point. Turning his attention to the screeching mares, he slammed his fist down on a bedside table and stunned them in to silence.

“Hey! I just saved every one of you from… well whatever those changelings wanted with all of you ponies. I don’t know. I did what I had to, to make sure you were all safe, and myself as well. They might not have tried to kill any of you, but I assure you they weren’t making any sort of concessions for me. I wouldn’t try to hurt any of you on purpose, and that ‘thing’ I was carrying wasn’t even lethal. They were all bean-bags. And YOU!” He pointed at Twilight.

“Research project? Study?! I’ve been waiting months to hear about a chance of going home, where the ponies don’t talk, magic doesn’t exist, and I can buy a leg of lamb and not feel guilty. It’s obvious to everyone here that none of us want me to be here. Now I find out you’ve been using me as a test subject? Jesus. H. Christ. You ponies can all go blow yourselves. Now, I need time to rest. Get out. All of you.”

“But Nathan I…”

“No, Fluttershy. I need time to think, and you six need time to figure out just what the hell you need from me. Until then, I’ll be waiting for your fairy princess to turn a pumpkin into a ‘take me home’ machine. Wherever in God’s name home is.”

“O-o-okay..” She started crying and ran out the door. Twilight raised a hoof and opened her mouth, about to say something, but the glare in Nathan’s eyes cut her down. She knew she had screwed up. She slowly turned her back to the human and left the room. The other four followed suit, and for once, just once, Rarity actually felt a shred of sympathy for the miserable human lying on the hospital bed, staring off into the ceiling. Closing his eyes, he heard the door shut. He lay there for several moments, focusing his thoughts, then finally sighed and spoke up.

“Yes Pinkie? What is it?” He opened his eyes and turned over, seeing the pink pony standing next to the door she had just shut and locked, but kept herself on the room side. Her normally curled mane was straightened, and she was staring at the floor. Several tears were rolling down her cheeks.

“W-why are you so angry all the time? You’re always yelling.” Nathan instantly regretted his outburst, realizing how much pain he had caused Pinkie and Fluttershy.

“I’m… I’m sorry Pinkie Pie. That wasn’t directed at you, or at Fluttershy. Sometimes I just can’t rationally express my feelings, and my communication skills are terrible. I know you’re there for me. I appreciate that you covered for me.” Pinkie Pie cheered up just a bit.

“Really? You’re not mad at me?”

“No Pinkie, I’m not mad at you. I just flew off the handle. You’re a good friend to have. Especially here.” Her trademark smile spread across her face, then tapered off.

“I owe you an apology too Nathan.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. When I heard you start to fire the Cannon, I heard the first five shots, and I assumed… I assumed that you had broken your promise and loaded it with the stronger cartridges intending to kill the changelings. At the time I was furious with you, until I discovered every cartridge you had expended showed much less charge residue than the ones you used in the first place. I thought you had broken your Pinkie Pie promise.”

“Well, you’re still half-right to be mad at me. When I retrieved the firearm, I did quickly make several half-loads for the smaller ones, but I’ve been using full strength shot against the brutes. I didn’t kill any of them, but that honestly might have been more luck. I’m sorry. Besides, the ones in the case in your mane have the fullest loads. Assuming they’re still there.

“Huh?! Oh!” She rooted around in her mane and produced the case of five shots. “Silly billy me! I’ve had them the whole time! Isn’t it amazing what you can lose in your hair for a week? Oooo like last month, I stuck a cupcake in my mane to eat later, and for the next few days everywhere I went stuff smelled like chocolate, and I was all like ‘whoa did someone dump chocolate all over Ponyville?!’ but it just turned out to be the cupcake! Isn’t that funny?”

“Pinkie…” Nathan sighed and looked down at the ground.

“Oh sorry. Right. Well, I’ll give them back to you then..”

“No.”

“What?”

“No Pinkie, you keep them. I don’t trust myself enough. If you have them, I won’t be able to access them unless I talk to you first.” Pinkie Pie blushed and shuffled uncomfortably at the responsibility.

“Maybe I should give them to Fluttershy? The two of you seem to be a thing right now.”

“Sorry, that doesn’t work either. She wouldn’t understand. I need someone who I know at least… grasps the concept of what my world is like. I need it to be you Pinkie.”

“Ok. Ok you win silly billy. I’ll hold them for you. In the meantime,” she reached in her mane and pulled out the now locked gun case, “here’s the Pie Cannon back. I hid it from Twilight and the others for you. I had assumed they would have a hard time figuring out how it worked, but the etch of me on the side would have been a give-away, and I’ve been playing dumb.” Nathan smiled and retrieved the weapon from the beaming ponies mouth.

“Thanks Pinkie. Hey, uh, can you do me one more favour?”

“Sure!”

“Can you go find Fluttershy and send her back to me? I need to apologize to her too, and if we’re going to date we’re going to need to figure some things out.” Pinkie Pie twitched a bit, then nodded. “Wait, what was that Pinkie? That twitch?”

“Oh nothing. I just thought you weren’t really in to ponies.”

“Well I’m not… but this is a unique situation. Fluttershy’s nice. I would hate to turn down a nice pony.” Pinkie Pie smiled again.

“Okie-dokie-lokie! That makes sense. I’ll go get her! Oooo you want me to get her flowers too? I can do that!”

“Sure Pinkie, thanks. You’re a great friend”

“I know, right?” With that she opened the door to the hallway and bounded out of sight. Nathan sighed. What a strange last few months. No, ponies weren’t his thing, but for now he’d go along with her. She was very sweet, and seemed to have an overwhelming need to be near the human. It was nice to be needed. With that he drifted off to sleep, his overwhelming exhaustion taking hold.

Returning outside, Pinkie Pie was confronted with a quintet of squabbling ponies. Trotting up to her friends she bent her ear in trying to understand what the argument was about.

"...be that as it may Twilight Sparkle, you had no right to risk our lives and those of Ponyville over a reasearch project!" Rarity was barely keeping her voice below a shriek. "I understand you being curious but this is simply unacceptable!"

"Rarity, you don't understand! If he..."

"What? I don't care if you're concerned for Celestia. The fact of the mater is that if she couldn't deal with him, then we wouldn't have a hope. Your magic likely only had such an effect in his weakened state. You are putting us in harm's way every day. Darling, honesty, I swear that you worry more over our princess, who as far as we know is immortal and unkillable, than your own best friends." She turned away from the shamed Twilight and faced the rest of the gathered ponies.

"Do you see? Do you see now what I am saying? What I have always said? Even with Twilight's supervision he has managed to create a device capable of destruction. If a couple months of work can produce that, what might a few more create? He is a monster! A monster that needs to be put down! A monster that..."

"RARITY!" Rainbow Dash flew right up into her face and leveled a glare at her. "I will admit, and always have, that there are things about Nathan that bother me. I don't know what they are- I'll let a smarter pony figure that out. But are you really going to act like this? Treat him like this after everything? You saw him- he was lying in that bed hurt too badly to even be awake for weeks.

"He just possibly saved all of our lives, and you're going to treat him like a villain? That's so totally uncool Rarity. Totally uncool. I don't know what is wrong with you but you need to lay off of him." Rarity was shocked not only at suddenly being put on the defensive, but more so that it was Dash that was doing it.

"I-I beg your pardon?? Rainbow Dash if I didn't know any better I would think that you actually cared for the human." Dash wore a conflicted look and glanced between her friends.

"I don't know how I feel... not really. I don't think he's that bad though. Definitely not the monster you claim he is." Rarity scrunched her face up and looked to the others for support. Twilight was still staring at the ground, shamed into silence by her fellow unicorn, and it was already clear how Pinkie and Fluttershy felt. Finally looking to Applejack, she saw in her eyes an anger welling up.

"Applejack! You tell Dash! You saw him run away! You saw that thing he carried with him! Tell Dash she's wrong!" Applejack anxiously glanced between the others, struggling to form her response. She huffed and blew out her cheeks, a mild anger having replaced her anxiety.

"Dash, we all saw that thing. Ah don't think whatever he is or what he's done is natural. It just ain't..." Dash spun on her wings and glared down at Applejack. Before the Pegasus even spoke, Applejack regretted the words.

"Oh no. You don't get a say in this. The whole time that we were fighting you kept screaming about what a snake he was. Ran off to never return. He comes back, and saves the day, and you sit there trying to justify it. Like it's his fault you were talking smack about him. He came back though. You know what I call that? Loyalty. I happen to know a bit about it." Applejack stood dumbfounded. Her anxiety washed over her again, and like Twilight, she couldn't stand to look the others in the eyes. Especially Twilight.

Fluttershy, wiping away the last of her tears from Nathan's outburst, stood next to Dash and managed to put on the most stern look she had.

"Dash is right! Look at all of you, tearing him apart for science experiments and blaming everything on him. It's bad enough with Rarity, but you too Applejack?! I'm going home. You all need to think about what you've said." Dash was pleasantly surprised; it wasn’t very common that Fluttershy managed to stand up for herself, even if it was just for other ponies. Fluttershy trotted off in the direction of her cottage, with Pinkie pie bounding after her.

"Wait up Fluttershy! There's something I need to tell you!" She stopped and turned her face upside down, having been absorbed in the argument. She continued after the departing Pegasus, continuing to call out to her. "I can't remember what it is though! Flowers? Maybe we need to go get flowers!"

Focusing back on The other three ponies, Dash was still frustrated with the lack of consensus between them. Throwing her hooves in the air, she turned away, looking back over her shoulder.

"At least I can be honest with my feelings. You three are the ones that seem to be confused. Go send your letter Twilight. I'm done with you guys. Get back to me when you can stop being jerks." With a final flap she took off, leaving three of her friends to themselves.

The door to the hospital room opened some time later, rousing Nathan from his dreams. Without opening his eyes he turned his face to the door, and smiled.

"I'm glad you came back Fluttershy, I wanted to talk to you. Did Pinkie get those flowers for you?"

“Fluttershy?” Spike’s voice carried through the hospital room. Nathan’s eyes bolted open and saw the dragon, as well as Twilight standing in front of him. They both shared a nervous look. Curled in one of Spike’s claws was a scroll, bound with a wax seal.

“Spike, Twilight? What’s going on?” Twilight swallowed hard.

“Well, Rarity and Applejack forced me to finally write and send the scroll informing Celestia of your existence in Ponyville.”

“And?”

“She responded within moments. She needs up to report to Canterlot as soon as possible. The six of us, Spike… and you. She has informed me that if we do not escort you to the castle post-haste, she will be forced to send a regiment of her guard ponies to do it for us.”

Nathan fixed his sight on the scroll in the dragon’s outstretched claw. That didn’t sound like a benevolent ruler at all… though the idea of an outsider in her kingdom during a major attempted takeover of the country might have affected her… he gulped and read the contents himself, verifying the accuracy of Twilight’s explanation. Looking back up at the nervous pair, he had nothing to say. Only three words came to mind.

Oh.

Fuck.

Me.

6: Dark, Darker, and Darkerer

Chapter 6- Dark, Darker, and Darkerer

"I'm sorry, I must be getting hard of hearing in my old age. Could you do me a favour, and run that by me again? You did what?!" Discord had been having a lovely evening so far. He had awoken from his sleep, scared the ever-living snot out of a pony, devoured it, and traveled down to the Changeling's lair. Everything so far had been progressing as he had envisioned. His troops were growing more powerful, Celestia was unaware of their plans, and thus far she had no idea it was Discord pulling the strings. Everything was progressing perfectly. Everything, that is, except this. Chrysalis was cowering in her throne room, one of her hooves lifted in front of her, as if it could shield her from the draconequus' glare.

"W-w-w-well you said I should give the new troops a trial run, so I sent them out to cause some trouble for the ponies, and to collect more samples for you! You go through them so quickly!"

Discord sighed, and pinched the bridge if his nose. He had spent over one thousand years frozen in place, watching the world pass by so that he might have this opportunity, and now this bumbling shape-shifter was going to unravel his carefully woven plan? Suppressing a growl, he allowed a pleasant smile to envelope his face.

"My dear, sweet Queen Chrysalis. Of course I wanted you to test out the new troops. I would have loved to be there to see the stupid looks on the pony's faces. You did exactly what I wanted." Chrysalis gently lowered her hoof, confusion registering on her face.

"I did? Then why..." Discord's scowl returned to his face and he screamed at her.

"Of course not you bumbling idiot! Dammit, I have been working on these plans for over a millennium, and in one afternoon you almost manage to screw them up?! Are you absolutely insane?!" He lashed out with his tail, knocking a decorative brass vase across the room into an absent-minded changeling. A sickening crunch indicated the life-force of the beast had been snuffed out, before the sight of trails of green blood did. The queen of the changelings hid behind her throne.

"P-p-please Discord, I don't understand. I just thought that since those Elements of Harmony that have given us both trouble before lived in Ponyville, it would be the prefect testing grounds. If they had been captured or killed..."

"Yes it would have been perfect, but they weren't! Even if your troops had succeeded, Celestia would have come down in force before long. We're not ready. Need I remind you that it wasn't even the Elements that defeated you? It was those two sappy lovey-dovey bullshit kids!" He was even more furious now. His screaming carried across the city.

"And! Besides all of that, he is currently in Ponyville. If he had been killed..." He threw the throne with one of his hands, watching it shatter across the wall. His other claw grabbed Queen Chrysalis around the throat and began choking her. "... Let's just say you and I wouldn't be having this discussion right now." His face was inches from her nose. She could smell the flesh of dead pony on his breath. She squirmed and fidgeted, trying to escape his grasp. His claws slowly tightened their grip, scoring cuts along the changeling queen’s neck. Green blood trickled down his fingers and began to drip on the floor. Her eyes went wide with panic, and then started to roll back in her head. Finally, as she was about to pass out, the demon released his grip on her. Chrysalis tumbled to the floor, gasping and drinking in as much as the sweet air as she could.

"As it is, your troops failed to kill him. Also, it seems that due to Twilight's spell, any evidence of our new… loyal subjects… was removed, and only rumours persist now. You, inadvertently, proved to be successful. I am confident that the new troops will be an excellent addition to our army, and you have tasted a bit of revenge. I will let the matter go this time. Next time... well... perhaps you should ask your troops who tried to kill the human what happens to those who cross me. Though, I think you‘ll find they aren‘t exactly in the most talkative mood." Discord waved a claw in the general direction of the changeling city.

Struggling to her feet, Chrysalis peered out one of the windows overlooking her kingdom. Allowing her eyes to adjust to the lower light, she carefully examined the city. Looking down on the buildings, she could see her troops hard at work, clearing out debris, doing training drills, shape-shifting into whatever creatures they had observed lately for practice. However, she couldn’t identify any of the troops she had sent to Ponyville. She allowed her gaze to travel upwards, and noticed something towards the ceiling of the chasm. After a moment, she figured out what she was seeing, and gasped. Discord's lips curled in a cruel, toothy grin.

Spread amongst the stalactites of the cavern, was every single one of the changelings that had orchestrated the attack on Ponyville. Most were in several pieces, their bodily fluids dripping down on the buildings far below. Not one of them still lived. Chrysalis vomited. Finally, after a few moments, she regained her composure enough to growl at him.

"I have no idea what happened to you, Discord, but somewhere along the way you became a really sick bastard." He glared at her and screamed again.

"What happened? What happened?! I've told you before, we all keep losing because we all keep playing by Celestia‘s rules. Cutesy crap. ’Oh look at me, I’m Nightmare Moon. I’m going to plunge the world into darkness, and rather than actually use my powers to control or kill any of the ponies that could stop me, I’ll cut off a dragon’s moustache and stick a thorn in a manticore’s paw’. ‘Oh look at me, I’m Queen Chrysalis. I’m going to create an elaborate scheme to overthrow Canterlot based on the power of love, and rather than kill the one pony who can stop my forces, I’ll play wedding with him, because why not?’.

“I'm done. I’m done with that kindergarten junior villain bullshit. I'm doing what should have been done centuries ago. I will stop at nothing, nothing, until Celestia and her ponies are enslaved. I will kill, destroy, or control every single thing that comes between me and that. If I have to, I will plunge Equestria into flames. Now- I trust we won't have any further issues?!" Chrysalis sighed, and lowered her head.

"No, Lord Discord. I am your obedient servant." The demi-god smiled and nodded.

"Good, good. Now, give me your latest reports on the production lines. I shouldn't need to remind you of the cost of failure." The changeling queen shuddered and closed her eyes, taking a moment to steady herself. Regaining her composure, she used her magic to float out a clip-board and read off the daily reports.

"My most recent report has lines one through three at or above expected returns. Obviously, due to the more readily available stock, line one continues to outperform two and three. Failure rates due to rejection are still higher than acceptable and currently most research is going in to minimizing the losses.

"Line four is being prepped as we speak, but with two and three currently needing more essence, it may be some time before we can divert enough of sample groups B and C. I made the decision to focus on the core lines before we proceed with four."

Discord rubbed his chin thoughtfully. The near bi-polar competency of the changeling was astounding. She had nearly ruined over a thousand years of planning the day before because she couldn't keep her ego in check. Now, not twelve hours later, she was showing restraint and cunning? If he didn't need this army so bad...

"That's... acceptable. So far that's exactly what I had hoped for. Continue on, my faithful queen. I have my own work to do tonight. I shan't keep you detained any longer." Blurting out a response faster than Discord would have liked, Chrysalis questioned his departure.

"W-wait. What about..." A deadly serious look enveloped the draconequus' face. He glared at the changeling and debated removing her insolent head. His diet had mostly consisted of ponies for the last few years. Perhaps changeling would be a delicious change… His features finally softened, deciding to answer her unspoken question.

"As long as I know where, and what the human is doing, I can... monitor the situation. As long as you don't pull another stunt like that."

"But it wouldn't..."

"Enough!" he screamed. "You think I don't know that?! The further he travels the more he's going to encounter it, and I need him kept safe, and I need the ponies as confused as possible. Yes it won't help for everything, but he's a big boy. The results of your attack on Ponyville are evidence enough.”

"O-o-ok I'm sorry. You're right. I'll get back to work now, Discord." His sickly grin was back.

"Good. Don't fail me Chrysalis. Remember the gifts I give to failures. They’re simply… to die for." Snapping his fingers, he disappeared into a fold in the fabric of space and time. Dark tendrils of entropic energy reached into the room as he departed, leaving the queen of the changelings shivering from not just fear but the cold as well. Managing to straighten herself out, she looked over to where her assembled minions in the room were frozen with fear. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at them and screamed.

"Well?! What are you waiting for?! Get to it!!" The beasts scattered, and once they had left, their queen stood where her once twisted throne had sat, and flopped to the ground. "Not a day passes that I regret aligning myself with that demon..."

After his visit to the subterranean lair of the Changelings, Discord had returned to the decrepit castle he currently called home. He had much work to do- he needed to do some more "invasive head therapy", but was currently more concerned about the human. His fears were confirmed as his cauldron revealed the half-broken body of Nathan lying in a hospital bed.

He watched the medical ponies working frantically. He idly twirled his finger in the cauldron while watching them, pleased that the efforts seemed to be having an effect. Satisfied that the human would live, he turned his attention to his current favourite ponies.

"Well Celestia, the doctor is in. Why don't you tell me your problems." Finishing the incantation he had been working, he once more dove into the bubbling pot.

Celestia's mind was a much different place than it had been several months ago. Discord could see that she already knew about the attack on Ponyville, and the concern was weighing on her heavily. The sunshine and candy that had been so prevalent mere weeks before had all but been replaced with fear and paranoia.

He was pleased to see the emotional memory he had been cultivating and encouraging was close to bubbling up to the surface. Where before it took him most of the night to find and examine it to make sure it was the correct emotion, it now bobbed along within view of his entryway, and he could actually see the faces of himself and the two other's from where he floated.

As a force of habit, he flitted down and pulled it a little closer to the surface, but he knew that the important work had been done. Whether or not he interfered any further, the emotion was taking it's toll on Celestia's psyche, and she was reliving those moments of failure every day. He was still unhappy that Chrysalis had acted too hastily, however he was pleased that it seemed to be having a compounding effect with Celestia's fears. Throughout her sub-conscious, he could see concepts and ideas floating around. Images of armoured soldiers, battlefields, curfews and surveillance. In another part of her mind, he could see she was trying to recall what powers she was afforded in times of war.

He would have to monitor the Princess closely from now on, however. This was a precarious moment in the time-line of his plan, and everything needed to come together just right. He was still several weeks away from his final execution, and any failure now would ruin everything. Celestia’s defeat, and that of her students, had to be swift, crushing and absolute. He could play the waiting game until then, but when the time came, his retribution would be swift. Comfortable with the current state of Celestia's consciousness, he wafted back up to his portal, and landed back in the castle.

Gauging the position of the moon, and being pleasantly surprised he still had several hours before sunrise, he reworked his magic, and launched himself headlong into the cauldron again.

"Hello again, Rarity!" An amber coloured earth pony with a cutie mark of a pitchfork and halo approached the white unicorn. He had just exited a nearby shop, and was carrying a set of new dishes home. He had only been in Ponyville for a few months, and was still getting settled. It had been his last purchase for the day, and was just about to head home when he spotted her. Rarity was deep in thought, and was startled out of her concentration by the greeting.

"O-oh! Hello there Mango. I didn't notice you at first. I've been thinking so very hard about things lately. My latest experiences have been... unsettling at best. I'm glad you're here though. I wanted to talk to you about some of it. You see, my friends don‘t seem to be as ‘in tune‘ to the situation as yourself, and you‘re the only one who might be able to help me." Unsettling didn’t begin to describe her issue. She was downright terrified.

"Oh of course my lady. What kind of gentlecolt would I be, letting you struggle with your problems alone?" He smiled and gently wrapped his hoof around her shoulder. Rarity blushed. She didn’t really fancy Mango, but the devil could charm the fetlocks off a lady.

"Well, less of one then you have proven yourself to be I should say. So... um... ok tell you what, I'm going to reason out what I'm thinking, and I want you to stop me or fill in gaps as I go, alright dear?" She pulled away from Mango's tender embrace, and stood in front of him, waiting for his approval.

"Of course Rarity, I'm all ears." Mango nodded towards the unicorn, and motioned with his hoof that she could begin. Rarity began pacing back and forth, her face wearing an expression of intense thought.

"Alright... so... let’s start at the beginning. Three months ago the human, Nathan, shows up. We all run him out of town, as we should. We were unsure where he was really from, but at the time it was the best decision we could make, based on the knowledge we had. Even Twilight didn’t know what to do with him. Then... Fluttershy goes looking for him. I'm still unsure why. Shouldn‘t she have known he was dangerous? The rest of us assumed as much.”

"Maybe... because her kind nature couldn't bare to see somepony treated harshly? I mean, you told me that Fluttershy is the Element of Kindness, correct?"

"Perhaps. But that’s one of my issues. He’s not even a pony! Yes, she cares for animals too, but still... even with her kindness in mind, she witnesses him not only kill a bear, but also apparently be unaffected by magic. Yet she came back absolutely infatuated with him. I don't get it. Even Fluttershy should be able to see the danger he could pose. Come now Mango- he isn‘t affected by magic. That‘s so unnatural. She should be terrified of him. I know I am!”

"I don't think so." Mango shook his head dissentingly.

"Oh?"

"Well, you said it yourself, she's infatuated. Love does terrible things to ponies. Even allows them to be deceived when they think they're just trying to do the right thing for those they love." Rarity's nose wrinkled.

"Love? You don't think she's in love with the human do you? That's just so... wrong."

"Why don't you tell me? What do you think? You’re her best friend. You’ve known her for years, seen how she interacts with others. If anyone would know it, it’s you. You tell me.

Rarity sat in silence for a few moments puzzling the concept out. On one hoof, she did follow him to the Everfree forest, spend time with him in the hospital, and bring him food. On the other, Fluttershy had avoided the human for nearly a month, though much of that was Rarity piling work on her to distract her. Based on everything she had seen... she shook her head.

"Ok, maybe. It still seems wrong to me though. On many levels."

"Oh, it’s absolutely disgusting and unnatural. Now that they’ve gone on a few dates now though…" Rarity stopped dead in her tracks. She slowly turned her head towards the earth pony and craned her neck in closer. One eye was twitching, and she was gritting her teeth.

“Ex-excuse me, what did you just say?” Mango bit his lip, and looked around nervously.

“Er, um, well… sorry you didn’t know? She hasn’t told you?”

“No! She hasn’t that little tramp! Why of all the… that’s awful, just awful.” Rarity was shrieking at this point. Mango patted Rarity on the shoulder and brought a hoof under her chin.

“It’s ok, Rarity. She’s just trying to find herself. Love does terrible things, remember? It’ll be ok.” Rarity steadied herself, and regained her composure. She nodded, and continued to speak.

"Alright. So they spend a couple nights together in the Everfree. That's when you first visited me. Claiming to have seen the human world."

"Oh that's not a claim Rarity. I'm from there."

"See, that's what you said, but then I heard Nathan had said ponies in his world are dumb animals."

"Well it's obvious he's a liar. Do you think he would be able to get here, and nopony else? Of course not. I came across, same as him. Do I look like a dumb animal?" Mango looked slightly insulted. Rarity quickly explained away the thought.

"Oh no! Of course not dear. As I said, you're a perfect gentle colt. Of course the human is lying. Ok let me continue. So, you came and showed me imagery of the human lands. Wars, guns, destruction. Death. I knew from then on he was going to be trouble."

"Sounds about right. I needed to warn you."

"Mmm-hmm. So. Several months pass. Celestia isn't responding to Twilight's letter, so I start to doubt your words. He acts perfectly brutish every now and then, nearly drowning poor Rainbow Dash, scaring ponies, but overall he doesn't seem so bad. If what you’re saying is true, he even took Fluttershy out on a few dates…” Rarity shuddered. “… and, as much as it pains me to say it, the dear needed to get out more and see a nice colt. I was however hoping it would be a colt, but I digress. I started to doubt your words. I doubted my resolve.

"I was able to write-off Pinkie Pie and Dash's newfound friendship easily enough. The two of them and the human are like three peas in a pod when they get started. I came home one day to find they had dyed poor Opal to look like Rainbow Dash. Apparently it was Nathan's idea! However, even Twilight and Applejack have started to ease up on him. Oh they aren’t good friends or anything, but they have quite the equitable working relationship. Nathan works hard from what I hear. Gives even Applejack a run for her bits. Overall, he seems to be doing his best to fit in to our society. That and if Celestia isn’t worried about the human, then why should I be?"

"We've established he's a liar though right?" Mango pointed out. Rarity nodded.

"Yes I was just getting to that. Well, he managed to hide from everyone that he was building one of those 'guns'. Yes it didn't kill anypony, and he did save us from those beastly changelings, but it could have just as soon have been us that he was shooting. He couldn’t know about the changelings attacking, and he didn’t have any reason to leave Ponyville. He hasn’t even shown interest in joining us when we went and did that work for Celestia in the forest. Which means that he could have only been building it with us ponies in mind.

"This is where my conflict arises. He saves the day at great expense, nearly dying in the process, but why were the changelings really there? They weren't trying to kill us, only him. Was he really the hero, or the cause of our problems? And if he is trouble, why has Celestia chosen to ignore Twilight? I just don't understand it Mango. This is tearing my friendship with Fluttershy apart, and if I'm wrong..."

"But you're not." Rarity stood there, dumbfounded, blinking at Mango as if he'd just told her that her mother was Luna.

"P-pardon me?"

"You're not wrong. You keep talking about this letter to Celestia like it has any bearing on the situation."

"Well if Twilight sent it then..."

"Did she though?"

"What?" The idea that Twilight had lied to all of them had not once crossed Rarity’s mind. She had always given the lavender mare the benefit of the doubt, even when she was being absolutely outrageous. If she has been lying…

"Did she send the letter? Do you know that for a fact? Have you asked her? Have you asked Spike? That dragon shares everything with you. Do you not find it odd he hasn't spoken of it?" Rarity pondered the facts for a moment. It was looking more and more like Twilight was hiding something from all of them.

"If that's true then why? Why take that chance? What does she hope to gain?"

"You would have to ask her. In the meantime, I would be talking to Applejack and Rainbow Dash about this. Twilight may be hiding something, or the human may be coercing her in some way or, more likely, lying to her to convince her to hide his presence from Celestia. You need to be prepared." Rarity's expression indicated she was struggling to come to terms with the concept.

"They're my friends though... "

"Friends you deeply care about. What's more important to you- their lives or your happiness? Honestly?" Rarity sighed and frowned.

"... Alright. You have a point. I understand. Even then though... how dangerous is he really? What else can humans do that a powerful unicorn or dragon cannot replicate with magic? Yes he can build a weapon, but I’ve seen Celestia do some damage with that horn of hers..."

"Ah. Humans do have the knowledge, though, to create something far more terrifying than even dragon's breath."

"What... Those ‘bombs’? Please. I had passed them off as him trying to be boastful or frightening poor Fluttershy. I can't imagine anyone creating something willingly of that power." Mango shook his head sadly.

"Oh Rarity. Sweet Rarity. Even in your disgust of the human you still have the generosity to believe he isn't that bad. More ponies should be like you. Sadly though, you're wrong. Let me show you images of a place in my world. It's a little island country... the humans call it 'Japan'."

Discord relaxed in the throne room of his castle, dozens of statues surrounding him, every one permanently stuck in a wordless scream. He smiled. He was playing the conversation Mango had had with Rarity over and over again in his head. He especially liked the part where he showed her the bombs dropping, and the absolute destruction they wrought. The look on the unicorn's face was priceless. He half-debated unfreezing one of the statues so he could permanently re-etch such an expression on their face.

The idea was fleeting though. As entertaining as the show was, he had a final task to accomplish before the rapidly approaching sunrise cut his time short. Returning to his spell annex, he cast one final incantation over the pot. This one was the most important of all. Everything else had been for naught if he failed to maintain this spell. It nearly had failed once. A few more nights, he mused to himself, and this will be permanent. Pleased his work was complete for the evening, he once again returned to the throne-room, stood amongst his "subjects", and addressed them.

"I do so hate this part. I'm going to have to find a way to counteract this retched enchantment one of these nights." Discord stuck a threatening pose, and allowed the rising sun's rays to wash over his disfigured body. Moments later, in his spot, a perfect obsidian replica of him remained.

Receiving word from her above-ground guards that the sun had risen, Queen Chrysalis gave a slight sigh of relief. Knowing Discord was in his petrified slumber afforded her a slight feeling of freedom. It had been a long, rough night, and she had spent the better part of it retrieving the bodies of her slain brethren, and quieting the murmurs of fear and discontent that swept her kingdom. She now sat alone, save for the usual guards that watched her chamber, absorbed in thought. She compared herself to Discord, and was troubled by the revelations. What lengths would she go to, if it meant the end of pony civilization? What price was worth it?

"My Queen. I apologize for the intrusion, but may we have a word?" Chrysalis was disturbed from her thoughts, as her eyes were pulled to the changeling that had spoken.

"Of course Broken-Wing. Guards? Leave us." While most of the individual changelings lacked names, once long ago she gazed down on this particular subject, and decided, in one of her more cruel moments, that he should have a label befitting his permanent disfigurement. He had been hatched without proper wings, vestigial stumps indicating where they should have been. As he walked into the room, the stumps wiggled a bit in time with his movement. Chrysalis giggled a bit, never really having gotten over the sight. While initialy it had been out of amusement that she had named him such, in time Chrysalis had discovered that the permanently grounded changeling had grown larger and stronger than his fellows, his intelligence and wisdom had served his queen well, and his shape-shifting abilities were second only to Chrysalis herself. Now, the once insulting name was a badge of pride for the changeling.

"Now, my servant. What has brought you before your queen this night? " Broken-Wing mockingly bowed, snickering at the implied etiquette, when in truth the two had been friends for several years now, and rarely resorted to such protocol.

"Well my liege, I wanted to ask you, just you, no other changelings, no Discord, not even a pony within earshot, what is going through your mind right now. What is your opinion on all this? Discord and his current... disregard for life? For lack of a better description." Had any other changeling asked her this, she would be flaying them alive with her powers, letting their own screams remind them of their place. As it was, she stood there in silence. She muttered something under her breath, too quiet for Wing to hear. Dropping the formality, he allowed his expression to soften. He gently laid a hoof on her leg.

"Chrys..." She shrieked and pulled away from his touch.

"I don't know!!! Ok?! I don't know. When Discord first came in, it was clear he could have killed us all. I mean, I get it. I'm no goody-goody pony lover, and I’ve tried multiple times to overthrow Celestia and her stupid kingdom. I hate those ponies but..." she took a deep breath. Her earlier comparison with Discord long finished, she was at least partially relieved with her conclusion. "Not enough that I would sacrifice even one of my loyal subjects. Even if it meant those miserable ponies would be forever defeated, even the death of one changeling is too much. I thought that if I played along, Discord would spare us. Now, the blood if dozens of my soldiers is on my hooves. I’m the one who sent them to Ponyville. Was I wrong? Could we have stopped him?" Broken-Wing sat in quiet contemplation, a stark contrast to the visibly upset monarch. He chose his words carefully.

"No. You did all you could. I wasn't present for the initial contact, but I have heard the first impression he made. In your position, I would have done the same thing. For better or for worse, we serve a demi-god now. Actually, at this point, in my opinion I imagine we’re serving a demon. Your knowledge of Discord is from before my time, but it’s obvious to me that something has changed. Regardless, our survival hinges on the success of our enhancement program, and you not doing anything further to anger him." Queen Chrysalis nodded and rubbed her eyes with her hooves.

"This is going terribly Broken-Wing. Forced or not, there must be something we can do. Some way we can retake our independence." The stocky changeling nodded in return. He had tried approaching her about this before, but the time never seemed quite right. Now though… maybe now she would be able to see reason.

"Actually, Chrys, that's why I wanted to talk to you. Now that we see what the stakes are... once line two goes into full-production I'd like to vol-"

"NO! Are you insane? This magic is still highly unstable. There's no telling what might happen, and the failure rate is still as high as forty percent. Forty percent!" Both changeling's minds drifted off, their minds filled with the images of the dozens of previous “failures”. Broken-Wing was the first to recover from the shocking mental pictures and speak out.

"We need someone to be in control though. You need to be here to watch over your kingdom. If things go to plan, I become your eyes and ears in the world, and I get what I've always wanted. If it doesn't..." he let the idea trail off. "If it doesn't, I was never that important anyways. I'm no ruler, just some gimped changeling you spared from death, just so you could give a cruel name."

"Broken.."

"Oh I harbour no I'll will, of course, Queen Chrysalis. But it is what it is. Friend or not, favoured or not, we don't have the luxury of choice right now. Chrys, please. Let me do this. For you." The changeling queen was in emotional turmoil. Possibly her only real friend, and he was willing to throw away everything for her, as cruel as she had been. Once, just once, in her long cruel existence, she was harbouring an emotion she long ago thought buried under centuries of malice and scorn. A long, slow tear rolled down her cheek and splattered against the floor of the chamber.

"I-I need to think on this Broken-Wing. Let me sleep on this." Broken-Wing nodded.

"Of course, your majesty." Queen Chrysalis walked over to the door to her bedroom, pushing it open with her magic. Broken-Wing turned to leave, when his queen's voice called out to him.

"Wait. Broken-Wing?" He turned back to Chrysalis, who was biting her lip hard enough to draw a line of green blood.

"Would you... would you stay with me? Just for today?" Broken-Hoof was unsure of the offer, and the implications, but nodded in agreement. He trotted past his friend and curled up on the bed. Chrysalis sealed the door behind them, curled her body around his and gave him a soft kiss on the head. Another tear dropped down on the subordinate changeling, and the two of them drifted off, both dreaming of better times where terrorizing ponies was still fun.

Having raised the moon, Luna had returned to the observation point atop Canterlot's palace. Normally she would be content to spend the evening basking in the glow of the city and observe her wards going about their business- as it was she only spared them a casual glance. The Orchids were up at all hours trying to care for their triplets as usual. The after-party crowd was filing into Doughnut Joe's and his business was booming. One of the guard-ponies had detained a suspect in a minor crime. Something about a pilfered flower.

It's all so petty. She thought to herself. We-I- she corrected herself mentally- may have been the mare in the moon for a thousand years, and I know that in that time things have changed but... When did the ponies become so... petty?

The last few months had weighed heavily on her mind. It had started when Celestia had asked her an assumed innocent question about her time as Nightmare Moon. The answer she gave seemed to lead to more distance between the royal sisters. How was I supposed to answer, sister? I spent the last millennium as a glorified boogie-pony. Of course I wasn't about to willingly return as Luna. She sighed, and took one final look through the telescope, casting its lens over the plains and forests surrounding Canterlot.

Bubbles of pink and purple dotted the land, each one signifying a city or town currently under the protection of the guard-ponies. Ever since reports flooded in of an attack on Ponyville three days ago, Celestia had wasted little time in mobilizing defensive forces and clamping down. Intercity travel was banned, and the railway had been shut down. Special allowances had been made for traders, but even after only three days it was clear to Luna the movement of goods had slowed to a trickle.

Thinking back to the reports, she remembered her true purpose this night. Finished with her job; she left her post and trotted over to a small room containing a table littered with scrolls and files. Every piece of parchment had some sort of information pertaining to the current situation. Luna was determined to figure everything out, even if she had to tear the Canterlot library apart.

One report in particular kept drawing her attention. It was an after-action report taken second-hoof by one of the guards that arrived in Ponyville after the changeling attack. Combing through the details revealed little new information, but she decided to start there anyways, just as she had the previous two nights.

"Let's see here..." she said out loud. “Changeling force attack... apparently trying to abduct ponies... repulsed by one Twilight Sparkle... one casualty." Luna sighed. Other than the apparent accidental death of a young stallion, there was not much to go off of. She had been particularly impressed with Twilight's growing magical ability, but that didn't get her any closer to the truth. Celestia was hiding something.

The two sisters had been at odds with each other lately. The usually enigmatic but friendly Celestia had spent more and more time in her room, growing more sullen and distant as the days progressed. Now, in the wake of Ponyville, she rarely came out but to raise the sun. As it was, Luna didn’t care much for Equestria. The kingdom she grew up in, her kingdom, didn’t exist anymore.

Moving over to another stack of papers, she read a few paragraphs that referenced the encounter. She was still confused. One of the reports mentioned that the Ponyville folk stated that there was at least one new kind of changeling. Possibly two, but why they doubted the second more than the first, and didn't report the eyewitnesses was beyond her. It was troubling enough that the changelings had invaded again, but the idea there was not one, but two new strains of changelings more powerful than their diminutive counterparts? Why wasn't more research being done? Something didn't add up.

Perusing a few more files, she became frustrated at the lack of information. For all the material she had gathered, for all the knowledge accrued, she was no closer to any answer. She screamed, picking up the table with her magic and hurling it across the room. The files and papers went flying, distributed unevenly around the room. One scroll rolled up to her and bumped her hoof.

Peering down at the offending paperwork, she magically lifted it and unrolled it. It was the copy of the after-action report again- now torn due to her outburst. Examining the tear against the torchlight, she could faintly make out writing on the reverse side filtering through. Flipping it over, Luna squinted her eyes, attempting to discern what was written.

‘Additional supporting information has been pre-document redacted. Please see Royal Archives file 16-D’

Luna’s face creased out of its frown curiously. She considered whether to go tonight or wait. Then, like a brick, a realization hit her, and a faint smile crept across her face. The last time the princess' had chosen to redact anything was...

Luna took flight, flapping towards the archive building as fast as her wings could take her, a growing interest lodging itself firmly in her consciousness.

So sister, over a thousand years since the last one and you want to play that game again? Interesting. Let’s see what you have in mind. It has been too long since we’ve have a proper one. She reflected on the concept, and the word continued to goad at her long after she arrived at her destination.

War.

Taking a moment to regain her composure before walking into the archives, she trotted in, head held high. At the desk was old Mr. Neighweather. Since her return, Luna had taken the time to become acquainted with the meek old unicorn. He had long been the night administrator of the archives, and after his sweet wife had passed on, he took up living in them. He wasn't a joyous pony, but he had lived a good long life, and was content to serve out his days doing the job he had so long ago been bequeathed by Celestia. He gazed up from the desk he was working at, discerning his visitor's identity.

"Ah, Princess Luna!" He bowed as far as low as his aching back would allow. Luna heard it snapping and groaning in protest. "What do I owe the pleasure of your visit tonight?"

"Good evening, Mr. Neighweather. I am seeking a few files to complete a research project of mine. I was hoping you might be able to assist me." The elderly pony smiled and nodded his head.

"Of course! That's what I'm here for after all. Who am I to turn down one of the princesses! What do you need? Are you looking for general information, or do you already know the files you need?"

"Well actually, I only need one file, and I do know the reference."

"Oh good. Good! That will make it easy! Just give me the number, and I'll retrieve it for you."

"16-D." For a moment it was like time had stopped in the archives. If somepony had dropped a pin, it would have been audible. Neighweather stood there, staring at Luna as if she had slapped him across the face. Luna only stared back. Breaking the eternity of awkward discomfort, the archivist carefully questioned the princess.

"I'm sorry. Did you just say... 16-D?" Luna fidgeted nervously, unsure of the issue.

"I did. Get me 16-D." Mr. Neighweather sighed, and shook his head.

"Luna, Princess Luna. You know that the last couple of years has seen the two of us kindling a sort of friendship, and you know I would do almost anything for you."

"Yes. I know. I would of course be happy to return the favor…" She wasn’t sure where this conversation was going, but she did not appreciate his tone.

"Then please understand how much it pains me to say this but... I'm sorry I cannot allow you access to that particular file." Luna balked at the refusal. Couldn't allow her, a princess, access to a file?

"I beg your pardon, Neighweather? You cannot?"

"No princess, I'm sorry but I can't."

"On whose authority?” It wasn’t a question, but an affirmation.

"The only pony with more authority than you, of course.” Neighweather stated, reflecting Luna’s thoughts. “Your sister, Princess Celestia. She has given us strict instructions that nopony is to access that file. Especially you."

"P-preposterous! I need that file! You don't understand! It's a matter of Equestrian security!"

"I'm sorry, but short of Princess Celestia coming down personally, I cannot help you with that request. Please understand.”

Luna’s mind silently spun, her sister was keeping information from her, information that likely dealt with an advent of war. With Celestia’s odd behavior and her own exclusion, it would be stupid to act without being informed. She needed that file. Thinking back to an old proverb, she weighed her options.

"Alright. I understand Mr. Neighweather. I wouldn't want to jeopardize your job. I realize this might come off as callous, but you realize that you are refusing the request of a princess?" Luna kept her voice even and steady.

"I do realize that, and it pains me to have to do so, but I am unfortunately bound by the ethics of my position and the instructions of Celestia. You might want to try..."The rest of his sentence was lost in a gurgle. A large tome behind him had been telekinetically levitated and struck him. Luna walked over to the fallen archivist and inspected the blow, assuring that the unicorn would recover. His eyes rolled up and gazed at her questioningly, struggling to maintain consciousness. Luna bent down next to him

"I told you, I need that file. Now you can legitimately say you were attacked from behind. I would like to tell you that I'm sorry, but the truth of the mater is that right now, you stand between me and my goal. Remember that next time you refuse royalty." The last thing Neighweather recalled before darkness took him, was Luna striding past him and kicking the tome and his cane aside out of her way.

Not having much time before the guards did their rounds, she rushed through the hallways looking for section she needed, muttering to herself the way there.

"16-D. 16-D. 16-D. Ah here. 16-D." High up in the middle of a set of filling cabinets, an old degraded parchment framed on the front indicated she had found the file she was looking for. Kicking over a rolling stairway, she jumped up and pulled open the cabinet. It was stuffed full of scrolls, sub-files, and other pieces of parchment. Some new, some ancient. She started with the oldest material first.

There was a research document on the Elements of Harmony, their defeat of Discord, various skirmishes with the changeling kingdom, Celestia's banishment of Luna, wars with other races and clans. Even some of the conflicts from when the three tribes of ponies did not live in harmony together. Most of the information was from before her lunar imprisonment. Almost everything pertained to some sort of battle or war. This had recently been added to? She was beginning to get nervous.

While there were a few documents detailing minor skirmishes, they trailed off soon after Nightmare Moon had been banished. Fast-forward nearly a thousand years, and the modern documents appear. Luna was pleasantly surprised that in nearly a millennium, Celestia had avoided any sort of conflict, even with the usually hostile gryphons.

The information in front of her started several months before. Discord had returned, and turned Equestria into his play toy. Soundly defeated by the Elements, he was returned to his stone prison. A few documents detailed Celestia's personal internal struggle. She was starting to see old enemies return, and was having issues dealing with the emotions they brought. Chrysalis attacked, and soundly defeated the troubled monarch. That's when things took a turn for the worse.

As time went on, she began to see enemies everywhere. She began keeping detailed dossiers on potential threats, compiling as much information as possible. One for Queen Chrysalis, one for Discord, a few more powerful ponies (including, to Luna's amused disbelief, Twilight Sparkle). Luna came across a ripped out diary entry, affixed to another dossier.

'Date: Equestria year xxxx. Month: xx Day: xx

Another troubling dream last night. At first I was willing to ignore my feelings, passing them off as the stress of ruling for so many centuries. However, after the near overthrow of my kingdom, I realize that I need to start paying more attention to them. I cannot fail my people again.

My dream always focuses on the three largest threats Equestria has faced: Chrysalis, Discord...and Nightmare Moon. Where as before I was able to defeat them myself, I have now failed to defend my ponies from each at least once. I cannot allow this to happen again.

I am confident that Discord is currently not an issue. I walk by his statue every day, confirming his continuing incarceration. Chrysalis took us by surprise, but I am sure that in the future she won't have such luck. Many of my efforts currently revolve around defending us from further changeling incursion. That leaves the third. Nightmare Moon.

I spoke to Luna today, asking her about her time as Nightmare Moon. She had been very forthcoming- at stating she would have rather stayed Nightmare moon.'

"That is what you would take away from that conversation, isn’t it?” Luna continued to read.

'It is with heavy heart that I am forced to begin surveillance on my own sister and fellow princess. Her absence during the changeling invasion was troubling on its own, but compounded with her statements... I have taken the liberty of locking away the remnants if Nightmare Moon's armor in one of the vaults. Only I hold a key to this vault, and I plan to keep it on me at all times. I will continue to add to the attached document as time goes on. I fear Equestria is riding into a dark time, and if I have to do it by myself, I will. I have begun to prepare for the worst, and will do what must be done. May Equestria herself have mercy on my soul.'

Luna tore her eyes away from the document, replacing it in the cabinet rather than read what "surveillance" Celestia had on her. Focusing on the task at hand, she finally found the scrolls she needed. There were three, as well as another dossier. This one was inside a wax sealed envelope.

Retreating to a table, she gently unrolled the first scroll. It was a continuation of the report from Ponyville. This part stated that the ponies had been woefully unprepared for the attack, and the changelings had defeated them handily.

"Something’s wrong… the ponies supposedly defeated the changelings.” Perusing further, it indicated that an outside factor, ‘From here on to be referenced as Factor Ypsilon‘, had ultimately saved the ponies and given Twilight the time to cast her spell. "Factor Ypsilon? What in Equestria...?" The end of the document referenced the other two scrolls.

Scroll two was a detailed observation and sketch of the new changelings. One was quite large and brutish, its’ hooves grown to outrageous sizes, and claws added for good measure. The other was just a rough outline- no hooves at all, just long slender claws it was standing on like stilts. Only one pony had seen the slender ones, but reported the ability to travel beneath the ground as quickly as a pony might run across it. Apparently the so far mysterious Factor Ypsilon had also seen them, but the report indicated he was currently incapacitated, and unavailable for questioning.

The last scroll caught her attention. It was labeled simply as "Factor Ypsilon" and was a short characterization of the mysterious figure.

'Factor Ypsilon posses an intelligence capacity approaching that of our princesses. Not as strong, or fast as a pony, and possessing no flight, he uses his ingenuity to create various tools to act as an extension of his will. Not capable of using any sort of magic, and in fact, what magic does work on him seems to be sporadic at best. Initial reports suggest that he was immune to a cockatrice's glare. The magical energies that persist in Equestria seem unwilling or unable to interact with him.

Ms. Sparkle's repulsion spell had an effect on Ypsilon, but it was much weaker than the effect on the changelings. Even the medical staff at the Ponyville hospital were perplexed by his unique physiology and lack of feedback during treatment.

Was able to save Ponyville with the aid of something that one of the residents referred to as a "Pie Cannon". If the report is accurate, the power wielded by the subject is... considerable. At this time we have been unable to locate the device. Please see attached dossier.'

Luna retrieved the sealed envelope. She pulled out the dossier, finding another diary page affixed to the front of it. It was clear from the writing that Celestia’s paranoia had done nothing but grow as time progressed.

'Date: Equestria year: xxxx. Month: xx. Day: xx.

This is my fault. I knew I had done something, but I was unsure what until this report came in. I shouldn't have done it but I did. Is this it? Is this going to end my kingdom? Is he the one that destroys me? Have I wrought my own end?

Equestria help me, I don't know what to do. The prophecy... I know they are just lunatics, but... if there is even the inkling of truth behind it... my little ponies, forgive your princess. If it is ordained that she should perish... She has only herself to blame. As soon as Ypsilon awakes, I will send for him.’

Luna flipped up the entry, and gazed at the picture in front of her. There, in black and white was the photo of a strange creature she had never seen before. A bit of curly mane at the edge of the picture, and snow on the ground suggested the photo had been taken by Pinkie Pie the morning of the changeling attack.

This creature stood on two legs, and his arms ended in fingers, not unlike a dragon's. Slung over one shoulder was a long slender tube with a wooden handle, and he was clothed from his neck down. He stood taller than most any pony, except perhaps Celestia, and his face was twisted in a scowl, though the edges of the lips suggested the hint of a smile starting. Luna read the remaining information on the card, and sounded out the names.

"Species: hyu... hyu-man. Human. Name: Nathan (surname unknown at this time)." He didn't look terribly threatening or kingdom-destroying.

"So, this is the so-called destroyer, Celestia?

She wrote down the relevant information, carefully rolled the scrolls back up, and replaced everything back in the cabinet. As she began shutting the cabinet, she heard the panicked shouts of the guards float in from the front room.

"Mr. Neighweather has been attacked! He's out cold. Quick! Search the premises!" Slamming the drawer shut, Luna flew up on top of the shelves, and draped herself in shadow. The guards patrolled the halls for an agonizing ten minutes before giving up and returning to the front.

"Whoever it was they're long gone. Doesn't look like they took anything either. Oh wait- hey look! It looks like this book fell on him! Well, let's get him to the hospital. Lock it up behind us, 'Kay Moss?"

"Sure thing cap‘n." Luna heard the door close and lock as the guards carried the elderly unicorn to the hospital. After waiting a couple more minutes of lying there cloaked. She carefully flew down, and re-opened the cabinet, inspecting the contents for any damage her carelessness had caused. She was relieved to see the ancient parchments still intact. However, to her surprise, the impact had knocked loose a false bottom of the above drawer, and now a new document lay on top of the pile. Gingerly retrieving it, Luna gave it a quick glance.

'Final Solution ES-24. In the event of total overthrow of Equestria, or the possible death of one or both princesses, I pass on the rights and responsibilities of ES-24. In such an event, all Pony populated areas are to be closed off and protected by protective shields and...'

Luna read on, horror and admiration mixed. She almost wanted to congratulate Celestia on her resourcefulness and ability to hide something so monumental from her. Though she was professionally impressed with Celestia’s new found willingness to use her famed calculated deceptiveness, it was so out of character for her usually un-impressionable sister that it felt deeply artificial.

"I may not care for Equestria, but you’re supposed to be the strong one, benevolence and fortitude all-together. What in the stars happened to you…?" Luna replaced the parchment, and let herself out one of the open skylights that dotted the roof of the archive building, careful to not be seen. She returned to her parapet deep in thought.

Mr. Neighweather wouldn't report her to the guards, Luna was sure. Other than the broken seal, the only evidence that somepony had visited the archives that night was a few hoof marks.

7: So I Heard you Like Magics...

Chapter 7- I Heard you Like Magics...

‘I spent the rest of the week recovering and resting. My wounds were healed but I wasn’t quite prepared to face the world outside of the hospital. My emotions and nerves were frayed, and the ever-devolving situation just reinforced my distaste for Equestria, and the ponies that populate it. After three months here, several continue to treat me like a complete animal, Rarity foremost of them. Apparently they don’t care about saving them from the changelings, just concerned that the human amongst them shows up packing a piece of equipment they had never seen before, and were unlikely to again. Yes, I get it. It’s a potentially dangerous weapon. I made a decision in the heat of the moment though, and I would do it again.

Either way, this chapter of my life is coming to a close. Celestia has summoned me, and I’ll not keep royalty waiting. Either I’m being sent to the “moon” (not that I believe that‘s where they send their criminals- more likely a very long banishment), or I’m being sent home. Either way, I finally see the light at the end of the rainbow-coloured tunnel. I have a few regrets- the emotional state I’ve put Fluttershy in, and Pinkie has become a pretty good friend. But regardless, this place isn’t my home, and every day it just seems like I cause more issues.

I’ll be doing my best to get away from Ponyville as early as possible. Hopefully, without too many ponies following along. Even one is too much but…’

Another chilly morning spread across Equestria. Fresh snow had fallen in the night, covering the ground and leaving a crisp white blanket covering everything. Nathan sat outside of Fluttershy's cottage, drinking a cup of whatever passed for coffee in Ponyville. It tasted like burnt toast, but it warmed his body and his soul. In the distance he could hear the townsfolk of Ponyville starting to set up their holiday displays. Lights, ornaments, and tinsel streamers were being strung up all over town. Even under the current atmosphere of nervousness, the ponies maintained their daily routines.

Having gone over the letter Twilight had received several times in his head, he sat in silence, contemplating his future. The few animals not hibernating scampered around on the ground, picking up the odd scrap of food. Nathan smiled at the irony. These small animals, bereft of humanoid speech and communication would forever be more accepted by the ponies just because of a few strands of magic. Well, that and chances are most of them didn’t have the knowledge, ability, and willingness to kill a pony if it came down to it. There was that too.

Looking at his new clothes he ran his fingers over the design. Knowing that she didn't have much choice in the matter, Rarity had begrudgingly designed a new outfit for the human, one more suited for the winter weather. Again, it was not the style he would ever choose to wear, with jewels and sequins along the lapels, the fabric being stiff and formal, and the design was more suited to a ball or party. However, all things considered, it was doing the job admirably, and Nathan couldn’t remember having worn warmer clothing.

That being said, sometime between before the attack, and when Nathan woke up in the hospital, the pale unicorn's opinion of him had unbelievably taken yet another turn for the worse, if that was possible. Where before she would make distasteful contents about his constitution, palate, and attitude, now she was almost silent around him. She actively avoided him and feared his very presence. He shook his head. There were just some things he didn't understand in this world. What he did, however understand crystal clear, was that he was in trouble. Reflecting on his journal and notes, he had firmly decided that the princesses were in fact deities of sorts, and now one of those deities was "requesting" his presence.

Fluttershy wandered out the door of the cottage, bundled up in her winter gear- man, ponies look funny in clothes- and sat down beside him. The wooden bench he was seated on creaked slightly as the diminutive pegasus took her perch, and Nathan smiled at the ease and comfort at which she joined him. He had gone to see her at the first opportunity, and she had graciously made him the hot cup of joe currently steaming in his hand. They sat there, the silence broken only by the occasional sip of "coffee". Fluttershy was the first to speak up.

"H-how are you feeling today?" She looked up at her human companion. Nathan smiled down at the meek pegasus. In the three months he had resided in Ponyville, Fluttershy was the only one who tended to actually ask about his feelings and emotions. Pinkie would from time to time, but only if her Pinkie Sense prodded her in to it. Fluttershy, well, Fluttershy was a different pony altogether. Not a day passed that she inquired into not only the physical, but mental and emotional health of the human. If anyone was keeping him sane, it was her.

"I'm fine Fluttershy. Those medical ponies fixed me up, right as rain. Gave me a clean bill of health. I have a couple new scars, and the burns on my hands are still a little painful, but I'll live. It could have been a lot worse- a couple inches lower and I would have lost my sight in the one eye. Pinkie Pie even found the ‘Cannon‘." Fluttershy gazed over to the side of her cottage where the locked case of the Pie Cannon leaned against it. She shuddered. The possible destructive powers of the gun frightened her immensely. She frowned.

"Th-that's not what I mean at all and you know it! I mean, how do you feel? Your emotions. Are you scared? Happy? Sad? Especially after this morning with Twilight!"

Nathan looked out into the forest, absorbed in thought. He considered what she had asked. She was correct, of course. He did know what she meant, and tried to dodge the question. It didn't work. Emotions were a difficult concept for him. Most days he could fake a smile, laugh at a few good natured jokes, and feel a sense of pride and accomplishment when he managed to achieve some goal, or complete some task. True happiness? Sadness? Joy? Love? Those emotions came rarely if ever.

"I don't know, Fluttershy. I honestly don't have much in the way of emotions. Joy and sadness are equally distant to me, most any other emotion is a total write-off. No. The only emotion I tend to feel is the emotion I'm feeling right now. The feeling I've felt since my first week in Equestria. The feeling I felt this morning. The feeling that permeates my every thought."

"That being?" Fluttershy bit her lip, and leaned away from the human slightly. While she cared for Nathan, she had long ago learned where such lines of questioning terminated. She knew, as well as he did, what emotion ruled his life. The knowledge didn’t make her hurt any less.

"Anger. Rage. Frustration. I'm angry Twilight lied to me, and used me for a guinea pig. I’m angry she doesn’t seem to know what she’s doing, but she’s just as happy to play at it like she does. I'm angry that half of your friends think I'm trouble waiting to happen. I'm angry that your best friend treats me like shit. I'm angry that all these months I have been eagerly waiting to go home, and now because of little Miss Sparkle, chances are I'll be spending the rest of my life on the God damn moon!" His fists clenched around the coffee cup in his hand, threatening to split open the scars that crossed them. His vision was directed towards a tree in the distance, but he knew Fluttershy felt every word like a whip across her flank.

Fluttershy cowered in fear. Again, having allowed his anger to dictate his actions, he instantly regretted expressing himself to the Pegasus who had shown him nothing but kindness. Why she stuck by him after all this time still escaped him. He felt a connection with the yellow pegasus, but nothing that would force her to respect and care for him so deeply. Nathan almost felt like he was using the pony for his own selfish emotional needs.

"I'm sorry Fluttershy. You've shown me such kindness, and I continue to upset you. Rarity isn't altogether wrong you know. I'm not good for you or any other pony. I am a risk. You don’t know what I’m planning. You don’t know what I could do if given the right mind set. If it turns out Celestia wants to seal me away for the rest of my natural days, what do I have to lose? Are you willing to take that risk?” Nathan took another steadying drink from his cup and closed his eyes.

"I-I know that you're rough around the edges sometimes, but your heart is in the right place. I know it. Why else would you be here?" She was grasping at straws, looking for any reason to justify the human being there that didn’t involve the pain and suffering of ponies. Nathan looked over at Fluttershy and smirked.

"Other than being the butt-end of a giant cosmic joke?"

"I’m… I'm sorry?"

"Never mind Fluttershy. That was a joke." Nathan rolled his head back and laughed at the naïve pony. The most innocent pony in the land of innocent ponies, and she was the one that decided to try and formulate a relationship with the human. Fluttershy crossed her eyes and started to stare at the tip of her nose.

"O-oh! A joke! I see." She didn't get it at all. Nathan realized how confused she was and started laughing again.

"Oh Fluttershy." Nathan laid his free hand on the pony's shoulder, eliciting a stifled squeak of pleasure, and a blush crossed Fluttershy's face. "I have no idea why I'm here other than, apparently, to cause trouble for your friends and take you on dates. Even your princess hates me! Reminds me of some of the girls I dated in high-school." Nathan reminisced back to one night when he had innocently brought a bouquet of flowers to a girl’s house with the intention of taking her to a nice dinner. Apparently her father had other ideas, and decided that Nathan’s car, and pants, needed a few new holes in the hood via a .22 and a potted plant. “Just need some daisies.”

"What?! Why would you smile about that?" Fluttershy was so totally and absolutely confused. Humans were weird. At least this one was.

"Hey, everyday I live in Equestria I look for things that remind me of home so I don't end up going insane. I'll take what I can get, even if it’s the memory of nearly losing the ability to reproduce.” He winked and went back into the cottage for a refill of coffee. Yeah, the coffee was bad, but it was growing on him. Besides, his host had taken the time and care to brew it, and it would be rude to turn down another mug. Returning outside, he could see Fluttershy puzzling out the appropriate response. She looked over at him.

"Well, I guess I'm happy for you then, in some small way?" Her smile was back, though less sure than before.

"Thanks Fluttershy. Actually, speaking about home, I wanted to talk to you about this trip to Canterlot. I, uh, I don't think you should go." Fluttershy panicked.

"What?! The letter specifically says all of us have to go." Nathan shook his head.

"Twilight told me that was likely sent with those instructions to make me feel more comfortable traveling to Canterlot. A follow-up letter confirmed it- the only ones who absolutely have to go are myself and Twilight. Why do you think we tried to get away this morning without you? Without any of you?"

"I want to come though! I want to see you there!" Nathan allowed a dark look to wash over his face as he looked the Pegasus in the eyes. She was going to understand this one way or another.

"Fluttershy, think about it. You're not a fighter. None of you really are. Sure, Twilight can cast some pretty potent magic, and Applejack can out-buck Muhammad Ali…”

"Who?"

"Never mind. It’s not important. Point is, it's going to be dangerous. Even I don't know much about combat. I've gotten by on my size and ingenuity so far. You spent a majority of the invasion hiding under a porch and crying. Fluttershy, this isn't a game. I know you've told me before that usually Equestria's enemies tend to make mischief. This is different. Ponies are going to get hurt. One pony has already died. If anything more was to happen to you or one of the other ponies because of me…

"Even besides that, once I meet Celestia there can only be two outcomes: either she sends me home, or locks me away. I'm a threat, just like the changelings. I won't be returning to Ponyville once we leave. This is it. I‘m not coming back with you. I can‘t. Even if I wanted to, and I honestly don‘t, Celestia wouldn‘t allow it. I don‘t think even Twilight would allow it, and she seems to have the most pull around here." Fluttershy was crying, long tears dropping to the ground and melting the snow around her.

"You don't think I know that?! That's why I need to come! If I don't... I have no one but myself to blame if I had the chance to spend even another week with you. For better or for worse, I'm coming. Spike has already agreed to watch the animals again for me. As soon as I heard you were leaving today I flew over there. I need to do this.”

Nathan paced the yard of the cottage, absorbed in thought. He wanted to say no to her. He wanted to turn to her, slap her across the face and scream at her until she only felt loathing and disgust for the human, like her friend and those around him. If that would have deterred Fluttershy, he would have done it at a moments notice. Somewhere though, deep down in his soul, he realized that would just strengthen her resolve. Against his better judgement, he relented. He closed his eyes and sighed. Chewing his cheek, and begging forgiveness from whatever deity or spirit that might be listening, he looked over at the yellow Pegasus and nodded.

"Ok Fluttershy. You can come with Twilight and I. But you have to promise you'll listen to me when things get ugly."

"You mean if?"

"No Fluttershy. When. Don't be fooled for a minute that we won't have any trouble reaching Canterlot. Every day will be long and slow, and we may end up fighting for our lives more than once. I don‘t know what the path holds for us, but it won‘t be cupcakes and sunflower."

"O-oh." Fluttershy had fully grasped the implications of her decision. Up until then, she was still holding out hope that the trip was going to be quiet and peaceful. She took a deep breath, and stuck her nose in the air. "Well I'm still coming." She trotted back in to her cottage, and returned with a pair of stylish saddlebags adorning her flanks.

"Nice bags girl. They come in D's?" Nathan snickered at his crude reference. He laughed harder when it was clear Fluttershy had no idea what he was talking about.

"I'm sorry?"

"Nothing Fluttershy. Nothing." As he proceeded to empty another belly-full of laughter, they caught notice of a lavender pony approaching on the road. Her attitude was anything but jovial.

"Well I'm glad you're in a good mood! I for one am not looking forward to traveling to Canterlot with the train out and that incident earlier today!" Twilight stomped up, disgust registering all over her face. "Not only that, but I have to spend it with you! Can we get going already? Dash says it’s going to be a sunny for the next few days, but the same can’t be said for next week!” Nathan snickered some more, and cast her a sideways glance over his drink.

"Love you too Twili." Nathan laid the sarcasm as thick as possible, letting every syllable hang in the air thick with distaste.

Twilight screamed at him.

"That's not my name and you have no right to use it!! We've been over this!" Twilight barely restrained herself from bucking the human in the face. The outburst gave Nathan pause to reflect on earlier events.

It was the crack of dawn, and Nathan was awake. Packing whatever necessities he could, he organized them in a makeshift backpack he had thrown together the night before. Looking around his damaged workshop one last time, he reflected on the three months he had spent there. It had seemed so important to him at the time to have electricity, and running water and equipment. Now, destroyed in a single afternoon with callous disregard, he wondered why he had even bothered in the first place. The only useable thing left was in the case on his back, and the weight of responsibility was just as heavy.

He lightly crept up the stairs, careful to avoid any creaking floorboards. Gazing up to the loft, he didn’t detect any sign of life and was satisfied that Twilight and Spike were still fast asleep. He reached out to open the door to the library.

"Hold it!" He froze in his tracks, as he heard a squeaky voice call out from upstairs. Sheepishly, he turned back and looked up.

"Oh uh, hey Spike! Didn't see you there" The juvenile dragon held a stern look. Apparently his earlier appraisal of the loft was hasty.

"Don't you 'hey Spike' me! Where do you think you're going!"

"Canterlot. Remember? ‘Royal Summons’ and all that?"

"What I mean, is where do you think you're going without Twilight?" Nathan sighed. He had a feeling he would be having this conversation several times today.

"It's just so dangerous Spike I didn't want to drag her along with me. She's got that teleporting spell right? She can just meet me there."

"Oh yeah right. When can I tell her to meet you? Five days? Six? Eight?" Spike had a twinkle of knowing in his eye.

"Um... well I... I don't know how long it will take."

"Oh right. Well which way are you going in case Twilight has to meet you along the way?"

"Oh the route? Um..." Spike grimaced.

"So let me get this right. You're going to aimlessly wander the country for days, unsure which way to go, fighting off random changelings and other monsters, and show up in Canterlot just whenever?" Nathan had a stupid grin on his face. The plan had sounded so much better when he ran it through his head the night before.

"Uh... yeah. Good plan right?"

Spike looked down at the ill prepared human and shook his head. Sometimes the mares would get into trouble for not thinking things through. But this? This was a level of irrational thinking that not even Pinkie Pie could touch. His face was dead-pan.

"Are you stupid?"

"I very well might be, yes. I just don't need all the baggage. It would be nice for Fluttershy and Pinkie to come along, but I can't ask that of them. Besides, Rarity and Applejack hate me, and Twilight sees me as a rat to run through mazes. Rainbow... I legitimately have no idea on Dash. Up until a week ago we were hanging out with Pinkie all the time. Now, I've barely seen her for the last week. Long story short: the Elements and myself need to go our separate ways."

"Have you talked to them about why they feel the way they do?"

"Well, no..."

"Maybe you should? It couldn't hurt. There has to be reasons for everything. Now, you‘re going to run out into the middle of nowhere, possibly get yourself killed, or eaten, and even though you‘re mad at Rarity and the others for being jerks, you‘re just as happy to let them stay nice and safe in Ponyville? Your plan is stupid. Your thought process is stupid. You’re stupid."

“Ok, maybe I am stupid. I don’t know. I don’t know Spike. Look, nothing makes sense to me here. If you told me four months ago that I would be having a conversation about trust and bonds with a baby dragon calling me an idiot, I’d have laughed at you and then slapped you for being so stupid. Now? I guess I need the slap. It doesn‘t change the fact that I need to do this myself though. Just this one thing, before anybody can stop me.”

“Anypony?”

“Jesus whatever. Anypony.”

“I would still talk to the girls though. The mares can be much more reasonable once you get to know them. I should know. I’ve seen them go through all sorts of misadventures.”

"Perhaps Spike. If I get the chance, I will. I don’t think I will though, and a small part of me doesn’t want the chance. For now though, I need to go. Now, please don't wake up Twilight?" Spike nodded, and coughed.

"I won't wake her up." The dragon was sincere in his tone, but Nathan raised an eyebrow. Slowly he nodded at the dragon, accepting his word.

"Thanks Spike."

Nathan turned back to the door, opened it, and walked... right into Twilight Sparkle. He went slack jawed and sputtered a bit, then spun back to where Spike was laughing, glaring up at the diminutive dragon.

"Wh-wh-what?!" Spike forced out between breaths. "I can’t wake her up if she’s not sleeping!" Nathan shook his head and couldn't help but chuckle himself. The dragon had played him well. Turning his attention back to the pony in front of him he could see her frowning.

"Morning Twilight. How much of that did you hear?" Twilight bit her lip and glanced to the ground.

"All of it." Nathan allowed his smile to pass, and looked down at the unicorn. She looked sad and embarrassed. He allowed himself a moment of smugness playing across his face, however it passed as soon as it had come, and he felt a pang of remorse. "Have we really been that terrible to you?"

"No. You've done exactly what I would expect you to do in your situation. The research bit was a rude shock, but I understand why you might act that way. I do want to ask why though. Why are you all so... uncomfortable around me?"

"Any comments I make about the others is second-hoof knowledge, so please understand if my answers are incomplete." Twilight slowly spoke, turning in place in an attempt to gesticulate her thoughts. "I've never had many friends. Ever. It wasn't until coming to Ponyville I met the mares. Before that it was only my brother." This was the first time Nathan had heard of Twilight's family.

"Brother?" Twilight nodded.

"Yes. Shining Armour Sparkle, Knight Captain of the Canterlot Guard."

"Wait. Shining Armour, the one from that wedding you told me about, that's your brother? That Shining Armour?" Twilight looked sheepish.

"Eh-heh yeah. I don't like to brag. So anyways, he was my only real friend growing up. Well, him and my foal-sitter, Cadance." She stuck a hoof in the air and silenced any further questions from the human. "Yes that one. I know I know. Shut-up and let me speak. End if story- he's my big brother, and I love him, even when he calls me that stupid name. 'Twili'. Ugh.

"I never really understood the need to rely on or trust anypony other than myself. Coming to Ponyville changed my mind. Just a bit. I know the value of friendship now. However, some things never change."

"Sorry, I'm confused. What does this have to do with me?" Nathan pulled the hat off of his head and gave his scalp a rub.

"I'm getting to that. You're so impatient! Anyways- both a few months before, and during, the wedding two separate incidents came up. One was rather silly looking back on it- I was having a stressful day, and the others didn't take me seriously until things had spiralled out of control. However, leading into the wedding, I knew, I knew, something was not right. Even Celestia doubted me. Once again, I was proven correct, even after my friends were such... such..."

"Assholes?" Nathan offered. Twilight blushed at the choice of words, but nodded.

“Yes! That. This is where you come in. I fully believe, deep down, that you are in no way, shape, or form planning to do anything to hurt us. Nothing on purpose. But there's something just not right about you. Not just the fact you're human, but something... deeper. I can't put my hoof on it, but there is something. That makes you a threat, and unfortunately, due to my previous experiences, I know that when it comes right down to it I only have myself to trust. If something doesn‘t seem right, I need to know why. Taking others, even Pinkie and Fluttershy at their word isn‘t enough." Nathan was a little insulted, but understood where she was coming from.

"So I decided to study you- find out about you, before you went near our princess and possibly jeopardized her life. At first I thought it was enough that I send you into the forest, and I would just keep an ear to the ground to see what came of it. You wander back to where you came from, no problem. After Fluttershy went out to look for you though, it was clear you needed to be supervised. Applejack and I took care of that."

"How could you know though, that I would live with you, or that Big Mac would offer me a job?" Nathan squinted his eyes. He had a feeling where this was going, but he needed to hear it for himself.

"Well I was going to offer the room to you, but you asked first and cleaned it up and paid me rent..." Nathan's jaw dropped. These innocent little ponies could be real shits when they tried.

"And honestly? Do you think that we would just sit back and wait for you to wake up? Of course we planned the job offer. Having Mac do it was the best way to make it seem legitimate." Nathan was a little sick to his stomach.

"So for the last three months, not only were you lying about the letter but..."

"Yes. I've been lying to you about your living arrangements. It's actually been eating Applejack up. She's the most honest of us, and I'm still surprised that she has gone along with it so long. I still need to talk to her about it."

"As do I." Nathan was furious. He felt his fists clenching, and had he exercised a little less restraint he would have decked the unicorn right there. As it was, his nails were digging into his flesh leaving deep scratches. Twilight displayed the sad look on her face again.

"I'm sorry, but... you won't get that chance. Rarity and Applejack made me promise to take you away as soon as you were up. They initially felt you were coercing Fluttershy into liking you by some unknown means. It's clear to us now you're not. I’ve done all sorts of magic detection spells and observational magic. We’re convinced that you don’t have any such abilities, but... it's not healthy for her to have such an attachment. Especially considering you won't be returning to Ponyville.

"Same goes for Pinkie Pie. She too seems to have taken a shine to you, and we can't risk further influence. I've seen the etching on that weapon of yours. Pinkie showed me the other day while you were getting checking out of the hospital. Do you really think it was the wisest decision, permanently etching a tool of war with the Element of laughter? Do you think anything through?" Nathan just stood there, feeling some of the pieces sliding together, but still frustrated at the lack of clarity.

"I don't like it, and I don't really like you Twilight. However, I will respect your wishes. To answer your question, yes I think most things through. More than you will ever know. For now, let’s just work together and get on with it. Shall we go then?"

"Thank you. I think." Twilight wrinkled her nose. She ran into the library and threw on her saddlebags. Nathan noted when she returned that her bags were relatively lightly packed, only enough supplies judging from the bulges on the sides for a day or two of travel.

"Ok, we're going to teleport there. With the two of us it will take a few jumps, and I will need to rest every few casts, but we should get there towards the early afternoon, Celestia willing. Enough time for me to show you around Canterlot, get a good night‘s rest and then see Celestia in the morning. Only one more day and you will get to go home." Nathan was suddenly very nervous.

"Or spend eternity as her prisoner. As for teleporting, are you sure about this? I mean, magic for me has been very touch and go. I don't know about this..."

"Oh it'll be fine. The medical spells seemed to work wonderfully, and my own repulsion spell affected you. I'm guessing that it's only offensive spells that affect you. Ready?" Nathan swallowed hard.

"As I'll ever be." Twilight smiled and focused her magical prowess into the lavender horn on her forehead. The ground around them began to glow, and Nathan felt the air around him thicken. With a flash, Twilight finished the spell and blinked out of Ponyville- along with Nathan's clothes and possessions. He yelped, finding himself naked and jumped into the same bush Pinkie Pie had been hiding in some months before.

A few moments later Twilight Sparkle re-appeared, Nathan's belongings lying all around her. She looked confused and panicked. She had wound up on a hill a few miles away, seeing only the human’s possessions, and worried that either she had sent him elsewhere, or worse. As it was, she was frantically searching the exterior of the library, hoping against hope that he was still there.

"Nathan? Nathan are you ok? Are you here?! Oh please answer me!”

Nathan called out from the bushes, his voice a low growl barely concealing his distaste of the lavender unicorn.

"Yeah in here. Toss me my clothes?" He had scratches all over his body from where the branches rubbed against him as he jumped in, and he was freezing in the winter air. Once again Twilight had proceeded without careful consideration at risk to the human’s life. Nathan was getting tired of it.

"Oh sure! I'm so sorry. I guess magic is out. We'll have to walk. I'm glad you're ok." Nathan finished dressing and hopped out of the bush, frustrated with the reckless pony.

"Yes. I would say magic is definitely out. Jesus. Are you trying to get me killed? I know you don’t like me that much, but I thought that you would at least have enough care to get me to Canterlot safely. Good job Twili." Twilight turned and bucked him in the side of the face. Nathan fell against the side of the library, dazed. Twilight was furious.

"Don't call me Twili!!"

Nathan stood there rubbing the side of his head. The two had split up, Twilight furious with the insolent human. Nathan had thought to go stop by both Fluttershy’s cottage and Sugar Cube Corner in order to wish his two friends the best, but now having been cornered and forced to allow Fluttershy to join them, he regretted his decision to visit. He would not be going to see Pinkie Pie. Twilight was right. The human was unhealthy for Fluttershy and Pinkie. Twilight had informed her friends what had taken place, and repacked for a longer journey.

"Ok, I'm sorry. I won't use that name again. I just think it's so darn cute when you get frustrated." She might have treated him like a research project, but Nathan was going to get the last laugh.

"Cute? Cute?! You... you!" Twilight was foaming at the lips.

"I'm what? Adorable? Funny? I actually think that describes you. Probably why your brother calls you Twi-"

"STOP IT." Fluttershy screamed at both of them. Twilight and Nathan shared a glance of nervousness and faced the yellow mare.

"Twilight, we're all traveling together, and you're going to have to get along, regardless of what or who he is." She walked up to Nathan and grabbed the collar of his jacket with her teeth to yank him down to her level. "And you! Don't think I don't see what you're doing! Purposely antagonizing Twilight is not the way to better understand my friends. I don't care if she didn't think through a spell or treated you like a rat, or whatever. Some of my best friends are rats! She means well and you need to accept it." She turned her back to the pair, and growled.

"Now apologize to each other." The human and unicorn looked at each other and back to Fluttershy. Both were downright petrified of the screaming ball of fury that was staring them down. Nathan tore his eyes from the yellow pegasus and turned to face Twilight. He nodded and sighed.

"Sorry Twilight. I was pushing your buttons and I know it. That was disrespectful of me." Twilight Sparkle nodded back and let her eyes fall to the snow covered ground.

"Yes, and I don't think we've given you a fair chance. I'm sorry too." Nathan bent down and whispered in Twilight's ear, nervously glancing over at Fluttershy to make sure she wasn’t listening in.

"Where did this Fluttershy come from? Is this my influence?"

"No, she gets like this sometimes. It's best just to go along with it." Nathan nodded, agreeing to the sage advice. Fluttershy turned around, the aggressive attitude gone. Sheepishly she spoke with her friends.

"O-oh good. Th-thank-you for making up. You were scaring the animals." Nathan sincerely doubted that, but didn’t respond.

"Sorry, Fluttershy, did you say you're coming too?" Twilight arched her brows, both nervous and confused. "Did Nathan ask you to come because you know..."

"No Twilight. He didn't. He told me to stay here actually. However, I'm not listening to him, or you. I'm coming and you can't stop me. You girls always think I’m such a pushover and that I’m afraid of everything including my own shadow. Well that’s not true. I can be brave when I need to be and I’m choosing to be brave now.”

"Fluttershy, it's going to be dangerous. Brave or not you‘re not exactly cut out for fighting." Twilight was panicking now. The human was one thing, but being responsible for Fluttershy too?

"I know. Nathan can protect me. I've seen him use that cannon of his. It scares the feathers off me, but at the same time I know that as long as it’s in his hands that we’re going to be safe. My bags are packed, and I'm going Twilight. Discussion over." Twilight balked at the other pony. Sitting on her hind legs, she folded her hooves in front of her and gave Fluttershy a cock-eyed look.

"When did you get so confident?"

"Oh do you n-not like it? I'm trying to be more like Nathan. He always seems so sure of himself. I-I can go back to regular old me, that is, if you like."

"Sounds like you just did." Twilight sighed and cast Nathan a sidelong glance. For his part, all Nathan could do is hold his hands out in front of him and offer a meek shrug. The sooner this madness is over the better, Twilight thought to herself. Twilight saw the writing on the wall just as Nathan had and reluctantly gave in. It was just going to be a long argument when they had already wasted so much time just trying to leave Ponyville.

"Alright. If you're so sure, let's get going. We have a long way to go."

"Don't forget us!" The trio heard Rarity call out as she, and the remaining Elements came walking up the path. Twilight did a double-take and frowned.

"Not you four as well?"

"Why of course darling. You know I can never turn down a trip to Canterlot. Besides, Spikey-Wikey spilled the beans on Fluttershy's plan, and well..." She glared at Nathan, still holding the shrug. "Somepony needs to watch out for Fluttershy. This brute is hardly an acceptable chaperone."

Twilight rubbed her eyes with her hooves, leaning back on her haunches. This is not the way she had envisioned the day going. She could see the letter now. ‘Dear Princess Celestia: my friends are all crazy, and I think I’m about to snap too.’

"Ok, I sort of understand that, but the rest of you?"

"Well did you really think I was going to let you all go on an adventure without me silly-billy?"

"Ah figured you'd need a hoof with all the changelings about, and seeing that this critter is mah employee, ah got mah investment to protect."

"With the towns closed off, the Wonderbolts will be restricted to Canterlot, and what better chance to talk to them then that?!" Twilight shook her head.

"So, in other words you guys made up the flimsiest excuses in Equestria just to come along? Even though you don't have to?"

"Yupperoonie!"

"Eeyup."

"Of course!"

Twilight laughed. Her friends might be the strangest ponies she knew, but they were right there when she needed them the most. She turned and saw Nathan had a slight smile creeping onto his face. Catching her looking, he forced it into a scowl and turned to walk away. He called over his shoulder, forcing as much frustration into his voice as possible.

"Well are we going then? Jesus, I was this close to being free of you damn ponies. Gah. Hurry up!" He hadn't meant a word of it, but he was still upset over their continuing demonization of him. At least now he would get a chance to speak to all of them, and really find out where they stood.

Twilight watched the human walk towards town, heading in the general direction of Canterlot, visible on the cliffs far off in the distance. For all of his faults, and for all of the mistrust between them, Twilight had to admit there was one thing both the ponies and the human had in common.

A heart.

The group had passed through the shield protecting Ponyville, and had so far walked in silence for the better part of an hour.

Testing his magical resistance, Nathan had chosen to attempt to walk through the bubble rather than wait for Twilight or the guards to alter it. As he predicted, he passed through with ease, standing on the far side and delighting in the unsettled looks the guard-ponies passed between themselves as they frantically worked on creating an exit for the rest of his party. Twilight had lightly scolded him again for being callous, but even she had to admit that seeing the usually emotionless guards freak out was totally worth it.

Now, the colourful buildings and inhabitants far behind them, any trace of good spirits had long been abandoned. To the south they could see the Everfree forest, a strange mixture of clouds and mist floating above it. Twilight was nervous. She had not seen anything of this sort before. Yes, the Everfree had always rebelled against typical pony order, but there was a limit.

Even now, she could see what she could only describe as a corruption altering the environment, creeping out into previously pony inhabited lands. Something was affecting the forest, and it scared her more than Nathan did.

The snow crunched beneath their hooves and boots, only ankle deep, but travel was still tedious, owing to the fact they were the first ponies to cross it in nearly a week. The only other tracks they saw were those of various birds and animals. They had purposely avoided following the train tracks for a myriad of reasons. Foremost was the fact that any traders would be traversing them, attracting unwanted changeling attention. The chosen route was going to add a day or two to the trip, but they all agreed it would likely be safer.

After a few more miles, the sun reached its zenith, and the surrounding air had warmed enough that the multicoloured party of seven decided to stop for lunch. Picking out a location on a hill overlooking a frozen pond, the mares laid out a spread of fruits, vegetables and sweets. Well, Pinkie Pie had laid out the sweets. Everypony else had brought more appropriate fare. The six ponies sat around a thick picnic blanket and dug in, chatting and laughing just as old friends should. Nathan had found a flat rock that the sun had cleared for him, and was perched there staring down at the pond.

"Hiya! Whatcha doing over here by your lonesome?" Pinkie Pie had bounded over, distracting Nathan from his thoughts. Turning to face the perpetually excited party pony, Nathan smiled.

"Hey Pinkie. I'm just thinking about stuff again. I'm sorry to say that as long as I've been stuck in Equestria, I still marvel at how foreign things here are every day."

"Oh yeah? Oh like that weird food that you made Fluttershy last month? What did you call it? Sue she?"

"That's sushi, Pinkie, and no not that kind of foreign. I guess to you ponies rolled up rice and seaweed with veggies inside might seem foreign. That's not the point though. I mean more... fundamental aspects of your world. The weather, the locations, the inhabitants the... magic. If I do go home and tell people about Equestria they're going to think I'm crazy." Pinkie had a devious smile on her face, and then suddenly looked suspicious, standing on her hind legs and folding her front ones.

"How to you know you're not already? Crazy magic talking ponies in a land of lollipops and rainbows? Sounds kooky to me." Nathan chuckled.

"Some days Pinkie, I fully suspect I have gone nuts. Like I'm really in some mental institution somewhere talking to a pile of rocks and a bag of flour. Maybe Fluttershy's really a plant or small tree or something." Pinkie Pie looked at Nathan uncomfortably until the human noticed the expression and became confused.

"What? What did I say? It was a joke Pinkie." Her jovial mask returned, sharing a small giggle with her friend.

"Oh right a joke. Of course it was silly billy! Who talks to a pile of rocks? That's ridiculous. So, what's on your mind specifically right now?" Nathan gazed down to the frozen pond.

"This is where I spent my childhood Pinkie." Pinkie looked shocked.

"W-what? Humans have never been to Equestria before as far as we know. You've said it yourself that you haven't been here. My Pinkie Sense would have told me about it! I know it!" Nathan shook his head at the exasperated pony.

"No Pinkie, not here specifically. I mean on frozen ponds like this one." Pinkie was calm again, but confused.

"What? I'm sorry?"

"Where I come from, we have this sport called hockey. Two teams strap on ice skates and use sticks to try and hit a small round object into a 'goal' area. I would spend hours as a child out on ponds just like this one, playing pick-up games with other kids. It was a totally care free existence in the winter. Wake up, go to school, play hockey, have mom yell at me for not dressing warm enough, go to bed. I was the most happy when snow covered the ground, and my stick was on the ice. Every day I spend in Equestria, Pinkie, I look for a bit of home. Even if all I can find is something small, then I can go to bed thinking 'today was a good day'."

"For such pleasant memories, you sure don't look like you're having a good day. You look like someone just spat on you."

"Well... this memory is a bitter-sweet one for me. It was a day, just like this, you know. The ice was so slippery. The sun had melted enough of the surface that stopping was impossible." He closed his eyes, suppressing the emotion. Pinkie could see the pain etched on his face. After a few moments he opened them again.

"Winter was never the same again. It carries too many memories. Too much pain. Just like being in Equestria, being around you, Fluttershy. This place. It's painful. It's too pure." The pair had not noticed, but the remainder of the group had been eavesdropping for some time. Fluttershy flew over to him, nuzzling against his leg.

"D-did you, did you want to talk about it? That is, if you didn't mind. Unless this is like your family?"
“His family? You’ve never talked about them before Nathan! What are they like?” Rarity showed a rare moment of curiosity in the human. Fluttershy smiled and interjected.

“Oh he doesn’t talk to them very often. It’s kind of like my parents and me. Live too far apart. Not much to talk about.” Nathan shrugged and nodded to Fluttershy.

"You‘re right, Fluttershy, it is like my family. It's not something I really care about. Not right now. It's almost cruel you know? I mean, I‘m still hazy on how I got to Equestria. I‘m still sticking to a bad night of drinking or a horrible prank. If I could only forget the things I want to. Now, we're going to spend the next few days together, everything reminding me of that day." Nathan sighed, and looked at his hands and the fresh scars that covered them. He forced a smile on his face, reached down and rubbed Fluttershy's back.

"Thanks for the concern though girls. I appreciate it. You go back and eat up now Fluttershy. You've hardly touched your lunch and you'll need your strength." She smiled sweetly and relaxed at the human's touch.

"Ok. I'll go eat. If you want to talk, I'll be here." Nathan nodded. The five mares continued their idle banter. Pinkie was still sitting on the rock beside Nathan. He was casting a questioning glance down at her, which she interpreted and responded to.

"No. I don't know. I only know relevant things, and apparently right now this isn't relevant. I do know that you plan to talk to Dash, AJ, and Rarity though. It's a good idea in theory... but I have to question why. Why now?" Nathan nodded to the pink pony, and pondered her question. In truth, while he had been idly debating talking with them on his own, the conversation with Spike that morning had sealed his resolve.

"Well, here's the way I see it. The three of them have always confused me with their attitudes towards me. Twilight I kind of get now- she sees me as an animal or monster to be studied. Maybe not exactly that, but close enough. You want to be friends with everyone. Fluttershy... eh, probably chalk that up to some form of traumatic bonding or Stockholm-like syndrome”

"Stockholm Syndrome?"

"Yeah. The actual condition is you spend so much time with a, well for you, 'foalnapper' that you start to have empathy for them. In this case it was just me carrying her through the forest, but still.

"At any rate, you three I get, mostly. The other three? I don't know why Rarity is so hostile, Applejack so abrasive, Dash so non-committal. At first, hoping I was only going to be here for a few days, I didn't care. Even as I was preparing to leave Ponyville this morning, I was going to sneak away without any of you following. Then Spike and I talked and... when we get to Canterlot, one of two things will happen. Either I'm going to be sent home, possibly forget all of this and it's not going to matter, or Celestia is going to lock me away for the rest of my life, as I sit in the dark and wonder just what was up with those ponies. That terrifies me. The not knowing." Pinkie Pie smiled and rolled around him in cartwheels.

"You silly billy! Celestia won't lock you away. She'll send you to the moon!" Pinkie was giggling, and Nathan couldn't help but share in the joke.

"Oh right! I forgot about that! Maybe that's where I really am now! The Luna-y Bin!" Pinkie laughed a bit more then suddenly stopped.

"I don't get it. When where you with Princess Luna, and what kind of bin does she have? How are you in it?" Nathan just kept laughing on.

"Oh God I love you ponies sometimes I really do."

"Including me?"

"Of course Pinkie. Especially you." She squealed and bounded around some more.

"Yay! We're such good friends. Well I'm going to have more cake, ok? Don't stress out about things and dwell on the past. This is going to be no fun if you‘re a big grumpy face the whole time." Nathan nodded and smiled.

"Sure Pinkie, have fun. Thanks." She turned back to her friends and eyed up another piece of her favorite desert. No pony noticed, but if one of them had paid attention to her, they would have seen her blink away a tear.

The rest of the day passed relatively uneventfully. Rarity had stepped in some muddy snow and whined, but other than that it had been quiet. Seeing an abandoned cottage, deserted several days ago due to the restrictions put in place following the unsuccessful changeling invasion of Ponyville, they decided to stay there for the night. Nathan had persuaded a reluctant Twilight Sparkle into using her magic to pick the lock on the door, and having gained entrance quickly built a fire and began to warm the small building.

The human had gone down to a nearby stream, chipped a hole in it and caught a fish, which was currently roasting over the fire. Using a stick to slowly turn it, he allowed the scent of the crisping flesh drift into his nostrils, his stomach growling. Several of the mares expressed slight disgust at the smell, but graciously allowed Nathan to finish cooking it, recognizing the nutritional importance. Pinkie Pie had asked to try a piece, but Nathan politely denied her request, Twilight shooting him a look of absolute loathing.

The ponies had unrolled their sleeping-bags in a semi-circle around the warm fire, and most of them had snuggled in for the night. Applejack and Twilight were taking the first watch and had not bothered to get comfortable. Nathan was slumbering away in a corner already, quickly drifting off after eating his fill. A couple hours later they had come back to awaken Rainbow Dash and Nathan.

Pulling out the Pie Cannon, he inspected it for any damage, and chambered three rounds. Quietly snapping it shut, he pocketed a few extra shells and walked out the door, stepping to where Rainbow Dash was currently stretching her wings.

"Awww, I'm stuck with you? I was hoping I would have a nice sturdy earth pony or magical unicorn to back me up. What are you going to do with that thing? Poke a changeling into submission?" The cyan pegasus wore a mischievous grin. Nathan responded to the good natured ribbing, pointing the firearm at Dash's flank.

"Sorry what? I don't think I'm going to hear you over the racket this thing is about to make putting a lump in your ass." Rainbow laughed and flew up into the air.

"Hey no fair! We agreed you weren't going to use those dirty human words. They're too funny."

"What? Ass? Damn? Monkey-giblet spank master?" Dash was in hysterics.

"Yes those. You're so crude. What's wrong with you?" Nathan chuckled.

"A lot actually Dash. Something to do with being born with only two legs. Doctor told my parents I'd walk just fine, but I'd be stuck as a member of the human race." Dash, still giggling came down and landed near Nathan.

"So, how are you doing?"

"I could use more sleep, but I'm ok. The night seems pretty warm compared to earlier today."

"No not that- your conversation with Twilight earlier. She told me that wanted to talk. The two cut a wide path around the cottage their friends were sleeping in, keeping and eye out for anything out moving through the trees and bushes. Twilight and Applejack had reported nothing unusual, but Nathan suspected the glow of the fire in the window could be seen for many miles, and was likely to attract attention.

Regretting not having built a small scope for his gun, Nathan had to rely on his naked eyes and the moonlight to scan the surrounding hills for activity. At least the snow made spotting dark shapes easier. Off in the distance he could see what appeared to be some sort of feline hunting under the blanket of night. He noted, with some relief that it was too far out to be a serious threat. Pausing only to point out the cat to Dash, they continued on their patrol. Soon, Nathan had formulated his quandary.

"Actually yeah, I did, funny you should bring that up. I'm just a little confused. A lot confused really. About you and the way you act around me." Rainbow Dash looked a little confused herself. Usually the brash pegasus thought she was pretty clear on her stance. In fact, it usually got her in trouble because she didn't think things out. That the human was confused was something legitimately mystifying to her.

"Really? What's confusing? I'm the best flier in Equestria! I'm so fast that even the Wonderbolts couldn't keep up if they tried! Just wait until you see your first sonic rainboom! I’m freakin’ awesome." Nathan raised his eyebrow.

"Oh? You haven't been talking to me much lately though. We've had some fun times, you, me, Pinkie. I've enjoyed hanging out with you. Last few days though, you haven't said anything to me. In fact, I haven't seen you at all."

"Well, yeah... Whaddya expect? Last I saw you; you were waving that death stick of yours around and throwing changelings like I push clouds. Only ponies I’d expect to be able to do that would be the princesses. Don't forget that Rarity's my friend too. She's terrified of you. I mean, I think she's overreacting just a bit, but she's usually up to her horn in drama anyways. If even a bit of what she thinks is true, we should all probably be afraid of you." Dash looked deep in thought. Nathan caught the glint in her eye and smiled up at her.

"But when she was yelling at Twilight outside of the hospital and continuing to rant about me, you stood up for me. Not just to her, and Twilight, but to Applejack too." The expression on Rainbow's face dropped and she struggled to come up with an answer.

"W-well yea but... I mean... uh... hey! Who told you about that?" Nathan was chuckling now.

"Oh come on Dash, did you not think Pinkie or Fluttershy would tell me? They BOTH told me. You really don't think things out sometimes do you?" Dash was blushing and a small sheepish smile crept over her face.

"Heh... yeah well... ok fine you got me. Of course I stood up for you. You basically saved Ponyville, not that those three would ever admit it, but I recognize awesome when I see it. The most important thing to me is loyalty. Loyalty between friends no mater how old or new. Hay, most of the town don’t even care about you, but you still showed more loyalty that day then I've seen you receive in three months. Yeah, I'll admit it. You’re cool. But..."

"But what?"

"They're still my best friends, and even if I think they're all acting weird, well except for Pinkie but she's always weird, they probably have good reasons for it. I just don't see them. I've taken some time the last little while to just think. Try and put it together for myself. Whoa, I just sounded like such a total egghead. Twilight would be laughing."

"Figure anything out?"

"Hey, I said I SOUNDED like an egghead, not that I was one. I'm still at the same place I was a week ago. Rarity thinks this is the worst possible thing, like the time she forgot plates to a picnic, Twilight let her studies get in the way, as usual, Applejack is being stubborn, and you were basically an animal at first to Fluttershy then you saved her, so that’s not that surprising either. That and well...” Nathan shook his head and looked up to the hovering pegasus again, his confusion returning.

"Well what?"

"That’s the thing, I don’t know. I thought it was just you being new and all, but even after I got used to you, I’ve been getting an odd feeling. Ever since that time you tried to “drown” me in the lake. It’s kind of like when one of your feathers isn’t aligned with the others, except you’re not a feather and I don’t know how you’re odd. It hasn’t gone away either, and I don’t know the hay’s up with you. Like I said – Not an egghead. Nathan started snickering a bit. “Hey! I feel stupid enough as it is jerk face. No need to rub it in. Anyways, I thought I’d leave it to one of the others. Twilight would read her books, or Fluttershy’d use her weird animal empa-thingy to pick up on it. But so far either nopony’s told me that something’s wrong, or they don’t notice it. She blushed and fidgeted slightly. “Usually I don’t take it too badly if there’s something I don’t understand. This bothers me though, because I’m pretty sure it’d bother otherponies too if they felt this. I think it has to do with the way magic is around you. Something’s… off.”

"Really? Is it that bad? I mean if the others don’t see it… could you be overreacting?” Dash shook her head.
“Nope. Only thing I overreact to are the Wonderbolts, and that’s because they’re awesome like that. I’ve actively been trying to ignore it for the better part of the last few weeks, see if it wouldn’t go away y’know? But it keeps bothering me, like somepony put ants in my saddle.”

"I think you’re cool. You’re funny, smart and just chill. However this 'bubble' of 'puny ponies, your world doesn't work on me!' that you carry around with you? I don't know what’s up with that and one way or another, I think the others have caught on to things I don’t see as well. Explains Rarity being a spaz more than usual lately, though that could just be Rarity in one of her moods. But Twilight doesn’t usually get this excited about studying something, at least not without an order from the Princess telling her to do it. So yeah, can’t blame em about being nervous about something they don’t know about. Though it’s not fair that they’ve got this caught up, while you haven’t even done anything yet." Nathan shuffled uncomfortably, thinking back to his time in Ponyville, but pushed it away, smiling.

"Well, thanks Dash, that makes me feel a lot better. I would never have guessed you cared that much. It makes a man want too..." He stopped talking as something below them on an opposing hill caught his eye. He crouched behind a bush. Rainbow Dash glanced down, confused.

"What are you doing? Aww don't be such a suck. Totally uncool. You don't have to cry. I d-ahh!" She squeaked as the human grabbed her tail and yanked her down with him.

"Shhh!" He whispered at her. "I’m not crying you dork. Shut-up and look over there." Rainbow followed his line of sight, and saw three foxes wandering through the snow. She rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Really? What, do they not have foxes where you come from?" Nathan rolled his eyes and huffed at the brash pony.

"Of course we have foxes Dash. However, when's the last time you saw a group of foxes walk in perfect formation and use their tails to purposely cover their tracks?"

"Wha...?" Dash looked again, and could see that her human counterpart's words were accurate. The trio of foxes was, in fact, doing their best to obscure signs of their passage, and were headed in the general direction of the cottage the other mares were occupying. Nathan un-slung his firearm, sighted down the barrel and flipped off the safety. He took a steadying breath and gently depressed the trigger.

The next morning, having eaten breakfast and repacked their belongings, the group of seven cleaned up the little cottage they had borrowed and set off towards Canterlot once more. While the mares finished the cleaning, Nathan had pulled out his journal and made a few more notes and entries. The individual complexities of the world and the ponies he had allied himself with were steadily overwhelming him, and having his thoughts and feelings documented so he could go back at any time and refresh his memory helped with coming to terms with the mares.

He also noted that one of the mares would have to come back later and pay for the rope they had borrowed for the night. It was probably going to break as soon as the three changelings they had tied up with it woke up and escaped.

8: Have Hook, Will Ramble

Chapter 8- Have Hook, Will Ramble

"Yes your majesty, we can confirm that Factor Ypsilon has departed Ponyville and is traveling in this direction. Apparently some form of magic resistance has prevented teleportation, and thus he must travel overland. Estimated travel time has been calculated at one week." Celestia was in her throne room, basking in the warm morning sunlight. She had taken a rare opportunity to stroll through her palace grounds, and had decided to receive her daily intelligence in her official chambers. After having every other pony removed from the room of course.

One of her trusted advisers was listing off the day's trials and tribulations, giving the Princess a much clearer view of her kingdom. Celestia was pleased with herself- not only had putting guard ponies in every town put her subjects mind at ease, it had also expanded her information network ten-fold. Not a pony could make a move without her knowledge. She responded to the grey unicorn giving the report.

"Lawn Order, tell me, was Twilight Sparkle with him?" The adviser checked her notes.

"Yes Princess. Along with the other five Elements of Harmony." Celestia wasn't surprised at the revelation. The way those six were attached at the hips, it only stood to reason they would be traveling together.

"As I suspected. My students tend to stand by each other's sides. You say a week? That seems so long. Why such a delay."

Order pointed down at a map of Equestria and the surrounding lands. Pointing out Ponyville, she retrieved a set of small green flags from beside the map.

"Here is Ponyville, and here we are, in Canterlot. The rail line follows along the northeast plains and then circles up the mountain path to reach us here. On foot or by train, it's the most direct route." She used the flags to mark out roughly where the tracks ran. Collecting another set of flags, these ones red, she continued.

"Now, for reasons we have yet to ascertain they are traveling this way, a much more northerly route, sticking to light forests and hills. Currently, intelligence suggests that they are possibly trying to avoid more traveled regions. Here is their route so far, and the cottage they stayed at last night." She finished planting the flags in the map.

"Cottage?" Celestia was curious. The unicorn flipped through her notes again.

"Ah yes. The retirement home of a couple of earth ponies. Let's see here... yes belonging to a Mr. and Mrs. Greenleaf. The pair is currently staying with family in Trottingham. No direct contact with Ypsilon."

Celestia nodded and examined the map, trying to discern the chosen route of the group, as well as why they were avoiding the rails. If it was to avoid other ponies, what might they be hiding? Twilight would assuredly be leading the group. What was she playing at?

"Which way did they go? After leaving the cottage?"

"They only left the cottage an hour ago, but this is the general direction." Order placed another flag just past the one representative of the cottage. "If they continue on their predicted route, this is an approximation of their path." A series of blue flags, now imbedded within the map, showed a route following along several hills and ridges, passing by farms and towns along the way. Celestia could see how round-about the assumed route was.

There was one community not featured on the map that Celestia knew about, and the fact that they would pass so near to it gave her cause for concern. However, at the time she didn't want to cause any undue stress for her unicorn adviser. Choosing to remain silent on the matter, she turned her attention back to the reports.

"That's enough about Ypsilon for now Lawn Order. Let's move on. I'm assuming, since this information is so complete, that Project Sky Light has proven successful?" Flipping through her pages, the advisor pulled out another report.

"Yes princess. I must admit, I was a little nervous when you suggested reusing one thousand year old magic and re-purposing it, but now that I have seen the results... I marvel at your ingenuity. The uses for it are myriad. Now that we can maintain the fields for over an hour, it is so much more useful."

"Good. Let's see if we can't stretch that another hour or two, please Lawn?" Lawn Order furiously scribbled down some notes and nodded to her princess.

"Yes your majesty." The immediate business finished, the talk turned to minor issues and pittances from around the kingdom. Lawn Order was purposely skirting around one other major project, Celestia knew, but she let the administrative pony believe that the topic wouldn't come up. She was wrong, of course. As their conversation drew to a close, Princess Celestia cleared her throat, drawing a fearful look from the unicorn.

"Lawn Order..."

"Y-yes your majesty?"

"Let's not dance around it any further. ES-24. Progress report." The unicorn shuddered.

"ES-24? Why y-yes Celestia. The original activation sites have been found, including the one in Gryphon territory, and the one deep in the Everfree. We are currently in negotiations for access to the former. The work continues on preparing all sites for use."

"Excellent."

"Y-your majesty. May I speak freely?" Celestia raised an eyebrow at Lawn. Normally the advisor was content to process the alicorn's demands without hesitation. It was a strange divergence from protocol, but she nodded and allowed it.

"Proceed, Lawn Order."

"Thank-you, Princess Celestia. I'm just concerned. This kind of power has major ramifications. I know the changelings are a threat, but are you really willing to go this far? The potential environmental complications..."

"Tell me, Lawn. If you had... oh let's say a child, that you had raised with love and care for years and years, would you not do anything in your power to protect them, even in the event of your passing?"

"Well yes but..."

"But nothing. Equestria and her citizens are my children, and I will not see her torn asunder."

"You know we all love you, and you have been our princess for time immemorial, however, there is a real concern here. I know that you would never use it to harm anypony, and I trust you implicitly as a subject should trust their monarch, but can you say the same for others? What about Princess Luna?”

“Princess Luna?”

“Well, yes your majesty. What has she said about ES-24?”

“My dear Lawn Order… what makes you think that I informed her of ES-24?”

“I-I’m sorry? She doesn’t know? But how…”

“The groundwork for it was laid soon after she was banished as Nightmare Moon. It is not knowledge that she was privy to as an ‘enemy’ of Equestria. I have… neglected to inform her of it since her return as our dear beloved Princess Luna.” Lawn Order shivered.

“Is there a reason we are keeping this from her? I-I-I mean you obviously have a good reason, don’t think I’m questioning you. I just wanted to know if there’s something I should be doing.” Celestia opted for a less scathing retort than the one she was originally giving.

“Why, yes, there is a reason. Luna was gone for a thousand years. Yes, she has returned and tried her best to re-integrate herself with our society, but two years doesn’t remove a thousand years of animosity and hatred. Now, I’m not saying that she is going to go back to being Nightmare Moon. However, wouldn’t it be wise and caring of a ruler to have her subjects best interests at heart and not risk their well being?”

“I-I-I see, Princess Celestia. You are our wise and benevolent ruler after all.”

“Why thank-you, Lawn Order. You always were one of my favorite advisers. So smart and dutiful. Even Twilight Sparkle could learn a thing or too from you.” Lawn’s heart skipped a beat at being compared to Celestia’s own star pupil. The feeling quickly subsided, replaced with a dull feeling of emotional turmoil. “Now, if that is everything, I need to get back to work.”

“Oh, uh yes, sorry, Princess Celestia. That is my full report. For today.”

“Very good. Please see yourself out. We need time to ponder our kingdom’s future.” Lawn Order raised her eyebrow, but nodded and tidied her papers, trotting out the nearest door, quietly closing it behind her.

Celestia was left alone in the throne room, staring out the window, looking over the ponies she had worked tirelessly to protect.

“We will rest soon enough. Soon enough.”

'...the rest of the mares had been concerned when Dash and I had brought back the three unconscious changelings. The changelings were, in fact, tracking ponies. Rarity was still in denial, and had tried to rationalize me into fault, that the attack on Ponyville was my fault, and the changelings had only been there for me.

While I don't believe me being there at the time of the invasion was coincidence, they were also trying to round up any ponies they could as well. Even "La Tigra", as I've taken to calling Rarity behind her back, couldn't deny it any further seeing the trio of beasts.

Once we’ve made solid headway, I fully intend to have a proper conversation with her. As a note on the weather- I've noticed that it's been starting to warm up, even though it's the middle of what would be November on Earth. I'll have to ask Dash about it.’

Before traveling too far, Twilight had pulled out her map to explain their route to the group, but the only one that had been particularly interested was Nathan. This was the first chance he had really gotten to look over Equestria and judge their position. From Ponyville, with Canterlot visible, it didn't seem like it could be that large, but now with a scale and points of reference added he realized just how massive the kingdom was. Even Canterlot was nearly a week's journey on foot, assuming they didn't get too sidetracked.

The map covered the immediate area they occupied and a few other details. To the north was a chain of mountains and plateaus held by gryphons, pony lands long ago before the rule of Celestia. Off to the east were Zebra holdings. Though still technically Equestria, the Zebras had negotiated sovereign territory several centuries before, agreeing to pay tithes and tributes to Celestia in return for some self-autonomy. Nathan was mystified by the subtle complexities of Equestrian politics. He said as much to Twilight.

"So, let me make sure I have this straight. Celestia, and to a lesser extent Luna, rule Equestria out of Canterlot, and all the ponies swear fealty to them. Except, there are still mayors and councils and elected positions. A few other sentient races reside here- donkeys and dragons to name a couple- but they don't actively take part in Equestrian politics. Donkeys are regular citizens, and dragons, besides Spike, just go around being dragons." Twilight nodded in the affirmative.

"Yes that's right."

"Other than Spike, what are the other dragons like? I mean, I realize he's only a juvenile dragon, but he doesn't seem so different from the ponies around here. I imagine that has a lot to do with being raised by you though. Are they all that docile and friendly? In human society, dragons are just fantasy, but the commonly accepted image is a large winged lizard many times the size of a person and can breathe flames."

"No they aren't friendly at all. Actually, that imagery fits a dragon almost perfectly. One once decided it would sleep in a cave near Ponyville and we had to ask it to leave. The beast's snoring was blotting out the sun and threatened to choke out Equestria."

"Nopony has any issues with dragons being around though? They don't eat ponies? They don't burn down your towns? Celestia just allows them to roam the countryside?" Nathan caught himself scanning the skies for any sign of a dragon or other huge monster.

Twilight's eyes went narrow and she carefully scanned the human's expressions. She could feel herself getting upset with Nathan. She was Twilight Sparkle, one of the most intelligent and well-read ponies in Equestria, possibly the world. Her magical ability was almost on par with Celestia's own. She had lived her entire life in Equestria, and dragons had almost never been an issue. In Celestia's reign they had not been an issue. Now, this human was questioning their world. No, he doesn't know any better. I can only imagine how I would feel if I wound up in some strange land and their customs and ways confused me. She forced herself to relax and went back to the map.

"Take my word on it, dragons are not an issue. Let's just get back to the map here, and focus on the task at hand."

"I'm still not comfortable with the thought of killer dragons roaming the wilds."

"They eat gemstones, not people or ponies." Twilight gave him a stern look that indicated that the conversation was over. "Ok. The map. So, we're here, and this is the cottage. I'd like to travel along these lakes, and shadow this canyon. This puts us within sight of a few towns and farms and we can divert slightly if necessary. I would however prefer to avoid most civilized areas if at all possible."

Nathan shook off the last of his worries and focused back on the conversation.

"That makes sense in theory, but I see a few issues. This is going to take us about a week you said? Pretty far distances here, in the snow. We're going to have to pace ourselves. Some of the less... 'rugged' of us are going to need more breaks." He glanced over to where Rarity and Fluttershy were engaged in idle banter. No one else had noticed, but he could see the white unicorn already favouring one hoof. While he really wanted to tell her it served her right, he couldn't fault her for trying to protect her friend. He turned back to the map. "We're going to have to find shelter every night. Either a farm or town. There's nothing else for it. Rarity and Fluttershy won't make six days in the wilderness." Twilight frowned, but acknowledged the evaluation.

"You could be right. I don't like it, but you're probably right." Nathan examined the map closely, noting the labels and legend had long ago worn away, betraying the age of the document. He traced along the route with his finger and noted all of the potential stops based on their current progress.

"Could you tell me about some of these towns? I don't see anything indicating their names. Specifically these three here. They seem to be right about where we would stop for a night." Nathan pointed out the specified towns.

"Sure. So by the end of today it should take us near Foalham, here. Tomorrow, I guess, should bring us to Manyhooves. A couple days after that would see us in North Gelding. South Gelding is down over here but we shouldn't need to go that way. Between them we'll have to hit the farms, but they should be abandoned." Nathan rubbed his chin and mused over the map further. There were a few gaps in the information, but nothing overwhelming except...

"Twilight, how old is this map?"

"I'm not entirely sure. It was in the library when I took up residence. I'm assuming a century or two. Things don't change much around here."

"How can you not know? Do you not research this kind of thing? You're taking us on a route that is out of reach of most civilization, but the map you have isn't even up to date?"

"Well, yes..."

"So why is there this huge gap in detail? After leaving North Gelding, it shows some farms, then nothing. No contour lines, no landmarks, nothing. Just an empty unlabeled plain. On top of that our route takes us right past it." Twilight glanced at the point on the map the human had cupped his hands around.

"What does it matter to you? This is the route we've chosen, and Equestria is stable enough that there shouldn't be any issues. Let me guess, things change so much on earth that maps need to be constantly updated?"

"Twilight, on Earth things change so fast that we don't even trust our maps anymore. We've turned to special devices that give us real-time information about where we are at all times. If you went back in time one-hundred years on Earth, half the roads wouldn’t even exist."

Once again, Twilight was getting hot under her metaphorical collar. She found herself stomping her hoof on the ground, trying to not blurt out the first thing that came to mind. Seeing the red in her face, Nathan gently waved his hand to her, and indicated that he didn't want an argument. The other mares had turned from their own idle conversations and were intently focused on the ongoing disagreement. She forced herself to calm again, but was unable to entirely regain her composure. The longer this discussion went on, the more she could feel the human getting under her skin. Nathan softly spoke to her, trying to defuse the situation.

"I'm being insensitive again. Your Equestria, your ways. Sorry. Let's go on. So, tell me, what is this place?"

"The Horned Rock reaches. I've only looked into it briefly. Since the beginning of Celestia's rule, it has been there, though nopony knows what could be in there. Every pony that goes in that area never returns. Celestia herself investigated several years ago, but she came back empty hooved. The ponies had all just vanished. No trace, no sign."

"I thought you said nopony returns?"

"Well Celestia is hardly a normal pony. She's what we call an alicorn."

"Alicorn?" Nathan had not heard this term before. In fact, now that he though about it, he couldn't remember seeing a picture of Celestia either. Recognizing the gap in his knowledge, he questioned Twilight further. “Twilight, why is this the first time I’ve heard the term? You said that the information you gave me about Equestria was complete. What is an alicorn, what does Celestia look like, and why don’t I know any of this?”

Twilight shuffled uncomfortably and glanced at her friends. Applejack sidled up beside her and laid a hoof across her back, calming and bracing the lavender unicorn.

“Sugar cube, Ah reckon at this point there ain’t nothing you could say that could hurt Celestia or Equestria that hasn’t already been said or put into motion. You need to stop lyin’, as good as yer intentions might be. Go on. Tell him.” Twilight turned back to Nathan and sheepishly twirled a hoof on the ground, drawing a random pattern in the snow. Nathan, for his part, was being as patient and restrained as possible.

“Look, we’ve all been over how I’ve been trying to protect Equestria, and to a lesser extent Celestia, from you. I thought that if you were here to hurt her, any additional information past her name may give you some sort of advantage over her and I couldn’t risk it. I’ve been controlling a lot of the information that you’ve been receiving. Even letting you use my telescope worried me. Celestia, Luna, and Cadance are all ‘alicorns’. It’s a slang term mind you- there is no official designation for what the three are. Chrysalis can also, by extension, be loosely considered an alicorn, though genetically she’s not the same species anymore, if she ever was.

“Alicorns combine the dominant traits of the three pony tribes into a single, godlike being, with powers greater than each of the three originators. The strength of the earth ponies, the flight of the pegasi, and the magic of the unicorns. Celestia is the largest and strongest of them. I would estimate her height to nearly match yours, and her powers are second only to the Elements. While she and Luna officially rule Equestria together, those more familiar with the inner workings know that Celestia holds the true power. This is our princess. This is the being that has summoned you before her.”

“Why hide that though? It’s obvious her strength is more than a match for me. How could I ever hope to match her, even if it came down to trying to kill her? Which, by the way, it won’t because I don’t plan to.” Nathan scratched his chin, legitimately confused.

“It’s the same thing I’ve said over and over again. So far not only do we not know much about you, we don’t even have much of an ability to gauge how much of a threat you are. Celestia’s power revolves around her magical abilities, which you’ve proven yourself to be largely immune to, and we don’t know exactly how capable you are in combative situations. But what we do know is that you’ve proven yourself capable of taking out multiple creatures stronger than yourself with ease. And now, you’re going to be meeting her one way or another now, not knowing how she’ll react to you and vice versa. It’s out of my hooves.” Nathan nodded and chuckled a bit.

"It's alright Twilight, I understand." Nathan focused back on the map and noticed that the suggested route zigzagged quite a few times, and at one point took a sharp diversion south.

"Twilight, one other thing- why all this jumping around? Why don't we just go all the way north to the border and follow along the foothills? It might be a lot faster."

"We can't. We run the risk of accidentally wandering into gryphon territory, and Celestia's protection of ponies doesn't extend that far north."

"What do you mean?"

"Gryphons are predators. They catch and eat meat. In Equestria they are forbidden from it. It is one of the many rules gryphons must follow when they live in or travel to Equestria. They can only consume pony food. Some of the more tribal groups of gryphons would still find great sport in... hunting ponies."

Nathan felt like his head had caved in. There was no way that Twilight, or any other pony, could be so calm about such a situation. Traditions and customs be damned, he was getting upset just by the idea.

"How can you be ok with that?"

"It's just the way our world works. It's simple really. As long as we stay in Equestria, everything is fine. There hasn't been a reported gryphon attack in over five hundred years."

"Except no, it's not fine at all. I mean, this is where I get lost. The Zebras have their own lands within Equestria and pay Celestia for the right to self adjudication. The gryphons, who have a tendency of being hostile to Equestria, not only send envoys and ambassadors to Canterlot on a regular basis, but many of them are citizens here, and some come from out of country to attend your schools and academies. The same gryphons that, not a few centuries ago, considered hunting ponies to be a sport. Sorry, the gryphons that still consider hunting ponies to be a sport." Twilight didn't like the tone Nathan was speaking with. She felt like he was treating her like a foal. She responded, slightly flustered. She could feel the rage building again.

"Well, I still don't see what's so complicated. That was a long time ago. Why shouldn't we want to improve our relations?"

"Twilight, is there somepony who's job it is to count all the tithes the zebras bring in? Does Celestia monitor her northern borders to make sure the griffons don't get the munchies?"

"No, nopony does. Why should they?" Nathan felt his jaw drop. He could not believe what he was hearing.

"W-why should they? You have a political system in place that rivals some of the most convoluted, even against Earth standards, and let me tell you, Earth politics are all kinds of convoluted, and you just trust everypony to do the right thing? This has worked for over a thousand years?!"

Twilight was hurt. She fully put her faith and trust in her princess every day, and if Celestia said it was good enough, it was good enough. Nathan, in her eyes, was questioning Celestia herself. Some of the other mares were similarly offended. Even Fluttershy narrowed her eyes at Nathan. Twilight had had enough. It was one thing to question Twilight and the ponies and their outlook on life. Perhaps the human had a point about the potential danger of dragons. Twilight, being a student and researcher, could even see the value of having an up to date map at all times. However, questioning her princess, her ruler, her teacher? Nathan had gone to far. Twilight Sparkle erupted in rage, throwing the map aside with her magic and picking up a large boulder with the intention of smashing that arrogant tone out of the human.

"You, you, you pompous, arrogant jerk! How dare you come here, and question our very way of life? The way things have always been? If you're so amazing, why aren't you some king? Why can't you humans all get along? It seems like we do a better job than any of you." Nathan was taken aback, not intending to have insulted Twilight. The fact she had of her own volition picked up an object with the intention to do bodily harm just punctuated the point. He immediately felt sorry.

"Twilight, I didn't mean it like that. I meant... what happens when someone does decide to betray the system? What if some gryphon figures out that they could get away with murder because they aren't monitored? Is Celestia prepared for that?" The lavender pony reconsidered the human's words. Calming, she slowly lowered the boulder and allowed it to roll away down a hill. Around her, five mares exhaled at the same time, their held breaths coming out in unison. She herself took a deep breath and cast her gaze over the map once more.

"I really don't know. I would think that having ruled for centuries, she would have some sort of plan. Then again the wedding..." Twilight shook her head and closed her eyes. Suppressing as much pain as she could she looked back up at the human.

"Look. I don't understand you. You continue to defy my reasoning at every opportunity. Just when I think I have you figured out, you do something new and unexpected. You say something cruel and awful. However, even I don't know much about politics and backstabbing. I thought Celestia knew everything, had everything under control. In the last two years, however, I've seen her defeated more than once by something she didn't prepare for because a pony would never think to prepare for them. You are the only one in Equestria right now that would even think there was a possibility one of our allies is cheating us, or killing us one at a time.

"Sometimes, especially right now, I think that sending you back is the wrong decision. For Equestria. We need someone who can see through the possible threats that other species pose. I need to trust you that much, and it scares me. Even Celestia is acting out of character. I know you mean well... but go easy on us. The idea of anypony doing anything to subvert the norm is unheard of. Please. Just be considerate."

Nathan nodded his head and considered Twilight's words. He had not been wrong in his evaluation, but he could have been more conscious in his approach. To Twilight's relief, he did his best to turn the attention back to the map in front of them.

“It’s amazing how much comes up from just examining a map.” He looked over as Applejack was shaking her head and stomping the ground with one hoof.

“Is that what you were doin’? By the looks of things Ah was convinced that sheet o’ parchment was a list o’ things for you two to keep fightin’ over. Now, if y’all are quite finished, can we git going? It’s a might bit chilly and my tail’s likely to start freezing off.” Nathan chuckled and waved on the earth pony.

“Alright. Twilight, roll it up. Let’s get going before Ms. Applejack here bucks me up.” Nathan grabbed his bags and started wandering down the trail Twilight had previously pointed out. The mares followed suit, with Applejack following up the rear keeping an eye out for any changelings or monsters.

Early afternoon saw them following along a long crescent shaped lake, curving their journey towards the east. The countryside was a mixture of woods and brush land. They had debated going further north to avoid the exposed lake system, but the worry of changelings hiding amongst the southern foothills was too great, and it would make diverting to any populated areas a lengthy delay they couldn’t afford. Nathan, concerned that they were under prepared in the event of an attack, convinced Pinkie Pie to carry his extra belongings so he could forge out and around the group to keep an eye on the surrounding area.

With the lake on one side, he kept slightly north of the mares, paying particular attention to the foothills far to the north. He knew from Twilight’s explanations that the changeling’s kingdom was somewhere within range, but where specifically was unknown to them. Every few minutes he would catch sight of a random animal or monster, and close back up with the ponies to let them know. Rainbow Dash had offered to do the scouting, but Nathan reminded her that her colours would be very visible from the air, and the human could blend in better with the trees. A few miles on, he spotted several dark shapes circling the northern skies. He mentally noted the outlines and tracked south to catch up with the girls.

“Hey Twilight! Wait up.” He jogged up, juggling his firearm with one hand while trying to work it with the other. Twilight could see he had snapped open the shotgun and was replacing his small shot with the larger ammo. Nervously she cocked an eyebrow and eyed up the gun.

“What’s going on? Why are you putting the heavy stuff in that thing?” Twilight pointed one hoof accusingly towards Nathan. Pinkie was beside Twilight displaying a frown.

“Nathan, don’t you dare…”

“Pinkie relax, I’m not planning to hurt anypony unless they threaten me. Hey! I said ‘anypony’ and no one had to correct me!” Twilight got frustrated and stomped her hooves.

“Nathan! Spit it out! What are you doing?” Nathan, momentarily confused, looked down at Twilight and remembered why he had come back in the first place.

“Oh right! Sorry. So, there’re four creatures flying around the cliffs just north of here. I don’t think they’ve seen us yet, but I wanted to let you know and figure out what they are in case they come this way. They’re probably around three or four times the size of me, large wings, and tails that end in some sort of point. I couldn’t really make out their faces, but they had a lot of hair by the looks of things.” Twilight immediately looked concerned. This was not good.

“You’re certain? Tails ending in points? Sort of like a scorpion perhaps?” Nathan shook his head and thought about it.

“I’m not entirely sure, but now that you say it yes, scorpion tails are a distinct possibility. Why? What are they?”

“If I’m right- manticores. Body of a lion, wings of a bat, tail of a scorpion with a venom that can incapacitate or even kill a pony if in high enough concentrations. This time of year they should be further south. “

"We'll be safe as long as we keep to the trees right? They shouldn't be able to spot us?"

"Likely yes. Manticores are a threat to ponies but they don't actively hunt us. There's no reason for them to come down this way unless they're desperate for food." Nathan allowed a moment of relief wash over him before another realization hit him.

"But wait. You just said that this time of year they're supposed to be deep in the forest and more southern reaches. Being up this far north at this time of year suggests they might be desperate." Twilight grimaced and nodded to the human. They needed to be away from there as quickly as possible.

"Fine, let's keep moving then. Again, let's keep to the trees. We should be fine. All of these lakes are surrounded by them."

"When does this lake end though?"

"Eh-heh... in about ten minutes the way we're walking..."

"And between it and the next one?"

"An exposed cabbage farm..." Nathan slapped his forehead with his free hand. This couldn't possibly go wrong.

"Ok so we have four likely hungry and violent monsters that will have clear sight of us for at least five to ten minutes? Is the plan to just run across the fields as fast as possible, screaming?" Twilight wrinkled her nose and frowned.

"We shouldn't scream. That would probably attract their attention." Nathan slapped his forehead again.

"I'm about to scream at you."

They had reached the edge of the trees without incident and no further sign of the manticores. Carefully gazing out from the tree line, Nathan examined the structures and layout of the farm. The farmhouse stood a bit off to the south of them, and a barn of sorts was planted almost directly between them and the far woods. A sign indicated the name of the farm- "Heads and Bales". Apparently the farm grew some hay as well and the human had to suppress a chuckle at the pun. Turning to the mares he pointed out the most appropriate route.

"So, as long as we keep to the south side of that snow bank, and then curl around the edge of that short copse of shrubs towards the eastern edge, we should be covered for the majority of the time." Rarity stood forward and snorted in disgust.

"I'm sorry, did you just suggest that we 'sneak' across the field?"

"Um... yes? You know, manticores and stuff? Why wouldn‘t we?"

"Why wouldn't we? For starters we're not humans. We don't skulk around in the shadows like a common criminal. Besides that, I am a lady, and a lady never sneaks or hides."

"I must have been meeting all the wrong ladies then." Nathan snarked.

"You watch your insolent tone! I have to put up with you for one more week, but don't think I won't put my hoof through your backside if it suits me, lady or not." Rarity stuck her nose in the air and trotted off in the direction of the farm house. "Now, let's be civilized and see if anypony is home to offer us some hospitality." Nathan reached out and grabbed Rarity's tail.

"No! Rarity wait!" Spinning in place, a glare of icy death escaping her eyes, she slapped away his hand with one of her hooves.

"Touch me once more, for any reason, and I will make sure you will never use that hand again. Now, be a gentleman and see a lady to the door, won't you?" Nathan watched the pony trot off indignantly. He scanned the sky for any sign of the manticores, and reluctantly followed behind. The other ponies followed suit.

Reaching the house they found it, like the other farms they had visited so far, abandoned some days ago. A half-eaten bowl of fruit was just starting to go bad on the table. Pinkie Pie ate the whole bowl in one bite, eliciting a cringe from Nathan.

"That was disgusting Pinkie. That fruit was going bad."

"But it wasn't all bad yet silly! Somepony had to eat it or that fruit would be all sad and alone on the table. That's why it was going bad! If you eat food fast enough it doesn't have time to go bad because it's so happy to be with its friends in your belly!" Nathan couldn't help but laugh, to which Pinkie joined in giggling. Pinkie Pie logic never failed to amaze and amuse. The pink pony may often be wrong, but she always could find a reason, no matter how outrageous, to convince you she was right. He mused that if she had been human, she would have made a good lawyer.

The giggling long over, they continued to carefully search the house for anything they might need. While they had tried to not be too invasive while at the cottage the previous night, it was becoming clear that they would need to be better prepared for the coming days, and Twilight silently assured herself she would return and repay all of the ponies they took things from. The farm house was typical in its design. The main floor held a large main room, with couches and chairs and a fireplace, a kitchen with most basic trimmings, and a coat room of sorts in the back. Several sets of muddy winter outfits were hung in the room, and Nathan managed to appropriate some of the larger articles of clothing.

Loading their bags with food and supplies, the seven took a moment to have a quick bite to eat before carrying on. Foalham was still a few hours on, and they wouldn't have time to stop later if they hoped to make it by nightfall. While eating, Nathan carefully slipped out a back door, mindful to not alert the ponies, and huddled down behind a snow covered bush. Rarity might not be concerned with the manticores, but he was.

Scanning the horizon, he caught sight of the odd raven, and a few hares, but nothing out of the ordinary. Focusing in the general direction of where he had first seen the monsters, he finally allowed himself to relax.

Crunch.

Behind him, he heard something step in the snow. He tensed up again, reaching over to grab the shotgun he had propped up against the shrub, carefully checking to make sure the safety was off.

Crunch crunch.

The soft footfalls started closing in. He braced himself, tensions rising in his fingers, looking down, he could see them turning white from gripping the gun so hard, and a trickle of sweat beaded at the tip of his nose, dropping to the ground below. He scanned the horizon again, looking for any of the other manticores. Then he waited.

Crunch, crunch...

Nathan spun around, wrapping his finger around the trigger and preparing to unload point blank into the manticore behind him. However, at the end of his barrel stood a very surprised Applejack. His eyes went wide, and he pulled the gun to the side, barely avoiding pulling the trigger.

"Wh-what the hay? What are you tryin' to do? You scared the horse apples outta me!" Applejack was as nearly as white as Rarity and looked just as frail. Nathan stuttered.

"I sc-scared you? I thought you were a manticore! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Ah was hardly sneaking. Mah hooves were crunching in the snow. You didn't hear that?"

"Well of course I heard it! Why didn't you say anything though?" Applejack thought about it for a minute and let the colour return to her cheeks. She shrugged and stated plainly.

"Ah don't rightly know. Ah just wanted to know what you were doing leaving like that without saying anything." Nathan raised an eyebrow and shook his head at the orange pony.

"That was still very foolish. I could have hurt you, or worse." He frowned and gazed back out to the foothills, carefully giving them a scan before returning his attention to Applejack. "If you must know, I'm making sure that those manticores don't sneak up on us. After Rarity's little scene, I've been terrified they're going to show up at any moment."

Applejack walked up beside him and turned her attention to the north. Nathan followed suit and the two stood their in silence for several minutes, just watching the sky. After a while, the earth pony turned to Nathan again.

"Ah get what yer doin', why yer doin' it, but Ah don't get how. Not just this either. Why come out alone? Why not ask for help? Why leave Ponyville alone? What’s yer game?“ Not lifting his gaze from the horizon, he responded to Applejack.

"Help from who, Applejack? Other than Fluttershy, who can't fight, and Pinkie, who at best can throw some confetti at the monsters, who's going to take me seriously? The only one who's going to stand by me, and be able to do anything, is me." Applejack frowned and looked at the snow covered ground.

"Ah take you seriously."

"Oh come off it Applejack. Twilight told me what the plan was when I came to Ponyville. I know you've been monitoring me for months for Twilight. I also know, that you were underpaying me for the work I did." Applejack's eyes went wide and she was slack jawed.

"W-wait ya don’ understand. I was jes going along with Twilight. I didn' mean ta deceive ya. How’d you even know what the pay shoulda been?"

"I went around and asked at the other farms what they pay their workers. I thought you were being too generous, but then your attitude was so all over the place towards me that I didn't know. So I did some digging." Applejack was ashamed. She had been caught, and she was looking for an excuse.

"Twilight made me..."

"I know." Nathan sighed and shook his head. "Look, I've already figured it out Applejack. I'm not stupid. Twilight had you watch me and pay me a fraction of the value of my work so I would be controlled and unable to earn enough money to leave Ponyville. Actually, I think that's what shocked her most about me being able to construct the Pie Cannon- she was likely convinced I wouldn't be able to afford anything.

“I didn't blame you then, and I don't blame you now. I know you were going along with your friend. It probably wasn't that hard to convince you though, considering you hate me." Applejack was shocked, not just for the fact Nathan had deduced the entire plan between her and Twilight, but also because of his latter statement. She mumbled under her breath.

"Ah don't hate ya."

"I'm sorry?"

"Ah don't hate you, ya stupid selfish critter! Everything's about you and being miserable and mistreated in Equestria. You can't just enjoy things for what they are can ya?" She was yelling at him, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Wait, what? What's your deal Applejack?" Nathan was legitimately perplexed and the sudden emotional outburst by the pony did nothing to relieve his confusion.

"Mah deal? Ah am the Element of Honesty! Honesty! Ah'm supposed to be the one that always tells the truth. Ah've spent the last three months living a lie, and every time ah thought to myself 'Applejack, you should come clean and talk to that critter' you do something so stupid and irrational. Scaring ponies, making mah sister cry, being a jerk to somepony. Why do you have to be such a jerk?"

"I am a jerk. Do you not get that yet? I'm a miserable, angry jerk. What does it even matter? Why do you care?"

"Ah care because you're the best thing that's happened to Sweet Apple Acres in years and the only way Ah've been able to repay you is to lie to you and treat you like farm manure! Every day. Every day! Then when you ran away the day the changelings came Ah felt justified. You were just a no good yellow-bellied snake.

"Then you come back hauling tail like some kinda demon, buck the snot outta all them changelings, and Ah felt shame. Ah was ashamed to carry the Element of Honesty. Ah was ashamed that Ah had ever doubted you. Jerk or not, you deserve better. From all of us. But all Ah could do was be angry at you. Angry at making me have to lie. Ah know though, you didn't make me do anything. This is all on me."

Nathan stood there in stunned silence. So many months of uneasy interactions with the pony in front of him, and it all broke down in a single afternoon. She was baring her heart to him, the overwhelming guilt pouring out. Applejack closed her eyes and sat sobbing into the shrub. Nathan gently wrapped his arms around her, feeling her tense up then relax at his touch. She turned back to face him, still sobbing, but not leaving his embrace.

"Ah, Ah thought you were a jerk? And you probably hate me." Nathan smiled and shook his head.

"Oh I'm a raging jerk Applejack, but I have a soul. I can't let a woman cry like that and not be moved. I don't hate you either."

Applejack sniffed back her tears and looked at the human, confused.

"Woman?"

"Er... Mare. Lady. Girl. It's what a female adult human is called. Sorry."

"Oh alright. You really don't hate me? Or mah family?"

"No Applejack, I don't hate you. It's ok. I've been angry with you, but I've never hated you. There‘s only one being in either of our worlds that I hate, and I assure you they‘re not a pony. It's not in my nature to hate anypony or anybody. Some strong dislikes. La Tigra straddles that line. Err! Uh, sorry, I mean Rarity. Don't ask about the name. Please. At any rate- what's this now about Sweet Apple Acres?" Applejack really wanted to ask about it, but she respected the human's request.

"Before you came along, we were barely bringin’ in the harvest on time. A lotta the apples were goin’ bad, an’ we had no time for repairs and maintenance unless we worked late into the evening. Celestia forbade Big Macintosh getting sick. This year, we made so many bits we don't rightly know what to do with them. We long paid off the rest of Granny Smith's hip operation, and the farm’s never looked better. All because of you, ya darn pig-headed critter.”

“Ah wasn’t lying when Ah said Ah was coming along to protect mah investment. Even if you never return to Ponyville, even if the reason ya started working there in the first place was cuz o’ false pretences… you’re always going to be the risk Ah was proudest to take. Ah’m gonna miss having you around, keeping Applebloom in line and making mah life that much easier. Ah know that if given the choice you’re gonna go home. If that’s not possible though… between you and me… you’ll always have a place at Sweet Apple Acres. Honest.”

Nathan just held Applejack for what felt like an hour. It was all he could do to not start blubbering himself. He had not been, honestly, expecting any of this from the earth pony, and as shocking as it was, a sort of warmth welled up from his heart. His eyes were starting to open to the beauty of the world around him, and for the first time he really considered what life would be like should he be stuck in Equestria. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad. Fluttershy was there for him, Pinkie was a good friend, and Applejack? Well, as spotty as his memory was, it was the first time he could recall ever having an employer break down and cry into his shoulder. Maybe… just maybe Equestria would be ok.

Applejack wiped away a tear and noticed a smile had spread over the human’s face. A twinkle was in his eye that hadn’t been there before. She was about to say something, but then she saw the smile had passed and the perpetual scowl had returned, as he gazed over her shoulder. Confused she turned to look at what had caused Nathan’s mood to drop. As she did, she noticed the three manticores surround them, licking their lips.

Inside the farmhouse, the mares were finishing up their late lunch. Rainbow Dash had retired for a nap in one of the upstairs bedrooms. As the last morsels of food were packed away, Pinkie Pie turned her attention over to where Twilight and Rarity were deep in discussion.

"...well what do you think Celestia will do Twilight? What can she do?" Twilight paced thoughtfully around the kitchen, straightening the odd pot or pan hanging from the ceiling, giving herself more time to think.

"Rarity, I honestly don't know. I don't think Nathan would or could do anything to harm her, but if her magic has no effect on him... I don't think he's thought this out yet, and neither have we."

"Whatever do you mean darling?" Rarity was rubbing the base of her horn, trying to glean some implication or wisdom from Twilight's words.

"Shhh, keep your voice down. I don't want him hearing us in the back room. Well, it has been established that, unless we're missing something or our knowledge of the situation is complete, magic doesn't seem to work on Nathan anymore. If it ever really did. I'm still suspicious but that's beside the point. Think about it- what are we doing right now?"

"Well going to Canterlot of course, to be rid of the brute." Twilight frowned at Rarity's ongoing hostility, but nodded and used her hoof to gesticulate as she continued.

"Ok, sure. However, what ways might Celestia accomplish that?" Rarity looked at Twilight like she was a foal, fresh in the world.

"Either by doing what she did with Nightmare Moon all those centuries ago, or by sending him back where he came from obviously. Twilight honestly, are you sure you're the smart one? What are you getting at?"

"Relax Rarity, just one last question. Just how is Celestia supposed to accomplish this?"

"Well with her ma..." Rarity cut herself short when it finally dawned on her what Twilight was saying. The wind let out of her sails, she finished Twilight's thought with a sigh. "The same magic that has so far proven to be ineffective against him." Rarity looked around the small kitchen and frowned.

"Exactly. For now, Nathan is content with the fact that there's a chance he could be going home. Unless something changes though, that's not possible, and we're unsure how he will react when he realizes it. He could do anything."

Pinkie and Fluttershy had wandered over, both frowning at the pair of unicorns. The pegasus held a particularly cross expression.

"L-look I know that you two don't think much of the human, and you would be happier seeing him gone, but he's still a thinking feeling being. If you two didn't spend so much time worrying about how he might react to certain situations you might get to know him, and find he can be very caring and sweet."

"Yeah!" Pinkie chimed in. "You two are being meany heads. Nathan will probably do what he does every other time he thinks one of us is being silly billy. He'll shrug it off and keep going. That's what he always does." Twilight forced a meek smile and turned to face the pair of indignant mares.

"Girls, look I understand. You both like Nathan," she directed her gaze directly at Fluttershy, "one of you more so than the other." Fluttershy blushed and Pinkie wrinkled her nose. "However, you can't keep acting like he's not an issue. It's a big issue! Even Discord and Chrysalis were defeated by magic, and Nathan has the ability to be even more powerful in our world. Equestria has no real prisons or jails to speak of. We don't have anywhere to hold him that I know of. Girls- If pushed enough; he has the potential to become a villain not even the Elements can defeat."

Fluttershy looked like Twilight had just slapped her across the face.

"Nathan? My Nathan? You're accusing him of being evil?" Rarity stepped forward and placed a calming hoof on her friend's mane.

"Well of course he’s evil dear. Isn't it obvious? I mean look at..."

"No!" Twilight interrupted. "I'm not saying he is evil. I'm saying he could become evil. He's no paragon of virtue and truth. Fluttershy, please see reason. If he overthrows Equestria..."

"I can't believe I'm hearing this. I can't believe you actually think this is possible. You're supposed to be my friends. My best friends. You can't." Fluttershy was torn and upset. While her friend's words were logical, she just couldn't accept them as a possibility. Pinkie, surprisingly, had gone quiet. Noticing the normally chatty pony staring into her own reflection in a pan, Twilight prodded her with a hoof. Pinkie kept her vision affixed on the pan, but responded.

"What are we doing Twilight?" Twilight blinked back her confusion.

"What?"

"What are we doing? Why are we taking him halfway across the country just to tell him 'surprise! You're trapped in Equestria!'? Why are we tearing our friendship apart because we can't agree on what or who he is? Why are we showing him the worst side of pony life? If he gets pushed to becoming a villain, whose fault is that? Even Nightmare Moon was once our lovable Princess Luna. What happens when we slight him one time too many and he does decide to take it out on us? Is that his fault, or ours?"

"Pinkie, what are you saying?" Twilight was awestruck at the sudden clarity pouring out of the pink pony. "How can you possibly know anything about anything? You're just..."

"What?!" Pinkie Pie clenched her teeth with barely contained rage. Her curls had fallen flat against the side of her face and flank, and a dark expression washed over her face. "A big dumb party pony that doesn't know up from down? That's all you think of me isn't it? This is why I like Nathan. He accepts me for me, and doesn’t automatically hand wave my opinion. If it's not a party or a laugh, Pinkie's just being Pinkie. Right? That's what you were going to say right?" Twilight stuttered trying to deny the earth pony’s claims, but no words formed. Fluttershy cowered beneath a table, petrified of Pinkie's new aggression. Pinkie sighed and relaxed, though her straight locks remained.

"If he becomes a villain, Twilight, we’ll have no one to blame but ourselves."

"Pinkie, Fluttershy, look. Let's talk to Applejack. She will know how honest Nathan is and what his current motivations are- she can almost always tell when ponies are lying." Fluttershy came out and nodded. Pinkie didn't say anything, but Twilight took her silence as agreement. "She's in the back room with Nathan right now. This should be easy."

The four ponies walked into the adjacent room, eager to speak with the two of them. Turning the corner they were greeted with an empty room and an open door. Rarity panicked.

"Applejack? Applejack?! Where are you? Oh Twilight! He's taken Applejack!" Twilight shook her head.

"I doubt that, but we still need to find them, and quickly. It's not safe to be outside alone." Pinkie Pie was about to say something when her tail started twitching. A lot.

"Twitchy twitchy twitchy twitch! Girls, my tail is twitching!" Rarity and Twilight went wide-eyed.

"Twitching? Something's falling out of the sky?" Pinkie continued to twitch and confirmed Twilight's fears.

"Yeah. And it's a doozy!" Twilight frowned and buried her face in her hooves.

The three manticores paced in a circle around the human and pony, their tails held high in the air, swaying back and forth and dripping a caustic violet fluid. As each drop splattered on the ground, the snow hissed as it melted away. Small lines of blood traced the circle the three were making, evidence of their tongues rolling over their razor sharp teeth.

Chancing a glance, Nathan looked to the sky, scanning for the fourth manticore. No other beasts in sight, he allowed himself a calming breath. Glancing between the manticores, Applejack, and the buildings on the farm, he slowly formulated a plan. He hissed under his breath.

"Applejack, when I say so, I need you to run as fast as you can to the farm house, get the others, and escape into the woods on the far side." Applejack just sat there stunned by the sudden appearance of the monsters. Nathan looked towards the house and silently mouthed a prayer of forgiveness. Pulling his hand back he slapped The pony across the face. "Applejack!"

"Ouch! What in the..." She brought a hoof up to her shocked face.

"Sorry. Look, did you hear me?"

"Y-yeah, Ah did, but what are you going to do? Do you have a plan?"

"Of course. I always do." Applejack rolled her eyes and gave the human a stern look.

"Yer gonna just wing it and hope everything works out for the best as usual, ain't ya?"

"Like I said, I have a plan." He smiled and carefully reached for his gun. Applejack watched him while keeping the surrounding manticores in her peripheral vision. The three monsters tightened the circle and put pressure on their paws, unsheathing their claws.

"Applejack, are any of these male?" Applejack looked at the human slightly confused.

"Yer asking me that at a time like this sugar cube? You are crazy. Ah reckon they all are. The females tend to be..."

"No time for that. As soon as this goes off, you run." Sweat rolled down his temple, leaving a moist trail on his skin. He waited and watched as one of the manticores slowly closed in, firearm trained on its face. It stood within swiping distance, and reared up, claws glistening in the sunlight. There!

Swinging the shotgun down, he cracked off a shot to the beast’s nether regions. Its eyes crossed and the manticore froze mid swipe. Nothing happened for a moment, the other two manticores looking on in shock, then just as soon as time had seemingly stopped, it restarted, the monster keeling over, roaring in pain, doing it's best to shove it's hindquarters into a pile of snow.

"Go!" Nathan yelled, and Applejack galloped towards the house. Hearing the sound of the gunfire, the other mares, including Rainbow Dash who had been awoken by the earlier shouting, came bursting out the door.

"Get yer bags on girls and let's go while the gettin's good!" Applejack was already barreling past them into the house, frantically strapping into her own saddlebags. One of the manticores had given chase, and the rest shrieked and followed suit, hastily shutting the door behind them. The beast rammed into the side of the building, and they felt the foundations shake under the stress. One of its claws shattered the door as it tried to fish out a pony. Continuing to shriek, the rest of the ponies collected their belongings and headed for the front door.

Noting the relative safety the ponies found themselves in due to the house, Nathan turned to face the other currently mobile manticore. Estimating that the one he had already shot would be down for a few minutes, he slowly backed away from its companion, keeping the gun focused on it to the best of his ability. The monster stalked towards him, murderous intent glaring from its eyes. It wasn't about to make the same mistake as its friend.

"Nice kitty… er bat thing. This doesn't have to get any worse. We can all walk away happy, and alive." Nathan was struggling to keep in control. The manticore's tail continued to sway back and forth, and the human was wary if letting it get within striking distance. Brushing his pocket he cursed himself, realizing that the two shells chambered were all he had left, the rest being in his bag back at the house.

The tail shot out, a purple trail of fluid flashing through the air. The tip did not come close to the human, but the poisonous fluid itself splayed itself across his outer jacket, and he had to peel it off before the acids could eat their way through to his skin. In his moment of distraction, the manticore leaped for Nathan, claws outstretched and tail following. Quickly diving headlong towards the monster, Nathan came up behind it and watched it crash ineffectively into the ground next to its writhing companion. Not waiting to see if it was going to get up, he sprinted as fast as he could towards the western tree line.

Recovering, the manticore leapt to its feet and took wing, driving hard towards its prey. Landing nearly on top of the human, the manticore lashed out with its claw, trying to dig into Nathan's spine. Rolling to the side, Nathan saw the claw dig into the snow inches from his nose. The tail arced over, and he scrambled backwards towards the monster, narrowly avoiding being impaled. The other claw came around and opened a line of even cuts on his right arm, and he screamed in pain. Recovering, he grabbed the Pie Cannon and fired point blank into the manticore's throat as it attempted to bite down on the injured human. Clutching its windpipe and struggling to breathe, the monster spit up a dark red pool of blood. Nathan smiled at his handiwork until he noticed the first manticore had risen to its feet and was eying up the human.

"Holy shit you must be mad..." Making a split decision, Nathan squinted down the barrel and squeezed off his final round, striking the manticore currently digging at the farm-house in the base of the skull. It roared and arched its back, taking a chunk of the wall with it, spinning to find the offending being that would dare attack it. Seeing the smoking metal tube in the human's hands, it hopped twice and flew towards him.

Coming out the front of the house, the mares looked back to where the human and two manticores were currently running towards the trees opposite to their direction. Nathan waited and dove aside again, causing the infuriated manticores to crash together, momentarily stunning them.

"Nathan!" Applejack called out. "What are you doing? This is no plan!"

"You mares go! Get to Foalham as soon as possible. I'll keep these three distracted. I can lose them in the trees or something." Nathan frantically glanced at the recovering monsters then back to the hesitant mares. "Go! I swear to God, if you six don't get the hell out of here, I will shoot every one of you."

"Fine! But Ah expect a proper explanation next time we see each other." Pinkie and Fluttershy looked frantic and confused, and turned to the orange earth pony. "Never mind gals, let's go!"

"Whatever. Go." Nathan called after them. The mares galloped off towards the eastern woods. Nathan was surprised they had gone off without more fuss. If Applejack had known he was out of ammo...

The thought was lost as the manticores regained their footing, chasing down the human. Running into the woods, the last sight Pinkie caught over her shoulder was her friend disappearing to the west being followed by two sets of claws and tails. All six ponies stopping to breathe, they looked at Applejack.

"Applejack, what did you guys talk about? What is he going on about? Come clean!" Pinkie said to her. Her hair was still flat. Applejack struggled with an explanation that wouldn't betray her new found trust with the human, and wouldn't be lying to her friends.

"We discussed his employment. Equestria. Ah think Ah finally got an honest view into the critter's heart."

"And?" The other five said in unison.

"... gals... for lack of words from our world that describe it... it scared the ever living shit outta me."

On the opposite side of the farm, the manticores were following the human through the woods, ripping out trees and shrubs with wanton abandon. Scrambling to get clear of the lighter woods, Nathan dodged around logs and rocks grimacing as his temporary shields were torn asunder behind him as fast as he left them. One of the manticores put a claw through a tree, toppling it over and causing it to hit the human in the head. Dazed, he rolled into a narrow hollow, feeling blood roll down his brow.

The two monsters tried with futility to dig the human out, gave up, and worked together to uproot the tree that was concealing Nathan. Running out, gun still in hand, he bashed one in the leg and managed to get into the thicker underbrush. Slowed by the dense woods, the beasts carefully pushed into the bushes, using their noses as much as their eyes to locate their prey. Nathan crawled along the ground, taking care to leave the bushes around him undisturbed. Two tails crashed down through the thickets on either side of him, melting away the bushes. A drop of the fluid dropped onto his exposed arm. The painful burning faded quickly, replaced with a numb tingling. Wiping away the caustic solution and gritting his teeth, the human barrelled out of the bushes, his one arm slacking half-uselessly against his side. Up ahead he could see a small pond covered in snow and ice.

Taking a moment to consider if the ice could carry his weight for any length of time, he remembered the two alternatives very rapidly approaching and made up his mind. Dropping the Pie Cannon, he dashed out onto the pond, feeling the ice sag, but sighed with relief as it held him. The manticores roared and chased him down. Nathan kept moving across the ice, slipping and sliding as he went. The monsters behind them flashed their fangs, eager for the easy kill in front of them, out in the open. They landed on both sides next to him, and crashed through the ice, all three plunged into the icy water.

Struggling to keep afloat and get out of the pond before hypothermia set in, Nathan watched as the manticores thrashed around him. Surprised to find themselves suddenly submerged, the two beasts flailed wildly around, trying to find their prey and escape the pond. Crawling up onto the shore, Nathan watched as the pond churned into a muddy purple colour. Venom leaking from their tails, the manticores slowly seeped in their own vile poisons, their movements slowing, and finally growing still as they floated to the edge of the pond, still breathing, but incapacitated. Nathan walked over to them and used his jacket to wipe them down as much as possible.

"I've got another one back at the farm. Don't want you guys catching hypothermia." Collecting his firearm he wandered back to the farm, the feeling slowly returning to his arm. Seeing the third manticore gone, he gathered his belongings, dried off properly and changed into his spare set of clothes.

Reloading the gun, he walked outside and started walking in the general direction of the eastern woods. When he was within a few dozen yards of the edge of the farm, the third manticore appeared and dropped in front of him, roaring. He sighed, flicked the safety off the Pie Cannon and popped three shots into the beast's face. It dropped, growling the whole way down. Exhausted, Nathan spent the last of his energy climbing on top of the downed monster, propping his legs up and watching the sun trace its long path across the sky.

Following the mares into the woods would be foolish, not having a map or compass, and it would be dark before too long.

"Guess I'm staying the night on the farm with you big guy. Be a pal and see yourself out after I go to bed." Still unconscious, the powerful beast gave a rumbling growl in its sleep. Nathan looked over to the manticore’s face. "Yeah, well, fuck you too."

After traveling silently for several hours, nearly all of the ponies contemplating the turn of events, they reached town a just before the last rays of the sun dipped out of sight, the mares were allowed entry by the guards, and went about finding a small inn. Storing their bags, they walked down to a nearby candlelit restaurant and watched the moon rise over Equestria. Eating their fill, they managed to turn their attention to the conversation they had all been avoiding.

"Alright look, unlike the rest of you I'm not afraid to talk about this." Rainbow Dash stated. "Nathan is out there alone right now. We don't know where he is or what he's doing. What's our plan? It’d better be a good one." Twilight nodded, a solemn look on her face.

"Well, I still need to get to Canterlot. That hasn't changed. Nathan will have to catch up on his own."

"Twilight, don't you think that maybe we should go back for him? Ah don't think he has any idea where he's going." Applejack was idly pushing around a bowl of greens that she had hardly touched. Rarity scoffed and turned her head from the earth pony.

"Hardly. It would take too long, and as Dash pointed out, we have no idea where he is. Let us not forget that last time we saw him he had not one but three manticores deciding how to best serve him up. An argument might be made that he could possibly already be..." Fluttershy had flown over and slapped Rarity across the face with her hoof as hard as she could, leaving a red swollen cheek and a shocked unicorn. Rainbow Dash's eyes flew wide at the sudden aggression from her fellow pegasus, but it was quickly replaced with a feeling of jealously. She'd wanted to slap sense into that white pompous prude for years!

"Don't say it. Don't you dare say it. Once again he tries to protect us- protect you- from danger, and you slander him. You're supposed to be my friend." Rubbing her face, a tear trickling down beside her hoof, Rarity looked back at the defiant pegasus.

"Fluttershy! I am your friend, and always will be. I'm trying to save you!"

"From what, Rarity, what are you saving me from?"

“Fluttershy I… you know…” Rarity looked around frantically, trying to find an out.

“Rarity! What are you saving me from?!”

"Yourself you silly, air headed, ditzy mare!" The words escaped her mouth before she could cover it with her hooves, and the six mares sat in stunned silence. Fluttershy squinted her eyes, glaring at the white unicorn.

"I'm what now? I'm sorry Rarity, I don't think the ponies on the other side of town heard you. Tell us again, what am I?"

"Fluttershy, listen. I..."

"No, Rarity. You listen to me. I don't know what crawled up your dress, and why you hate him so much. I was willing to forgive your misgivings. I've put up with you for three and a half months. If your feelings are so strong though, that you’re willing to drag me through the mud to make a point, though, then I'll make it easy for you. I relieve you of the burden of friendship. If he is dead, and so help me if he is I'll make sure you remember this day for the rest of your life, then I'm going to mourn with my friend. Pinkie, let's go." Fluttershy walked off back towards the inn they had booked, crying as she went. Pinkie looked towards Fluttershy and then back to the other mares, torn as to what to do. The pink pony’s trademark curls had returned, but she was still unsure and shaken.

"Go Pinkie." Twilight nudged her. "Keep an eye on her. Make sure she doesn't do anything rash." Pinkie nodded and bounded after the sobbing mare.

"I-I should go too." A clearly shaken Rarity sputtered.

"No. We need you here." Rainbow laid a hoof on her shoulder. "Sometimes it takes a brave pony to speak their mind to their friends. You know Flutters. She'll come around. For now though, let's figure this out." Rarity nodded and sighed. The four remaining ponies sat in silence again. Applejack was still moving her bowl around, eating a few scraps, but nothing significant.

"Applejack, you've been awfully quiet this evening. What's your take? Could you tell us about your conversation earlier." Twilight was staring at the stewing pony.

"Ah... Ah don't know girls. None o' this makes sense to a simple farmer like me. Rarity and Fluttershy fightin'. This human."

"You said earlier though that you caught a view of his heart. Was it all beating and gross and stuff?" Rainbow Dash had a devious look in her eyes.

"Ah meant that metaphorically Dash. Ah mean Ah got to see a little bit into who he is. His feelings."

"You mean anger, rage, and malice?" Rarity pointed a hoof at Applejack.

"Rarity, quit yer yappin'. No, Ah mean the real Nathan. The one he uses the anger to hide"

"Ok," Twilight sighed, "I'll bite. Tell us about Nathan."

"Well Ah'm not sure, but Ah don't think he wants to be here." Dash rolled her eyes and laughed.

"You just figured that out AJ? I could have told you that."

"No you don't understand Ah mean..."

"Hey guys!" Pinkie Pie bounced up. "Fluttershy passed out as soon as we got to the inn. She must have been super tired! Since she was asleep I came back. Were you guys talking about what to do tomorrow?" Twilight beheld from Pinkies eyes, now that she looked for it, a barely concealed hostility bordering on loathing. She tried to ignore it to the best of her ability, but Pinkie Pie refused to break eye contact, burrowing into Twilight's soul and leaving a feeling of fear and anxiety.

"Yes Pinkie, we were." Applejack nodded. "Ah guess we have to keep moving and hope for the best."

"Okie dokie! Sounds good. Nathan will catch up later." Twilight looked over at Applejack, but the earth pony returned her questioning glance with a sad shake of the head. This ain’t the right time Twi. Jes’ trust me.

"Ah'd wager you're right Pinkie. Maybe tomorrow. Let's get a good night's sleep so we can hit the road again first thing in the morning."

The five friends, slightly bolstered by the fact they now had a plan, headed for the door of the restaurant.

Nathan was sound asleep, his dreams filled with sights and sounds he had long ago buried. The Pie Cannon lay straddled in his arms, fully loaded and ready to go at a moments notice. He started to mumble in his sleep.

"I don't care... no... but you promised... I'll show you... no... no... NO!!" He woke up sweating bullets, eyes wide and panicked. Realizing he was in one of the bedrooms of the farm house, he went downstairs and grabbed a glass of water. He had done a quick job covering the doorway with a blanket earlier in the evening, but the cold air still swirled through, leaving the floor cold on his bare feet.

Retrieving the glass, he retired to his room, lighting a candle and making a few notes in his journal. Looking out the window, he could see the manticore in the field had long ago left, and he could probably safely sleep without his gun for the rest of the night. Putting it aside, he went to climb back into bed when he heard a thump on the roof.

Dropping the covers, he spun towards where he had left his weapon, and reached out for it, only to find it floating in the air, just out of his reach. From behind him he heard a voice.

"I would think twice before trying something, Ypsilon.” Slowly turning, he found himself face to face with an enormous horse, far larger than any other pony he’d seen so far. With a sleek coat gleaming in the dark, adorned with the wings of a pegasus and the horn of a unicorn, a single tiara on her head accentuated her ethereal mane and indicated her royal heritage. "It’s about time we’ve had a talk." Nathan's jaw dropped.

"Cele stia?!"

9: Thinking in Multiple Dimensions

Chapter 9- Thinking in Multiple Dimensions

“Fluttershy, dear?” Rarity was up earlier than usual, especially considering the circumstances. Normally she would have waited until the last possible moment to get up and get ready- a lady is never rushed, neither does she miss her beauty sleep. However, this morning she needed desperately the time to speak with her friend. Currently, she was standing outside the door that the yellow pegasus and Pinkie Pie had shared for the night, Fluttershy having moved her belongings out of Rarity’s room. “Could you please come to the door and speak with me? I realize that it’s early, but we really must speak. Just you and me.”

After a few moments she heard movement on the other side of the door and waited. Shuffling her hooves, she ran through her apology plea over again in her head. She was granted a momentary reprieve when Pinkie answered the door.

“Rarity? What are you doing here this early? We were still asleep and I’m pretty sure it’s not time to go yet.” Pinkie Pie slurred, her characteristic bubbly nature denatured by lack of sleep. Rarity nodded and looked embarrassed.

“I know Pinkie. I’m terribly sorry to wake you, but I really need to speak with Fluttershy. Is she up yet? Could you get her for me?” Rarity craned her neck over the pink pony, doing her best to look into the room. Pinkie Pie shrugged.

“I think she should be up, I mean who wouldn’t be with that noise, but I don’t know if she wants to talk to you.”

“I’m sorry?”

“You were kind of a meany weany last night and she was really, really sad, I don’t think she’s in a talking mood. I mean, the way you treat Nathan is terrible.”

“I know, Pinkie, I know. I know you two don’t really agree with me. It’s why I want to talk to her really because…”

“Because you want to tell us all about how terrible he really is?”

“No!” Rarity caught herself, having yelled a little too loud. “I mean, no, Pinkie. That’s not it at all.”

“Well it doesn’t matter. Like I said Fluttershy doesn’t want…”

“Pinkie. It’s ok.” Pinkie Pie jumped a bit, Fluttershy caught her off guard and pulled her out of her conversation with Rarity. Turning, she left the door slightly more ajar and Rarity could see Fluttershy looking sleepy and demure standing there, having listened to the entire conversation behind the door. Fluttershy turned her attention towards the white unicorn. “I-I also want to talk Rarity. We need to talk. Pinkie?”

“Yep?”

“I’m s-sorry to impose, but if we’re not back in time to start packing, do you mind getting my things together for me? That is, if it’s ok with you?” Pinkie nodded and smiled.

“Okie-dokie loki! Don’t be too long though- I think Twilight will want to get an early start. We still need to find Nathan,” she looked at Rarity as she said this, her eyes echoing Fluttershy’s sentiment the night before, “and keep moving to Canterlot.” Fluttershy nodded back and walked out, gently shutting the door behind her.

The two mares walked in silence, down the empty hallways, through the lobby, and out the door of the inn. The sun was just starting to come over the mountains, banishing the night and ushering in another day. Rarity noted, slightly perturbed, that outside of the bubble surrounding Foalham clouds were beginning to gather in the sky. She shrugged away the thought- nothing that a few weather pegasi couldn’t deal with. After a few nervous glances between them, they broke the silence in unison.

“I’m sorry…”

“Rarity I…”

“Oh Fluttershy I…”

“What I mean is…”

They stopped talking and looked at each other, breaking into a slight fit of giggles. Rarity was the first to stop laughing, focusing on Fluttershy and sighing.

“Fluttershy, dear. I know that it’s been tough, the last couple weeks. Following the attack on Ponyville, I’ve been scared for you, and all of our friends. I’m not going to lie to you- Nathan always has, and probably always will terrify me. He is a giant, hulking, horrifyingly intelligent being that has proven himself not only a sneak but an outright liar…” Fluttershy opened her mouth, a cross looking expression covering her face, but was silenced by an outstretched hoof by Rarity. “…however, I… may have been wrong. About him. And you. In many regards.” She kept her eyes to the ground, unable to look her friend in hers.

“I’m never going to understand what you see in him. Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, I doubt they fully understand it either. It’s strange to us. All of us. That doesn’t mean it’s wrong though. And my previous… opinions… of Nathan, well… I’m going to be honest; they were wrong, he saved our lives twice. Saved my life twice. Even after I have continued to treat him so uncouthly. Yesterday, the manticores…” Rarity sniffed, struggling to hold back the tears, “… oh Fluttershy, it was all my fault! All of it- them coming, us having to run, Nathan having to save us. It was me.” She began balling her eyes out, sitting in the middle of the square they had wandered through.

“Then on top of all that I tried to blame him and suggest he had been killed. Me! The element of generosity. You were right, yesterday Fluttershy. You always were my best friend. I completely understand if you don’t want to be my friend anymore. I don’t deserve it. This trip has simply been the Worst. Possible. THING!”

“R-R-Rarity, p-please don’t cry. If y-you cry, I’m going to start c-c-crying.” Fluttershy couldn’t take it anymore, and gave in to her emotions, wrapping her hooves around her friend and allowed a long stream of tears wash over both of them. Other ponies were starting to wake up, and file into the square, wondering what the commotion was. Neither mare cared. All that mattered was that they had each other.

“R-Rarity, I’m so s-sorry for last night. I understand how hard this must all be on you. I know that you were only looking out for me, and it wasn’t your fault yesterday. Those manticores would have come either way. Though you owe Nathan a h-huge apology for the way you have treated him, but for now, this is a good start.” Rarity nodded, finally looking her friend in the eyes, joy threatening to send them into another fit of tears.

“Friends again?”

“Friends.” Fluttershy agreed. The two hugged for a while more, content to soak in the atmosphere of their re-kindled friendship, until the ever-brightening orb in the sky reminded them that it would be soon time to continue on their journey to Canterlot.

“We should get back now Fluttershy. The others will probably be wondering where we are.”

“Ok, Rarity. Let’s go back. Together.”

It had been several nights since Discord had last visited Chrysalis' domain deep beneath the mountains. His powers exhausted, he had spent several nights within his own castle resting and regaining his strength, venturing out only to feed. With the current travel ban throughout Equestria, it had been more difficult, though not impossible, to find his preferred diet. Now, rejuvenated, Discord traveled down to the changeling kingdom, eager to discover what progress had been made.

Opening a gate in the throne room, he found Chrysalis in intense discussion with one of her minions. They were deciding how to best allocate their recent acquisitions, and Chrysalis seemed unsure of the correct course of action. Realizing Discord was suddenly in the room, they ceased their debate, and the smaller changeling scurried out the door. Discord noted that this one seemed to lack wings.

"Discord! We haven't seen you in several nights. To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?" Chrysalis managed to spit out something that could plausibly be called gracious. Discord smiled, finding the fear absolutely intoxicating.

"Oh I've just come down to check up on you, make sure you haven't screwed anything else up. It's been so quiet that I assumed that you weren't doing anything. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that you are actually ahead of schedule."

"How did you..."

"Oh puh-lease Chrysalis. Did you really think I would just leave you alone for days and trust that everything continues to go according to plan? I have eyes and ears everywhere."

Chrysalis glanced around nervously. While she was aware of the fact that Discord kept cast monitoring spells all over Equestria and abroad, affording him a sort of artificial omniscience, it had not occurred to her that many of the same spells may be in effect around her own kingdom. Realizing how foalish she was to assume such, she shook away the discomfort. Digging around in an alcove on the wall, she magically pulled out her clip-board. Putting on a blank face she spoke to him matter-of-factly.

"Yes. We are indeed ahead of schedule. A few nights ago we quietly took Cloudspeak. My intelligence in Canterlot reports that Celestia has no idea that the switch was made. This acquisition has further bolstered sample groups B and C. Through further testing, failure of adoption rates for lines one, two and three sit at five, ten, and twenty percent respectively. Line two is in full production now, and line three should be within two nights. Line four, I'm afraid, is so far unstable to the extreme. What we have been able to divert is quickly used up and FOA is one hundred percent."

"This news is good Chrysalis. I am more concerned about having enough for lines one through three. Shelve four for now, focus on the primaries. I need all rejection rates to be under five percent."

"Yes, Lord Discord. We shall begin the push in earnest." She put away her clipboard and looked out over the chasm, watching her growing army build before her eyes. The changelings had never been more powerful under her watch, and she glowed with pride to see them so eager to destroy the ponies, even under the current circumstances.

"Who was that, by the way?" Discord asked her, wrapping his tail around her mid-section and causing an involuntary shudder. Chrysalis looked over at the demi-god.

"Oh, Broken-Wing? He's an old friend. Closest thing I have to an advisor. Smart, but a bit rash." Discord smiled, his tongue rolling over his jagged teeth.

"Rash you say?"

"Yes. Even while the line two FOA was forty percent, he wanted to volunteer for enhancement. He's still trying to get me to let him go through with it."

"Why won't you let him? Does the cruel Chrysalis have a soft spot in her heart for one of her minions? My my. How times have changed. I remember that one time centuries ago you rounded up those ponies and..."

"No. There is no room for what's left of my heart for anyone. He's just more useful to me alive than a failed science experiment. Need I remind you how many lives we have extinguished in the last several weeks?" Discord cackled, enjoying the dark mood of the queen. She continued to look over the city, scowling.

"So, if he were to say, go down and hook himself in to line two right now, you would probably be pretty upset?"

"Furious."

"Oh, then I should probably stop talking, shouldn’t I?" Chrysalis felt her veins fill with ice. She looked back at Discord and shrieked.

"What?! No he wouldn't! You didn't..." She looked accusingly into Discord's eyes.

"Chrysalis, I am many things, but I‘m only a liar when it suits my cause. Right now, the truth is far too hilarious. I promise you that in no way did I put him up to it."

Howling, she burst through one of the arched windows on the side of her palace and flew down through the city to the slave pits and research center. Flying over the pits she growled down at the moaning and wailing ponies begging for their freedom. Colts and fillies ran around doing their best to keep occupied in their cages. Chrysalis was so angry she would have dumped a cage full into the surrounding acid pits if she had the time. As it was, she had to stop Broken-Wing.

Reaching the stalagmite that housed line two, she obliterated the door with her magic and rushed through to where the processes took place. She could see through the window that Broken-Hoof had already strapped into the harness and was walking into the gas chamber. A couple of the more intelligent changelings were overseeing the gas levels to make sure the proper dose was received.

"Get him out of there!" Chrysalis screamed, glaring at the technicians. "I want him out, now!" In broken language one of the changelings responded to her.

"Iz sorry, Queen. Too much gaz. Kill all if door open." Frantically she looked for the solution. Nothing was coming to her, and the changeling was right, if they aborted now, it would lead to the horrible deaths of dozens, including herself. She looked through the window again to where Broken-Hoof was seating himself in the restraining chair. He looked out at her, smug and calm.

"You stupid, stupid idiot. You planned this, didn't you? You did this on purpose, waiting for Discord to show up. You're going to die!" Chrysalis was panicking.

"I'll admit that I did plan it, yes. Come on Chrys, the FOA is less than ten now. I'll be fine, and you can beat it out of me after. Don’t be so dramatic."

The technicians glanced nervously between their subject and their queen, carefully monitoring rising gas levels. Broken-Wing's chest heaved as he breathed in the tainted air, filling his lungs with ancient magic and essences. The one changeling spoke to Chrysalis again.

"Iz sorry to interrupt. Final momentz. Need to do injection or subject diez." The changeling queen nodded, trying to regain her calm.

"It's too late for anything else now. Administer the dose. I’d suggest you not be careless. If he dies, all of you follow."

Sweating and trembling, the technicians triple checked all of the doses and pressed a button that sent all the fluid rushing through a hose into the harness being worn by Broken-Wing. He gritted his teeth and roared, intense pain wracking his body. The restraints on the chair barely held his growing and mutating body, groaning and creaking in protest. The primitive sensors embedded within the harness cracked and shattered, overwhelmed by the data.

Smoke began to fill the room, containment generators overloading and failing. Secondary systems kicked in, draining the gases out of the air. Chrysalis could only watch on in horror as her vision was obscured, listening to the bellows of pain echoing in the chamber beyond the glass. Suddenly everything went silent. The smoke in the room was still obscuring her view, so until the room it was cleared all Chrysalis could do was question the technicians.

"Well?!"

"P-pleaze. Queen. Gaugez show proper infuzion. Never smoked before. Unsure." She screamed with primal fury, and faced the window, pounding on it with her hoof.

"Broken-Wing? Broken-Wing can you hear me? Answer me you idiot!" Her repeated calls and pounding went unanswered. Slowly the smoke and gas was ventilated, leaving behind a large unmoving body. Refusing to see the corpse of her minion, Chrysalis spun around, focusing her grief on the floor. The technicians cowered in the corner, fearing for their lives.

Glancing over at them, she quietly spoke.

"Go home." Confused, they questioned their ruler.

"Queen?"

"I said go home. This is his fault. You remember that this is the day your queen spared your miserable lives." Not questioning her further, the two changelings ran out the door as fast as their legs would carry them. Keeping her attention focused on the floor, Chrysalis considered what to do next. With her trusted advisor gone she would be alone to deal with Discord. That's right! Discord is still here...

Straightening herself out, she began to walk out the door. Just as she was leaving she heard a thump. Spinning to examine the room she didn't see any changelings, but as she started to walk out again she heard another thump. Confused, she walked over to the viewing window. Broken-Wing's body was gone. She gasped, examining the chamber for any sign of who had moved it. A powerful black hoof shot up from in front of the glass and slammed against it, causing cracks to ripple across it.

Yelling, Chrysalis backed up against the far wall, horrified of what was coming for her. A few more slams, and the glass shattered, shards and splinters flying everywhere. The monster raised its whole being up through the window and rolled onto the floor, chest heaving, green blood pooling on the floor under its head. It groaned.

"This flying thing takes a bit to get used to. I hit my head twice. Do me a favor and grab some bandages will you?" Chrysalis went slack jawed and shook her head, unbelieving what she had just heard come out of the massive beast's mouth.

"Broken-Wing?!" She rushed up to him.

"In the shell. Well, sort of." He coughed. It would take a couple days for the final molting to take place and Broken-Wing to take his final form, but he was alive. Chrysalis was initially incredibly happy, showering the uncomfortable changeling with questions and attention. Then she scowled, hoofing him across the face.

"You stupid idiot! I'm going to kill you! Don't you ever do that again! You idiot! Get your own damn bandages you flippant jackass!" She stormed out. Discord was at the door smiling, craning his neck down to face the queen.

"He survived then? Oh good! I was ever so concerned." Chrysalis glared and blasted Discord in the face as she passed, and flew off towards her palace. Discord flared his nostrils, considering an appropriate retaliation for the queen, but shrugged and just kept chuckling.

Broken-Hoof just lay on the floor, the cuts on his head slowly healing themselves.

"Uh, can't really move here. Can anyone get me bandages? Or some water?" Discord roared with laughter and flew off himself.

Having rejoined the other mares, Rarity and Fluttershy quickly slipped into their traveling gear and strapped on their saddlebags. True to her word, Pinkie had packed Fluttershy’s belongings during her absence. Not as neatly as the Pegasus would have liked, but well enough that they could continue their journey without needing to repack.

“Where were you two?” Twilight asked the pair.

“Talking, mostly. There were a few things I needed to get off my chest. We’re good now.” Pinkie Pie looked at Fluttershy suspiciously, but she returned the stare with a smile.

“R-Rarity is right. Things are ok now. So, should we go find Nathan then?” Twilight glanced back at the yellow pony, and nervously rubbed her hooves together.

“Well Rainbow Dash and I were talking and… we can’t. We just don’t have the time. We don’t know where to even start looking. By the time we find him it could be far too late. I got a letter, and Celestia is expecting me there sooner rather than later.” Shocked looks surrounded her. Pinkie spun and glared.

“Twilight! We never talked about this! Celestia is expecting him too! How could you…”

“PINKIE!” Twilight yelled. “We can’t go looking for him. This is not open for discussion.” Pinkie’s glare remained, but she quieted and slunk to the back of the group. “I’m sorry everyone, Nathan will have to catch up on his own.”

“And if he doesn’t?” Applejack was as perturbed as the rest, uncomfortable with the thought of completely abandoning the human in the wilds.

“I don’t know. Celestia will have to find him. After we get to Canterlot.” Rainbow Dash looked over at Fluttershy, who was silent on the matter. The last few days had been an emotional roller coaster for her, and the latest slight against Nathan was too much for her. She lowered her head and walked off in the direction of the east gate of town. Even Rarity seemed upset.

No further arguments apparent, the group quietly wandered out of town towards their next destination- Manyhooves. The guard at the gate thought to question the group, but thought better and kept his comments to himself. Following up the rear, a pink mare glanced back at him and mouthed ‘thank you’ to him. His confusion rolling off, he went back to his duties.

Soon after, plodding along a pathway that Twilight had chosen, Pinkie heard a voice coming from the bushes just behind her.

“What happened Pinkie Pie? Why are you so sad? You’re usually happier than this.” She kept her eyes down, but responded.

“Oh it’s just awful. Not only did we have to abandon our friend on a farm just to the west of town, but now Twilight won’t even let us go back and look for him. I get that Celestia needs us there soon, but it just seems so meany weany and Twilight usually isn’t so mean. Well sometimes she is but only when something is really, really super serious and this doesn’t seem that super serious at least not to me I mean why are we trying to get rid of him most of us like him, and Fluttershy like likes him and I… I…” She stopped mid-sentence and glanced towards where the voice had come from. “Wait… bushes don’t talk. Well at least they normally don’t talk there was this one time one did at least I think it did but it could have been something inside the bush I guess and…”

“Pinkie.”

“Sorry, Nathan! I know I’m prattling but…” She stopped a moment, slack jawed realizing the name she had just said. Carefully peeling back some branches she glanced into the bush, and confirmed that it was in fact the human speaking to her, having made himself a little tent for the night. “Nathan! It is you, you made it! Girls! Stop! Fluttershy! It’s Nathan!” She danced around, her glee infecting the other mares and bringing them back to see what she was going on about. Standing up and clearing himself from the bushes, Nathan was in the middle of repacking his bags when Fluttershy threw her hooves around him, nearly throwing him back into them. She showered the side of his face with kisses.

“You made it! You caught up! W-well actually I guess we caught up to you. This is amazing!” The other mares sighed in relief. Having Nathan back in the fold after the morning was a welcome comfort. Even if it was only for the protection he offered.

“Yeah Fluttershy. I’m ok. It wasn’t that bad, really. I just couldn’t find you guys after the manticore attack, and I didn’t know what direction the town was. I got lost in the woods, but a group of traders and soldiers took enough time to point me in the right direction. I didn’t want to cause a stir so I decided to camp outside of the town.”

“Good! See girls? I told you he would catch up. It’s all ok.” Twilight smiled at the human, obviously nothing would’ve happened to him. He wasn’t even upset at them!

“Nathan, I needed to speak with you as well. You see…” Nathan put a finger on her lips, quieting her. She still flinched at the contact, but the desire to strike the human had gone out of her.

“You don’t have to say anything Rarity.” Please don’t say anything you’re going to regret. “I do understand your feelings. It’s ok.” He smiled, a genuine, understanding smile. She nodded and walked back to the group. Fluttershy followed along, the short embrace having made her feel ok with the world again. Nathan was even reaching out to Rarity. She really wanted to just talk with the unicorn now.

“So girls, shall we go?” He grabbed his belongings and brought up the rear, Pinkie followed from the bush. The others nodded, and continued their march eastward. Pinkie gazed up at the human, a thought and an emotion caught in her throat.

“Pretty lucky you found a group of traders. I can’t imagine how long you wandered around alone in the woods for.”

“I know, wasn’t that lucky?”

“Celestia?!” The imposing alicorn standing before him narrowed her eyes, carefully examining the human, and watching for any sort of reaction. Glancing around the modest room, she could see that he was indeed alone, and surprisingly shocked to see an alicorn, let alone a pony, at this time of night. Still grasping the firearm in her magic, she started carefully lowering the firearm before speaking.

“Nice and easy, Ypsilon. I’m going to put down your weapon, and you’re going to back away from me. Slowly.” Nathan gently eased himself backwards; his eyes traced on the shotgun in front of him, and put a more comfortable distance between him and the pony wielding it. He contemplated running for the door, but the alicorn stood firmly between him and it, it would be simple for Celestia to open fire on him as he tried to escape. Swallowing, he felt his back bump up against the wall halting his progress. “Good.” As promised, the magical field enveloping the firearm gently floated it down, and placed it on the floor. Releasing her hold, the pony focused back on Nathan.

The two of them stood in silence, gauging their respective strengths and weaknesses based on sight alone, both watching for some sort of sudden aggression or attack. Nathan watched Celestia start to pace carefully, her graceful movements all but concealing her inner strength and power. Her expression was held in a state of indifference. His mind slowly conjured both questions and possible courses of action should the alicorn decide to end things here. Forcing wisdom to take control over rashness, he finally spoke to her.

“If you’re looking for the others they aren’t here. They’re still on the way to meet you in Canterlot. If you’re looking for me… well you’ve found me.”

“Indeed I have. Yes I’m aware the mares that have been your traveling companions have made their way to the next town and will be continuing on their way to Canterlot in the morning. But you know as well as I do that I’m not here for them.”

“I had a hunch. So, the great Princess Celestia, ruler of all Equestria, what do I owe the honour of your visit this evening? I can’t imagine that you came out here just to watch me sleep.”

“No, I did not. I wanted to meet you, alone, before you arrived in Canterlot. I wanted to see for myself what a human really was. I’ve heard much about what you can do- especially with that plaything of yours. I simply didn’t think the stories could possibly be accurate. I mean really- you can’t even use magic. Everypony can use magic. What could you possibly do that we ponies have to fear?”

“Then why even ask me to come to Canterlot? If you could have come the whole time? Are you even going to send me home?”

“Send you home? Of course not. I don’t know where your home even is, not only would it probably be impossible to find out where your home would be, it would also be definitely not be worth the effort. I would no more send you home right now then I could turn you into a rabbit, and that’s even assuming it’s possible.” Nathan could feel the anger building up inside of him. It was one thing to have his privacy invaded, but this? Being told to his face that she had no interest in doing anything for him?

“You… you… you bitch.”

“Oh? I‘m sorry?” Celestia didn’t even flinch.

“You’ve had us wandering the wilds, marching diligently to Canterlot, expecting us all the show up nice and promptly, threaten to send guards to escort me if needed, and NOW you show up? Why not just come to Ponyville? Why put us through all this garbage? WHY EVEN SEND A GOD DAMNED LETTER if you’re not going to do anything about it? Why put your personal students, your number one student, through such hardships? You don’t sound like much of a benevolent ruler if you ask me.” The alicorn kept pacing, her neutral features never leaving her face. Her continued silence frustrated Nathan.

“Aren’t you going to say something? Tell me why you summoned me? Blow off my head with my own weapon? Banish me to the moon? Anything?!” Celestia turned away from the window she was staring out of, and stared at Nathan.

“And this is supposed to be the destroyer? The thing my sister so terrified of that she’s scribbling away about it in war documentation, and locking down her government? I can hardly believe that you could have any sort of affect on pony society.” Wait, what? Sister? Much of the rage flooding away in his confusion, he could only watch the alicorn gazed out again over the snow covered fields, her eyes tracing the path of the battle to the edge of the woods, flecks of colour and compacted snow revealing the details. “However, even she would be hard pressed to deal with a manticore and come out nearly unscathed, and you conquer not one but three. Mostly unscathed.” She turned back, her eyes falling on the bandages covering his arm.

“You’re not Celestia, are you?”

“No. Gaze upon my cutie mark.” While the instruction to inspect the ass of the princess brought a mild blush to his face, he could see that the mark was actually a crescent moon against a dark inky background.

“You’re Luna. Her sister.” The alicorn nodded, and now that Nathan stopped to actually think about it, he could see that the dark appearance of the pony wasn’t just due to the dim lighting. She herself was dark all over. While the revelation answered a few questions, the suspicion quickly returned and a new set of questions bubbled to the surface. “Ok, so you’re Luna. Whichever princess you are, you’re still here, and that means Celestia could be here if she wanted to be. What is she playing at? What are YOU playing at?”

“You don’t trust easily, do you Ypsilon?”

“You keep calling me that. Ypsilon. Why are you calling me that? My name is Nathan.”

“It hardly matters.” Luna watched the human start balling up his appendages in frustration.

“It hardly matters? What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“It means that it doesn’t matter what I call you, what my sister calls you, or what you call yourself. Before the week is out, you will be in the presence of Celestia. And I promise you, whether or not that she knows where your home is, she will not be sending you there. She has even less interest in that than I do.”

“What?!”

“Celestia will have you stripped of your belongings and thrown into the crystal caverns below Canterlot. You should know that Princess Cadance was sent there once by the changeling queen.”

“She escaped though! Twilight told me so.”

“Yes. With Twilight’s help, with magic and with flight. You of course are capable of both these things? Yes?” Nathan let his eyes fall to the floor. By Twilight’s explanation the caverns stretched for miles under the mountains, and had never been fully mapped out. Even if there was an exit accessible by foot, it could take him months or years to find it. Assuming that he would even find food or drinkable water in there.

“So bringing us all to Canterlot?”

“Well, you, it’s just convenient for her. Either way she needs to get you there. If you do it of your own free will, well, she doesn’t have to worry about it. Actually, if you were to be killed along the way it would suit her just fine.”

“This is the Celestia that Twilight Sparkle rants and raves about? The kind, benevolent ruler? Why do I not believe you?” Luna shrugged.

“I care not whether you believe me or not. I’m just stating the facts as they are. You’re free to interpret what I say as you will. Whether or not Celestia is the one that Twilight holds so dear is not for me to comment on.” Her choice of words perplexed the human, but he let them slide, moving on.

“So, you’ve come here to gloat and rub it in my face on your sister’s behalf? Just to screw with me?”

“No. At this time, I’m just here to make sure that you’re safe, and that the mares you travel with managed to reach Foalham safely.”

“So they are all safe and sound then? I can trust you that they have come to no harm?”

“Currently all sleeping snuggly, not a scratch.” Nathan caught himself breathing a sigh of relief, doing his best to cover it up with a yawn. “The destroyer showing feelings for ponies? What a strange avatar of Armageddon.”

“Look, I’m not any sort of destroyer, or avatar of destruction or whatever. I’m just a human, and I want to get back to my home. And fine, maybe I do care about for those six. They’re not all bad.”

“Even La Tigra?”

“Even La… wait. How did you know about that? Have you been reading my journal? How long have you been here watching me?” Luna shook her head, an empty smile crawling across her face.

“No, of course not. I have been here since just after you woke. No, I know about that because the guards reported it. My sister has learned to conceal the pegasi guards during the day and they fly about reporting on Equestria to her. How did you think I knew where you and the mares were? Magic?” She laughed.

“Well actually…” Nathan closed his eyes and pinched his nose, refusing to answer the rhetorical question. More concerning to him was the fact that his private conversation with Applejack, and who knows how many others, had been reported to the princess. “Whatever. At any rate, there’s a reason you’re here. If it’s not to gloat over me, it means you’re either curious, or you need me. Either way- you want something from me, you’re going to return the favor.”

“My my, meet a princess for all of ten minutes, have no idea why she’s here, and already making demands? Maybe I was wrong, I should supplicate you as a diplomat.” The sarcasm rolling of her tongue, it was all Nathan could do not to snap. “However, your guess was accurate. I do need something from you, and I will entertain your request… for now.”

“I just want some questions answered. Twilight’s hid a lot of things from me, and I want information on Equestria.” To Luna’s surprise, he had gone over to one of hiqs bags and retrieved a small notebook and writing instrument, turning to a list of questions, as well as writing a few new things down. Keeps his thoughts organized and on paper… perhaps the rodent wheel between those odd ears of his isn’t broken after all.

“Go on, Ypsilon.”

“I told you, that’s not my name… however that is one of my first questions. Ypsilon? Destroyer of worlds? You can’t seriously believe that, can you?”

“No, I don't. I personally think you're just stuck here by some misfortunate accident and you're just trying to get by the best you can. My sister, though, does think you're some sort of world destroying super power, and has designated you Ypsilon. It's just a designation; I don't believe there is any significance to the word."

"Ypsilon though? This confuses me. Actually, it's bothered me since day one in Equestria. As far as we know, I'm the first contact that most of you have had with a human right? None of them live close enough to interact on any sort of regular basis, if at all?”

"Yes, that's correct."

"So, how is it that we can communicate flawlessly? You speak perfect English, but it can't be English because there isn't an England here. At first I was willing to accept it to be some sort of magic translation, but magic doesn't seem to work on me. Now, you use an ancient Greek term. What's up with that? The English I could accept as some sort of freakish parallel evolution of language, but not Greek too."

“I’m sorry, but I don’t have an answer for you. Equestria has primarily used the same language for most of the last thousand years. In fact, before becoming Nightmare Moon, I spoke an ancient Equestrian tongue, much like nearly every other pony at the time. The language we speak today entered popular use after my imprisonment. When I first returned I did have to use a spell to communicate properly.”

“That doesn’t really answer my question.”

“No, it doesn’t. Do you want me to make one up?” Nathan frowned and made a few more notes.

“No, ok, fine, next question. Equestria. While you all seem so innocent and cute, there are an absurd amount of things here ready and willing to kill you. Manticores, dragons, cockatrices, hell your entire society had to move because of wendigos. How do you all survive?”

“First, don't lump me in with those pastel petty princess worshiping ponies. I assure you that it has not always been this way here. Second, are you positive that the monsters have been attacking everypony and not just you?

"Actually, I've suspected that ever since the Changeling attack on Ponyville. Explains a lot, Including why three angry manticores would rather chase down one very resistant meal over six soft ones." Luna nodded.

"So you have started to figure out why my sister fears you- Equestria herself wishes your end. Your continued existence offends her.”

Nathan stood in silence again, his remaining questions seeming unimportant now that the full picture was starting to unravel in front of him. His amateur studies on Equestrian life, his curiosity. It all paled in comparison to what would soon be his fate.

“That’s… that’s enough. I don’t even care anymore.” He turned to face the princess. “Ok, you’re here, you’ve answered my questions. What do you want from me?”

"Equestria is hanging in a delicate balance right now. Changelings amassing power, your being here, the current state of affairs. I need help, from you. You're the only one with the power, ability, and lack of attachment. It may just save Equestria."

"I'm not sure what you take me for, but I don't see how I could help with something monumental like that."

"Oh, balancing Equestria and preserving her lies with me. I have a much simpler task for you."

"That is?"

"Why, defeat my sister, overthrow her rule, and crown me the new prime princess." The bedroom was silent. Nathan scanned the face of the dark alicorn looking for a hint, any hint, of a smile to indicate she was joking or trying to screw with him. All he saw, was a very serious pony squinting her eyes back at him, watching for his reaction.

"Y-y-you want me to do what?! Have you lost it? You want me, this random that shows up in your country one day, the one that the country wants dead, that half her citizens wouldn't mind seeing on the moon, to overthrow your sister?! Are you batshit insane?"

"Keep your voice down! My escorts are on the roof. Yes, Ypsilon. I want you to eliminate my sister."

"I'm not going to kill your sister for you. Nightmare Moon."

Luna seethed at the name, a bubble of blackest night emanating from her very body encapsulating the room in total darkness, the only light being a pale mauve glow wrapped around her horn. Nathan tucked into a tight roll, coming up beside the Pie Cannon. Grabbing it, he made sure a shell was chambered, flicked off the safety and leveled it at Luna.

"I am NOT Nightmare Moon. You WILL watch yourself human." Realizing herself, she forced herself to calm, allowing the darkness to evaporate, and took a few steadying breaths. "I haven't been her in over two years. You don’t have to try kill to Celestia. You wouldn’t be able to even if you tried- just like you can’t kill me, even if you were to shoot that thing at me now.”

“W-what?”

“We are alicorns. Beings that are without end. Sometimes we need to rest our physical bodies, but we will always return eventually. Assuming you killed me tonight, we’d just be having this conversation again in a week, except it would be in the depths of Canterlot, and you’d be lucky if I was even half as calm as I am now.” He lowered the gun, realizing the futility. Dropping it at his side, he stood slack jawed.

“Then why me? Why choose anyone? Why do you need to depose her?”

“I have my reasons. And while I don’t really care about you personally, you are useful. If anypony could possibly find a way to get rid of Celestia, it’s you.”

"Why should I help you? What could possibly convince me to help with your coup? You realize that afterwards that the entire population will hate me, and if Equestria hasn't killed me by then, they will, innocent or not.” Nathan thought about the possible results of such an act, and it slowly dawned on him what Luna was going to do. “Actually that's your plan, isn't it? That's why you need me. I overthrow Celestia, you 'kill' me, they love you and you take power. Though I'm hoping that you killing me is just sending me home." Luna squinted at the human again. For someone so oblivious to Equestria, he was clever. I knew it.

"I don't know how you inferred that from our conversation, but yes. I do intend to return you to your home in the guise of destroying you, after figuring out how to send you to said home of course. Know this though- unlike my sister, I at least offer you the chance to return home." The human slumped onto the floor, holding his knees against his chest, considering his options. Going home meant betraying his new friendships and getting involved in a high-treason coup that affected not only another country, but another species. Turning down Luna and going along with Celestia meant spending the rest of his days below Canterlot, however his soul, what was left of it, would still be intact.

“I’m.. I’m going to need to think on this. Please.”

“Of course Ypsilon. I would expect no less from the destroyer.” The words stung particularly, now that princess had made her request. “In the meantime, we should get you back together with the mares.”

“You don’t think you should just bring me straight to Canterlot? Get this over with?”

“Oh, no. My sister thinks this is going to take around a week, and if you show up any earlier she’ll be too suspicious. No, it’s better you rejoin the mares and continue with them.” While her logic was sound, Nathan was uncomfortable with the idea of being around them while considering Luna’s offer. Especially Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie.

“Ok, how do we get there then?”

“Oh, my guards will get us there. You can take my chariot. Get dressed, get your things, and we’ll get going.” A while later, they stood out in the field, Nathan fully dressed and packed, and watched as the chariot drawn by the princess’ two personal guards flew down from the rooftop of the farmhouse and settled beside them. Gently stepping in, he felt a rush of vertigo as the pegasi took off, rushing through the cold night air, Luna flying alongside.

Gliding over the forest, Nathan could see some of the landmarks he recognized from the map, and made note of the countryside ahead as they approached the shield that protected Foalham. Setting the cart down a five minute walk from the town, the pegasi waited patiently as the human slung his bag and case over his shoulder and stepped off.

"Thanks for the ride guys. That was one trip I won't soon forget." One of the ponies, the more friendly of the two, tipped his head slightly towards the human.

"Of course sir. Was a pleasure. Shame we won't remember it." Nathan arched his brow and was about to ask when Luna intervened.

“These two are my most loyal servants and escorts. After I went back to being Luna they were the only guards willing to take up the job of being 'Nightmare Moon’s' guardians. They have been with me ever since. We long ago agreed that should I deem it necessary, I would be free to wipe their minds. For our plan to succeed, it will be easier for them to not remember this meeting.” Nathan balked at how casually Luna was explaining this. How casually she explained everything.

“And you two are fine with this?" The gruff one looked up at him.

"It's part of the job. Luna is our princess. If she needs to wipe our memories once or twice, we can live with it. It‘s our duty." Nathan was still concerned, but if they were ok with it…

"Thank you Slatehide." Luna turned to Nathan. "And for the record this will be the first time I have ever done it."

Nathan finished organizing his belongings, and turned to the town.

“So, they’re in the town?”

“Yes, but it might be better if you just camp out in the woods to the east of town.” Luna gestured with her hoof in the general direction. “They will pass by there in the morning and you can rejoin with them. Give them a story about being given directions by some guard ponies. Remember- this is our deal. And you yourself realize what will happen if you get the others involved.” With that the princess stepped into the now empty chariot and bade her guardians onwards, back to Canterlot. Nathan sighed and walked towards the woods, trying to find some bushes to sleep in. He could get a few more hours before the mares came past, and it would give him some time to think about what it would be like to spend the rest of his life living in a cold uncomfortable tomb.

The seven began their trek across the frozen ground towards Manyhooves. While he initially insisted on scouting again, Twilight had convinced Nathan that after the previous day it might be better to stick together, even if it might mean being slightly less prepared. Reluctantly, the human agreed, but still kept himself armed. The morning had been warm and inviting, even considering the snow, and they had set off in good spirits, making excellent time. Twilight estimated that if they could maintain their current pace they would reach Manyhooves by mid afternoon. This brought a smile to Rarity's face.

"Oh really? I happen to know a fabulous spa in Manyhooves and the mares working there are just to die for! We should all go for hooficures." She glanced over at the human, her facial features suggesting that she had just imagined him sitting there having the mares working on his feet as well. "You can go find us an inn while we're there."

"Rarity..." Twilight prodded the white pony, a low warning in her voice. Nathan shook his head, and snickered.

"No it's ok Twilight, you girls should have a good time. I'll take it as a vote of confidence if Rarity trusts me to find an inn and not turn her room in to a death tr-ow!" Fluttershy shot a hoof into his stomach, narrowing her eyes. "Sorry, I meant just finding an inn." He looked down at Fluttershy and mouthed the word 'what?' at her. Rarity, unsure how to take the veiled compliment, stuttered a bit.

"Well, uh, th-that is yes. A lady always trusts her servants." She pointed her nose in the air and continued to trot on. Shrugging, the other six followed on. After stopping for a quick lunch, they followed along a narrow lake, watching the ice starting to break up.

"That's strange. Ah didn't think winter wrap-up was for another few months. Are we going to miss it?" Applejack looked legitimately upset, but Rainbow Dash laid a hoof on her shoulder and comforted her.

"No, you're right AJ. It is still months away. Something's affecting the weather." Twilight was mystified.

"Dash, what do you mean? What could be affecting the weather? How? I don’t see any pegasi or gryphons working the sky.”

“I don't know. All I know is that for some reason, the weather in some places isn't working right. The air here’s much warmer than it should be." The ponies all nodded.

Feeling the sweat starting to bead on his back, Nathan peeled off his jacket, feeling the warmth of the air lick along his bare arms. Nathan noticed that the mares had followed suit, taking a moment to store their various hats and scarves in their saddlebags. As they continued their slow march along the lake, they could see rainbow trout flashing under the surface between the cracks in the ice, excited by the sudden unexpected warmth penetrating the water. Nathan debated throwing a line in, but the mares save for Applejack and Rainbow Dash had been excited for their spa afternoon, and the time it would take to properly clean a catch would likely push their arrival time later than necessary.

Leaving the body of water behind, the temperature began to dip to what it should be, and they were forced to don their winter attire once again. Nathan slipped back into his jacket, a troubling thought occurring to him. Such spikes in temperature wouldn’t happen in nature, and even with the pegasi controlling the weather, it should be more gradual. For all intents and purposes something about the weather was… wrong. Setting aside his concerns for the time being, he followed along as the mares snaked through the trees and held slightly north, finding the chasm that Twilight had identified on the map the morning before.

The canyon ran for several miles from west to east, cutting a jagged scar along the northern edge of Equestria, hundreds of feet deep and several dozen feet across. Approaching the edge, Nathan peered down into the crevasse, mentally noting the slim chance of surviving a fall. While the snow covered the bottom, Twilight was quick to point out that just below the surface would likely be sharp rocks.

Far off in the distance they could see Manyhooves. The town sat perched on the southern side of the chasm on a rise that allowed the town's inhabitants unobstructed views of the foothills to the north. If not for the mauve oscillating bubble that surrounded it, they would have seen dozens of busy ponies going about their day. Nathan didn't understand how such a remote town could grow so large, and indicated as much to the mares. Surprisingly, it was Rainbow Dash with the answer.

"You're still thinking like an earth pony." Dash was looking down at the human and examining him closely.

"I'm not sure what you mean by that, Dash."

"Earth ponies don't have magic like unicorns or flight like us pegasi. They only got their earth pony strength to do stuff with. Yeah, they’re the ones who did up most of the trails and paths crossing Equestria. They were even the ones who did up the railway. They want to make things easier for themselves.”

"And this matters why...?"

"Any pony concerned with trade across Equestria, is concerned in the most efficient way possible- point A to point B. Two planes- forward and back, left and right. But that’s only for earth ponies. A pegasus however..." Dash pointed slightly north of Manyhooves, and then up into the sky. Nathan nearly keeled over from the shock. "... enjoys life in three."

Another similarly shaped purple orb floated a couple hundred feet in the air above Manyhooves. Judging by the size, Nathan estimated that the sphere held another town roughly the size of the earthbound one.

"Wha-what the hell am I looking at? Is that another town?" Rainbow Dash rolled around laughing, enjoying the expression on the human's face. The other ponies were similarly laughing, even Fluttershy giggling at Nathan's ignorance.

"Why do you think they named the town Manyhooves? The town isn't just what lies on the ground- it's also the buildings that float above in the clouds. In most places, Cloudsdale where Fluttershy and I come from for instance, pegasi cities are solely in the air. Manyhooves is a special case.

“Pegasus ponies and the gryphons have had relations for a lot longer than the unicorns or earth ponies. When Equestria was first established, the pegasi were the first to start communications and commerce with ‘em. We’re just cool like that. Manyhooves is the last Equestrian town before the border on the largest skyway. Originally it was just a cloud community, but an earth pony community slowly developed to aid in the dispersal of goods. Even Ponyville would be hard-pressed to match the level of cooperation the three tribes enjoy here. Celestia is actually considering running the next line of the railway this way to expedite the transfer of goods and services between the kingdoms."

"That's incredible Dash. Just remarkable. The earth pony part of town alone is at least the size of Ponyville, if not larger. Adding in the population of the pegasi, it must be one of the largest towns in Equestria. This far north? Trade or no that seems incredible.” Nathan was still blown away by a community of that size being in such a remote location.

“Many other cities are much larger. Fillydelphia, Manehatten, Canterlot... Cloudsdale, pony for pony, has a slightly larger population as well. As for the remoteness- trade with the gryphons is just that important. It’s not just pony trade either. The Zebras ship a lot of their goods through Canterlot this way as well. Even the changelings have sent the odd envoy in the past to do some trading. It’s the little border town that could.” Nathan nodded and turned to Twilight, a twinge of regret reading across his features.

“I owe you an apology it seems.” The lavender mare looked to the human, and quickly replayed the conversation in her head trying to figure out just what he was referring to. Finally giving up, she gave in to her curiosity.

“Why do you owe me an apology?”

“Yesterday I was giving you a hard time about what I thought was an obvious political shit-storm waiting to happen- a basically unprotected border with a neighbour that still has members that would eat you if given the chance. I never realized trade with such a neighbour would be so vital to so many ponies lives. There’s a reason for everything here, it seems, even if I don’t always get it. So, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry Twilight. For more than one thing, I imagine.”

Twilight was completely caught off guard by Nathan’s admission. She looked into his face, looking for the hint of a smile, the tell-tale crease of the eyes that marked a lie… for anything that would betray him being sarcastic. Anything. In truth, she didn’t want him to apologize. She wanted him, no, she needed him to be the jerk that he so readily admitted to being. It made it easier to treat him as they had, to distance herself, to allow Rarity to continue to abuse him. It made it easier to be happy that he would soon be Celestia’s problem. Unable to find a hint of deceit, and with even Rarity seeming to be more willing to work with the human, she was forced with the uncomfortable realization that Nathan really was sorry. Shaken, she could only accept his apology.

“O-oh I see. Well, thank-you. I can see how things might be confusing to you. It was very… pony like… of you to admit your mistake.” Nathan nodded to her, and then turned back to Rainbow Dash.

“Well, I think you mares have earned a day at the spa. After yesterday I’m kind of beat myself. Shall we go see what Manyhooves has in store for us?” In unison the mares agreed, and an hour later they arrived at the gates to town, eager for an afternoon of relaxation.”

Back in Ponyville, Spike had been enjoying the day to himself. Being winter, he only had a fraction of Fluttershy’s animals to care for, and with Twilight gone keeping the library tidy was much less time consuming. He had spent the rest of the morning hunting for gems in the snowfields, and had returned to the library to eat his meal in peace and quiet, something he got so very little of with the mares running around.

He laid out the jewels on the table in front of them, arranging them in various orders, trying to figure out the best way to eat them. After several variations, he finally settled on size from left to right. If Rarity had been there, as much as he fantasized over the beautiful white unicorn, she would have been so cross that he would just devour so many gorgeous gem stones, but he didn’t care. Rarity wasn’t here, and he was hungry. Plucking up a small emerald, he tossed it in the air, opening his mouth to catch it. It barely grazed his teeth, plummeting straight down his throat.

“Oh ho ho! That was so good! Don’t worry, though. The rest of you will be joining your friend very soon. That ruby looks like just the right follow up.” He carefully grasped the red gem between his claws and was about to bite down when three precocious fillies ran into the library, startling him and causing him to knock his jewels everywhere.

“What’s going on? Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo? What are you three doing here?”

“The same thing we do every day Spike! We’re the Cutie Mark Crusaders! We can’t stop until we get those cutie marks!” Scootaloo informed the stunned dragon. Spike just rolled his eyes at the three of them.

“Well duh, of course that’s what you’re doing. What I mean is, why are you three doing it here? You know Twilight is out of town, and she won’t be able to help you with cutie mark books. I barely know much about them myself. I can’t imagine how you expect to get your cutie marks like this.”

“We know Twilight’s outta town, Spike. She’s not the only one though!” Applebloom jumped in, a devious grin spreading on her face. “We’re here because someone else isn’t in town either!” Spike just blinked at the trio with a blank expression on his face.

“Uh… yeah. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and your sisters are out of town too. Again, why are you here?”

“Spiiiiiike.” Sweetie Belle complained. “You’re forgetting the most important one of all! We don’t care about the mares, or any other pony for that matter!”

“What, Nathan?” Spike raised a confused eyebrow. “Yeah, he’s out of town too. So? What does this have to do with him?”

“Well, Rarity told me one day that Nathan took over Twilight’s old lab in the basement. When the changelings came, we heard he had to wreck most of it in order to fight them off, but we were thinking something might be still down there.”

“Oooooh no. No way. You are not going down there. He took anything he needed before he left, so you wouldn’t find anything anyways.”

“Ah don’t think it’d be such a problem. If all the good stuff’s gone, we kin jus’ look around and pretend. Beside, Twi’ll jus’ clean it all out when she gets back.” Spike scratched his chin, unsure what to do. It was true that the place was a wreck and the fillies couldn’t get into too much trouble, but still… would Twilight be upset with him? Seeing the indecision written on the dragon’s face, Scootaloo went in for the kill.

“Let us check it out, and we won’t tell Rarity when she gets back that you ate so many beautiful gems.” Blushing, Spike became instantly defensive.

“I… er… no that is… you wouldn’t…”

“Not if you let us take a look around we won’t.”

The last bit of fight leaving him, Spike nodded his head and slowly plodded over to the locked basement door. Retrieving a key from the bookcase beside it, he unlocked it with a click, and grasped the handle in his claw. Swinging the door open he turned back to the three friends.

“Alright, you can take a look. On one condition! You touch nothing, and I’m going to be down there with you.” Barely hearing Spike, the fillies barged past him and rushed down the steps.

“YAY! CUTIE MARK CRUSADER ARCHAEOLOGISTS!” They tore through the basement with reckless abandon, investigating every that looked even slightly interesting. Which, due to the bizarre manufacture of much of the materials in the basement, was basically everything. Spike wandered down behind them, shaking his head but smiling. They were right, the place was already a water-logged wreck and they could hardly do any more damage. The charred generator stood in one corner, turning with a squeal every now and then as the windmill on top of the library continued to operate. While Nathan had done his best to mop up most of the water, Spike could smell mould from one corner of the room, and he could only imagine what some of the destroyed cabinetry concealed.

True to his explanation, the Cutie Mark Crusaders found most of the basement devoid of anything useful to take or play with. They tried to decipher a few scribbles on the workbench, but the numbers and figures were just too complicated for them. Spike had a feeling even Twilight would have a difficult time fully comprehending what was written. He recognized some of the images though. Early design ideas for the Pie Cannon were scribbled on one part of the bench. The internal workings of the generator were detailed on another. Some of the pictures represented things Spike had never seen before though, and he suspected they were for projects Nathan had never gotten around to starting. Just as he was finishing inspecting the bench, Applebloom ran up to him.

“Hey Spike. Ah know you said t’ not touch anything, and we won’t, but there’s this thing under the bed. Can you come look at it?” She dragged him over to the bed Nathan had used during his stay in Ponyville and pointed out the object. Reaching under the bed, he wrapped his claw around it and brought it out for the fillies to see. Opening his palm, he could see that it was a shell for the Pie Cannon.

“Oh he must have forgot this when it rolled under the bed. Weird.” Sweetie Belle looked at the object and crossed her eyes.

“Do you know what it is Spike?”

“Yes, I do, Applebloom. It’s ammunition for that firearm Nathan carries with him. I assumed he had taken all of it with him. Guess he missed it. Looks a bit different though than the other ones. The others all have these little bean-filled sacks in them so that they don’t hurt anypony too badly. This one doesn’t have anything like that. Maybe it’s a dud?”

“Can we have it then Spike? If it’s no risk to anypony?” Scootaloo was eyeing up the shell and Spike swore she had just licked her lips.

“I don’t know… it could still be dangerous, and I don’t want Twilight to be angry…” While he was considering it, Applebloom had wandered back to the bench and was inspecting the drawings herself. She was doing her best to get up on top of it to get a better look when she slipped and knocked over a stack of papers covering a corner of the drawings.

“Applebloom!” Spike yelled at her.

“Ah’m sorry Spike! Ah was just trying to get a better look. Hey, more pictures!” Spike and the other two crusaders walked over to the bench and helped Applebloom up. Spike looked at the revealed images and kept glancing back and forth between them and the shell in his hand. There was the Pie Cannon, and ponies… and… Slowly, he started to understand just what he might be seeing and his eyes went wide with the kind of horror usually reserved for the most terrible of monsters. He spun on his feet and stared at all three of the Crusaders.

“This is bad. Very, very bad, and Twilight‘s going to kill me.”

Having booked the mares in for their spa afternoon, Nathan gathered up all of their belongings and had begun his search for an inn or hotel. Rarity had been insistent that in a town the size of Manyhooves, a nice hotel should be readily available, but he was unsure if any such establishment would even hear him out, let alone allow him to stay. Really, the quality of the place didn’t matter anyways to him- the size of the beds would be such that he would hardly be able to sleep in it. Maybe one had a Celestia sized suite. He mentally decided that he should begin his search for one such hotel.

“Hey wait up!” Rainbow Dash came flying up from behind him, slowing to a hover just beside him. Nathan glanced towards the cyan pegasus and shot her a knowing look.

“Not even on vacation, eh Dash?”

“Hey, it’s not like I’m one of those lame ponies that needs to be pampered. I’m totally awesome just the way I am. They’re all just going to talk about girly stuff anyways, and that’s totally not my style, y’know?”

“Dash, you are a girl.”

“So? Like I care what the latest fashions out of Canterlot are, or what being a model was like. Get me tickets to a Wonderbolts show and a bottle of Sweet Apple Acres cider any day.” Nathan chuckled.

“Oh, giving me tips for when you and I go on our date?”

“What? Gross! I don’t want to date some human. That’s so weird.” They shared a laugh. “Though, I guess, if I was going to date a human, I could do much worse than one as amazing as you. I at least have some idea of what Fluttershy sees in you.”

“Amazing?”

“Oh yeah! You’re almost as cool as the Wonderbolts! Fighting stuff, saving the day, you’re super strong, and even if you ARE wearing Rarity’s fancy fashions, you totally make them look cooler.”

“Well thanks, anyway Dash. It’s almost been amusing, how much of a mystery everypony treats me as.” Nathan shot Dash a sideways glance.

“Huh?”

“You all constantly treat me as this complicated, deep individual. Whether or not you like me or loathe me, you all think that there's another fold to me, another thing that none of you think you can understand. That there’s something there waiting to come out. It makes me feel special, it’s very warm and fuzzy. The truth is, I’m a very simple person Rainbow. Any human would feel different or special if they were here. I have a few quirks and I’ll admit there’s sides of me you haven’t seen, but where I come from, I’m just an ordinary guy. Nothing special.”

“You’re so all over the place though! You can be so smart one day, then so dumb the next. Happy, sad, mad, and excited in the same hour.”

“That’s called being human, Dash.”

“Seriously? Your whole race is like this? Dude, that’s kind of scary.” Nathan thought about it for a moment then replied to the pegasus.

“No, not all I guess. I imagine most though. People aren’t defined by their dominant trait like ponies are. There are no cutie marks on Earth, nothing that signifies what our primary talent is. Humans are much more diverse than that- to put it in terms you would understand, me being an amazing racer doesn’t preclude me from being intelligent. We can be all sorts of things at once. Doesn’t mean they’re all good, mind you.”

“That’s just weird. I’m confused though. You constantly say that humans don’t have cutie marks, but you do have one. I’ve seen it before, and Pinkie talks about it constantly.” Nathan squinted his eyes at Dash, trying to figure out what she was referring to. Realizing what she had seen, he allowed them to relax again.

“Oh, you mean this.” Nathan set down the saddlebags he had been carrying, took his jacket off and rolled up his sleeve. On his shoulder was the tattoo of a particularly grim phoenix hatching from its egg only to incinerate the nest around it. He grimaced, painful memories flooding back with it. “It’s not a cutie mark, Dash, it’s a tattoo.”

“Yeah! I totally thought you were like Fluttershy when I first saw it- an animal lover or caretaker of some sort. It explained why the two of you hit it off so well. However, after I started thinking about it, it just seemed off. So much going on- I didn’t know which part was the important bit. So explain these tattoos to me. They aren’t like cutie marks?”

“No. They don’t just appear. There are humans whose job it is to make tattoos. You go to one, and they use a needle to permanently draw it onto some part of your body. They tend to be very personal choices, as they are permanent and difficult to remove. They may have something to do with your career, but they can just as easily refer to a pet, a family member, loved one, or place you really like. It would be like if you got a cutie mark of Cloudsdale.”

“So, you chose this tattoo?”

“Yep, sure did. What do you think?” Nathan pointed it in the direction of the Pegasus. Dash inspected it closely for a moment.

“I think it’s AWESOME! As much as my cutie mark is cool… yours is so awesome.” Nathan laughed again, rolling his sleeve back down.

“Well thanks Dash. I’m glad you like it.” Arriving at the hotel, Nathan looked back at Dash.

“Wait here, I’m going to go see if these guys can help us.” Exiting a few minutes later, Nathan had a piece of paper in his hand indicating a hotel a little ways down that would have the necessary suites. He beckoned the cyan pegasus to follow him again, and they kept walking in silence. Reaching the second hotel, Nathan was pleasantly surprised to find the staff friendly and cordial, and wasted no time in booking them rooms for the evening. He had rented out three rooms for the mares, letting them decide on the room assignments later, settling on a fourth room for himself, complete with Celestia sized bed. Sleeping arrangements complete, he stashed all their bags with Dash’s help and the pair started to return to the spa. Dash kept looking uncomfortably at the human, finally spitting out her thoughts when Nathan shot her an irritated look.

“What did you think was up at the lake today?”

“With the temperature? I have no idea Dash, I was going to ask you about it.”

“Yeah, I don’t know either. I have some suspicions. Nothing really firm though.”

“Care to share?”

“…no.” Nathan stopped walking, and examined the clearly uncomfortable mare closely, while she avoided eye contact in return. Sighing, he dropped it and they continued walking. “Sorry.”

“It’s ok Dash. I can understand being nervous about suggested something without knowing for sure. As chief weathermare of Ponyville, I trust you to know what’s going on better than I do.” Swelling with a bit of pride, Rainbow Dash smiled.

“You’re just buttering me up, aren’t you?”

“Maybe. Did it work?” Nathan chuckled and dipped his head in a small bow.

“…Kind of, yeah.”

The pair shared a laugh, then continued down to the spa. Their friends would be soon finished, and Nathan was looking forward to having at least one drama and adventure free night.

10: A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Chapter 10- A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

"Get up." The room was still dark, the only light drifting in from under the door to the suite. Slowly opening his eyes, Nathan could see that there was no glow coming from behind the drawn shade, indicating that the sun had yet to begin its slow march to the apex of the sky. He shook his head, rattling loose the sleep. Who had woken him from his sleep? Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie? Princess Luna again?

"I said get up!" The now distinctly masculine voice demanded again, a hoof jabbing him in the ribs none too gently, causing him to groan in pain. Turning on his bedside lamp his eyes came to focus, identifying his interrogator as one of a pair of pegasi, both clad in rough leather armor, with malice lining their scarred faces. "Get dressed. We're all going for a ride." Nathan glanced to the Pie Cannon out of the corner of his eye, frowning when he realized it was far out of reach.

"Where are we going?" He stood up, dressing himself and doing his best to seem disinterested in the two threatening ponies.

"Doesn't matter. All you need to know is we're going for a ride." Nathan put the rest of his clothes on.

"And if I refuse?"

"Then we do this the hard way." The pair's faces turned up into snarls. The other one added to the conversation, flexing his wings.

"We love doing things the hard way." Nathan shrugged and finished getting ready.

"Ok, I get it. Hold on, just let me grab my..." He reached out towards his bags and shotgun.

"Ah ah ah. We'll be bringing you back. You can leave your belongings, all your belongings, here." Pulling his hand back, caught, he nodded and walked towards the door. "Wrong way. Open the window." He did so, peering down the four storied between himself and the ground.

"You know I can't fly right? That drop would likely kill me." The pair of pegasi snickered.

"Oh don't worry about that. We'll help you down. Put this on." One of them reached behind himself and grabbed a sack, tossing it to Nathan and pointing at his head. Nathan snatched it out of the air, wrinkling his nose at the fetid odour escaping the bag.

"What? No, I'm not putting this thing on my head and letting you carry me anywhere. You can just forget it." The smaller of the two cackled menacingly.

"We were hoping you would say that. Hard way it is!" A sharp pain resounded on the back of his head, and Nathan slumped to the floor.

A short while later Nathan was roused from his sleep, a bucket of water having been dumped over the sack surrounding his head and threatening to suffocate him. He could feel the rope that tied him to an uncomfortably shaped chair. A few moments later the bag was taken off, and he greedily sucked in the air, feeling his lungs fill with life giving oxygen. Relaxing and peering around the room he could see that the walls and floor were obscured by a mist, and the only light came from a pair of torch sconces in the corners.

The two pegasi who had been his 'gracious' escorts were standing near him, as well as a unicorn pony. And a Gryphon. A large, muscle rippling, suit wearing Gryphon that was nearly up to his chest in height. Jagged scars covered most of his exposed body and face, and his right claw was clad in a gaudy golden gauntlet.

"Good evening sir. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Baron Bronzewing, leader of the Wyrmcrush tribe. I trust you had a pleasant trip. I sent my most cordial servants to retrieve you. I do so hope that it wasn't a problem asking you to come by my home at this time of night. You just seemed so busy that I was afraid that I would miss you altogether if I didn't call for you just now." Nathan took note of the thick sarcasm and responded.

"Oh they've been perfect gentlemen. They even gave me a head massage before we left. The exfoliating properties of the bag they used is also to not be overlooked. They could open a spa if they wanted to- I would frequent it. Send my friends there. I can see it now- 'Jackass and Dipstick’s Spa and Resort.'" The gryphon laughed lightly.

"I've been telling them that for months!" Paying no attention to his henchponies' visual discomfort at being the butt end of a joke, the gryphon's expression twisted into a dark scowl. "So you think you're funny. I don't think you fully realize the situation you're in." Returning the unhappy face, Nathan shrugged.

"Well you've obviously brought me here to your cellar for some reason. Let's cut the horse crap and get to it. You could have killed me at any time, but you haven't yet, which means I’m probably more useful alive than dead. So, what do you want?"

"Don't think I won't kill you yet you cocky little tick. You mean no more to me than I care for my cattle. However, like cattle, you do have a use if properly...'milked'. You see I have a proposition for you." Nathan laughed.

"Sorry, I don't swing that way. You'll have to ask one of your buddies here for any 'milk'. I don't go for dudes." The gryphon took a step forward and backhanded the human. The impact bruised his face and cut his lip, blood dribbling down onto his shirt. If that's how hard he can hit with his bare claw…

"You'll shut your dirty peasant mouth and speak only when I say so. Now, if you're done being uncouth cur, can we get down to business?" He waited for Nathan's nod and continued. "Good. Now, you're on your way to meet Celestia in Canterlot yes? Oh you don't have to answer I already know the answer to that question. Of course you are. I've also heard rumours that you don't care for pony society in general. Now, I've been looking for someone in your situation for a while."

"What? A being from another world? You planned for this? How did you even know who I was or where I was?"

"Oh please. You don't think these three are the only ponies on my payroll, do you? I have eyes and ears everywhere. And no, of course I wasn't waiting for some 'being'. I thought that some disgruntled pony, like these two gentlemen, that had some pull in Canterlot would come along eventually and make themselves known to me. You're really just a bonus. You can get close to Celestial. More importantly, you can get into the caverns below the city."

"Whether I want to or not." Nathan muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" the Baron took another threatening step forward.

"Nothing. Continue, please."

"Now, there are several vaults down there containing some of the most powerful magical objects in Equestria- wands, scrolls, ancient jewels all from a bygone time. I am going to give you a device that we have recently obtained, that will grant you access to these vaults, and I want you to bring me as much as you can get your hands on."

"That easy? Just walk in and walk out?" The gryphon flashed a grim smile and nodded.

"Oh very easy for you I imagine. Mind you, there will be some of Celestia's most loyal guards down there, you will need a key that only Celestia has access to currently, and the device's effects are... relatively permanent." Nathan carefully eyed the gryphon.

"So you're expecting me to go in, disrupt Canterlot life, steal from Celestia and bring you back the spoils? Just like that? What's in for me?"

"Ah a mercenary. I knew you were the right one for the job. Sprinkles if you please?" The grim looking unicorn, with the altogether ridiculous name, cast a characteristic blue glow over the ropes, allowing them to fall away. Nathan stood but was stopped from moving by Bronzewing.

"Ah ah. I wouldn't step forward if I were you. You see, we ran into a bit of trouble bringing you up here. Normally we would just cast a spell to allow you to walk on clouds," the gryphon waved a claw through the floor dissipating the clouds and revealing a several hundred foot drop into the chasm below "but wouldn't you know it, our spells didn't work. You're standing on one of the few solid parts of Manyhooves' cloud district." The glare of the gryphon intensified.

"What's in it for you is I don't have the boys here push you off, and display your twisted broken body for those mares to find in the morning." Nathan started to laugh, drawing confused looks from the assembled creatures. No expression registered across his face, and the laughter was dead and mirthless. The pegasi took a few nervous steps away from the human.

"My goodness, I really haven’t encountered something this laughably adorable in a very long while." Nathan jumped over onto one of the pegasi and, ignoring his cries, retrieved the club from the saddlebag he had seen earlier and slammed it on the back of his head repeatedly. Sliding off the now unconscious pegasus, Nathan gripped the pony’s saddle, keeping him from careening over the edge. The other pegasus’ gaze swapped between his partner and the human keeping him on the edge. The pegasus watched the human’s fingers slip out of the harness, and as his colleague’s unconscious body careened over the building, the human commented.

“You should probably catch him before he hits ground.”

The other pegasus wasted no time in diving after his friend. The gryphon roared in anger, bringing down his gilded claw, missing the human but splintering the chair he was next to.

Sprinkles attempted a spell, smiling as fire engulfed the human. His smile turned to horror as the scene unfolded in front of him. Nathan stood tall, allowing the magical flames to roll over his body confident that they would likely have no affect. The flames reflected off of his half-lidded brown eyes, and the unicorn shuddered. Nathan threw his club, now torched and burning his hand, as hard as he could, catching the unicorn just below the horn and sprawling him out on the floor. Another blow came down from the Baron, this one actually hitting Nathan in the chest and pushing him back, winded. Gasping a couple times for air, he sprung onto the gryphon’s back. Standing on his back, preventing the gryphon from moving, and gripping both ends of the gryphon’s wings with unyielding hands, he forced the gryphon to heel. Raising his foot and leaning his bodyweight forward, he slammed it down in the joint connecting the gryphon’s back and right wing. The grisly snap, along with the gryphon’s howl, resounded throughout the keep.

Seeing as Nathan was distracted by the attack on his employer, Sprinkles had levitated the club in his magic and was creeping up behind him attempting to give him the same treatment that the human had given the pegasus moments before. Flaming pieces of wood are never quiet. Turning around, still half-straddling the moaning gryphon, Nathan brought up his hand and caught the club in mid-strike, grimacing as it burnt his hand further. The shock of being disarmed and within reaching distance caused the unicorn to freeze with his jaw wide with fear. Nathan ripped a handkerchief from the Baron’s jacket, and wrapped the end of the club in it, preserving his hand from further abuse. Grabbing the still stunned pony with his other hand, he tossed him roughly into the pile of splintered wood that used to be a chair.

Leaping over on to the safe ground, Nathan switched his grip on the club, gripping it under-hand like a knife. The human calmly walked over and pulled Sprinkle’s head by his horn up towards him and turned his head on his ear towards his lips. While Sprinkle cast spell after spell, all of which were nullified by the hand gripping his horn, the human whispered to him as if he was telling the unicorn a great secret.

“I really do not enjoy being burned.”

With that, he jammed the club directly into the right eye and a good portion of the face of the frantically struggling unicorn. The burning of the skin and boiling of the eye was overshadowed by Sprinkles’ screams. Digging the heated end of the club in and around the pulverized and ruined socket for good measure, Nathan left the pony to his agony, and walked back over to the gryphon that was steadily trying to limp away. Taking a long step across the permeable cloud layer, he straddled the beast again and gripped both the gryphon’s good shoulders. With his other hand, Nathan forced Bronzewing to twist his head and look up at him; the calm smile still played across his face.

“My dear sir, I’m deeply offended. By not only how you think I can be intimidated by a few ponies half my size, but also by how you think that even if I did care for those insipid mares, that you’d be able to scare me into supplicating.”

“P-p-please, don’t kill me, I-I’ll give you anything, so please just don’t kill me.”

"And I couldn’t possibly just messily dismember you, walk over your remains and walk out with the gold in my pockets? Just look at poor Sprinkles over there."

"E-even if you did kill me, and p-please don’t, I have several gryphons waiting outside of town for your friends to come through with explicit instructions to kill them all I-if I fail to report back to them." Nathan laughed, his grip tightening further on the gryphon. Bronzewing whimpered, and not just from pain.

“Again, the friendship. Always that idea of friendship. You creatures are just so cute. Even when you’re out trying to kill each other, or playing some foolish political game, you still hold friendship to be one of the prime motivational considerations. By the way, I still haven’t heard a legitimate reason for not killing you.” The gryphon frantically raked his mind for something, anything, that would force the human to spare his life.

"How could you even…? T-then you won't mind that they've been instructed to kill the yellow and pink ones first, and slowly pull them apart while the others watch, hearing their screams as they have their tails and manes pulled out first, and then their limbs and then their... urk!" Nathan had braced his hands around the beasts’ neck and was slowly applying pressure.

"Really, I’m starting to wonder whether your wings resemblance to poultry is more than just skin deep. This club over here does have a nice heat to it, and I haven’t had chicken ever since I’ve been dropped here." Bronzewing started to panic. He had expected to find a malleable, easily manipulated patsy. Had he known he had sent his pegasi to retrieve a psychopath…

"Kill me... and you won't be alive enough to do whatever else you want to. I-I’m sorry to have brought you up here. Please d-don’t kill me. I won’t bother you again." Bronzewing pointed downwards and brought Nathan's attention to the fact he was over top of the hole. The death of the Baron would send them both plummeting. Not to mention… Nathan allowed his grip to relax and he jumped back off of the gryphon, taking a seat on the floor next to the howling Sprinkles, still clutching his ruined eye socket. He tried to scramble away when the human came near, but Nathan wrapped his arm around him and smiled at him. His screams died away to a terrified whimper.

“I have no desire to die today. Do you Sprinkles?” The unicorn shook his head vigorously. “I didn’t think so. Actually, Bronzewing, I never said the deal was unattractive, merely poorly thought out. I really cannot blame you for your ignorance; after all we’ve just met and have barely made any effort to really know each other!” The Baron attempted to shake his head and dissuade the human from continuing, but Nathan just smiled. “No, no I insist my dear Baron. After all, you took the effort to invite me up here and have such a nice little soirée. Here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to go to Canterlot, key in hand, and enter the vaults. While I’m there I will grab as many magical goodies as I can, just for you.”

“Unless you have a better idea, the alternative is that I graduate Sprinkles from half dead to the more suitable promotion, me getting to see whether gryphon wing is similar to chicken nugget in my home, and whether gryphon magic will let them fly with one wing instead of two.” The gryphon frantically scratched at the ground, his painful wing reminding him of the ease at which the human could execute his suggestion.

"F-fine. You leave me with no choice.” His eyes focused squarely on the hole below him. Perhaps death would be preferable. “The key is yours.”

"Good. I thought you would see reason. Now Baron, why don’t you give me the device and explain what it does to me.”

"W-we came across some zebra traders who were carrying a few of these. Claimed they found them in the Everfree. Not that they're around to make any such claims now..."

"Oh knock it off Chrys. It's been a day since the procedure. You're being ridiculous- you can't stay angry at me forever."

"That's Queen Chrysalis to you, maggot, and don't you forget it! I can stay angry for as long as I like- that's one of the perks of being royalty- something that you will never be!" Broken-wing was still in the middle of shedding his new body's outer carapace, and it had been decided for the safety of all that he would stay confined to a single place until the last of the shell had fallen away. So it was he had spent the last day propped up in a corner of the throne room, taking verbal abuse from Chrysalis. Broken rolled his eyes.

"Yes your majesty." His voice carrying barely more sarcasm than disrespect. Spinning to face him properly, she grabbed the nearest object she could, a small stone, and took pleasure in bouncing it off his exposed head. He barely flinched, his new armor more than capable of protecting him. "Ouch."

"Oh don't whine you sniveling imbecile. Guards! Leave us!" The other channeling quickly departed, leaving the queen alone with her 'prisoner'. As the last flew out and sealed the chamber door, Broken-Wing sighed.

"I thought you would never kick them out Chrys. I was getting tired of playing the idiot." Chrysalis was not so relieved.

"I said you are to refer to me as Queen Chrysalis. Just because they aren't in the room and you have enjoyed a modicum of familiarity with your ruler, does not mean that you are not still in a world of trouble! You stupid ignorant whelp. If you were one of those snivelling ponies, I would waste no time in removing your head from your body and drinking your bodily fluids."

"Oh? I thought you said you would never be like Discord. Seems you share his wanton disregard for life more and more everyday. How many changelings have died on this mad-beings crusade for vengeance? How many have you personally commanded to submit to metamorphosis? Answer me this Queen Chrysalis." She shrieked, hurling another stone at his head, disappointed at the lack of effect.

"You dare not speak to me that way Broken-Wing! I have been the ruler of the changelings for centuries before your birth, and will continue to be long after your demise. You have no right to question me so, and your new firm will do nothing to stop my wrath should I see fit to add yours to the list of changelings that have perished."

"The way things are going I'll be surprised if you're queen for another month, let alone long after my death. Even if that's true, either way I have to die sometime. What do I have to fear? Some whiny royalty that can't control her own subjects let alone her destiny?"

"And what would you have me do? Organize my 'loyal' subjects into an army and march against a being with more power in his little claw than I have in my entire body? He's the key to finally ending the reign of that accursed Celestia and bringing her little ponies to their knees. I don't like his methods any more than you do, but they get results. As soon as Celestia has been eliminated, he will have no need of us and move on. He wants chaos, not a kingdom. This is Discord we're talking about."

"Then you're a bigger fool than I took you for. You're always taking stupid risks. Discord was right, you should have just killed Shining Armor and Cadance and been done with it. You would have demoralized both Celestia and Twilight Sparkle and her friends and our armies could have swept up the rest of the ponies with ease. This thing with Discord? More stupid risks and rather than just having your invasion foiled, it could end your kingdom."

"We don't do things that way anymore! It's been centuries since I last killed a..."

"What? A pony? Like the dozens that have been lost in the last month alone? Open your eyes Chrys! Discord is corrupting and altering you just like he corrupts and alters everything else. Would you have even considered this plan two months ago? Would you have allowed the death of a single subject? Even a pony?"

"Well of course not no..."

"Well two minutes ago you were threatening to execute and devour me."

"I..."

"Or was the attack on Ponyville not enough for you my bloodthirsty monarch?"

"Now Broken that's not..."

"'Fear me! I am the queen of the changelings! With my new ally Discord I shall not rest until every hill, valley mountain and river runs red with the blood of Ponykind!"

"That's ENOUGH!" She grasped Broken-Wing in her magic and pulled him close to her face, tightening her grip around his neck and slowly snuffing the life from him. Her frustration grew as the physically larger changeling just hung there, no form of struggle given.

"D-do it you coward." Broken-Wing heaved between breaths. "S-show us a-a-all how great you are. Take the easy r-route. K-kill me and let D-Discord rule you like the p-pet you are." Her eyes flew wide, shocked at the realization that she was fully prepared to Kill Broken just so she wouldn't have to listen to him. So she wouldn't have to listen to the truth. Slowly, she released her grip and lowered him to the ground.

"I'm sorry."

"Not as sorry as you're going to be when Discord turns The world into a ball of flames and you watch your kingdom fall apart around you as your changelings perish. We're all going to die. Do you get that? He will not stop short of total destruction." Chrysalis sat in silence, a myriad of thoughts flowing in and out of her head. How can he just sit there so calmly after I nearly killed him? Broken-Wing brought her out of her introspection. "Chrys..."

"Broken... I'm... you're right. However, we still need him. I want Celestia's head on a pike." Her evil glare had returned, matched by Broken's own.

"And you shall have it my queen, but afterwards, we'll have to deal with Discord, and we need a plan." Broken looked around nervously. Chrysalis inferred his trepidation immediately and shook her head.

"I located the sensors he placed in my throne room after your... procedure last night and had them removed. We're secure here. It sounds like you already have one in mind."

"I do actually. I've spent most of the last week studying Discord's history. Well what hasn't been lost in the annals of time anyways. His pattern of defeat is always the same. He causes chaos, gets cocky because he thinks he's won, and then gets his ass handed to him. Every time. I'm thinking we might be able to use this to our advantage." The changeling queen looked at her subject in a new light, understanding just how much more intelligent than his kin he was.

"So what's your plan?" She nodded for him to continue.

"After Celestia's defeat he's going to be intoxicated on success, and on top of that he'll likely spend most of his power during the battle to protect his investment from death. He will be vulnerable. That's when we strike. Hold back enough of our troops during the battle that we can make a strike against Discord soon after. He won't be prepared, and we can retake our destiny as the superior race." Chrysalis considered the plan carefully. Much more planning was needed, and they would require dozens of more soldiers to make it work, but the basic plan was there. They just needed to execute it. Her lips curled into a twisted grin.

"Alright Broken-Wing. Let's get down to business." The two continued to talk on well past the first rays of Celestia's sun bathed the world above them in light.

Applejack looked over, envious of Pinkie Pie's easy sleep. The pink mare had kicked off her covers and lay sprawled out across the bed in what Applejack could only imagine Rarity would consider an "un-lady-like" fashion. Clutched in her fore hooves was a stuffed animal facsimile of Gummy, and Applejack had to force herself not to laugh. Gently pulling the covers over her friend, she smiled and wandered over to the window, opening the blinds and gazed out on the street below.

While she had initially been uninterested in the visit to the spa, it and the following dinner had given her and the other mares the opportunity to just talk. It had felt good- no talk of changelings, humans or what in the hay Celestia was in such a rush for. Just five friends sharing the latest gossip and catching up on idle banter. If only that's all it was. With another long sigh she gazed through the oscillating mauve barrier and focused on the glow that would undoubtedly be Luna's moon. Even through the shield, the weight of the alicorn's ward pressed down on her. Judging her.

"Luna, Ah know you ain't here to hear me and Ah know you've always been a little... aloof... but Ah need somepony to talk to that might understand what it's like to be put in a tough spot by her friends and family."

The five mares were sitting in Sugar Cube corner enjoying some freshly baked sweets that Pinkie had lovingly produced that morning. They all wore smiles, enjoying each other's company as usual, but the normally jovial assembly was tempered by the question on everypony's mind. Who was he? Why had he come back? What should they do?

Fluttershy, or course, had done her best to put them at ease, answering most of their questions. However, lingering doubt still clouded the air. With the yellow pegasus still up in the hospital, the others were left to their imaginations. Applejack broke the silence first.

"So, as much as Ah enjoy cupcakes and spending time with y'all, we should probably get down to business. There's a reason that we're here, and Ah reckon the longer we leave it, the more awkward it's gonna be. So, somepony start talkin'." Twilight cleared her throat.

"Alright Applejack. Let's get everything out on the table." Pinkie Pie popped her head out from behind the counter.

"Twilight everything is out on the table. We have tea biscuits, pink cupcakes, blue cupcakes, orange cupcakes, peanut butter cookies, jelly cookies, three different kinds of punch, two cakes, and a watermelon!" Twilight stuck her face in her hooves and groaned.

"No Pinkie, I mean let's talk about all the information we have about the human." Pinkie giggled.

"Well why didn't you say that silly? I can tell you all sorts of things about him!" Rainbow Dash butted in.

"Oh yeah? From what? The hours and hours in the woods you spent with him?"

"Well no but..."

"Yeah whatever Pinkie, stop being so random. We need to focus on a solution here."

"But I..." Rarity cut her off.

"No, Pinkie, Dash is right. This isn't the time for your games. Now be a dear, and be quiet." Pinkie frowned and went back to work, a scowl painted on her face. "Now Twilight, you were saying?"

"Thank you girls." She nodded to them and stood up, beginning her characteristic pace. "What do we know so far? The human shows up just outside town a few days ago. He appears relatively un-threatening, but he spies on us. Also, regardless of the entire make-up of his diet, he consumes at least some meat, marking him as a predator."

"Right." Rarity swallowed the last of a cookie, and took over from Twilight Sparkle. "So we ask him to leave. Which, to my shock, he quite willingly does. I thought for sure that he would put up a fight. That brute could probably..." Applejack rolled her eyes.

"Rarity."

"Sorry. Anyways, the brute wanders off, and we think he's gone back home, except he hasn't because we don't know where home is. So , so far what's that? Unable to get home, dangerous predator. Now he's back."

"Well yeah, but Ah thought Fluttershy said he was okay. He did bring her back to us, injured and all. He could'a jes' left her there to die, or eat her if he meant her any harm." Rarity stood there slack jawed, Dash voicing the unicorn's thoughts for her.

"Applejack! How could you say that?! This is Fluttershy we're talking about!"

"Oh calm down Dash. I was jes' sayin'. Hyp-uh... hypo... jes' stating a possibility. Ah'm as glad as you are that she's still with us. Ah'm jes' pointing out that if the critter didn't care he wouldn't jump between her and a bear."

"Oh yes such a hero, killing a bear. Just like we would have done?" Her sarcasm forced Applejack to drop her head.

"Alright, maybe he's not exactly the gentlest of critters, but he still saved her. At any rate, Fluttershy said he's a pretty average human, maybe a little angry. Good sense o' humour though. We just don't know enough about his kind. Even Twi's fancy books didn't have anything on humans. Either way, he ain't from the Everfree. We can't send him back there."

"Well he simply cannot stay here. Right Twilight?" Rarity looked over to see the lavender unicorn lost in thought, a wave of nervousness washing over her as she caught that sparkle in her eye that indicated Twilight had formulated a plan. "Twi...light?"

"Hey Twilight! Wake up egghead!" Dash's shouting finally snapped her from her thought process.

"Yes that's it! My books don't have anything on him!" Her sudden glee was met by a myriad of confused faces. Even Pinkie had stopped what she was working on and trotted over.

"Come again, sugar cube?"

"Well that is... we don't know anything about him right? So we should ask Celestia about him! I can send a letter soon after he wakes up, and while we're waiting for a response, he can stay here!"

"What?!" The other mares responded with various levels of shock.

"No really! Hear me out. We can't just let him wander around Equestria alone. We don't know what he would do. So we keep him here, under our supervision, until Celestia can figure out how to get him home. I'm not using my lab right now, he can stay there. It has a lock on the outside so he would be restricted at night."

"Twilight, darling. I know that you have the best for us in mind, but are you sure this is such a good idea? What if he gets out of hand?"

"I'll prepare some extra spells just in case. Do you have any better ideas?" Rarity struggled with her emotions for a moment, the gave in with a sigh.

"No, I suppose I don't. You promise me you'll send the letter though?"

"As soon as he wakes up."

"Alright, Twilight Sparkle. As your friend I'll support you. I don't agree with your decision, but seeing as there are no alternatives at this point in time, I'm forced to go along with it."

"Ah'm for it. Critter owes me an apple anyways."

"Yeah I guess so."

"Okie-dokie!" Twilight's smile was bordering on creepy.

"Good it's settled then." The other mares started to leave, thanking Pinkie for the sweets and for being a good host. Twilight stopped Applejack before she could follow Rarity and Rainbow Dash out the door.

"Applejack wait!"

"What's up Twi? Ah thought we were done talking?"

"Well, um... I have something else to ask you, and only you." The look on Twilight's face and her nervous shuffling were unnerving Applejack. She knew she was going to regret whatever it was the unicorn wanted from her.

"Alright...."

"Well, even if he's living with me, he'll need something to keep him occupied. Something to keep him from wandering away from town or getting up to too much trouble."

"Ah guess so."

"So, I was wondering if maybe you could employ him at the acres for a bit? Just until Celestia calls for him." Applejack rubbed her chin.

"Ah don't know Twi... that seems like a lot of effort to go through just for him to work there for a couple days. Besides, we're barely paying off Granny's operation. Ah don't know..."

"Look, if he's only there for a couple days, you won't even have to pay him, Celestia will send him home and everypony's happy." Applejack let her gaze fall on the floor and traced the knots and lines in one of the boards. While she felt the help might be nice, she was uncertain the human would be worth the effort. That and being able to pay him. Horse apples. He won't be here long enough anyways. She sighed and looked back up at Twilight.

"Alright. He can work the acres. Jes' until Celestia calls for him. Let me go tell the others so..."

"No!"

"Beg pardon?" Applejack raised her eyebrow. Twilight giggled nervously.

"I mean no, you can't tell them. I need this to stay between you and me, at least until he starts working. Even better, maybe have Big Macintosh make the offer. That way they won't know I put you up to it."

"Wait Twilight that's..."

"Oh and we're going to need to control him so we can't pay him too much. That might work better for you too- cheap labour. Just enough that he can't afford to leave town, but he can afford his basic necessities."

"Now Twi..."

"Oh and make sure you don't tell him either. The human needs to be unaware of our plan or he might get out of control."

"Twilight!"

"What Applejack?"

"You're asking me to lie! Not just to our friends, but to the critter too. That's just... just... no! Ah'm not going to lie for you. You can ferget it!"

"Applejack please! It's for a good cause. Really just listen. This is just to make it easier for all of us."

"Twilight, Ah'm an Apple. We ain't nothin' if not honest. Ah'm not going to tarnish..."

"It's okay, Applejack." Both the ponies snapped their heads up as Pinkie Pie came walking down the stairs.

"Pinkie! How long were you listening for?" Twilight was wide-eyed and wore the blush of a foal having been caught with it's hoof in a cookie jar.

"Long enough. I think it's a good idea."

"Pinkie, Ah'd be lyin' and that's wrong." Pinkie placed her hoof on Applejack's foreleg, and looked her in the eye.

"I know Applejack, but not doing it would be even more wrong. It'll be okay. Trust me."

"Pinkie whaddya..." Applejack closed her eyes, and when she reopened them she saw the same saucers staring back. Pinkie, how can you be so sure about something so... crazy? Ah don't get you. Ah just... know you're right. Somehow. Applejack lowered her head and sighed. "Fine. You win Twi. Ah'll get him a job on the farm." Twilight's smile had returned.

"Oh Applejack I'm so happy! We..."

"Stop. Ah don't want to talk about it. It'd be best if you didn't come by the farm for a couple days." Applejack briskly trotted out the door.

Applejack turned her gaze from the moon, and back to the party pony still fast asleep on her bed, now having rolled over on her side away from the window.

"Thanks for listening Luna. Ah have to admit, I still don't understand why Pinkie talked me into going through with Twilight's plan. Gave me the opportunity to get to know the critter though. Really get to know him. It's as much as a curse as a blessing though. If Pinkie and Fluttershy knew... horse apples." She trotted over to the sleeping mare and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. "Sleep well Pinkie." Snakes she drools a lot, pillow's almost soaked through.

Turning to her own bed, she crawled in and tossed her hat on one of the posts. She rolled over and promptly fell asleep. Over on the neighboring bed, a pink pony sobbed quietly to herself, tears flowing over her cheeks and nose.

Why am I such a coward?

How hard is it to say it?

The quiet of the alleyway was broken by a pair of voices a few feet above the ground. The pegasi had, under a cheerful threat of dismemberment, been convinced to courier Nathan back to where he slept.

"Thanks for the lift boys. It was a good time, we'll have to do it again. Just set me down over there." Nathan pointed to a dark corner of the alley. Settling Nathan down onto the street, the pegasi quickly tore away from him.

Walking down the alley and stepping out onto the street, he could see, to his relief, that it was devoid of life, and if anyone had noticed his arrival they had long since left before learning the source of the commotion. A few of the windows were lit up, but he was fairly sure none of them belonged to his traveling companions. Mouthing a silent thanks to the gods of luck, he made his way quietly back to his room and rolled into the shower.

The warm water was amazingly comforting, and reminded him of being back home, just standing there left to his thoughts. There was something about a shower that was personal, private to him. It allowed him to reflect on his day, make plans for the next, consider his life. Now, lying on the floor of the tub, only one thought came to him. Well two, but trying to figure out how a hotel that size could produce hot water on demand using magic was a query that could wait for another day.

He stood up and forced himself focus on his personal hygiene, and ridding himself of the burnt, and bloody smell that hung around him. His clothes would need a good cleaning, but if he got started right after his shower, he reasoned that he could still have them clean and drying, and be able to get in another five or six hours of sleep. Just as he was finishing her heard a knock at the bathroom door.

"Are you assholes back again? I'm in the shower, just give me a minute." He heard the door click and slowly creak open, and he pulled the curtain aside enough to stick his head out. "I swear to god if you don't get out I will fu- fu- Fluttershy!" Rather than a pair of burly pegasi, his eyes were met by the sight of a single shy yellow one.

"Eeep I'm s-s-sorry! I'll leave!" She about faced and scrambled for the door.

"N-no wait Fluttershy! I didn't know it was you coming in! Don't go." She stopped mid-run and slowly turned back to face the human.

"O-oh, are you sure? Who did you think it was going to be? Pinkie Pie?" Nathan chuckled and did his best to placate the young pegasus.

"No, just some rather impolite room service."

"O-oh I see." She didn't. Nathan finished his shower while she patiently sat there in the middle of the bathroom. She was rather proud of herself- three months ago she wouldn't have had the nerve to walk into a stallion's bathroom while he showered, let alone remain there. After a while she heard the taps close and Nathan called for her.

"Fluttershy, mind passing me my towel? It's just on the rack there."

"S-s-sure." She carefully draped the towel on one of her wings and positioned herself so that Nathan could reach out and grab it without the fear of exposing himself. As he grabbed the towel, he brushed her wing and she felt an inadvertent wave of euphoria wash over her.

"Thanks Fluttershy. I'm going to dry off and slip into a robe. These Princess sized ones are ridiculous, but they'll do in a pinch. Mind waiting out in the suite?" Fluttershy nodded and wordlessly left the room, swaying in her step ever so slightly. Finishing up in the bathroom he joined her slightly after. She had taken the liberty to hop up on to the bed and was stretched out comfortably. She looked up at him, a broad smile playing across her face. The smile was lost as she finally got a good look at the humans face.

"Nathan! Your face! What happened?!" He shrugged sheepishly and looked at the ceiling. Come up with something quick...

"It was that bad room service I talked about. One of the other rooms had requested a wake-up call for late at night for some reason right? Well, they thought it was my room, so the late-night porter came up and woke me up while doing his rounds, and when he saw I wasn't a pony he flipped out and threw a garbage can he was carrying at me, hitting me in the face and getting crap all over my clothes. Now I have to do some laundry, and my face is swollen."

"Oh that's terrible! Are you okay? You're not injured?"

"No, my ego is bruised worse than my face. I'll be fine." Looks like she bought it. Not a bad story if I do say so myself. " So, what brings you to my suite this late at night Fluttershy?" He had pulled out a wash basin and was filling it in the bathroom while sticking his head out the door to look at her. She still wore a look of concern, but she smiled back and blushed.

"Oh um... well I was... I wanted to know... can we talk? If you don't mind?" She was wringing her front hooves together nervously. Nathan brought the basin back into the main part of the suite and began washing his clothes, trying to be as casual as possible in front of the obviously agitated mare.

"Sure Fluttershy, we can talk. You don't have to be so nervous with me. What did you want to talk about?"

"O-oh I'm not nervous!"

"Oh? Then I guess you're just pretending to make snow angels in my blankets?" She looked down and saw that her fidgeting had in fact messed up the covers. She clamped her hooves under her body and squeaked.

"Eep! I'm so sorry!" Nathan just laughed. He finished washing his clothes and hung them out on a line he had strung along the ceiling. Sitting on the bed next to the pegasus, he gently ran his hand along her shoulders, forcing another contented sigh from her.

"That's better. Just relax. Now, what did you want to talk about? It couldn't have waited until morning?" She sighed again and looked up at him. "Come on Fluttershy, relax. It's okay. Let's talk. What's up?

"W-well it could have waited, but I really wanted to talk to you alone. About what the plan is in Canterlot, and about us." Nathan smiled and continued his rubbing.

“How so?”

“Well… do you remember that day when you tricked Rarity into making you that first set of clothes?” Nathan did his best to hide the smile creeping across his face. Fluttershy giggled. “Oh you don’t have to hide it, it was still quite a funny moment, even if it did take advantage of her. Anyways. Do you remember what you said to me when you walked me home?”

“I do. I told you that if I have to be stuck in Equestria and I can’t go home, I could think of worse places to be than Ponyville.” She nodded.

“Yes. I’ve remembered those words. Those words have kept me going for the last two months. They’ve been the thing to convince me that everything is going to be ok.” Nathan frowned.

“Fluttershy, that was hardly me saying that I want to stay, that was me saying that there are worse places to be.” Like hell. Or the caverns below Canterlot. Same thing? Time will tell.

“I know that, but still, they give me hope. Then there was that one date we went on to the hills overlooking Ponyville. Even you have to admit that was a lot of fun.” Nathan’s characteristic smile had returned.

“Haha yeah. We went for a late night picnic while half of the town was asleep. I thought for sure Dash had spotted us when she flew past doing her night duties, and we started sneaking around just in case, skulking from shadow to shadow.” Fluttershy nodded.

“Mmm-hmm. We didn’t even get a chance to eat. You took one look up into the sky and just fell over, open jawed. I… I never did ask you what that was about. The look of sheer amazement on your face was enough for me. I was content to just lie on your arm and watch you gaze in to the heavens.”

“It was an amazing night, I’ll admit.”

“W-would you mind explaining it? I saw something that night in your eyes that I’ve never seen. Even in another pony.” Nathan shrugged.

“Well, I’ve told you about where I’m from right? Huge cities and populations? Millions of inhabitants in a small area? Even a town the size of Ponyville might have five, even ten thousand humans living in it, depending on what part of the world.”

“Yes.”

“Well, humans don’t see very well in the dark like other animals. Our eyes are designed for high-light environments. We need artificial light to get around. When you have that many people, you need that much more light. Even in lightly populated areas, the light ‘pollution’ as we call it conceals some of the stars in the night sky. The city I live in? Fluttershy, I barely see the stars.”

“W-what? You never see the stars? Ever? That’s so… cruel.”

“I see some stars, the brightest ones obviously, but until that night, protected from the light emitted by Ponyville, I had never seen such a sight. Even using Twilight’s telescope only showed me so much. That night, Fluttershy, that night I saw something that is probably next to impossible to find on earth, let alone have the opportunity to see it nearly every night.”

“R-really? So… in some ways Ponyville is better than where you come from? At least for you?” Nathan could hear the excitement in her voice, as hard as she was trying to suppress it.

“Yes Fluttershy. In some ways it’s better. In some ways, I do like it here with you. However…”

“And maybe when we get to Canterlot, I can show you all the sights of the city, my favorite places! Especially the gardens and all of the animals there. They’re all my friends and I know they’ll love meeting you.” He could see what she was trying to do, but he didn’t have the heart to stop her.

“Sure Fluttershy, anything for you. Whatever makes you happy.”

“Whatever makes me happy? What about you? What would make you happy? This isn’t just about me you know.”

“Isn’t it?” He raised his eyebrow, and stood up.

“What do you mean by that? Of course it’s about more than just me. It’s about us, it’s about my friends, and what they mean to me. What you mean to me. What you mean to them.”

“What do I mean to you though Fluttershy? What does it mean for me to stay here? Have you thought about what the consequences not only could be, but would likely be? Even in a best case scenario?” That was it. Any idle entertainment of the pegasus’ fantasies was over. She needed a reality check.

“Let me ask you a hypothetical question Fluttershy.”

“O-okay?”

“Let’s say, just for a moment, that I end up having to stay in Equestria. For some reason Celestia can’t send me home.”

“I understand that that would be upsetting to you, but at least you would be here with me?” Her hopes were dashed as soon as they were risen though, as he continued.

“Hold on there Fluttershy. I’m not saying that’s what is going to happen. I’m saying if it happens. Now, I’m trapped here. I can’t return home, I have no way of going back to my life, seeing any of my friends or family, returning to my job. I’m stuck in a land where nearly every social convention, piece of technology, hell the land itself is totally foreign to me. I’m starting to fit in better, yes, but no matter where I go I’m going to be, to somepony, a monster, or animal. You have accepted me, you care for me, and I’ll be honest I like you too, but that doesn’t change how others see me. Your best friend is terrified of me.”

“She’s getting better…”

“Yeah? Has a funny way of showing it. Maybe she is, but it will never be right between us. And what’s it going to be like in five years when your friends are all having foals? A little Twilight, a tiny Rarity, a mini Applejack? Look, I have no doubt in my mind that you care for me. I know that you want me to stay. However, you need to be aware of the facts- if I stay here with you, I am trusting that in a year you will still care for me. I’m trusting that the desire to be with me outweighs any desire to have foals. I’m trusting that this isn’t just a fling for you, and a desperate one in the face of my impending deportation. So yes, this? All of this? Being with you, talking with you? Letting you try and convince me to stay? This is all about you. If things don’t go right in Canterlot, I will never see my home again, and either way you’ll never want to or be able to see me again.”

Fluttershy’s lower lip was trembling. Nathan had spoken calmly and evenly the entire time, never raising his voice or doing anything to upset the pegasus, but being faced with the facts was almost too much for her to bear. She buried her face in the bed and brought her hooves over her head, trying to drown out the competing thoughts invading her thought processes. Failing that, she started pulling at her hair, intending the sharp stings of pain to distract her from her misery.

“Whoa whoa, Fluttershy! What are you doing?” Seeing the self-inflicted discomfort of the mare, he sat back down again and grabbed her up in his arms, pinning her hooves at her side and stopping her from hurting herself further. To his surprise, rather than tears or sadness, a quiet rage enveloped her face.

“Trying to get rid of the thoughts of everything I care about obviously. Why would I want to care for anything when all it does is hurt me? Why would I want to care for you, or the others, or having foals? They would all just hurt me.” The human looked down with concern.

“Uh… Fluttershy?”

“What, Nathan? Am I not human enough for you? Do I not walk on two legs well enough? Let’s just bind my fore hooves until I learn properly. Are the wings too much? Should I cut them off? Cut off my tail? So you not like straight hair? Do you prefer it curly? That why you like Pinkie’s so much? I could keep going on the hair if you want?”

“Wait Fluttershy that’s not what I’m saying. You’ve got me all wrong.” What the hell is going on here?

“Oh no, I understand perfectly well. You want a nice quiet human girl on earth that can give you babies, one that will swear her undying love for you and marry you and be happy forever. You want to go back to your miserable world of death and destruction, because that’s where you can excel as an engineer, creating tools of war for others to keep killing.”

“No Fluttershy, that’s not it at all!”

“THEN WHAT IS IT?!”

“Because I don’t know how long it’s going to take, but someday you’re going to regret me staying here and being with you, and you’re going to leave me high and dry and I’ll be alone in lollypop land and it scares me, okay?!” Fluttershy’s expression turned from anger to confusion. Too often in her life she was the vulnerable one, the innocent one taken advantage of by her situation. This strange about-face of situation was almost too surreal for her. She blinked, barely comprehending his words.

“What?”

“I’m scared. I have a lot of decisions to make in the next few days, and I don’t know what the right ones are. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. You’ve been so kind to me that I feel like I’m taking advantage of you just by being with you. Fluttershy, how can this be enough for you? How could I ever be enough? Can you honestly tell me, look me in the eye and tell me, that you’re okay with never having foals? Never having little ones to run around your hooves while you and your stallion cook dinner together? Being the social outcast of society just because you fancied the wrong species?” Fluttershy sat there in quiet contemplation, a few strands of pink hair flittering down onto the bed in front of her, finally giving up their struggle to stay in place after her earlier pulling. She managed to pull her sight back to the human.

“You’re scared of me leaving you?”

“Well… that’s not exactly fair to say. We were never together so… no. I’m scared of all of you just abandoning me someday. Right now I’m new and interesting. For your species I’m a novelty. Even Twilight can appreciate me as an object of research. However, what happens when she’s learned all she can from me? She doesn’t need me anymore, and she ignores me. Same with the others- I’ll pass along in terms of interst. Maybe you won’t treat me like that, I’d like to believe you won’t, but how long will it take if all of your friends think I’m not worth the time of day?”

“I… I…I…” She took a deep breath and replied as calmly as possible. “No. You’re right. This hasn’t been fair to you. I haven’t been fair. I’ve been treating you like an idle school-filly crush, and that’s not right.”

“I’m glad you agree.” Finally I’m getting through to her.

“So we should take things to the next level.” Oh come on!

“…what?”

“Would you be my colt friend?”

“Fluttershy I don’t think you’re really understanding me. I’m going home.”

“Oh no I understand, and that’s ok you can go home, but for the next few days you can be my proper colt friend and you can see for your own eyes how much I care.”

“Fluttershy I’m not even a colt…”

“I know, and that’s ok. Just for the next few days. Please? Say you’ll be mine?”

“I don’t know…” No, no, NO! You idiot! What are you doing? In a few days you’ll either be in the depths of the dungeon or going toe to toe with what passes for a deity here! What the hell are you thinking? Just say no! Don’t lead her on! SAY NO! “I don’t think this is a good idea… besides this is only for a few days, what will this change?”

“Maybe nothing, but wouldn’t it be better to try?”

“I wouldn’t want to tell your friends right now.” No.

“That’s ok, it can be between you and me. That’s all I care about.”

“You might dislike me a lot after we get to Canterlot. I mean about going home and stuff.” No.

“I can’t imagine anything you could possibly do to upset me aside from what you’ve already stated you’re going to do several times: go home.”

“You realize I’m not down for anything… physical in nature right?” NO. Fluttershy blushed.

“I know, and I understand I’m not really comfortable with that either. I still want you to be my colt friend. Please?” Don’t fall for those eyes, don’t let her get you. Those big, beautiful pleading eyes… Nathan sighed.

“Okay, Fluttershy, you win. For the next few days, I will be your ‘colt friend’.” NO YOU IDIOT! “But it’s only going to last a few days. You know that right?”

“I-It’s ok. Really. I want this.”

“Fine. Should we talk about this more tomorrow? I need to get some sleep. I’ve had a long night already.”

“Sure. Let’s go to sleep.” She trotted up to the head of the bed, pulled back the covers and slipped in. “Coming?” Nathan did a double-take and felt himself go slack-jawed.

“W-what are you doing?”

“You’re my colt friend now. I’d like to snuggle and sleep next to my colt friend. Did you forget already?”

“N-n-no but…” Didn’t think of all the implications, did you? Damn you’re stupid.

“Good, then come to bed.” He sighed and dug through his clothes and found something to pass as pajama pants and crawled into bed beside her. Just before he turned off the light she noticed, now that his chest was bare, the bruise that had been left by gryphon across his chest.

“W-what is that from?”

“Really, really impolite room service.”

While Rarity had raised an eyebrow towards the human and pegasus when they came down to breakfast, eliciting blushes from both of them, she thought better of asking where her roommate had gone in the middle of the night, and kept her focus on the current conversation. Twilight was going over the day's schedule, and had pulled out her map again.

"Now, as we've spoken about before, there are no towns or villages between here and North Gelding that are close enough to divert to, so we're going to have to spend the next couple evenings in farms and cottages along the way. This map isn't the most up to date," She looked over at Nathan, "however there should be several farms all along this area, and we can pick one to stay at as we go. Any objections?" All the eyes at the table glanced up at Nathan who had just stuffed a bread roll in his mouth. Realizing he was center of attention, he stopped mid chew and responded.

"Mwha?"

"I asked if there were any objections to the plan. We kind of assumed that you would have something to say." The human rolled his eyes and finished swallowing his food.

"Oh come on. I don‘t disagree with everything that you say." Twilight smiled.

"Well that's good..." Nathan grinned.

"Just when you say something stupid. Which is a lot." Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash started chuckling with Nathan.

"Hey!" Twilight did her best to look angry for a minute, then slowly joined in the laughter, each of the other ponies following in suit. "Okay, now that that's settled, shall we go? It's another long day ahead of us and I would like to get started as soon as possible." She looked out a nearby window, and sighed. "I thought it was supposed to be sunny this week. Whoever‘s responsible for tending these skies is sleeping on the job. Wouldn‘t be surprised if Manyhooves‘ version of Derpy is out there right now."

Finishing their breakfast, the seven packed their bags and departed, soon leaving Manyhooves behind them. Nathan gave a few nervous glances as they left town, eliciting a questioning look from Pinkie Pie. He smiled and nodded towards Twilight.

"Regardless of what she says, I'm still going to keep an eye out for dragons." Twilight cast a sideways glance over her shoulder at him.

"Nathan..."

"Oh relax Twilight. I'm just saying. It's all good. I'm allowed to be careful. Look, I don't even have the Canon out." He smiled and gestured to the still locked case. She shrugged and continued her easy trot with the rest following up the rear. Out of the corner of his eye, Nathan could see Fluttershy walking closely beside him. On the other side, Pinkie kept glancing between them, her look indicating she was searching for the answer to one of life's great mysteries.

"So you two are walking pretty close together today." Nathan shrugged and responded to the pink pony.

"Well we have been sort of a thing for a while Pinkie."

"Yeah, but something's different. Did you guys get up to anything last night?" Fluttershy blushed.

"O-oh no Pinkie, nothing like that." Pinkie sudden glare indicated she didn't believe the pegasus. Looking up at Nathan for confirmation she was slightly relieved to see him nod.

"It's okay Pinkie. Nothing happened. Really."

"Okie-dokie loki..." She still wasn't convinced but she accepted their explanation for the time. Trying to divert the conversation, Fluttershy brought up another topic.

"A-actually, speaking about last night, I was curious about something."

"Yes, Fluttershy?"

"You have that weird mark on your back... I noticed it before when w-we were in the Everfree forest and seeing you... without your shirt on reminded me of it." Pinkie's eyes narrowed but Nathan just smiled again.

"Seriously Pinkie, nothing." He turned his attention to Fluttershy "That's just a birth mark. Been there since I was born, nothing special." Pinkie expression relaxed, having realized what they were talking about.

"Oh yeah, I remember that! I used to see it every time we went to the lake I always just assumed that it was a bit of dirt or mud you couldn't wash away but then I thought no it's always there and oh my gosh is it pretty it's like a painter drew it on your back and then I thought maybe it was dried on oatmeal!"

"Oatmeal? Are you crazy?" Nathan snickered having remembered a story Pinkie once told him. Pinkie looked indignant for a moment.

"Hey! That's my line!" Nathan just laughed. Pinkie couldn't keep up her facade any longer and broke down as well. The laughter died away, and Rarity had a concerned look on her face.

“What is it Rarity?”

“Well, this birthmark of yours… does it mean that you’re dying of some horrid disease? Do all humans have these marks? Why don’t they just clean them away? I couldn’t imagine being stuck with such a thing.” Twilight rolled her eyes.

“Rarity, that was rude.” Rarity looked apologetic for a moment.

“Oh I’m sorry darling, that wasn’t meant to be rude.” She looked at Nathan. “That wasn’t meant to be rude, you understand don’t you?” Nathan nodded.

“Of course Rarity. It’s fine. I don’t have a disease, and no not every human has one. They show up randomly. They’re completely harmless- just a part of your skin that didn’t form the colouration the same as the rest of your body. Unless it’s in a place that’s very visible, like the face, most humans don’t worry about them. They are removable, but there’s usually no point.” Applejack looked over her shoulder.

“On the face? That’d be a sight to see. So they can show up all over yer body? Do they all look the same?”

“Yep, anywhere on the body, but they usually have different shapes and sizes. The one on my back is fairly large, but it’s hardly ever seen so I don’t worry about it. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if you mares had a few yourselves, unless they just don’t appear on ponies.”

Rarity stopped walking and spun around, the deep seated look of having been insulted etched on her face.

"Excuse me? I'll have you know that my coat is of the finest pure white, with not a blemish or off-coloured section to be found." The other mares, while not as offended, nodded to indicate similar feelings.

"Yes Rarity, but when's the last time you actually inspected your skin below your coat? Birth marks show up on the skin."

"Um well... that is to say... as often as... never?" She squirmed and craned her neck around her body trying to find any offending marks. "I suddenly feel so very unclean. Fluttershy, darling, give me a hoof?" The two took a moment to carefully evaluate Rarity's body. Nathan just shook his head.

"You two are ridiculous. Can we get going? Twilight said we have a long way to go today." Twilight silently nodded her agreement and the troupe set off, Rarity glancing at her own backside every few steps. The day, thankfully like the one before, passed relatively quietly without much excitement or drama. All of the usual conversations, gossip and interests came up. Nathan had been enjoying listening to Rarity ranting and raving about the latest fashions in Canterlot, and how she thought they were “just absolutely to die for” when he noticed Rainbow Dash had lagged behind the main group of mares and was in fact flying just ahead of him.

“You, uh, you okay there Dash?” The pegasus looked over her shoulder and snorted indignantly.

“Yeah, I’m totally fine. What’s your problem?”

“Well normally you’re in front of everyone else and doing loops and summersaults to keep yourself occupied while we walk. It’s not like you to be the slow one. That’s my job.” Nathan laughed and threw Dash a wink, trying to brighten the troubled mare’s day.

“Maybe I just feel like doing something different okay? I don’t need to show off for you or anypony else. And you remember that- it’s everypony not everybody. Learn to talk right.” She turned back towards the front and flapped a little harder, trying to keep up with Twilight who was leading the procession. Nathan noted the obvious strain in her flight, and frowned. Fluttershy looked concerned as well.

“W-what was that all about Nathan?” Nathan looked down at her and shrugged.

“I’m not sure Fluttershy. Something’s bugging Dash though. She normally hostile like that?”

“Well, she does tend to act rashly, but no, not usually so hostile. Do you know what’s up?” Nathan rolled his head back and gazed into the sky.

“Maybe. I don’t know. She doesn’t really seem to want to talk about it. Let’s just drop it for now.” Fluttershy nodded and smiled.

“A-alright. You usually seem to know that’s best.”

A few hours later, the procession came to a series of farms. A light snow had begun to fall, and they quickly sought out the largest one. Finding one with a particularly large bunk-house, they settled in for the evening. Having seen no signs of changeling activity, or other creatures for that matter, they had decided that the lock on the door was sufficient to keep them safe for the evening, and were looking forward to a good sleep after a long day of walking. While the mares prepared a meal, Nathan sat outside, enjoying the feeling of snow falling on his head.

“You’re so random. What is it with you and being by yourself?” Rainbow Dash had made her way outside and was stretching her wings.

“I don’t know. Sometimes I like to take the time to think. Nopony else to distract me. I’m sorry about earlier, I was just concerned.” Rainbow Dash shrugged.

“It’s ok, I understand. I’m just not used to anypony thinking I’m weak. Watch- to prove it, I’m going to clear up this weather.” Dash flew off into the air and began to make short work of the cloud cover. Before much longer she had cleared away the snow and the last rays of the sunset were pouring through the hole in the cloud cover she had made, bathing the farm in light. “See? No problem. Rainbow Dash does it again!” Nathan wasn’t convinced. As hard as she had tried to conceal it, he had seen the strain that the exercise had placed on the pegasus. Rather than question her directly, he inquired into something else that was bothering him.

“Thanks Dash, that was great.”

“Of course!”

“You shouldn’t have had to clear the clouds away though.” Dash looked down In confusion.

“What do you mean?”

“Before we left Ponyville, Twilight told me you had said…”

“So what? Maybe I was wrong.” She snorted and looked away, taking an indignant pose again.

“I don’t think so Dash. This is your thing. What aren’t you telling me?”

“Nothing at all there’s nothing to not…” Nathan wasn’t going to let her get a word in edgewise.

“And then there’s your flying.”

“What about it? It’s fine.”

“Dash, we both know that’s not true. Now just…” A dark expression crossed her face.

“No.”

“What?”

“There’s nothing wrong and you’re not going to get me to say there’s something wrong. I’m not going to be responsible for Twilight and Rarity’s nonsense.”

“But Dash…”

“NO! Shut up. Just shut up. This is not happening, we are not having this conversation, I am not giving in. You just sit out here alone. I hope you get covered in snow.” She flew back in the bunk-house and slammed the door behind her. Nathan sighed and continued looking out over the farm.

Rarity blinked, her eyes adjusting to what she was seeing. She was in the middle of a kitchen preparing a meal, the aromas teasing at her nostrils, a glass of some unidentified liquid sitting in a triangular glass. She felt her body move of it's own free will, opening the oven and using a ladle to baste some sort of cylindrical food surrounded by roasted carrots and potatoes. Returning to her cutting board she chopped a few radishes, and then took the glass of liquid in hand and drank from it.

Wait, hands?

Catching her reflection in the glass she could see that she was no longer a pony, but a human. She attempted to scream, but no sound came out and her body continued cutting the radishes. Oh Celestia no. Not only am I one of those brutes, but I can't even move or talk. This is so uncouth. That drink was sort of good though…

Her host continued through her routine. Part way through finishing, two children ran into the kitchen, their faces stretched into beaming smiles. That she couldn't smile back at them was almost cruel. Their foals are absolutely adorable. Perhaps I misjudged these humans.

"Mother! Chloe and I were working on an art project for father when he gets home! Do you think he will like it?" The mother bent down, smiling herself, and took a look at what they had created for him.

"It's lovely Andrew." Rarity could see the artwork consisted of a few stick figures and some glitter, but she imagined that much like ponies that it was the thought that counted. Chloe nodded, and excitedly chipped in.

"Look! It's you and father, and here's me and Andrew."

"That's 'Andrew and me'." Chloe rolled her eyes.

"Mother."

"Now now Chloe, there is no excuse for poor grammar. You want to grow up smart right?" The little girl smiled.

"Uh-huh! I want to be the first woman chief of state!" The mother laughed.

"And we would be so proud of you, just like we're proud of this picture you drew, but you need to speak well for others to take you seriously." The girl nodded again, and bounded off happily.

"Awww mother, you don't really think she could be the leader, do you? She's just a girl." Rarity's host gasped and bore an upset look.

"Andrew you should be ashamed! Anyone can do anything they want to if they put their mind to it. Even girls. You and Chloe both have long lives ahead of you, and will both grow to do amazing things. Now, you run along and play. Your father will be home soon." Andrew looked perturbed from the stern rebuke he had received, but wandered off in search of his sister. The mother sighed and went back to her cooking.

I like this human. She has good strong maternal instincts, she had two lovely well adjust foals, and she seems to be a snappy dresser to boot. Are these really the people Mango warned me about? That seems highly unlikely.

From the front room of the cozy family home, Rarity heard the lock of the door turn over and click. Her host's heart fluttered and she ran a hand over her dress, smoothing out any wrinkles. Reaching into a cupboard, she pulled out a glass and a bottle of a dark liquid. Adding a few cubes of ice to the glass, she topped it up with the liquid and took both her drink and the freshly poured one and walked out into the living room.

"Hello dear!" She greeted the man walking through the door. He smiled back at his wife, set down his briefcase and took the drink in her outstretched hand. He took a drink and replied.

"Hello sweety. Bourbon on the rocks as usual I see. That's a new colour for your martini."

"Isn't it? Joan suggested I try adding a bit of pineapple juice to kick it up a bit. It's quite good. Would you like a drink?" The man shook his head and rattled his glass.

"No thank you Samantha, I'll stick with the manly stuff. Dinner smells good though. Roast?" She nodded.

"Fresh cut form the butcher this morning. By the time you get cleaned up it should be ready. Before that though, where's my 'dinner'?" She smiled and leaned in towards him, closing her eyes. He leaned down and kissed her passionately. For all of her misgivings about the humans, Rarity would have been lying if she had said it wasn't one of the most romantic things she had seen. Being part of it in spirit melted her soul. Breaking the kiss, the man smiled.

"I love you, Mrs. Wilson."

"I love you, Mr. Wilson."

"Now go get ready..."

"Father!" The two children ran down the stairs and threw their arms around him. He returned their hugs.

"Chloe! Andrew!"

"Look what we made you!" Chloe pulled out the picture. The man smiled and hugged his children again.

"Why don't you go with your mother and help her put this on the fridge. I need to get ready for dinner." Rarity's host and her two children walked back to the kitchen.

"Alright Daniel, we'll be waiting in the kitchen. Don't leave your family waiting too long." The man headed upstairs.

"Family."

"What was that dear?"

"Nothing. Be down soon."

Rarity sat up with a start. Looking around the bedroom, she could see Nathan, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were sleeping together in one corner, having pushed their beds together. They had split between two rooms, with Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Applejack sleeping in the other. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie had insisted on staying with Nathan, and Rarity had begrudgingly agreed to stay with them as well, choosing to stay near Fluttershy. The mares had pulled the covers off the human and he was shivering in his sleep. Rarity got up and placed a blanket over him, softly smiling to herself.

"You may be a ruffian, but... I think I've horribly misjudged you. Nathan. Sleep well."

She gracefully climbed back into her own bed, and Focused on drifted off to sleep. She found herself, to her embarrassment, hoping that her dreams would continue to be filled with her little human family.

Interlude I: What Came Before

Interlude I- What Came Before

Deep in the western mountains, Discord's ancient castle was creaking under the weight of the snow on the roof. Several of the older wings had already fallen prey to the weather, collapsing under the strain after several hundred years of neglect. Before settling in for his daily slumber and entrapment, Discord had noted with satisfaction that he had allocated his resources wisely and the only losses he had incurred were a couple of 'statues' and a bit of real estate.

Now, safely sealed away from the world around him, he allowed himself time to rest and recuperate. He hated the confinement that the sun’s rays forced upon him, but not because it limited his movement, and restricted his ability to influence the world around him. No, he hated it because it forced him to sleep, and much like his victims his dreams never came easily or offered relief.

Equestria, 2400 years ago

Discord sighed. Another royal ball thrown by the Princesses in Everfree Castle, dignitaries from all over lavishing them with gifts and asking for favours. Rumour had it that the gryphons were going to ask for a special preserve bordering both countries that would allow them to keep hunting feral ponies. Again. Like they did every year. Then there was the matter of the dragons sending a delegate this year, looking to set up their new migratory path over Equestria. Something about resource shortages along their current route. That one was more likely to be approved, but Discord couldn't care less about such boring matters.

He sat in his customary balcony-hammock and watched the guests mingle amongst themselves: ponies, donkeys, zebras, gryphons, a few bison. Celestia had moved her throne next to an open window for the occasion so as to include the dragon in her conversations. Most of the guests had chosen to keep a wide berth of the wyrm, but then most of them weren't alicorns. Chrysalis had yet to make her appearance. Actually she had, but was in the guise of a zebra. Celestia and Discord shared knowing looks across the room. Oh Chrysalis, you're going to have to do much better than that if you want to pull one over on Celestia. There's a reason she's the prime Pillar. He chuckled and then sunk back into boredom.

"We art surprised to see you this night Discord. Our ears doth remember that the last party thou attended you spake of how thou wouldst not return unless our jubilations were 'more entertaining'." Discord had heard this voice many times over the centuries and didn't need to turn his head to know who it belonged to. Without taking his eyes off the floor, he replied to the figure standing behind him.

"Just came for the food Luna. Your sister puts on a fantastic buffet every time, even if her company is the most dreary thing in existence." He snapped his talons and a plate full of the finest delicacies appeared in his paw. He started working on something he couldn't identify, as delicious as it was. Ethnic zebra cooking he wagered.

"That's Princess Luna, and thou wouldst do well to not cast thine magic around so foalishly."

"Oh please Luna. You can drop that ridiculous pretension. I'm not one of your loyal subjects that you need to impress with your "royal Canterlot" voice. Besides, magic is what I do. Well, that and fun." Luna rolled her eyes.

"We ... I mean I... know that. It's hard to speak normally when you're used to addressing your subjects. And your brand of fun tends to cause headaches for your victims, and ponies that are not victims."

"'Victims'? You wound me Luna. I would hardly call the target of a prank a victim. It's all in the name of fun. Even you have to admit the time I turned Celestia's mane into paintbrushes for a day was frightfully amusing." Luna giggled.

"Indeed, the servants were cleaning blue green and pink off the walls. She was furious for a week. She did get you back, if I recall."

"Certainly. the next month I received a gift from a 'secret admirer'. I opened it, and the next thing I know I'm on the moon with a letter saying that if I wanted to paint so badly that here was the biggest easel she could find. Celestia's a riot when she wants to be. I had the last laugh though." He snickered. Luna's eyes went wide with the memory.

"Oh yes. It took her years to remove that stain of yours. Tell me; is it that big in real life?" If the draconequus could blush, he was certainly doing it. Both of them rolled their heads back and shared a hearty laugh. Calming, they watched the party unfold below. Luna, her eyes not as practiced as Celestial's, gazed down looking for Chrysalis' latest guise.

"Wait, do not tell me. She's... that zebra with the inverted stripes?" Discord sighed and shook his head.

"Inverted stripes? They have black and white stripes. How do you know what order they're supposed to be in?"

"W-well I..." The draconequus laughed.

"Oh relax, Luna. Yes the stripes are inverted and yes that's her. Good eye." He raised an approving eyebrow.

"Huzzah! Her disguises are getting better. Few more decades and she may even be able to fool my sister."

"Probably a few centuries off yet, but yes, someday she's going to have this shape shifting act down. I dare say, she might actually make things fun around here again."

"Discord..."

"Oh Luna you know this day to day routine thing leaves me bored out of my skull. You can't honestly tell me that all of these functions, overseeing your subjects, raising the moon every night is enjoyable?"

"'If but one brick is in the wrong place, it takes but a feather to destroy a kingdom.'" Discord waved his hand dismissingly.

"Bah, don't quote ancient Equestrian proverbs at me. It makes me feel old. Not to mention that we authored half of them, so even at that it just sounds ego-stroking. Fine, you two can have your law and order. I'll go spreading the joy of random colourful mushrooms the size of manticores throughout the kingdom." He snickered. Luna's eyes went wide, the comment having reminded her of a report.

"That was you?"

"Well of course. Who else would it have been?" She shrugged and laughed. Soon after her laugh died off, she was thinking again, her face contorted in ponderance of some great mystery. Seeing her expression, Discord inquired.

"What's going on in that head of yours Luna?" Her face wrinkled, having not been prepared to talk about her internal query, however even if it was him just being him and prying into other's business, Discord's smile could be so disarming. She sighed and relented.

"Discord, the four of us... how long have we been here?"

"I don't know, an hour or so."

"No... I mean, how long have we been in Equestria? How long has it been since Equestria was formed?"

"I'll be honest, I've utterly lost track. I mean, we decided to take physical forms... what? Around half a millennia ago? That was amusing. Chrysalis couldn't decide what she wanted to look like, so she found a way to be anything she wanted. She always was terrible at commitment." Luna rolled her eyes.

“This is getting off topic, besides which you’re one to talk. I can’t tell if you’re coming or going.”

“I’ll have you know this form suits me perfectly, and I’m quite proud of it. As to whether I’m coming or going, well, that depends on what you’re doing after the ba-ow!” Luna cuffed Discord on the back of the head with one of her hooves, a deep blush covering her face.

“Off topic.” Discord snickered.

“Fine. Where were we? Ah yes. Before that? I can’t recall. Time is rather meaningless when you have no beginning or end. If I had to guess I would have to say much longer than we were ever corporal beings. Why do you ask?”

“I was just thinking: look at Chrysalis. I mean, Celestia and I took the form of the creatures we enjoyed seeing the most. I’ll be honest, being restricted to this body was a little unnerving at first, but I’ve since grown accustomed to it and I enjoy the company of the ponies a great deal. I know that my sister reflects my sentiments. Even you, in your bizarre personage, have embraced life amongst the mortals. Sure you spend your days spreading chaos and mischief, but even Celestia can see that you don’t mean any real harm by it. Chrysalis never did settle in as well. While she took the form of a pony like us, she never took any enjoyment out of it. ‘Too restrictive’ she said, missing the point of why we took forms in the first place in my opinion.

“She takes the face of whatever suits her that day, and becomes something else the next. She was an alicorn, like Tia and I… now what is she? How long has it been since you last saw her? How long has it been since you really laid your eyes on Chrysalis?” Discord felt a pang of anxiety in the back of his mind, realizing that it had in fact been decades since the last time he had seen Chrysalis in her chosen form.

“What are you getting at? You’re kind of blabbering right now.”

“Who are we?” Discord took a moment to inspect the princess’ face for some sign of emotion. Seeing none, confusion spread across his.

“I‘m sorry?”

“Who are we? Whether or not we chose to acknowledge it, since taking corporal forms we continue to change and evolve, just like the animals and citizens around us. At our core, we’re still the Pillars, but is that core even the same? If our external bodies and powers change, what does that mean for our souls? In a thousand years will I still be Princess Luna of Everfree Castle? Will everything still be the same? I see the changes in Chrysalis, both physical and emotional, and it scares me.”

“Luna, change happens.”

“We never did. Back when we were merely the pillars, none of this mattered in any intrinsic sense. Now that they matter, we care about these ponies and what stays and goes. We’re not just balance anymore Discord.” Discord just laughed again. “What’s so funny?”

“You are. Listen to yourself. You sound like something terrible is going to happen. Look, you and Celestia are obviously the beloved rulers here, and can do no wrong, I’m the avatar of chaos and have a ton of fun with your subjects, and yes Chrysalis has been a bit distant lately, but she’s still technically our ‘sibling‘. Sort of. Things are fine. I would not be surprised if we’re having this exact same conversation in a thousand years, and yes, you will still be Princess Luna.” She smiled and gave the draconequus a tight hug.

“Thanks Discord. For all your “unorthodoxy” you know exactly what to say to make me feel ok again.” She continued surveying the crowd. Chrysalis had found herself trapped in a conversation with two other zebras and the frowns on their faces indicated that, while she had emulated their form, she had failed miserably at copying their mannerisms. Luna glanced over at Celestia and noted that she was also giggling, watching the scene unfold herself. Things might be different, but some things never change.

“Discord thanks again for talking…” The words were lost in her throat as she looked back to the avatar of chaos. His expression had grown dark and he was glancing around the room frantically. “What is it?”

“Something’s not right…” Luna started to shake, unnerved by the sudden and unusual disposition from Discord.

“What Discord? What is not right? What are you talking about?”

“It’s Celestia… they’re going to…”

“WHAT?!” Their debate was broken up by a booming shout coming from near the throne. One of the gryphons was gesturing angrily at the Princess. “Again you refuse our offers! We consider this a personal affront to all gryphon-kind! You will submit to our terms!” Princess Celestia’s tone was calm and level, but her expression indicated she was not to be trifled with.

“We shall do no such thing. We believe we hath made our position very clear, Ambassador Windtalon. Feral or not, we shalt not suffer such a fate for even one of our little ponies. We did not take the responsibility of ruling just to allow our subjects to be fed to the highest bidder. Do not confuse our hospitality with complacency. Thou art free to enjoy the rest of the festivities, or leave at your leisure. Our answer has always been, and will always be, no.” Luna smiled down at her sister, feeling the situation was well in hoof.

“See Discord? Nothing to worry about. Celestia can deal with a few gryphons.” Luna felt her confidence drain away as soon as she saw the colour of his face: so very impossibly white.

“The gryphons aren’t the issue it’s…” The gryphon on the floor below was laughing, drawing the entire room’s attention to himself.

“Oh Celestia, I don’t think you quite understand me. I said you will submit to our terms. You really have no choice in this matter.” Celestia arched one of her brows, and took a moment to glance up at her sister and Discord in the balcony above. The look of horror on Discord’s face gave her the first indication something was wrong.

“W-what?”

“Oh Celestia, you’re so benevolent. So wise. It’s no wonder the ponies welcomed you with open hooves when you appointed yourself and your sister as their leaders. You would do anything to protect them from a terrible fate.” The gryphon nodded to a figure just behind Celestia. The hairs on her neck stood on end as she heard a deep rumbling sound and the creaking of a wall being bowed in, threatening to break. “You silly pony. Did you honestly believe that the dragons would bother to send an envoy requesting a new migratory path over Equestria? As if you had some say in their politics or decisions?” Celestia leapt from her throne and put the gryphon between her and the dragon that was forcing its way into the ballroom. A dragon was there to devour all of her subjects, and she had been the one to invite him in.

“What… how…” She stalled for time, trying to formulate a plan.

“Oh, him? Turns out dragons are easily bought off with ample treasure. Treasure which could have been yours had you relented years ago. Now, we’re going to make sure you understand the folly of your ways. Gorefang!” The dragon howled with rage and dove towards the nearest guard pony. The pony scrambled out of the way as quickly as his hooves could carry him, narrowly avoiding being lunch for the hulking monstrosity. The dragon’s bite tore a support column in two, and a portion of the roof caved in where the pony had been standing a moment before. Screams echoed throughout the room as party-goers panicked and ran for the doors. Several of the gryphons took positions around the room and sealed the chamber, trapping them all within. Chrysalis herself narrowed her eyes, and dark red smog started rising out of her body. With a swing of her now barely morpheus head, the dark red smog engulfed the entourage of zebras she had previously been trying and failing to talk to. She turned her head back to the other immortals, speaking with a voice that had a thousand intonations.

“Brethren, I will see to the immediate evacuation. I leave the rest of the entourage to you. Be wary, our forms may not yet be bound tight enough to Equestria to survive a dragon.”

The smog quickly multiplied in mass and flooded out, engulfing nearby guests, Chrysalis herself melting into it and disappearing as well. Luna and Discord could feel Chrysalis’ pacification magic surround the room, placating the panicking crowds while the smog absorbed them.

“Discord we have to do something, now!” Luna said sharply. He glanced around the room himself, looking for some sort of opportunity, some way out that wouldn’t cost the lives of the remaining party goers. In his distraction, he missed the dark blue blur that was Luna darting past him until it was too late.

“Luna wait, no!” His claw reached out into empty air. He watched in grim horror as she planted herself on the floor between the dragon and the rest of the assembly that were still in the process of being evacuated.

“YOU WILL NOT LAY A CLAW ON A PONY THIS DAY.” Her royal Canterlot voice filled the room with a booming echo, bringing even the rampaging dragon to attention. A field of the darkest, pitchest, black began to spread from her horn, dragging stray objects towards it, enveloping the immediate area around the alicorn. In her rage and panic, she continued to pour her being into the incantation. Recognizing the energies for what they were, Celestia cried out to her sister.

“Luna! Sister, thou art playing with a force your form will not allow! Cease your projections lest they turn you!” Confused and scared, Luna was brought out of her concentration by her sister’s cry, and the field dropped. Several objects dropped to the floor scattered about her, and she looked around shocked and confused. Capitalizing on the situation, the quicker reacting dragon swung his claw around and slammed the princess into the wall, grinning as she crumpled into a pile. “LUNA!”

The dragon smiled and thought highly of his good fortune. He had only been paid to eat a few ponies and sew destruction. The gryphons would surely pay more for the death of one of the princesses. He closed in for the kill. Time moved in slow motion for Celestia, the shock of seeing her sister flung against the wall slowing her reaction. The mouth of the dragon came closer and opened wide, saliva and other fluids splaying out to the sides. The dragon brought his mouth down around the alicorn and began to bite down. Celestia looked away. To her surprise, rather than a scream or the sound of masticated flesh, all she heard was a grunt.

Turning back, she saw that Discord had teleported into the advancing dragon’s mouth and had wedged its jaws open with his own body, preventing it from biting down. He struggled against the incredible pressure the dragon was able to produce, but he held.

“Celestia, get her out of here now! We don’t know if we’ll be getting her back if she’s destroyed by draconic null-magic.” Celestia enveloped her now fainted sister in a magic field and teleported her away. Discord leapt back and allowed the dragon to clamp his mouth shut. Unprepared for the sudden lack of resistance, its jaw slammed together and it shredded the inside of its mouth on its own teeth, blood dribbling out. Another roar of anger escaped its maw and it renewed its focus on Discord.

Discord teleported behind the dragon’s head and summoned a cotton-candy cloud covered with sticky caramel to blind it. It flailed about wildly and swung its arms out into the air, attempting to strike down the fly that was buzzing around its head. Slamming his claws and paw on the floor, deceptively durable paper-mache walls erupted from the ground and encapsulated the area around the dragon, the only leading exit out the side of the castle. Teleporting again, Discord appeared at the now gaping hole in the side of the castle, and called out to the enormous beast.

“Hey! I’m right here!” The dragon spun about and barrelled after him. A moment later and both dragon and draconequus were gone, both having flown off at a rapid pace. Luna came to a few moments later.

“I-I still exist in Equestrian form?” Celestia cried a tear of joy, letting it fall on her sister’s face.

“Yes mine sister, thou art still with us. However we fear the same might not be said for our comrade Discord. The dragon just left in pursuit of him.” Luna’s eyes went wide.

“Discord?! No! We must find him!” Celestia did her best to restrict the movement of Luna, but it was to no avail. The younger sister slipped free of her embrace and was gone.

“Luna!” She would need to go after her, but there was a more pressing matter to take care of first. She turned her attention to the gryphons, standing to her full height and releasing her leashed magic once she noticed that the crimson gas that characterized Chrysalis’s essence magic bled out of the room with their guests.

“Ambassador. For treason, espionage, attempted murder and attempted regicide, thou and all of thine accomplices art now prisoners of Equestria, to be tried and dealt with in a manner that suits us. Thou can also consider this a declaration of war between our peoples.”

The Prime Pillar flared her wings, rays of the brightest light enveloping the room in sunlight.

“Discord!” Luna had flown through the air frantically, searching for any signs of either draconic entities. She had nearly gone hoarse, having screamed at the top of her lungs for an hour. Finally, in the valley between two hills she could vaguely make out a tall slender shape. Discord did not turn to face the approaching alicorn.

“Luna! You’re alright?” He snorted a bit, a slight cough escaping his lungs.

“Of course I’m alright! Are you ok? How did you escape the dragon?!” He looked up at her, trying to find the words to explain himself. He started to speak, barely forcing the words passed a lump of emotion caught in his throat.

“Luna, when we because corporeal, do you remember the vow that we made? About the responsibility of our powers?” Luna nodded, trying to comprehend his meaning.

“We said that no matter what, we would not use them to kill another, as that would be a corruption of our strength and an abuse of our powers… why are you bringing this up now?” He sighed and covered his eyes with one hand, reaching out with the other and pointing at one the hills. Following his gesture, Luna examined the hill closely. Finally realizing what she was seeing, she recoiled in shock and horror.

“D-Discord… w-what have you done?!”

Only then had she realized what it was that she was seeing. There was no valley, there was no pair of hills. There was only one hill, and Discord was standing between the hill and the now dead body of the dragon, a large gash along one side indicating the impact of one of the draconequus more violent spells. Discord placed his face in both of his claws, unable to look Luna in the eyes.

“I just wanted to protect you.”

11: Chivalry is Alive and Well

Chapter 11- Chivalry is Alive and Well

Fluttershy's eyes slowly opened, the morning light pouring in the window and casting a glare across her face. Looking to her side, the person she snuggled into that she had believed to be Nathan was actually Pinkie Pie. Smiling, she gently rolled the party pony off of her leg and allowed her eyes to fully adjust to the light.

Rarity was blissfully asleep, a smile crossing her face. Things had been strained between them lately, but Fluttershy had seen change in the unicorn and it brought hope to her that things would be ok. Now that she was Nathan's marefriend, Rarity would have to accept him. The matter was how to tell her...

Fluttershy shrugged. All things in time. Right now, she was more interested in where Nathan was. She noted with dismay that his gun case was missing and one of his bags was open. Creeping out of bed so as to not wake the other two mares, she slipped out the door and down the hall. Passing by the room that housed the other three ponies, she could hear the soft snorts of snoring. Satisfied that she was the only awake mare she continued down to the kitchen where, to her relief, Nathan was sitting at one of the tables with his back turned to her.

She could see the Pie Cannon had been dissembled into several pieces and laid out on the table and a pile of greasy slightly mangled steel shavings sat off to the side. She watched as he picked one of dirty pieces up, turned it over a few times and replaced it on the table. Taking a quill in hand, he began talking to himself and writing in a book.

"Trigger mechanism for the shotgun has worn down quickly over repeated use at stress levels well beyond what it was originally designed for. On examination, likely cause is user gripping too hard during discharge. Barrel and pin also showing slight warping, affecting accuracy and reliability. Fortunately had the foresight to build replacement parts, and will be swapping in heavier gauge on the pin and trigger, but no available barrel means that the Cannon will need repairs once we reach Canterlot." He sighed and started rebuilding the firearm, replacing the defective parts and wiping it down.

Grasping it with both hands, and seeing down it, he slowly surveyed the room, feeling the cold metal against his hands and smiling. Fluttershy walked up beside him and glanced at him questioningly. Nathan kept smiling.

"Good morning Fluttershy. I hope you slept well?" He set the shotgun down and laid his hand on the mare's shoulder. A matching smile started to grace her face.

"O-oh yes. I did. I thought I was snuggling you of course, and not Pinkie, but having you close seemed to be enough."

"Good. I'm glad. I'm sorry I got up early, but I had some work to do and I needed to catch up on my writing." Fluttershy glanced down at the book.

"Your writing? I didn't know you wrote. Are you writing a book? Is it a romance novel? Oh that would be so wonderful." She clasped her front hooves together and smiled broadly. Nathan chuckled and shook his head.

"Hardly. This is my journal- a record of my experiences and observations in Equestria."

"Oh? Is that like a diary?”

"Sort of. However, it's not just a place to store my memories and private thoughts. It's also a useful research tool. So much here overwhelms me that if I don't keep up with it the facts start to blur together. Even something as natural to me as firearm maintenance."

"Oh I was wondering what you were doing. Is your journal private? C-can I read some of it?"

"Well...yes some of it is private. However, I wrote most of it expecting Twilight to snoop through it, so for the most part you can read it, if you would like. I warn you, much of it is boring charts and schematics. Here, I'll mark off a few entries with some substance to them." Nathan thumbed through the journal, using bits of paper to mark off a few pages the pegasus would find interesting.

In truth, Nathan had been careful not to write down anything the mares might find objectionable for this very reason. He had been considering writing down his experiences with Bronzewing and Luna in order to organize his thoughts better, but now he silently thanked the stars Fluttershy had come down when she did, interrupting his morning routine.

The mare looked back up at him questioningly, but his soft smile and gesturing to proceed gave her all the encouragement she needed to start reading. She wasn't the most learned pony, being from Cloudsdale, and reading was slow.

The pegasi were most concerned with ‘hooves on tasks’ like weather production, and placed academic studies further down the list of importance. She felt a little awkward, sitting in silence while Nathan watched her read, however part way through he took note of the mare's growing nervousness and made himself busy with the Pie Cannon, much to her relief. Fluttershy took note of the writing itself. Unlike the perfect strokes of a unicorn's levitation spell, the human's writing was a little more uneven and rough. More natural. She decided she liked it.

Finishing her reading, she let the journal flop back to the page Nathan had last been writing on. Seeing her finish, the human finished up with the Pie Cannon and snapped it shut back in its case. Turning his attention back to her, he took a seat next to her again.

"So?" Fluttershy smiled.

"I-I quite enjoyed reading it. Thank-you for sharing it with me. You were right though- some of it was a little boring." She dropped her eyes, suddenly very embarrassed. "O-oh I'm s-sorry. I was just saying. Oh please don't feel bad."

"Fluttershy it's fine. I told you some of it was pretty dry. Maybe it needs something to spice it up?" Fluttershy's puzzled look had returned.

"W-what do you mean?"

"Why don't you write something in it?" Fluttershy turned her head towards Nathan eyes wide.

"W-what?"

“You’re my marefriend, and I’m only going to be around a few more days. So why not do something a couple would do and share this journal?”

"O-oh n-no but I couldn't. That's your thoughts and feelings, not mine. I c-couldn't impose." Nathan rolled his eyes.

"Come on Fluttershy. I asked you for a reason. Besides, reading about things from a different point of view might help me to organize my thoughts. I'm asking you as your boy... sorry, coltfriend." The mare's eyebrow raised.

"You were so hesitant the night before... what changed?" Nathan shrugged.

"You've been so sweet to me the entire time I've been here in Equestria. How could I not be smitten with you?" I see you're still leading her on. Go on. Keep making an ass of yourself. It‘s not going to matter in a few days right? The pegasus' face lit up, the smile on her face all that Nathan needed to forget his nagging doubts.

“You mean it? You don’t mind?”

“Of course Fluttershy, go ahead. You can start writing here.” He smiled and pointed out the next blank page for her. She made a happy chirp and took the quill up in her mouth and tapped one of her hooves on the table, her face upturned in a look of deep thought. After a few moments she dipped the writing instrument into the available inkwell and started to write. Nathan patiently sat next to the mare and ran his hand along her wing, calming her and giving her the time to slowly write out her entry.

~~%#%~~

Oh, hello Mr. Journal. My name’s Fluttershy. I hope you don’t mind, but Nathan asked me to write in you, and even though I’m not your owner, I thought maybe it might be alright with you. You don’t talk much do you? I like that. I think it’s good that Nathan has a friend that’s nice and quiet. Then again, I guess you’re not really alive anyways, so how could you talk? Oh my! Look at me doodle on like an idle school filly who has just learned to write. I’m taking up half of your page just trying to introduce myself! I’m so sorry!

Um, so I’m Nathan’s mare friend now. Oh don’t tell the others though, it’s our secret. We just made it official the night before. The only other time I’ve felt like this is when I first came to Ponyville and met all of my animal friends. Even the other ponies there seemed so nice. It took me a while to open up to them, but I’ve gained so many wonderful friends. I’ve been even happier just being by Nathan’s side, sharing his experiences. I’m not a very brave pony, but being near him makes me feel like I could conquer the world! Not that I would ever do such a thing! Oh my listen to me!

I don’t know what else to tell you that Nathan hasn’t already. Actually I do have one secret that even he doesn’t know. I guess I can tell you, but you can’t tell him! Promise? For all of Nathan’s gruff attitude and volatile temper, he really is sweet and kind, and he only gets into confrontations to protect me from harm. Us. I mean. He only gets into confrontations to protect us. He doesn’t know it, but it’s true. Our secret, right journal?

Alright, that’s enough from me for now. My jaw is getting sore, and I’m sure Nathan still has a lot of writing to do himself. Thanks for letting me write in you- you’re a really good listener.

-Fluttershy.

~~%#%~~

Fluttershy finished up her writing and set the quill down beside the journal. She wiggled and stretched her jaw a few times to work out the mild cramp that had set in. Nathan smiled down at her and continued to run his hand along her wings, and she could feel his fingertips gliding across each individual feather and muscle, forcing involuntary sighs out of her mouth. She looked up to the human and matched his smile.

“D-did you like what I wrote? I hope it was ok.”

“It was fine Fluttershy, but I’m sorry to say that the journal didn’t keep your secret. I had no idea that I was so sweet and kind. I’m disappointed- I had just about earned my ‘jerk for life’ badge too.” She giggled.

“Well you haven’t acted like a jerk to me or the other mares for a couple days now. Usually you can’t go a couple hours without making some off comment about Rarity or Twilight.” At least not that you’ve seen…

“That bad huh?”

“Mmm-hmm. I’ve really seen a change in you though and it makes me happy. Thank you for being my friend.”

“Of course, Fluttershy.” The mare slowly rose to her hooves, quietly trotting back towards the hallway.

“I need to get a bit more sleep before we leave. Were you going to write some more?” Nathan shrugged and gestured towards the book.

“I think you’ve written all that needs to be said, don’t you? I could use some more sleep myself. Give me a moment to organize here and I’ll join you. Warm the bed up for me?” Fluttershy blushed and nodded.

“Of course.” With that, she trotted down the hallway with a bounce in her step that would make Pinkie Pie jealous. Nathan followed her, and before long a sixth and seventh set of snores could be heard echoing around the bunkhouse.

Luna was back in her parapet, quill and ink flying furiously over paper envisioning several contingency plans for the overthrow of her sister. She was confident Ypsilon would go along with it, if only to save his own skin, however there was so much that could awry, especially if he refused. If he does I'll have to deal with him as well. She shook her head. Focusing on her work again, she scribbled down a few more ideas.

"Slatehide! Stoutheart!" Her guards were at their usual post just below her, and were immediately at attention at the behest of their princess. Flying up, they landed just in front of her and dipped into their customary bows.

"Your majesty. You called for us?"

"Yes. I've been thinking about something and I need an outside opinion." Slatehide stepped out of his bow and arched his brow.

"Would you like us to fetch an advisor or another qualified unicorn?" She shook her head.

"No. I wanted your opinion. Both of your opinions." Stoutheart's jaw slung open.

"Princess Luna, surely you don't need us to answer your questions. We're merely your guards nothing more. We know nothing of what the kingdom needs." Luna knew that was a lie. The two had been her personal guard for long enough that if they hadn't picked up on the nuances of kingdom politics, she would have considered them stupid. Neither pegasus was stupid.

"No, Stoutheart. You're exactly who I wanted to talk to. It pertains to Ypsilon." Confusion spread across their faces.

"Ypsilon ma'am? I don't understand. We don't know anything about him, or even what he looks like."

"I know, but you've read most of my reports on him, correct?" Slatehide nodded.

"We have, at your bidding." She rolled her eyes but stopped short of frustration with the pony's constant adherence to protocol.

"And?" She stood on her rear hooves and tapped one of them impatiently folding her fore legs in front of her. Slatehide mulled over his princess’ request.

"You want my honest opinion?" Luna nodded and waved her hoof towards him pushing him to proceed. He sighed. "Princess Celestia is scared of him. She seems to think he can undo pony society. So why is she asking him to come to Canterlot? If anything, she should have dealt with him immediately. He's obviously found favour with some of her closest students. Either he's somehow manipulating her..." Slatehide stuck his hoof in his mouth realizing the blasphemy pouring from his lips. Luna smiled.

"It's fine. Continue." Stoutheart jumped in, a little less formal than his gruff companion.

"Or she knows something that she's not telling us." He blushed and dropped his head.

"It's alright my loyal guards. I asked you a question and you answered honestly. There is nothing to be ashamed of. I have been thinking the same thing, and my sister's seclusion has only heightened my suspicions." Slatehide was doing his best to not look incredulous.

"Then why ask?"

"I needed another opinion, from somepony who has not spent so much time with my dear sister, and would be willing to answer my questions honestly to see if their view matched my own."

"So what does this mean then?"

"It means that, unless I've missed my mark, Ypsilon and his relationship with Celestia, whatever that relationship might be, is concerning and should be observed carefully. Wouldn't you agree Stoutheart?" Stoutheart dipped into a low bow.

“Of course your majesty.” Luna sighed. As much as she enjoyed the company and the casual ease she shared with her guards, it wore on her some days just how loyal they were. It was hard enough dragging an opinion out of them. Getting them to do anything but agree with her would be nigh impossible. Waving a hoof dismissively she addressed the pair.

“You know, if would be nice if once, just once, I could ask you something and you wouldn’t dance around protocol and just spit it out. Do you actually agree with me?” Slatehide looked nervous for a second, but snapped himself smartly to attention and allowed the moment of discomfort pass.

“I’m sorry, Princess Luna, but I’m not sure how such a thing would be possible, and even if it was, it could be quite dangerous. You would need to send somepony out to physically be near him at all times, with the isolation protocols in place, and if Princess Celestia is correct about him being some sort of danger to our society, what’s a single pony against that sort of power?” Luna allowed the hint of a smile to cross her face.

“You are correct, Slatehide. I would need to send somepony to keep an eye on him at all times if I was even half-way serious about observing him as he travels. However, I would not be so rash as to send a single pony after him.” Stoutheart sighed with relief, reminding himself that of course Princess Luna wouldn’t purposely put a pony in harm’s way. Who would she have sent anyways? He had started to idly formulate a list when Luna’s continuing dialogue broke him out of his thoughts. “I’m going to send a pair. Two of the most trustworthy and diligent ponies I know.”

“T-two, Princess Luna? Who would these two be? Have you even talked to them yet?” She stood there and just stared at him, and then let her eyes drift over to Slatehide. A few moments later, they divined her intentions. “Us?” She nodded
.

“I need two pegasi I can trust implicitly to follow my instructions, and can act independently if necessary. The only two that I can think of that fit that description are you.” Slatehide, for one of the first times in his life that he could remember, was on the verge of fear.

“B-but your majesty, who would guard you? Our place is by your side. What if somepony attacks you in our absence?” Luna’s eyes narrowed.

“Slatehide, if I didn’t know any better I would say that you were being insubordinate.”

“N-no, Princess Luna, of course not.”

“Good. Then you will follow my orders to the letter, do you understand me?”

“Y-yes Princess Luna. W-what are your orders?”

“You are to observe Ypsilon at all times. Keep an eye on him- watch how he interacts with the ponies he travels with, try and figure out what his intentions are. We need to know as much as possible about him before he arrives in Canterlot.” Stoutheart carefully levelled a question at the stern monarch.

“Shall we intervene if it looks like he may come to harm, or leave him to perish?” Slatehide whipped his head around, a question planted on his face. Luna arched her eyebrow, intrigued by Stoutheart’s question.

“Stoutheart!”

“Slatehide, these are strange times. This Ypsilon, if he is as Celestia suggests, is dangerous. Allowing him to get to Canterlot may endanger the lives of everypony. I don’t like it any more than you do, but should we be assisting this creature in any way?” Luna smiled at the cool calculation of her guard.

“You have a valid point Stoutheart. However, not assisting his passage to Canterlot may very well run the same risks. We, personally, know very little about Ypsilon, which is why the espionage is important.” Both ponies bowed again.

“Yes your majesty. When shall we depart?” Luna looked up at the moon and gauged the time.

“Go home and get some rest first. Like ponies, he prefers to travel during the day. Depart at first light and seek him out. If my latest reports are accurate you should be able to find them around Raspberry Estates. You are dismissed my ponies.” She nodded towards the pair, and with a few nervous glances between them they departed. Trotting to the edge of the parapet she gazed out over Canterlot, taking in the sights once more. Ponies milled all about below her, enjoying the night that she had provided for them.

“Celestia, your time as ruler of Canterlot soon draws to a close. Whether by the hoof of my own self, or by the hand of the human, I shall take the reins in your stead. Centuries ago you sent me to the moon, when I was the Nightmare. You must know yourself that the balance is shifting against order, and Equestria herself is now starting to cry. She must live, as she always has, even through your end.” Turning back to the table, she continued making notes long into the morning.

As the mares prepared to leave, Applejack sat in quiet contemplation. Her ‘talk’ with Luna had cleared her mind, and she felt a sense of calm come over her. Nathan’s arrival in Ponyville had complicated things, but she was honest enough to realize he wasn’t the sole cause. Sure, he was a hoof-full, and she didn’t understand him all the time, but she was content to consider him a friend. When he had first shown up she was unsure what to make of him, but over time she had grown to appreciate him. It would have never happened if Twilight had not asked her to employ him, however. Which lead her to her next thought.

Pinkie Pie was gathering her belongings and stuffing her bag, shoving things in wherever they would fit. As she was going about this routine, Applejack trotted up to her.

“Uh, hey Pinkie. Did ya need any help getting packed?”

“Noperoonie! I’m just about ready to go!”

“Oh, ok. Ah thought maybe you might need help organizing. While Ah’m talking to you though, can Ah ask you a question?”

“Sure can! Unless it’s the secret to my super fabulous cupcakes and I don’t give that recipe out to anypony well except one time I accidentally told somepony what the first three ingredients were and I was soooo freaked out but then I realized all cupcake recipes use those ingredients so it was ok!” Applejack chuckled.

“It’s ok Pinkie, Ah just wanted to know about when Nathan first arrived in Ponyville. The very first day you made a comment about him being dangerous, and then later you convinced me to lie to the others and keep him on my farm. What was that about?”

“What are you talking about you silly filly? I didn’t say either of those things.” Applejack raised her eyebrow.

“Beg pardon? You absolutely did!” Pinkie shook her head.

“No I would remember if I had, but that was a pretty funny joke Applejack. Did you ever consider being a comedian? You could have an awesome stage name like Applejoke! Wait, was that funny? Heeheehee!” She giggled and went off packing again, oblivious to the confused orange mare behind her.

“Well that was peculiar…” Applejack shook her head and went back to getting ready to leave. Sometimes there was just no figuring Pinkie Pie out.

"Thou may enter, Lawn Order." Princess Celestia sighed. After having raised the sun, he had returned to her chambers, exhausted not only from her morning routine, but the compounded stress from her constant diligence over her kingdom. She silently cursed herself, realizing that it was her own fault the adviser was at her door so early, insisting that the reports from the day before be delivered at Lawn's earliest convenience. Any contemplation of returning to sleep was lost as soon as the knocking had begun.

Lawn Order carefully slipped in the door so as to not make any undue noise, and trotted over to the princess, a stack of papers gently levitating just to her side. She bit her lower lip, seeing the irritation etched on Princess Celestia's face, and stood at attention. Celestia sighed again.

"Thou art trying our patience Lawn Order. Dost thou have a report for us or art thou just here to gaze upon our magnificence?" Lawn fumbled with the papers in her grasp and forced herself to respond to the agitated monarch.

"I-I'm sorry y-your majesty. I was waiting for your permission to speak. With your blessing I will give my report?" Celestia waved her hoof towards the unicorn. Lawn swallowed audibly and continued speaking. "Thank-you, your highness.

"Since you are usually so insistent on the progress on our special projects, I took the liberty of moving their status reports to the top of the list. ES-24 is at seventy-six percent operational status. Tests 3, 17, and 22 were all successful, while the others had to be aborted due to improper triangulation of coordinates. As the rest of the projectors green light, we should have total control. Several sites are reading unexpected energy levels and warrant further examination. The Everfree Forest location specifically is putting out enough power to account for the lack of three other sites.

“Project Skylight continues to see ongoing success in such a short period of time. I have personally overseen some of the research and development myself and can attest to the many hours both the unicorns and pegasi are pouring into it. There was one unfortunate mishap where the spell field covering a pegasus unexpectedly collapsed. He was rushed to the hospital with internal trauma from the release of the energy, but is expected to make a full recovery." Lawn paused for a moment, waiting for the Princess to comment on the injury. Noticing her adviser's silence, Celestia raised her eyebrow.

"Yes Lawn Order?"

"Well... I just thought that you would inquire into current health of the pegasus, or if such an accident could happen again? You must be concerned with ponies lives at stake." If Lawn Order could have felt more nauseous or been any whiter at Celestia's next statement, she would have.

"Thou said he's expected to make a full recovery, and that it was only one pegasus. In our time as thy ruler, many such pegasi have come and gone, and he is no different. Should the accident have been fatal, he would have been remembered as a hero of the kingdom. As it is, he shalt return to service as is befitting one of our citizens. Accidents doth happen. The greater good must take precedence."

"O-of course y-your majesty." Celestia smiled.

"Good. We implore thee to continue." Some of the colour returned to Lawn's cheeks, but she was having issues concentrating on the reports.

"T-Twilight Sparkle and her party have arrived at a series of communes in the northern reaches of Equestria. At their current pace, they should arrive here within the next two or three days. It seems that Ypsilon is... starting to fit in much better with them." The alicorn narrowed her eyes dangerously.

"Better? How?" Lawn frantically searched the documents in her grasp and muttered to herself. Pulling out the one she was looking for she faced the Princess again.

"Apparently, most of them are now treating him as their friend... and Twilight..." The unicorn trailed off.

"And Twilight what?"

"Um... well I'm not sure I believe the report and I wasn't going to bring it to you. Can we move on?" She laughed nervously. Celestia was not having any of the adviser's avoidance.

"Lawn Order, the last time we appraised our situation, we are thy ruler and thou shalt not avoid answering our questions. Thou shall answer us or thou shall have a first-hoof experience of the moon thyself. Dost we make ourselves clear?" Lawn's fear was palpable, and the rush of words was so rapid that Celestia had to ask for clarification.

"TwilightSparklewasoverheardquestioningyourwisdomandisnowturningtoYpsilonforadvice. Pleasedon'tsendmetothemoon."

"Thou will speak slower. Now, answer me!"

"One of the pegasi overheard a conversation between Ypsilon and Twilight. He reported back that after a disagreement between them, she questioned if you knew what you were doing and is now turning to Ypsilon for advice." Lawn Order hid behind her stack of documents, fearing the repercussions of her report. Celestia fanned her wings and snorted. Lawn peaked out and could see a rage playing out across the monarch's face. Barely restrained anger bubbled just beneath her quiet exterior.

"Twilight Sparkle has done WHAT?!"

"P-p-please, Princess Celestia. There's a very real chance that the report is inaccurate or was misinterpreted. We both know how much Twilight loves and trusts you, and there is little evidence that she would do this. Even if that was the case, Ypsilon is a manipulator and..."

"Thy will still thine tongue should thou wish to keep it in thine mouth." Lawn cowered, scattering the reports throughout the bedchamber.

"P-Princess..."

"We said silence! So, Twilight thinks her new friend can protect the kingdom better than her own Princess does she? Perhaps it's time that insolent unicorn felt our retribution for her many faults. Lawn, thou shall have a letter delivered to her, encouraging her entourage to hasten their pace, lest they find themselves at the end of my horn. Do we make ourselves clear?"

"C-c-crystal, your majesty."

"Now, doth thou have any other reports for us at this time?"

"N-n-no your majesty." Celestia nodded.

"Good. Depart post-haste."

"Y-yes Princess Celestia." The grey unicorn gathered her papers and galloped as quickly as her hooves could carry her towards the door. Grabbing the stack of reports in her mouth, she magically opened the door and slammed it behind her. Celestia sighed once more, and turned her attention to the ceiling.

"Thou can come down now Slatehide. Dids't thou listen to the adviser's short report?" In the corner of the room, a brief shimmer of magic appeared and dissipated, leaving a cloaked pegasus in it's wake. He flew down and alighted himself in front of the princess.

"Of course, Princess Celestia." He bowed deeply.

"We assume that it was thine report that informed on Twilight Sparkle?"

"Yes."

"We thought so. Thou have been most busy lately, spying not only on our sister, but also on Twilight Sparkle and her companions. Thy actions have proven thyself a loyal citizen of Canterlot."

"Of course your majesty. I could not stand idly by while your sister schemes behind your back. My loyalty is to Canterlot first. It's been that way in my family for generations." Celestia smiled.

"Good, good Slatehide. Now tell us what latest news dost thou bring on our sibling?" Slatehide nodded.

"She is sending myself and Stoutheart out to gather more information about Ypsilon. I tried to dissuade her from this, but she failed to listen to reason. As soon as this conversation is finished I am to go back and meet up with my companion and depart."

"Dost thou have a suspicion as to why she wouldst do so?" Slatehide shook his head.

"I'm sorry my princess, but at this time I have no idea what she is after. Though if what you told me is true, which I would never doubt, it could be she is looking for allies to overthrow you. I love both you and Princess Luna, but if she is changing back into Nightmare Moon... I will do whatever I can so that does not come to pass."

"Of course Slatehide. Thine caution and care are to be commended. We are pleased you see the true nature of things. We have requests of you. First, take this key, enter the vaults and return with the item marked on this tag." She magically willed a receipt into one of his pockets.

"What is it?"

"It is of no importance at this time. We merely have need of it, and thou art the most convenient pony to carry out our wishes." Slatehide nodded and bowed. "Secondly, thou art to follow our sister's commandment. For now, follow the human, listen to him, learn what thy can. The knowledge will be useful to us, and we may ascertain what our sibling intends for Ypsilon."

"That is all, Princess Celestia?" She smiled softly at the pegasus.

"At this time, thou art dismissed, Slatehide. Return the item to us and then depart with Stoutheart. Thine kin wouldst do well to take heed of your loyalty." Bowing again, Slatehide started trotting towards the window. Celestia began weaving an incantation, re-establishing the concealment spell. With a glimmer of magical energy, Slatehide disappeared.

Turning to a pile of papers on her desk, she debated doing some more work, but the allure of her bed overpowered her psyche. She was always so tired lately. So tired. Sloughing off her crown and shoes, she flopped onto her mattress and almost immediately passed out.

“Quick get inside and close the door!” Twilight Sparkle pushed the door to a small cottage open with her magic and galloped inside, the other mares following along. Nathan brought up the rear, slamming the door shut and locking out the cold weather. They had made good progress that morning initially, and even with the bit of snow falling they had managed to set a pace that would easily put them within a day of North Gelding by the evening. However, as the morning had dragged on, the snow and wind had picked up and had slowed their progress considerably. Deciding that a new course of action might be warranted, Twilight had pointed them in the direction of a nearby cottage.

"Well? What should we do? Wait for the weather teams to clear it away or forge ahead?" Nathan shook his head.

"With how hard it's coming down the weather teams are going to take too long dealing with it." He pointed out the window and waved his hands. "Besides, I haven't seen a single pegasi this morning yet, have you? Come to think of it, I haven't seen one on weather duty this entire trip." Twilight opened her mouth to rebuke the human, but as she did she realized that in fact, no, she had not seen one. Closing her mouth she sheepishly shrugged.

"I guess not. Rainbow Dash?"

"Huh? What?"

"How cone none of the weather teams are out working the skies?" Dash rolled her eyes.

"Uh, duh? The whole ban on travel between towns? Applies to weather pegasi as much as it applies to normal ponies. I think we could totally handle it, 'cause we're awesome like that, but Princess Celestia's orders are orders. Besides, the skies around here always were a little more untended." Twilight put a hoof to her nose and closed her eyes.

"Rainbow Dash! I was relying on the weather being good all week! You told me that it was going to be nice!"

"Hey, I told you it was supposed to be nice. It's hard to monitor the weather when you're trapped inside a guard's shield y'know? It's just a little snow, how bad could it be?"

"Just a little snow? Just a little snow?! Look at it! I've never seen so much of it. Even Nathan's worried, and weather where he comes from is naturally like this!" Nathan arched his eyebrow, having been dragged back into the conversation.

"What? I'm not that worried, but it is coming down pretty hard. We might want to wait here for a bit and get warmed up while we figure out what the plan should be. I’m curious though- you’re getting mad at Dash, but if you had known the weather was going to be like this in the first place, would it have stopped you from leaving Ponyville?”

"Well, no."

"Exactly. So you might consider going easy on the girl." Twilight looked at Rainbow Dash sheepishly.

“Sorry Dash.” Dash shook her head.

“It’s ok. Now, let’s get warmed up. It’s cold out there!” Dash sat in front of the fireplace and pointed a hoof at it and impatiently waited for Nathan to build a fire. He rolled his eyes and laughed.

“Oh yes my mistress! Let me attend to your pampered needs my mistress! Here, shall I rub your hooves for you too? They must be so sore from all of that walking you’ve done today.” Dash snickered.

“Just make the fire dweeb.”

“Whatever zebra face.” The two of them laughed and soon a fire was radiating out, and warmth filled the cottage.

Nathan wandered off to another room, looking for some sort of bed to lay in, thoroughly exhausted having spent most of the morning dragging the ponies through the snow. After the initial hour of travel, Nathan had to tie ropes around them to prevent them from getting lost. His larger frame and physical strength had made him the anchor of the array, and it had been slow going. Finding a bed, he barely bothered taking off his boots before flopping into it. He closed his eyes, waiting for the sweet embrace of sleep to come.

It didn't.

Turning and opening his eyes, he could see Pinkie Pie standing at the door to the room. Nathan smiled and waved her over.

"Alright Pinkie, come on in. Not like this is my personal room or anything. Sorry, seems to be only one bed but I'm sure we could figure something out” He laughed and watched Pinkie bounce over. She giggled and hopped into bed, taking a seat next to him and letting her fore hooves hang over the side.

“Watcha doing?”

“Trying to get some sleep. That was a long morning, and the afternoon probably won’t be much different.” She nodded.

“Oh I know right? That was quite the storm. I thought something was weird about it, but I guess now that Dash cleared up the issue with the weather pegasi it all makes sense.”

“Yep, I was concerned myself. Oh well, not much to do about it at this point. In the meantime we should get some rest.” He closed his eyes, hoping the pink pony would do the same. She turned back to look at him, and studied his face. Opening one eye he could see her staring at him intently. “Now what’s up Pinkie?”

“Your face has scratches on it. Where did they come from?”

“Fluttershy didn’t tell you? Bad room service in Manyhooves. Apparently the porter mistook me for some sort of monster and freaked out. Ponies can hit hard when they’re scared let me tell you.”

“Oh that wasn't very friendly! You’re ok?”

“For sure, Pinkie.” She smiled and laid her head down. Nathan shut his eyes again, hoping for the sweet embrace of sleep. Just as it took him, Pinkie stretched out and stuck a hoof into his gut.

“Ouch.” He reached down and rubbed the sensitive area she had prodded, the same place he had been winded by the Baron the night before. “Careful Pinkie.”

“And where did you get that?” Nathan sighed.

“I told you, the porter.”

“No, you said he hit you in the face.”

“Well, yeah, he hit me in the face, and then he hit me in the gut.” Pinkie shook her head.

“So you’re telling me that he hit you in the face in a panic, and then rather than running away, or going for help, he stuck around long enough to hit you again in the stomach?” Nathan scratched the back of his head.

“Uh, yeah?” The pink pony sighed.

“You’re not a very good liar Nathan. I thought we weren’t supposed to be keeping secrets.”

“We’re not but…”

“But nothing! Friends don’t hide things from friends!” Nathan frowned.

“I’m sorry Pinkie. I just can’t tell you about it right now. Please trust me on this one.”

“Trust is mutual, Nathan. You’re always hiding things. Always. I’ve already gone out on a long limb to help you keep what you need concealed, even when you were building a potentially lethal weapon under Twilight’s house. You promised me that you would hold me as a reliable confident. Instead, you pretend nothing is wrong and go on thinking that I’m too stupid to understand, just like the others. I thought you held me in higher regard than that.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that, everypony else knows me as Pinkie Pie, the fun loving party pony. I don’t have intelligence, wisdom, or any other sort of mental capacity for anything other than fun and games. You, for whatever reason, see me as a real pony. You don’t think I’m an idiot, you value my opinion. At least I thought so. When you keep secrets from me, it reminds me that even you think that I’m an idiot.”

“Now that’s not fair Pinkie. I’ve never considered you any less intelligent than any other pony, and I do trust you!”

“No you don’t. Not really. There wouldn’t be a need for you to actively lie to me if you trusted me or my opinion. So can you tell me what happened that night? Or how you actually got to Foalham quicker than us?”

“Not right now, no. It’s not that I don’t trust you, I just don’t have the words to explain it right now. Besides, if you’re so concerned with being seen as a ‘real pony’ as you put it, why do you laugh all the time? We’ve been in several dangerous situations already, and you always laugh. How can you say that they don’t take you seriously when you don’t let them see you for the pony you are?”

“What do you mean? I don’t let them see me for who I am? I’m always there for them, I’m their friend!”

“Yes, Pinkie. You’re their friend, but you don’t let them treat you like they’re your friends. This whole trust business is one-sided, they trust you to be honest with them, upfront and willing to listen. They try to treat you as if you’re the pony that they meet everyday to talk to, they try to listen to you when they think you know things, they try to accommodate you for they pony they think you are. The problem is they have no idea who you actually are, how in the world could you possibly think that they would treat you as anything other than a party pony if you’ve never trusted them enough to show anything about yourself?

“They think they know who you are as a pony. They don't, but it's not their fault. It's not their fault for not knowing what sort of a pony you really are, neither is it their fault for not knowing what to ask or to say to be the friends that they really are. I’m not saying it’s your fault either, since you obviously have reasons why you’re acting like this in the first place, but I’d also be much more charitable to their side since they don’t know anything and you not willing to talk isn’t helping any.” Nathan finished more angrily than he otherwise expected to be, and stared at Pinkie Pie beadily waiting for a response. Pinkie Pie, for her part, looked equal parts outraged, sad, watermelon and, oddly enough, happy.

“…Say Nathan, do you remember the worst day of your life?”

“Yes, I can.”

“Do you want to talk to me about it?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s private.”

“But compared to that, most days are better right?”

“I guess so. Do you want to talk about yours? Does it have anything to do why you’re so bottled up that every other pony thinks you’re nothing but a bucket of laughs?” Nathan watched her hair deflate, and the smallest, saddest most tentative smile he’d ever seen on a pony inch its way across her face.

“Did you ever hear about how I got my Cutie Mark?”

"Do you mean How Equestria was Made?" Pinkie’s eyes clamped shut, and her smile trembled and grew strained.

"Then you should know that I was raised on a rock farm and moved to Ponyville soon after getting my cutie mark." Nathan nodded.

"Yes, you found your passion for parties. I've heard you've thrown all sorts, and that they're always top notch. Did everypony come to expect nothing but parties from you?” A sad shake of the head reminded Nathan he was continuing to interrupt her story. "Sorry Pinkie, please continue. No more interruptions from me."

"I moved to Ponyville and started throwing all sorts of parties, wanting to make as many friends as possible. I poured all of my energy into making every party unique and special. Even if I threw two parties with the same name, they would be wildly different. I took up a job at Sugar Cube Corner to help pay for them. I thought maybe I could make a living off of the parties at first, but in the end I had too much fun throwing them to ask for any sort of money. I'm sorry, by the way."

"For what?"

"For not throwing you any sort of parties."

"It's ok Pinkie. You don't need to throw me any..." Pinkie cut him off, visibly agitated.

"No, it's not. It’s really, really not.” She shook her head. "Anyways, while I rarely returned to the farm to see my family, I kept in touch as best as I could and we sent letters back and forth almost weekly. One summer I noticed that my parents hadn't been sending as many letters as normal. Apparently the farm had fallen on rough times and it wasn’t a good season. I offered to return home and help but they insisted they could handle it. One day I was throwing a party for a pony that had just moved to town- Juniper Berry. It was going to be the biggest, most fantastic party yet. While making my final preparations I heard a knock at the door."

"One of your friends?"

"No one of my sisters. She told me mom and dad were sick, and had finally asked for me to come back to the farm to help them. This was hours before the party, and I didn't think it could be that bad whatever it was or, rather, that it couldn’t possibly be so important that it couldn’t be delayed for my party. I told my sister I would something to attend to, and that I would return in the morning. She nodded and left." Nathan could feel a lump welling up in his throat.

"Pinkie, you don’t have to say-” Pinkie Pie placed a hoof to his mouth, and shook her head sadly.

"I packed up a basket of goodies and treats for them to help them feel better. The party was wonderful. Everypony had a great time, and Juniper Berry had made so many friends that she told me that it was as if she’d lived here her whole life, I was so happy. The next morning I woke up refreshed. I grabbed the basket and headed off."

"Pinkie..."

"I arrived at the farm to find my sister sitting in the doorway of the house. She had tears running down her face, and a letter in her mouth. Apparently, my parents passed away the night before, whatever illness they had running its course. Had I left Ponyville the day my sister asked me to return, I would’ve made it.” Pinkie broke, tears streaming out her eyes, and a clenched jaw that tried to hold back her sobs.

“I-instead, I came home to a pair of younger siblings who had to watch their parents die alone, wondering why I wasn’t there, or what could’ve been so important that I couldn’t possibly make it. Then they had to bury them the next sunrise without me because their worthless older sister was too busy partying the night away to possibly attend." Pinkie Pie spat out the last few words through her sobs like she’d eaten something foul. Nathan could feel pity and tears welling up in his eyes.

“Was it from your parents… That letter?” Pinkie gave a weak nod.

"It was a last letter from my parents to me as they lay in their death bed. They had dictated it to my sister and she had written it down word for word. 'Pinkie,' they wrote, 'we are so proud of the fine young mare you've become and how even in the face of possible tragedy, you were able to put aside your personal feelings to fulfill your obligations. Your sisters should be more like you- we're so proud of you and wish you all the best.' Proud." She turned to Nathan, unrestrained tears streaming down her face. "I ignored my sister, and decided to stay and party, and they said they were proud of me. Proud!” Pinkie Pie looked like she detested very fact that the word could even exit her mouth.

“I quietly left the farm later that day and went back to Ponyville. My sisters took over running the farm and I haven’t been back. They still look up to me like I can do no wrong, the perfect daughter. I don’t deserve any of it. Not the perfect, not their pride, not their unwavering respect, I don’t even deserve to be called their daughter.

“I’m… I’m so sorry Pinkie, I didn’t know.”

“Ever since then… I’ve been trying my best to make other ponies happy with the one thing I know I can do. I thought I earned a little place back by the time I met the girls, I-I thought I could be myself again. That I didn’t have to be treated as a nopony that only knew how to party anymore…"

“Pinkie… You didn’t know, it wasn’t your fault.” Pinkie turned sharply.

“IT DIDN’T MATTER IF I DIDN’T KNOW, SHE TOLD ME TO GO, I SHOULD HAVE TRUSTED HER AND I SHOULD’VE STILL GONE AND BEEN THERE. I should’ve been there for them…” Her voice trailed off into sobs as the tears continued to flow. Nathan took the pony up in his arms and pressed her unresisting head into his chest.

“Pinkie… You didn’t have to put yourself through any of this. For that matter, why tell me? Why tell me any of this when I won’t be around here for much longer anyways?” Nathan could feel the tears welling up in his own eyes.

“Because I’ve never had a friend who actually cares about me for me and doesn’t make me feel like I’m an idiot. Never. There’s always somepony who puts me down for trying to enjoy life. You take me for me, and that’s why it hurts me the most that you want to hide things from me. We’re supposed to be friends. We’re supposed to trust each other. We’re supposed to…” She sniffed back a tear and felt a lump in her throat.

“Supposed to what Pinkie?”

“I don’t know. It doesn’t matter- you’re going to keep on hiding things from me, and you’re going to leave me alone as the stupid party pony.”

“Look, Pinkie. I’m sorry. You really are a special pony, and I think you’re amazing. No other pony could do half of what you’ve done for me since we first met.” Pinkie stopped crying and looked up at the human.

“R-really? You mean that?” Nathan nodded.

“Mmhmm. I still think you do yourself a disservice by hiding behind a veil of laughter and giggles rather than letting your friends get to know you, but I can understand where you’re coming from. Tell you what- let’s make a deal.”

“Okay?”

“You promise me to be more open with the others and try and let them get to know the real Pinkie Pie, and I promise that not only will I not keep anymore secrets, but before going home, I’ll tell you anything I’ve hid from you thus far. Deal?” A small smile started to spread across her face, and she nodded.

“Deal.” She stepped down off the bed and hopped away back to the main-room with the other mares. Stopping in the door she looked back over her shoulder, and Nathan could see that for all intents and purposes, cheerful lovable Pinkie Pie was back. She winked and continued on. Nathan turned his thoughts back to napping, and managed to pass out a few minutes later.

A while later, all seven of them had reconvened in front of the fire. Looking out the window, they could see that the small storm had relented and only a few flakes were now falling outside. Nathan addressed the group.

“Alright, looks like nature’s decided to cut us a break. If we’re going to move on today, this is the time to do it. Gather your stuff, let’s go.” He bent down and grabbed his bags, slinging them about him. Digging through one bag, he scrunched up his face, unable to locate the object he had been searching for. Setting the bags down again, he looked through each one in turn. Stopping, he slowly stood up.

“Oh Fluttershy?” She made a quiet squeaking noise.

“Y-yes, Nathan?” He smiled. You’ll have to wake up earlier than that to pull one over on me you mischievous little pegasus.

“You wouldn’t happen to know where my journal got to, did you? I mean, it couldn’t possibly have found it’s way into your bag right?”

“Oh n-no, I have no idea where it could have gotten to…” He walked over and knelt in front of her.

“Then you won’t mind if I take a look through your bags right? Oh what’s this?” He spotted the corner of the book poking out from one of her saddlebags. “Wouldn’t you believe it? Here it is!” Fluttershy went a dark crimson.

“Oh however did that get there? S-somepony must have stuck it there when I wasn’t looking. Isn’t that funny?” She turned away a stifled a giggle. Nathan chuckled himself.

“Fluttershy, if you wanted to hold onto my journal, all you had to do was say so. Though, I think it’s my turn to write something. You already had your turn this morning.” Twilight trotted over.

“You keep a journal?” Nathan nodded.

“Well, at this point it’s safe to say we keep a journal.” He gestured between himself and Fluttershy. “She wrote her first entry in it this morning.” Despite her misgivings of the dynamics between Fluttershy and the human, Rarity couldn’t hold herself back.

“I dare say, that’s simply romantic! I know a few stallions that could learn something from you.” Nathan blushed and smiled meekly at the unicorn.

“Heh, I don’t know about that, but thanks I guess Rarity?” Fluttershy prodded him.

“S-since that was my first entry, do you think maybe I could hold onto it for tonight, and then tomorrow after I write something else, I could give it back then? I think it would be nice to spend our last few mornings together like that.” Nathan scratched his chin and relented.

“Sure Fluttershy. Tomorrow morning we’ll trade back. You can hang onto it for now.” Not a face in the room lacked a smile. Finishing packing, they strode back out into the winter wilderness. The last pony to head out the door was Rainbow Dash, but as she was about to exit the cottage, Nathan tapped her on the shoulder.

“Hey hold up.”

“What? You want to go another round dog knee?”

“No I wanted to say… wait, dog knee? That’s the best you could come up with dork knob?” She giggled

“Maybe… but seriously, what’s up?”

"Nice cover."

"What are you talking about?"

"I spent enough time in Twilight's library to know that it takes a lot longer than a week or two for the weather to return to its natural state. Pegasi or no, it shouldn't be this bad."

"Hey, I said that the skies around here aren't as monitored, remember? Something about proximity to the border." Nathan shook his head.

"It still is monitored though, enough to keep the weather regular enough at any rate."

“The weather has cleared up though! I mean, it doesn’t matter anyways right? Nice clear day now.”

“Try again, dinosaur breath. Look at the walls of the storm cell- you can see them even from here. We’re just in the eye, and soon enough we’ll walk into the other side. It’s going to be the same or worse in an hour.”

"I..."

"Dash, we both know what's up. Why don't you tell Twilight? It might make her feel better, not to mention yourself."

"I have no idea what you're talking about heh heh." Dash looked off into a corner of the room.

"You're a terrible liar Dash. Fine. Let's go." Nathan ran out the door flagging down the departing mares. Dash watched him leave and grimaced before catching up herself. She tried to convince herself that Nathan was wrong, but true to his word, within an hour the storm had returned to its previous intensity. Nathan jogged up to Twilight, noticing she was having troubles keep her pace.

“Twilight! What’s going on?”

“The snow and wind are getting too thick. I’m having difficulty moving.” Nathan nodded and set down his bags.

“I have some rope here, let’s tie on in groups. Applejack and Pinkie, being earth ponies, should be able to anchor you and Rarity. I’ll tie on with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. If we stick together we should be ok.” Twilight nodded and the group stopped to set up. Soon, they continued on with the human and earth ponies pulling the others along. Twilight looked over to Nathan.

“Nathan! You say this is a natural storm for you? This just seems so awful!” Nathan smiled.

“Well, normally I wouldn’t want to be out in this, but yeah it’s just a bit of wind and snow. Nothing terrible. You should try living without magic for a bit- it’s spoiling you ponies rotten.” He laughed and kept walking. Twilight fumed a bit, but could see Applejack and Pinkie sharing his smile and thought better of chastising him. She did, however, look back and frown at the expression on Rainbow Dash’s face. She was taking the weather worse than any of them.

“Dash! You can’t do anything about it, so don’t worry about it!” Dash shot her a glare.

“I can so do something about it! Just watch me.” She slipped out of the loop that had secured her to the human and Fluttershy and flew off, wings beating furiously against the wind. Reaching the overhead cloud layer, she managed to move a few clouds before the wind and snow forced her to land again, and quickly sealed up the holes she had made. Nathan put his hand on her shoulder and gave her a knowing look. He bent down and whispered into her ear.

She shook her head, attached herself to the rope again, and kept walking. Twilight had not overheard what the human had said, but she could feel a chill run down her spine.

The weather became progressively worse as the afternoon progressed, and soon they were in near white-out conditions. The howling wind made most forms of vocal communication impossible at range, and they had resorted to hand-hoof signals between the groups. The sun, trees, and any other form of landmark were blotted out, and eventually they were walking blind. Nathan jogged up to Twilight again, and got as close as possible to her.

“Twilight! Do you know where we are?” She shouted over the storm.

“Yes! Just over this next hill we should see a few more farms! We’re far enough along we can stay for the night here and wait out the rest of this!” In almost a state of glee, she started quickening her pace, beckoning the others to keep up. Nathan held back slightly, smiling at the suddenly overeager mare’s enthusiasm. His smile dropped when he saw a panic starting to come over Pinkie. He could see her mouthing something inaudible to Applejack, who was starting to share her worry. They were doing their best to pull back on the ropes attaching them to Twilight and Rarity, but if Twilight could feel their restraint, she didn’t show it. Trying to ascertain the cause of the worry, Nathan squinted his eyes at the receding ponies and blanched when he divined the cause for concern.

Twitchy tail.

Dashing up after them, and dragging the pegasi with him, he called out for the others to stop, but it was too late. Cresting the hill, the storm cleared enough to reveal their surroundings and Twilight realized one step too late she had horribly miscalculated their position. Rather than being in the lower foothills of the northern mountains, they were up on the side of the mountains themselves, a solid hour north by foot from where she estimated their location. It was the last thought she had before she, and the other three ponies attached to her, began tumbling down an icy ridge towards a ravine. Nathan broke into a dead sprint.

“Shit!” He crested the hill himself, and threw off the rope connecting him to the pair of ponies, tying them off to a tree. “Stay here, and don’t move for anything!” Continuing down the hill as fast as his feet would carry him, he realized that on foot with how slippery it was there would be no hope of catching the now screaming group of ponies. Diving onto his stomach, he propelled himself down the slope. Using his hands to steer around any obstructions, he was coming up quickly on the mares and was met with sixteen wildly flailing limbs.

“All of you relax! Stop moving!” One by one, three of them managed to take control of their facilities and listened to the human. Rarity, however, was still shrieking at the top of her lungs and panicking. Nathan rolled his eyes, grabbed her by the mane and shook her. “Enough!” She stopped screaming and curled into a submissive ball. “Applejack, Pinkie, the three of us will get on the lower side and dig in our feet! Twilight! I need you to use your magic to grab onto anything we happen to slide by and try and slow us as best you can!” The three ponies nodded. Applejack, Nathan and Pinkie Pie all pushed up against the two unicorns and dug into the snow and ice, trying to slow their collective descent. With Rarity was still rolled in a ball, Twilight lashed her magic on to several trees and soon they had managed to slow their progress. Grabbing the rope, Nathan swung back out from the ponies and grasped onto another tree they were about to pass. He groaned under the weight pulling at his arm, and the tree branch snapped, but they soon came to a rest, a couple hundred feet from the ravine. In unison, the five of them sighed in relief.

“Well, that was close.” Nathan chuckled. Twilight looked embarrassed.

“I’m so sorry! I thought we were further south! That could have been a disaster.” Nathan reached out and rubbed her back.

“It’s ok, we’re all safe now, that’s the important thing.” Dash and Fluttershy came flying down the slope slowly, having removed themselves from the tree.

“That was so awesome! Did you see the way Nathan slid down that slope? Awesome!” Nathan laughed again. The panic returned a moment later when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Rarity had begun to slide again, and the loop of rope around her body that was supposed to secure her body had slipped off. She tried stamping her hooves to the snow to stop, but she couldn’t generate enough traction to stop her forward momentum from continuing to slide her down towards the edge. Nathan came on to his feet immediately.

“Applejack! Tie this onto something stable, now!” He threw a coil of rope to her, and tied the other end onto his body. He took off down the slope again, mentally calculating the distance to the edge and the speed at which the pony was traveling. Diving to his belly again, he started to close the gap, but realized he wouldn’t make it in time. He had a few dozen feet left before the edge of the ravine when he committed to the only course of action that he had left. As Rarity shot off the edge, screaming the whole way, he grabbed an outcropping of rock, forced his upper body off the snow, brought his feet underneath him, and leapt off after her, praying to whatever pony gods that didn’t want him court-martialed that might be listening to him that Applejack had secured the other end to something sturdy. Grabbing Rarity in his arms, his heart jumped into his throat as vertigo took over and they plunged downwards. He saw the cliff face rapidly accelerating past his face and clamped his eyes shut, fearing for the worst.

His prayers were answered as a moment later he felt the rope catch on something. The action tightened the rope around his midsection, compressing his lungs and forcing the air out. The sudden stress threatened to make him pass out, but he fought through it and kept his grip on the unicorn in his arms. The rope sagged and slackened more than he would have liked, but the rope held, and soon both he and Rarity were hanging upside down over the ravine. The wind pushed them back and forth, and the snow stung at his eyes. Looking down, he could see the floor of the chasm was obscured by the storm, and he couldn’t begin to guess how far the drop would be, but they were alive and he mentally thanked Applejack. He looked back up at the still screaming pony and gently rubbed her mane, whispering into her ear.

“Shhh, shhh. It’s ok Rarity, you’re going to be ok. I’ve got you.” She opened her eyes long enough to evaluate her predicament and clamped them shut again, throwing her hooves around Nathan’s body.

“Please don’t drop me please don’t drop me, I’m so sorry that I’ve treated you so uncouthly you’re not a beast please don’t drop me. I’m sorry for everything I’ve said darling. Don’t drop me!” She was trembling, in the human's arms. Nathan sighed.

“I’m not going to drop you. I wouldn’t have jumped out after you if I was just going to drop you. Okay? Relax.” She nodded and managed to open her eyes. Her blue pools gazed into his, and a feeling of quiet understanding came over her.

“Thank-you. I don’t know why you did this, but thank-you.” Nathan smiled.

“You and I haven’t exactly seen eye to eye in the past, but that doesn’t mean I would stand by and watch you plummet to your death. Now, let’s figure out how to get back up.” Twilight had made herself over to the edge of the ravine and was calling down to them. The storm was obscuring her voice, but they could vaguely make it out.

“Nathan! Rarity! Are you two ok?!”

“We’re fine Twilight! I’ve got Rarity in my arms and for now we’re in no danger of dropping! What did Applejack tie us off onto?” Twilight shuffled her hooves, and glanced back and forth between the hanging pair and something behind her that Nathan couldn't see.

“Herself and Pinkie.”

“WHAT?!”

“There was nothing else to attach the rope to. So far they’re holding, but the storm and your weight is making it difficult to keep their grip on the snow.” Nathan could feel the scowl creeping up on his face.

“Are they insane?! We could have dragged them to their deaths! Ok, we have to get up quickly then. Can you guys pull us up?” Nathan could see Twilight relay the question to the earth ponies, and a tug of the rope signified their attempt. A couple more tugs lead to a sad shake of the head from Twilight.

“No, the rope’s caught on the edge of some sharp rocks! If we pull too hard the rock will cut into the rope! You’re too heavy!” Nathan squinted his eyes and made out the rocks she was referring to, and sure enough the rope was tightly slung over them, and had even then begun to cut into the first few strands. The attempt to pull them up had further damaged their life line.

“Try using your magic on the rope maybe if you lighten the load they can get us up without cutting the rope.” Twilight nodded and Nathan could see a faint lavender glow encircle her horn and a matching one run along the rope. She managed to lighten the load just enough that Nathan could feel the earth ponies making headway. Just as he felt that the crisis was averted a strong gust of wind swung the line out wide and buffeted Twilight, forcing her to drop the spell and focus on not toppling over the edge. Nathan could feel the sudden added weight pulling on the line, running it over the rocks and, along with it, Applejack and Pinkie. He watched the rope slide against the sharpened cliff side, individual strings of the strong twine cutting apart. Twilight turned her head and yelled.

“Rainbow Dash get over here! We need you to fly down and pick them up away from the rocks, I don’t think Fluttershy can fly much in this weather, hurry!”

The two pegasi appeared at the edge, glancing down at the hanging pair. While the look on Fluttershy’s face was the expected shock and horror, Dash had a look of inner conflict and met eyes with Nathan.

“Twilight can’t do anything to this storm Dash.” The rainbow coloured pegasus frowned and looked at Twilight. “Just tell them.” A tear rolled down Dash’s face.

“No, don’t make me do it. Not like this.” Nathan smiled.

“Then fly down there and help me get Rarity up. You can do that right?”

“You’re sick, you know that camel butt? How can you just sit there and make stupid jokes at a time like this?!” Twilight looked at Dash.

“What is he talking about? What’s going on, why aren’t you flying down and pulling them up? Rainbow Dash!” Rainbow Dash’s eyes darted all over the landscape trying to avoid the question, but finally sighed and gave in. Nathan couldn’t hear the conversation, but he could tell from Twilight’s dismayed look what it was.

“It’s Nathan. It’s him. He’s interfering with the weather and making it like this. He’s been doing it since Ponyville. Not on purpose or anything, of course. I never said anything because I didn’t think it mattered, but the weather around him doesn’t function right. On top of that, he makes flying more difficult.” She dropped her head.

“What?!” Twilight was stunned, and was broken out of it shortly after by Applejack.

“Twi! Ah’m sorry to break up the conversation, but what’s goin’ on?! It’s getting real hard jes’ to hold on to the two o’ ‘em. Ain’t Rainbow got ahoof of them yet?” Twilight looked at the pair of struggling earth ponies and back down to Nathan. Hearing the strain in Applejack’s voice, Rainbow Dash flew over the edge. The wind threw her about and progress was difficult, but she managed to make her way to the pair.

“Nathan, what can I do to help?” Nathan shook his head.

“Dash, you can barely keep yourself in the air. Don’t do anything stupid. I know that’s hard for you, but come on.” Dash refused to listen to him, and pulled up on Rarity in a futile effort to drag them up. The effort was largely wasted, and Dash was fatigued, sweat rolling down her forehead. “Dash, if you want to help go get on the rope and help keep us supported. Applejack and Pinkie will need help. Keep Fluttershy from flying out too, there’s no way she can keep alight if you can barely hover in this situation.” Dash frowned, but nodded and slowly flew back up over the edge, grasping the rope in her mouth. Twilight yelled down at the human.

“Nathan… I don’t know what to do! There’s something wrong my magic’s not reacting the way it’s supposed to be! I can lift giant constellation monsters, I can buffet a tornado for Celestia's sake, so why am I so useless at a time like this.” He felt the rope sag more. So we're too heavy, huh? Nathan turned his head towards Twilight and yelled up at her.

"Twilight! Go with the others to try and haul us up! We’ll be fine here for a bit!” While Twilight nodded and turned away from the cliff edge to go help the others, Nathan turned to Rarity.

“Rarity, stay calm alright? I’m just going to tie you on above me here, because I need my hands free to try and get us out of this.” Rarity nodded and did her best not to struggle as Nathan stretched upwards and tied her onto the rope a couple feet above him. She weakly smiled down.

“I’m sorry… for everything.”

“It’s ok Rarity, I’m sorry too.” He reached for one of his bags and pulled out his knife, and started sawing away at the rope that connected him to the rest of the rope. Rarity’s eyes flashed with panic.

“No… Nathan, what are you doing?!”

“Sorry Rarity, it’s the only way.” Rarity screamed up at the other ponies.

“Applejack! Fluttershy! HELP!! Stop him! Don’t let him do this!” Hearing her screams carry over the storm, Applejack hurried over.

“Twi you grab the rope over here! I need ta talk to Nathan!” Applejack ran over to the edge, noting the knife in his hand.

“Whoa nelly! The heck’re ya doin’ with that knife?” Nathan could see Fluttershy looking confusingly between Rarity and Applejack, unable to ascertain what was happening.

“It’s the only way Applejack. If I let any of you ponies fall to their deaths while I could do something about it, I’d land in every hell any human’s ever conceived. I’m not going to make you choose between us, so I’ll choose for you. It’s the only available option.” Fluttershy’s voice squeaked out, barely audible over the wind.

“Applejack, what’s he talking about? What’s going on?” Applejack stood up straight and looked over at her, then back to the human.

“He’s saving Rarity. That’s what he’s doing.” Fluttershy smiled.

“Oh that’s wonderful. I knew he would!” Applejack shook her head and shouted down at Nathan again.

“The heck are ya on about ya stupid human? Tain’t the way we do things in Equestria! There’s always another way, if we just work together we can find the answer! Stop that right now!” Nathan shook his head.

“Sorry Applejack, I don’t think there is. If we had more time maybe, but I can already feel the others loosing their footing. Is my life worth four ponies?” Applejack scowled.

“Don’t you use yer fancy mathematics to muddle the issue! Ain’t no sense to be made comparin’ one life to another. They’re all valuable. You’re telling me you’re going to let Fluttershy here watch you do this?” Nathan watched a few more strands snap off the rope from the sharp rocks off the side of the cliff.

“If that’s the way it has to be.” Fluttershy blanched.

“Applejack, what’s going on?!”

“Stupid critter’s going to cut the rope.”

“No! Applejack! Twilight! Stop him! Somepony do something! Don’t let him do this!” Fluttershy joined in the panic.

“Horseapples… Fluttershy! Stay here an’ talk the idiot outta this. I’m gon’ go see if we can’t do somethin’ about this with the others. While Applejack hurried off the edge, Fluttershy turned to Nathan tears in her eyes.

“P-p-please, Nathan, just hang on a little bit longer. Everything will be okay.” Rarity looked back down to Nathan and yelled at him.

“Don’t you dare do it- if you do I’ll… I’ll… I’ll hate you forever!”

“Come now Rarity, I thought you already hated me?” With a deft swipe of the knife he severed the rope. For as long as she lived, Rarity never forgot that moment. Unable to tear her eyes away, she watched him fall head first into the obscuring mists, a contented smile never leaving his face. Her heart sank as she realized he had given his life for her, after months of torment, and still he was smiling. Fluttershy's wail broke through the moment.

“NOOOOO!” She reached her hoof into the air and watched his body disappear into the storm. She backed away from the edge, horrified. Tears in her eyes, she turned and looked at Applejack and could see the silent reservation in her face while Applejack tended to the rope. A purple glow surrounded the rope, rocketing it and Rarity from over the edge landing them in a pile. Fluttershy ran over to her and threw her hooves around her, both bawling their eyes out. Pinkie Pie looked between the stalwart earth pony on the edge of the ravine, the crying pair on the ground, and the severed rope.

“W-where’s Nathan? What happened? Where is he?” Appplejack trotted over to the edge and sat there, staring down the cliff silently.

“N-no. No, that’s not possible. He couldn’t have. How could you let him? Quick! Throw the line back over the edge! He’s gotta be just over the edge!” She dashed for the edge. Applejack caught the movement out of the corner of her eye and tackled her.

“Pinkie no! He’s gone, and throwing yourself off the edge ain‘t gonna bring him back.” She struggled against Applejack’s grip.

“NO he’s just over the edge! Throw it back! I can help him! Let me go!” She was crying again, refusing to believe what had happened. Finally she broke down and collapsed. “He promised! He Pinkie promised!” All six mares sat in misery, crying freely. As if on queue, Celestia’s sun broke through the cloud layer and the storm starting clearing away, revealing a bright and sunny day.

12: Deadly Realizations

Chapter 12- Deadly Realizations

Rainbow Dash sat on the edge of the chasm, glancing back over her shoulder. Her eyes drifted from pony to pony. Twilight was staring off to the north, her back turned to the others, Rarity and Fluttershy were still lying on the ground together, crying, Applejack was sitting next to them deep in thought and Pinkie… taking a further look around she couldn’t see Pinkie at all. She considered going to look for her, but she had something else on her mind to deal with first. Dash took one more look around the plateau they were sitting on and, with a practiced leap, dove head first into the canyon.

Fanning her wings open, she was both glad and dismayed at the ease with which she glided through the air. She felt the air currents flowing along them, each row of feathers, and the wind bending along, around and through her feathers. She closed her eyes for a moment, to savor the feeling. She shook her head, reopening her eyes and reminding herself of the situation- the loss of a friend. If her wings had worked this well not fifteen minutes before, she would not be searching the crevice for some sign of Nathan. Slowing her descent, she began to scour the walls of the canyon for some evidence of the human’s passage.

The storm continued to sweep unabated through the chasm below, gusts of wind and snow buffeting the pegasus’ slow descent. Dash looked below, frowning at the lack of visibility. Her eyes ran along the boulders and cracks running along the sides of the cliff. Glancing up and gauging where Nathan would have fallen from, her search was far slower than she would have liked, and only her desire to see the human unharmed overwhelmed the urge to give up. The longer she searched the greater her desperation grew. Not a scratch, scrap of clothing, or bag could be seen hung up on a rock.

“Horseapples, this is stupid. Dumb zebra spit, I’ll never find you like this.” As she turned to head back up the cliff side she caught something out the corner of her eye. She felt acid in the back of her throat and a sick feeling in her gut. Blood. A long smear ran down one side, roughly below where Nathan had fallen. Without thinking, she folded her wings against her back and dived straight into the white depths below. The snow and ice nipped at her eyes, threatening to blind her while tears were squeezed out in steady streams. Ignoring a larger hail shard that ripped into her side, she continued to dive relentlessly into the blinding white mist below.

Closing her eyes for a moment, she tried to shake the image of the blood out of her head, but it persisted despite her efforts. She instantly regretted it. Her shoulder grazed an outcropping of rock jutting up from the base of the cliff pushing her into a tumble. Her eyes flew wide, and she attempted to compensate, swinging around an old trunk growing out the side that suddenly greeted her. Looking back over her now throbbing shoulder, she considered how close she had been to throwing herself headfirst into a rock. Then she hit the ground.

She bounced a few times, tumbling and rolling along the ground, and finally came to a rest in a lump. Groaning, she sat up, and took a moment to survey her body. She had a few bruises, and her shoulder and side hurt fiercely, but she was relieved to see her injuries were mild at worst. As images of the bloody smear came rushing back, she bound to her feet. She started frantically combing the area for any sign of the enormous bipedal.

“Comes on… come on… come on! This isn’t right. None of this is right. Why aren’t you here? This is all your fault, you big stupid oaf. You know that? All of this is your fault! If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have had to kick you out of town, then Fluttershy wouldn’t have felt guilty then gone to that stupid forest, then there’s the whole changeling invasion, then while answering Celestia’s stupid summons, everything from my wings to weather and magic stops working because of you, not only that but all of my friends’ve been getting all weird too! Now, you go and get yourself killed, and why? The heck were you trying to prove anyways? That Rarity’s a jerk? That Twilight was wrong and that you were a good person? I coulda’ told you that! You rat-faced, bark-chewing, meat eating, two legged furless monkey… IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT.” She wanted so badly to blame everything she was feeling on Nathan. All of her conflicting emotions, her misgivings for her friends…

Friends. That’s what this came down to. The heck did that mean anyway? Twilight Sparkle got sent to Ponyville to learn about the magic of friendship. Those first two days, they all got together to fight and bring back another friend, Princess Luna. The Elements of Harmony, the magical relics that signified their connection, had worked together, twice now, to defend Equestria from some ancient evil. Dash wasn’t philosophical, wise, or intelligent, at least not compared to other ponies, but even she could put it all together for herself. As long as you had your friends, and they all worked together, there was nothing they couldn’t overcome. Up until today, especially being the Element of Loyalty, she had believed that with all of her heart. Now, she wasn’t so sure.

The Elements of Harmony required them to all work together in sync for the greater good, a single act of friendship connecting the six. With a common goal, that friendship was able to light a path in the darkest heart, and seal away even the most chaotic of beings. As long as their friendship was strong, and they were working towards a common goal. Why didn’t it work then? No, they didn’t have the Elements of Harmony themselves on them at the time, and surely with their strength they could have saved Nathan, but it shouldn’t have required them. The magical implements were merely physical representations of the bonds between them, not the bonds themselves. They should have been able to do it together because they were all friends…

She stopped trotting, her face turned sour. The last of her tears were sniffed away and a cold, grimy feeling started to well up in her heart. If her stomach had been sick from the sight of the blood smear before, the sudden realization of their situation made her positively nauseous. Her yells started to turn into screams.

“It can’t be like this! Don’t let it be like this! Answer me!” Behind her she heard some shuffling sounds. Her ears perked up and she turned to face the sound. “Nathan?” She walked over towards the shuffling, hearing a few groans. Relief flooded her body. “Oh Celestia, I’m so glad I found you. I saw all the blood you left behind and I thought for sure you were… ah whatever who cares, come on we have to get you back up top. Funny thing is my wings are still working fine. Guess you were wrong tortoise wrinkle! Hahaha. Nathan? Nathan?” Her jovial attitude dropped away as she came closer to the groaning. “Uh… Na…than?” The groans turned into a growl and a pack of timber wolves stepped forward out of the mist, several of them with blood in their mouths and one wolf still tearing into a particularly shaped bag. Dash froze, a tight ball of ice formed in the pit of her stomach. There was only one specific body shape that backpack would’ve accommodated, and Spike wasn’t big enough to carry that.

It could’ve only been Nathan’s.

“No… No, no, no NO!” She started backing up immediately, putting as much distance between her, the snarling pack of wolves and, perhaps most importantly, the torn backpack, as she dared before trying to fly off. As the wolves moved to close the distance, she gave a powerful flap of her wings and in a burst of colour she flew off as fast as she could. A couple of the closer wolves made an attempt to make a leap at her, but they were quickly outranged, and ultimately went back to the bag that a few of the others had been ripping between them, spilling the contents over the snow. Flapping back up to the cliff edge, tears streaming from her eyes, she landed with a thump next to the other ponies. Applejack looked up at her, seeing her injuries.

“Dash? In tarnation happened to ya?! Where’d you go?” Dash snorted.

“Applejack, what makes you feel right in the world? What’s the one thing that, no matter what, at the end of the day, you think about it, and it makes you feel like everything is going to be ok?”

“Uh… that didn’t really answer mah question, but… Ah guess my family. No matter where Ah am in Equestria, or what adventure we go on, Ah just think of Big Mac, Applebloom and Granny Smith, and Ah know that we’ll succeed, and when Ah get home Ah’ll have a big ‘ole apple pie waitin’ for me. Why?”

“For me, it’s my friends, being the element of loyalty and all. I’m loyal to my friends to the end.”

“Well that goes without…”

“If I had any.” Applejack stopped moving and stared intently at Dash.

“Wh-what? Dash? How could you say that?!”

“Think about it Applejack. We’ve been friends for years- we’ve done everything together. We’ve defeated villains together. We’ve worked together in everything. You know who’s the only one who’s worked with me on anything lately? I’ll give you three guesses, and chances are he’s dead.”

“Now Dash, that ain’t right. Sure we haven’t seen eye to eye on everything…”

“Eye to eye? Applejack, think. Really really think. Consider the last three months. Have you enjoyed them? Have they been what you expected them to?” Applejack huffed.

“Well, Ah don’t appreciate being put on the spot but no, Ah reckon they’ve been anything but.”

“Exactly. It’s all wrong. I feel like I don’t know any of you anymore. You’re not the ponies I’ve come to call my friends.”

“Now Dash, Ah ain’t been much different…”

“Lying to us all isn’t different?” Applejack’s jaw hung loose.

“Wh-what? Who told you?” Rainbow Dash shook her head.

“Who else? Nathan. We do talk sometimes y’know, like friends should do. Is there anything else you want to tell me?”

“Well Pinkie Pie…”

“Making excuses now?”

“Dash!”

“Forget it. Where is that bubblehead anyways? I have questions for her too. Talk to me when you can be honest.” Leaving behind a speechless Applejack, she flapped past Rarity and Fluttershy. There wasn’t any movement from her fellow pegasus, but she could hear Rarity softly repeating the same thing over and over again.

“Shhh, now. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I would do anything if I could bring him back to you.” Rarity was barely above a state of shock herself. Rainbow Dash had more to say to the normally pompous unicorn, but seeing her in the state she was in, barely holding on herself while consoling her catatonic friend, she just didn’t have it in her to continue her attack. It was too little too late, but Rainbow could see the genuine hurt in Rarity’s eyes.

After a few minutes of searching she noted with mild distress that Pinkie was trying to make her way down the chasm herself, jumping from rock to rock and making much slower progress than she herself had made flying down.

“Pinkie Pie! The heck’re you doing?!” Dash flew up to a disgruntled looking Pinkie. She cast the pegasus a sidelong glanced and huffed.

“What’s it look like I’m doing? I’m going down to find Nathan. I can’t see anything with all the snow below.” Dash shook her head.

“Pinkie… There isn’t anyone to find down there. Just get back up.”

“No. You obviously didn’t find him, so he has to be still down there.” She hopped down another rock, feeling one hoof barely keep purchase on the narrow surface. Her face paled momentarily before it firmed up again, she hunched back and began to tense up for another leap.

“Pinkie, I did find… something.” Pinkie stopped mid-jump, and turned to face the pegasus, her initial excitement dying off as soon as she saw the expression on the other mare’s face.

“W-what did you find?” Dash turned her head, she didn’t want to see her face.

“I found one of his weird bags…” Pinkie hesitantly eyed up the pegasus.

“Oh?”

“And, uh, a smear of blood down one of the canyon walls…” Pinkie’s eyes went wide.

“Oh no! Dash did you find him? Is he ok? Why didn’t you bring him back up if he hit the wall? Is he bleeding at the bottom right now? Is he…” Dash cut her off before she could finish the sentence.

“I don’t know Pinkie. He wasn’t there… just…” Pinkie’s lip was trembling.

“Yes?” The cyan mare sighed, dropping her head.

“There was a pack of timber wolves fighting over what was left of his weird bag; there was fresh blood on their fangs…” The pink earth pony’s pupils dilated. She stood in place for a moment and glanced down into the chasm, taking an honest look at how far the jump would actually be from the point she was standing and whether or not it would be survivable. Quickly shaking away the idea, she glanced back up at Dash.

“T-timber wolves? Dash…” Dash frowned.

“What do YOU care anyways?”

“Wh-what? Dash? What are you saying? Of course I care!” Dash lowered her altitude to meet Pinkie’s gaze angrily.

“You do huh? Then why’d ya lie to us then and talk Applejack into going with Twilight’s crazy plan.” Pinkie nearly fell off the cliff having heard the words from Rainbow Dash.

“What are you talking about? I never did anything like that!”

“What did you mean then? I thought you were his friend. Our friend.” Pinkie shook her head sadly.

“If you only knew…”

“What? Explain it to me Pinkie I knew there was something that you were keeping secret with Nathan behind our backs, out with it! I know I screwed up when I didn’t tell anypony about how Nathan made ambient magic around him not work, me not talking got him killed! So TALK.” The pink mare’s expression twisted into something nervous, frightened and even guilty, it was an expression that Rainbow Dash had never seen on her normally happily saccharine face.

“I… I can’t.” Dash growled and flapped her wings aggressively.

“You can’t? Seriously? Everypony is being as crazy as that time when Discord was around screwing things up, Nathan is dead, and you just ‘can’t’? Buck you Pinkie.” Pinkie looked up, a pained expression on her face. She looked for a moment like she had more to add; to defend herself against Dash’s damnation, but nothing came out. “Bah.”

“Wait!”

“Yeah?”

“Can…can you help me back up to the top? Dash growled.

“Ugh! FINE!” With a modest amount of effort, she grabbed the pink mare and dragged her back up over the edge in time to see a pegasus in royal armor approaching Twilight. “Wait, who’s that?” Pinkie started to fidget in Dash’s grip, forcing the pegasus to give her a light tap with her rear hoof to remind her of their precarious position.

“Oh oh! Maybe Celestia sent somepony to help us find Nathan!” She was starting to show that characteristic smile again. Dash shook her head as she set Pinkie down.

“I doubt that. How would she know we needed help? We should go see what they’re talking about.” The two hurried over to where the pegasus pony and Twilight were finishing up their conversation.

“… I hope you understand that Celestia won’t wait much longer for your group to arrive in Canterlot.” Twilight shook her head.

“But the human…”

“I will pass on the message Twilight Sparkle, but for the time being the summons of the princess still stand. Read them at the earliest convenience and convene the harmony elements.” The pegasus grunted in the general direction of the two approaching mares and took off towards Canterlot with a powerful flap of his wings. As he departed, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie trotted up to where Twilight was slowly reading a scroll.

“Hey Twilight?” Dash interrupted her reading. “What’d that guard want? He seemed to be in an awful hurry.” Twilight sighed and glanced up at the two.

“It’s not good, I’m afraid.” Pinkie shook her head, and her ears flattening.

“More bad news? As it is we’re going to have to wait for the snow and wind to die down below before we can find out where Nathan is. Dashie said she found a pack of timber wolves down below, and some blood! He’s going to need our help.” She was nearly frantic again, but she managed to keep a grip long enough to finish her sentence without completely breaking down.

“…we can’t stay.” Twilight stated matter of factly, continuing to run her eyes over the scroll in her possession. Both Pinkie and Dash stood there with their mouths open for a moment before they heard Applejack trot up behind them.

“Come again, sugar cube?” The orange mare was eyeing up Twilight carefully.

“It’s a summons from Princess Celestia. Here let me read it.” Twilight made a show of clearing her throat. “Dear Twilight Sparkle and Friends: It has come to our attention that the route thou art taking in reaching Canterlot is taking much longer than we would have anticipated it taking. We had presumed, since it should have only been Twilight and the human traveling that it would be around four or five days following the railway. For whatever reason, thou hath chosen to travel as a group, and travel northward in an unorthodox manner that escapes our reasoning.

Moreover, it is becoming abundantly clear to us that thou art beginning to question the wisdom of thy ruler and taking solace in the misguided ramblings of a foreign deviant who thou should know is not in good standing with us. This messenger hath been sent to encourage thy party to travel faster. We shall expect thou to arrive in Canterlot within the next three days. Shouldest thou take longer, we shall have to remind thee that whilst thou has enjoyed a privileged position by our side before, nopony is above the wisdom and knowledge of thy ruler, and thy party shall suffer a punishment swift and fitting. We assure you, sending you back to magic kindergarten would be lenient. We eagerly await your arrival. Princess Celestia.” She levitated the scroll back down and rolled it out on the ground in front of the others, allowing them to read it themselves. Their looks turned from curiosity, to shock, to downright horror.

“W-what in tarnation? That Celestia lookin’ for a hoot or somethin’?” Applejack was sputtering. “W-we jes’ lost Nathan an’ all o’ a sudden Princess Celestia tells us to git it goin’? Ah reckon the princess has her reasons but…”

“But that’s ridiculous!” Pinkie butted in. “We can’t abandon him! No way, no how! I’m staying here and nothing any of you say will change my mind.” The other ponies could see that she was quivering slightly.

“I’m sorry Pinkie, but that’s not an option. The princess has demanded we get to Canterlot as soon as possible, and we can’t disappoint her. That goes for all of us. Now let’s pack our things and go. Rainbow Dash, can you go help Rarity and Fluttershy please? The others will get the rest of the stuff together and…”

“No.” Twilight looked slightly dumbfounded at Rainbow Dash and frowned.

“I’m sorry?” Dash lifted into the air and brought herself close to Twilight’s face.

“I think I speak for everypony here when I say, and I mean this with all due respect,” the sarcasm dripping off her voice indicating she meant anything but, “no.”

“Dash, this is a letter from Princess Celestia! We have to do as she says! If we don’t she’ll punish us. This is worse than the time I was tardy for a friendship report! She says we need to go to Canterlot, so we’re going to Canterlot.” Dash’s frame trembled.

“You… are you… Twilight…” She couldn’t take it anymore. “ARE YOU SERIOUS?! Nathan saves us from going over a cliff, after YOU take us the wrong way into a blizzard, saves Rarity again, and falls off the cliff himself! Fluttershy’s a wreck, Rarity’s barely able to stand, we all just watched a friend tumble over a cliff, and you’re just going to run home to mommy at the first call?” Twilight shook her head.

“Now Dash, you know Celestia isn’t my mother. I have a mother her name is…”

“I DON’T CARE WHAT HER NAME IS GENIUS! You’re all acting like a bunch of stupid jacked up donkeys! Rarity I could at least understand, she tends to blow everything out of proportion, but you? You lie to us for months.” Dash caught Applejack flinch out of the corner of her eye, but kept the focus of her aggression on Twilight. “You treat him like a research project. Now that he ain’t useful to you, you’re just going to abandon him? Just ‘cause the princess says so?”

“It’s a letter from Celestia Rainbow Dash. There’s not much to do about it. I asked the guard to send somepony out to look for Nathan later, and that will have to be good enough for now. Read the letter Dash. She’s going to be cross if we delay any longer.” Dash grabbed the letter out of Twilight’s hooves.

“Cross? CROSS?! I’ll show you cross!” She proceeded to tear the letter to shreds and allowed the confetti to drift down onto the snow while a shocked Twilight Sparkle attempted to gather it all up with her magic.

“Rainbow Dash!”

“Shut up Twilight. You know what? Fine. Let’s go. Pinkie, Applejack, grab your stuff. Help me get the others moving so that little miss egghead here can run home to mommy.”

“I told you she’s not my…” A threatening glare from Rainbow Dash cut her words short. The pegasus turned back to the earth ponies. Pinkie was crying again, but managed to squeak out a whisper.

“Dash we can’t just…” Dash ran a hoof over her pink mane and sighed.

“I’m sorry Pinks. I’m not as happy as Twilight is about it, but it’s still a letter from the princess. Come on, we’ll get help for Nathan later. He’ll be fine. Always has a plan right?” Her earlier exaggeration hit home with Applejack, and the farmer and pegasus shared a glance that Pinkie picked up almost immediately, her tears flowing even more. There was no point in staying any longer if they hadn’t found him yet. Nathan’s plans had tended to be haphazard at best, and at best they would be looking for a body to bury. Sighing they trotted off to help the other two ponies gather their belongings. Twilight Sparkle looked off towards Canterlot, carefully tucked the shreds of scroll into her bag and started to gather her things.

You would think they would be more excited about a letter from the princess. I know I always am. I should ask Dash why she’s so angry later. Must have been something I said. Oh well, I’ll be seeing Celestia again soon! She skipped off, humming a tune, and followed along as the others trudged through the snow in the proper direction of the farms she had identified on the map earlier in the day, Rainbow Dash and Applejack all but carrying Fluttershy while Rarity leaned on a still sobbing Pinkie Pie for support. They could all be miserable if they wanted.

It was a lovely afternoon and Twilight was going to enjoy it.

Chrysalis sat in her room brooding. She had never before felt so helpless against the tides of fate, the tipping and swaying of the Balance. In all of the centuries as the queen of the changelings, and the centuries before that, she had always been the architect of her own destiny. When she had broken away from her ‘siblings’ and started her own kingdom, she had done so with the confidence that her way was the right way and she would forever rule the changelings as she believed Celestia and Luna should have ruled over the ponies. Now, with the ever degrading situation with Discord, there wasn’t much for her to control anymore.

Glancing around her bedchamber, the queen stood and began to slowly pace about, her eyes running along the cracks and crevasses that lined her room. Unlike the rest of her kingdom, which had been carefully and painstakingly carved out of the earth to suit the needs of the changelings, she had left this alcove on the side of her palace untouched, enjoying the rough and uneven nature of the room. Now, it acted as a representation of her thoughts and feelings- it didn’t matter how many centuries she had spent carefully manicuring her kingdom as an extension of her will and desires, in the end the driving force was a rough hewn core. Where before she found solace in the uneven nature of the room, it now brought her misery. Catching her reflection in her mirror, she turned to face it and grimaced.

“I was once the all powerful queen of the changelings, bane of the ponies, master of all I surveyed. Now what am I? A servant? A puppet?” The reflection in the mirror shimmered momentarily, the queen in the mirror looking back at her cracking a grin. Chrysalis took a shocked step away from the mirror and squinted.

“Surprised? Of course you are. You’re so predictable. It’s no wonder Discord has his way with you. You’ve been so happy to go along with him for all this time. Broken-Wing is right- you won’t be happy until everypony is either bowed to your will or impaled upon the trees that cover Equestria.” The image giggled.

“N-no! You have it wrong! I’m the ruler of the changelings! No one has their way with Queen Chrysalis, and I never intended to kill anypony!”

“Oh really? Then why is it that every time that he comes to visit you tremble at his presence and do his bidding? It’s obvious you’re powerless against him. It was only a few centuries ago you thought nothing of the deaths of a few ponies just to assert your power over those around you. What’s changed? Have you gone weak? Has Celestia finally taught you the joys of friendship?”

“I am still in control! I only work with Discord to further the influence of my changelings! And what I may have done in the past has no correlation to what I am doing now. I can’t take the love and affection from the ponies if they’re dead, now can I?” The reflection burst into a laugh.

“Oh keep telling yourself that great and mighty Chrysalis. You want them to suffer, to burn! You want to crush their little pony skulls under your hooves and watch them suffer. You want Celestia to die a slow and horrible death to sate your bloodlust. You want that sniveling Luna to go back to the moon and never return! Your justification is that you need to survive? You’ve even forgotten the reason why you’ve forced your own form to sustain purely on love and affection! Why not just adapt yourself to take in hate? It is just as powerful as love, and just as sustaining. As for being in control, are you serious? Look at you, you can’t even control the reflection in the mirror, how are you supposed to control a kingdom? A country? You will never rule Equestria, and I have my doubts as to whether or not you’ll be in control of the changelings before long. Discord has you wrapped around that little paw of his.” Chrysalis shook her head and began to tremble.

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this! This isn’t why I did this, this isn’t what I wanted! It was simpler then. Things were much clearer. Why couldn’t they have stayed the same? I’m just trying to make it right again, trying to make Celestia see the error of their thinking! This can’t be the right way!”

“You’re trying to make Celestia see the error of her ways by invading her kingdom and overthrowing her? Sticking her in a cocoon and making her watch everything she loves be destroyed by you and your minions? You really think that was going to do it?”

“If she could only be made to think like I do! We’ve been playing the same game for thousands of years and look where it’s gotten us! Discord broke and we were forced to petrify him, Luna lost control of her powers and went insane then Celestia was forced to banish her to the moon, and I can’t even see eye to eye with them anymore! When we decided to live amongst the societies of Equestria, this was never in the plans. This was never my plan”

“You speak of things as if you actually have done something about it. You broke away from the others and made your own kingdom. You wanted to keep the four of you together, and you couldn’t even decide on what you should look like. At least Discord chose his form. You’re just a sniveling shell of a being that steals your power from whatever creature you can. If not the love and affection of the ponies, then the ‘charity’ of a mad being. You’re hopeless.”

Chrysalis began to pace around her room again, ever keeping her eyes on the reflection. Much to her distaste, rather than move away from the mirror and match her slow walk as one would expect a reflection to do, it stayed front and center, staring back at her. The eyes were critical and judging, the smirk never leaving its face. The queen huffed and shook her head. I’m having a conversation with my own reflection. If I thought I was going crazy before…

“What do you want from me? What am I supposed to say? That I’ve failed? That my machinations for the world have been in vain and that if I had merely gone along with everything like I should have that everything would have been fine? I can’t accept that. I will never accept that. As long as this body draws breath, I will fight hoof and horn to take control.” The reflection returned a chortling laugh.

“Oh you arrogant pompous fool. Don’t you get it? That’s exactly why things have happened! It’s precisely because you just won’t accept the inevitable, you’ve doomed yourself and the others to their fates. But that’s the beauty of it isn’t it? This has been over three thousand years in the making Chrysalis, and now even if you wanted to, even if you stopped your foolish crusade, the wheels have already been set in motion. Eldest of the pillars, Change of the four. No matter what happens now, you will always remember this as the end of what could have been. All of this is a reduction of your pitiful insecurities.” Returning to the mirror and eyeing up the now menacing reflection, Chrysalis was trembling. She wanted to scream, so very badly, but she swallowed her emotions and gathered her thoughts.

“No, this can’t be it. What are you saying to me? That there’s nothing to be done? I should just go along with whatever Discord wants because in the end that’s what that worthless Balance has decreed?”

“No you stupid sniveling wench, I’m saying you should go along with whatever Discord wants because this is what your actions have brought on you all. You’re still not understanding, I thought your petulant refusal to come to terms with your idiocy was cute at first, like a bug pretending that the hoof won’t crush it as long as you ignore it and keep walking your own path. Now it just serves to make me angry. Get it through your head. This is all your doing, and you have nopony, nobeing, to blame but yourself.” Chrysalis could feel the rage building within her, her teeth gritting and the muscles along her front legs rippling.

“T-there has to be another option! Something, anything, I can do! This isn’t what I wanted. I never wanted it to end like this! This can’t be the end! I won’t let it happen, I can’t. Even if it means that I submit, I will change! Give me an option, give me an out!”

“Oh there is an option. I don’t expect that you’ll just roll over and do nothing. Gather your troops. Train them, grow your army. Embrace your inner despot and march on Canterlot with all the forces you can spare. Crush the ponies beneath your hooves and paint the streets red with Celestia and Luna’s blood. Drink in their misery, rule alongside Discord. Be the good little puppet that he demands of you. Your changelings are nothing more than the knife that will cut through to the heart of Equestria.”

“N-no, we are more! We can be more!”

“Ahahahahah! You’re a slave! A puppet! Not only to the Balance but also to Discord, and as insane as he is, you’ll be following him soon enough!” Chrysalis screamed.

“NOOOO!!!” Her hoof shot out and smashed the mirror, shards of glass flying everywhere, peppering the room and herself. The glass bit into her leg and hoof, leaving streaks of green blood along the floor and her bed. The pain of the cuts was almost unfelt, as a numb feeling covered her whole body. The only thing she felt was despair. Looking down at one of the large shards she caught the reflection of her eye, still judging her, and the last quiet wisps of a laugh.

“You came from nothing, and will return to nothing….” Recoiling from the mirror she took a few steps back, considering her next course of action. Her thoughts were soon lost as the door to her side slammed open. A now freed from his cocoon Broken-Wing barged through the door, concern etched on his face, followed by two of the other changeling guards.

“Queen Chrysalis! We heard a disturbance in your chamber and came running. Are you alright? Is there somepony here?!” His eyes traced the room, seeing the spots of blood and the shattered mirror. Chrysalis stood in place for a moment, unsure how to answer, before slowly shaking her head and sighing.

“N-no I’m alright Broken-Wing. I was trying to get out of bed and I tripped and fell into my mirror. I put my hoof through it, but the wounds aren’t very deep.” She gathered up some of her already blood splotched sheets and used her magic to slowly bandaged up her leg. Broken-Wing trotted over and inspected the wounds. True to her word, the cuts weren’t more than a few millimeters deep, but something in her words left him concerned.

“Very good, your majesty. I’ll have these guards clean up the mess and then leave you to your sleep. Forgive us for the intrusion.” Chrysalis nodded slightly.

“It is forgiven, Broken-Wing. However, the mess can be cleaned later. I need to speak with you. Send the guards away.” Broken raised his eyebrow, but shooed away the nameless minions with a tilt of his head. As they departed, sealing the door behind them, he trotted up to his queen and bowed deeply, showing the proper etiquette he had been neglecting the last few days. Chrysalis noted that with his new body he not only stood at her height, but his girth was wider now, meaning that for the first time since the advent of the changelings, she was not the physically largest of the species. Her protégé noticed a slight look of nervousness etched on her face, though he chose to ignore it for her sake. Seeing the bow, she waved her uninjured hoof dismissively and rolled her eyes. “Please, drop the formalities. I was… hasty in judging you, and it was wrong what I did.”

“Alright Chrys.” The admission of imperfection was unnatural coming from the queen, and Broken-Wing was waiting for the other hoof to drop, but he wisely chose to bite back a retort. “What did you want to talk about? Other than why you lied to us about the mirror?”

“What do you mean?” Chrysalis blinked a few times in feigned ignorance.

“Why did you break your mirror?” A wave of empathetic irritation passed over her. Sighing again, she slowly rolled her good hoof over.

“I was just thinking to myself. About what you and I talked about, what Discord has been trying to accomplish, how badly I really want to overthrow Celestia, and what that means for us as changelings and myself as… well, myself. I don’t like a lot of the answers, and if I was unhappy about Discord and his meddling in our destiny before, well, now I’m terrified.”

“Terrified?” Chrysalis began a slow pace as nodded.

“Indeed. Your queen has done many things in her lifetime that she is less than proud of, but always with the intention that it would push changeling society into its rightful place in Equestria. If I’ve ever done wrong or for lack of a better word, evil, it was always for the greater good.” Broken-Wing shook his head.

“I’m not sure I understand Chrysalis. The greater good of what? You’ve always had the best intentions for the changeling nation, and as one who has looked through the records of our society, at least those that exist, I can say without any bias that it seems that you’ve done the same for many centuries. What is it you’re not telling me?” She eyed up the changeling standing before her and found her thoughts drifting. Only a few centuries ago she couldn’t see herself sharing her thoughts and feelings with any other being, not even another changeling. Seeing the changeling she was proudest to know, and learning as time went on how resourceful and intelligent he was, was one of the few sources of warmth in her chest. For a moment she debated telling him everything, but she thought better of it and shook her head.

“It would take far too long to explain it all to you Broken-Wing. Let it be for now that I’ve had thoughts and designs for centuries that I’ve been working towards, and unfortunately it seems that they might be for nothing if everything goes as Discord wishes. My reflection, and how it’s changed over the years, has made it clear, and I overreacted.”

“So… you bashed your mirror with your hoof on purpose because you didn’t like your reflection?” She grumbled a bit and shrugged.

“You might say that…” Broken-Wing squinted at Chrysalis and slowly tilted his head towards her, flaring out his wings in a half-stretch, half-uncomfortable gesture.

“Alright then.” Chrysalis’s face went red.

“Don’t patronize me! I may not be the perfect vision of control and power that my changeling minions believe me to be, but I am still the ruler here and I will not be mocked! I still have the strength to wring the life out of you!” Broken took a step backwards.

“I meant no offense…” She relaxed and muttered to herself under her breath for a moment before addressing the changeling.

“I… I know. Sometimes it is difficult for me to control my temper. Especially as of late. I’m sorry Broken-Wing. This is all almost too much for me.”

“Discord? Celestia?”

“Either. Both. All of it. I’m starting to lose the end of my grasp on the situation. The more time goes on the more I realize she’s right- I’m just a puppet of my own designs to be used by them in their game.” Broken looked worried for a moment, before an indignant rage overtook him.

“Sorry, who said this? I shall crush them and bring you their hide!” He was normally calm and concerted, but for whatever reason the thought of somepony, gryphon, zebra, or changeling for that matter, speaking blasphemy of his queen angered him greatly. Seeing the look on his face, Chrysalis waved a hoof at him in an effort to calm him.

“No being of importance Broken-Wing.” The irony of her own words was not lost on the queen, but she shrugged away the self-inflicted sting and continued speaking. “And please, I need you to be the calm one. Your queen is finding it difficult to control her own emotions, and I don’t need you flying off the handle.” The other changeling nodded and grunted in recognition, though the insult of Chrysalis still didn’t sit right with him.

“So, where are we at with our plans? Discord after we deal with Celestia? Is that still happening?” Chrysalis shrugged and nodded.

“Until something changes, yes. We’ve invested too much into this, both in time and changelings, to waver now. At this point, there doesn’t seem to be any option other than to march on Canterlot, and after we must be prepared to turn our forces against Discord before anything else changes. We can’t let him gain anymore power than he already has.” Wing nodded. “The only thing I’m concerned about is the human. He has stated that much of his plan to take Celestia revolves around him, and we know nothing about him other than what he looks like and what he can do with that stick of his. It makes me nervous that we don’t know which side he will fall on.”

“It doesn’t matter now anyways.” Chrysalis’ ears perked up and she slowly turned to face Broken-Wing head on.

“I’m sorry? What aren’t you telling me?” Broken allowed for a ghost of a smile to pass his face, smugness seemed to radiate from his entire being. “Oh, you have something juicy for me don’t you?”

“Indeed, Queen Chrysalis. His little human is dead.” Chrysalis couldn’t have been more shocked if Discord himself had told her the news. Her mouth dropped open and she stood there staring at the other changeling for a few moments before regaining her composure.

“W-what? Where? How? When?” Broken-Wing wouldn’t admit it, but it was rare that he could put Chrysalis in such a state of shock, and he reveled in it every time.

“Earlier in the day, a gorge south of here. Apparently they wandered into it during a blizzard and aimlessly tumbled towards the chasm. He saved the ponies that are accompanying him…”

“Twilight Sparkle and the rest of the harmonies?”

“Indeed. Apparently the white unicorn flew off the edge and he had to dive off the side to save her. The scouts watching the scene unfold were unable to get a look at what happened due to the storm, but the next thing they saw was the ponies sitting around sniveling, and the human was gone, the rope attached to the unicorn severed. Attempts to locate his body were met with opposition- a pack of timber wolves. I believe it safe to say that if he fell from that height and the wolves were there, he is likely deceased, and Discord’s ace is no more.” Chrysalis started to giggle, growing into a deep throaty laugh.

“Oh Broken-Wing! This is perfect, absolutely perfect! This is exactly what we needed. With the human gone, whatever advantage he hoped to gain is gone, which means he needs us more than ever to help with the overthrow with Canterlot! He’s going to get sloppy, and that’s when we can strike!” Broken-Wing nodded hesitantly.

“Yes, this is true, but he has to have more going on than that. He’s been planning this for a long time by his own words, and you yourself questioned him on whether or not the human might die without his intervention. As angry as he was, I didn’t note any overt concern on his part.” Chrysalis shrugged.

“Possibly, however the human was definitely the key to his plan, or at least the most integral part. With him out of the way, Discord will only be weaker.”

“Speaking of, have you heard from him? Normally he comes in and tears you a new one…” The queen glared at Broken-Wing dangerously, and he wisely reformed his statement. “… I mean he usually comes down and screams over some petty details.”

“Of course he’s not here. He has surveillance all over Equestria, and can watch anypony he chooses from his cauldron. If we know he’s dead, Discord will know, which means that he’s scared, and he’s not going to show his face around here until he’s sure he has the situation under control. Excellent!”

“I’m still not sure about this…”

“Nonsense! Your queen is sure that everything will be fine. Now, leave me. This is what I’ve been waiting for. I have much to think about. Thank-you Broken-Wing.” He turned to leave and glanced back over his shoulder.

“Chrys… just be careful. Please.” She nearly screamed at her minion, but she couldn’t fault him for his concern.

“Of course. Now go!” Trotting out he closed the door behind him. Chrysalis allowed a smile to roll across her face and she glared at the piece of glass that the reflection had last spoken to her from. “A puppet? To whom? Discord? Fate? Hardly. Queen Chrysalis will have the last laugh, mark my word.” She began to cackle, feeling in control for the first time in months.

Trotting slowly over the rolling hills, the five mares made their way south glumly, approaching the series of farms that Twilight had intended for them to stay at for the night. She herself had her nose pointed into the air, and barely held herself back from running as soon as she saw the buildings in question.

“Look girls! I told you that I would get us there! No need for the sad faces now! Come on!” She quickly bounded off, anticipating the warm meal and bed that would surely soon follow. The other mares stopped in their tracks and watched the lavender pony. Dash stood up on her hind legs and started rubbing her hooves together.

“She thinks we’re worried because we were lost? She thinks we’re worried because we didn’t know where the farm was? Is she for real? I’m gonna clean her…” As she lifted off the ground, Applejack’s hoof stuck out in her way, forcing her to pause.

“Hold ‘er there Sally. Ah know what you’re thinking, but takin’ it out on Twi ain’t gonna solve our problem. She could just be hiding her true feelings so she doesn’t have to go through…” She let the thought linger and glanced towards the other three ponies brining up the rear. Rarity had recovered enough emotionally to be able to help Pinkie carry Fluttershy. The earth pony wore a permanent scowl on her face, while the pegasus showed no signs of outward emotion, staring aimlessly in whatever direction the pair had her head facing. Applejack shook her head, and could feel her chest tightening. “Nopony should have to go through that.” Dash huffed.

“Yeah whatever, I’m soooo sure that’s what Twilight’s doing. Let’s ignore the fact that everypony has basically been lying to everypony else. Sure. You’re just as bad as the rest, making excuses and lying.” She winged off ahead of Twilight and broke down the door of the first farmhouse she saw. She trotted in, found a room, slammed the door behind her and threw her bags in a corner. Flopping down in the bed, she groaned, trying to put her thoughts together. A few minutes later the others stumbled through the door and Twilight had a fire burning.

The evening progressed quietly. Twilight attempted to start up a few conversations, but was met with varying levels of resistance. Rainbow Dash only came out of her room long enough to have something to eat, Appplejack had entertained her for a few minutes when she commented on the quality of apples they had purchased in Manyhooves, and Pinkie Pie had muttered something about “priorities” and ambled off to bed herself. Fluttershy and Rarity were in their own room, refusing to come out even to eat. Fluttershy lay in her bed, her hooves wrapped tightly around herself back to her friend, while Rarity sat in her bed observing her friend. Her own feelings bubbling to the surface, she reached out to the pegasus.

“F-Fluttershy, I know that for the last few months you and I have been… distant. I didn’t always understand Nathan, and I’ll admit there were times when I strongly disliked him, but I’m going to be as honest with you as I can be.” She looked for some sort of movement or indication from Fluttershy. The pegasus mare continued to lay silently, her hooves running aimlessly over the object in her hands. Rarity swallowed and continued talking.

“Nathan brought something out of you that I’ve never seen from you. I always wished and hoped you would come of your shell and be more comfortable around other ponies. You started to do so of your own accord, but after spending a few weeks with him it was obvious the effect the human had on you. I was terrified and mystified at the same time. Of all of the creatures to help you live up to the potential I’ve always known you to have, it was the human, and he scared me.

“I’ve been scared before, of course. Nightmare Moon, Discord, the dragon that threatened to cover Ponyville with his snoring, the time Spike turned into that monstrous brute, the changeling invasion, even the time I was abducted by those beastly diamond dogs, to name a few. However, I’ve always overcome my fears. Nathan was different. I didn’t understand him, his thinking or what he was trying to do. I mean really, a predator living in Ponyville.” She thought she saw Fluttershy flinch a little and she softened her tone. “I’m sorry, I realize now he wasn’t really a predator, at least not the way we think of one. At any rate dear, I admit that he terrified me, and it made me do and say some very un-ladylike things.” She shook her head and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and stepping down from the bed, slowly walking over to Fluttershy and laying a hoof on her back.

“I was torn between my fear for him and my love for you. Even though I saw what he was doing for you I wanted us to be rid of him as soon as possible. I was jealous, you know, of your relationship with him. Oh, not that I wanted to have him for myself, nothing so silly. No, I was jealous because I waited years for you to find a nice stallion to settle down with. You were always the kindest and sweetest of us, and it only seemed right that a nice gentle pony would come along and sweep you off your feet. Instead, you chose that human. I was furious. Furious! I hadn’t been that mad since the time you were a model for Photo Finish!” She dropped her head and took a steadying breath.

“But then I saw it. Against all of my feelings, my fears, my distaste for Nathan, I saw a sliver, just a sliver, of what you saw in him, and I started to understand. I understood your feelings, your dreams, your belief in him. Even knowing that it couldn’t last forever, you still chose him over anypony else. You were willing to choose him over your friendship with me… and that’s my fault. I forced you to choose, and I know now that you would have gladly rather had both. Sadly, now that I’ve come to my senses and made up, it seems I was too little too late.” A slow tear rolled down her cheek, memories of the afternoon threatening to overwhelm her again.

“And then… and then… as if that wasn’t enough… he had to go and… why did he do that?!” Her voice was just under a shriek. “Why? You knew him better than the rest of us, you’ve had plenty of chances to talk to him! Why did he do that? He could have let me go! He could have let me sail off the edge into oblivion and for once it wouldn’t be the worst possible thing. I wouldn’t have held it against him. Nopony would have. I was just dreadful to him, and it would have been a just come-uppance. Why did he save me? After everything I said to him, everything I did… why would he sacrifice himself and force you to go through this?!” She wept openly, the tears streaming down her face and rolling off Fluttershy’s shoulder.

“I’m so sorry Fluttershy! I’m so, so sorry. If I could do anything to bring him back, I would! I would gladly trade places with him if only it meant you would be whole again.” As she cried, she heard a slight vibration coming off of Fluttershy. She had spoken, but it was too faint to hear, and her eyes were still focused squarely on the wall. Her hooves started to roll the object they were holding over and over, and Rarity glanced over the pegasus’ shoulder to see what she had.

“His… journal?” Rarity had forgotten that Fluttershy had held on to the book in question that morning. How she had managed to get it out of her saddlebags in her current state the unicorn couldn’t say, but now seeing the tome jogged her memory. As the pegasus rolled the book in her hooves, she seemed to be trying to raise it up. Rarity used her magic to gently grasp the book and lift it into her own hooves.

“You… want me to read this?” The pegasus’ head moved ever so slightly in a seeming nod. Rarity looked around nervously, her tears stilling flowing, and nodded back. “I’m not sure how Nathan would feel about this, but if you think this is a good idea, then I will. Thank-you.” The white unicorn leaned over and wrapped her hoof around Fluttershy, giving her a light hug. As she stood to walk back to her own bed, the pegasus suddenly threw her own hoof up around Rarity’s neck, pulling her tight in, a single tear rolling down her own cheek. As suddenly as it had started, Fluttershy slipped off, her eyes unblinking but unfocused, as if what she was seeing didn’t really have anything to do with what was registering on her eyes.

Wandering back to her own bed, she slowly perused a few entries, skimming through and looking for passages that referenced Fluttershy and Rarity specifically. She grimaced at the early entries, withstanding a second-hand scathing of her own character and actions. Reminding herself she was largely at fault for the opinions of the human, she pushed onwards, finding that as time had gone on, Nathan had begun to reflect her in a more positive light, and had come to terms with her misgivings while she herself had continued to vilify him.

She read for a while longer, finally coming to the last entry in the journal. Reading Fluttershy’s own writing, she glanced over at the now slumbering yellow mare, and gave a weak smile. She still didn’t fully understand the human, but she had learned enough that she could at least put the day’s events behind her.

“I think I understand a little now… Thank you Fluttershy.” She set down the journal and rolled over, facing the wall herself.

“He did it because he only wanted the best for you, and for whatever reason, to him that meant me.”

Twilight Sparkle sat by the fire, slowly and meticulously putting the scroll that Rainbow Dash had shredded earlier back together. She had managed to remember a spell to create an adhesive out of a jar of honey and a pinch of salt, and the newly formed glue was sitting next to her with a butter-knife sticking out of it acting as an applicator. Treating the scroll like a puzzle she hummed to herself, tongue sticking out to the side, smiling slightly every time she found two pieces that matched up. Dash had done a number on the royal summons, and if Twilight had to guess she probably had at least two hundred pieces to adhere together, but she was determined to see it through.

Knowing what the scroll said, of course, made it easy to find a lot of the inner pieces, so she had started there and was moving on to finishing the borders. As she added another piece to the puzzle, she heard the soft click of a door down the hallway, followed by the faint slow beating of wings. Turning to look, she could see the offending pegasus making her way towards her, looking slightly sheepish.

“Uh, hey Twilight.” Dash rubbed the back of her head and smirked. “I wanted to come talk to you. Y’know just between you and me.” Twilight smiled and dropped the pieces of scroll she was holding.

“Sure Rainbow Dash. What’s on your mind?” The pegasus flitted over and sat down next to the purple mare.

“I wanted to say that I’m not really sure everything that’s going on, and sometimes I’m not the smoothest cloud in the skies, but uh… I don’t wanna fight. With anypony. So uh, look I’m sorry about earlier.” Twilight shook her head and inclined it towards the fragments of the scroll.

“What? You mean tearing up the princess’ royal summons? That’s alright Dash, accidents happen. I know you were just as excited as I was! I’ll have it fixed in no time.” She was beaming. Rainbow Dash stood and took a step back from the unicorn, her expression slack in express disbelief.

“W-what?”

“Oh you know, I know you girls were worried after this afternoon that I didn’t know where we were going or where we were, and you all seemed so upset over it! Personally I was a little worried myself but I knew eventually we would get to where we were going. After that wonderful royal guard brought Princess Celestia’s scroll to us, I knew that everything would be alright. It made me so happy!” Dash could feel her hoof trembling, her face growing red and the hair along her back standing on end.

“Happy? You thought that this would make us happy? After what happened to Nathan?” Twilight rolled her eyes and laughed.

“Oh don’t worry about him Dash. I’m sure he’s fine, and the guard said they would probably send some guards to find him later on. We wouldn’t have been able to find him anyways if he is alive.” Dash growled.

“If? If?! Sparkle, has your head been kicked in or something? Haven’t you noticed anything around you?! We didn’t flippin’ care if we were lost or not!” Twilight shrank back from the agitated mare, confusion etched on her face.

“Y-you weren’t? But after the princess’ letter I thought for sure that’s why you were upset! You just wanted to get to Canterlot as soon as possible, just like me!”

“You stupid, egg-headed, flippant, book-reading, princess worshiping, few apples short of a barrel, ignorant unicorn!” The lavender mare sniffed back a tear.

“D-Dash, why are you yelling at me? I thought we were friends?” Dash bucked her hind legs and sent a table flying, spilling food and cutlery everywhere.

“Friends? I don’t even know you anymore Twilight Sparkle! Forget it. I’m not sorry. You want to be a joker? Go talk to Pinkie Pie. I’m sure she would love a good laugh. Oh wait, that’s right. She hasn’t talked to you since Nathan plummeted to his death either, has she? If I was him, I’d have some choice words for you little miss book-worm. Since I’m not, I’ll just leave you to your little jigsaw. Have fun.” She stormed off back to her room, slamming the door behind her. Twilight sat on her own, still confused over what she had said to offend the pegasus. Something she said had struck a chord with the unicorn though.

“I should go see what Pinkie Pie is doing, she has been pretty quiet.” Twilight rolled her eyes and shook her head. That rainbow mare could be so confusing sometimes. She trotted down the hallway and found the room that Pinkie Pie had chosen to sleep in for the night. Putting her ear against the door, she could hear the faint sound of sobbing. She stepped back and tilted her head, her confused feelings returning. Crying? Why would Pinkie be crying. Surely, Nathan would be fine, and they would be seeing Celestia soon! She chuckled to herself over how silly her friends were being over the whole thing. Gently, she began to knock at Pinkie’s door.

“Pinkie? Are you there? I wanted to talk to you about today. You haven’t had much to say and that just seemed really weird to me.” Twilight silently chastised herself. Of course Pinkie was there.

“Go away, Twilight.”

“Oh but why Pinkie? Everypony is acting so upset, and I’m really confused. Dash said you might want to share a laugh or something.” A few moments passed and after a faint grumbling sound, Pinkie could be heard walking towards the door. “Pinkie?” Without opening the door the pink pony responded to her.

“Look, Twilight, I know today has been hard on all of us, and I think that you’re just a little confused, so I think it’s best if we all just got some sleep so that we’re ready to go first thing in the morning. We wouldn’t want to keep Celestia waiting any longer, now do we?” She tried to force out a slight giggle. It ended up getting choked out of existence by a simultaneous sob. Twilight started to smile, either failing to notice the odd sound, or ignoring it.

“I knew somepony would understand where I was coming from! Of course we don’t want to leave Celestia waiting. She’s so eager to see all of us, and I know that as soon as we get there everything is going to be alright again!” Pinkie sighed.

“Of course Twilight. You’re always right. Goodnight.” Twilight wasn’t finished though.

“I don’t understand why you think I’m confused though. It’s like I said to Dash, I knew where we were trying to get to the whole time. Yes I realize that I got us lost for a bit, but I would hardly call that being confused it was just an accident. If anything Dash is the confused one. She seems so upset with me over nothing. Also, today wasn’t that bad. Sure, Nathan might have taken off but he’s done that before and he always finds his way back. The princess will help us find him if we get to Canterlot before him.”

“Twilight…” Pinkie backed away from the door in a mixture of shock and disgust. “Wh-what’s wrong with you?” She turned and buried her face in her bed, hooves covering her head. She needed to shut the thoughts out, needed to shut Twilight out.

“Nothing silly! I’m right as rain. Now that I know that Princess Celestia is eagerly waiting for us in Canterlot, all of my fears have vanished! Oh sure, I’ll admit that not having Nathan with us is slightly concerning, but we can make do without him just like we always have.” Pinkie rammed her head into the pillow on her bed, trying partially to muffle the noise that was coming out of that pony’s mouth, screaming into the soft moss pillow cover. Don’t do it, don’t say it, don’t say something you’re going to regret. She’s not herself, she’s not acting like Twilight Sparkle would act. If she convinced you to lie to everypony so she could study the human, then she can’t really be herself. Don’t take it out on her. Don’t. Don’t DON’T. “Pinkie what’s that sound? Are you alright?” The party pony picked herself up from the bed and took a deep breath, composing herself.

“I’m fine Twilight. Totally fine. Yep. Couldn’t be better! Time for bed, okie-dokie loki?” What about your promise to Nathan,. Are you still going to lie to them? The thoughts pouring from her head she started smashing her head against the board, slamming it against the head cover over and over until she slipped and crashed face first against the floor. “Owwww!” Hearing the commotion, Twilight magically willed the door unlocked and barged in.

“Pinkie! Are you alright? I heard a crash!” She looked down at the clearly in pain earth pony, as Pinkie slowly turned to face her. A trickle of blood ran down her chin, a fresh nosebleed being the culprit, while her cheek was starting to bruise.

“Fine Twilight, like I said, just fine.” She stood up and faced the corner, away from the intruder, frustrated and embarrassed.

“Oh no you’re not! Look at your face! Did you fall? Here, let me help you.” Twilight grasped a piece of cloth and gently pressed it against Pinkie’s nose, trying to stop the nosebleed. She couldn’t do anything for the bruise, but it didn’t look that bad to her.

“T-thanks Twilight. I’m alright, really.” Twilight sighed.

“Obviously not. Did you want to talk about it?” Pinkie muttered under her breath.

“Not with you.”

“What was that?”

“I’ll make do.”

“Alright… are you sure?”

“Yes Twilight I’m sure.” She turned away, and brushed the cloth aside, intending to climb into bed and shut out the day’s events.

“You don’t look like you’re sure.” Twilight crocked her head to the side, legitimate concern starting to cross her face.

“I’M FINE.” Pinkie snapped suddenly, catching the unicorn off guard. She covered her mouth with her hooves almost immediately, regretting her outburst. “I-I’m sorry. I’m having issues dealing with all of this. That wasn’t very Pinkie of me.”

“N-no Pinkie, it’s fine. I didn’t realize you were so upset. What’s wrong? Please, talk to me. Help me to understand.” Pinkie Pie sighed. She wanted to run and hide. She hated the feeling of being cornered like this, and even worse it was the last pony in the world she wanted to talk to. She turned her head to the side, and grimaced. Regardless of her feelings, Nathan wouldn’t have run from Twilight, and he would have told her exactly what was on his mind. For all their abuse of the human, her friends never mistook who he was at heart, at least in her opinion. It was time for her to open up. No, it was long due.

“Alright Twilight, you win. Let’s talk. Shut the door.” Twilight was about to launch into a tirade about the magic of friendship and being there for her friends, and hearing Pinkie submit to her prying caught her off-guard.

“O-ok. Good. Yes, good.” She turned and shut the door, per Pinkie’s request. Gently locking it, she faced the pink pony again with a confused, slightly sad look on her face.

“So, what’s going on? What am I missing?” Pinkie shook her head, almost unbelieving that Twilight could be so dense. Rather than say so, she asked a rhetorical question instead.

“Twilight, what happened today?”

“Well we left in a storm, stopped for a break while the storm was at it’s worst, headed out again, got lost, Nathan left, and then we came here.” Pinkie’s eye twitched slightly but she continued talking.

“Nathan did what, Twilight?”

“He left. Just like with the manticores.” Pinkie shook her head.

“No, he didn’t. He sacrificed himself to save our lives. To save my life, your life. Rarity’s life.” Twilight could feel a lump in her stomach.

“W-well yes, we did all go for quite the tumble, and I would be lying if I said that he wasn’t a large part of our survival, but I would hardly call it a sacrifice. He prefers to be alone anyways.” Pinkie could feel her hooves trembling.

“Hardly a sacrifice? Do you not understand what happened to him? Do I need to spell it out to you of all ponies?” Her words came out slowly and unevenly, and she was unable to look Twilight in the eyes. Even though she was still certain there wasn’t any issue, the feeling in the pit of the unicorn’s stomach refused to go away. Ah! She knew what was going on. She giggled a little.

“Spell it out to me? You’re being such a downer Pinkie. Where’s the bubbly persona? Where’s the party pony? C’mon stop being so serious. Your joking is starting to freak me out a little here.” Her giggling died away as she could see a horrified look coming from the pink party pony.

“Twilight I… you can’t… no. Please, go away, before I say something we’ll both regret.” Her bottom lip quivered and she averted her eyes again, waving a hoof for Twilight to exit the room. The lavender unicorn’s self-confidence wavered and she started to stammer.

“P-Pinkie?”

“Go away.”

“Pinkie why are you being so…” Pinkie couldn’t take it anymore and the floodgates of her emotions failed.

“BECAUSE HE’S DEAD! AFTER EVERYTHING YOU PUT HIM THROUGH! ALL THE LYING, THE SCHEMING YOU’VE DONE, CONVINCING APPLEJACK. AFTER everything… everything… and you can’t even understand something as simple as this. Damn you Twilight Sparkle. You, Rarity, Princess Celestia. Damn you all.” Her bellowing trickled off to a mild sobbing whine at the end. Twilight was shocked, not only from Pinkie’s outburst, but also the realization of what the human’s fate might be. Now that she thought about it, it was obvious that there was a very real chance Nathan had perished in his fall, but up until the pink pony’s verbal assault such an idea hadn’t even remotely occurred to her.

“Oh… oh Pinkie. I’m sorry. I… I didn’t…” Pinkie’s eyes flared wide, the tears streaming down.

“What? You didn’t think that Nathan might be dead? Didn’t think of what affect that might have on us? Fluttershy? Me? You, Twilight Sparkle, chief student and researcher didn’t think?! How could you possible… that’s not even…” She trailed off unable to find the words to confront the unicorn with. Twilight continued to stutter.

“I-I’m sorry Pinkie. I know it seems odd but I really didn’t think that it was possible that he was gone…” Her own tears started to form, now that not only the mental as well as emotional realizations had hit her. “I… I didn’t think… he might be… Oh Celestia what have I done… what have I said…” Pinkie’s head was reeling.

“That’s it? Just like that you suddenly realize you’re being a jerk? No Twilight, that’s not how this works. This isn’t ok. You have months of lying to make up for, and this is just the tip of the cupcake.”

“W-what do you mean?” Pinkie shook her head and focused as hard as she could on not screaming, closing her eyes. When she opened them again, they lay on her friend. Her friend. The words rattled around in her head. You’re their friend, but you don’t let them treat you like they’re your friends. This whole trust business is one-sided, they trust you to be honest with them, upfront and willing to listen. They try to treat you as if you’re the pony that they meet everyday to talk to, they try to listen to you when they think you know things, they try to accommodate you for they pony they think you are. The problem is they have no idea who you actually are, how in the world could you possibly think that they would treat you as anything other than a party pony if you’ve never trusted them enough to show anything about yourself?

Hearing the words in her head brought a new wave of emotions. She had seen enough by this point to know something wasn’t right with Twilight, and the urge to force her away and live the rest of her life shutting the unicorn out would not only be foreign to herself, but to the persona she had built up to protect herself from being alone. Even in death, Nathan was right. Twilight didn’t know who Pinkie was, or what her feelings were. Even if she had understood the ramifications of Nathan’s drop off the cliff, she wouldn’t have known what Pinkie’s true reaction to it would’ve been. She had never given her, or any other pony, the chance. Sighing, she slowly shook her head.

“I-I don’t know Twilight. This is just so much for me to deal with. Before he… saved Rarity… Nathan and I talked. It wasn’t a pleasant conversation, but it was one we needed to have. I’m still upset with you, and I will be for a long time. Deceiving us all, regardless of motive, was one of the most unfriendly things you have ever done, but that’s not to say we don’t all hide behind our words. I’ve been party to your deception as well, I know, amongst other things. I still don’t understand how you could be so dense that you didn’t know that Nathan was likely gone. Forever. However, in the name of friendship, I’m willing to believe you. If only for him.” She was still crying, but she felt a better grip on the situation and a half smile formed on her face.

“P-Pinkie I’m sorry I didn’t realize.” Pinkie shook her head.

“I know Twilight. It’s alright. No, no it’s not alright, but I’m trying to let it be. We need to be strong for the others. Have you seen them Twilight, really seen them? Fluttershy can’t speak and Rarity is barely holding it together. Dashie’s getting angry at everything, and Applejack is nearly as confused as you are.” Twilight gasped.

“Fluttershy! Oh goodness I didn’t even think of her until just now! She cared for Nathan so much, she must be absolutely heartbroken! Oh Celestia how could I have missed this?” Twilight looked down and watched her own tears fall to the floor, mixing with the dust of neglect. She looked back up at Pinkie. “Just heartbroken.” As she said the word again, she caught a mix of emotions behind Pinkie’s eyes and a slow realization crept across Twilight’s face.

“P-Pinkie?” Pinkie averted her gaze, refusing to look the unicorn in the eyes. Twilight gasped, taking the action as confirmation of her suspicions. “Oh Pinkie… oh Pinkie! I’m so sorry! I didn’t realize… none of us…did you even get to…” Pinkie shot up a hoof, still refusing to make eye contact.

“No. And none of the others will ever know. If I can’t tell him… then I don’t have anypony else I would tell. Besides, have you seen Fluttershy?” Twilight slowly trotted over and placed her legs around Pinkie’s neck, pulling her in for an embrace. The pink pony stiffened at the touch, but eventually allowed herself to soften into Twilight’s hug. Bringing her own legs up she returned the gesture, burying her face in Twilight’s chest.

“It’s not fair. I had so many chance, so many opportunities to tell him. Why didn’t I do it Twilight? Why didn’t I tell him the truth? Why did he have to go not knowing? Would it have changed anything if I had?” Twilight’s tears ran down and mixed with Pinkie’s and both sat together sobbing.

“I don’t know Pinkie. I don’t know. I’m so sorry.” The two cried in each other’s embrace for what seemed like an eternity before Pinkie finally and silently crawled into bed and fell asleep, emotionally and physically drained. As Twilight left the room, she glanced down the hall to where the scroll still sat in shreds., a feeling of discomfort washing over her, though it quickly passed.

“Well, time to go finish fixing that scroll. I wish I knew what was really bugging Pinkie and the others though. Oh well, maybe Celestia will help me sort it out, after she sends out that search party for Nathan of course.” She started to hum a tune to herself again and trotted back to her puzzle.

Finally allowing herself a moment of quiet reflection on the day, Rarity lay in bed staring up at the ceiling of the cottage, slightly more at peace with the day’s events, but unable to shake the overwhelming feeling of loss and frustration. The journal had helped to alleviate some of her emotions, but overall she still couldn’t come to terms with Nathan’s sacrifice for her. She forced her eyes shut, hoping that her sheer exhaustion would help her to sleep, and soon after she drifted off.

Once again she found herself in the body of another, not the quaint family she had visited before, but another woman all the same. She was sitting in some sort of four-sided glass overhang beside a paved road. The sign read “bus-stop”. It was night, but a nearby street-light allowed enough of a reflection in the glass that she could make out her features. She was wearing a black dress with matching shoes, and one of her hands held a bag of some sorts. These dreams are becoming more and more strange. Once again though, I’ve had the good graces to wind up sharing a body with a snappy dresser. Young one as well, quite ravishing. I could get used to this. If she could smile she would be. Her host glanced down the road to the left, watching vehicles pass by.

After a few minutes a large one stopped in front of her, the side of it identifying it as a “bus”, and her host retrieved something that she identified as currency out of the bag, dropped several coins into a box just inside and took a seat surrounded by several other humans. A couple were dressed similarly to her host- fairly fashionable, neat and kempt, young. One of the males kept glancing at a black square in his hands, pointing it towards one of the females, and the pair giggled. Rarity could see pictures of others were appearing on the black square, and judging from the expressions, as well as the redness in their cheeks, they had had a wonderful evening. Towards the back there were a few rougher looking folks- dirty, smelly, several bags littered about them. Her host wrinkled her nose in protest, just as Rarity would have done if she could have. Well they can’t all be so couth. I assumed some of the humans would be dishevelled. Her host turned back towards the front of the bus and watched streets go past.

Rarity lost track of time, so engrossed with the size and scope of the city her host was traveling through. Lights and sounds were everywhere. Vehicles of all shapes and sizes passed by the bus she was in. She had lost track of how many streets they had passed long ago, and could only begin to guess how many more humans lived here than all the ponies in Ponyville, possibly in Canterlot. She was brought back into the present when her host reached up and pulled a yellow cord, and Rarity reasoned that she was announcing to the driver her intention to dismount the vehicle. This is a fabulous idea- so many can be served with only one driver, and it’s so orderly and thought out. For all the horror stories I’ve heard these humans can be so organized and neat. A moment later the bus came to a stop at a similar glass shelter, and her host dismounted.

Walking along the dark road for a few moments, she found herself in a residential neighbourhood. Looking from house to house she could almost envision that any one of them housed Andrew and Chloe, sound asleep in their beds as their lovely parents sat by the fire and snuggled. She could feel the warmness in her heart returning. A couple streets ahead of her a smaller vehicle that she recognized as a “car” from the description Nathan gave her pulled out and drove in her general direction. As it approached and began to slow down Rarity could feel her host’s heart rate speeding up, nervous for who was in the vehicle. Seeing the window roll down, her host breathed a sigh of relief.

“Hey Meghan! Where you off to at this time of night? Bars closed an hour ago!” Meghan laughed.

“Very funny Gregory. I’m on my way home, I’m all done bar-hopping for the night.” Gregory raised his eyebrow. Rarity gave the human a cursory inspection, noting the gaunt facial features and large glasses. She reminded him a bit of a pony she met once at the market while helping Fluttershy shop for Angel.

“That’s weird- don’t you normally take the 28?”

“Yeah, missed the last one. Had to take the 13 and transferred to the 41B. Unfortunately it adds about half an hour to my walk, and I’m in these. They’re killing me!” She pointed down at the pair of pumps, and lifted one foot off the ground to rub the growing blister. “What are you doing over here? Don’t you live over on the south-side now?” Gregory nodded.

“Uh… yeah… but I was um… visiting a friend!” Meghan raised her eyebrow, but still smiled.

“Oh yeah? That didn’t sound so sure to me. Oooo bet you it’s a girl! Is she cute? Can I meet her?” Gregory sighed.

“Hardly. Did you want a lift?”

“I should be alright, it’s not that much further to walk. I don‘t want to be a burden.”

“Oh come on, it’s no trouble, really. Hop in.” Meghan looked at Drew and shrugged. She kicked off her heels, picked them up and padded barefoot over and jumped in the passenger side.

“Thanks. I appreciate it.” What a gentleman. What luck, not only do I get to spend my nights as two fashionable young ladies, they both have such nice men in their lives. I could get used to this.

“No problem. So how was your night?”

“It was alright, I guess. The girls and I met up at that new bar downtown.”

“The Blue Swirl?” Meghan nodded.

“Yeah that’s the one. It’s alright, a little pricey on the cover charge, but the drink prices are right, and they don’t charge extra when they have a live band playing. They had this group in tonight, and they were just amazing!”

“Oh yeah?”

“Mmhmm. They mostly did covers, but they had a couple original songs. Pretty tight overall. I think they need a new sound tech though. Bit of a delay on the sound. Overall I would go see them again. Anyways, we went and saw this band at the Swirl, and Joseph showed up.” Gregory sighed.

“That jerk? I thought you dumped him weeks ago.”

“Oh I did, but you know there’s just something about him. We started talking and I thought maybe we could work it out.” She looked out the window and snorted. “Fat chance. What a jerk. Just as we were talking, and he’s telling me how much he misses me, he grabs the butt of the nearest waitress and says ‘hey baby, what time do you get off?’. What an ass!” Rarity felt sick. What an uncouth lout.

“See? This is what I’ve been saying for years. You should be with me! Why do you always go for the jerks?” Meghan sighed.

“Gregory, don’t be so selfish! We talked about this! I’m sorry, I’m just not into you, alright? You’re going to have to deal with it. You’re a good friend, but that’s it.” She started to cry. Not having anything to wipe of her tears, she held her hands up to her face. Gregory frowned.

“I-I’m sorry Meghan. Here, take this.” He grabbed a fresh handkerchief from his glove box and gave it to her. She nodded and blew her nose in it, wiping her running makeup away and sobbing into it.

“It’s alright. It’s just hard, y’know? Look, you’re a nice guy, and any girl would be lucky to have you, but I guess I’m just destined to be with jerks for the rest of my life. Ooo, I’m a little drunk still I think. I’m feeling dizzy.” She wiped away some more of her tears, breathing deeply into the handkerchief. Looking out the window, she was suddenly confused. “Hey, this isn’t the way to my house. Where are we going?”

“Don’t you worry about that, just sit back and relax.” Rarity suddenly felt a chill run through her conscious. I don’t like the sounds of that. Her host didn’t seem to be taking it well either, looking over to the driver and squinting her eyes. Gregory suddenly looked very serious.

“What are you talking about? Oh my head!” She closed her eyes and held the cloth to her face again taking a few steadying breaths. They weren’t helping. Rarity could feel her host slowly slipping into a deep sleep. Meghan struggled to stay awake for a moment more then blacked out.

Some time later, Rarity could feel Meghan awakening and as she opened her eyes she took in the surroundings. She was in some sort of sparsely furnished room, with a single hanging bulb lighting the area. Her host struggled to move, panicking as she realized that her arms and legs were bound tightly to the table she was lying on. Glancing to her side, she saw a small desk will all sorts of strange objects on it. The sound off footsteps could be heard above, and the faint click of a door opening. Someone walked down the stairs and it took Meghan a moment to realize who it was.

“Gregory! Help me! What’s going on?!” Gregory turned to face her and started giggling.

“Oh, I’ll help you alright. I’ll help you to understand what you really are, why you act like you do, and what it’s like to be rejected by the girl you love. Think of it like a science lesson!” Meghan’s eyes went wide.

“W-what are you saying? You did this to me? B-but how?”

“It was simple really, I waited for you outside the Blue Swirl while you were in there making a fool of yourself. I was going to pick you up at the bus stop but I thought that was too obvious. I waited until you were walking home. I thought I was going to have to force that rag onto your face. You made it too easy- you sucked up the chloroform like the greedy bitch pig you are. Squeal pig. Squeal!” Meghan’s eyes were wide with terror.

“W-what do you want from me? I told you I thought you were nice! What are you going to do to me? W-we can work this out. You don’t have to do this!” What is going on?! Why is she tied down… what is he doing?! Gregory walked over to the desk holding the assortment of tools.

“Oh, but I do need to this. All little pigs need to be taught lessons.” He picked up a syringe and turned to face Meghan. “Did you know that I took chemistry last year just to be near you? I thought I was going to hate that class, but if it meant being next to you then it would be fine. Of course you picked Joseph to be your lab partner, but I ended up learning so much. For instance, this fascinating substance has the effect of creating a numbing effect, but only for a few minutes. Long enough that you can watch me work, but not so long that you don’t get to enjoy the results. Here, I’ll show you.” Who is this human?! What could he possibly be doing?! Meghan struggled against the straps.

“No… NO!!!” Her screams went unanswered as he slowly injected each of her limbs with a syringe full of the liquid. Rarity could feel Meghan’s limbs go limp and she was forced to stop struggling.

“Good, you’re starting to squeal. I’m going to enjoy this. Did you know how bad I wanted you? Needed you? All I wanted was to put you on a pedestal and give you everything that you wanted. Was that so much to ask? Why reject me?” Meghan was crying.

“I’m sorry… is that what you want to hear? I’m sorry! I should have been with you!” Gregory shook his head.

“It’s too late for that. Now I’ll have to enjoy you this way. If I can’t have you, then no one will be able to enjoy you ever again.” He put on a pair of gloves and picked up a scalpel. “Don’t want to get any bitch pig blood on me. Who knows what diseases you have?” He stood over her, a gleam in his eye.

“Please Gregory… no…” Her lip quivered. Rarity was terrified, even her mind refused to formulate words or a thought, a prisoner to the scene unfolding in front of her.

“Now, we make the first incision. Not too deep, I don’t want to end this too soon.” He placed the scalpel at the top of her thigh and ran it all the way down to her foot, a quarter-inch deep line opening all the way along. The anaesthetic prevented her from feeling the pain, but she screamed nonetheless, seeing the cut open before her eyes. She continued to scream as she watched him repeat the task on her other leg and arms. He grinned.

“There, see? That wasn’t so bad. We had to start the education process there, of course. We needed to get below the skin and try and answer the question ’why does a pig make terrible decisions?’ Do you have the answer yet?” The parts of her body that could still move trembled, and she shook her head. The tears rolled down her face and her nose ran. Looking to the sides she could see the blood covering her arms.

“No, I didn’t think so either. So the next step! Since we can’t see what makes the pig tick, we’ll have to use our other senses. Taste! Normally I wouldn’t dare placed my tongue in an open cut, but the lesson demands it.” Meghan grimaced as Gregory bent down and ran his tongue along her cut, lapping up the blood that had run down her arms. Slurping up a mouthful he bent down and kissed her, allowing the blood to flow between their mouths. Another scream was lost as she struggled to push him away, refusing to kiss back. He stood up and slapped her across the face.

“Stupid bitch. So, how did that taste? Of course, you don’t know. You have no taste in anything, including men. Terrible kisser too, whatever did I see in you? Stupid pig. Well onto our last experiment, and I think you’ll find, my favourite. I want to really hear you give me an honest answer, and since you’re a pig, the only appropriate response would be a squeal. I haven’t really gotten one out of you yet.” He picked up a bottle of lemon juice and a salt-shaker.

“Gregory… please no… anything but that…” He laughed.

“Pigs don’t talk! They squeal!” He liberally poured the lemon juice into her cuts and then began sprinkling salt into them. “Right now you won’t feel a thing, but in about… oh a minute or so, the sensation should come back to your limbs.” Slowly but surely, true to his word, she began to feel her limbs again. At first it was just the dull pain of the cuts running along her limbs, but then the real pain started. The lemon juice and salt layered into the wounds began to sting, and continued to intensify. At first she was able to work through the pain through heavy breathing, doing her best to not give in to her assailant and give him the satisfaction. Fight him! Don’t let him win! Her efforts were in vain. The pain continued to mount and she couldn’t help but scream.

“That’s right, squeal!” Her screaming intensified, louder and louder. The pain was so incredible, it threatened to make her pass out. Seeing her withering, Gregory walked over and slapped her again. “No you don’t! I spent ten years trying to get you! Now that I have you you’re not getting out of this that easily! NOW SCREAM!” Her screaming continued to echo off the walls, the pain shooting through her body. She screamed until she was hoarse in the voice, her throat scratchy and dry. Gregory laughed.

“Good! Now we’re almost to the heart of the matter. Of course you wind up with jerks- you’re just a stupid pig. Now, you’re bleeding like one, and squeal like one. Sort of taste like one too. Just a bit. Only one problem- you don’t look like a pig. That face is far too pretty. Don’t worry we can fix that. Something else I learned in that class- acids make fantastic cleaners- let’s wash away that horrible face of yours, mould it into something more appropriate!” He grinned and lifted a beaker of some clear liquid. He stood overtop of Meghan and slowly began to tilt it over. Meghan was still screaming from the pain of her cuts, but the container of acid held above her forced her screams to renew. The first drops of liquid dropped out of the container…

Rarity awoke with a start, screaming. Her fur was matted all over and she could feel a cold sweat covering both herself and the bed around her. Her eyes shifted over the room around her and for a moment, with her hooves tangled in the sheets, she was afraid she was still strapped to the table in the human's basement. Wrenching her legs free she sat up and laid her eyes on Fluttershy, still unmoving. Her screams were soon choked out as nausea washed over her body, and she could feel bile welling up in her throat.

Unable to hold back, and overwhelmed with emotion, a stream of vomit escaped her mouth, covering herself and the bed. Her continued terror mixed with the newfound feeling of disgust forced another wave of upchuck out and on to the floor, leaving the sickening smell of half digested plant matter and sweets. She continued to scream between waves of nausea, and a moment later the door slammed open, Applejack standing in the frame.

"R-Rarity? What's going on?! Why're ya screaming like that? Are you ok?!" The farmer's quandary went largely unanswered as the distraught unicorn struggled to regain her composure between screaming and ridding herself of her lunch. Before long the vomiting turned to dry heaving, Rarity's stomach devoid of anything else to evacuate. The rest of the mares quickly followed, concern etched on all of their faces. Dash pushed through to the front.

"Rarity! Stop screaming! Get ahold of yourself! What's going on?!" Flying over to the hysterical mare, she grabbed her shoulders and started to shake her. Rarity managed to come to her senses long enough to focus on the pegasus.

"R-Rainbow Dash? H-help me! Don't let him do this! Don't let him kill me!" Her eyes darted all over the room, looking for an unseen assailant.

"Who Rarity? Who is going to kill you? It's only us here!"

"H-h-human. The human! So much pain, it hurt so much!" Pinkie Pie walked up scowling.

"Rarity, Nathan's gone! I thought you were over this whole 'evil human' thing! He's not going to kill you, you ungrateful petty... lunatic! He's dead! From saving you, remember?!" She caught a flash of pain behind Rarity's eyes, but her scowl remained, too worked up by the unicorns continued and unwarranted lambasting of Nathan. The next words caught Pinkie completely off guard.

"N-n-not Nathan. Not Nathan. Another human. Darker. Evil. He... he... that poor girl." Pinkie glanced around nervously.

"Another human? Here? Where?"

"N-not here. In my dream. No, not a dream, a nightmare.” Pinkie sighed and shook her head. Applejack’s mouth curled up into a relieved grin.

“Aw sugar cube, it’s alright. You’re safe with us here. There’s no humans here. It was all just a bad dream. Just relax hon’ it’s gonna’ be alright.” She trotted over and wrapped her hooves around the unicorn attempting to calm her. Rarity pulled back, the shock and fear still etched across her eyes.

“No, you don’t understand. It wasn’t just a dream. I don’t know why, and I don’t know how, but it happened.”

“Ah’m confused. What happened?”

“He did this! He killed her! He used his… his tools… and, and his awful substances, and he painfully, and brutally killed her.” Rarity felt another wave of nausea wash over her and her head began to spin, threatening to make her pass out. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and regained her composure to the best of her ability. Applejack backed away slowly.

“W… what? Rarity, this ain’t like ya to talk like this… what are ya talking about? Who brutally killed who? It was just a dream!”

“No it wasn’t! I saw it! The blades cutting her skin… the blood running everywhere. Her screams… the screams that went on forever. Girls, I know I must sound dreadfully hysterical, but I don’t have any other way to explain it to you. I saw what I saw. He killed her.” Rainbow Dash shook her head.

“Rarity, you’re being ridiculous. Knock it off, you’re kinda scaring me.” Rarity took another bread and huffed.

“I promise you Rainbow Dash, that if you’re scared, I’m downright terrified. Now, I acknowledge that the day has been a drain on all of us, and normally I would blame my lack of suitable sleep on the… unfortunate passing of a friend, but please, please believe me when I say this was no mere dream. There is something to this, and I don’t understand what.” Pinkie put a hoof on the unicorn’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry I got angry at you Rarity. I… I believe you.” Rarity blinked for a moment and faced the pink mare.

“You do?”

“Of course. As long as you’re not talking about Nathan, I believe it’s possible.” Rarity allowed a slight smile to cross her face.

“T-thank you Pinkie Pie. For everything.” The two shared an embrace. Looking around the room, they could see a mixture of emotions on the others’ faces except for, Rarity noted with distress, Fluttershy who continued to silently stare at the wall. She was about to say something when they heard the front door of the farmhouse explode, and several flaming shards of wood splintered past them in the hall.

13: "Fate"al Repulsion

Chapter 13- “Fate”al Repulsion

Twilight Sparkle reacted instantly to the flame wrought shrapnel flying past in the hallway, covering the open door to the bedroom with a tinted bubble and looking back at the other mares. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash had shielded Rarity and Fluttershy, both cowering at sound of the explosion. She called out to them.

"Is everypony alright?" Applejack stepped up beside Twilight wide-eyed, glancing amongst the others.

"Ah think so sugar cube. All’a them debris just swept straight ‘cross the hall. Now what in Equestria is goin' on?" Twilight opened her mouth to speak when a trio of cloaked ponies appeared across from them on the other side of the shimmering bubble outside the doorway.

"You will lower your shield and submit to us, or we will force you into submission. The choice is yours- the fates do not decree the method in which you join us." Twilight raised an eyebrow.

"The fates? Who are you, and what do you want from us?" One of them responded tonelessly.

"We require your submission. Whether it is willing supplication or not is beyond our knowledge. However, two of your number are in no position to offer resistance, and Rainbow Dash does not seem to be much better off. We would much prefer your cooperation." Rainbow jumped off of Fluttershy and flew right up to the shield, glaring at the concealed speaker.

"Just you try and take us anywhere you jerk. How do you even know who I am?!" Shaking his head, same pony responded.

"Of course I do. We do." He turned his attention to Twilight. "Twilight Sparkle, I suggest that you reel in your attack dog." Twilight's jaw dropped.

"H-how do you know my name?"

"We know everything about you, and your friends. Now, for the last time, our master eagerly awaits your presence. Your shield, if you please." Twilight frowned and reinforced the shield that separated the mares from the cloaked figures.

"If you know who we are, then you know it would be foolish to try and attack us head-on, even if there are only four of us. That's more than enough to deal with three nutcases." She stamped her hoof on the ground, and snorted to accent her point. The cloaked speaker sighed and Twilight could make out a slight frown.

"I was hoping this wouldn’t have been the outcome." He let off a sharp whistle. A moment later the wall behind the mares exploded. A shocked Twilight Sparkle spun on her hooves, throwing up her hooves to shield herself from the debris. Her friends did much the same, Rarity throwing up a smaller shield, though Pinkie had to cover Fluttershy's face with her body, taking a piece of wood lit aflame to her side. A dozen cloaked figures filed through the hole that had been made and quickly and easily detained the mares. Her concentration lost, the shield that Twilight had projected faded away and the three original ponies stepped into the room.

"This way." Twilight's looked incredulous.

"Wh-what? Where are you taking us? What do you want?"

"All will be explained in due time my dear. Just stay calm, and most importantly quiet. The walk won't take long." Twilight shook her head.

"No! You listen here! I am Twilight Sparkle! Chief Student of Princess Celestia and I demaAGGH!" Her protests were cut short as the speaker for the group levitated a chunk of lumber and struck the unicorn on the back of the head. The other mares screamed as her body went limp and she passed out of consciousness.

"Do the rest of you desire to join your friend?" A few muffled squeaks escaped their lips, but for the most part they kept silent. "Good. Now, we should get moving." The speaker walked out the hole the others had made, and followed a path into a forest to the east of the farms. Taking no further risks, the aggressors had used their telekinetic spells to restrain the Elements, including the now passed out form of Twilight. The captive ponies were held helpless in the air, unable to do anything except float along and watch the scenery pass by.

Initially Pinkie Pie had been worried, especially for Fluttershy. Their captors had not stopped to allow them to gather their belongings, and as they left the farm house, they shivered as the cold winter air chilled them. She noted with some relief, however, that not only had the pegasus been allowed to retain the journal she held so dear, wrapped in her hooves as it was, but the weather had also begun to warm.

The further they were carried the more the temperature was rising and the less snow they saw. Looking amongst her friends, she could see similar looks of confusion and apprehension. At one point Applejack muttered something about "Ah knew Ah missed winter wrap up" but she was quickly silenced by a glare from one of the robed figures, who by that point Pinkie had made out to be unicorns, based on their use of magic. The forest thickened, and as the last of the snow disappeared turned into a thick humid jungle. Mentally, the pink pony realized that wherever they were corresponded to the part of Twilight's map that was unmarked. That knowledge alone created an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Another ten minutes of walking brought the entire procession to the front of a large stone monument. One central boulder was ringed by several smaller ones, all bearing different iconography and images relating to various events in Equestria's past. Pinkie didn't recognize most of them, however she did note the battle between Celestia and Nightmare moon, as well as Luna and Celestia's efforts to seal Discord before that. Another boulder had an unfamiliar figure headed against the other three, Discord, Celestia and Luna. Each smaller boulder was topped with a sconce holding a torch, while the large one had two. The speaker for the group halted in front of said boulder, while each other unicorn stood in front of one of the others.

"Oh Fates Above and Below. Hear our calls to you, and answer. We submit to you these ponies, that they may light your way and bring about your will! Allow us passage, that your servants might beseech your eternal wisdom!" The cloaked figures removed their hoods, and their horns glowed in turn, one after another. A moment later a large archway began to rise out of the ground, revealing a majestic entrance and a marble staircase leading down into the ground. Before proceeding, the speaker addressed the mares.

"While you are welcome in our home, the fates require the knowledge of our facilities to remain concealed from those who are not of our society. Enjoy your nap." Any cries to the contrary were drown out as several spells intended to make a pony fall asleep were cast and the rest of the mares joined Twilight in a deep slumber.

"Spiiike, why can't we see that thing you picked up? It looks like one of Rarity's lipstick tubes. What are you afraid of? That the human likes to look a little pretty?" Sweetie Belle bounded along beside the diminutive dragon, frustrated that he had so far refused to relinquish the shell they had found. Spike smirked at the thought of Nathan dressed up like Rarity, but quickly renewed his focus on the task at hand. He rolled the shotgun shell over and over and shot a sidelong glance at the fillies crowding around him. It had been a couple of days since their adventure into what had been the human’s workspace, and Spike had quickly sent the fillies back home while he decided what to do with the aforementioned shell. He had stashed it in his room, however after constant pestering from the Cutie Mark Crusaders, he felt that the best course of action was to get outside help.

"It is not a tube of lipstick. This is one of those shells he uses for that weapon of his. I don't think it's like the others, and if Twilight knew he had more of them I'm pretty sure she would be upset." Applebloom sighed and shook her head.

"So where're we going Spike? Ah don't think there's anypony else left in town that would know what it is." Spike looked into the night sky deep in thought, though his mild scowl remained.

"True, but I think it would be a good idea to send a letter to the princess. I don't have a chance to reaching Twilight or the others, but the mayor is probably going to want to know, and she can help me with what I should write in the letter. That way when the girls reach Canterlot, and if I'm right, Princess Celestia can warn them." Scootlaoo looked confused.

"Warn them about what?" Spike frowned and looked off towards the castle far off in the distance.

"That Nathan is far more dangerous than they think... and could be planning to kill them all." Applebloom looked shocked.

“What Nathan? Nah, mah older sis and Big Macintosh both say he’s good apples. Ah can’t reckon why you’d think such a thing. You haven’t even explained to us what that weird thing is.” Spike sighed and shook his head.

“That might very well be Applebloom, but none of us really know what he’s capable of doing, and if there’s any risk to the girls then they need to know. As for what this thing is… I don’t know. Not for sure. Not until I talk to somepony that knows better than me, and as I said there’s only so many ponies that might be able to help me, and, right now, none of them are in town.” Scootaloo looked deep in thought, then a small smile crept across her face.

“I know one pony that might be able to tell us what this is. Except she’s not a pony.” Spike shook his head.

“Who?” Applebloom and Sweetie Belle caught on to what Scootaloo was suggesting and the three of them shouted in unison.

“Zecora!” With that, Sweetie Belle grabbed the shell out of Spike’s hand and the three of them ran off towards the Everfree forest.

“H-hey! Come back here with that! You shouldn’t be going into the Everfree alone!”

Applejack awoke from her sleep, her eyes flying wide open and leaping to her hooves. A moment of panicked heavy breathing overtook her, but seeing that the room she was in was devoid of any other ponies, she quickly calmed. She trotted over to the door and attempted to open it but the method of its opening escaped her, no handle or latch to be found.

Taking a moment to take in her surroundings, she allowed her eyes to wander the room she had been placed in. Other than the simple bed that she had slept in, the room was sparsely furnished. It had a couple shelves which currently held a couple books and paper, a desk, and a chair. The whole room was hewn from solid stone, and the only source of light was a pair of sconces near the roof holding torches. The door was constructed of the same stone and appeared to slide to the side rather than swing out like a normal door. A few more futile attempts at pushing it open later and she huffed and gave up in frustration.

Sitting back on the bed, she found herself deep in thought, going over the last few days, not to mention the last few months, over and over again. Rainbow Dash was right, for once. Everything about the last few months had been different, it had been terrible. Applejack had managed to tell herself that whatever anguish or discomfort she had been going through had been worth it- she was supporting her friends and been helping to avert what could have been a major crisis. Who knows what damage that human could have caused? She sighed again, the memories of him working on the farm playing across her conscious.

She had been wrong. She had lied to everypony, including herself, and very nearly missed the opportunity to make a friend that had more than once proven his worth. He wasn't the nicest, or the most polite, but he had been there when they needed him, and Sweet Apple Acres had never looked better. So why had she done it? What had possessed her to commit a deed that was so against her very nature? True, Pinkie Pie had talked her into it, but if she was going to be the Element of Honesty, which she was, Pinkie had merely tipped her over the edge. Twilight practically had her convinced before the party pony had ever come downstairs.

She could be disappointed with her friends, and call them out on their lies and mistreatment of the human, but in the end she had to acknowledge that she, Applejack, Element of Honesty, had lied to and deceived them all. It made her sick to her stomach, and nothing would have felt better than curling into a ball and letting the world pass her by. But…

Applejack’s face tightened, and her eyes narrowed. Ah spent the last two months doing gosh knows what, ain’t been thinking straight an’ proper-like, it’s high time ah buckled down the harness and start pullin’ an Apples weight. Somethin’ warn’t right with mah friends, and it look’t be like there’s only goin’ to be one pony that kin help me.

Rainbow Dash found herself in a similarly shaped room and aimlessly paced around the room, frustrated and restless. Unlike Applejack, their captors had seen fit to give her a roommate, though Pinkie Pie was still asleep. After similar attempts to open her door, which involved her throwing herself shoulder first into it more than once, she had given up and turned to brooding. She scowled and started yelling.

"Hey you stupid unicorns! You come in here and try that again! No pony gets the drop on Rainbow Dash more than once!" Neither hearing nor seeing evidence of the cloaked figures, she walked back to the bed, where Pinkie was stirring awake from her yelling.

"Rainbow Dash? Why are you yelling? This room is so small and it's making my ears all hurty wurty. You need to relax." Dash growled.

"Relax? I can't relax. Not when there are crazy unicorns out there doing who knows what to our friends!" Pinkie frowned.

"I thought you didn't have any friends?" Dash stopped and stared at the pink mare, feeling daggers impale themselves in her heart. She looked around the room aimlessly while trying to come up with a response for Pinkie.

"W-well yeah they're my friends, you are too. Well, I'm your friend, I just don't feel like anypony is being my friend. Y'know?" Pinkie sighed and nodded.

"I do actually Dash. I think I know exactly how you feel." For the second time in as many sentences from Pinkie, Dash found herself nearly speechless.

"Y-you do? Really? Pinkie?" Pinkie slowly nodded.

"I see what they're all going through- Rarity coming to terms with her feelings, Applejack not being entirely honest, Twilight..." Pinkie felt a knot in her throat and took a moment to steady herself. "Twilight doing whatever it is Twilight is doing. It doesn't seem right coming from any of them, and it makes you angry and upset, right?" Dash looked away and grimaced.

"Yeah, I guess that about sums it up. Why are they being like this? These aren't the ponies that I've come to call my best friends." Pinkie sadly dropped her head and frowned.

"I don't know Dash. The more I think about it, the more it seems weird to me. Even that letter from Celestia. It all seems off to me- she would never say those things to Twilight, let alone the rest of us. We really need to think about what's going on around us here." Dash's ears perked up and her eyes narrowed.

"What did you just say Pinkie?"

"That we really need to think?"

"Yeah that..." Dash slowly backed away from Pinkie. "The better question is, what's going on with you?" Pinkie sat back up, confusion etched on her face.

"What Dashie? Nothing's wrong with me." Dash shook her head.

"Uh-huh. Like suddenly Pinkie is this deep thoughtful pony that can see all of her friends being weird and needing to evaluate the situation carefully? When we threw you a surprise birthday party, which I might add you forgot about, you thought we were throwing a party to celebrate us getting rid of you as a friend." It was Pinkie's turn to be speechless.

"W-well I know I acted a bit weird that day Dashie..."

"Weird? You were having a party with a pile of rocks and a bag of sugar..."

"Flour."

"Whatever! Point is who are you, and what have you done with Pinkie? For that matter can you bring back Twilight and Applejack?" Pinkie could feel herself about to cry again.

"D-Dashie, this is me. I'm the same old Pinkie Pie that you've always known, I've just..."

"Just gone nuts, like the rest of them? Do me a favor, leave the thinking to the sane ponies."

"Dashie..."

"Don't call me that. Only Pinkie Pie calls me that, and she's clearly not here. Be quiet and leave me alone." Rainbow Dash trotted back to the door and continued to struggle with it, leaving a sobbing Pinkie on the bed. Pinkie dropped her head and focused on the floor, her mind wandering.

When you told me to be honest with my feelings, you said they would accept me for who I am. These aren't the ponies you told me about, these aren't the friends that you expected me to show myself to. They can't be. Please, Nathan, tell me what I'm suppose to do. We need you. I need you.

Twilight Sparkle was seated at the desk in her room, a collar placed around her neck. Her focus was on perusing one of the books that had been left on the shelf. It was one she hadn't seen before, involving old Equestrian legends and myths from a time before even Starswirl the Bearded up until more recently. Of interest to her was a version of The Mare in the Moon that differed from her own. Rather than the stars aiding her escape, this copy suggested that the fates would decree her release, and it would be so, whether by hoof or by claw. She levitated down a piece of paper and found a half-used inkwell, and began to jot down a few notes.

"This peculiar tome seems to have subtle variations on many folktales and myths that I have encountered or heard as a filly. The main differences tend to stem from the execution or results of many of the legends. Rather than have a defined outcome, they tend to be vague, or simply state that it's going to happen in one way or another, as if written by a pony that knows the future, but has no idea what they're writing about. However, the Mare in the Moon incident happened as stated, so it leaves me wondering what I'm reading. Princess Celestia will likely..." There was a knock at the door and the hair on Twilight's neck stood on end. She stood and stepped in front of the door.

"Yes?" The door slid open and a pair of the cloaked unicorns stood outside the door.

"Twilight Sparkle your presence, as well as those of your companions, has been requested by the master. You are to join him for dinner. A banquet had been prepared for you. Please follow us. So that you are aware, an magic dampening field has been placed on the collar around your neck. Any spell other than limited telekinesis will fail." Twilight had guessed as much after several attempts to loosen the collar had failed, while she could still effortlessly lift a book. She frowned.

"If I refuse?"

"Then we escort you by force." Twilight rubbed the back of her head with a hoof, still sore from where she had been struck the evening before.

"Alright. Let's meet this master of yours. I am confused about one thing though- you said dinner. What time is it? How log was I out for?"

"Nearly twenty-four hours. It's around six in the evening." It wasn't so much as shocking as it was interesting to Twilight. She mentally noted to herself to research the spells that would force her and her friends to sleep for an entire day.

Following her captors into the hallway, she joined with the other mares and they made their through a series of halls and doorways until coming to what could only be described as a grandiose banquet hall. It surprised even her- normally she had only seen a room such as this in Canterlot. That a group of sheltered unicorns could create such a hall out of solid stone was amazing to her.

The hall consisted of enough tables and chairs to seat at least four-hundred ponies by Twilight's estimation, and banners and statues lined the walls, many of them again pertaining to the legends she had read about. At the front of the hall was a larger table perpendicular to the others and at its head sat another robbed unicorn with his hood down. His horn had been cut off at a jagged angle, and the auburn fur that covered his body had receded from his eyes, leaving a skull-ish look. He smiled at the approaching mares and they could see several of his teeth had begun to rot.

"Good evening good mares of Ponyville!" Rainbow Dash flew up in his face.

"Good evening nothing! What's the big idea dragging us down here?! I oughta..." A telekinetic field wrapped itself around the agitated pegasus and forcibly planted her in one of the seats. The smile never left the robed unicorn's face, though Dash caught a glint of what could only be described as malice behind his eyes.

"Now, now my dear Rainbow Dash. I'll explain everything in due time. For now, please, let's not spoil dinner. We've prepared some of our finest dishes this evening. It's not every day that the princess' favorite students come for dinner." Twilight beamed.

"Why thank you! It's an honor." She planted herself in one of the chairs next to their "host" and motioned for the others to sit. Aside from Fluttershy, who was lead by a hoof and gently made to sit by one of the cloaked figures, the others shot Twilight a glare. One by one they too were wrapped in fields and placed on chairs, though their uncomfortable glaring continued, much to Twilight's confusion and dismay.

"What? He knows who we are, so he must know the princess! It's alright girls!" Applejack growled at her.

"Oh yeah? Then why've they got you an' Rarity in those fancy magic stoppin' collars?" Twilight shook her head and began to answer when she was cut off by the apparent leader of the group of unicorns.

"Enough. I can see that waiting to give an explanation until after dinner would be foolish, and force me to suffer your incessant chatter for far longer than the fates require of me, so I'll get right to it. I am Truth Seeker. I have been the Voice of the Cult of the Fates for decades. The title is largely ceremonial- all of us share the responsibility equally." Pinkie cocked her head.

"And what is that responsibility?"

"We deliver the will of the Fates. Magic permeates the world we live in, and if you stop to listen to it long enough, it will reveal all of its secrets. We help the secrets come to fruition." A chill ran through the pink mares body. She was no stranger to the concept of precognition, but something about the atmosphere and the attitude of Truth Seeker unnerved her. For the first time within the previous two days, even Twilight was starting to be nervous.

"I'm sorry... what does any of this have to do with us?" Truth Seeker grinned again.

"One of our oldest prophecies is about to come true, and we seek the one who will bring it to light." Applejack wrinkled her nose and tried to wrap her head around what she was hearing.

"So, lemee get this straight. Yer some kinda cult of magic worshipin' unicorns, and ya think one o' us is gonna usher in some sorta prophecy?" Truth Seeker shook his head.

"Not quite. While we do work tirelessly for the Fate, we don't worship it. It bends to our will. Also, we don't know if one of you is the one we need. We have brought you here to test you." Applejack smiled.

"Aww heck a test? That'll be no problem if we all work together, right girls? If we pass yer little test will we be free to go? What is this prophecy anyways?" The other mares didn't look so confident. Truth Seeker sighed.

"Oh it won't be so simple Applejack. These tests are meant to tax you physically and emotionally, and must be undertaken alone. If one of you is the pony we seek, know that we will do all in our power to support you. Should you fail though, and in the best case scenario only one of you will succeed, this shall be your fate." With a glow of his horn stump, a section of the floor opened up and the mares could look below. They gasped and recoiled in horror.

To their disgust, dozens of ponies milled about below. For all intents and purposes, they were earth ponies, but on closer inspection, they could see vestigial bumps on some of their shoulders and heads marking where horns or wings should be. Most distressing of all, not a single cutie mark could be seen amongst them. They milled about like dumb animals, rolling in filth and eating out of troughs on the walls.

"As I said, the tests are physically and emotionally taxing to the extreme. Failures are left as mindless thralls, and we're forced to remove their horns and wings in order to prevent them from hurting themselves further. They do make excellent beasts of burden however." Dash growled.

"You sick twisted deviant! Those are ponies down there! Like you and me!" Truth Seeker growled back.

"Fool, they are nothing like me! They were weak and powerless against the Fates! I- I mean we- wield it like a knife, carving out the world Equestria is meant to be! Now go, return to your rooms and eat in silence. Prepare yourselves- at least five of you will share their fate." He cast a particularly cruel gaze towards Fluttershy. "I can already tell that one will be joining them. A shame too. So young, so beautiful. Perhaps I'll 'entertain' her first." He reached out with a tendril of telekinetic energy and gently stroked her chin, a slick smile breaking across his face. Rainbow Dash leapt out of her seat.

"I'mma clean ALL of your clocks you arrogant little-urk!" Once again grasped in a field, she found herself being floated away by one of the other cloaked figures. Truth Seeker frowned.

"Bah, she hardly moved when I touched her. She wouldn't be any fun. Escort them all back to their rooms that they may prepare. I'll call for you all in the morning. Be ready." Thinking better of wasting their energy on berating the cult leader, most of the mares allowed themselves to be lead away quietly. Most. The last Truth Seeker heard from them was Rainbow Dash shouting.

"I'm going to buck that look right off your face, mark my words!" Finally left alone, Truth Seeker sighed and shook his head.

"If I had a bit for every time I heard that..."

Luna sat once more in her parapet and filtered through a few documents that she had managed to pry from a confused scribe that had managed to get horribly lost in the castle halls. In reality, she had conjured up walls of darkness and illusions that lead the hapless pony by the nose in circles until he gladly parted with the scrolls he was carrying, desiring only to go lie down.

The documents were largely useless to her, mostly pertaining to kingdom finances and a few reports on the movements of zebra tribes near the border with Equestria proper. One scroll, however, caught her interest. It was report on problems they were having on ES-24. According to what she was reading, every time Celestia's researchers brought a site on-line, another would go down. They were toying with the idea of an alternate power source, one which they claimed was powering the Everfree Forest site, but so far were reluctant to commit due to "possible unforeseen consequences".

Luna pondered what such a power source could be- as far as she could ascertain, the only power source capable of generating the energy necessary for such a site would be magic on the order of what several unicorns could provide. An alternate source with such power was concerning. Her thoughts were interrupted by the appearance of Slatehide. He set himself down near Luna and tipped into a bow.

"Your majesty." Luna waved a hoof at him.

"At ease, Slatehide. Why are you here? I believe my order was to watch over the human." Slatehide averted his eyes and tittered nervously.

"I... I bring terrible tidings Princess Luna. I'm afraid Ypsilon is... dead." Luna narrowed her eyes and inspected her guard carefully.

"What? How?! I sent you specifically to prevent such an event! Slatehide cowered before the lunar princess.

"My apologies your highness! We went as fast as we could, but by the time we arrived it was too late! The generosity element fell off of a cliff and he sacrificed himself to save her! We attempted to help, but an enormous freak blizzard impeded our intervention." Luna looked away from Slatehide, and began to dwell on the ramifications. If the human was dead, her plans against Celestia, as well as against Equestria, would have to be rehashed.

She growled at the thought of her sister. To Luna, Celestia had always been the big sister. They both wielded amazing magical powers, and even the cosmos bowed to their whims, but Celestia was the one that at the end of the day, Luna could take solace in her companionship. Now, every day saw Celestia grow further into a being she didn't even recognize anymore. Or rather, it saw her growth into a being that Luna recognized far too intimately. It made her angry, furious. The closest she could recall Celestia ever being like this was...

"Uh... Princess Luna?" Slatehide took a few timid steps back as a field of energy blacker than pitch began to flow from Luna and snake around the parapet, a few tendrils wrapping themselves around Slatehide's legs. Snapped back to reality by her guard's query, Luna realized what she was doing and the blackness dropped away, leaving the room free of the inky tendrils. She looked down at Slatehide.

"My apologies Slatehide. I forget myself at times."

"I-It's fine your majesty." Luna nodded.

"Where is Stoutheart?" The guard shook his head.

"Currently searching for the human. While we strongly believe him to be dead, his body was never recovered. Shall I return to him and aid in the search?" Luna pondered for a moment and shrugged.

"I currently have no assignment for you, and the knowledge of his fate may bring my sister solace. Report back within two nights with news on the body." Slatehide bowed and took flight.

"I shall do your bidding. By your leave." Luna watched her loyal guard fly off in the direction of the northern foothills. Once he was out of earshot, she attempted to focus back on her papers, but the knowledge of the human's death proved too much of a distraction. She huffed and looked back over Canterlot.

"Damn."

Fluttershy lay on her bed, and continued to roll the journal in her hooves over and over again. Though the others wouldn't have known it, her talk with Rarity, or rather Rarity's talk with her, the night before had gone far in helping her to be able to cope with the death of Nathan. While she wasn't showing any outward signs, on the inside she was a veritable storm of emotions. Her trembling hooves fumbled and the journal fell out of her grasp, bouncing off her nose and flapping open beside her. She reached idly for it a few times, until her eyes came to rest on the page open in front of her. It was an entry Nathan had written on Twilight's friendship reports. It was sarcastic, making fun of a ruler that asked one of her prime students to send her reports on something as inane as friendship, especially with the multitudes of potentially predatorial species residing in Equestria, but taking a moment to actually read between the lines, she could feel a sort of jealousy- a world where friendship reports could genuinely be made. She could feel a knot of emotion catching in her throat, all this time he was so bitter. Unable to contain her misery, she cried out, showing the first outward signs that she was still capable of interacting with the outside world.

“Why?! Y-you said that you could never be happy staying here with me, that you would be trusting me that I would always want you. Well what about my trust in you? What about my need for you? My happiness?” She shakily rose to her hooves and walked over to where Rarity was sound asleep.

“You were so cruel to him. Every day I watched as you would say or do something to undermine his happiness… and mine along with it. He could have stayed with us and been another friend. You saw how he protected us when we needed him. You saw how happy he made me. Why wasn’t that enough for you? Why did you have to wait until it was almost too late to be able to come to terms with that. I… I was so happy. We could have all been so happy. Instead he’s dead, and nothing will be the same again.” She trotted back to her bed and leafed through the journal again.

“It’s alright though… he’s not really dead is he?"

Once again Rarity found herself in the body of a human- to her relief it was back in her first host, surrounded be the sights and smells of the Wilson household. She was in the same house, the same kitchen, however the decor had changed. Decorations covered most of the walls- lights, cut-outs of a little plump human in a red suit, and some sort of green strings of tree branches lined the tops of the cupboards. Her host looked outside, and she could see snow covering the ground, as well as multi-coloured lights along the eaves of the neighboring houses. That's strange. I don't recognize all of the things I'm seeing, but it seems just like Hearth’s Warming Eve. That's promising.

After her last dream, she had feared returning to sleep and encountering another unfortunate episode of human history. She had tried to reason with herself that it was only a nightmare, however no matter how many times she told herself that, she couldn’t shake the uncomfortable feeling that there was more to it than that. In Rarity’s mind, the scenes she saw unfolding in front of her, both in the house of Andrew and Chloe, as well as the basement of that horrible Gregory, were events that had either taken place before, or were taking place as she dreamt of them, and nopony, including herself, could convince her otherwise.

So it was that a great feeling of relief came over her that she was once again partaking in the evening of the little human family she had enjoyed several nights before. The smell of something delicious cooking wafted into the nose of her host, and Rarity could feel her subconscious taste-buds watering for whatever delicious meal it could be that the woman was cooking. On the stove were several pots, and the human she was sharing the experience with went to each pot in turn, stirring or checking on the contents- boiling potatoes, yams, other assorted vegetables. She didn’t recognize the contents of one of the pots, but the brownish liquid had an absolutely divine smell and her host stirred it frequently, adding what she assumed was some sort of thickener.

Turning down the heat, the woman nodded to herself and walked around the corner to where her husband, children, and several other humans were sitting in the living room. A tree- Rarity believed it to be pine or spruce- stood in one corner, lights and decorations hanging off of it. Wrapped gifts of various shapes and sizes could be seen underneath the tree, and the children were eagerly pawing over each one, checking the tag and squealing in delight. Aside from Andrew and Chloe, Rarity could see another child about the same age as Andrew.

“Now now, Andrew and Chloe. You need to wait until after dinner for your presents. Grandma and Grandpa were late getting in on their flight from Toronto, and it’s only fair to them that we eat when they get here. They’re on the way here now- a taxi will be dropping them off. Come help me set the table.” One of the other humans that Rarity didn’t recognize gave a hearty laugh as the children scampered off to the kitchen to collect the cutlery and dishes, the third child following closely behind them.

“Samantha your children are so well behaved. If I tried to get Tommy to wait on his presents until after dinner he’d laugh me right out of town. I am getting pretty hungry though. The turkey going to be ready soon?” Turkey? Oh I think I’m going to be ill again. Well of course their eating meat, I can’t imagine why I thought they would eat anything else for what is obviously an important meal. I have to remember that in their world things are a little different. Even at their nicest, they are still humans. Another woman blushed and nudged the man who had spoken.

“Gene, don’t make a scene. The Wilsons have been so nice to have invited us over for Christmas dinner.” The man laughed.

“Alright, alright. I’m sorry. I’m serious though, you two have done a marvelous job raising those kids. Tommy’s good too, but I think Andrew’s a little more polite.” Rarity’s host smiled.

“This isn’t a contest Gene. Tommy is a wonderful boy, and I’m happy Andrew has made such a good friend. I’m sure the two of them will be friends for a long time to come.” All of the adults in the room smiled and nodded. “Can I get anyone a drink while the kids finish setting the table?” Daniel motioned to his wife and smiled.

“You know how I take mine Samantha.” Gene followed suit.

“I’ll take whatever he’s having.” The other woman in the room looked unsure.

“Well I don’t know. It is Christmas I guess. What are you drinking Sam?”

“I found a new recipe for a peppermint spice martini Carol, perfect for the season. I can make yours with a bit less of the good stuff?” Carol nodded.

“Sure that sounds lovely.” A few moments later, the two couples were sitting around the living room, drinks in hand, reminiscing about holidays and Christmases past. Rarity was enjoying just listening to them talking- happy and content with life. While both men were obviously successful in their careers, they also showed a bit of a mischievous side. She particularly delighted in a story about Daniel and Gene going swimming without any clothes on as youth and having their clothes stolen by some of the other neighborhood kids. Gene was laughing so hard tears were rolling down his cheeks.

“You should have seen the look on Daniel’s face when Officer O’Phearson caught up with us. We were using a pair of cardboard boxes we grabbed from the back of the old appliance shop to run around in. You know what he said to us? ‘You better have sufficient postage for those ‘packages’ or I’ll be forced to return them to sender.’!” Daniel went noticeably red, but was laughing along as well. The children finished setting the table, and had wandered back into the living room by that point. Samantha stood up.

“Well, I’d say the turkey should be about done, and I need to make sure I don’t boil off that gravy. You folks have a seat at the table and I’ll bring everything out.” Daniel stood himself.

“Do you need a hand dear?” Samantha smirked.

“No no, you go have a seat and enjoy the company. It won’t take me long and your parents should be here before long.” Daniel nodded and he, as well as the other couple and the children took their seat around the table. True to Samantha’s words, the children’s grandparents arrived soon after, brining in more gifts and ushering in another round of smiles, hugs and laughter. The children are so excited to for something as simple as their grandparents coming to visit. The gifts are merely and afterthought, or at least so it seems. I wonder how many children are really like this in the human world? I know a few fillies that could learn a thing or two from Andrew and Chloe.

All of the humans sat around the table and enjoyed the huge meal that Mrs. Wilson had cooked for them. Rarity felt queasy again at the idea of carving up a dead cooked turkey, but she eventually got used to the idea, and she had to admit the scents that were tickling her host’s nose were positively delectable. The taste wasn’t anything to write home about, but that gravy. Oh that gravy! There was nothing on the plate that a lavish pool of it didn’t make better. If only she could’ve squeed in delight.

Soon after the dinner and dessert had been finished and cleaned up, the children were indeed allowed to open their gifts. Most of them were simple- clothing and a few small toys- however, every one of them saw a smile light up on the receiving child’s face. The Wilson’s had also had the foresight to purchase a couple of gifts for Tommy, to which Gene and Carol were surprised and glad for. The evening wound down, and the small visiting family said their goodbyes and made their way out the door and to their own home. After a small bit of family bonding with the grandparents, the children and elderly made their way to their own beds, tired and content. It left only Mr. and Mrs. Wilson standing alone in the living room. Samantha walked up to her husband, hands grasped behind her back.

“There’s a bit of mistletoe on the roof dear. Would be a shame to let it go to waste.” Daniel smiled, and pulled his wife in for a passionate kiss. Rarity felt uncomfortable being privy to such an intimate moment, but she reasoned that at least it was only a kiss. Anything more than that, and she would likely faint.

“What waste? I would never waste an opportunity to remind you why you’re the best wife in the whole world.” Samantha blushed and giggled.

“That’s only because I have the best husband in the world.” Daniel nodded and tilted his head towards the stairs.

“You should get yourself up to bed Mrs. Wilson. I think there’s a bit more mistletoe on the roof that needs tending to.” Samantha slowly strode half-way up the stairs, and turned back to look at her husband, mischief playing in her eyes.

“Are you coming, Mr. Wilson?” Daniel muttered something under his breath. “Pardon?” He flashed her a smile and started to follow her up.

“Of course dear.” Rarity was certain her host hadn’t made out what the man had said, but Rarity had heard it clearly.

“She’s so beautiful. My surprise for her is going to be so amazing, it’ll be sure to drive her crazy.” Oh he’s such a gentleman! I wonder what sort of surprise he’s talking about? I do so hope I get to find out.

As the white unicorn slumbered blissfully for the first time in several nights, Rainbow Dash was back in her room trying to figure out how to escape the chamber she had been sealed in. The stone door continued to thwart any of her attempts to slide or break it, and she had long since inspected all of the corners of the room for some sort of weak point or hole she might slide out of. Frustrated, she set herself back down on the floor of the room and started pacing.

“Nopony is going to turn us into mindless beasts. The rest of them might be acting weird and saying some dumb stuff, but that doesn’t mean I’m alright with them becoming- well whatever those freaky things are! I would give anything if that stupid door would just open!” In a final bout of denial, she threw herself at the door, her shoulder forward, as hard as she could. Crashing into it, she fell into a lump in front of it, pain shooting through her entire body. Dash sat on the floor rubbing her shoulder, and glared at the door. “Stupid door!”

To her shock and surprise, the door slid half open. Not enough that a pony could walk through it, and she noted with a pang of regret that she doubted a human would have any chance of slipping through, but with a little grunting and wriggling, and not just a little bit of discomfort in her wings as she pinned them against her body, she managed to squeeze out. Still not believing that the door had opened for her, she took a cautious look around the hallway she was in, and back into the room she had come from. There were no signs of anypony else and she couldn’t deny that she was in fact free from the room that had entrapped her. Not one to look a gift-pony in the mouth, she proceeded to trot down the hall and called out as quietly as she could for her friends. Many other doors lined the passageway, and she assumed they were likely all sealed as hers had been.

“Pinkie? Rarity? Errr…Twilight?” She continued her subdued calls for a while, until she finally heard an answer come from behind one of the doors.

“Rainbow Dash?” She jumped over to the stone slab, easily recognizing the voice that had responded to her.

“Applejack! I’m sure glad to hear your voice! Are you able to get out of your room? Is it still locked?!” She heard a bit of grunting coming from the other side of the door.

“Ah’m trying, but it don’t wanna budge. How’d you git outta there anyways?”

“I don’t know, the door just opened for me. I threw myself up against it a few times, and shot it a dirty look and it just opened.” Applejack sighed.

“Ah’ve been throwing myself at this door, not to mention bucking it for all Ah’m worth, for the last hour. Ah don’t think anything short of a key is going to open it.” Dash nodded, forgetting that there was no way for Applejack to see her body language.

“Alright, I’m going to go look for a key. Stay put- if you hear from the others, tell them to wait here!”

“An here Ah was thinking’ Ah’d head down to Sugar Cube Corner for a cupcake.” Dash giggled.

“Oh shut up. I’ll be back.” Leaving the farmer’s cell behind, Dash began to prowl the hallways in search of some sort of key that would open the door. The only outward evidence there was for such a thing was a glowing circle that seemed to change it’s orientation anytime an object or hoof was brought near it. Dash didn’t know what that sort of key would look like, but she imagined the cultists would likely have one. As she crept along the passageways doing her best to remember how to get back to the cell that housed Applejack, she continued to have an uncomfortable creeping feeling that somepony, or something, was watching her. It started to weigh on her, nearly distracting her to the point where she came up to an intersection and almost walked headfirst into two of the cultists. Ducking back around the corner, she took a steadying breath and watched them walk past. Neither were wearing any robes, or had any possessions of any sort she could see, though by their demeanor and ease at which they walked the stone-wrought halls, it was clear where their loyalties lay.

Shaking off the feeling that nearly saw her back in her cell, she found herself in a new part of the underground complex that the cultists had built for themselves. The narrow claustrophobic hallways gave way to wide sweeping rooms and tunnels, obviously intended for the movement of goods and furniture. Dash noted with mild admiration that they had done a near ingenious job of using the stone to fashion out support columns, alcoves for torches, even small huts along the longer tunnels that seemed to serve as rest stops of sorts. It rivaled even Cloudsdale’s artistry with clouds. She gave a low quiet whistle.

“Rest areas and service tunnels? How big is this place? I’ve gotta find that key and quick.” She renewed her search, taking careful peeks inside every little building and doorway she came to. Many of the rooms were exactly as she would expect- bedrooms, dining halls, and kitchens. Some of them were slightly more confusing to the pegasus. A couple seemed to be near perfect replicas of Zecora’s hut, at least to Dash’s memory, with herbs and spices hanging from the ceiling and jars lining the walls, but then there were rooms that seemed to drip with a strange arcane energy. In one, housing at least seven of the unicorns that Dash could see, they seemed to be deep in meditation, speaking in strange tongues and projecting some sort of crackling energy sphere that would have made even Twilight Sparkle envious. A slight feeling of dread filled her stomach, though as she stepped away from the door it quickly passed.

She finally found herself back in a series of narrower passages with a very similar design as the ones she had originated from. She crept along one wall, and carefully stretched her neck out around the corner, and allowed one eye to view the hallway beyond. A single grisly looking cultist sat in a chair nearly half asleep. On a table in front of the unicorn was a piece of stone floating slowly in the air a few inches above it’s surface, glowing in a way similar to the markings on the cell doors. She scowled and ducked back, concealing herself from the pony’s vision.

“They wouldn’t make it easy would they? He seems a bit tough. Now what would Nathan do…” She had an idea, though she was pretty sure he wouldn’t do things exactly the same way. She stuck her head in the air and slowly trotted past the hallway where the cultist was seated, swaying her hips and giving a smug look. Fanning her wings like a peacock, she gave the suddenly enthralled unicorn a long look and forced a smile onto her face.

“Hey, I uh, seem to have gotten lost. Know how to show a girl where to go? If you know what I mean?” She winked and disappeared from sight just on the other side of the passage. The grisly old unicorn smiled and praised his good luck. It had been months since he had known the comfort of a mare, and the Fates had blessed him with such an athletic looking specimen! If she wanted to have a good time before her inevitable final fate as a mindless thrall, then he was going to give it to her. He loped down the hallway in a state of semi-bliss and turned the corner… just as a pair of hind- hooves shot out and bucked him half-way down the other passage, crumpling him in a heap. Dash trotted over and checked his injuries- she was starting to like the way the human did things, though she wanted to make sure she hadn’t done any permanent damage. To her relief, he seemed fine.

She quickly trotted up to the “key” and grabbed at it with her hoof. To both her astonishment and curiosity, it reacted to her touch and began to lightly float above her head. Several attempts to grab it proved futile, so she shrugged and moved on. Retracing her steps was slightly more taxing than before, and she assumed the early morning hours were giving away to day, as more of the strange robed unicorns were beginning to walk the passageways and tunnels. Nearly running headlong into several groups of them as she walked, she had to constantly remind herself to take it slow and easy. The last thing she needed was to be caught hours before they were to partake in the “tests” that would likely result in their… well for a free roaming spirit like Dash, she considered it worse than death.

Passing by the room where the cultists had earlier been performing some sort of ritual, she paused for a moment. She knew that time was of the essence, and that every minute she delayed was a minute less they had to escape the bowels of the cultist’s lair, but something about the room and the ritual they were performing drew her in. She looked longingly down the hallway towards the holding cells where her friends were kept. Every muscle in her body screamed at her to keep moving, but to their frustration, and subconsciously hers, she was unable to move on without taking one last look at the robed unicorns.

The sphere of energy hovering in the air between the meditating cultists was now smooth and uniform, with wisps of several colours swirling about beneath the surface. One of the unicorns gently pressed his horn up against the orb and began to speak, his words barely above a whisper.

“Fates below and above, your humble servants beseech you. We have gathered this day to divine the secrets of the worlds, those which have come to pass, those currently passing, and those that have yet to pass. We have naught to offer you but our unwavering devotion to the truth, and the fate you have determined for Equestria. If we are worthy, bequeath to us the knowledge we desire.” Dash had to mentally remind herself that being discovered would be something really, really bad, and that laughing would almost certainly lead to that. However, it was becoming difficult for the pegasus to keep a straight face… until the orb of energy responded.

“You have spoken well and true, and your heart bares testimony to the honesty of your words. The secrets of the fates are not easily obtained.. The years of study and belief required alone are surely signs of such, and I accept your offerings. What is it that you desire to know?” Rainbow Dash’s jaw dropped, and if it could disconnect from the rest of her face it would have. Her attention was drawn back to the speaker for the group of cultists.

“Oh Fates, we are about to put six ponies we have waylaid through the time honored test to discover which of them may be the one we seek. Truth Seeker believes the time of our oldest prophecy is at hand, and the search eagerly continues.” The orb was still for a moment and when it spoke again the words rumbled out slowly.

“You wish me to go against your traditions and tell you outright which of the ponies might be responsible?” The speaker shook his head.

“No, great Fates. We would not be so callous to ask such a thing. We merely wish to know if there is anything else we should know of these mares. One of them is the student of Princess Celestia herself, and there is concern that they could be troublesome.” The orb glowed several different colours, and then subsided back to the pale blue that it had been most of the time.

“A wise quandary. I shall reveal to you what you must know, but none more." There was a brief pause and several colours rolled over the surface of the orb. A few moments later, the deep voice returned.

"A thousand years gone past, long left the rain of chocolate from the skies. By light, and dusk and colours all, the one of deceit was cast aside. As sure as spring calls to helm flowers and life, so too must come release from solidity.

Once, twice, and thrice be done.

Elements, pure of heart and sound of mind, the lick of the claw threads amongst their souls. Ties without blood, closer than any kin. One has concealed their motives, unable to recognize truth. Another oblivious, foreign to all but the call of knowledge. Yet one more slumbers in visions of madness and fire, five fingered cruelty. For love immortal another one toils, in care for one’s ward. Time is fleeting, and the tides of fate bode ill for all. Only a rainbow of truth can strike deep at the heart of the matter, erasing the pains of the past.

Only once the prophecy is fulfilled may they be one again. Echoes of the chosen can be felt, but amongst them they are not."

The gravely voice faded away and the orb winked out of existence as the last words were said. The group of cultists stood straight again and looked amongst themselves. The speaker for the group nodded and quietly addressed the group.

“So the Fates have spoken. We must meditate on this brothers and sisters, and divine its meaning.” They started towards the door and Dash’s eyes went wide, ducking away. She quickly scampered down the hall as fast as her wings and feet would carry her. As soon as she was far enough away that she felt comfortable resting, she stopped and took a breather. She had never felt more sick to her stomach.

Only a rainbow of truth.

Rainbow Dash leaned against the wall, dry heaving, trying to expel whatever she'd eaten earlier. She had to get to Applejack. Moving as rapidly as her hooves could carry her, and she dared to progress with the cultists about, she quickly found herself back in the cell block that held the farmer.

“Applejack? APPLEJACK!!” She had tried to not sound panicked, but her words still came out more worried than she would have liked.

“Ah’m still here Dash. Wouldn’t you know it, they were outta cupcakes.” Dash wasn’t having any of the farmer’s humour.

“Shut up. Seriously this is bad. I need help.” Applejack laughed.

“In case you were confused or something’, Ah’m the one trapped behind the door here.” Dash moved closer to the door and tried maneuvering the key towards the glowing symbol on it. To her relief, it floated over of its own accord, having somehow sensed the intentions of it’s current owner, and the door slid open, revealing a similarly relieved Applejack. “Thanks Rainbow. Ah was worried we might all get our brains replaced with apples.”

“We might yet. Look, we need to talk, and then find the others and get out of here, quickly.” Applejack nodded.

“Of course we gotta get outta here, but why do you wanna talk? Shouldn’t we just grab the others and…”

“No!” Dash’s outburst caught Applejack off-guard and she narrowed her eyes, regarding the pegasus carefully.

“Ah’m sorry?” Dash scrambled to come up with an explanation that wouldn’t make her sound completely insane, and failing that, gave an explanation that only made her sound slightly insane.

“Look, while I was looking for the key, I saw some of those freaky cultists doing some crazy ritual. I didn’t think much of it but when I was on the way back I heard them talking. We’re not the ones that Truth Seeker is looking for. We’re all going to end up like those ponies we saw down below!” Applejack rolled her eyes.

“Well Ah could’ve told you that. Buncha loons.” Dash’s concerned look didn’t fade.

“Well yeah, but that’s not all they said. They also had a vision about us, and it said something about me needing to get to the heart of the matter!” Applejack sighed.

“Now Dash, Ah don’t know if Ah’d put any stake in something some…”

“You lying is totally normal and something you would do?”

“No…”

“Twilight being a heartless and only caring about the princess above anypony else and her research?”

“Well now that you mention it… alright fine. Let’s say Ah believe you. Why you? What so special about you that you‘re the one that needs to figure it all out? Don‘t get me wrong, Ah‘m not trying to be insulting… but you ain‘t the most smartest pony.” Dash shook her head.

“I don‘t know. We need to get the others and get to the bottom of this nonsense. Do you know where their cells are?” Applejack tipped her head over her shoulder.

“Ah think Rarity and Fluttershy are down that way, but Ah’m not sure where the others are. Ah thought they were keeping Pinkie with you?” Dash stopped and thought for a moment.

“Huh, I didn’t even think about it until now. I wonder why they separated us?”

“Ah don’t know, but it can’t be for any good reason. C’mon, let’s find ‘em before anything else goes wrong.” The pegasus nodded to Applejack and they barreled down the hallway towards the cells that they hoped housed Rarity and Fluttershy. “And Dash?”

“Yeah?”

“For what it’s worth, Ah’m sorry Ah lied..” For once, Dash didn’t have a response.

“Awaken, Twilight Sparkle and Pinkamina Diane Pie. I desire to speak with you.” Twilight arose from her sleep, groggy and under-rested. By her estimation, she could have only gotten around six hours of sleep. Beside her, Pinkie was similarly awakening, heavy bags hanging from her eyes. If Twilight was tired, Pinkie had to be positively exhausted. They looked towards the door as a single figure strode through, an air of haughtiness surrounding him.

Truth Seeker.

Pinkie was the first to respond to his entry.

“What do you want from us? Isn’t it enough that you’re going to tear out friendship apart in the name of some cruel test that you claim is ordained by some ‘Fate’?” Truth shook his head and smirked at the pink pony.

“Oh Pinkamina, if you only knew the true power of the Fates. Don’t misunderstand, I care not what happens to you or Twilight in the end. If it is the will of the Fates that you become a mindless servant, then so be it. I however, have felt in both of you a power that I rarely see in ponies. Twilight, being a unicorn naturally, and one of the chief student of Princess Celestia, has magical abilities far beyond what a normal pony might hope to wield. I find myself envious of her powers. If I could command even half of her raw natural talent, there is no telling what we might achieve.

“Pinkamina, much to my utter confusion and lack of understanding, you yourself seem to be some sort of raw outlet for the Fates. Normally, as an earth pony, I wouldn’t think twice about sending you to the depths of my hall. After all, you are physically stronger than any pegasus or unicorn. However, your latent natural ability leaves me in a unique position. Normally, it takes years of practice and hours of intense meditation in order to reveal a minor vision, let alone a prophecy. I believe you yourselves of course, have seen our cult’s work. The Mare in the Moon?” Twilight’s ears perked up and shrank back slightly from the unicorn.

“I’m familiar with the legend…” Truth Seeker laughed.

“Of course you are! There isn’t a pony in Equestria that doesn’t know how you and your fellow Elements of Harmony channeled the ancient magical devices of the same name and released Princess Luna from her entrapment within the spirit of Nightmare Moon.” Twilight shook her head.

“No, Princess Luna was Nightmare Moon. She just took the personae when she went against Princess Celestia and the rest of Equestria. There wasn’t really any Nightmare Moon.” Truth Seeker laughed again.

“Oh my dear Twilight, how very wrong you are. I take it your precious princess hasn’t explained to you the origins of her kind? Her, Luna. Chrysalis… Discord?” Twilight blanched at the name, confusion etched on her face.

“What does Discord have to do with Celestia? She told me enough- he made Equestria miserable for ponies, toying with their lives and causing all sorts of unnatural disasters around the country. Celestia and Luna sealed him away, and then we did the same only last years. And you‘re wrong- Nightmare Moon doesn‘t really exist. All of my research on the subject has never turned up any mention of her other than Luna.” Truth Seeker smiled.

“You will believe what you believe. Discord most definitely did the things you speak of, but I wonder if that’s all he ever did? Where he came from? Who he truly is? I’m sure that you especially, Twilight, as a seeker of knowledge would be most interested in learning such things.” Twilight shook her head.

“I don’t know that it matters. Fact is, he was evil. Get to the point- why are you here other than to test us?” Pinkie jumped out of the bed and bumped up against the lavender mare.

“Anything he’s offering isn’t worth the price Twilight. For all of our misunderstandings, for all that we’ve said to one another in the last few days, if our friendship stands for anything you will turn away.” A field of static energy encapsulated the pink mare and suspended her above the floor, blocking out any and all sound that might be coming from her mouth.

“Obviously our overzealous little earth pony has made her decision before hearing my offer. Such a shame. Don’t make the same mistake Twilight. I offer you a position by my side- together we could lead the cult to heights it has never seen before. Do you understand what I am offering you? I have lead these unicorns for decades, been privy to only a few of Equestria’s greatest secrets, and yet the amount of knowledge I have learned could fill entire libraries. I’m getting older, I need somepony who can take up the reigns from me so to speak. Let me pass on the knowledge I have acquired and help you to discover more. More than being a student of the princess could ever offer you.”

“So… If I agree, what are the terms?” Truth smiled. While no sound could be heard coming from the bubble of energy that suspended Pinkie, it was clear that she could hear everything that was being discussed below her, and she was screaming for all she was worth.

“I’m glad you’re interested. The terms are quite simple- you will stand by me as we test your friends one by one. They will all undoubtedly fail, but that was going to happen whether or not you acquiesced to my request. All I ask is that you stand with me, rather than them. Simple, no?” Twilight looked up at the pained expression on Pinkie’s face, and back at the cult leader in front of her. She looked deep in thought, and slowly answered.

“While I find it hard to believe that you could know more than the princess, I have seen enough in your books and pictograms to indicate there is some truth to your word. Not only that, but some of the knowledge you have I wouldn‘t have even though to research, and that‘s intriguing to me.…” She looked back up at Pinkie who’s expression had turned to horror. “… and I don’t see any way to save my friends.”

“Then you accept?”

“I…” Just as she was about to answer there was a knock at the door. Truth Seeker scowled and turned his head.

“I left explicit instructions to not be disturbed! What ever could be so important that you need to interrupt me?” The door slid open and a whirling rainbow blur flew in rear-hooves first and kicked Truth in the jaw, sending him spiraling against the far wall. The bubble holding Pinkie broke and she fell unceremoniously on top of Twilight. Applejack, Rarity and a now moving on her own Fluttershy brought up the rear. Rainbow Dash smirked, and called over to the heaving unconscious form of the cult leader.

“I was just trying to warn you that there’s been a break out, but I think we got here too late. I told you I‘d kick that smug look off your face.” She turned her attention to Twilight and Pinkie. “Hurry up, we have to get out of here. We raised some sort of alarm when we released Rarity and Fluttershy, and the cloak freaks are crawling all over the place.” Rarity trotted forward and helped Pinkie to her feet.

“Indeed. While we were being placed in our cell I overheard one of those fashion victim unicorns talking and I think I know the way out. I don’t think it will be easy however.” Twilight nodded.

“Alright, let’s get out of here then. Celestia will be waiting for us back in Canterlot and I have a lot to talk with her about.” Pinkie looked at Twilight and nearly went ballistic.

“Canterlot? Celestia? Why don’t you explain to everypony else about the conversation you were having with our friend in the corner there.” She pointed a hoof over at Truth. Twilight shook her head and frowned.

“I was merely stalling for time Pinkie. I knew the others would come for us soon. We just had to hold out. Now we’re together and everything is good.” Pinkie snorted and turned her back and walked out the room.

“Sure Twilight. Whatever you say.” Dash looked between Twilight and Pinkie confused.

“There something we need to talk about?” Pinkie shook her head.

“No. We should go. Quickly, before anypony else offers Twilight a deal that she couldn’t possibly refuse.” Rainbow still looked confused, but she slowly nodded her head and started to follow the pink earth pony.

“Alright then. Rarity?” Rarity nodded to Dash and walked over to Twilight.

“Darling, let me get that hideous collar off of your neck.” Free of her own collar, it was a simple matter to remove the one that had been placed on Twilight’s neck. She gave a little smirk and wrapped it around Truth Seeker’s neck. “He’s going to be ever so cross when he awakens and finds he can’t cast the simplest of spells.” With a wink and a nod, she took point and started to skulk about the passageways in the direction that she had ascertained from the conversation she had heard. At the rear Fluttershy and Applejack were quietly having a conversation.

“So uh… ya seem to be doing a mite bit better.” Fluttershy lowered her head and nodded slightly.

“W-well I’m still very upset, but Nathan’s still with us, and I’m sure that everything is going to be alright.” Applejack raised an eyebrow.

“He is?” Fluttershy nodded and tilted her head towards her back. Between her wings was pinned the journal.

“Mmm-hmm. He talks to me. Through that. All I need to do is read the pages and it’s like he’s right beside us helping us along.” The orange earth pony gave a weak, pained look towards Fluttershy.

“Uh-huh… you realize that’s just a…” She was cut off by several ponies shushing them from the front. Rarity looked cross.

“Do you want us to get caught again? I for one would like nothing more than to be free of this wretched place. Caves and tunnels are no place for a lady.” Dash growled and shook her head, remembering the episode with the manticores a few days before.

“I thought you said a lady doesn’t sneak?” The white unicorn cuffed her on the back of the head.

“Shhh! A lady does what a lady must. Now, shall we move on?” The others nodded in agreement and carefully made their way through the winding passages, doing their best to avoid any and all cultists. A few times a panicked group of them ran past, completely oblivious to the hallways to their sides, calling out to other groups. It was becoming increasingly clear to the mares that their escape from the subterranean lair was going to be much more difficult then they had assumed. Rarity scanned the next hallway and held up a hoof for them to stop. She carefully walked around the corner, and soon came back shaking her head. Twilight trotted up beside her.

“What’s going on Rarity? Why did we stop?” Rarity frowned.

“The next room over is directly in our path towards the exit. Unfortunately it seems to be full of those robed maniacs making plans to find us.” Twilight nodded.

“They make any mention of Truth Seeker that you can hear?”

“No, so far they’re more concerned with finding us. They’re apparently quite afraid of what our gracious host will do if they don’t find us before he does.” Dash shook her head and grunted.

“How many of them are there?” Rarity mentally calculated before answering.

“Oh, around eight or so. With only two ways out of that room, I assume at least half will be coming this way shortly. Why? What are you thinking?” Dash looked amongst her “friends” and made a split decision. She growled at the white unicorn again.

“Well, when dealing with a crazy out of control situation you know nothing about, I’ve learned from a true friend the best way to handle it.” Twilight smiled and walked up to her.

“Aww Dash that’s so kind of you to say. Careful planning and negotiation is the key to handling new situations.” Dash shoved Twilight away and had to hold herself back from spitting on the unicorn.

“Are you kidding? Buck that. I’m talking about Nathan. Like I said, a true friend.” Applejack groaned.

“That think what Ah think it means?” Dash sighed.

“I don‘t see any other way, if we‘re going to get out of here...” Dash wheeled around the corner and planted herself hoof-first into the first cultists’ face to the shock and dismay of the rest of the mares. Applejack looked at the rest of the stunned mares and frowned, before trotting into the room herself and bucking the first cultist she saw.

14: Two of an Unkind

Chapter 14- Two of an Unkind

As the six mares barreled headlong down the intertwining passages and tunnels, the sound of their hoof steps was broken intermittently only by the sound of their increasingly hoarse breathing and the odd cacophony of a magical spell detonating somewhere behind them. Rainbow Dash and Applejack had caught the room full of cultists off-guard and quickly and easily dispatched them, leaving them dazed and unconscious in the corner, however the time they had taken to do so, not to mention the commotion it had made, had given the other robed unicorns the time to locate the escapees who were now leading them on a chase through the depths of the complex.

Rarity led the way, sweat pouring off of their bodies, as they continued their mad gallop through the hallways watching for any sign of an exit or escape. Bringing up the rear, Pinkie Pie ducked as they turned another corner, a fireball narrowly passing over her head and scorching her mane. Stopping for a moment she quickly reached back and patted out the flaming lock of hair before renewing her desperate gallop and catching up to the other girls. The few moments were enough for her to catch a sight of their pursuers, and any thought of stopping to negotiate with them, fleeting as the idea was, was quickly lost. The pure unmitigated cruel determination in every one of their faces was enough for the pink pony to realize that the decision to run had been the point of no return. They were either going to escape from the lair… or perish trying.

Every so often, reaching an intersection or crossing of tunnels, Rarity would pause for the briefest of moments to evaluate her options and decide which direction to go. It only happened on occasion, but it was enough for Applejack to start to get the feeling that the white unicorn wasn’t being up-front about knowing which way would truly lead them to the exit.

“Uh, Rarity? Ah don’t mean to distract ya, but ya sure ya know which way yer goin’? Seems like we’re getting deeper and deeper when we should be goin’, ya know, up an’ out?”

“Well,” Rarity sputtered between breaths, “I’ll admit that I only heard the directions once, and I’m not altogether positive at every twist and turn which turns to take, however I am reasonably certain that we are, in general, going the right way to safety.” In reality, she had forgotten the directions entirely during the short fight with the cultists, and had been leading them blindly for the last fifteen minutes. Rarity was not the Element of Honesty, and while that pony was present, Applejack felt that calling her out on her lie would do more harm than good, seeing that anypony else leading would be just as aimless. Putting her head down, the farmer merely grunted and continued running.

Their path brought them to a large room, with tunnels leading in several directions. Boxes and barrels lined the walls with a few chairs and tables thrown in. For all intents and purposes it seemed to be some sort of central storage room, though no doors or barricades separated it from the other parts of the complex, indicating that whatever was kept their was likely not valuable or only stored their temporarily. The six mares slowed for a moment as Rarity anxiously glanced between the various possible routes to take. Dash, who had grown increasingly impatient, growled.

“Alright there tour guide! Where should we go from here? You said you knew where we were going… so? Where’re we going?!” Rarity frowned and glanced to one of the doorways.

“There! That’s the way we need to take to get out of here, I…I’m sure of it!” Dash growled again.

“Oh yeah? You don’t seem so sure. How much further do we have to go then? How far down are we? Does this route take us past anything we should know about? Like… oh I don’t know… more crazed cultists like the one’s following us?!” Applejack spun on her hooves and smacked Dash on the side of the head.

“That’s ‘nough outta you! We’re ah’ll darn scared, but fighting amongst ourselves ain’t gonna git us outta here. Whether or not Rarity knows the way,” a blush spread on the unicorn’s face, the cat out of the bag, “it’s a good a route as any. Unless you’d like to lead us out?” Applejack glared at the upstart pegasus.

“W-well…” Dash stuttered for a moment before finding her voice. “Alright fine! Let’s just keep moving it won’t be long until, CRIPES…” She ducked a pair of fireballs that whizzed overhead, narrowly missing her and exploding against one of the far walls, leaving the mares paralyzed with fear for a moment. The screams and shouts of the pursuing cultists shook them from their shocked states and with a few screams of their own they continued down their chosen route.

The momentary argument had allowed the robed unicorns to close much of the gap between them and their quarry, and the shrinking distance between them had increased the fear of the mares ten-fold. Never before had they been so close to death, and they were starting to crack under pressure. Fluttershy, journal clutched tightly between her wings, had tears running down her face.

“G-girls! I c-can’t keep this up much longer! I’m running out of breath!” The yellow pegasus was noticeably winded, and her tear streaked face was covered in fear-induced wrinkles. Pinkie looked back and frowned.

“Fluttershy can’t keep running like this! If we don’t get out soon… what are we going to do?!” She looked between her friends frantically as the possible options ran through her head. The last few days in the wilderness had done much to toughen the six up, and the mares that were running through the complex now were slightly hardier than the ones who had left Ponyville, but the ability to run as hard as they could for extended periods of time was not something that was learned overnight. Each mare had been pushed to their limits, and Fluttershy was obviously starting to be pushed past hers. As each scenario ran through the pink mare’s head, she started to feel a real fear, one which until this point in her life she had never felt before. If Fluttershy started to fall behind, and the rest of them unable to carry her… She didn’t want to think about it.

“Twilight!” Pinkie’s voice was just below a scream. “Can’t you teleport us all out of here?”

“No!” Twilight shook her head, her horn rapidly pulsating with lavender light. “I’ve been trying. Something is preventing it!”

Pinkie could feel her own tears starting. She was the best friend of everypony in Ponyville. If she had it her way, she would be the best friend of everypony in Equestria. That she might have to leave anypony, let alone one of her closest friends, behind was like sticking a knife through her heart. Glancing between the others, she could see on their faces that the same uncomfortable thoughts were running through each of their heads. She silently pleaded with them to voice another suggestion, another idea, but the unsure glances between them solidified the growing fear that for the rest to survive, a sacrifice might have to be made. Rarity, was finding herself increasingly distracted.

This isn’t fair. What did we ever do to deserve this? I’ll admit that I could have been nicer to Nathan when he first arrived, and I wasn’t exactly the friend that Fluttershy needed, but what else could I have done? I was only looking out for the wellbeing of everypony. Even if only half of what Mango said was right, he was a credible threat. Now, we’re running for our lives from robed hoodlums and in order to save ourselves Fluttershy needs to suffer for it? I can’t accept this. I won’t allow my best friend to suffer that fate just for-

“Fluttershy.” Twilight Sparkle called again, breaking Rarity from her thoughts and drawing everypony’s attention to her. “You’re our friend, and we love you but…” It slowly dawned on Fluttershy what Twilight was about to suggest and the terror was clear on her face. Before Twilight could continue, however, Rarity looked back and interrupted her.

“Dearie, do us all a favor and shut your mouth. I don’t care how far up the dirt creek we are muddied and without mascara, that will never be an option.” The group turned the corner, continuing down another passage. Applejack yelled out.

“Uh, Rarity?” The white unicorn frowned.

“Not now Applejack, I’m speaking. Now, you might be content to just let our friend suffer the same fate as Nathan, and I’ll admit up to a few days ago I wouldn’t have been as upset about that as I am now…”

“Rarity…”

“Applejack please! However, leaving him behind was a tragedy that you at least in part orchestrated and I will have no part in allowing you to repeat such.”

“RARITY STOP!”

“What, Applejack?!” Rarity finally looked ahead of herself and down the hallway and found it full of cultists. In her distraction, she had failed to notice that their route had taken them directly into a, possibly literal, dead end. The mares screeched to a halt, coming up a few dozen feet short of the group ahead of them. Quickly about facing they found the other end of the hallway closed off by the group that had been following them. Twilight grunted and threw up a shield, encapsulating them in its protective sheen.

“Now,” one of the cultists spoke between huffed breathing, “If you all are quite finished your inane attempt at an escape, please drop your shield and come along. There are dozens of us and six of you. Even without catching you off guard, we could easily defeat you. We make no promise that you will not be harmed, but it is inevitable that you will either be tested or perish. This will however be easier for all involved.” Twilight scowled.

“No, we will not be making anything easier for you! You ponies should be ashamed of yourselves and what you’re doing here. How would Princess Celestia react to what you’re doing here?!” Twilight’s quandary was met with a rolling chuckle from the cultists, leaving her slightly confused.

“Princess Celestia? You realize that we work with an ancient magic of the sorts that only an alicorn such as the princess is normally privy to don’t you? You act as if she doesn’t know exactly what is happening here.” The cultists continued to laugh. Applejack narrowed her eyes at the speaker.

“Twi…” Applejack was about to warn Twilight away from falling for the obvious attempt at goading the unicorn into a confrontation.

“You…” Twilight’s horn began to glow and spark with magical discharge as the air around her crackled from the power. The other mares looked nervously at the aggravated unicorn, and realized what was about to happen. Twilight was going to drop the shield that was the only thing separating them from their aggressors, to blast the smirking unicorn in the face. Before anypony could say or do anything, there was a shimmer of light and the whole world stopped. Or more specifically, everything outside of Twilight’s shield stopped.

Twilight stopped channeling the spell. As the glow ebbed away and died, she looked around at her friends, seeing them all in similar states of confusion. Fluttershy was breathing heavily, her head held low between her legs and saliva running freely onto the ground, while Rarity was gently laying a hoof on her back doing her best to relax her terrified countenance. Applejack and Pinkie were walking around and looking out at the cultists, stunned looks imprinted on their faces, Dash eying a fly frozen in mid-flight. At each end of the hallway, the groups of cultists had been frozen in place, their rage, screams, and flying spittle completely immobile. Dropping her shield, Twilight walked forward towards the nearest group of robed unicorns and gently reached out a hoof to touch one.

“Ah ah ah, I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” A voice from behind them forced Twilight to withdraw her hoof in shock. Turning in place she saw a small brown unicorn filly walking out from the group at the other end of the hallway, cloaked in similar garb to the cultists surrounding her. “Magic such as this tends to be slightly fragile, and we have things to discuss before you six start running again.”

“Ohhhh no you poor little filly.” Fluttershy flitted over to the foal. “You poor thing, trapped down here with these horrible, horrible ponies. How could they possibly take an innocent thing like you captive?” Fluttershy immediately pulled her into a hug, one which the filly enthusiastically returned.

“Release her; there are things all of you are to know.” The mares spun around as a rust red colt emerged from the opposing group of cultists wearing a similar cloak. As Fluttershy released her grip on the filly, she darted out and around giggling, as the other mares goggled between the two fillies. “The six of you are to listen, and listen carefully.”

“Uh…” Dash was scratching her head with a hoof. “I’m a little lost here. Who are you two? I take it you’re not a couple of lost foals?”

“Nopes.” The filly was crouched on her front hooves playfully swatting at the butterflies on Fluttershy’s flank, drawing a nervous blush from the pegasus. “We’re not lost, we’re not foals, and we’re definitely not a couple.” She giggled a bit.

“Stop.” The colt turned to the mares. “We are and are not real. You’ve spoken with Truth Seeker and his zealous pontification on the fates?” The mares nodded silently. “We.” The colt gestured to himself and the filly. “Are metaphysical extensions of the magical presence governing the very same.”

“I sort of understand, I think.” Twilight slowly nodded, looking deep in thought. “However why even have Truth Seeker and this cult in the first place? If you are what you say you are, and can just visit us, why have such a horrible group of ponies do your work for you?”

“You’re silly.” The filly was giggling again. “Have you ever tried to make yourself be something when you weren’t something to begin with in the first place but if you weren’t something how could you ever be something ever anyways?”

“Oh! Oh! I totally know what you mean! That would be so hard!” Pinkie was nodding vigorously. The other mares simply looked on even more confused than they were before.

“You’re incorrectly applying the assumptive measures regarding this cult, the actions of Truth Seeker, as well as taking liberties with what you think is our yet to be stated goals. He is necessary but not in the way you imagine it to be, as all consequences are derivative of previous actions, as will any consequent action be responsible for every one proceeding from it. We do not share your scope of morality, nor any value-significant conclusion from said scope. His mad bid for power is necessary, as is your own survival, in our view there is no contradicting mutual exclusivity in both scenarios, as, indeed, from any and every action happening right now, before, and after.”

“Hol’ on there pardner.” The assembled ponies turned to Applejack, surprised at the confident expression on her face. “Alright, if ya’ll say yer not really a couple of foals. With all the magic flyin’ around Ah can believe that. Ya just said that all this here happenin’ here is fine so there ain’t no reason in buttin’ inta this, but here ya are sure as the apples on mah flank. So what’s this all about? Why stop them cult ponies from knockin’ us a few apples short o’ a bushel?”

“Ooooh, it’s different hearing everything isn’t it? It’s true what they say, qualiac understanding is something else too! Can we bring her along? Puh-leaaaase?”

“No.” Sighing he turned his attention back to the mares. “No, we will not be bringing any of them along. However, your companion is correct; we do have a reason to address you personally. It is very much the same rationale behind speaking to Truth Seeker with the truths that we have spoken, as it is speaking to you with the truths that we will speak to you about. They will be heard by nobody…”

“You mean nopony?” Rainbow Dash interrupted.

“… ‘nopony’, but those who would deigned be heard. It is equally coincidental and not that you six mares were the ones to act on the eve of the summer sun celebration, and that Celestia has deigned to grace Twilight with the very same study assignment on the origins of the celebration that led to her uncovering our prophecy, as well as the interpersonal experiences that led to your budding and mutual friendships. Truth has his part to play, but his value schema is not equivalent to your own, nor would his interpretation of the very same be equivalent to your own. Needless to say, while we continue to use his cult to disperse some of our knowledge, it is not necessary that he is privy to all re-telling of them. Rather the opposite.” He inclined his head towards Rarity. “You were far more correct than you thought, when you said ‘All of us were BFFs forever and we didn’t even know about it’. You all were, indubitably, best of friends from far before you ever knew each others names or were even born, and still don’t know just how long and how intricately the six of you are connected, and you still won’t appreciate it until much, much later.”

The strange little filly was absentmindedly playing hop-scotch with a rock and a few loose stones in the hallway floor when she caught the flat stare of her colt companion. Stopping in mid jump she turned back to the group, giggling slightly.

“Sorry, I’m just having so much fun with these hooves! You pretty much said it all anyways. What did you need me to add?” The filly shrugged.

“What, you don’t want to tell me I’m espousing too much or interfering?”

“Nope. Truth Seeker’s a jerk. And you already know the answer to the latter. There’s one way to be efficient, but there’s better ways to deal with others. Woulda been nicer to just kill ‘em, you know?”

“Eep!” Fluttershy shrank away from the filly, mortified. “I-I thought you were the n-nice one.”

“I am!”

“So what does this have to do with us?” Twilight shook her head confused. “And while we’re on the topic, why wasn’t my teleportation working? I couldn’t even teleport myself out.” This brought a few glares from the other mares, Twilight’s own eyes widened as she realized what she may have just implied. Rainbow Dash looked just about ready to jump at her.

“Well,” the colt motioned for the filly to join him, “we’re sure that you’ve heard about this prophecy that Truth Seeker keeps going on about. We need you to hear it, and then respond accordingly. That‘s also why we allowed the suppression of your magic. We needed to speak with you in an environment that ensured your attention and complicity.”

“Wh-what?” Twilight’s eyes went wide with shock. “You nearly got us all killed just to talk to us?!”

“Incorrect, you would not have died and, indeed, have not died. A sense of danger is a physical biological fuzzy logic estimate on an unknown future under estimable factors that you deem would harm you. We know your future, ‘nearly got you all killed’ is not an applicable term for any actions we take.”

“B-but doesn’t there need to be some sort of chosen one? Isn’t that why Truth is doing all of this? We don’t even know what it is!”

“Yes, there is one it pertains to, though whether you would call them ‘chosen’ is a matter of definition.”

“Do you even know who it is?” Twilight was starting to get an uneasy feeling in her stomach from the casual way the colt had said “cursed”.

“Of course.”

“Can you tell us? Wouldn’t that make it easier?”

“Nope!” The little filly trotted next to the colt. “Otherwise you’ll react differently than if you didn’t hear about who it was! Same thing applies with the words I just said, and these words, and these words, and these words, and-” The colt shoved at her, and she shut her mouth with an audible clack. The two foals stood side by side and their horns began to glow. A blue swirling orb of energy similar to the one Dash had seen earlier in the evening appeared above them, and softly emitted a light that bathed the hallway. However, unlike earlier, rather than the words coming out of the orb, the voices were those of the two foals.

Times gone by, a rift of old
Death and deceit was a story told
A house of cards, built from five
Crashing down while all alive

Three kingdoms stand, some ancient yet,
Their end of days will be of their regrets.
Powerful weapon built in distrust and fear,
turned against all that they once held dear.

Ten crooked fingers in lines of five,
built upon a foundation of misdirection and lie.
Spread apart, grasp is thin,
One will reunite in sin

Emotionally unstable, their harmony long lost,
Death of the pillar of the kingdom first tells the truth of when paid the cost.
Though their being is plagued by turmoil and strife,
they bear the burden of a full and challenged life

Bringing to bare, armaments firing true,
Darkened scowl while standing on legs of two.
Two directions, worlds at stake,
The choice is influenced, though not theirs to make.

“W…whoa. That’s heavy.” Dash backed slowly away from the foals, noting that her friends were making similar movements. Rarity was visibly shaken.

“F-fingers. D-did you say fingers? Not only that, but two legs?”

“Yes.” The foals responded in unison.

“N-no, that’s impossible. N-not him.”

“Rarity,” Fluttershy put a steadying hoof on Rarity’s back. “It’s just a jumble of words. Fingers and legs could mean anything or anypony.” Rarity shrank back from the pegasus’ touch.

“How many ponies do you know that have fingers? Last time I checked other creatures, like Spike, have claws. What else could it mean?! He’s… he’s dead though… how could that be possible? It’s impossible.” She looked towards the foals. “It’s impossible right?”

“It is not for us to say. It is as it is.” The colt shrugged. The action didn’t do anything to help the clearly upset mare.

“It is as it is?! That’s it?! We could potentially have been walking side by side with the greatest danger Equestria has ever seen and you have nothing to say?!” The colt gave another non-committal shrug. Rarity shrieked.

“Regardless,” the colt continued, “It is time for you to go. Our time here is drawing short, and these cultists would so love to rip you apart. Don’t worry; you will receive aid.”

“Yuppers!” The filly squeaked out. “Hope you packed your umbrellas!”

“Huh? Umbrellas? Nopony has umbrellas.” Twilight raised one eyebrow questioningly. Pinkie’s tail twitched wildly, as her eyes widened.

“We’re falling! They’re going to make us fall!” Pinkie started shrieking before all hell broke loose. The spell that had frozen the cultists in place went as suddenly as they came as the robed unicorns resumed their aggression against the mares. As the first spells were slung from their horns, the hallway floor faded and turned to dust underneath the six ponies and they plummeted from sight shrieking as they went. The volley of spells missed their targets entirely, resulting in friendly fire from both ends of the corridor; their screams were indiscernible from those of the mares. Unseen by the rest of the assembled ponies, the two foals watched the scene play out.

“We should proooooobably get going, I wanna try racing hard enough to make leaves fall!”

“Content yourself with your perceptions; you know I have another trip to make.”

Falling into the depths, both of the pegasi spread their wings and grabbed for their friends. Dash wrapped her hooves around Applejack, and Fluttershy was able to grasp Rarity. Neither pony was able to fly with their loads and in their state of exhaustion, but it was enough that the two pairs were able to float down slowly. Twilight lit her horn and watched for the approaching floor and, seeing it nearing, teleported herself a few feet higher and over, slowing her descent enough for the pile of hay she had identified to break her fall. Pinkie pulled out a trampoline and threw it under herself, bouncing off and doing a flip in the air, landing on the floor with her fore hooves in the air. A moment later, the journal that Fluttershy had dropped when she spread her wings dropped into Pinkie’s waiting hooves.

“Ta-da!” The other mares were less than enthused at their near deadly plummet, however they were safely out of reach of the cultists for the time being. Looking far above, they could see the robed unicorns milling about the hole that Twilight’s spell had made, and finally looking for another, safer, route down. Rarity walked over to Twilight and back-hooved her roughly across the face.

“Oww!” Twilight squealed and rubbed the side of her face with a hoof. “What was that for?!”

“I didn’t want to believe it when Pinkie said it that you were going to sell us out for that awful Truth Seeker, Twilight Sparkle, but after what I just saw from you… if you ever try and suggest that we leave anypony behind, especially Fluttershy, I… I… I don’t know what I’ll do! Then there‘s everything with that Celestia-forsaken prophecy!” Rarity stormed off, looking for something to take her frustration out on. Twilight looked to the other mares for some sort of support, but mostly found scowls. To her surprise, Fluttershy trotted over and put a hoof on her shoulder, a sad smile on her face.

“Twilight, I kn-know that we’re in a tough place right now, and decisions don’t come the easiest when you’re scared for your life. I don’t want to be any bother, and if you had to leave me behind, just so you could escape, I would have understood.” Twilight looked away, ashamed.

“I… I know, Fluttershy, but Rarity’s right, I should have…” Fluttershy shook her head.

“No, really. We’ve had our fair share of adventures together, and a lot of the time you girls are looking out for me. If it meant that you would all die, then… well it wouldn’t have been right. I learned that from a good friend just the other day. Isn’t that right Nathan?” Pinkie gently placed the journal back between the yellow pegasus’ wings, and Fluttershy visibly sighed at having the comforting feeling of it on her back. She smiled. “Thanks Pinkie.” Pinkie Pie was fighting back her tears.

“Y-you’re welcome Fluttershy. It means a lot to all of us for you to say that, but it doesn’t make it any better. We have to stick together until the end. Right girls?” The other mares, save Dash, nodded. Dash merely looked off into the corner. Pinkie trotted over and placed a hoof on her back. “Dashie?” The pegasus brushed her off and frowned.

“I told you to stop calling me that! Only Pinkie can call me that. And I'm not sure sure there is a we anymore.We’re all going to die because you ponies can’t get your acts together. Where are we anyways?” Twilight focused on her horn again, spreading the dim lavender light until it encompassed the entire room. The glow revealed that they had fallen into another storage area, this one much older and obviously neglected. The shelves were full of dusty molding tomes, jars, and other assorted containers. In one corner were a few barrels of some unknown substance, long forgotten by the annals of time, and the hay that Twilight had fallen in was decaying away, leaving a long trail of sickly juice rolling along the floor. The lavender unicorn grimaced at the thought that she had been in the pile moments before. One side of the room had several other tall jars with rolled up parchments. Only one door lead out of the room. Rarity strutted about, her anger with Twilight fading.

“It appears to be some sort of storage room, though I dare say it hasn’t seen a pony’s touch in many years. The hay would suggest it hasn’t been that long since somepony was in here though…” Twilight shook her head and jumped in.

“I think the magical nature of this place explains the hay. If it was anywhere else it would have decayed years ago. Nothing in this room seems to have aged as much as it should have. The dust is really the only evidence of the passage of time. It gives me the willies to be honest.”

“Well,” Applejack trotted around taking in the room, “that sorta makes sense. Ah mean, those hooligans did say that there’s this all powerful fates thing around here.” Twilight nodded. Trotting over to the rolled up parchments, she began to search through them, her face brightening as she pulled one in particular out.

“A map! This is exactly what we need! Let’s see here…” She rolled it out on the floor and started tracing out a route on the parchment. The others looked on, and while they had already surprised at how large the complex was, the map, as old as it was, gave them the first glimpse at the sheer enormity of the place. It was almost impossible that such an isolated group of unicorns would have been able to build such a place, thralls or not. “Alright, I think that we’re here. Here’s the dining hall… cells should be right around here… oh here’s this larger room with all of the passages so… yes we’re here. Alright we should be able to just head out the door here and it’s a straight shot to the nearest exit.” She pointed out the route on the map for emphasis.

“Yeah,” Dash huffed, “but this map is old. Who knows if any of these passages still exist. We’ve already seen what happens when you use an out of date map.” She glared at Twilight, who largely ignored her.

“I think it should be fine. A place this size with forgotten rooms like this, I doubt it will have changed very much over the years. It’s a good a choice as any. Now should we get going before those cultists catch up with us.” As Twilight said this, she started walking for the door. Before she could reach it though, she couldn’t help but be drawn to the other parchments. “Well, maybe we’ll see what else is here.” She pulled a few out, rolling them out on the floor as the others rolled their eyes. Unfortunately (or fortunately from the other mare’s points of view), she didn’t find anything else worthwhile. “Well that was a waste of time. I was hoping there would be some more information about the prophecy here. No such luck.”
.

“Look, we’ll have to get to the bottom of this later. In the meantime, Ah think it’s best we got moving. Alright, Twilight said that it should be a straight shot from here, so we should make it quick.” Applejack motioned towards the exit.

The door gave a little resistance, due to being rarely used over the years, but with a bit of effort Applejack was able to pry it open without making too much noise. The hallway beyond was covered in a similar layer of dust, though a few hoof prints revealed that it had indeed been used. Moving quietly through the complex they discovered, true to Twilight’s words and to their collective relief, that the map was roughly accurate even after years in storage, and they quickly found the hallway that lead to their salvation.

“Well,” Twilight started, “looks like we’re almost out of here girls!” Just as she spoke, they heard a growl behind them, and spun on their hooves. Far down the hallway they could see an angry Truth Seeker and a group of cultists. “Oh horse apples.”

“Twilight Sparkle! I’m not sure how you were able to so thoroughly harm those who were chasing you earlier, as hesitant as they are to give an explanation, however my offer still stands: join me and assist me with the tests, and you shall gain knowledge and power you have only dreamed of. Reject me, and you and your friends shall perish. Such is the will of the fates.” Even from the distance separating them, they could see the malice etched in his eyes. Pinkie trotted up beside Twilight.

“We’re almost out. We need to stick together- c’mon Twilight, don’t listen to that big meany jerk face.” Pinkie turned to look at Truth. “You hear that? You’re a big fat meany jerk face!” Truth Seeker chuckled.

“Pinkamina, you more than anypony should understand what the fates drive us to do. We cannot escape what has been ordained. Just like you can’t escape your feelings for…”

“No!” Pinkie screamed. “I don’t care who you think you are, what you know, or what sort of fate you claim to work through, you’re a bad pony, and we’re leaving.” She glanced to the others. “Let’s go!” She bolted down the hallway, with the other mares hot on her tail. Twilight spared one last glance towards the menacing mob before sighing and turning to follow her friends.

Turning the corner at the end of the hallway, several fireballs exploded against the wall, spreading flames and scorch marks in a wide radius. The mares shrieked as several of the flames licked at their hooves. Growling and cursing followed soon after from the pursuing cultists, though the girls were too far ahead to make out most of what was being shouted.

Passing another intersection, they could see another group of robed unicorns heading towards them. Rarity spared a glance, and noted that it was the group that they had evaded earlier. A surge of lighting crackled between them, narrowly grazing the top of Applejack’s Stetson and causing the mares to scream. Continuing their breakneck pace, they rounded the final corner and could see a set of stairs marked with torches.

“There!” Rarity shrieked. “Those stairs will take us up to the exit! Quickly girls!” She bolted for the stairs, sheer panic etched across her face. The other mares were right behind her, but at that point in time, if she was being honest, and she wasn’t, she would have said that she could have cared less for anypony but herself. Reaching the first step, she spared a glance behind her. Her friends were nearly to the steps themselves, and the cultists weren’t that much further behind them. Turning back around, she continued her upwards progress.

“Fools! Incompetents! They’re getting away! She’s getting away! Don’t let them go!” Truth Seeker generated a massive fireball, intending the wreath the escaping mares in a bale of hellfire. The last of the mares scrambled away up the stairs as the torrent of magical energy detonated at the foot of the staircase, engulfing the area. Simultaneously, several other cultists expended their spells adding to the destruction. Their combined assault shattered the stone walls and ceiling, and the entrance to the stairs started to cave in. “Idiots! You’ve collapsed the entryway!”

The mares paused to see that, in fact, the entryway to the stairs was caving in, and moving through the collapsing structure would be impossible. The cultists slid to a halt just on the other side of the crumbling arch. Truth Seeker trotted forward and peered up at them.

“You may think you have escaped us, but we will come for you. The fates demand it. Stay safe Twilight Sparkle, and keep her safe. Time will tell what the fates have in store.” With a final rumble the archway disintegrated completely, obscuring their view of the cultists. Taking a deep breath for the first time it what seemed hours, they slowly walked the rest of the way up and back into the jungle. This had not been the entrance they had originally been brought to, so the landmarks were unfamiliar. With a final sigh, they departed wordlessly into the underbrush.

“Scootaloo! Applebloom! Sweetie Belle!” Spike had been calling out for the three fillies for the better part of the last hour, having lost them in the underbrush soon after entering the Everfree forest. Normally, he wouldn’t have even considered running after them, but Twilight had trusted him to look after the library, and regardless of who claimed ownership, that shell was in the library. On top of that, with the mares out of town there were few ponies willing or able to traverse the forest in search of wayward foals, and he felt it was his responsibility to keep them safe.

So it was that he found himself wandering through the forest as the sun began it’s slow descent below the horizon. With the dense foliage the light levels rapidly dimmed, and the adolescent dragon was finding it more and more difficult to see where he was going. The sounds of the forest coming alive in the twilight hours was enough to unnerve Spike, and his eyes rapidly scanned the forest for any signs of trouble, be it a monster or worse.

While the path to Zecora’s hut was fairly straightforward, Spike was unaccustomed to wandering through the Everfree forest in the dark. Feeling along the edge of the trail, he glanced behind himself and examined his surrounding, relieved that nothing was following him. A moment later, however, he slowly felt the scales on the back of his neck stand on end. A shiver running down his spine, he reached back and attempted to smooth them out, only then feeling a warm breath blowing on him. Freezing in place, he slowly lowered his hand back to his side and kept his eyes facing straight forward.

A low growl came from behind the dragon and against his better judgment, he slowly turned to face the owner of the, now that he was paying attention, foul smelling breath. Audibly gulping he started to quiver in fear as his eyes took in what he was seeing. Where before was an empty trail he now saw a pair of timber wolves, their veneered teeth glinting in the rising moonlight.

“N-n-n-nice doggies. Y-y-you wouldn’t eat a dragon would you?” Spike’s teeth were chattering so hard he could barely speak. The pair of wolves looked at each other and turned back to the diminutive dragon, gnashing their teeth in tandem, looking towards an easy kill. Spike turned tail and ran, screaming the whole way. One of the wolves lashed out and attempted to grasp him in it’s teeth, narrowly missing his tail. With a howl of frustration, the pair pursued their meal.

Spike darted underneath an overhanging branch, bending it back as he went. Releasing it, he heard it snap back and strike one of the timber wolves. Sparing a glance he could see that the branch had hit the wolf across the face, and it was momentarily stunned as it rubbed away the feeling. Turning back to face forward Spike realized a moment too late that he was several feel from a steep drop-off. Skidding on his heels in a futile attempt to arrest his progress, he found himself moments later tumbling head over heels down, striking rocks and branches as he went. What took but a few seconds felt like a small eternity to the adolescent, as he felt every impact on his tiny body.

Finally coming to a rest at the base of the hill, he struggled to keep conscious. Glancing up, he could see the wolves consider following him down but, apparently thinking better of it, shook their heads and gave one last frustrated howl before taking off into the woods. Spike whispered a quick prayer to Celestia before he passed out completely.

Stirring back to consciousness a short time later, his eyes slowly flickered open. Spike could vaguely make out several shapes milling about and peering down at him from an uncomfortably close distance. His eyes flying wide he gave a small shriek and pushed himself up, trying to escape from whatever horrible creatures had abducted him.

“Spike you must not move so quick, though my potion has healed you it might make you quite sick. Don’t worry yourself, you’re in my room, with Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Applebloom.” Spike recognized the voice immediately.

“Zecora?” Spike blinked his eyes again and he could see that, true to the zebra’s words, the other figures in the room were indeed the fillies that he had been looking for. “Girls! Boy am I glad to see you! I was worried when you ran off into the forest without telling anypony where you were going! I almost got eaten by a pair of timber wolves!”

“Spike,” Applebloom scoffed, “zap apple season ain’t for another few months. Timber wolves shouldn’t be around these parts. Ah understand if you were scared, but ya don’t gotta make things up.” Zecora shook her head and looked sternly at the trio of fillies.

“Only foolish foals enter the forest at night without a chaperone, one would hate to think what could happen when you are all alone. To make matters worse you abandoned your friend, which is to be frowned upon no matter your errand. As for you Applebloom, do not mistake Spike’s words for lies or whines, there is no doubt that this night he encountered a pair of canines.”

“Wha?” Applebloom’s eyes went wide. “That’s not possible though! Granny Smith said that they only come close to town when it’s zap apple season. How d’ya know that he ran into them?” Zecora shook her head and sighed.

“For one who lives in the forest like me, the caustic spittle on the back of his neck was easy to see. While checking him over for cuts and wounds, I saved a little in a jar for a potion or brew. As for why the wolves are near town in the snows, that is a thing likely only the princess knows.” Applebloom and the other two fillies shared a look of shame and peered up at Spike.

“We’re sorry Spike.”

“Yeah,” agreed Scootaloo, “we really should have stuck together, or found someone to take us to Zecora’s in the first place.”

“We were just so excited to try and find out what it was that we found at Twilight’s!” Sweetie Belle said.

Carefully feeling himself over for any permanent damage, Spike was pleased to find that he was relatively unharmed. The back of his head still ached from where he had struck a stone, but Zecora had applied some sort of poultice that was steadily wicking away the pain. Looking among the gathered equines, he shrugged.

“It’s alright girls, I’m not badly hurt, and we’re all safe and sound now.” Zecora nodded.

“The four of you make such good friends, it is for the best that you have made amends. While your journey was slightly hazardous, I’ll have to take you back. I’m leaving on a trip soon and I really have to pack.” Spike tilted his head.

“A trip? How are you going to leave with the ban on travel in place?” The dragon was confused. With the lockdown currently in effect across Equestria, it was difficult for anypony to get permission to travel, other than wealthy traders and merchants. Twilight Sparkle and her friends were an exception of course, due to the pull they had with the princess, however Zecora was a zebra, and a relatively unknown one at that. The three fillies and Spike had managed to slip out of the shield surrounding Ponyville fairly easily (the side closest to the Everfree was lightly guarded owing to the fact that ponies avoided the place) but in order to go anywhere other than deeper into the forest, Zecora would have to head into town, detaining her with the rest of the residents.

“I’ve lived long enough in lands far and wide, to know a few tricks on how to survive. Getting past a guard, even with his devoted watching eye, is not a difficult task for a zebra such as I.” Zecora smiled to the assembled youth.

“You always were clever Zecora!” Sweetie Belle smiled back. “But where are you going?” The zebra’s smile dropped.

“Zebras like myself normally don’t live alone, they live together in tribes and tend to move around rather than have a home. While they aren’t necessarily related, or share the same blood you see, each tribe might be loosely be considered a family. My closest kin belong to one such group, and through them I am sibling to a several-score large troop. I don’t normally get to see them, even if it would be better, but I’ve been diligent to make sure each month they get a letter.” Zecora sighed and looked out the window. “Every month like clockwork they would make sure I got one back, I’ve kept every single one and made a little stack. Suddenly around four months ago I stopped receiving them altogether, it’s not like my family’s tribe to forget to send me a letter. I’ve made up my mind to leave, no matter if Equestria is in lock-down, something terrible has befallen my family and I have to get out of town.”

The adolescent’s eyes went wide. This had been the first time they had heard her talk about her family. They had always assumed they Zecora had some sort of family, but they were so used to her living alone in the woods it was weird thinking of her interacting with anypony else on a regular basis. Not only that, but her family was missing. Applebloom felt a shiver run down her spine.

“Ah don’t know what Ah’d do if my family went missing. Ah’m so sorry Zecora. Ah wish there was something we could do to help.” Zecora smiled and shook her head.

“Your sympathy is appreciated and you do your family proud, but it will be easier for me to slip out of Ponyville without being followed by a crowd.”

“Well,” Spike started, “I guess if you need to leave that we should get back home. Girls?” The three Crusaders groaned, but nodded and started for the door. Zecora grabbed a bag off the shelf turned to follow them.

“Your parents are probably worried with the four of you out so late. I can only imagine the punishment will be similarly great.” The fillies groaned again, however Spike looked slightly smug. “One last thing though, before I take you back, what is it that brought you to my hut on a night that is so dark and black?”

Sweetie Belle suddenly remembered why they had bothered walking through the forest at all and procured the shell.

“This Zecora. We found this in Twilight’s old lab. We didn’t know what it was for sure so we thought we’d bring it to you.”

Zecora stood on her hind legs over her table and grasped the shell in her hooves. Squinting her eyes, she examined the peculiar looking item that the filly had produced. Peering inside she could see some sort of material deeper down. Grabbing a small blade in her teeth, she slowly slid it into the opening and gently cut a hole in the material. Tipping the shell over she gave a sharp inhale as the contents poured out over the table, making a neat pile of black and white powder. She whipped her head towards the four youngsters and fought back a glare.

“You! Come here this instant if you care for Ponyville. Where again did you say you found this thing that can only kill?”

“W-well we found it in Twilight’s old l-lab like we said Zecora…” Applebloom had gone white as a sheet at both Zecora’s sudden outburst as well as the possible danger of the shell they had found. Glancing to the others she could see they shared a similar expression.

“Twilight is playing with such a thing? Does she have any idea the woe this could bring?”

“It’s not T-Twilight’s.” Spike was stammering. “It’s Nathan‘s. He made it. He was just staying with us.”

“That is a strange name for a pony, and it fills me with fear. Where is this Nathan, is he still living near?”

“Well, that’s the thing, he’s not a pony. He’s a human. He’s only been in Ponyville for a couple months. Also, he’s uh… well he and the girls have all gone to Canterlot. They left about a week ago.” Spike backed away slowly as he saw the zebra’s eye twitching, a wave of discomfort washing over her face. Her eyes ran over the interior of her hut awkwardly, an internal struggle playing behind her eyes. Reaching up on a shelf she pulled down some flint and steel and trotting back to the table she gently separated a few grains of the substance from the pile. Striking a spark, the small gathering watched as it landed on the stray bits and a poof of smoke and flame erupted, scorching the table. Zecora sighed.

“It’s as I feared, and it seems I‘ll have to delay my trip yet, this ‘human’ that you speak of is a potent threat. If it is true what you say and the mares travel with him, then I must reach them before they lose worse than a limb.” The fillies were frightened again, a mutual shiver passing amongst them. Applebloom warily stuck her hoof out towards the table.

“D-do ya know what that thing is then Zecora?” The zebra sighed.

“Applebloom this substance is known to most zebras and I, though in this I wish to you I could lie. Long ago zebra alchemists played with what we now call ‘powdered doom’, misuse of the powder sent many zebra ‘to the moon’. Now gather your things and lets you back to Ponyville and to bed, I must reach those ponies… before they wind up dead.”

Once again, Rarity found her sleep filled with dreams. At first they were the normal dreams that she had experienced for most of her adult life- dreams of gems, parties with popular Canterlot ponies, dressmaking, even a bizarre scene of Sweetie Belle being courted by Prince Blueblood that, much to her surprise, was likely one of the more disturbing images she had seen in the last few months. However, as the last few nights, the swirling images and half-broken scenes gradually came into focus and she once again found herself sharing the view of a human.

Unlike the last few nights however, she was sharing the point of view of a child, a little girl in fact. Looking around she was in a living room not unlike her boutique. Everything was in its place, baubles and trinkets along the walls, a cabinet full of fine china was standing in the corner, and the furniture was well kempt, if slightly out of style. Well, at least this evening I have the privilege to share a moment with one of the children. I couldn’t bare to experience another night as the victim of a psychopath. Mind you, this home could use a touch of…pizzazz.

Looking out a nearby window she could see the sun dipping over the horizon. A clock on the wall indicated it was sometime after seven, and she had already dressed in what Rarity assumed were some sort of nightgown. All around her were toys and blocks, and the little girl was happily humming to herself while brushing the hair of her human shaped doll. A noise at the door distracted her.

“Cathryn, honey?” Rarity’s host looked to the door and an older female was standing there. “Your father and I are going out for dinner. Do you remember Julie?” The little girl nodded. “She’s going to be babysitting for you and your brother. Please behave yourself and I expect you to be in bed no later than nine. I’ve already told her as much, so don’t you even try to pull one over on her.” The mother gave a mischievous smile. Cathryn ran over and gave her a a light hug.

“Alright mommy. I love you so much. Have fun with daddy!” Rarity’s host seemed slightly sad that her mother was going out without her. “I hope Julie plays games with us like last time!”

“I’m sure she’ll play all sorts of games. Now, go back to your toys and Julie will be here in a few minutes.” Cathryn’s mother walked away and Rarity could hear her slowly walk down a flight of stairs. Her host went back to playing with her doll, and the inhabiting pony could feel a warm glow come over her. Once again she was pleased to see that the human world seemed to be wonderful at times. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew, especially from one of her previous dreams, that not everything was warm and caring, but it seemed somewhere along the line she assumed that the opposite had to be true, that everything, and everyone, had to be something worse than any nightmare she’d ever conceived.

A few moments later she heard the door of the house open and close, and the voices of several adults talking. A small bout of laughter later and once more the door opened and closed. A new set of footsteps came up the stairs and another slightly older female youth walked into the room.

“Julie!” Cathryn leapt up and ran over to the babysitter, the obvious excitement clear to Rarity. Beaming, the younger girl could barely contain herself. “Are you going to play board games with us? It was so fun last time!” Julie smiled.

“Sure thing squirt.” Julie nodded her head. “Let’s go get out ‘Candy Land‘. Where’s your brother at anyways? Do you think he wants to play a game?” Rarity could feel her host’s disposition grow darker.

“I don’t know.” Cathryn sighed. “He hasn’t wanted to do much of anything lately. Mom and dad say he’s just growing up, and needs his ‘growing space‘. Whatever that means. Every time I ask him if he wants to play he just rolls his eyes and walks away. One day he yelled at me. He’s been in his room all night.”

“Well, I can sort of understand. I went through something like that when I was his age too. Yelled at my parents a bunch, got mad at my little sister. Sucks though.” Julie shook her head. “We’ll just play a game on our own, and then if he wants to come join us he can.” Cathryn seemed to accept the explanation and went over to a cupboard where all sorts of board games were kept. The poor dear. When Sweetie Belle and I were fighting I can only imagine how dreadful she felt after the way I treated her. We all go through our phases though I guess. These humans seem more and more pony-like every time I see them. Well, let’s see what sort of games she has.

After a quick search, Rarity’s host grabbed a box labeled “Candy Land” and set it up on the floor of the room she was in. Julie had wandered off to what Rarity assumed was the kitchen and returned with a couple of cups of water as well as a bowl of popcorn. Cathryn had the game set up and the two of them started playing. While the younger girl was oblivious to the machinations of her sitter, Rarity could see that the older one was “cheating” so that she was slightly behind Cathryn a majority of the game. Inwardly the unicorn smiled, seeing in Julie the sort of kind compassion she would hope for in any friend. I wonder if I can recreate this game for Sweetie Belle and her friends…

Just as the game was coming to a close they heard screaming coming from down the hallway. Julie looked shocked for a moment and hopped up. “Cathyrn you stay here and pick up the game. That sounded like your brother. I’m just going to make sure he’s ok.” Julie wandered out of the room. Cathryn did as she was told and cleaned up. She was happy that she had won, but was concerned for her brother. She saw Julie walk past the door and then double back.

“Everything’s going to be alright Cathryn. Your brother had a bit of an accident and I have to make a couple of phone calls. Just stay there and play with your doll until I come back alright?” There was a tinge of fear in Julie’s eyes, but Rarity’s host nodded in compliance. Julie gave a strained smile and continued on down the stairs. Cathryn picked up her doll and went back to brushing its hair. Below her, she could hear the semi-frantic but muffled sound of Julie on the phone. What is going on here? I do hope her brother is alright. Oh dear…

Rarity’s host heard a door down the hallway open and close, and the footsteps of someone wandering around. A few moments later there was a sound at the door to the room she was in. She turned to see a boy a couple of years older than herself standing in the entryway.

“Hello Cathryn.” The boy started to walk further into the room. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, and a line of blood was running down one arm. The other arm was held behind his back. Rarity felt a wave of panic wash over herself as well as her host. “Have you had fun playing with Julie?”

“Y-yes brother…” Cathryn slowly stood up and backed away from him, gripping the doll in both hands tightly. Her eyes ran to his arm where blood was still pooling on the surface. What… What happened to him?

“Mom, dad, Julie. They all liked you best, did you know that? I mean mom and dad love me of course, but they have to love me. Julie’s just a babysitter so who cares about her. You though, they love you so very much. He told me so.”

“W-who told you?”

“That voice of course. Can’t you hear him? He’s talking to me now. He tells me many things. Tonight, he told me that I should get rid of any competition I have. I tried to fight it.” He held out his arm and Cathryn got a good look at the wounds crossing her brother’s arm. The blood continued to slowly drip on the floor, and Rarity could see the clear conflict in his eyes. “He won’t stop though. He’s been telling me the same thing over and over again the last few weeks. I don’t think I can deal with it anymore.” He stepped forward and pulled his other arm out, revealing a large knife he had procured from the kitchen.

“W-what are you doing? D-don’t…” Call for help! Scream! Julie get in here! As if she could hear Rarity’s desperate pleading, Cathryn opened her mouth to scream, but all that came out was a hoarse gasp. Any further attempt to speak was drowned out by her overwhelming fear.

“Sorry Catheryn…” Her brother rushed forward and plunged the knife into Cathryn’s stomach, slicing deeply into her and watching a trail of blood drip to the floor. Rarity screamed, feeling the blade pierce skin and flesh. Cathryn let out a choked scream and looked desperately up at her brother. Distantly, she could hear the sound of the phone slam down below her.

Re-gripping the handle, the boy leaned his weight downwards on the knife, the blade roughly tearing through her midsection. Still clutching her doll Cathryn’s cries were slowly drowned into pitiful sobs. The doll falling to the floor she brought her hands upwards against her brother, trying to push against and away the weight on the blade. Her efforts only succeeded in twisting the blade painfully amongst her innards. One struggled to relieve the force cutting into her, while the other sought to bring it in deeper. Collapsing on her knees, her pleading eyes looked up at her brother, the brother she had loved from the day she was born, begging him to stop. His eyes were hidden as he grabbed the knife with both hands, sidled against his sister forcing her against the wall, anchored his knee on top of the handle, and dropped himself on top of the knife still stuck in her. A few heart-wrenching gasps for breaths later and Rarity’s host fell. Still trapped and still screaming, Rarity could only watch the rest of the scene play out, her own silent, pained screams overwhelming her thoughts.

The boy, who by her estimates couldn’t have been much older than the age at which a pony earns their cutie mark, dropped the knife and sighed, a mixture of relief, sorrow and dread.

“It stopped… It finally stopped. Don’t worry Catheryn… I’ll love mom and dad for the both of us.” Just then Julie ran into the room. It took her a moment to realize what she was seeing, but it sunk in and she went white as a sheet. The boy was standing in a puddle of blood, coated with his own sister’s life fluid.

“Cathryn?! Oh no… oh God no, what have you done?! What have you done?!” Julie screamed and ran to the limp form of the little girl, cradling her and sobbing. The boy just walked around Julie as she rushed past him. The last thing Rarity remembered was an ugly set of large purplish spots, something she could fit on her hooves, on the back of the retreating child.

Rarity woke up screaming again. She managed to avoid vomiting this time, but her delirium quickly woke the other mares. The mares leapt to her side.

“Rarity! Rarity! What is it? What’s happened?! Another nightmare?!” Rarity gasped for air, waving her front hooves around in the air as if to ward off any imagined aggressors. Screaming, she rose to her hooves herself and backed away from the others. The small clearing they had chosen to camp for the evening in the jungle was barely illuminated by the small fire Twilight had lit.

“E-even their children! What kind of species has children that will willingly slaughter their own siblings?! That psychopath was one thing, but this?!” She barely pushed the words out between screams. “No! This can’t stand! Mango was right, they’re nothing but awful barbaric demons.”

“Rarity?” Dash trotted up to her. “What are you screaming about? What about children? Who’s a demon. What in hay’s a Mango?!” Rarity’s chest was still heaving but she managed to suppress her panic enough that she had ceased her screaming. She waved a shaky hoof towards Dash.

“I had another one of those awful visions! It started out all sweet and tender and then… and then HE STABBED HER!” Rarity could feel the panic rising in her throat again. Dash shook her head.

“WHO?!”

“I DON’T KNOW! Some human! The girl’s name was Cathryn and her brother… he had this knife and the voices and and and that Julie and…” Dash rolled her eyes.

“Rarity, again?! You seriously need to calm down over the humans. There’s only one we know of, thanks to you he’s probably dead, that prophecy is bogus and you’re just having bad dreams. I’m getting sick of your hating. What happened to being generous?”

“I’m not hating! They aren’t just dreams! I know what I saw… what I felt. That happened. Maybe it was happening as I slept, I don’t know! All I know is that somewhere, someplace, some human child killed his own sister! Nathan, bless his heart, if every human was as gentlemanly as him, I would be fine with them. The more I see though… the more I think he‘s the exception to the rule. There has to be more good ones though right?” While she had fought it off before, her emotions overwhelmed her and she vomited on the side of the clearing, drawing a disgusted look from Applejack.

“Whatever, you’re hopeless. who’s this Mango anyways?” Rarity averted her eyes from the others and did what could only be described as a Fluttershy impression, hiding behind a lock of her mane.

“Oh… uh just a friend.” Now the others were curious. Rarity was hiding something, that was plain to see. Applejack squinted her eyes seeing through the lie.

“Rarity, Ah don’t think you would bring something up like ’just a friend’ that none of us happen to know at a time like this. Now spill. Who’s this Mango and what does he gotta do with the humans?” Applejack’s eyes burned into Rarity’s soul, and she couldn’t take it. Breaking down she sighed.

“I’m surprised none of you have met him yet. He’s a stallion that moved to Ponyville a few weeks ago. Charming fellow. I had my suspicions though, and it turns out he came from the human world!” Twilight blinked and shook her head.

“Rarity that’s impossible. Nathan said it himself: ponies in his world are just pack animals. Humans are the dominant and only sentient species where he comes from. Also, how would Mango have even arrived here, even if that was the case?”

“Well…” Rarity was still frazzled from her nightmare, but her breathing had mostly returned to normal. “Nathan obviously came across from his world, so why wouldn’t somepony else be able to? That’s what Mango said anyways.” Twilight frowned.

“Rarity, Nathan didn’t just ‘come across’. It would have taken a level of magic near or above what Princess Celestia is capable of to rip a being from their world…” Dash pushed Twilight aside and glared at Rarity.

“So what you’re telling us is that for months you’ve been talking to some crazy pony that claims to be from the human world and hiding it from us?!” Rarity continued to backpedal towards the tree line.

“N-no I wasn’t hiding him… I’m sure you could have talked to him if you wanted to. He just happened to talk to me! He told me how dangerous Nathan was and that I needed to protect you all at any cost! I’ve just been trying to stop you from coming to harm.”

“Harm?” Fluttershy had an uncharacteristically harsh look on her face. “Did he try and cause us any harm when he first came to Ponyville?”

“N-no…”

“Did he try to harm you even though you continually refused to make him clothing, even though he had more than enough to pay you?”

“Well no but you see…”

“When the changelings attacked if he wanted to harm us, or rather us come to harm, he could have just left town. Instead, at risk to himself, he came back and saved us. I’m so… so… SICK of dealing with you and your blatant fear based racism. I don’t care anymore Rarity. I’m sure your nightmare was horrible but if you keep blaming it on Nathan…”

“I’m NOT blaming it on Nathan!” Rarity shrieked. “I’m not blaming anything on him! I’m just… I’ve been so confused. At first it was easy to just let him take all of my insecurities, and then… and then I saw how he affected us. All of us, for better or for worse. Then there was Mango and he told me what the human world was like, and what the rest of them were like, and I got scared. I’ve been panicking non-stop for the last three months and these nightmares haven’t made it any easier.”

“That’s what I don’t get though Rarity.” Twilight scratched her chin with a hoof. “Nopony by that name lives in Ponyville. There is no Mango.” Rarity looked like she had been hit by a manticore.

“No…” her eyes frantically ran over her friends. “No that’s impossible. I’ve spoken with him several times. Of course he lives there.”

“Mayor Mare keeps a back-up of most of the town records at the library, in the case that something happens to the town hall. I update the census for Ponyville weekly, the last time being the night before we left. Rarity… I understand that you’re scared of Nathan and the prophecy but if he’s dead then why make up a story like this?” Rarity opened her mouth to speak but was cut off before she could.

“I’ll tell you why!” Dash poked a hoof into Rarity’s chest. “Nothing’s changed. She’s been giving us this big sob story about how she’s seen the error of her ways, but she hasn’t really. She’s still being a snobby. Ungrateful. Dramatic. Pretentious. BRAT.” Every word was punctuated with a repeated shove with her hoof, pushing Rarity into the bushes. She sprawled out on her backside and began to sob.

“You don’t understand… the things he showed me… the visions…” Rarity forced out her words between the tears. “I just want you all to be safe!” Dash was fuming.

“Yeah well… I’m done. With all of you. This is it, the last straw. If you’re all too stupid to see what’s she’s doing then I can’t help you. I’m so angry I could… I could… JUST EXPLODE!” Dash reared up on her hind legs, throwing her fore hooves in the air in a dramatic bluster. Just as she did this the tree behind her literally exploded into a fireball, scattering flaming bark and branches everywhere.

Scrambling for cover, the mares screeched as another ball of flame blew past and set fire to the undergrowth. Peering out from the bushes they hid in, they could see a robed unicorn walking towards them through the jungle.

“I told you none of you could escape your fate. You may have postponed it, and for that I give you my utmost respect, however this game is at it’s end.” There was no mistaking the gravely voice of Truth Seeker. He lashed his magic around Applejack and threw her against a tree, winding her. Twilight attempted to waylay the offending cultist with telekinesis of her own, but Truth channeled it into a feedback loop and funneled the magical energy back into the lavender unicorn’s horn. She shrieked in agony and clutched her head.

“You guys go, I’ll deal with him and catch up!” Dash leapt out of the bushes and growled at the robed unicorn. Pinkie stepped up beside her.

“Dash you can‘t do this alone…”

“Pinkie, don’t tell me what I can’t do, especially since I don’t even know if you’re Pinkie or not. Somepony needs to teach this fool a lesson. I’m so mad I could buck a dragon right now. GO!” Dash’s eyes glinted with resolve. Pinkie looked into them and recognized her intentions immediately. She, and Applejack, had seen it before.

“No… not like him.”

“Pinkie, please. Just go…. get the others to safety. I’ll catch up.” Frowning, Pinkie helped Applejack to her feet and pulled her back. Rarity and Fluttershy were similarly helping Twilight. As they did so, Truth glared at them.

“Running? That doesn’t seem like a very harmonious thing to do!” Channeling his telekinesis once again, he grabbed a nearby tree and with a modicum of effort he pulled it, roots and all, from the ground. Swinging it like a club, he caught all of the mares, save Dash, in the branches and sent them flying, bouncing off of trees and boulders alike. Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity were knocked unconscious instantly, while the other two struggled to retake their hooves.

“H-how are you wielding this much power… shouldn’t be possible…” One of Twilight’s eyes was sealed shut from the attack, and she struggled to focus the other on Truth.

“Twilight Sparkle, you went to one of the most prestigious schools for unicorns in Canterlot. Did your teaching tell you nothing? Energy and matter can neither be created or destroyed, only shifted or altered. Where do you think all of the magical energy from those ponies in the pit of the great hall went? I would be a fool not to harness them for myself!”

Pinkie managed to drag herself over to the other three before passing out herself. Twilight took one look to her injured friends, then glanced back to Truth and Dash who were standing apart from each other glaring daggers.

“Dash, we need to stick together. There’s nothing we can’t do if…” Twilight heaved, trying to take in enough air. “If we work together.”

“I’m sorry Twilight, I’m done working together. Some things a pony has to do for herself. Get the rest of them out of here.” Rainbow Dash took to the air and pointed at Truth Seeker, who had just stood there watching their banter. “I don’t care about you, or your fates. Today is the day Rainbow Dash puts you out to pasture.” Truth laughed.

“You’re going to allow your friends to run while you try and stop me, at risk of your own life? For a moment there I thought for sure you hated them. What a brave little pony you are. It’s for nothing though.” Truth nodded towards the air-borne pegasus and ignited his horn. Dash could feel the telltale glow of telekinesis envelope her body and before she could react Truth Seeker threw her into a tree, bruising her side. Flopping to the ground, she groaned. In the corner of her eye she could see Twilight hobble towards her but she stopped her with a growl.

“GO! Somepony needs to tell Celestia about this place.” Against her better judgment, but knowing the stakes, Twilight enveloped the other four mares in a telekinetic field and slowly limped away, casting one last forlorn look over her shoulder before disappearing completely from sight.

“Good, so I won’t have to kill you while they’re watching. I’ll catch up with them soon enough though.” Truth’s gloating died away as he noticed Dash start to laugh.

“You’re an idiot, did you know that? Did you think that I wanted them to run because I didn’t want them to watch me fail? I’m Rainbow Dash. I don’t fail. No, there’s another reason I asked them to run.” Faster than Truth could react she bolted in an explosion of colour, stopping abruptly by his side. With a swift hook, her fore hoof dug into his face, sprawling him out across the jungle floor. Jumping to his feet he attempted to lash her down again, but this time his horn was met by an expertly thrown rock that stuck him at the base. Groaning he fell over again, his spell petering out.

“I’m what you call a slow learner. I’m stubborn, arrogant, and downright thick-headed at times. However, when I see things that work, or when my friends help me to understand something new, I tend to pick it up. Anything to make Dash a better pony. I have this one friend, you would probably hate him, and he taught me that sometimes, just sometimes, playing the nice non-combative pony doesn’t work. Sometimes you have to get dirty.” She pounced on the recovering pegasus, striking both of her fore hooves into the back of his skull and smiling as his chin smashed into the jungle floor, leaving a splatter of blood. He struggled back up to his hooves and glared.

“You think you can defeat me? I am the Speaker!” If looks could kill, Truth would have slaughtered the pegasus. Dash flapped a few meters away and landed.

“I can and I will. The real reason why I asked them to leave is because there are just some things nopony should have to see, like a broken sobbing unicorn.” Truth’s glare intensified and he generated another large fireball, hurling it towards Dash. She smirked. Flapping her wings powerfully in place, she generated a cyclone and positioned it a few feet in front of her. The fireball was caught in the gust of wind and swept up into a whirling torrent of flame. With another powerful sweep of her wings the firestorm blew back into Truth Seeker before he could move out of the way. As the flames tore into him he screamed. As the tornado died away Dash surveyed her handiwork, finding Truth once again crumpled on the ground.

“Correction. Broken, sobbing, and burnt.” Truth Seeker’s robes had half burned away, patches of fur were missing and several parts of his body were covered in first and second degree burns. He groaned, carefully moving his hooves under himself and staggering upright. Any sense of confidence had faded from the unicorn, and he slowly backed away.

“H-how? Y-you’re one of Celestia’s students… my magic should have easily defeated you.“

“No. I’m not. I’m friends… well was friends… with one but I’m not her student. Now, I need to find out what’s wrong with them. So, you’re going to turn around and go back to your little friends, and leave mine alone. What’s left of them anyways.”

“You can’t escape your fate.” Truth bent his head down, attempting to unleash one more spell at the arrogant pegasus. Unfortunately for him, Dash had been watching for any sort of subversion. Releasing the stone she had concealed in her wing with a deft flap, it struck him across the face, leaving a long gash of blood. Screeching again he lifted his fore hooves to the cut. “You could have taken out my eye!”

“Last chance.” Truth took one more look at the almost eerily calm pegasus and galloped off into the jungle. As soon as he was out of ear-shot Dash’s legs started to tremble, finally giving out from under her. She had done what needed to be done, but nausea soon washed over her. Taking a few steadying breaths she looked up into the air.

“I really don’t know how you could do stuff like this. That just felt… wrong. This is all wrong. They’re wrong. Even… even Celestia is wrong.”

“Both of you are not incorrect. Neither can you escape your destiny, nor do you have any compulsion to do so, it is fully within your best interests to run towards it.” Dash spun in place to see the filly and colt from earlier standing there watching her. “Though I do admit, things are technically wrong, among them the Prime pillar, aspect of order.”

“What? You two again? No, never mind that, tell me everything you know! What’s wrong with everything? Why’s everypony going crazy? How’d Nathan get to Equestria? What the heck’s an aspect of order?” Dash had gotten right in front of the colt’s face, almost nosing him.

“You’re funny!” The filly was running around in circles mimicking what Dash had just done to Truth Seeker, including falling over screaming and twitching from the imaginary firestorm. “Whoosh! Bang! Pow!”

“What I can tell you is that the Prime pillar is known, among other things, by you to be Celestia, your Sun princess.” The small colt spoke evenly, right to Rainbow Dash’s face. “What you need to hear, and we need to inform you of, are some of the details regarding the prophecy.”

“Me? Wait! Does this have to do with that other prophecy?! The one that talked about me specifically?” Dash desperately needed information from them, but she couldn’t help but feel a little excited as well.

“Yes, and no. The scope of a prophecy encompasses anything and everything that ever happens in Equestria, all prophecies are.”

“Wait, so… You’re gonna tell me everything I need to know right?” Dash raised an eyebrow, to which the colt only shrugged.

“Yes, in some sense. You’ll hear everything you need to hear from me.”

“You’re gonna at least tell me where to go right? I just can’t involve the others with that, not when everypony wants to drop each other off cliffs. Heck, I’m not even sure if those’re my friends over there, I just can’t let them go anywhere like this. C’mon, ya gotta tell me something. ” Dash begged with her hooves held out. The filly spun around in a circle a few times while holding a leg over her eye, finally falling over on her flank giggling. Opening her eyes she stuck her leg out in the air and pointed.

“That a way!” She giggled some more. Dash turned to the colt pleadingly.

“Uniquely as she put it, she is correct. That is exactly the way you should go. All of your questions, even the ones you don’t know that you have, will be answered. You’ll also be meeting an old friend along the way.” Dash nodded and towards the direction that the filly had pointed. Hunching over to prepare to take to the air, she was stopped by a hoof on her shoulder. “Rainbow Dash.”

“Yeah?” The colt stared into her eyes unblinking and spoke.

“If you fail, everyone will die. Everypony you’ve ever loved, everypony you’ve ever hated, everypony you’ve ever known and not, including your friends, your family, the deities above and below, Scootaloo; they will all die if you fail in your endeavor. Do not be merely careful, be as terrified of every mistake as you are resolved to your success, for each mistake will perhaps result in the death of another that desperately depends on you.” Throughout the speech, Rainbow Dash had acquired an ashen pallor, wide eyes unblinking as she listened to the small pony talk. She took a shuddering breath, as if only just remembering her ability to breath.

“W-why…. Why the heck’re you telling me all this? I’m… I’m Rainbow Dash! I ain’t gonna make any mistakes…” Rainbow Dash flapped her wings weakly, starting her slow crawling ascent backwards and upwards, away from the small colt glaring at her from the ground.

“Because you wanted this. You ached to become a hero, you wished for the fates of everyone who adored you to depend on you, you jubilated over the very thought that if small, weak, and helpless fillies were under grave danger and that if you were the only one capable of rescuing them that you would come rushing hastily to their aid. You craved their approval of you to be justified and a part of you, albeit small, hoped for suffering to come upon all of existence, so that you may come upon the opportunity to save the day. Now, the responsibility of the world rests upon the sturdiness of your hooves Rainbow Dash, just as you’ve always wanted, just like all your favorite heroes.” The colt out spat the blue mare’s favorite word, in his still characteristically high pitch of a young pony, like it was the nastiest black bit of a particularly charred haycake. Hyperventilating and still climbing higher into the sky, the pegasus found herself unable to escape him, captivated by both his words and gaze. “Now go fulfill your wildest dreams, go halt the chaos and insanity which plagues this world, this is the opportunity you’ve yearned for.” As the colt turned aside while the mare broke from her stupor and fled towards her destiny, as the other small filly cantered beside him.

“Soooo, how’d it feel? You know what I mean by what I mean by that, but how did it feel?”

“It was as difficult than I knew it would be.”

“Mmnhmm, you didn’t actually tell her anything new. With that last lil’ itty bit. You almost made me feel convinced you were angry too. You kinda lied too, though I knew that was gonna happen.”

“Intentionally misleading and lying are two very different things.”

“Nu-uh stop deflecting like a mortal, you knew she was going to take what you said exactly the way she took it. After all, lotsa ponies are gonna die even if this reality wasn’t a set of causal relations, and Rainbow Dash did screw up. She would be really, really sad if she knew she was only significant enough to save some ponies but not all of them. This story literally can’t be happy for her.”

“Yes, and you know that is precisely why we did not tell her.”

Discord sat watched the last few days unfold in his cauldron. He had avoided returning to the changeling kingdom for several reasons, not the least of which being that Chrysalis had begin to irritate him to the point that he no longer felt he could refrain from doing her permanent physical harm should she so much as look at him funny. Mostly though, his absence had been due to needing the time to focus on his plans and back-up plans. Things had been mostly going his way, but the ongoing stress of managing several sides to an already complex process was taxing in the extreme, even for the demi-god of chaos. His ongoing tumultuous grasp on sanity not withstanding.

Drifting a finger idly through his cauldron he reviewed the last few days of the Element’s progress to Canterlot. He had, of course, been keeping an eye on them in real time as well, but he was making sure he had missed nothing that could be used against him. Watching them for any length of time left a sick feeling in his stomach, and he scowled. He would have liked nothing better than to ignore them completely, but months of planning were coming down the wire, and any miss-steps now could cost him everything. Better to suffer through their nonsense.

Watching the mares get abducted by the cultists had been amusing to watch, and he would have just loved leaving them to their fates, but the fact of the matter was that if anypony could disrupt his plotting, it was likely Truth Seeker. Now that they had escaped and were near Canterlot, he could breathe easy. Everything was falling exactly into place.

Discord almost wished it wasn’t this easy. After spending the first two-hundred years trapped inside of a statue, he had broken free and immediately started planning. Years of traveling and watching other worlds and dimensions had imbued him with a wealth of magic and techniques that he had fanaticized over using against Celestia and the rest of the ponies, and he had made contingencies of contingencies. Eventually though, he had watched the human world long enough to decide that he should just bring one to Equestria.

The amount of chaos he had already brought to Ponyville was just the tip of the iceberg. Discord could barely contain his glee as the human dutifully trudged closer to Canterlot. Then he fell off a cliff. That had set Discord back, but no matter, he did enough that it didn’t particularly matter. With the Elements of Harmony in disarray, even Chrysalis couldn’t screw up eliminating Celestia. Discord growled at the thought.

Discord recollected the Schism War, which led to the splitting of the four, the establishment of Equestrian order, and his own petrification. He smiled that after near millennia of order that the pendulum was finally set to swing the other way. Especially with Celestia having mentally regressed, her attempts to forcefully enforce the decaying state would only make things far more delicious.

Lightly raking his claws along an already tattered tapestry, it tore to ribbons and he smiled as the ragged remains decayed in his hands. At long last, discord can come forth once again. Celestia… Chrysalis… Or even Luna. None of them fit his vision of the new world. He scoffed thinking on the cultists that the mares had been captured by. The fates themselves were ultimately valueless in the big picture. The ebb and flow of the world dictated that they would not overtly interfere with his plans. Ultimately what was to be ordained would yield through his claws: pure, unadulterated chaos. As the first beams of sunlight began to show over the mountains he returned to his throne room. Striking a pose in front of his stone subjects he allowed a smile to cross his face.

Leaving the jungle behind them, the five injured but now conscious mares found themselves at the base of the mountain that lead up into Canterlot. Above them they could see the city shimmering behind the mauve shield that protected it from outside attack. Twilight was the first to react.

“This isn’t right. The other side of the unmarked area on my map should have put us several hours west of here. We shouldn’t be anywhere near this close to Canterlot.”

“What, you’re saying the jungle merely ‘spit us out’?” Rarity scoffed. “Really Twilight, maybe you just read the map wrong.”

“No, I didn’t. In fact, I’ve seen this area from Canterlot many times there shouldn’t even be a jungle…” Twilight stopped talking mid-sentence as she turned to look at the jungle they had come from. “…here.” There was no jungle behind them, just snow-covered plains as far as the eye could see.

The other mares turned and to their collective shock their vision of the land was the same- no jungle, no cultists, no nothing. Just empty plains.

“I-I-I don’t understand.” Fluttershy was stuttering. “W-where did it go? Where did Dash go?”

“Ah don’t like this at all, there was a jungle here jes’ a minute ago warn’t there? Twi?”

“I… I don’t know. This isn’t possible. There was never any jungle visible from Canterlot, so it makes sense that it’s not there, but we were in it just now… I just don’t know.” Rarity shook her head.

“I don’t know dear. A lot doesn’t make sense right now. Maybe Dash was right, maybe I did make up a pony just so I didn’t have to face…” Fluttershy put her hoof on Rarity’s shoulder and gave a weak smile.

“No. You’re not the type of pony to do that. The both of you had many misunderstandings about each other, but we’re all past that now.” Fluttershy tilted her head towards the journal still diligently grasped between her wings. “I’m sorry I yelled at you back there. I haven’t been dealing with… it well.”

“None of us have darling. I completely understand.”

“Maybe,” Twilight interjected, “Princess Celestia will be able to help you with your dreams? Her or Luna of course. Such psychological trauma should be monitored carefully.”

Rarity blinked and started walking towards the path that would lead up to the city proper. She didn’t have anything to say to Twilight. She just wanted this to be over. Twilight shrugged and skipped along, the anticipation of finally seeing the princess coursing through her. Applejack, head down, followed along.

Fluttershy sat on the ground and dropped the journal, flipping it open to a blank page. She was startled a moment later as Pinkie walked up beside her and sat next to her. Neither of them spoke for a long moment, though finally Pinkie broke the awkward silence.

“Why did you lie?”

“So what, you’re Applejack now?” Fluttershy snorted.

“No, but I can tell when a friend lies to another friend.”

“Pinkie,” the yellow pegasus kept her eyes squarely on the blank page in front of her, “how would you tell your best friend that you hated them? She despised him, and Nathan may very well have traded his own life for hers in return for that. I’m not a strong enough pony to let that go Pinkie.” Pinkie sat in silence again, unsure what to say. She knew a thing or two about lying to her friends. “These feelings will pass, and I’ll get over it sooner or later. Thank you for being there for me.” Pinkie just nodded. Fluttershy pulled out a quill and inkpot she had been saving in her mane and slowly began to write a new entry in the journal.

Nathan, we’re almost there. We’re going to be in Canterlot soon. Oh how excited I am to show it to you! The gardens, the animals, the birds! You’re… you’re not really going to be there though, are you? I keep wishing and hoping that we’re going to arrive and you’ll be there, waiting for us with open arms. That would make me so happy. At the same time though, I know that that’s probably not possible. Everypony is falling apart around me, and though I’m not a strong pony, I’m going to do my best to help them as best I can. Especially Rarity. You would have wanted that, wouldn’t you? I have to get going now, my friends are waiting for us further up the path. I’ll see you… when I see you.

-Fluttershy.

She had allowed Pinkie to read over her shoulder as she wrote, and for a pony who’s life revolved around friends, every word was like a cut into her heart. That Fluttershy felt like this… was there any fixing their friendship? She sighed.

“Come on Fluttershy, we should catch up to the others.” Fluttershy nodded, tucking the journal and supplies back in their respective places. Trotting up the hill they headed towards their tentative friends.

Truth Seeker groaned. He and his cultists had been humiliated by a sniveling broken group of six mares that by all rights should be his thralls. One of the other unicorns was tending to his wounds received in the fight with Rainbow Dash, while the others were busily working to clear away the remaining rubble blocking the exit to their complex. Truth Seeker had given chase earlier by teleporting passed the pile of rubble, but as he was the only one that could perform such a spell the others were forced to stay behind.

Grumbling, he started to plan what their next step should be. They couldn’t just let the mares escape permanently. They needed to be brought for testing. Scratch that.Those six are too dangerous . They must be eliminated. Especially… His thoughts were interrupted as they heard somepony walking down the stairs. Looking up, Truth couldn’t believe his eyes.

“Y-you!! It can’t be!” As his eyes shot open in fear and shock, everything around him froze. His fellow cultists were stuck in place, various looks of fear and horror etched on their faces. Looking up at the terror walking down the stairs into his complex, he could see the anger and wrath in their eyes. His confusion passed as he looked down and behind the rubble popped out a pair of familiar foals.

“Hello Truth Seeker.” The colt’s expression was dark, but his voice level.

“It’s so good to see you again! We have such a fun game to play with you!” The filly was giggling as usual. Truth had indeed seen these two foals before. Many years before, in fact, when he was first about to ascend to the position of Speaker. He knew exactly who they were, and their presence filled him with nothing but dread.

“Why are you here? What has brought you to my domain?”

“Perhaps you mean our domain, Truth.” The colt snorted. “Actually, that’s precisely why we’ve come. Loose ends to tie up, you being one of them.” Truth Seeker backed up nervously, his gaze shifting rapidly from one filly to the other.

“The fates are there to set the strong on their path! Those with the might to control the fates are the ones destined to control Equestria! You said so yourself, you can’t punish me for this!”

“We did say so, we also knew exactly how literally you would interpret it, but neither does it preclude you from physical consequence. You, by the very nature of your position, possessed by far the most extrinsic ability to do anything about it. Of course, the reason you received this in the first place, was because we knew you would act as you did. So in essence, perhaps you were truly the most powerless out of anyone.”

“I found a fun friend for you to play with!” The filly was still giggling, drawing a glare from the colt. Truth glanced up the stairs to where the figure was standing.

“So, you’re just going to kill us all? I thought the fates were supposed to be balanced. Wanton slaughter was never your style.”

“Oh, you’ve misunderstood so many fundamental, simple things. Things happen because of balance. Not the other way around, think of a giant tub filled with water, if it cascades to one side, surely it must return to the other side? As it is, you’re in luck. At long last, you are finally to be informed the true meaning of balance. You deluded yourself enough into thinking that partial knowledge of the future meant that your actions were consequence-free.” The colt smiled wanly at Truth Seeker, as he slowly paled.

“D-don’t leave me to this… don’t do this…”

“We are not going to do anything. You can fight back, of course. We’re counting on you to do so.” Truth lunged towards the foals, but found himself grasping thin-air, the pair having disappeared as suddenly as they had appeared. Time resumed its normal flow and Truth turned his attention to the imposing figure that continued making its way down the steps.

“We hath hearkened that thou was to bring harm to our little ponies. Whilst they may not have brought to thee in greatness harm… We art very able and very willing.”

From outside in the jungle, all that could be heard in the long distance were tortured screams.

15: Escalating Fears

Chapter 15- Escalating Fears

"What do you mean 'she isn't seeing anypony'?! Since when has Celestia ever not held court?"

"It's just as I said ma'am. Princess Celestia has refused audience with anypony that comes to call without an appointment. Before you ask, the list is months long so your next likely audience won't be until sometime after winter wrap-up. I'm sorry, but there is simply no way for you to see the princess." The guards seemed to be sympathetic, however neither was budging.

Twilight Sparkle huffed. The five mares had headed straight for the castle the moment they arrived in Canterlot, only to be impeded by the guards.

"Tell her Twilight Sparkle is here to see her- her number one student!" Twilight hated playing the 'student' card, but she didn't see much choice. To her surprise, the guard's demeanor changed almost immediately.

"You say your name is Twilight Sparkle?" The guard squinted his eyes.

"Yes!" Twilight was smiling. Finally, we’re getting somewhere.

"This changes things."

"Of course it does..." Twilight shut her eyes, her face radiated smugness almost palpably.

"You're specifically banned from seeing the princess. We’re also under orders to detain your party, and have you escorted to an immediate holding area." The guards pounded their spears to the ground, as the mares tittered nervously.

"I'm not allowed to see the princess? Detainment? What’s going on here? Under whose authority?!"

"Mine." All the mares heads turned as one, as a single unicorn pony made his way to the group, a badge worn proudly that signified his authority as captain of the guards.

"Shining!? This is under your approval?!” Twilight shook her head. “What the hay is going on here?"

"It's good to see you too Twily. There’s a lot going on in Canterlot right now." Twilight flinched for a moment before remembering who it was calling her the name. Shining Armor rustled her mane with his hoof before setting her down again. The moment over, Twilight shot her brother a glare.

"Why did you ban me from seeing the princess?! Why the heck did you order them to detain us? And to where?" The last time she had been so mad at him, she had found out second-hoof he was getting married.

“Shhh, not so loud. No, technically I don't have that power but… most of what I’ve been doing these past few months hasn’t been technical either." The mares glanced at the pair watching the door and received a curt nod in return. “Where’s Rainbow Dash?”

All the mares turned their head away, Fluttershy looked as if she might start crying. “It’s… a long story. Why does that have anything to do with detaining us?”

"As for why... this is a conversation we should have away from everypony." Shining looked over at the guards himself. “No offense.”

"None taken Captain Sparkle. Be careful. And you’re bringing the keg next time." Shining grimaced at the last part, shooting a nervous glance at his sister, prompting wry smiles from the guards.

"Eh-heh. Is it my turn already?"

"Hey!" One of the guards got excited for a moment and pointed at Applejack. "That mare runs Sweet Apple Acres! They've got the best cider in Equestria. Shini... er I mean, Captain Sparkle, if you know her can you get some of that cider up here?"

"I'll ask her later. For now, you two are back on duty. You know the drill." Shining gave the pair a stern look.

"Of course sir. We haven’t met with you nor anypony else today."

"Exactly." Shining walked up to them leaned into them, dropping his voice to a whisper. "And spread the word to the others while you’re at it, we can’t afford to move more obviously than we already have. I’m not even sure if we could afford even this much movement."

The pair of guards silently nodded and went back to staring out over Canterlot, resuming their vigil over the palace. Shining Armor returned to the mares and found a troubled looking Twilight.

"C'mon girls. I'll explain everything as soon as we're alone." Shining didn't like keeping secrets from his sister, but there wasn't much choice.

"Alright. Well at least we'll get to see Cadance. I haven't seen her since the wedding." Twilight was smiling again, but it was soon tempered by a look from Shining.

"I'm sorry Twilight, this is a conversation for us only. We're going to mom and dad's. They’re… away right now so we'll have the place to ourselves." With that, Shining Armor trotted off to the Sparkle family estate, leaving the confused mares to follow.

"Twilight, darling, what in heavens name is going on?" Rarity was visibly nervous.

"I don't know Rarity, but I don't think I like it. Any of it." Their confusion only grew as Shining took them on a winding tour through Canterlot, down dark alleyways and crowded streets. What would have normally been a fifteen minute walk down one of the main thoroughfares of the city took the better part of an hour. Every few minutes Shining would glance behind them and a electric blue light would encase the whole group, though the effect of which was lost on the mares at the time. Finally stepping out onto a bright street a few houses down from their destination, Shining took one last look around before ducking into the house.

Twilight went into the kitchen and poured a few cups of water while Shining set out some seats in the living room. After everypony was settled, Twilight turned her glare back at her brother.

"Alright! I want answers. What's going on Shiny? Why did you put out an arrest order on us? Why can’t I see the princess, I’m on a standing order from her to meet her presence."

"The first answers the second, and it's not that you can't, it's that you absolutely shouldn't. Not with what's happening in Canterlot.” Shining let out a detracted breath, kneading his temples with his hooves.

“What is happening in Canterlot, if ya don’t mind us askin’? We came in from Ponyville, shut off like the rest of the country, news kinna travels a mite slow.” Applejack nodded towards Shining, who returned her look with a frown.

“Over here, the changelings are the least of our problems. At first it was only the global restriction orders: all cities and towns of Equestria are to be restricted from all incoming and outgoing traffic unless certified by the princess’ themselves. Fairly heavy-hooved for Celestia, but nopony really questioned it. She always had the best interest of us at heart. Even before that though she was rarely coming out of her chambers. Complaining about nightmares…”

“Nightmares…?” Rarity silently paled on her cushion. “What… does she see in them?”

“I don’t know.” Shining shook his head and waved a hoof at the white unicorn. “But that was roughly when the curfews and mandates started. Nopony is to be on the street earlier than six in the morning, and nopony on the street later than nine in the evening. At first, nopony took it seriously. Punishment here usually consists of a lecture and perhaps some community service. The first night alone the guard was forced to imprison over a hundred ponies. Foals included.” The statement drew gasps from the assembled ponies. “We tried to reason with Celestia, but she insisted that we needed to take a firm stance for the protection of Equestria.”

“I-I thought that Equestria didn’t have any prisons. That’s what Twilight said.” Fluttershy pointed at the mare in question. Shining nodded.

“That’s what I thought. But the word does exist, and it seems to exist for a reason, apparently long before any of us were born there were several of them dotting the landscape. Celestia had them put under stasis rather than destroying them, and thus the one under Canterlot Palace was brought back. Its architecture is rather archaic compared to our generation, but it has no problems holding thousands of ponies.” Shining sighed.

“Thousands?! How many ‘ave y’got in there?“ Applejack was sneering.

“At last count? Five hundred and twenty six.” Shining dropped his head. “Most of the arrests have been my responsibility. So far we’ve managed to talk her out of enacting any harsher laws, but rumor has it that she’s been looking to bring in capital punishment.”

“Wh-what’s that mean? D-does it have something to do with money?” Fluttershy tentatively prodded.

“It’s an obsolete term used to notate state mandated executions…” Shining looked away, while color drained from Fluttershy’s face as she shrunk back into her cushion.

“How positively barbaric. Where has Princess Luna been in all of this?” Rarity narrowed her eyes. “Is she going along with this atrocity?”

“No.” Shining shook his head. “She does not. However, she is very busy… with what I do not know. But she does not seem to be actively helping Celestia.”

“But she should!” Twilight shook her head. “Princess Celestia always knows what’s best for her ponies, even if we can’t see it ourselves.”

“Twilight, how can you say that? You’re saying that putting over a half thousand ponies into prison for what constitutes a minor inconvenience at worst is acceptable?” Shining shook his head. “You can’t be serious.”

“There has to be something we’re missing, we are talking about Celestia after all.” Twilight looked deep in thought for a moment. “What else is going on? Maybe there’s something you’re missing.”

“I don’t doubt that. Something is very wrong with Equestria, and it goes far beyond this latest incursion by the changelings. Among them is the Princess’s state of mind." Shining’s face was upturned in concern.

"Ah reckon that ain't the first time Ah've thought that this week."

"Darling, you have no idea."

"I-It's hard to think things are ok when you've lost two of your friends in the space of a few days."

"I couldn't throw a party if I wanted to." Pinkie seemed to be the most despondent of all, and there was something more on the tip of her tongue to say, but she finally shook her head and let it go. Shining looked between the mares before settling his gaze on Twilight, shaking his head.

"So you've noticed it as well. Everything has not been well."

"Everything?" Twilight jumped in, clearly agitated. "I would appreciate it if somepony would start explaining things to me. What is wrong? Sure there were the changelings, and Truth Seeker, but we’ve dealt with them. What could the four of you possibly be upset about? For that matter what are you going on about Shiny?"

“Twily, haven’t you been listening? Princess Celestia’s been doing things that she’s never done before in our recorded history. We can’t really say that she’s sane anymore, we can’t even be sure if she actually is Celestia.” Twilight gasped, but Shining ignored her, carrying on. “That isn’t all, along with the global economy in steady decline, the entire Griffon kingdom themselves has clamped down on communications following a singular delegate that left as soon as they were refused audience, there’s been a mass emigration of Griffons back to their homeland and nopony seems to know anything about why. The Zebrican herds are also nowhere to be found along their chartered migration paths, or anywhere else for that matter. Weather has been acting erratically, clouds moving and raining without a single pegasus pony around, tidal waves occurring without unicorns pushing up the Gaian plates, and volcanoes erupting without the earth pony lava prompts. Your friends also seems claim that all the right things’ve been going wrong.”

“So?” Twilight spat out. “Like I said, I don’t understand what they have to be upset about. We’re here, safe and sound, and barring Dash’s decision to abandon us, who cares about the rest of the world? Celestia’s still in charge and even if everything isn’t right, right now, it soon will be in Equestria.”

“Twilight…” Shining squinted at his sister, and his horn started sparking. “Tell me, what did you vow to us on the day you finished reading Marechoir’s Macilent tome of Magi’s Metaphysics on Mundus Magickal?”

“What’s it to you? I don’t un-” Twilight was interrupted mid sentence by Shining.

“What oath was it that you made for yourself and so passionately recited at the start of every morning for two years until Spike smelted the words into an immortalized bronze plaque to get you to shut up about it? Recite it to me now.”

Twilight’s expression turned into something confused, before she started reciting. “That I’d always follow and study magic as something to help others. That it’s a helpful tool and not something worthwhile intrinsically, that my assumptive reasoning behind practicing and studying magic would always be because it can be of greatest possible help to the greatest number of foreseeable possible ponies or beings without harming others. That although possessing it is a matter of talent, using it justly is a matter of heart, and a pony one should seek to respect is one that has the latter regardless of the former.”

Tears started rolling down her cheeks, and her voice became hitched. “T-that the reason I started studying magic, was because I thought Celestia to be the greatest pony that had ever lived. N-not because she’s the most knowledgeable, or the one pony w-with the most access to prana, but in reaction to having those, she bore out her heart, blood, sweat and soul to all of Equestria f-for hundreds and hundreds of years. T-That for a-all her magic, and wisdom, and absolute p-power she wielded, she never once demonstrated anything but empathy, understanding and compassion for any living thing s-she has ever come across.” At this point Twilight started choking down sobs, as magic started to spark from her horn.

“T-that it’s understandable and righteous for e-everypony to be fearful and nervous when she comes, absolutely n-not because she is to be an object of fear and stress, but because the way she conducts herself, not only as a ruler but as a pony, i-is more radiant and blinding than the sun she has charge of could e-ever hope to be. B-because of that radiance, her humility and selflessness, it’s conceivable that we, perhaps, will never be fully able repay her unrelenting, unending and immortal servitude to all of Equestria, and the thought never being able to fully reciprocate the open love give to us by such a w-wonderful, caring pony strikes us all with the greatest terror no beast, real or imagined, can ever hope to match.

“T-that for all her efforts, everypony else is also trying with all their might, step by step, to make for a better world; for the best of all possible worlds. And that I believe, with all of my h-heart, that the study and performance of magic is my way, my best way, to h-honor and follow in the hoofsteps of the greatest heroine P-Ponykind has ever known! That not only should we celebrate her selflessness and dutifulness, but we should a-also e-emulate it so that t-together, hoof in hoof, we may achieve Mareto’s fabled Optimality. W-with this study of magic, it is a-above strength as a magus that I aim, and above strength as a knowledgeable pony… It is strength as a pony that I seek, for it is first and foremost that I conduct myself properly as a pony that can be fit to walk by her highness’s side.” As soon as she finished reciting her oath, Twilight cried out, clutching at her forehead, before going silent. Shining Armor immediately rushed by her side as the mares crowded around them both.

“Twilight! What’s wrong? Come on, speak to me…” Shining Armor rounded over to the other mares. “What the hay’s up with my sister, THAT is the way she’s supposed to be. I thought she was a changeling at first, but there’s no way that a changeling would know something like that, I’m not even sure if they’re physiologically capable of pronouncing half the stuff she just said. What was all that garbage that was pouring out of her mouth not five minutes ago??”

"W-we don’t know. She’s been like that ever since…” Fluttershy stumbled over the words trying to finish what she was going to say.

"Ypsilon fell off the cliff?" Shining finished the sentence for her. In his peripheral vision he could see Pinkie Pie flinch.

"That's about the time, yeah. It's been getting worse over time though. Still… I didn’t know Twilight actually felt like that. The real Twilight that is.” The pink mare's response nearly floored the room, shocked at the cool, collected Pinkie. Shining Armor responded first eyeing the pink mare suspiciously.

“That’s funny for you to say, you’re Pinkie Pie right? The random, hyperactive and happy one? Twilight had her heart broken because of you, you know.” The guard stallion’s response was equally stunning, reactions ranging from Fluttershy covering her face with her cushion, to Rarity’s jaw hanging open and drool pooling on the floor.

“That’s ridiculous!”

“Yer jokin’ righ’? Ya know her barndoor don’t swing that way?”

“Not the way I meant it girls, Pinkie you remember the time Twilight found out about your so-called Pinkie sense and lost her mind trying to figure out how it worked?”

“Uh huh…” Pinkie warily responded.

“Well, she sent me a spastic letter in-between her investigation asking for books on prescience and potential links to magical cognitions. She was desperately looking to prove you wrong, because she thought your prescience was literally all encompassing and, if properly controlled, could literally solve any and every latent problem in Equestria. I was on the verge of visiting Ponyville myself when I found out she mailed an identical letter to every single collegiate she knew the name of, and was systematically categorizing every response she got in orders of relevance.” The mares all collectively nodded at this, that was definitely Twilight.

“She was pretty broken up when she found out that your powers were, for all intents and purposes, random, completely localized and, even worse, dependent on your personal interpretation to be of any use. You put a golden grail of magic in front of her, and took it away. Then-” Shining Armor was interrupted by Applejack shoving a hoof out.

"Now hol’ on there pardner. We can talk ‘bout how Twilight gits all crazy over magic later, the heck’s a 'Ypsilon'? What kinda name is that? The only one going over a cliff was Na... er that human." The farmer was cocking an eyebrow.

"They're one and the same Applejack." Shining nodded in her direction. "Do you want the official report, or the one that's being passed around Canterlot?"

"Both I reckon?"

"Alright then." Shining’s reminiscent look melted off his face as he puffed out his chest as if he were about to give a report of national interest to the princess herself. "Official designation given as 'Ypsilon'. Bi-pedal humanoid standing roughly eighteen hooves high, intelligence is at least that on the order of any known sentient, possibly higher."

"That does sound like him…" Rarity was wringing her hooves together.

"Due to information Princess Celestia has received, it has been determined that this Ypsilon is a threat to not only the princess, but all of Equestria. If he is found he is to be approached only by a large group of guards and apprehended by any means necessary, up to and including the termination of the subject, though live capture is preferred."

"What?!" Her earlier timidness was gone, and in it's place it had left a seething with anger Fluttershy. "N-Nathan? My Nathan? The guards were under orders to possibly k-k-kill him?! He wouldn't hurt a fly unless provoked! He just wanted to go home! Isn't that why we did all this? Came all this way?!" Shining took a few steps back.

"Whoa, I'm just giving you the official line." The stallion was slightly worried for his well-being.

“By tha looks of things, ah don’ much think Celestia was ever gonna jes let him git on home like that. It ain’t the guards fault fer followin’ orders.” Applejack defended Shining Armor.

“You’re… you’re wrong.” Fluttershy trotted towards Applejack and leveled a glare at the tannish mare. “She wouldn’t just bring us here to sentence him to some awful fate. I can’t believe that Celestia would be that cruel.”

“Her words are not all that inaccurate. I personally suspect that that was Celestia’s intentions all along. Which was why I put out an order to have you all apprehended at the first notice.” Shining Armor nodded to Twilight unconscious on the floor.

“But why?” Pinkie stepped up next to Fluttershy, the beginnings of a tear forming in the corner of her eye. “Why would she put us all through this for that?”

“I don’t know. But I do have a particular curiosity about the human, especially how much Celestia wants him.” Shining shook his head.

“Now, Fluttershy, I'm sure there's been some misunderstanding. I-I mean the other humans are… well… " Rarity glanced around the room, nervously looking into any corners that lacked sufficient light.. "It's all moot anyways because he's..."

"Please don't say it Rarity." Pinkie shook her head. "I... I mean, Fluttershy has suffered enough." Rarity indicated her compliance with a nod and turned her attention back to Shining Armor and Fluttershy.

"What is the unofficial story? Obviously Princess Celestia would know that the human is mostly... er relatively... that is to say... he's more harmless than Discord? Even if she didn‘t know what to do with him."

"Rarity!" Pinkie snapped.

"You know what I mean dear! It's not like he would choose to attack somepony unprovoked, but he can be, well, dangerous." The white unicorn was doing her best to soften the blow, but it was clear from Pinkie's expression she was having none of it.

"Well... that's the thing..." Shining produced a piece of weather-beaten parchment and held it out to the mares. In bold writing at the top it said "MAN DEMON", and there was a picture drawn of a horrendous two legged monster eating foals and using his massive claws to eviscerate nearby ponies. Smaller writing was scrawled below the image: "Beware the man demon! He comes to consume your foals, rape your mare, and murder you while you sleep! His magic is more powerful than all, save for our benevolent monarch, Princess Celestia. If you see him, report him to the nearest guard. Do not approach him, lest he devour your soul! Taking a moment to read through the proclamation, the mares stood with their mouths agape.

"That's nothing but lies!" Pinkie and Fluttershy both yelled at the same time.

"Is anypony actually fallin’ for that tripe?" Applejack nodded in agreement, her face turned up in disgust."

"I have to agree with the others, Captain Sparkle." Rarity was, to Fluttershy's shock and happiness, nearly as perturbed as the rest of them. "While he had his rougher moments, none of this sounds remotely like what he would do. He doesn't even like mares... in that way."

"Ah'm purty danged sure ya were one of them who that spread the rumor that he ate Scootaloo." Applejack snorted.

"I've made some unladylike mistakes, and I am sorry for them." Rarity was blushing. "Don't throw me under the carriage when I'm trying to support my friends." Applejack begrudgingly gave her a nod, and the rest turned back to Shining.

"Please, Rarity, Shining is fine." The stallion hated being referred to by rank when he wasn't on duty. "And you all don't have to explain to me that this is nothing but sensationalist propaganda. I know. This is another part of why I stopped following her orders."

"M-maybe some evil pony is r-responsible?" Fluttershy quietly squeaked out. "Or- or maybe the ponies just got the wrong information and this is just a really big mistake…”

"I’m afraid that’s not possible." Shining was shaking his head. "The 'pony' responsible was Princess Celestia herself." The room filled with gasps. "That's not all- seven new flyers are due to go up at the end of today. The princess is just putting the finishing touches on them. I have early drafts..." Shining trailed off as he laid out several more pieces of paper on a table. If the gasps from before were loud, the new ones filling the room were deafening.

On each of the flyers was a vile caricature of each of the assembled mares, including the currently absent Rainbow Dash. Similar fear-inciting words were written on each one, proclaiming them to be accomplices of the man demon, responsible for kidnapping foals and making pacts with ponies in return for their souls. Twilight's was particularly offensive, declaring her public enemy number two.

"Ah don't like this one bit gals. There ain't nothing under the sun that'd justify her writing nonsense like this. Nathan Ah kin understand, if ya’ll don’t know nothin’ ‘bout him, but there ain’t no way Celestia ain’t flown offa her rocker if she’s makin’ stuff up ‘bout us." Applejack tore her gaze from the flyers and looked up at Shining. "Ah don't get it though. You said there were seven of these here parchments, and ah kin only see six. Who’s public enemy number one?"

"Take a look." Shining rolled out the seventh flyer. The mares all shuddered and took a step back. While the picture of the human, and their own images were barely recognizable, they all knew the pony in the last one, and it filled them with dread.

"N-N-Nightmare Moon?!" Fluttershy was cowering underneath a barely concealing pillow. "Th-that's not possible. We s-stopped her in the Everfree Forest. She's Luna now. How can there possibly be a f-flyer for her?"

"The flyer is for Princess Luna." Shining sighed. "Princess Celestia has declared the six of you, as well as Luna, enemies of Equestria and as of tomorrow you are all to be detained and brought to the palace for punishment as co-conspirators and traitors to the crown. Which was why I had to get to all of you first."

"This is all wrong." Everypony turned to look at Pinkie, who merely gazed at a spot on the floor. "I just wanted us to be friends with him. First Rarity with her bigotry, then that letter from Celestia." She looked up at her friends. "Then, things just keep getting worse. In saving the mare who possibly hated him the most he dies... and then Dashie... I feel like this is my fault. Maybe I should have done something more."

"Wait... that's right, I asked earlier, Rainbow Dash isn't here." Shining carefully inspected the faces of the assembled ponies to confirm his observation. "What happened to her?” He pointed a hoof at Twilight. “To my sister?” He swept his hoof to the rest of the standing mares. “And the rest of you for that matter?"

The conscious mares exchanged looks, and then Applejack stepped forward to speak. "Well, it all started ‘round three months ago when mah sis ran up an’ told us ‘bout a strange critter she found in the fields..."

While Twilight was hauled upstairs to her bed, Applejack, with help from the others, gave a rough account of their personal tribulations of the last few months. Some of it he already knew, such as the fate of the human. Some was omitted, such as Applejack's conversation with Nathan prior to the manticore attack. Overall though they painted a fairly accurate picture of what they had gone through, leaving a slightly faint Shining.

"I had no idea he was so important to you, Fluttershy." Shining nodded at the pegasus, who meekly returned a smile. “But… None of that really answers what happened to Twilight, nor accounts for the other inconsistencies.” He turned his head back to the unconscious mare. “Also for Twilight to be twisted so far that she ended up trying to betray her own best friends… And we know that she is Twilight, or somepony’s able to read her memories and enact her mannerisms so exactly that I can’t tell the difference.”

Applejack snorted in disbelief. “Whaddya mean ‘bout that? Twilight’s been actin’ like she’s been on the rag fer weeks now. She ain’t never done that b’fore.”

“No, I agree that her outward behavior is very different. But I’m her brother, and I’m fairly sure nopony’s studied her enough to memorize her speech pattern, vocabulary, nervous habits as well as her ability to use magic. I doubt an actor that talented would fail to account for her mood.” Pinkie silently raised her hoof. “Yes?”

“I think we should take a look at the letter from Celestia she’s got stashed in her bag.” Pinkie pointed out the sack in question. “I don’t know anything about magic, but Twilight became obsessed about getting to Canterlot right after reading it, during the blizzard she was in a bad mood but she still cared about other ponies, and if Princess Celestia’s really as crazy as you say she is…” Shining Armor cantered over to the bag, spilling its contents over the floor.

“Steer clear.” The mares backed away, as an electric blue light surrounded a tattered piece of parchment. It floated over to Shining Armor who inspected it, it was obvious that at one point it was ripped apart, it was even more obvious of how carefully it was pieced back together, and the paper was smudged and worn, like it’d been read dozens if not hundreds of times. “What happened to it? This was supposed to have been delivered only several days ago, not several years ago.”

“Rainbow ripped it to shreds. Twilight told everypony to make way to Canterlot again right after t-that blizzard. I didn’t know she re-pieced it back together like that…” Fluttershy’s quiet voice answered.

Shining Armor muttered to himself as the magic flowed across the parchment and shifted in colors. He frowned as he released his grip on it, letting it flutter back to the ground. “There’s nothing wrong with it, it’s just a letter, no trace of magical residue. Even if we assume that Celestia used the most basic of adulative magic on it possible to theoretically hide her handiwork, the effects would’ve been just that, just a minor perceptual inconvenience. At that level it might result in making somepony dislike sweets just a little bit more, and even then they’d be able to recognize it and the spell would shake off. Even a creature like Discord requires near-physical contact in order to ensure large scale personality changes, and he’s magnitudes stronger than Celestia. Magic-wise, the letter has nothing to do with what’s wrong Twilight. ” While Pinkie stared at the paper pensively, Applejack and Fluttershy deflated, while Rarity stepped forward.

“I don’t believe we’re looking at this correctly then… Would Twilight actually go this far for a piece of parchment? It was in dozens of pieces before the dear pieced it back together, an awful lot of effort for a message she already read don’t you think? And I’ve seen her overreact before, believe me, but I’ve never seen anything like this… The other times she was simply occupied to the exclusion of everything else, and that’s understandable if you’ve work to do. But… But she’s never not cared before.” Rarity piped up in tepid defense. “I’m not disagreeing with you Mr. Sparkle, what affecting her may not have anything to do with magic from a letter, and she was getting worse far before this ever happened, with that deception and all… But we do know that after reading that letter she became simply intolerable even at the best of times…” Rarity trailed off, looking to her one of her best friends’ brother for any sort of answer.

“I’m afraid I don’t know anything about that Rarity, I don’t doubt that something was wrong with her… but around the end she seemed to have snapped out of it. We can take care of her until she wakes up, we can hope that maybe she’ll have something resembling an explanation if she’s our Twilight again.” Shining Armor let out a great sigh, and looked to the clock by the wall. “It’s getting late; you’ll all be staying here tonight. Look after Twilight for me, tell me if anything happens, I have work to tend to.” The mares dispersed from the room, Applejack getting pulled alongside a quietly insistent Pinkie as Fluttershy and Rarity made their way to Twilight’s room. As the lights flickered out one by one, and as the captain of the guards was left alone to his thoughts he pulled out crystalline oblate spheroid and began speaking into it.

“Yes… This is Armor speaking…”

Princess Celestia was lounging in her chambers watching her morning sun bathe Canterlot in uncharacteristic warmth for the time of year. Her mind, for once, was devoid of the tumultuous inner conflict and fear, and while she was hardly at peace her current state of mind was much more familiar to the alicorn. Her head in the right place, she had blessed her little ponies with a warm solar embrace. It was not to last; a few moments later there was a rapid knocking at her door.

"Yes Lawn Order, come in." Celestia snapped at the pony behind the door. After a few moments of the door remaining shut she yelled again. "If thou does not wish to suffer our wrath, thou shalt open the door and enter. Quickly."

A moment of frantic shuffling later and Lawn quickly entered the room, several reports clutched in her mouth and held aloft by her magic as usual. And there was that glint in her eyes again. Yes, flinty unyielding determination, it was immediately covered over by an artificial fear. This shalt be enjoyable indeed. Celestia licked her lips in anticipation. Lawn approached the princess, visibly attempting to suppress the fear she was showing. The slight stutter in her voice was helping her act. Or perhaps it was not an act at all.

"G-good morning Princess Celestia. I hope that you slept well?" Lawn took a steadying breath and forced a calm expression across her visage. Celestia had a soft, almost benevolent look on her face.

"Indeed our slumber was most refreshing. Wouldst thou care to enjoy one as well?" Celestia's expression turned dark. "Because if thou wastes any more of our precious time, we shall make sure thee enters a slumber thou shalt never awaken from."

"Yes of course Princess Celestia. My apologies, your majesty." Lawn shuffled the reports in front of her, deciding where to begin. We almost admire her resolve. Celestia thought to herself. Let’s see if we cannot… encourage thy foalishness.

"Get on with it!" Shrieked Celestia, brimstone playing across her eyes.

"Twilight Sparkle and her companions have arrived in Canterlot, Princess Celestia!" It was all Lawn could do not to scream out her answer. To her shock and mild chagrin, rather than continue her verbal attack, Celestia reclined back and allowed that gentle warm smile to cross her face again.

"Oh, we art aware Lawn. She arrived first thing this morning."

"However there are..."

"... two of her companions missing. The human and Rainbow Dash. Again, yes, we art aware."

“You knew?” Lawn raised a calculated eyebrow, then immediately flinched almost as if she just realized what she was doing. Celestia almost broke out into applause.

“Certainly. It bodes well for a ruler to know all of the comings and goings of their kingdom. We, of course, hath been watching carefully as those ponies and the human made their trek across our lands.” Celestia smile. “The human perished a few days prior. The one thou referred to as ‘Rainbow Dash’ departed sometime the evening before. We art fully aware of everything that transpires in our kingdom.” Celestia narrowed her eyes momentarily before allowing them to soften again. Lawn felt the tips of her hooves grow ice cold, slowly spreading through her extremities.

“E-everything?” Lawn nervously shuffled her papers again.

“Yes, we art particularly concerned for the treasonous acts of Twilight and her friends. We hath spent most of our morning divining what punishments we shalt apply.” Celestia levitated a glass of water over to herself, taking a sip before replacing it on a nearby table.

"Treason? P-punishment?"

"Of course, my dear Lawn." Celestia had returned to her calm demeanor, while Lawn Order continued to shake in her fetlocks. "We hath determined that for conspiring with an enemy of Equestria, Twilight and her friends have committed acts of treason. I have already determined their sentence."

"M-may I ask what their punishments will be?" Lawn was sick to her stomach. For Celestia to go this far with Twilight involved...

"Mmm well we hath decided that a personal touch is required. Twilight, for instance, shall be stripped of her magic and isolated from her friends."

"I'm sorry?" Lawn had gone a shade of pale that would have made Rarity jealous. "I-Is that possible? You can remove a unicorn's ability to use magic?"

"Or a pegasi's wings. It is but a trifling matter. Our only regret is that it doth tend to break the mind of the punished."

"Is it permanent?"

"It can be." Celestia narrowed her eyes at Lawn Order and hissed. "That depends on how repentant Twilight is."

"What about of others?" Lawn was visibly shaking now. She didn't consider really consider herself a courageous pony, but not one so easily terrified either. She wondered if she actually misjudged herself that badly so as to be so completely terrified by her own ruler.

"We hath not yet decided what shall become of them. However, we hath heard rumours that certain members of our guard hath been pining for an evening with Miss Fluttershy. What do we care if they all take their turn in the same night?" Celestia's mouth twisted into a cruel grin.

Lawn's mouth hung open aghast. When the princess had first taken a firm stand against Luna, the advisor had been confused but ultimately understanding. If there was a legitimate threat to Equestria, and Lawn had never before doubted Celestia's words, then she could understand what the princess was going through. However, Lawn had been less than understanding when Celestia had decreed Twilight and her closest friends traitors. Furthermore, her decided punishment for Twilight, a pony that lived and breathed magic, bordered on cruel, regardless of the perceived crimes she had committed. That it was reversible was of small relief. Her pondered punishment for Fluttershy, quite possibly Equestria's kindest and most gentle citizen, was outrageous. There was no going back from such an act. Lawn began to back away slowly from the creature... no, monster she decided to herself... both in fear for her own life and the inability to believe that this thing sitting in front her was really her once beloved monarch. She had wondered beforehand the ramifications of her actions, but… there was no question about it. Outwardly, she appeared mostly calm, if not a little artificially terrified. Am I really acting that terror out now? What would be the difference between being terrified of being found out and being terrified of your ruler?

“O-of course, your word is law, Princess Celestia. I personally do not support such actions, I will of course willingly carry out your commands.” Lawn nodded to the princess, intending to turn and leave, but was stopped when she felt Celestia’s telekinesis wrap around her body, forcing her to look up at the reagent. Lawn Order felt a ball of ice form in the pit of her stomach.

"Brave, brave little Lawn Order. Thou art putting on such a brave face, and taking such a noble stance in spite of thy real fear. We can see it..." Celestia stood up to her full height, towering over a shuddering Lawn, as she slowly moved closer. "We can hear it..." Celestia came within inches of the advisor's face. "We can smell it."

“What are you talking about, Princess Celestia? Wh-why would I be afraid of you? I mean, you are of course an imposing figure, b-but you‘ve always shown so much love and care for us ponies.” Lawn attempted to move away, but Celestia held her firm. It is over for me, isn’t it?

“We couldn’t be absolutely certain why thou were so terrified. Could it have been that certain reports have not been reaching thine rulers ears?” Celestia grabbed the stack of papers that Lawn had been carrying and began to scan them. Her eyes flickered as she found exactly what she was looking for. “We have misjudged thy resolve greatly, Lawn. We had not suspected such resilience and resourcefulness from thy hooves. What dost thou have to say to this?” Celestia held out the scroll for Lawn to see. It was a report on ES-24.

“I-I was going to bring that up next, your highness. It’s the daily report on the progress the researches are making of course.” If she realized only up to this much…

“We can see that.” Celestia chuckled darkly. “We were making reference to the alterations thou hast made to it. Thou may think that thine magical ability be sufficiently wise to fool a mere pony, and we admit it may very well be, but thy would have to wield considerably more power if thou expects to make a fool of ourselves.” Celestia took a few steps towards the advisor. “’Twas a foals endeavor. We were already intimately aware of the status of our own little project. Mistaken, of course, that would be suggesting that thou weren’t doomed the minute thou entered our chambers.” Celestia narrowed her eyes and released Lawn from her grip. Lawn in turn to a few steps back towards the door.

“D-d-d-d-doomed? Wh-wh-wh-why would I be doomed? A-and I only changed the report b-b-b-because I believed that it had b-b-b-been falsified b-b-by one of the researchers.” Lawn tried to smile, but failed miserably.

“Even if thou were telling the truth, which thou are not, we have already ascertained that the original report is accurate. Which leads us to our next question, though we know the answer already. ‘Why wouldst thou, a meek and powerless advisor, willingly choose to mislead thy ruler’? Thou art like the sniveling mares: a traitor!” Celestia growled the last few words. “And that is not all! We know of your other machinations.”

“What do you mean? What other machinations!?” Lawn was scared, but denying her disloyalty was all but impossible. NO!

“We are not the fools thou have taken us for!” Celestia was shrieking again. “Where have you hidden them?! How many of them have escaped?!”

“N-n-n-never! I will never tell you anything! You’ve become a cold tyrant. The Princess Celestia we have grown to love is gone! I will never reveal what we’ve done.” She clasped her hooves over her mouth, letting out a small squeak.

“We suspected. We are not surprised. We shall discover the other members of your insurrection. In the meantime, however, thou art all we require.” Celestia licked her lips and cackled.

"Wh-what are you going to do to me?" Lawn was beyond terrified.

"We haven't decided yet. It would be best if thou started to run." Lawn took one last look at the grinning princess and turned face. Galloping for the exit she threw all of her papers on the floor, focusing on opening the closed door. As it swung open she ran for her life, disappearing down a hallway. Celestia was left chuckling.

"Didst thou enjoy our little show, Slatehide? We never knew how… enjoyable dealing with traitors could be." Celestia turned her gaze up into the corner of her chambers and once more the concealed pegasus flitted to the floor. As his concealment dropped, she could see a scowl imprinted on his face. "We take it thou didst not."

"While I can appreciate wanting to keep your subjects in line, lest they think that they can rule Equestria without your boon, terrifying them isn't a choice I would make." Slatehide tipped into a bow. "With all due respect, your majesty."

"Dispense with the pleasantries." Celestia rolled her hoof in the direction of the pegasus. "I've summoned you here for business, not small talk. Does Nightmare Moon know?"

"No, at this time I have no reason to believe Princess Lun..." Celestia raised one of her hooves and stuck Slatehide across the face, forcing him to tumble to the floor. Getting to his hooves he gently rubbed his cheek with one, grimacing as he could see the blood smeared across his leg.

"Thou shalt not refer to her as 'Princess Luna'." Celestia spoke softly. "The one we called sister is no more, and thou wouldst do well to remember that. Now, continue thine report."

"Yes, of course your majesty." Slatehide was visibly upset at having been struck by the princess, but carried on professionally. "As I was saying, at this time Nightmare Moon is unaware of your knowledge and your plans to move against her."

"What of Stoutheart?"

"I've kept him busy on some fools errands. He's none the wiser himself."

"Thou art not attempting to convince him of Nightmare Moon's treachery?" Celestia narrowed her eyes at him.

"He is young and impressionable, I'm afraid. It would take much time and effort to convince him that Nightmare Moon is a threat, and he would long before that inform on us to her. Even a larger folly should he sense something wrong and report to the Nightmare. No, it is better that I keep him distracted until she is dealt with." A flash of panic washed across Slatehide's eyes. "With your blessings, of course, Princess Celestia."

"Hmm." Celestia looked deep in thought for some time before finally nodding her head slowly. "As always thou have proven yourself a valuable and loyal subject. Thou art an asset to Equestria."

"T-thank-you, Princess Celestia." Slatehide tipped into another bow, unaccustomed to such praise. Celestia rolled her hoof again.

"Yes, yes. Let's get on with it. Dost thou have anything else to report?"

"No, your majesty. Things are still progressing as you have commanded."

"Very good Slatehide. Thou may take your leave of us. We shall call on thee when it is time." Slatehide began to back away slowly, turning his body to the princess, when a thought lodged itself in his mind and refused to be ignored. Seeing the guard pause for a moment, Celestia began to scowl. Seeing the look on her face, Slatehide relented to his thoughts and turned back to face her.

"Princess Celestia... forgive my curiosity, but I must know. Why threaten Lawn and those mares? I admit that their actions have been less than loyal to you, but is threatening them so really necessary?"

"We doth not make threats."

"Then..." Slatehide himself has begun to go a shade of white.

"Indeed. When Twilight Sparkle arrives, we shall deal with her and her friends. Personally. In the meantime, a certain advisor has attempted to usurp us in a myriad of ways, and we shalt not allow such…" Slatehide tipped into another bow and slowly trotted out the door, no words left for the princess. All he could feel was a numbed gnawing on the back of his mind. As he flew off, he clasped in his hoof a certain ticket.

I need to go talk to Stoutheart. He was right. A few moments after he left a pair of pegasi flew in the window both wearing the garb of the royal day guards. Celestia turned to regard them both.

"Follow him, keep thyself out of his sight. See where his loyalties truly lie."

"Should he try and go to the other night guard, or Nightmare Moon?"

"Kill him." Celestia's lips twisted into a wicked grin and she ran her tongue along them. The guards nodded and flew back out the window in pursuit of Slatehide. Celestia allowed herself to recline in comfort again for just a moment before a thought struck her.

"We hath a unicorn to punish!" Rising again, she donned her regalia and rushed out the door, following the bloodcurdling screams that indicated the direction the foolish Lawn had run. Celestia grinned and gave chase. She could have just teleported, but then she would have missed out on half the fun.

Applejack stepped into a bedroom to a sniffling Pinkie Pie, her hair completely straight.

“You suspect me too right? On account of my behavior? How you thought I pushed you into deceiving Nathan?” Pinkie sniffled back a few tears and shook her head. “I honestly don’t remember doing any of that! The first I actually talked to Nathan was a month or two after he moved into Ponyville, honest!”

“Pinkie, Ah’m not here to suspect at ya or nothin’. Ya are weird, but I always had a feelin’ that you were hidin’ somethin’ from the rest o’ us. Reason ah followed ya was ta understand you. Ah’m seeing the same things you are- nopony is acting like Ah think they should. Funny how Shinin’ mentioned Discord, this all seems like somethin’ he’d do. Except it’s happenin’ ta all o’ us, not just Twilight. At the same time though, it ain’t. Fluttershy, bless her soul, is almost being too kind… to the point it’s almost creepy. Ah was lyin’, but at the time Ah thought it was for a good cause. Dash Ah don’t think she was bein’ disloyal or anything, just angry… ya really dug inta her saddle there.” Pinkie flinched, but Applejack continued speaking. “Twilight is completely out to lunch. Rarity’s this close to a breakdown. Then there’s you. Tha way ah’m thinkin’ is that ya were always like this, an’ Rainbow was jes’ mistakin’ ‘bout how you were screwy like the rest o’ us. A’ first ah was thinkin’ that Rainbow was righ’, but if there was anythin’ wrong with that meeting, ah think it might’ve been me.”

“Wh-what do you mean?” Pinkie turned away from the corner and attempted to look Applejack in the eyes.

“Ah mean… everypony else, mahself included, an’ not jes’ you an’ Twi’, was actin’ like we were out afta six rounds at the salt block. Ev’n Fluttershy’s nuttier than a fruitcake over Nathan, she’s pushin’ her best friend away. Then there’s you- when it comes to bein’ level-headed and logical, we usually turn to Twilight. Well, level-headed might be a stretch, even before all o‘ this.” Applejack winked at Pinkie, eliciting a slight chuckle from the pink mare. “This last week, actually the last couple days, for the most part, you’ve been the logical one. And, when yer not being logical, you haven’t been laughing or singing or anything. You’ve been downright depressed. Now, if ya don’t wanna talk about it, that’s fine. Ah understand. Ah’ll try and figure it out myself. However, Ah’m yer friend. Ah’m here for ya. If ya wanted to talk.” Pinkie looked to the door and back to Applejack. The farmer could see the gears turning in Pinkie’s head, and was about to question her further when the pink party pony flung her hooves around her neck and started sobbing into her shoulder.

“Whoa there, sugar cube. You gonna be alright?” Applejack gently ran her hoof along Pinkies curls, allowing the other pony to continue crying. The pink mare gently shook her head, finally looking up. Applejack nearly recoiled from the look of absolute pain in her eyes.

“B-before, before he…” Pinkie struggled with the words. Applejack gave her a soft look, encouraging Pinkie to continue. “Before he saved Rarity, Nathan and I talked. Well, we always talked. I mean, we really talked. While we waited out the storm in that cabin.” Pinkie sighed. “Applejack, I’ve been lying to you since the day I met any of you.”

“Sugar cube, ya ain’t done any lyin’ on any account, trust me I wouldn’ touch ya with a three hoof long rake if ya did.” Applejack closed her eyes. “I could always tell ya were hidin’ something, but not talkin’ ‘bout yourself ain’t the same as lyin’ now is it?”

“But I’m not the pony you all think I am. Or rather, I deliberately positioned myself as just the pony all of you know when, in reality, I was playing off all your preconceptions that I was a party pony and nothing else. When I met all of you, such wonderful friends, I couldn’t stop playing the role. I still love parties, but that’s not all that I am. I’m a complete pony, a total package. I’m not stupid, or ignorant or anything. But after a certain point, you all expected that of me, so it became harder and harder to be anything else.” Pinkie sighed, and turned her head towards one of the windows, watching a few foals playing in the street. “Nathan encouraged me to open up to everypony, and I promised him I would try. Now look.” She turned back to Applejack. “I’m turning my friends against each other. This is all my fault. If it wasn’t for me none of you would be fighting, Dash would still be here, Twilight wouldn’t be… whatever she is.”

“Pinkie… Ah had no idea… none of us did.” Applejack opened and closed her mouth a few more times, but nothing meaningful came out.

“No, I know. That was the point. I didn’t want any of you to find out about the real me. I thought if you did, you wouldn’t want to be friends with me anymore. Looks like I was right.” Pinkie gave a hollow chuckle. “I’m sorry. You can go back to the others now. Mystery solved. It’s all my fault.”

“No Pinkie, none of this is yer fault. None of it. Ah don’t know what’s causing most of the problems, Ah don’t know what’s gotten into the others, but Ah know enough that this ain’t you. This has been coming for quite a while, and only a foal would suggest that yer promise to the human has anything to do with this.” Applejack sighed. “And we should be the ones who are sorry. If we’d been the friends we should have been, maybe you wouldn’t have felt the need to lie to us for so long.”

“You’re not the only one feeling that way.” Pinkie gave a weak smile. “I just want to help my friends, and keep my promise.”

“Ah know what you mean Pinkie.” Applejack gently released her grasp on the pink pony and tilted her head. “There’s just one other thing… and Ah’m kinda ashamed of this. Ah understand Nathan was a good friend, he was to all of us, even if some were slower than others to realize it…” Applejack craned her head so she could look into the living room, seeing a particularly fidgety Rarity in conversation with Shining. “But how did somep… someone you’d only known for three months manage to figure out, y’know, the whole thing? Convince you to try and change even? It’d take somepony really special for that almost like you…” Applejack stuck her hooves in front of her muzzle and stared at Pinkie. The pink mare simply looked away again, saying nothing. “Ah…Ah… Oh, Pinkie. Ah git it. What… what ‘bout Fluttershy?”

“A pony can’t help what she feels. I haven’t said anything to her, and I expect you not to either. It doesn’t matter anyways.” Pinkie sniffed back a few more tears, before looking at Applejack. “Pinkie promise you will breathe a word to nopony of this.”

“Ah… Ah promise.” Applejack went through the motions of a Pinkie promise. “Ya can’t just keep this bottled inside though. Does anypony else know?” Pinkie snorted.

“Twilight took a guess at it. I had a very similar conversation to this with her a few days ago. I think she forgot though, or something made her forget. It’s almost as if she forgets most of the events of a day the next time she wakes up. Probably part of whatever is wrong with her. I barely care anymore.” Pinkie shook her head. “I need some time to think. Could you give me some space, please? I’ll be out in a bit. I just need to think.” Applejack nodded, turning around and started trotting towards the bathroom before pausing at the door and looking back over her shoulder.

“Ah’m always there for you sugar cube, no matter what. Y’know that right?” Applejack gave a warm smile.

“I know. Thanks AJ.” Pinkie smiled back, weak as it was. Applejack nodded, as she walked to the bathroom. Midway through freshening up, she was interrupted by poking from a comb enveloped in violet light that led to outside the bathroom. She found herself walking out to Shining Armor and Rarity.

“Twilight’s waking up, I left Fluttershy to watch over her, where’s Pinkie Pie?”

“She and ah just had a talk, jes’ let her stay where she is in ‘er room.” The mare nodded as the three headed towards Twilight’s room.

“What’s happening with Twily? Is she her?”

“We’re not really sure, to be honest darling. She just started twitching awake just now, I was just calling for everypony after she just went back to sleep. We weren’t too sure about what we should’ve done.”

“Follow my lead, don’t try to overact anything. We’ll find out exactly how far this influence spread if it’s still plaguing my sister.”

The three of them walked into Twilight’s room, where Fluttershy was gently nudging a shuffling Twilight. “Twilight… Wake up please?” Fluttershy nipped at one of her ears, prompting the sleepy Twilight to spasm, bonking herself on the bed frame, tangle herself up in the blanket and fall off the bed. Fluttershy winced, as the rest of the ponies watched Twilight groggily pick herself off the floor.

“Ugh where the heck am I?”

“You’re in your room, how do you feel? What was the last thing you remember doing?”

“Hold on, hold on. I’m fine, thanks for asking, and the last thing I remember… Was getting into this house, what, did I get sleepy and nod off or something?” The mare exchanged wary glances with Shining Armor, who gave them a hard stare. He turned back to Twilight.

“Your friends claim that you’ve betrayed them.”

“I have no idea what they’re talking about.” Twilight looked defiant. “I merely did what Princess Celestia would expect of her student.” Shining turned around Twilight and looked to Rarity, seemingly for an explanation. Twilight had a look of triumph on her face.

“Am I missing something?” Rarity sputtered something but stopped when Shining blinked twice, deliberately, slowly.

Play along.

“O-of course, only Pinkie was present, but apparently she was moments away from selling us all out to join with the cultists.” Twilight flinched but remained silent. “Then, when we were running from them, she attempted to use her teleportation spell to teleport herself, and only herself, to safety. Fortunately for us it failed!” Rarity’s voice trembled, she didn’t have to act out her anger.

“I tried to teleport us all first! I only tried to teleport myself after the mass-teleport failed!” Twilight looked for support from the others, but shrank back after finding none.

“Then, as we were nearly exhausted, our dear ’friend’ was about to suggest that we abandon Fluttershy to the cultists to buy the rest of us time to escape.” Rarity could feel the anger in her hooves, but she managed to keep it contained.

“Twilight Sparkle! How could you do that?! To your friends no less! Princess Celestia…” Shining stopped his lecture preemptively. He had ascertained that this wasn’t his Twilight, but… No, this sounds exactly like what Celestia would expect of her: The new one that is... Oh no. Twilight had obviously realized something was amiss with her brother’s tentative defense of her, and was beginning to back away.

“No, you’re all wrong. You’re the ones with problems, not the princess. Celestia always has a good reason for everything. You’ll see…“ Shining’s attention snapped up and he narrowed his eyes at the receding unicorn.

“Girls! Stop her! Whatever it happened to Celestia happened to Twilight as well, don’t let her get away!” Shining leapt towards her in an attempt to grab onto her. Twilight could see the lunge coming and stepped to the side, allowing her brother to sprawl out across the floor. Distracted by her sibling she failed to noticed the farm pony sneaking up behind her. As she turned to run again, Twilight was tackled by Applejack and pinned on the ground. Fluttershy squeaked and hid under her pillow again while Rarity attempted to get a grip on the lavender unicorn’s hooves. Seeing that she was trapped, Twilight began to channel a spell in her horn. The recovering Shining Armor recognized it immediately. “She’s going to teleport, don’t let her get that spell off!” It was too late though. As soon as he had finished the sentence, Twilight had disappeared in a flash of magic.

“Aw horse apples.” Applejack got to her hooves and looked at Shining. “We better get goin’. She’ll be headed straight for Celestia and Ah’d hate to think what…”

*BONG*

Applejack was interrupted by a single, loud metallic sound coming from the other room. The ponies in the living room looked between themselves confused for a moment before hearing the sound repeat itself several times.

*BONG*

*BONG*

*BONG*

*BONG*

The ponies galloped for the guest’s room, unprepared for the sight that greeted them. The other mares and Shining ran in to find said pony with a large cast iron pan in her hooves beating the ever-living snot out of Twilight, tears running down her cheeks.

“This,” *BONG* “is” *BONG* “for” *BONG* “every” *BONG* “terrible thing” *BONG* “you have said” *BONG* “or done in” *BONG* “the last three months.” *BONG* *BONG* “I am so” *BONG* “sick and tired” *BONG* “of you and Princess “ *BONG* “Celestia’s nonsense!” *BONG* The pan had a sheen of red on the side and a gash in Twilight’s head matched it. The unicorn lay limply on the floor while Pinkie continued to ravage her. Applejack rushed in and wrapped her hooves around the pink mare.

“Pinkie! That’s enough! Twilight’s yer friend! Ya need to stop!” Applejack tightened her grip on the struggling Pinkie who attempted to continue her smiting of the unicorn.

“No! You don’t understand! You were right, Applejack. It’s not my fault, it’s her fault! It’s all her fault! If it wasn’t for her, we wouldn’t have gotten lost, he wouldn’t have died, those cultists wouldn’t have caught us and Dashie would still be here. It’s ALL HER FAULT!” Pinkie’s eyes were burning from the tears, and her vision blurred. Rarity took the opportunity to gently remove the blood-slicked pan from the pink mare’s hooves and set it aside. Pinkie broke down sobbing and looked at her hooves, realizing what she had done. Recoiling from Applejack’s touch she tried to shrink into a ball. Applejack, to her credit, tightened her grip on the pink pony, pulling her into a deep hug.

“Shhh, it’s alright sugar cube. It’s alright. Ah don’t know what’s going on with ya, but Ah can tell when a pony needs help, and Ah’m there for ya. Just calm down, calm down.” Applejack cast a glance over at the body of Twilight. Shining rushed to her side.

“Twilight!” Shining gently ran his hoof along the back of her head inspecting her wounds. The blood ran freely, but to his relief none of them were that deep and the bones felt intact. She would wake up with a screaming headache, but by some small miracle no permanent damage had been done. “Oh thank Celestia. She’s going to be ok girls. At least Pinkie stopped her.” As disappointed in Twilight as he had been, he couldn’t bring himself to look at Pinkie. He would like to believe she had purposely left her relatively unharmed, but his gut told him otherwise. Risk or not, Twilight was still his sister. Lifting her in his magic, he gently carried her up to her old bedroom to bandage her head and take care of her.

“Ya hear that? She’s gonna be ok. Ya did good Pinkie, don’t you worry none.” Applejack stroked the pink pony’s mane while Pinkie continued to sob uncontrollably into the farmer’s shoulder. Rarity looked behind her to see Fluttershy staring from the living room, her face having gone slightly pale.

“Fluttershy, darling, I know there was a bit of blood, but it’s alright. Twilight’s going to be fine. You look like you’ve seen something absolutely horrible.” Rarity cocked her head.

“I-I-I think I have. I understand now. It’s Pinkie she…”

“Alright, Twilight’s up in bed resting.” Shining interrupted Fluttershy as he came down the stairs talking. “I’m not sure what your plans are for the rest of the day, but since you can’t go to the palace... I’ll explain to mom and dad that official business has come up and that I need the house for the night, and I’ll have them put up at one of the hotels in the city. You can all,” Shining glanced at Pinkie, taking a breath before continuing on, “stay here for the night. I’ll get the guest bedrooms ready in the meantime.”

“That sounds wonderful, thank-you Shining.” Rarity gave the stallion a genuine smile that Shining returned with a nod. She turned to Fluttershy. “Fluttershy, dear, would you like to join me for some shopping tomorrow? I’ve heard of a few new fashion designers in Canterlot and I’m so looking forward to seeing what they offer. We can stop by a few of the gardens on the way, if you would like?”

“No can do Rarity, I won’t allow any of you outside of this house, depressing as that may be.” Shining Armor had just finished clasping his sister with an anti-magic horn bracer. “I don’t exactly know what I can do with all of you with Twilight in this condition, and the elements incomplete, but I’ll have drummed up something tomorrow.”

Fluttershy smiled tentatively at Rarity. “Thanks for the offer, but I… I needed time to be alone anyway. I need some time to think.” Fluttershy retrieved the journal and wandered into an adjacent room, shutting the door behind her. Seeing the pegasus leave, Pinkie relaxed slightly and looked up at Applejack who was still cradling her in her hooves.

“I think I need some time as well.” Pinkie slowly broke Applejack’s hold on her and stood up. “I don’t know what to think anymore. I can’t believe I did that…”

“Pinkie, honey, Ah don’t think it’s such a good idea fer you to be alone in yer state. After what you did to Twi and the rest of it…” Applejack reached a hoof towards the pink pony, but Pinkie gently pushed it away

“No, I’ll be fine. Please, just, let me be.” Pinkie trotted out the door and headed in the opposite direction of Fluttershy. Applejack turned to the only mare remaining in the room.

“Well, Rarity, how ‘bout a round of cards? Y’ can invite some o’ your snooty friends if ya think they kin stand mah accent an’ if Shinin’ there thinks they kin come.” Applejack nodded at the unicorn. Rarity smiled and nodded back.

“I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect you of all ponies to make that offer, but I’ll take what I can get.” Rarity looked back towards Shining. “Please take care of Twilight and let us know if there’s anything we can do for you or her. Oh maybe we can contact Fancy Pants and Fleur for a couple just to catch up if we can’t go anywhere.” Shining grimaced.

“That’s not going to be possible Rarity.”

“Oh?” Rarity gave the stallion a confused look.

“They’re both… out of town. Business trip.”

“O-oh. Alright then.” Rarity frowned but nodded. “You will care for Twilight though, won’t you?

“Absolutely. She’s going to be fine, just needs to sleep it off. I’ll get in touch with the rest of you if anything else comes up. Just remember to try and stay here, and don’t make too much a ruckus. The flyers will be going out later tonight, and regardless of their personal feelings most of the guards will do whatever Celestia asks of them.” Rarity nodded once.

“Good night then.”

Spike, Zecora and the Cutie Mark Crusaders had arrived back in Ponyville the evening before and snuck back into town while the guards were changing shifts. All three of the fillies had been returned to their families, and much to their chagrin swiftly punished. Sweetie Belle had been grounded for a week and had her chores doubled, Scootaloo had been sent to her room where she would have to stay for the next few days (though she would be allowed out to eat), and Big Macintosh had indicated that Applebloom was lucky that times had changed because if she was a foal when he was, she would’ve earned herself a 'whoopin'.

Spike, of course, was spared any punishment due to Twilight being out of town, and even if she had been, Zecora would have argued in favour of sparing the dragon from any sort of retribution due to his involvement being purely out of concern for the trio of foals. That brought Zecora to her next thought though: what she was doing in town, especially with the only mare that she felt could help her, Twilight Sparkle, being absent.

Walking around Ponyville she greeted the various citizens and guards as she made her way back towards Twilight's home. She had stayed the evening before out at Sweet Apple Acres at the Apple's insistence for bringing the fillies home, but her goal laid within the library: discovering anything that might lead her to her family, as well as anything to do with the mysterious stranger that had come to town.

It had been a long, awkward process, but the citizens of Ponyville no longer treated her like the 'evil enchantress' they had made her out to be. They didn't exactly treat her as they would another pony, and some conversations she had were strained, but Zecora felt those differences were cultural and colloquial in nature, so she felt welcomed enough, and it filled her with warmth whenever she had the chance to discuss anything at length with another pony. That she had been invited to stay with the Apples at all was a far cry from the reception she would have expected three years ago.

Reaching the library around mid-day, she rapped on the door with a hoof and patiently waited for Spike to answer. A few moments later she heard some rustling sounds and a low groan issue from beyond the door. Swinging it open wide enough to see who it was, Spike sighed.

"Zecora? What are you doing here so early? I was still sleeping after our 'adventure' last night." Spike allowed the door to swing open wider as he rubbed his eyes with both claws. "I'm so tired."

"I'm sorry Spike that I called so soon, but you should be up- it's after noon! I need to see some books in there, especially if there are any recently written by that lavender mare." Zecora rolled her eyes at the still groggy dragon.

"Laven... oh you mean Twilight. Yeah she was keeping some research on the human that was living here. Come on in, I'll see if I can find them." Spike beckoned Zecora to enter and shut the door behind her. Turning around, he went to a stack of recently used books that he had yet to file away due to being unsure where they should be filed away. Most of them were recent purchases by Twilight, but a couple of them were written by the unicorn herself. While Spike looked through them, Zecora walked around the library looking for evidence of... she wasn't sure what she was looking for. Anything.

"Alright, here we go. Here's where she starts writing about his initial arrival in Ponyville and the subsequent events. He came to town one day, the ponies felt he was a threat due to what Twilight describes as 'a strong suspicion that he was some form of apex predator' whatever that means, sent him into the Everfree. I'm actually surprised you don't know anything about it considering he was in the forest for three days." Spike eyed up the Zebra. Zecora shrugged.

"The forest is huge and their is many a route, it is not astonishing that I did not get a chance to meet this brute. Still, I suppose it’s odd that I haven’t heard anything of this foe, living as close as I do to Ponyville I’m usually in the know.” The zebra shook her head.

“Whoa, hold on. He’s not a brute or a foe or anything like that.” Spike looked up towards the ceiling and tapped a claw on his chin thoughtfully. “I guess he’s a bit rough around the edges, and he could be a bit of a jerk, but he wasn’t that bad a guy. He usually treated me with respect. It’s almost funny how similar he and Twilight can be. Both so absorbed in their work to the neglect of those around them, even though she didn’t really like him.”

“So I take it after he left for the trees, he eventually returned to town and began to fit in with ease?” Zecora shot the dragon an unconvinced look, to which the dragon shrugged and lifted his claws.

“Well I wouldn’t say ‘ease’. Why don’t you just read what’s written down for yourself? Make your own decisions.” Spike wandered away leaving Zecora to peruse the books. Zecora dropped her bags and slowly started leafing through what Twilight had written, starting with when Nathan first came to town and continuing on from there. There were things she admired in the human. He seemed to be intelligent and well spoken. Even through Twilight’s thinly-veiled distaste of him, she could see that there was much to like about Nathan, saving Fluttershy from a rampaging bear at risk to his own life being the first of many acts that she could appreciate. As she read on though, her concerns grew. From his deceit of the ponies around town, his construction of the weapon that she feared most, and the way he dealt with the changelings, there was much to fear from him, even if he wasn’t, as Spike eloquently put it, “that bad a guy”. Finishing her reading, which ended with a final entry explaining the failure of Twilight’s teleport spell the morning that they left town and the results of that. Looking over at the dragon, who had finished cleaning the kitchen and was munching on a ruby, she called over to him.

“Spike, is it true what these books elucidate, that magical spells have little to no effect on this human to date?” Zecora felt a tinge of discomfort she rarely had before. The unnatural nature of this human was… concerning.

“Oh yeah, it’s totally weird.” Spike continued to eat the gem, speaking around mouthfuls. “Sometimes magic will sort of work on him. After he was injured in the fight with the changelings he was forced out of town by Twilight’s repulsion spell. That was the first time we had really seen a spell work on him properly.”

“When Twilight thwarted the changelings in their attack, she also sent the human away with a snap? Did she do it on purpose, trying to cause him harm? Or was he merely a casualty, affected before she could raise an alarm?”

“Twilight said that the spell she used can be altered to affect certain creatures and mindsets, and ignore others, but apparently there wasn’t enough time to do that in the middle of the battle, so she just cast it as quick as possible, what she referred to as the ‘default’ version. Apparently, that meant that it only spared ponies.” Spike shrugged, however Zecora was less than convinced of the authenticity of that claim.

“Regardless of what the mare told you, there’s no way in Equestria that could possibly be true. None of the records that Twilight has noted with glee, refers to the spell affecting a dragon, animal or donkey.”

“W-well I don’t know.” Spike took a moment to really think about what Zecora had said. It was true, he realized, that the only creature other than the changelings that the spell had affected was Nathan. “Alright, so maybe she stretched the truth. Why? Sometimes she can be a little evasive, but it’s not like her to outright lie about things like that. What was she trying to hide? What does this have to do with that shell anyways?”

“I do not know my scaled friend, but the writings of Twilight leave a troubling trend. As for the shell, don’t worry your head, I’m just trying to figure out if this human wants them dead.” Zecora frowned as her attention was brought back to the substance that had brought her to Ponyville in the first place. She had learnt quite a bit about it as a young foal, her elders going into detail over the risks and dangers of it’s creation as well as use. However, to her knowledge zebras were the only species to be familiar with this mixture of powder. This human was a strange individual indeed.

“I realize that you’re just trying to help and you’re worried about the girls, but believe me: if Nathan had wanted to kill any of us he had plenty of opportunities. He could have let Fluttershy die in the forest, he could have gone through with drowning Rainbow Dash, heck he could have left us all to be taken by the changelings when they attacked Ponyville.” Spike shook his head and shrugged. “I don’t really know why he built that thing in the first place, but I think we can trust him. Well, mostly.”

“I’ll take your word on that, though my concerns remain, it’s difficult for me to let go when the dangers inherent are so ingrained in my brain. Can you show me where he worked on his tool? Anything you can show me that will prove he’s not a fool?” Zecora looked over towards the laboratory door, having ascertained from Twilight’s writing where Nathan had been living and working.

“Sure thing, just be careful. It’s kinda of wrecked down there. I guess he had to break some of his stuff in order to stop a bunch of the changelings. Left a mess and destroyed half the basement on top of that. There’s some diagrams and stuff on the workbench you might want to look at.” Spike lead Zecora down the steps to the basement and pointed out the bench. She trotted over and rubbed a hoof on her chin, carefully examining the human’s writing.

“Unfortunately it is as I suspect, I do not have the mind to interpret what has been etched. It doesn’t matter, my expectations are more bright, it is as you say, the man is seemingly alright. The powder still leaves me with a worry, because I care but…” As Zecora spoke, a glint caught her eye. Moving over to the bed she gently reached between the mattress and the frame and pulled out a slender metal tube. It was another shell, though having different manufacture and shape. Next to it was a few pieces of parchment that looked like they had been ripped out of a book. Her eyes went wide as she slowly read through what was written. Her black stripes faded as she went white as a sheet and her jaw flapped as she finally spoke. “…it’s not like he plans to kill every one of them to a mare. Spike, I must go get the rest of my gear, I left it all at the farm and these papers fill me with fear. If you are wise, you will listen to me, send this paper to Celestia before I depart this tree.” Spike eyed the paper in Zecora’s outstretched hoof and frowned.

“R-right now?” Spike moaned. “I could get in trouble for sending something to the princess without Twilight’s permission. I don’t even know what it says.”

“NOW!” Zecora’s yell, caught the dragon entirely off-guard and before another moment had passed he grabbed the parchment and ran up the stairs to an open window, sending it away. Zecora rushed up the stairs behind him, grabbed her bags and stuffed what she had taken from the bed. Slamming the front door of the library open she quickly galloped off, leaving a confused Spike running after her.

A few frantic minutes later Zecora found herself back at Sweet Apple Acres wheezing for air. Stumbling towards the door she took a few steadying breaths and knocked on the door as gently as possible. From the interior it sounded like someone had thrown a bunch of rocks at the door. A few agonizing moments later Big Macintosh opened the door, raising his eyebrow.

“Uh, Zecora? Ya coulda just come in. Yer a guest here, and Apples treat their guests like family.” He stood to the side and ushered her in from the cold.

“I appreciate your generous lodging, however I still feel uncomfortable with just rushing in without proper knocking. I’m really only here to gather the rest of my sacks, I must hurry off to Canterlot before doom comes to Applejack.” Zecora pushed towards the guest room and repacked her saddlebags before turning to exit the house. Much to her chagrin, a hoof stuck in her way.

“Hold on there, pardner. What’s this about mah sister and doom? What’s goin’ on Zecora?” Mac was still level and calm, however in his eyes Zecora could see the nearly dangerous look he was giving her.

“The human that was here has plans most foul, at least as best I can make out he does and he’s been with the mares quite a while. I couldn’t find much information on my family anyways, so I might as well head to Canterlot, regardless of how many days.” Zecora gave Mac a pleading look, but rather than move out of the way he gently shook his head.

“Ah’m not sure how you figure that he’s got some plan, but he’s a good apple, Ah’m sure of it. Ah’m confident that Applejack isn’t in any sort of danger, at least not from Nathan. Now, yer free to do what ya like, Ah can’t stop ya from going to Canterlot, if that’s where ya think ya need to go, but make sure ya don’t go for the wrong reason.” Mac stepped out of the way to allow the zebra passage. As Zecora nodded her thanks and headed for the door the pair heard a fillies voice call from the stop of the stairs.

“Zecora? What’s all the ruckus about? What’s this about Applejack?” Applebloom looked down at the two adults and frowned.

“It’s alright my little foal, worrying you was not my goal. I need to go the castle archives, to find any information of where my family has moved on with their lives.” Zecora put on a gentle smile. Applebloom shook her head.

“Ah heard what you said. You were talkin’ about Nathan and Applejack. Ya think he’s goin’ to hurt her?”

“Now, Applebloom. Ah thought I told ya you were grounded until next week. You git back into yer room before I extend that punishment to next month.” Mac narrowed his eyes.

“Ah’m sorry big brother, Ah just heard that Applejack might be in trouble, and Ah was concerned for her.” Applebloom turned her tail to head to her room.

“Zecora, Ah appreciate what yer tryin’ to do for me and my family, and I respect that you have the best interests at heart for Applejack and the others, but I have Applebloom and Granny Smith to take care of here.” Mac sighed. “Ah still think ya got nothing to worry about. Ah really do appreciate the concern though.”

“I’m sorry you think I’m just blowing smoke.” Zecora returned the glare. “For one who seems to espouse the values of family, you seem to be a joke.”

“What’d ya say to me?”

“You heard me clearly you stubborn addled headed colt, you ‘re not showing very much care for one of your own folk. If I were you I would be leaving the farm soon, attempting to reach my family before ill came to pass at the hands of a loon. Fortunately for you I’m going to do it anyways, even if it means I’m caring more for your own family that her brother she’s known for years and days.”

“Now, that ain’t fair.” Mac rarely got angry. He, and most others, considered himself a calm, rational, level-headed pony that made well-rounded informed decisions, if a bit slow. It was clear from the deepening red of his cheeks that the zebra had crossed a line.

“I apologize to you, that my words were unfair is categorically true, however it might surprise you to note I know a thing or two about kin. This argument is over though, I don’t want to make a din.” She turned up to the stairs to see that Applebloom had left. “Take care of the family you have here at home, and hope that I’m not too late to stop what I have been shown.” With a curt nod, Zecora headed out he door leaving a fuming Big Macintosh in her wake. It was not the way she wanted to leave the Apple residence, but her fears for the mares, Applejack included, was more than she could bear. Lost in thought she barely heard the window above her open and a small bag tumble out until it struck her in the back of the head.

“Who would do such a thing as to strike a mare from the back? Big Macintosh, I didn’t think you were so angry that you would willingly attack!” She rubbed the back of her head with a hoof while turning around to berate the red stallion. To her surprise, rather than the rugged workhorse, she found Applebloom hopping down off of the roof. “Applebloom, you’re going to be in such trouble when Big Mac finds you are out, I would hate to be in your hooves when your punishment comes about!”

“Ah don’t care!” Applebloom glared at the house then back at the zebra. “Every time you’ve tried to help somepony in the past, they always act like yer evil or don’t know what yer talkin’ about. Ah’ve seen the way everypony treats you and it’s not right. You’ve always been right, and more folks need to trust ya. Ah trust ya. If Big Macintosh can’t see that yer tryin’ to help and do something to protect Applejack, then Ah will. Ah’m commin’ with ya.”

“This is a foolish thing you do Applebloom, your brother just wants what’s best for you when he sends you to your room. This isn’t a game to be played, like trying to find your cutie mark, where I am going you should not follow, for I fear the going will be dark.” Zecora moved towards the filly in an attempt to usher her towards the house. Applebloom continued to glare at the zebra.

“No. Ah ain’t going back inside. Half of mah family is in that house, half of mah family is in Canterlot. Yer gonna have to drag me kickin’ and screamin’ back inside if that’s what ya want. Please, Zecora. Take me with you.” Applebloom was almost pleading.

“I should not do this, it would not be right. While I would appreciate the company your future might not be so bright. If your brother finds out I’ve taken you away, he will no longer call me a friend after this day.” Zecora gently shook her head.

“Ya don’t get it Zecora. Ah’m not always the best filly, Ah’ve done a lot of naughty things, and gotten in a lot of trouble. But, ya gotta trust me, this is something Ah need to do. Somepony needs to look out for Applejack. Both of my siblings are too stubborn for their own good, and Ah’m not gonna lie, she ain’t gonna listen to you. Ah need to go.”

“A young filly such as yourself does not need to go anywhere, you have a bed and a home waiting behind you and I refuse to take you away from there.” Zecora frowned. “You are a foolish foal if you think that the wilds is the place for you. There are beasts, changelings, pitfalls and worse don’t doubt that my concern is true. Even I, a well traveled Zebra, who has done and seen a hundred things, do not willingly make this trip except to prevent the ill-tidings that my suspiciousness brings.”

“But Zecora!” Applebloom was moaning. “What happened when you first came to town? Well Ah don’t know when you first came to town, but Ah mean, the time you came into town for supplies once Twilight moved here?”

“Applebloom, you and I both know the answer to that inquiry.” Zecora grimaced. “Your sister and her friends treated me quite terribly, accusing me of being a witch and breaking into my hut, much to my lack of glee. Why do you ask me this rhetorical nonsense? I nearly left the vicinity of Ponyville that day, feeling like it was the last offence.”

“Ah remember. We talked about it. Do you remember why you didn’t leave?”

“A brave little filly wandered into the forest on her own without a care, and proved to the others there was no evil n my ‘lair’.” Zecora gave the filly a warm smile. “I remember that day very well young filly- it was a day that you of all ponies was the one to not be silly.”

“Exactly. That was just Ponyville. What’s it gonna be like when you walk into another town, or even Canterlot, without a pony with you? The first thing those ponies are gonna do is run and hide from you. How are you going to get any answers if nopony will talk to you? If Ah’m with you, then they won’t be as afraid. Just like before.” Applebloom narrowed her eyes questioningly at the zebra.

“You make a good point and you’ve always had my back.” Zecora laughed. “For a small filly you’re cunning and shrewd- someday you will make a good sales pony like your sister Applejack.” Zecora sighed. Applebloom grabbed her bag and headed in the general direction of Canterlot. Zecora struggled with the decision for a moment longer before making her decision. “Applebloom I understand what you are saying and that you care deeply for Applejack, however going towards Canterlot that way is not possible, you’re going to have to turn back.” Zecora shook her head again.

“Zecora! Ah told you Ah wasn’t going back unless ya dragged me.” Applebloom’s face went red.

“Oh, don’t misunderstand you wonderful and brave little filly, I didn’t mean to take you back, I think at this point it would be silly. I admit you’ve worn me down, and to your request I genuinely yield, but if you want to get to Canterlot that would be a bad way to go to get through the shield.” Zecora threw a wink at Applebloom. The young pony took in what the zebra was saying for a moment before a bright smile crossed her face.

“Ya mean it? Ah can come?” Applebloom hopped about excitedly, forcing Zecora to roll her eyes.

“I know better than to tell a Crusader when to stop, it’s clear to me you’ll keep on whining until you come out on top. Let us make haste before we are spotted by anypony, I don’t think either of us will enjoy the resulting ‘ceremony’.” Zecora trotted off towards the fields where she assumed that it would be easy for them to slip out of town. Applebloom fell in line and bounded off after her, excited but nervous. As they lost sight of the farm-house a thought crossed the filly’s mind.

“Hey! What d’ya mean ‘whining’?”

After several long and fruitless games of Rarity attempting to not lose at poker, both mares also agreed to turn in for the night. Bidding Applejack good night, she found herself in the same bedroom as Fluttershy and Twilight.

Rarity was reluctant to bed down at first, the previous evening’s nightmare weighing heavily on her psyche, however she was too tired to keep her eyes open any longer and she passed out within minutes of actually climbing into bed. She had hoped and even prayed that the night would bring her pleasant dreams. Or at least nothing recognizable, but soon enough the swirling torrent of mix and match images (including it seemed an ongoing fascination of her sub-conscious for that Sweetie Belle and Blue Blood romance that she should probably see a psychologist for) cleared up and once again she found herself in the human world. Looking down she could see a pair of heels leading up to a jacket of sorts that reached down to the mid-shins.

The pony feared for a moment of a repeat of the stalking incident and when her host looked around she took a few nervous glances herself to be sure that they weren’t being followed. However, she began to relax as she noticed that not only were they not being followed, but that she actually recognized some of the homes. She had seen them from a different point of view, but they were familiar. As her host passed by one of those parked metal ponyless-carriages she caught her reflection and Rarity put it together. Oh praise Celestia I’m back with Samantha. I’ll get to see Andrew and Chloe again! At leastthey don’t try and kill each other. This is going to be a wonderful dream!

As Samantha approached the door to her home, she reached for the door handle and was surprised to find the door locked. Shrugging she reached into her pocket, retrieved a set of keys and unlocked the door, stepping inside. Kicking off her shoes she called out.

“Daniel are you here? I saw the car’s here but the door was locked.” Rarity’s host walked forward through the house and peered into the various rooms. Seeing no sign of her family, she returned to the living room and ascended the stair case. Reaching the second floor of their home she could see the faint glow of candlelight coming from her bedroom. Samantha smiled, while Rarity felt slightly embarrassed. Oh dear. A quiet home, candles like that in the bedchambers… I would rather this than the vile experiences of the others, mind you but still… as unladylike as it sounds this is quite… icky.

Samantha strolled into the bedroom and saw her husband sitting in an armchair, smiling. Candles lined the room giving off a warm glow, and the room smelled of lavender. Oh I so do love lavender. Rarity could feel her host smile before slowly closing the door behind her. The man drank in his wife’s body.

“How was your evening with the girls? I thought you were getting a little… mature to be going out to the bar and picking up boys.” Daniel chuckled.

“The only ‘boy’ I want to pick up is sitting in that chair.” Samantha took a few steps closer to her husband and licked her lips. She slowly reached behind her back and started to undo the zipper that was keeping her dress in place.

“Oh? That’s surprising. A spry young woman such as yourself I can only imagine that you had to beat them off with a stick.” The man beckoned over to the bed and his wife took a seat on the side. “Mind you, I would be with them.”

Rarity was steadily getting more and more uncomfortable. She had yet to find a stallion of her own and had not yet had the pleasure of spending an evening with one. She considered it part of her status as a lady. Being here, privy to this intimate moment between husband and wife left her feeling like she was betraying that, willingly or not. That she was physically experiencing everything her host was… Oh no, I’m not ready for this.

“Well then,” Samantha finished peeling off her dress and lay on the bed in only her undergarments, “here I am. Where are the kids, by the way?”

“I sent them to your parent’s place for the night. Let’s try a new game, shall we?” Daniel stood and walked to their en-suite washroom, retrieving several strands of soft silken rope. He cooed gently into her ear as he lovingly tied each of his wife’s limbs to the bed frame and stood back to admire his work. Rarity could tell Samantha was nervous- possibly this was the couple’s first time doing this sort of thing. However, she seemed to be going along with it, and her smile never left her face. “Good, now you’re ready.”

“Ready?” Samantha lifted her head to look into her husbands eyes. She froze. Rather than the loving, caring husband that she had been with for years, she saw what she could only describe as an emotionless husk. His eyes revealed nothing of what was going on in his head. The romance had left the room, and been replaced by fear. “R-ready for what? Honey, what’s going on? Daniel?!” Rarity could feel terror welling up inside of her. N-no. Not here. Not them. Anything but that, please, if there is anything sacred left in the human world, not like this!

“I’ve always wondered how genuinely nice you are as a wife. You’ve always seemed so very good and kind. Too good. It made me wonder: do you have a point where you’re not nice anymore? Where does the fake Samantha end and the real Samantha begin?” He reached into the side drawer and pulled out a lighter and a knife.

“W-what are you doing with those? What are you talking about?! I am the real Samantha! The one you married years ago! I love you!” The woman was shrieking, and in her head another voice, one belonging to a white unicorn, was shrieking too.

“I’m not so sure.” He flicked on the lighter and began to heat the knife until it was glowing red hot. He slowly brought it closer to the woman’s body. The fear in her eyes was palpable and he relished it for a moment longer before pressing the flat of the blade against her stomach. She screamed, feeling the blade cook her skin from the outside in. Blisters welled up where he had pressed it against her, leaving severe burns. Between sobbing screams Samantha yelled at him.

“What are you doing?! I-I loved you… I LOVE you so much! Why are you doing this to me?!” The woman was breathing through clenched teeth, trying to force the pain away.

“Oh I know you loved me. You loved the kids more though. You promised me on our wedding day that it would only be me for the rest of our lives.” Daniel heated the knife to temperature again, this time pressing it against her the moment it glowed hot. Her screams were bloodcurdling, cutting through the house. Rarity was losing her sanity. What is going on? He loved her! They were a good family! How could he be doing this?! This isn’t possible!

“The kids?!” Samantha was yelling at the man now, any fear of upsetting him further gone as soon as he mentioned her children. “This is about the kids?! You love them! Andrew and Chloe think you’re a hero!”

“NO!” He plunged the knife into her shoulder, feeling it cut into flesh and tendons and began to twist it, eliciting higher and higher pitched screams from his victim. Withdrawing it, he could see the gaping bleeding hole he had left. Sticking a pair of fingers in he wiggled them around, feeling the inside of his wife’s shoulder, pulling at whatever he could get a hold on. Samantha continued screaming, tears rolling down her cheeks. “I acted that way because you loved them!” Withdrawing his fingers, he gazed at the bloody flesh clinging to them and slowly ran his tongue along them.

“W-what are you doing? How can you do this?!” Her words were barely understandable over her constant screaming. Daniel pulled back his arm and slapped his wife across the face hard enough to draw more blood. She whimpered and continued to sob.

“Shut up! Quit screaming! You’re going to wake the children you inconsiderate bitch!” Daniel glared at the woman tied to his bed. Samantha’s eyes flew wide.

“Ch-children? I thought you said they were at my parents? They’re here?! Now?! You monster! YOU MONSTER!” She spat at him, a thin sheen of blood covering the man’s face. Slapping his wife again, Daniel shook his head.

“Of course they’re here! I wouldn’t want them to miss out on ‘family’ time. I’ve told them that no matter what they hear, they have to stay in there rooms until I call for them. They’re such obedient children.” Daniel turned to the door. W-what? No. Oh no. No. He couldn’t. He wouldn’t. Samantha, do something! Don’t let him do this! Don’t let him force this on the kids!

“N-no! Anything! Anything but that! I’ll do anything! Say anything! Just spare them! Don’t do this to them!” Samantha struggled against her bonds trying to get free, to do anything to prevent her husband… her husband!… from going any further.

“Oh, you will. You will be saying quite a lot. Andrew! Chloe! Come to our bedroom!” He waited patiently for the children to appear while Samantha continued to try and prevent the inevitable.

“N-no, no! Don’t! Kids! Andrew! Chloe! Don’t come to our room! Run! Go next door! RUN!” Daniel silenced her with another slap. As she squealed in pain, she could feel the hole in her shoulder leaking more and more bodily fluids. The children dutifully appeared, side by side wearing their pajamas, looking at the scene in front of them. Chloe went white while Andrew struggled with what he should be doing. Their father gave them a warm smile.

“It’s alright. Come on over guys. Your mother and I just want to have a talk with you.” The children slowly moved towards the bed while their whimpering mother shook her head emphatically. Seeing them hesitate Daniel stood up, slammed and locked the bedroom door, and physically pulled the pair closer to the bed, his smile gone. “Now, then. Watch closely. This is what happens when you’re a lying bitch.”

Daniel took his knife and pushed it slowly into the woman’s leg, feeling it reach a depth of five or six inches and slowly with a sawing motion moved it down her thigh, opening a large gash deep enough to see muscle and scrape along the bone. The children flinched as their mother screamed so hard her vocal chords gave out. As her face was stitched into open-mouthed horror, a faint wheeze replaced the blood-curdling scream.

“Daddy! What are you doing?! You’re hurting mommy!” Chloe reached out to stop him from doing any more harm and received a backhand from the man in return. She lay on the floor crying, refusing to get up.

“I’m doing what should have been done long ago. We’re just trying to see who this lady is. Now get up and get back here.” Daniel glared at his daughter for a moment longer before screaming at her. “GET UP!” Out of sheer fear for her life, Chloe shakily rose to her feet and stood next to her brother. “Good. Now.” Daniel turned back to the shell of a woman that he one called his wife.

“I’ll give you a choice. I can sit here all night cutting away at you until your innards spill out across the bedroom floor, and then do the same to your children.” Daniel looked between the pair of sobbing, shivering kids to which Samantha shook her head. “Or, give them up.” W-what?

“W-what?” Samantha forced the question out, trying not to focus on the gaping wounds in her body.

“Give them up. We’ll let the government take them, have them adopted out, whatever. What’s it going to be?” Daniel held the knife above his wife threateningly.
s

“W-we can’t! I can’t! They’re my children!” Samantha looked between them, and the fear in their eyes.

“Would you rather they die? You would kill your own children just to make a point? Shame on you woman.” He brought the knife closer to her. Samantha looked between the knife and the kids and struggled with the hardest decision of her life. Part of her realized that she was about to die anyways- the wounds were leaking enough blood that there was no way she would survive much longer without medical help, and the chances of that were slim. Her children’s life were held in the balance however. She took a moment to think. Don’t give in! Rarity wished that Samantha could hear her. You can’t let him take your children like this! Oh darling, DON’T LET HIM WIN!. Rarity’s words did not and could not reach the woman however, and with a sigh Samantha made her decision.

“F-fine. Andrew, Chloe, look at mommy. I love you very, very much, always remember that mommy loves you. After tonight, you’re going to live with a new mommy who’s going to love you just as much, if not more.” Samantha couldn’t tell which hurt more, the physical pain of her wounds, or the emotional trauma of having to force her children away just to save them.

“No mommy! We don’t want to go!” Chloe cried and threw her head on the bed. Andrew sobbed and shook his head, wordlessly trying to express his feelings. Rarity was screaming.

“There that was easy. Gave me the proof I need as well.” Daniel chuckled, to which Samantha swung her head towards him.

“W-what do you mean?” Samantha glanced between him and the knife he was still holding.

“I knew you were fake. A real mother would never have given up her children. Oh well.” Daniel shrugged and plunged the knife downwards, driving it through Chloe’s back, impaling her heart and killing her instantly. NO! You monster! How could you?!

“NO!” Samantha hoarsely screamed again, watching her daughters limp body roll of the bed and collapse on the floor. She looked back at Daniel and Andrew and shook her head. Andrew’s eyes went wide and he slowly backed away from his father.

“Dad… dad what did you do? Dad what are you…” His words were cut off as Daniel grabbed him by the head and dragged him into the bathroom kicking and screaming. Several sickening thuds later and the bathroom fell silent. Samantha and Rarity could hear the body slump to the floor. Daniel walked back into the bedroom, blood coating his shirt and hands. He smiled and walked towards the bed.

“Now that they’re dealt with…” He picked up the knife again and held it over his wife. Samantha and Rarity continued to scream inconsolably.

Rarity awoke screaming, her voice hoarse, still feeling everything cut, wound and burn that had been inflicted on her host. Running to the washroom she vomited profusely. Fluttershy slowly trotted into the room and laid a hoof on her back. Rarity shrieked and swung her hoof out, striking the offending limb away. Her glare softened as she saw that rather than a human, it was a meek looking pony.

“O-oh Fluttershy! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to hit you! I thought it was…” Rarity trailed off, remembering the aftermath of her last nightmare.

“A human?” Fluttershy rubbed her hoof with another and questioningly looked at the unicorn.

“Y-yes.” Rarity blushed and looked down, waiting for the expected tongue-lashing. Instead, she received a gentle hug, and Fluttershy nuzzled up against her. Rarity lost control of her emotions and buried her head in her friend’s mane, weeping openly. “I don’t want anything to come between us. Nothing at all… and i-if I have to suffer through these Celestia accursed nightmares alone, I will.” Fluttershy began to cry too.

“I-I-I know Rarity. I know you haven’t meant anything against Nathan the whole time, I’ve just been so lost.” She stroked the unicorn’s mane gently. “W-why don’t you tell me about your d-dreams?”

“No! I couldn’t do that to you… it would destroy you.” Rarity backed away and shook her head vigorously. Fluttershy stepped towards her and gave a warm smile, tears still flowing.

“It’ll be alright. I have my best friend in the world to help me through it, just like I can help her.” Fluttershy nodded and gently embraced the unicorn again. Rarity frowned, but slowly nodded her head.

“A-alright. Let me start at the beginning. There was this wonderful human family and two… two wonderful children named Andrew and Chloe.”

16: Lunar Eclipse

16- Lunar Eclipse

Chrysalis was taking a rare opportunity to fly out over the countryside. The sun had gone down a couple of hours prior, and the cold winter air nipped at her hooves, but something about being out and away from her kingdom, regardless of weather was refreshing. Gazing down on the forested mountains and plateaus that made up the broad majority of the above-ground domain that she claimed, she found herself lost in thought. Three-thousand years. It feels like it's gone by in a month. What happened so long ago to set me on this path? Damn them. I will turn it aside, I must. Chrysalis idly looked at one of her legs and hooves, appraising every hole and scar that cut into them, a grimace showing on her face.

"This is all Celestia's fault!" She shrieked at the night sky. “If she had only listened to me in the first place we wouldn’t have to do this!”

"Chrysy, are you alright?" Broken-Wing dropped in beside the queen, breaking her train of thought. During her reflection, she had momentarily forgotten that the now fully capable and rather large changeling had been out with her getting a feel for his new wings. She rolled her eyes and glared.

"Of course I'm fine!" She forced herself to keep below a hiss. "You are part of the hive, are you not? I would let you know if I needed any assistance."

"No, you wouldn't." Broken shook his head and pointed a hoof at Chrysalis. "You’ve been increasingly neurotic as of late. What's Celestia's fault? Other than, you know, basically everything?"

"Watch your tongue, and your insolence." Chrysalis flew close enough to whack Broken on the back of his head, eliciting a groan of pain. "Celestia is many things, and has done many things to betray our trust, but the be all end all bane of our existence she is not!"

"What? I don't understand." Broken was rubbing the back of his head with a hoof. "For a moment it sounded like you were defending her."

"Don’t be an idiot, she is and always will be integral. But that does not mean I’m defending her." Rather than the rage that Broken had expected, Chrysalis looked introspective. Slowly shaking her head she looked back at her minion. "Explaining her place in all this would take far too long to explain right now. Maybe tomorrow. We'll have time then. Just understand: between Celestia's white and my black there are many, many shades of grey."

"Alright I'll take your word on it. Many shades of grey... sounds like the name of a nonsense romance novel those ponies read." Broken shook his head.

"You have no idea." Chrysalis gave a rare chuckle eliciting a raised eyebrow from her minion. "Something else I'll explain to you later. Something Discord told me about humans."

"Speaking of Discord, have you made any progress on our plans? What are we doing up here anyways?" Broken spread his fore hooves out indicating the landscape passing below them. “I mean, I need to stretch my wings, but there’s no reason I couldn’t have been up here alone. I wouldn’t have been too long. You don’t normally leave the hive like this.”

"I needed some air. I’m getting tired of spending every night cooped up in that cavern we call a home. As for my plan well, after our talk the other night I’ve come up with something I think will work quite nicely. It's going to be difficult to pull off but if it succeeds it will deal with two things at once. It's going to require a large amount of risk on our part however." Chrysalis frowned. It was the only way she could see to deal with Discord, but she didn't like it. "We have to force those six mares into using the Elements of Harmony."

"W-what? In the middle of our battle?" Broken shuddered when Chrysalis nodded. "With all due respect Queen Chrysalis, are you insane?! Think about what they could do to us!"

"Of course I have, do you think I’m planning on letting them aim those things at us?!" Chrysalis shrieked at Broken. "This is the only way! I told you it would involve risk... Celestia be damned, a pony." Off on the horizon the pair could see a rapidly approaching pegasus pony. "Shift forms." Both of the changelings shifted into pegasi themselves and dropped to the ground between a group of trees. A moment later the pony passed overhead.

"Wait, wasn't that...?" Broken waggled his hoof in the general direction of the receding pony. Chrysalis nodded.

"Indeed. I believe her name is Rainbow Dash. She's quite mouthy from what I remember. Reminds me of myself when I was younger. Pity that she's a pony, I somewhat like her." The changeling queen, still wearing the guise of a pony, smiled at her companion. Broken growled.

"There is only one of her and two of us! We should deal with her now and be done with it!" Broken flexed his legs, preparing to pursue Dash. Chrysalis swung out a hoof, striking him across the face and sprawling him out on the ground.

"Have you not been listening to anything I've been saying? We need the six of them to deal with Discord, we don’t have any weapons against him otherwise! And if we take her in, he will know, which we do not want. I swear, sometimes I think it's your head that was broken at your hatching, not your wing." Chrysalis narrows her eyes dangerously, waiting for further insubordination from Broken-Wing. The other changeling slowly got back on his hooves and spat on the ground, a bit of green blood mixed with his saliva.

"Fine, I get it. The Elements live, for now. I still think it's a mistake, but I'll abide by your command, Queen Chrysalis." Broken gave a mocking bow and snorted. Chrysalis reached out with her magic, forcibly dropping the enchantment that concealed Broken and threw him against a boulder. The satisfying *snap* of his exoskeleton cracking reached her ears and her lips turned up into a fanged grin.

"I can still kill you with but a thought, and if it suits me to do so I will. Try me again you sniveling insignificant worm. If you only knew the sort of power I can and have wielded in the past." Chrysalis was reveling in the sheer dominance she had over her minion. The changeling queen was almost begging him to speak out against her again, just so she could enjoy the feeling of snuffing out his life. To her disappointment, and shame, his next words forced her to face her demons again.

"There she is." Broken was laughing, though it came out as a wheeze due to the pressure on his chest. "The great bloodthirsty tyrant ponies tell their foals bedtime stories about to scare them into being good, lest the 'blood-sucking, life draining, death mare come and take them away'. There's the queen I've come to admire and respect."

"B-Broken-Wing, I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me." The changeling queen dropped her disguise and attempted to help Broken to his hooves. The male changeling tried to brush her away but she wasn't having any of it. Using what healing magic she could muster (very little), Chrysalis sealed as many of his wounds as possible.

"I do. We need to deal with him, and soon. How is he doing this to you? What aren't you telling me?" Broken raised an eyebrow, the queen's attempt on his life quickly put behind him.

“There is much in Equestria you and nearly every other creature does not understand, in fact, there are only two things I know that exist that might know everything that’s going on, and even then I am skeptical. Equestria pretends to be a gentle, kind place, but she is fickle and needy." Chrysalis looked over the other changeling one more time, verifying that he was well enough to fly.

"You speak of it as if it was alive." Broken looked in the general direction of the pony lands and waved a hoof towards them, eliciting a chuckle from Chrysalis.

"Why are you looking that way? I'm not speaking of the lands Celestia and Luna claim for their own. I mean the whole world." Seeing that she had managed to catch Broken's understanding, she carried on. "As for her being alive... that's not altogether right, or wrong. That's..."

"A story for another evening when we have more time. I get it I get it." Broken scowled

"Indeed." Chrysalis' gruff expression returned and she nodded in the direction of their home. "That's enough flying for one evening. Come. We have plans to draw up." Taking to the air she began buzzing towards her kingdom. With a groan, Broken lifted off behind her pushing his wings to catch up to his queen.

“This is going to be the death of all of us, you know that? You, me, the ponies. We are all going to burn in Tartarus for this, and Discord is leading the parade.” Broken growled up at Chrysalis. From his position behind her he could barely make out what she said.

“You’re wrong. With any luck, I’ll be the only one.” She let out a deep sigh as a tear rolled down her cheek which she quickly wiped away with her hoof before the male changeling could take notice.

The mares woke from their sleep, Rarity much worse for it, and gathered in the kitchen just as the first rays of the sun penetrated their bedroom windows. Twilight was still unconscious, however a medic from the palace that owed Shining Armor a few favors had stopped by just before dawn broke to examine the health of the mare. True to their own appraisals, the four remaining Elements and Shining were relieved to hear that the injuries to Twilight were barely worse than skin deep, and she would quickly heal.

As they made breakfast, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack chatted idly about the latest news around Canterlot It almost felt like old times again- the six of them sitting around the table in Twilight's library with few real cares in the world, a bottle of apple juice sitting in front of them. The medic had brought a newspaper with him, and graciously left it with the mares. It almost seemed like nothing was wrong with the world. News on the latest fashions, garden restorations, the unveiling of a new statue commemorating some historic event or another. Eventually, the conversation swung back to current events, especially those of the night before.

"Rarity, was that you Ah heard screamin' again in the night?" Applejack rubbed a bit of sleep out of her eye. She was nursing a large cup of coffee, her stetson hanging off the back of her chair. Rarity looked down at the table and sighed.

"Y-yes, dear it was. If I woke you I do so apologize." Rarity absent-mindedly drew lines on the table with a hoof. "I'll spare you the details."

"Ugh... again with the humans?" Pinkie looked cross. "Dashie might have been right about you..."

"N-n-no I..." Rarity was cut off abruptly.

"Pinkie Pie you apologize right now!" Fluttershy put her fore hooves on the table and towered over the pink pony. "We're supposed to be understanding, and friends, and fighting amongst ourselves isn't going to help!" Pinkie shrank away, confusion etched on her brow.

"What? Y-yesterday you said..." Pinkie couldn't find the words to express herself.

"I know. I was wrong." Fluttershy suddenly realized how aggressive she was being and pulled her hooves in, tumbling forward and making a slight "eep" sound. Recovering, she retook her seat and turned to Rarity. "I-I haven't been fair to you. I was so wrapped up in... him, that I was letting you take the blame for it. Even after you stood up for me when Twilight tried to..." Fluttershy couldn't finish the sentence.

"It's alright darling, we've all made mistakes these last few months. Myself most of all." Rarity offered a weak smile. "Thank-you for being there for me, and listening." Fluttershy nodded, then when slightly green in the face.

“Of course. However, look at the four of us here. We need to be strong. For ourselves, for Princess Celestia, for Twilight. For him. This isn’t going to solve anything. We need to be willing to listen to each other and work together. Like me being able to listen and believe in Rarity, even when it pained me to do so. Who wants their sleep to be nightmare free anyways? I know mine won't be. Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, please excuse me." Fluttershy ran off to the bathroom and they could hear the sound of a pony losing their breakfast.

"Eww, gross!" Pinkie scrunched up her face, shaking her head. "Something tells me I don't want to know what your dream was about. And I'm sorry. I was sort of being a meany jerk face to you. I guess we‘ve all been in sort of a bad place. Fluttershy is right."

"You have no idea, on both counts." Rarity chuckled. Pinkie was about to protest the unicorn's implication of her, but seeing Rarity laugh filled her with warmth and soon enough she was laughing along with her, Applejack joining in. Fluttershy re-entered the room and looked between the three others. They stopped laughing for a moment, took one look at Fluttershy, and started laughing even harder.

"Wh-what's going on? What's so funny?" Fluttershy frowned. Pinkie pointed a hoof at her.

"Your face!" Pinkie and the other two mares had noticed Fluttershy had failed to properly clean her face and bits of regurgitation were stuck to the sides of her mouth. Reaching up a hoof, she felt the bits of food and squealed, running as fast as she could back to the bathroom. A few moments later Shining Armor walked through the door.

"Good morning girls." Shining tipped his head cordially.

"Good morning!" The three mares echoed back in unison.

"Good to see you all seem to be in better spirits this morning. Yesterday I thought the five of you were going to kill each other." Shining shook his head.

"Oh, we've just been through a lot, and our friendship has been tested several times." Rarity waved a hoof as if it wasn't a big deal. "It'll sort itself out soon, I’m sure of it.”

"That's good to hear. Speaking of sorting things out, is Twily up yet?" Shining motioned towards the stairs.

"Naw. She's still countin' sheep as it were. Yer friend, that medic that ya told us about last night? Anyways, he came by earlier this mornin' though to check on her again. Said she'd be up soon, no permanent long term damage." Applejack gave the stallion a warm smile.

"And Fluttershy is….?”

“Oh, she’s just washing up!” Pinkie bounced over to Shining and presented him with a muffin that he graciously waved away. Pinkie frowned, a wave of doubt washing over her as she noticed a glint of… fear? cross the stallion’s eyes, but she quickly shrugged off the feeling and shrugged, eating the muffin in one bite herself. “She should be out soon.”

“Alright then. Well, if the four of you are fine, then I’m going to go and check up on Twilight myself. If she does wake up soon she’s going to need her BBBFF there to help her.” Shining chuckled, reflecting on times gone by. “If you’ll excuse me.” He gave a nod, which the mares returned politely. As he disappeared up the stairs, the three remaining ponies turned back to the table.

"He's so civil. Now if I was in the market for a stallion, I could do a lot worse than one like him.” Rarity glanced towards the stairs and gave a leering look.

“Rarity! That’s not only Twi’s brother, but Cadance’s husband! Ya can’t just say thing like that. Yer outta line.” Applejack narrowed her eyes.

“Oh poppycock. I was merely suggesting that he has the qualities I would look for in a… long term partner. Rugged good looks, polite, fashion sense, the whole package. I would never make any untoward advances towards Shining. I of course see him as just a friend.” Rarity shook her head. “I’m merely making small talk. This whole business is simply dreadful.”

“Ah getcha. Ah’m sorry, that just caught me off guard. Ah guess Ah’m just concerned what would happen if two mares were interested in the same stallion, and neither told the other.” Applejack glanced over at Pinkie, who returned her thinly veiled suggestion with a glare. Luckily for her, Rarity failed to notice the exchange.

“Oh perish the thought darling. Shining Armor’s heart belongs to Princess Cadance, and so he shall remain.” Rarity smiled. “Now, let’s get down to business shall we?”

“Ah reckon we should “ Applejack nodded. “So what’s the plan? Normally we got Twi for that, but Ah reckon she ain’t gonna be doin’ nothin’ in her state. Ah’d normally say we should just wait for this whole thing to blow over but…”

“We’re all apparently wanted criminals by Princess Celestia.” Pinkie let out a sigh, before her expression brightened again. “Maybe she just needs a good party? Y’know, with balloons, and streamers and cake and punch! That always makes me feel a whole lot better!”

“Ah don’t think a party’s gonna do it Pinkie.” Applejack shook her head.

“I concur. I’m sorry Pinkie dear, but a party at this time would be most uncouth, and would likely wind up with us in that prison Shining was speaking of.” Rarity gave a small shudder before continuing. “No, I do believe our first priority should be getting help for Twilight, and then…”

"Girls! Twilight's gone!" Shining came galloping down the stairs, frantically scanning the house for his sister.

“Pardon?” Applejack went wide eyed, staring at Shining.

“Twilight is gone! I went up to check on her, and thought she was still asleep in bed. When I moved the covers aside to check on her head-wound, all I found were some rolled up sheets and a couple of pillows. Are you all sure you didn’t see her leave?” Shining ran to the front door of the house and stuck his head out, peering both ways down the street.

"Ohmygosh Twilight's gone?! We didn't see her leave, Pinkie promise!" Pinkie leapt up and started to help Shining look. A moment later she started to vibrate uncontrollably, her body jumping along the floor.

“Wh-was that just…” Rarity started, her eyes dilating.

“Uh-huh.” Pinkie frowned. “Pinkie Sense. Feels like a doozy.” Newfound fear ripped through her body and she started pushing Shining out the door. Just as the two of them were about to head down the road, they were called back by Applejack.

"Hold on there pardner. If Twi's not in bed there's only one place she would be." Applejack pointed out the window towards the palace. Shining took one look out and galloped out the door, Pinkie and Applejack right behind him. Fluttershy, hearing the shouts, finished washing up and trotted out to see what the commotion was.

“W-what's going on?" The pegasus looked around the room and then at Rarity.

"Twilight's gone! She's probably on her way to the palace as we speak! Come on!" The two mares flew out the door, one quite literally, and pushed themselves to catch up with the others.

Luna’s eyes fluttered a few times before finally opening completely. Taking a look around her chambers, she slowly rose to her hooves, shedding the bed sheets, and took a few steps towards the nearest window. Being the princess of the night, and desiring to sleep through a majority of the day, she kept heavy blinds on her windows to prevent any unwanted sunlight from penetrating her room. Pulling back the drapes, she was shocked to discover that rather than the setting sun she had expected to see, she was almost viciously assaulted by beams of the strongest light from a sun that was near it‘s zenith, burning her retinas and leaving blinding afterimages. Slamming the drapes shut again, she took a few steps backwards and began rapidly blinking her eyes to clear away her discomfort.

Giving her head a slow shake, she stood tall again and stepped back to the window, a curious glint in her eye. Using her magic, she slowly pulled the drapes open once more, more cautiously than before to avoid further pain, confirming that it was, in fact, around noon. A glance at the clock that adorned one of the walls also indicated as much. Luna walked into her ensuite bathroom and began drawing herself a bath, breathing deeply as the steam saturated the air. On a normal evening she would have called for her servants to assist her with such matters, but the princess of the night had much thinking to do, and did not wish to be disturbed.

Slowly sinking into the oversized basin, she flinched as the nearly scalding water wrapped itself around her before adjusting to the temperature and relaxing. As she slumped into the tub, she traced the moldings with her eyes, losing herself in thought. Primarily, why she was up in the middle of the day. While mentally, neither sister truly required sleep, and could theoretically function for months or years without slumbering, their physical bodies did require the rest on at least a weekly basis. In keeping with their roles as well as a nod to the ponies they cherished, they had long ago taken to a nightly slumber much like their wards. Their bodies were magically attuned to the cycle of the sun and the moon, and when one sister was lowering her chosen orb, the other was awakened to begin preparations for the raising of their own. Thus, being awake in the middle of the day was moderately concerning for her.

While she theorized a reason, she absentmindedly went through the motions of bathing herself. Telekinetically grasping a bar of soap she dipped it in the near scalding water before running it over her fore hooves and legs. A soft smile graced her face as Luna observed her immaculate fur; she submerged her limbs to rinse away the soap before levitating the bar towards her chest. As it came near, her attention snapped to the soap itself. Narrowing her eyes, she watched the water droplets on the soap remain in place, rather than run down and into the tub. Looking down, she noticed one of the small waves she’d made previously wasn’t moving. As her horn began to illuminate an inky blackness she was interrupted by an even monotone.

“You are intrigued.” Luna’s head swiveled to see a pair of unicorn foals standing near the door. The colt gave a mirthless smile before continuing. “We have said before that your life in that shell would lower your scope of expectations. Good day, Princess Luna.”

“It’s been awhile.” Luna carefully stood and stepped out of the tub. Pulling the plug and wrapping a towel around herself in one smooth magical motion, she idly watched the plug float frozen motionless in mid-air where she left it and peered down the tunnel it left behind in the water. Barely regarding the pair out of the corner of her eye, she went through the motions of preparing herself for the evening, before finally donning her regalia. Finally turning to face the two not-foals properly, she tipped her head. “How long has it been? Eleven hundred? Twelve hundred years?”

“It’s been exactly the amount of time that has passed since you’ve last seen us! Oooor… A thousand one hundred and fifty seven, if we’re going by your calendar or just fifty seven if we’re going by your personal perspective.” The filly grinned and began bouncing around the reagent, her eyes clamped in near bliss. “Oh it’s been so long Luna! I miss the talks we used to have and the games we used to play. Can we do that again? Can we, can we? My favorite was when you tried to cover the Equestrian skies in the biggest, blackest blankie in the universe!”

“I… would prefer that we didn’t.” Luna raised one hoof up, fearing that the filly would run straight into it. “I would also be lying if I said I was glad to see either of you here again. Though I’m fairly confident in my own observation of the current scenario, I’ve sufficiently learned from my experiences with you that my personal observations are never enough when the two of you show up.”

“It is sufficient or, rather, it is completely sufficient. We wouldn’t be here if it were not.” The colt’s raised eyebrows were met with a flat look from Luna. “The scales are tilting again, you yourself witnessing the regression of the aspect of order.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.” Luna scoffed before tilting her head away. “I am not some simple pony living out my life on a farm. I can feel the shift in the air. I see the changes that are happening. Not just in my sister, but with Equestria as a whole. It has returned.”

“…” The colt watched Luna as if appraising her.

“Yes. I do not have a name or a face to apply to it, but I can feel that same influence weave its way around my sisters hooves, just as it did thrice prior. First, Chrysalis, then Discord, and finally… myself. Three of the four pillars were all corrupted in turn. It was only a matter of time before the last one would be targeted as well. This time however, it has made a mistake.” Luna’s lips curled into a slight smile.

“Continue.”

“Whatever, who or what it is has made a mistake. Before, we were clueless to its progress- we were so busy bickering amongst ourselves, or perhaps that was part of its insidious ploy that we didn’t notice until it was too late how much Chrysalis had truly changed. Discord… it was so sudden that it caught us all by surprise. Especially me.” Luna took a steadying breath. “Then there was myself. This time though, I have been paying attention. Whatever is causing this, I’ll be there to stop it. You, of course, know what has been the driving force behind all of this.”

“We do.” The colt nodded.

“As usual, though, you cannot tell me, can you? You will give me vague explanations of the fates and your role in Equestria before telling me some half-hoofed prophecy and asking me to figure it out for myself. Which is what I could have done anyways if you had just sent me a book or something with it.” Luna growled at the filly who was still bounding around her hooves, sending her skittering back next to the other unicorn, before turning her attention back to the colt.

“Incorrect.”

“Pardon? No games? No half-truths and veiled meanings? You’re just going to give me the whole story without any sort of work on my part?” Luna narrowed her eyes.

“Not entirely true. If, indeed, we were acting under such motivations as to tell you all that there is, whatever viability our truths have in whichever form we may choose to communicate it, it remains the fact that what you would actually ascertain as sincere would be so little as to be laughable.” Eyes half lidded and staring up at her, the not-colt slowly cantered up to the aspect of judgment, reminding her just how easily her hoof could fit over him yet remaining unnerved all the same. “If, theoretically speaking, we were to foolishly, in an act of ultimate ignorance, attempt to communicate to you exactly everything our current scenario presides over excluding the limitations of time, encapsulation completeness, and ten thousand thousand sets of laws and tenets of comprehension, not only would you be unable to process that information, but also the very basic schemic mode of assumptions that this clumsy, worthless, language has foolishly built into itself would unto itself render the vast majority of said information unintelligible, incomprehensible and, thus, useless to you.”

“What worthless tripe.” Luna spat out, “you know damned well that you’re capable of expressing more than you have, with the knowledge and capabilities that you haven’t not had.” Luna stomped her hoof to the ground. “Don’t condescend to me, tell me in plain Equestrian what the hay you know if you’re willing, if not just tell me what you’re willing.” The filly popped out of the bubble bath that was previously just a tub of water. The bubble bath was frozen in a spring-like eruption of bubbles and soapy water after the filly had launched herself out.

“Welllllllll…” The filly drew it out for a while, watching out of the corner of her eye to see Luna’s reaction. Seeing a twitch develop in the alicorn’s left eye made her giggle before continuing. “Like he said, the balance is shifting, which you know. You also know that Celestia going a little coo-coo for carnage puffs is part of that.”

“Yes. Get on with it.”

“Right, like I said, you know that.” The filly beamed. “Now, we go really slowly, what could poooossibly tilt the weights over?”

“There are a myriad of reasons for a shift in the balance of Equestria. Wars, famine, drought, pandemics. Peace, prosperity, ample water, medical advancements. Anything and everything has a subtle effect on life in the world.” Luna was glaring.

“Keep going, keep going!” The filly either didn’t noticed, or ignored the princess’s look. She rolled her hoof as if in beckoning. “What haven’t been happening around here? If there’s peace, prosperity and alllllll of everything else, what should be happening that would make Celestia the way Celestia was before to the Celestia that she is now?”

“It would take some massive force of evil or chaos on the order of several magnitudes of what Discord would have been capable of conjuring at the peak of his power. This force I speak of HAS to be that answer to this. It’s as if there was a connection between…” Luna’s eyes narrowed, before glancing back towards the colt. “No, that’s not possible. That’s entirely and utterly impossible. That would mean it stretches back over two-thousand years! How could it possibly go unnoticed? Alright, let‘s assume for a moment that that‘s the case. It would take some force to keep them…” Her eyes went wide, and the dark princess of the night suddenly went very white. “No.”

“Yes. Not completely, but yes.” The colt shot his filly counterpart a look, forcing her to abandon her cleaning out her water soaked ears and return to standing by his side. “You know enough by now.”

“But that would mean….”

“Yes and no, respectively.” The colt nodded. “You have hard times ahead. Celestia and Slatehide come to mind.”

“This is impossible.” Luna frantically paced the bathroom, sparing a glance occasionally for the pair of foals. “Neigh, this is not only impossible it’s downright insane. Do you have any idea the ramifications? Of course you do, I forget what I’m speaking to. Tell me, what should I do? Please, even you should be concerned at this point so give me this.”

“Yes, we are involved and, no, we cannot.” The colt frowned and closed his eyes in preparation.

“Why you…” Luna’s expression darkened, and a slender tentacle of pure night began snaking around the colt, enshrouding him.

The colt cleared his throat. “You will find Slatehide on the western edge of Canterlot. You will know what to do after.” Luna raised her eyebrow, but the colt continued uncaringly. “Secondly, Twilight Sparkle is currently making her way to the palace devoid of her friends. She is under the impression that Celestia is being misunderstood by everyone.”

“What?!” Luna’s reply came out barely a whisper. “What is she thinking?!”

“I cannot say. More honestly, I will not say. You’ll know what to intervene with when the time comes.” The colt rolled his hoof in encouragement.

“My apparently treasonous guard can wait. Twilight is walking into the lion’s den, and if nopony is there to protect her who knows what my sister will do!”

“That depends!” The filly giggled and began running a hoof along her neck. “How much blood and death did you want to see today? Personally I think it would be so much fun to see it! Red always livens up the place. Canterlot is too white. I don’t think you want to see it though, so you probably want to go check up on your little bat pony first. Oh! Bat ponies! I like it! Can we go find some more bat ponies after this? Can we?”

“No.” The colt blinked as the black shroud receded away from his vision and form. “Twilight Sparkle will not be harmed by said proceedings, proceed to deal with your guard.”

“How long do I have?” Luna bit her lip, taking a glance out of a nearby window. With the recent proclamation that declared her an enemy of the state, she was reluctant to show herself in public unless necessary.

“You should leave after now.” The colt shrugged in a non-committal fashion. “In another sorted set of assumptions, you wouldn’t have had to rush there to barely make it.”

“You miserable…” Luna turned and opened the nearest window, hurling herself into the air while bringing up a dark mist to obscure her departure. A thousand expletives rolled through her head, but her focus remained on seeking out her guard.

“You did it again!” The filly laughed and shot the colt a knowing look. “You know very well exactly what’s going to happen when she gets there. Are you getting excited? Anything really real yet?”

“No, not yet.”

“Not even the slightest, smallest smidgen of smidgens?”

“No.”

The filly giggled again. “That tentacle thing was a little cute, you were afraid weren’t you?”

“It was not… Pleasant. As I grow more attached to this exuviae, the same emotional responses start to take root. It was not entirely necessary to ask that question, nor to answer. As for Luna well… no Luna herself does not frighten me. There is nothing about Luna that frightens me. No, it’s the other one that frightens me.”

“Oh her.” The filly smiled. “That.”

Shining Armor and the four mares galloped down the street as quickly as possible, their frantic search for Twilight outweighing their worry at being detained by the guards. Several passing ponies gave the group a cursory glance, a few going so far as to recognize them and begin searching for a guard, but overall their desperate charge to the palace was met with little intervention. The odd guard they saw was either busy tending to another matter (and to be honest, most of the guards were slightly wary of taking on anypony that was in league with the man demon), or saw Shining leading the group and left him to his duty. Of course, the lack of confrontation also meant that they had either missed Twilight, or had been too late. Upon reaching the gate, it quickly became clear that the latter was the case.

Before rounding the last corner that would put them within sight of the palace, they slowed their progression and clung to a nearby wall, slowly working their way around and into an alley. Shining took the lead and craned his head out into the street and took careful appraisal of the entrance. Since the day before the guards had all been changed, and now rather than the pair that the captain had been familiar with, several of the princess’ personal sun-guard were posted at the gate. Shaking his head he pulled back and turned to face the others.

“Well?” Rarity’s hooves were moving in place, a worried expression stitched onto her face. “Is Twilight out there? Are we too late? What’s going on?”

“Rarity please.” Shining shot her a quieting look, before addressing the group as a whole. “It’s not looking good. With her teleportation spell, Twilight likely beat us here long ago. With this many guards watching the gate, I surmise it’s either a way to keep her in, assuming she hasn’t been caught, or it’s a trap for us when we come looking for her. I’m not sure what the best course of action is here, girls, but if Twilight’s in there, we need to get to her before Princess Celestia does something terrible.”

“Wh-what do you mean? Princess Celestia loves Twilight like she’s her own daughter. Even if there is something wrong, she would never do anything to harm her.” Fluttershy nervously cradled her journal, while looking towards Rarity for support.

“I’m afraid Shining is right dear.” Rarity frowned. “After seeing those dreadful flyers that the princess had made up that depicts us in all manner of… uncouth ways, I’m quite certain that the princess will do anything she sees fit if it means the preservation of life in Equestria as she sees it. Whether or not we agree, Princess Celestia is… dangerous.”

“O-oh.” Fluttershy took a few steps back and looked to the side.

“Well regardless we gotta find someway of getting’ Twi back. Ah just don’t see how we can git through so many o’ them guards.” Applejack pointed a hoof towards the palace.

“Oh I know!” Pinkie bounced around the alleyway. “We could throw a… a… “This Alley is Awesome and You Should Come Too!” party. We could play games, sing songs, have cake! The guards will be so distracted that they’ll just have to leave their posts and come see what’s going on!” Pinkie vibrated in place for a moment. “Oh, that doozy must be quite the doozy. Even the time my Pinkie Sense went off when we were at Froggy Bottom Bog it didn’t go off this much!”

“Pinkie.” Shining clenched his eyes and brought a hoof to the bridge of his nose. “Not only would having a party in an alleyway be a terrible idea, but if it did bring the guards running, the first thing they would do would be to arrest all of you. Now, before my headache gets any worse, we really need to come up with something better than that.”

“Maybe we can just wait for the guards to go away? I mean, h-how long do royal guards usually stand in place? They have to move sometime.” Fluttershy raised an eyebrow.

“One of the first things you learn in basic training is how to stay at your post for an extended period of time. My first duty as a young guard was to keep watch outside of the royal archives. You stand stark still for hours at a time, not moving or flinching a muscle.” Shining had a smirk on his face, the memory of those assignments playing in his memory.

“Not a muscle?” Pinkie tilted her head, as if she didn’t believe standing still was possible. “How…”

“At least on the surface.” Shining held out a hoof to silence the pony. “A guard is trained to make subtle movements to keep their circulation going. Stretching their hooves, flexing their wings. To the average observer they seem stationary but to the trained eye…” Shining titled his head around the corner and frowned. “…They are constantly in motion. No, they will wait there until Celestia tells them otherwise. We need to find another way in.”

“You’re one of the captains of the guard, aren’t you?” Rarity twirled a lock of hair with her hoof. “Can’t you just, order them to let us through or go elsewhere? Failing that, don’t you know of another entrance to the palace? You must know all of the entryways in the case of some form of attack, do you not?”

“These are Celestia’s personal sun guard. They’ve been trained since their enlistment to serve her in the capacity required of such a pony. I mean, in a one on one with one of my guards, they wouldn’t stand a chance, but what they lack in ability they make up for in unwavering loyalty. An order from me would at best get a chuckle out of them. At worst they would probably suspect me of treason, lumping me in with the rest of you.” The mares gave Shining a pained look. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. Anyways, as for other entrances, there are, but I assume for the most part they are similarly guarded. Celestia wouldn’t let her guard down at a time like this.”

“Now, hold on there partner. Ah git that yer not exactly on the best terms with th’ princess right now, but she’s still the princess. How come yer just callin’ her Celestia? That don’t seem very much like the captain of the guard.” Applejack frowned and pointed a hoof at Shining.

“Applejack.” Shining sighed and looked away. “This isn’t the time for this conversation. Twily is in danger and…”

“And nothing. Yer gonna have to give us at least something. Please.” Applejack looked to her friends. “We need to understand.”

“Understand?” Shining chuckled. “How can I put this? Alright, Applejack. There are three things in life that you truly care about- your family, your farm and your friends, not necessarily in that order. Doesn’t really matter. Now, imagine Big Macintosh came along, the pony you likely respect most in the world besides yourself, and said ‘Applejack, we need to make changes. From now on if any of the trees don’t ripen in time we’re going to cut it down. There’s no place for weak trees here. Also, Applebloom? She’s dead weight. She can’t even buck a single tree. We don’t need her. We’ll drop her off at the Ponyville orphanage in the morning. We should probably put Granny Smith in a home too. Finally, unless your friends want to come help work on the farm, they aren’t welcome at Sweet Apple Acres anymore. They’re just a complication waiting to happen.’ Imagine he did all that, and you didn’t have any choice in the matter. He’s bigger, stronger, and overall more powerful than you are, and nopony is going to stop him or tell him he can’t do that because who is there to tell him to?” Shining narrowed his eyes at Applejack and continued. “When you can imagine that… live that, you might understand a bit of what I’m feeling.”

“Sugar cube Ah didn’t mean anything by it…” Applejack stretched her hoof out towards Shining, a glimmer of sadness in her eye. “Ah just wanted to make sure we’re doin’ this fer the right reasons. Ah’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. We need to make a plan though. There is one option to get in, but it involves…” Shining was cut off as a frantic looking pegasus soldier dropped out of the sky and landed next to him, blood running down a large cut in his leg and a limp in his step.

“Captain Shining Armor sir!” The pegasus snapped a salute, though the pain of the action was evident to the ponies assembled. “Private Sleet reporting!”

“At ease.” Shining easily shifted into his captain persona, addressing the pegasus. “What seems to be the problem, Sleet? What happened to your leg?”

“I was on the outskirts of town, sir, speaking with one of Princess Luna’s personal guards.” Sleet was attempting to steady his breathing. “As we were talking her other guard appeared and the two began to have an argument of some sorts. Then, out of nowhere, two of Princess Celestia’s solar guards showed up and threatened them! As I flew away they started fighting and one of the sun guards threw a spear at my leg!”

“What?!” Shining glanced between the mares and the pegasus. “Twily forgive me… Private Sleet, can you take me to where the guards are fighting?”

“Shining Armor!” Rarity began to scold the stallion. “Twilight is in there at the hooves of Princess Celestia who is doing who knows what to her, and you’re just going to run off and leave us to save her on our own? She’s your sister!”

“And I’m the captain of the guard! I love Twily more than you can know, but everypony has something they have to do. If Luna’s making a move against Celestia or vice-versa, I will need to be there to do something about it. I’ll be back soon, in the meantime, the four of you need to go back to the house and wait for me. I won’t be long. “ Shining turned to leave.

“Maybe we should come with you? You might need help.” Pinkie said.

“No. This is guard business. Please, just go back to the house. And be careful!” With that, Shining galloped off after the pegasus.

“Well, that was rude.” Rarity lowered her head and frowned. “Now what do we do? We can’t simply just leave Twilight alone in there? If Princess Celestia is really as bad off as Shining says she could be in real danger.”

“Ah know, Rarity, but Shining has a point. We’re all wanted mares, legitimate or not, and the moment we set one hoof near the palace we’ll have a swarm o’ guards on us faster’n you can say ‘apple pie’. We should get back to the house pronto, before somepony sees us. Let’s go the other way out of this alley. Can you get us back to Twi’s parent’s house Rarity?” Applejack pointed behind her.

“Certainly, I’ve spent plenty of time up in these districts. We’ll take a roundabout route to try and avoid any of the guards.” Rarity began trotting to the end of the alleyway when she heard a squeak from behind her.

“R-R-Rarity? Applejack?” Fluttershy was backing away from the opposite end of the lane, her eyes wide with fear. A contingent of guards was standing at the end, several of them snickering. “I-I think it would be best if we started running.”

“What?” Rarity turned to see the guards and blanched visibly. “Oh pony feathers. Run girls!” As the four mares rounded the corner and exited the alleyway they were stopped by another, equally menacing looking set of guards.

“Halt!” One of the guards stepped forward and stuck his hoof out towards them. “You four are the bearers of the Elements of Harmony are you not? You have all been deemed enemies of the state by Princess Celestia herself.”

“Enemies of the state? You’re nuts!” Pinkie glared at the guards. “We’re not enemies of the state! We love Equestria and all the ponies in it! We were on the way to see Princess Celestia as it was!”

“So that’s why you were skulking about in an alleyway watching us for the last ten minutes? Don’t try and play your tricks with us, they will not work. Your mistress Nightmare Moon may think that she has the upper-hoof, but it is Princess Celestia that will, as always, stand to rule Canterlot! Now, come along quietly before we are forced to take you by force!”

“We’re not in league with Nightmare Moon though!” Applejack scowled. “Nightmare Moon hasn’t been around for years. She’s Princess Luna now, remember? Princess Celestia’s sister? You can’t imprison us without just cause!”

“So you’re resisting are you? Makes it easier for us. Seize them!” The plethora of guards swarmed the mares, violently subduing them before carrying them away. The last thing Pinkie remembered before blacking out was her body vibrating violently.

“I guess that wasn’t the doozy…”

Slatehide was in his quarters pacing back and forth. He had sent a message to Princess Luna the evening before informing her that he had suddenly "taken ill" and was unable to perform his duties in the capacity befitting a royal guard. Of course, the pegasus was in perfectly fine physical condition, he had just needed time to think.

Now, nearly fifteen hours later, Slatehide found himself coming back to the same question, over and over again. What was the correct course of action? His family had served the royal sisters for generations, stretching back to a time before Canterlot existed, first in the military, then as guards once Equestria had finally achieved everlasting peace. His loyalty, first and foremost, was to the crown. This had lead him on his current path- Princess Celestia has convinced him that Luna had slipped back into the darkness that was Nightmare Moon, and needed to be helped, in any way possible. However, the longer he thought about it, and the more information he gathered, the more he realized the opposite was becoming readily apparent- Princess Celestia was the one who needed help.

At first it was subtle- her reclusiveness, her sudden, almost frantic need to seek out as much information about ancient war practices and magic. Then, when the first information about the human started trickling in, it was almost unmissable. The isolation protocols she had put in place were easily explained away to the populace, and even Celestia's personal guard would have little trouble seeing it as anything less than necessary, but to an observant guard such as himself, it was borderline overkill. Again, though, he held his tongue and did his duty. If the princess felt it was necessary to enact such decrees, who was he to argue? The countryside tended to be dangerous in the winter anyways.

However, the straw that broke the camel's back (and Stoutheart silently apologized to his cousin's husband, a rather courteous and intelligent camel), was the sudden curfew and mass imprisonments. The flyers didn't help either.

"Man demon." Slatehide spit on the ground and shook his head. "Alright, I'll admit he was a bit of a jerk, but I would hardly call him a demon. What is Celestia thinking? And now the proclamation on Twilight Sparkle?" He continued pacing. He yearned to run to Princess Luna, to admit his failings as her loyal guard and seek her forgiveness, but to a proud guard such as himself it felt like it would be to little too late. A glance out the window also confirmed that it was a little before noon, and the princess would certainly be asleep in some chamber hidden away from her sister. No, if he was going to get help he needed to find Stoutheart and come clean to him first.

Trotting out of his quarters, Slatehide made his way out into a courtyard before taking wing. He knew roughly where Stoutheart would be- he was the one that told him to go there. Flying over the city, he caught sight of Twilight Sparkle chain-teleporting towards the palace, with her friends and brother a few blocks behind. Realizing the implications, he spurred himself on. Unfortunately, in his distracted state he failed to notice the pair of shadows that were following him at a distance.

A short while later, he found himself on the outside edge of Canterlot, and, after taking a few glances around to make sure nopony was directly watching him, he gently passed trough the shield protecting the city from outside attack. Taking to the air again, it wasn't long before he found the pegasus in question, as well as a second, deep in discussion.

"Stoutheart!" Slatehide set down and trotted up to his usually more jovial counterpart. "Stoutheart, I need to speak with you."

"Can it wait?" Stoutheart glanced at the other lunar guard. "Private Sleet was giving me a report of the goings on in Canterlot. It does not sound good. How did you not hear about this? I've been waiting on you for days."

"I'm... I'm sorry I've made a terrible mistake and I fear for not only your life but Princess Luna's now." Slatehide looked at his hooves before glancing over at Sleet. "You should probably go before you're associated with us."

"Wait, what's going on?" Stoutheart narrowed his eyes at Slatehide. Sleet, for his part, was beginning to look worried. "What did you do?"

"I... I thought that Princess Luna was starting to slip back into being Nightmare Moon. Princess Celestia had me convinced of such. I was just trying to help!"

"Slatehide, what did you do?!" Stoutheart was clearly agitated.

"I sold you and Princess Luna out! I've been feeding her misinformation on Princess Celesia's orders! Now Celestia is about to make her move on Luna, she's actively trying to capture and imprison the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, and she's gone totally nuts!"

"You did what?! Are you insane?! Princess Luna warned us of this! That's why we've been out here! Did you not figure that out?! Do you have any idea what you've done?!" Stoutheart took a step towards his counterpart.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think..."

"Of course not. You never think, always blindly following your orders. Now what? Are you going to confess to Princess Luna? That's what I would be doing."

"Unfortunately, that won't be possible." A third voice joined their conversation from above, forcing both night guards to jump back and look up. To their astonishment, two of Celestia's personal guards were approaching them, spears drawn. "As traitors to Princess Celestia, you have been sentenced to death. Immediately."

"On whose authority? The death penalty hasn't been used in centuries!" Stoutheart took a step back, glaring at the pair of newcomers.

"Princess Celestia's of course." One of the sun guards replied. "Now, are you going to come along or shall we execute you now?"

"Think about what you're doing! You're going to kill two fellow guards because the princess says so? Do you have any idea how wrong that is?"

"Still you question the might of Princess Celesita. She has decreed it, and so it shall be." The pegasus took a few steps towards the lunar guard. "Private Sleet, please assist us in detaining these two traitors. Should they resist, lethal force is authorized. Should you choose to stand against us, such force will be turned on you."

Sleet took a few nervous glances between the antipodes before taking wing. One of the solar guards threw his spear at the fleeing pegasus, striking him in the leg and leaving a long gash. The guard grunted in pain before disappearing into Canterlot. The pair of white pegasi shook their head before turning back to the black ones. Brandishing their spears menacingly, they took a few steps towards them.

"We will deal with him later. Now, are you two prepared to come along quietly? Either way you will be dead before our princess brings the sun down below the horizon, so the choice is yours. As neither of you are carrying any weaponry, this is not a difficult decision."

"Fantastic." Stoutheart muttered before turning to Slatehide. "You betray my trust, as well as that of Princess Luna, and all you're getting out of the deal is your head on a pike. Bravo. Good show. Asshole."

"I made a mistake, alright? I was fooled into thinking Princess Luna had become evil again. You saw the way she skulked about Canterlot at night, spying on her sister and sending us after that human."

"So now that you know she's not, and see what Princess Celestia is doing you come crawling back, begging for forgiveness? You sad pathetic little pegasus. If it wasn't for this pair of jokers attempting to take us in I'd have half a mind to buck you halfway to Trottingham and then drag you back to Princess Luna."

"Alright, time's up! Since you have refused to submit, your fate has been decided." The solar guard took a menacing step towards the two lunar guards before noticing Stoutheart laughing. "What is so funny?"

"Well, looks like we stalled you just long enough.." Stoutheart pointed towards Canterlot, over the shoulder of the guards. "It seems as though Private Sleet decided to get some reinforcements." Turning to look at what Stoutheart had pointed out, the guards saw the still injured private flapping towards them with Shining Armor right behind him. Focusing his magic, he conjured a sphere of protective energy, similar to the one he had erected around Canterlot during the wedding preparations, and enveloped the night guards in it. Skidding to a halt a few feet away, he growled at the assembled guards.

"Stand down, all of you, on the orders of Knight Captain Shining Armor! You will cease and desist all hostilities at once and settle this peaceably." Shining glared at the solar guards in particular.

"You have no authority over us Captain Sparkle. We are under orders from Princess Celestia herself. We are to detain this pair of traitors and take them to the princess herself. Any intervention on your part will be seen as acting against the princess and you shall share their fate, captain or not." The pegasus snorted and turned back to face the lunar guards. "Now, with that interruption dealt wi-URRK!" His words were cut off as Shining leapt over to the solar guard and delivered a buck to his side, sprawling him out across the ground.

"Orders from Celestia or not you have to know that this is wrong. I will ask you one more time to stand down, before I deal with you personally." Shining narrowed his eyes.

"Fool! You have sealed your own fate!" The guard gave a sharp whistle and out of seemingly nowhere several more solar guards appeared, descending upon the now heavily outnumbered and weaponless quartet.

"This is not going to end well..." Slatehide muttered.

Rarity once again found herself in the land of dreams, but she was surprised to find that rather than be sharing the experiences of a human, she was in her own body, trotting down a long, dark hallway. Every few feet there would be a door, though no two bore the same construction. Tall, short, narrow, wide, round, rectangular, blue, red, green, orange, wooden, steel, aluminum, handles of various shapes and sizes. As she passed every door, she attempted to turn the handles, finding them all to be locked. Coming to the end of the hall she found herself at a final door. Compared to the variety of doors she had already seen, this one seemed plain by comparison- a basic wooden door, with a round brass handle. Grasping it with her magic she gave it a twist, finding it unlocked to her delight, and walked through into the room beyond.

Glancing around, it looked for all intents and purposes like she was back at the Carousel Boutique back in Ponyville. Everything was exactly where it should be- furniture, artwork, ponyquins, everything. Turning around, she could see that the door on this side looked identical to the one in the Boutique. Ascending the staircase, she found the upstairs also matched up with her memory of her home. Returning to the ground floor, she took one last look around before a look of deep thought stretched across her visage.

As there is no hallway leading to the front door of the Carousel Boutique, I am very obviously not in the Boutique, and that’s besides the point that the last place I remember being was an alleyway just outside of the palace in Canterlot, so I can’t be anywhere near Ponyville either. So, the question is, where am I, and why? Well, obviously this is another vision, but strangely I’m in control of my own facilities this time. It seems different… A knock at the door startled her, breaking her out of her train of though. Shaking her head, she gave an inquisitive look at the door before finally shrugging and opening it. To her surprise, Mango walked in.

“Hello Rarity, it’s been a while.” Mango gave the unicorn a nod before taking a seat on one of her sofas. A bewildered Rarity gently shut the door before slowly walking over and standing in front of him.

“Mango? Wh-what are you doing here? How are you here? Well that’s a silly question, I’m sure. I mean I’m dreaming aren’t I? Of course you’re here.” She chuckled in an attempt to shed her anxiety. “I’m sorry let me try this again. I haven’t had a pleasant dream in nearly a week and it would do me well to have a decent conversation, even if it’s just with myself, so to speak. So, welcome to the Carousel Boutique. How may I assist you?”

“Oh Rarity, please. Drop the routine. We both know this is no dream. At least, by this point I should hope you would realize that none of your dreams were truly dreams. I believe visions would be a more apt word. Or, if you would prefer, ‘a window into the heart of humanity’. That one’s a little more dramatic, but I do have a flare for the dramatic, wouldn’t you agree?” Mango chuckled.

“I… I don’t understand.” Rarity’s anxiety had returned full-blown. “How are you doing this? You’re an earth pony, with little active magic to speak of. In fact, none of the girls seemed to think you even existed. What is going on?”

“I told you haven’t I? I’m not from Equestria. I don’t play by your Equestrian pony rules. I’m from the human world. Things work differently there. I mean, how else do you explain a world where a scorned lover would willingly stalk and kill his obsession, a child would kill his sister, or a loving father would willingly destroy his entire family? Does anything of the humans or their world surprise you anymore dear?” Mango retrieved a pillow and sprawled out on the couch.

“Why me though? What is it about me that you wanted to show me these things? At first I was terrified of him, that much is true, but the more I learned of Nathan the more I realized he wasn’t that terrible. Twilight would have been a much more willing accomplice. I understand that your fears are largely founded- If what you have apparently shown me is accurate then many of the humans are indeed dangerous. However, this one is different. He has done so much for us, for Fluttershy. He saved my life, at the cost of his own. What do you hope to gain by continuing these interventions?” Her eyes narrowed. “Who are you really?”

“Oh you’ve caught me red-hoofed.” Mango clapped his fore hooves together, a smile breaking across his face. “There is a reason I chose you. You were always my favorite out of all of them, because you never matched up with your Element the way the others did.”

“What do you mean?!”

“Well think about it. Twilight is the most magical unicorn in all of Equestria to date, Pinkie Pie is a laugh a minute, Fluttershy is kind to a fault, Applejack is nothing if not honest, and Rainbow Dash is for the most part loyal.” Mango twirled a hoof idly in the air.

“I’m not so sure on the last part after what happened…”

“With the cultists, yes I know. Would you believe that she has the best intentions at heart?”

“How could you…” Rarity took a few steps back, raising one fore hoof in the air. “No, never mind. Don’t bother explaining. I don’t think my heart could take it. Just please, get on with it.”

“Oh right, your element. Generosity.” Mango laughed.

“I am too generous! I am always making outfits for others without expecting payment for them! I’m always willing to help somepony out when they need it!” Rarity’s voice came out barely below a shriek.

“So generous that you wanted the extra ticket for the Grand Galloping Gala just so you could meet Prince Blueblood? So generous that when Fluttershy became a model you were jealous of her success? So generous that when Discord attacked you abandoned your friends for a diamond the size of Big Macintosh? So generous that when all your sister wanted to do was spend time with you you told her to leave you alone so you could work on your own projects? For Celestia’s sake, at the wedding not only did you ignore Twilight’s warnings about Cadance, but you so very ungenerously snatched the bouquet out of the air.”

“E-everypony makes mistakes…” Rarity could feel the shame welling up inside of her.

“Of course they do.”

“But what does that have to do with showing me these visions?” Rarity took a seat on the floor, her eyes solidly planted on her rug. “Why would you choose me? If you wanted to protect Equestria, shouldn’t you have found another, better pony?”

“Oh but Rarity, you are absolutely perfect for what I have in mind. It is for the fact that you’re not so restricted to your element that I chose you. For it is you, and only you, that could possibly be able to go against your own generosity long enough in order to prevent the human from doing more damage.”

“How could he possibly do any damage? He died saving me!”

“Oh, you don’t understand. The human, or Nathan as I do believe he prefers to be called, isn’t so much a danger himself. Sure, he’s not stupid, and he could have frightened some ponies given the incentive, though now that he is gone that hardly seems possible. No, the issue is what he represents. The influence he has had on others, and how they continue to change because of that influence. If allowed to spread, the results could be disastrous.”

“I’m still having issues wrapping my head around how you of all ponies could be possibly capable of not only knowing all of that, but also being able to show me such things in such vivid detail. It’s as if… do I know you?” Rarity squinted her eyes.

“Why of course, we’ve done business together several times in Ponyville. We talked right before you left for Canterlot.” Mango chuckled.

“No, it’s more than that, I feel that I know you better than that. Like I’ve known you for longer then when you first moved to Ponyville.”

“Vice versa, my dear Rarity.” Mango shook his head and stood. “Alas, my time here is drawing to a close. I must return to my business and I do believe you’re about to wake up. Don’t worry though, you are doing exactly what I expected you to do. If you continue on your path, nothing will go amiss, I promise you.”

“I’ve stopped hating him though. If you’re trying to protect Equestria, doesn’t that go against what you want?” Rarity took a few steps towards the stallion as he made his way to the door.

“No, this is exactly what I expected to happen. Your actions in the coming days will play a large part in preventing his influence from spreading, and you have my thanks for that.” Mango trotted out the door before glancing over his shoulder. “I’m not sure if there’s going to be a next time, but if there is, ta-ta for now. Oh, and do say hello to Thomas for me if you happen to see him. It really has been too long.” The earth pony gave a last chuckle before trotting out the door.

“T-tom...?”Rarity’s eyes went wide with realization. “You!”

Rarity awoke sweating buckets. She felt the urge to scream, shriek, or just altogether lose her mind, but as suddenly as the sensation washed across her it faded, and she was left confused as to why she had panicked in the first place. She felt like she had been dreaming again, but unlike before she could recall any details. With a shrug she slowly sat up and glanced at her surroundings. To her chagrin she was in the place she both fully expected to, and yet hoped to Celestia she wouldn’t, be- a prison cell in some dark moldy portion of the palace. The walls were covered in all manner of plant life and sludge, and the entire environment was saturated with soft lighting from a series of torches. The cell she was contained within also held the forms of three slumbering ponies- Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Fluttershy- and one very lucid one- Twilight Sparkle. The latter was currently sitting on her own looking out of the bars, staring at the wall.

“Twilight, darling, are you alright?” Rarity rose from the makeshift cot she had been laid upon, no easy feat considering how much her head hurt from where the guards had struck her, and slowly walked over to the other unicorn. “We were so dreadfully worried when you left the house this morning and we had to make sure you were alright.”

“I’m sure.” Twilight turned and looked at Rarity, the overwhelming pain clear in her eyes. “Just like Pinkie was so concerned when she tried to bash my brains out with a cast-iron pan?” She rubbed the back of her head with a hoof.

“I can’t speak for Pinkie, dear. I do believe she overreacted though. We were all concerned when she hit you, more so when you left. Please believe me.” Rarity put a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “We need to wake the girls up and find a way out of here as soon as possible though.”

“No, I don’t think that’s happening.” Twilight pulled away from the other unicorn’s touch. “I have no idea why the guards imprisoned me down here, but as soon as I see Princess Celestia I’ll be absolutely certain to sort it out.”

“Twilight, how can you even suggest that?! You’ve seen the flyers up around town by now, I’m sure. You heard what your brother said. Princess Celestia is obviously not in her right mind right now. She is quite possibly very dangerous, and could do who knows what to you, and the rest of us.” Concern was written all over the alabaster pony’s face.

“I’ve seen the flyers and I’ve heard what Shiny said. Did you hear him talk about her though? Not once did he say ‘Princess’ Celestia. Obviously something is amiss here. Princess Celestia wouldn’t just put out notices on us and call us traitors, just like Shining Armor, one of the most loyal captains of the Equestrian Guard wouldn’t just stop revering his princess. Don’t you see Rarity? Don’t you understand? Something or somepony is responsible for this. After the attempted invasion of Ponyville, I think the changelings are involved.” Twilight thought about it for a moment before gasping. “I bet Princess Celestia has been replaced by Chrysalis!”

“Now Twilight, that doesn’t make any sense and you know it. Magical detection of changelings has been increased nearly twenty-fold after the wedding and would be nearly impossible for even Chrysalis to hide their true form. Also, the sun is still rising and setting on its proper schedule, something that would also be nearly impossible if something were to happen to Princess Celestia. I’m sorry Twilight, but there are only a hoof-full of reasons that this could be happening, and all of the in some way or another involve the princess not being quite right.” Rarity could see the sting in Twilight’s eyes but she continued. “We do need to get answers, and I would be surprised if there wasn’t something else going on here but we need to stick together and figure it out as a team- as friends. Please.”

Twilight turned from Rarity and returned her view to the staircase that lead down into the prison where they were caged. A million gears were spinning through her head, and every one of the scenarios, ideas, calculations, and estimates that she generated ended up with the same result- error. Why couldn’t she understand what was going on? Nothing added up. Her eyes turned back to Rarity.

“There is one other possibility, that would explain a lot…”

“And that would be?”

“Nightmare Moon has indeed returned. When’s the last time you saw Princess Luna?” Twilight tapped her chin with a hoof. “I do believe the last time I saw her was the wedding, and she was strangely absent that day. That’s it! Princess Luna has become Nightmare Moon again and is doing something to Princess Celestia!”

“Twilight…” Rarity placed a hoof on her face and clenched her eyes. “I do not think that Nightmare Moon would be responsible for Princess Celestia suddenly becoming vindictive and callous. On top of that I’m fairly certain that Princess Luna is not Nightmare Moon. We can continue this discussion later, please. Let us just escape with the others for now and…”

“Ahem!” The pair of unicorns both turned to the stairs as several solar guards descended them stood in a line before the cell. The owner of the voice, a heavily decorated unicorn, stood at the forefront, glaring at the ponies within. “I see at least two of you are awake. Let’s see if we can’t elicit the same state from the others.” He bent his head down and cast a spell that blanketed the cell. A moment later the still slumbering ponies were roused from their sleep and shakily made their way onto their hooves.

“Anyone get the number of that wagon?” Applejack rubbed her head before retrieving her Stetson that had been unceremoniously dumped into a corner of the cell. “Ah don’t think Ah’m quite up to goin’ through that again.”

“Oh…” Fluttershy shrank into a small ball on the floor, half in pain, half in fear of the various ponies glaring at her.

“Well I’m feeling a bit better.” Pinkie gave a half-smile. “At least my Pinkie-Sense has…” Before she could finish the sentence, her entire body vibrated violently for a few moments. Her face scrunched around a scowl. “Never mind…”

“If you are all quite finished!” The unicorn guard snapped, brining the mares attention back to him. “Princess Celestia has requested your presence immediately.”

“Finally!” Twilight wore a wide smile on her face. “You see girls? Princess Celestia will be able to sort this all out. Then all we have to do is…”

“When you appear before you she shall determine all of your fates. You have all been charged with treason and you shall be sentenced as such . Now, all of you come along.” The unicorn opened the cell and bid the five contained ponies forward. Rarity and Twilight had collars reminiscent of the ones that had been forced onto them in the cultist’s lair placed on their necks, and the group of guards led them through the palace up to the throne room. Standing before the great doors to the hall, the group came to a halt and the unicorn faced them as a whole.

“Now, traitors or not you are still to behave yourselves in front of the princess. You shall not speak out of turn, and shall bow to her will, lest I cut out your tongues and feed them back to you. Do I make myself clear?” The unicorn smirked at the mares while the other guards laughed. The Elements, for their part, had looks of horror. Twilight in particular seemed like she was going to be sick. Turning back to the doors, the unicorn pushed them open with his fore hooves, shuffling his prisoners in before forcing them to bow with his magic.

“Princess Celestia! We, your loyal and humble guards, have imprisoned and brought before you five of the traitors formerly known as the Elements of Harmony! Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle have come to receive their sentences. As our benevolent and kind ruler, may your judgment be fair.” The unicorn shot the mares a dirty look before turning back towards Princess Celestia. The princess was sitting at the head of the hall, a stern expression on her face. She slowly rose from her throne and approached the mares.

“Welcome back to Canterlot, Twilight Sparkle. Or should we say, traitor to the throne?” She glanced between the five prisoners. “Oh, it may come as some surprise to thee we art sure. Thou art likely wondering thyself ‘how didst Princess Celestia discover that we were conspiring against her?’ No?”

“No!” Twilight looked around the throne room frantically. “We would never conspire against you Princess Celestia! We… I love you!”

“Then thou denies being in league with Ypsilon? The man demon?!” Celestia’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

“In league? He had of course been staying in Ponyville, and we did travel with him but…”

“Then thou does not deny thy crimes! It hath been decreed that any mare, stallion, colt, or filly associating in any way with Ypsilon shall be henceforth considered a traitor to the crown, in league with Nightmare Moon and be sentenced as we see fit.” Celestia stood up straight and smiled.

“Wh-when was this law passed?” Twilight tilted her head in confusion.

“We enacted the law two sunrises ago.”

“But then we couldn’t have willingly broken the law! Equestrian law has never been applied retroactively, nor has anypony been tried in absentee in over two hundred years!”

“Silence!” Celestia was glaring at Twilight again, a scowl firmly planted on her lips. “Dost thou believe thou art capable of knowing what is best for Equestria? Still more proof of thy treachery!”

“Now you just wait a gosh darn minute there, Princess Celestia.” Applejack stood and returned the princess’ scowl with one of her own. “Will all due respect yer majesty, Ah don’t think that’s right fair of you at all. Ah mean, sure, Ah can understand you’d be right worried about Nathan and what he could do, but we’ve seen enough outta him that Ah can say without any sort of doubt that he’s a good apple, and you know how honest Ah am.” Before she could continue, the unicorn guard struck her across the back of the head, splaying her out across the throne room floor.

“Did I not warn you about speaking out of turn?” The unicorn turned to look up at Celestia. “Shall I cut her tongue out Princess Celestia?”

“No. These five are special to us… We shall deal with them ourself.” Celestia turned back to Twilight. “First, Twilight Sparkle. We hath decreed that thy magic shall be henceforth stri…”

“Enough sister!” Celestia was interrupted by Princess Luna bursting into the throne room. Several of the guards attempted to waylay the moon princess, but were cast aside easily. “Your reign of tyranny, as short lived as it has been, is at an end. Please, for the sake of Equestria, step down. Do you realize you are on the verge of passing judgment over Twilight Sparkle? The pony who you are most fond of and loves you more than any other pony in Equestria?”

“We are aware… Nightmare Moon!” Celestia fanned out her wings and glared at her sister. “Thou art a foal, having shown thy face in our presence! Your influence over my student and her friends will finally come to an end!”

“If you will not step down, we shall force you down!” Luna took another step into the throne room, staring daggers at Celestia. The guards wisely spread to the sides of the room, out of the path of the two alicorn sisters, while the mares attempted to back away into one of the corners.

“So, thou wishes to fight us? It hath been many years since we engaged in open combat. Dost thou truly believe thou art capable of facing us? Then thou art truly a foal.” Celestia began channeling a spell through her horn before releasing a bolt of pure sunshine towards Luna. Luna rolled to the side, watching as the ray of magic slammed into the ground and scorching a hole in the throne room floor.

“Are you truly so far gone you would use destructive magic dear sister?” Luna shook her head and frowned. “If that had hit anypony…”

“They wouldt be vaporized just as surely as our sun rises in the morning.” Celestia nodded. “We are willing to go to any length to protect Equestria from thy influence. Any length.”

“Then I fear I have no choice.” Luna focused her magical energies for a moment before a protective shield the colour of night on a full-moon surrounded her. Taking to the air she looked down on Celestia. Charging her own bolt of energy, a dark crackling ray violently erupted from her horn, streaking across the throne room towards the solar princess. Celestia erected her own shield, grimacing as the bolt stuck home. The shield held strong, but she could feel a bit of its energy drained from the attack.

“Your power hath grown since our last encounter Nightmare Moon. We art impressed. It will still not be enough to defeat me.” Celestia took to the air herself, squinting her eyes. “Behold, our own power!” Her horn glowed again, projecting an orb in the middle of the room. It slowly began to drift towards Luna who gazed at it through her own squinted eyes. A few moments before touching her shield, it burst into several strands of light which wrapped around the dark alicorn, holding her in place. Capitalizing on the suddenly immobilized Luna, Celestia fired several more beams of light, each one striking her. As several impacts rocked her own protective shield Luna grunted, feeling the shield buckle.

“Don’t push me, dear sister. You remember what happened at the ball…” Luna glared at Celestia, watching her float across the room. “I’m giving you one last chance to step down peaceably.”

“We shalt never submit, Nightmare Moon.” Celestia fired several more rays of sunlight at Luna, grinning as they impacted the younger sister’s shield. Luna dropped to one knee, beads of sweat crossing her face. Pinkie began to vibrate violently again, a look of pure fear having washed over everypony in the room’s face.

“P-Pinkie, is this the doozy?!” Applejack called out to her.

“I-I-I-I-I d-d-d-o-o-o-n-n-n’-t-t-t k-k-k-n-n-n-o-o-o-w-w-w.” Pinkie vibrated a few feet across the floor, her teeth chattering as she spoke.

“Enough!” Luna shrieked, standing up tall and spreading her wings out. Her shield, as well as the restrictive web of lights, shattered, leaving her unprotected for just a moment. Focusing all of her magical energy, a familiar field of the blackest night began emanating from the princess of the night, inky tendrils snaking their way from the mass that was slowly enveloping her. A few of the braver guards attempted to intervene, seeing the danger the angered princess posed to their ruler. Each one in turn was wrapped in one of the tendrils, covered from head to hoof. The bundles of darkness would undulate for a few moments before slowly unwrapping, leaving nothing behind.

“Wh-what hath thou done? You wouldst murder the royal guard?!” Celestia shrieked.

“They are unharmed.” Luna’s eyes became shrouded in a dark light, staring up at her sister. “They can be returned at any time I see fit. As for you, however… I do know you can survive this!” The tendrils shot up towards Celestia, easily cutting through her shield and entangling her. She struggled as the tentacle around her neck began tightening. A blast of magic from her horn was ineffective, being swallowed up by the ever increasing field of darkness. As it grew, it began to take on a gravity of its own, drawing light objects towards itself. Several pieces of rubble disappeared with a pop.

“Thou… wouldst be so… foolish as to… kill everypony just to… defeat us?” Celestia gasped out between forced breaths. “Look at what… thy magic is doing…” Luna cocked her head in confusion before turning to look at the mares. The field of darkness was a few feet from them, and every one of them was drained of colour. Applejack had her Stetson clenched between her teeth, trying to keep it from being sucked into the eternal darkness that was attempting to swallow them up.

“P-P-Princess L-L-Luna help!” Rarity was trying to yell out, despite her fear. “Y-y-your magic is going to…” Luna’s eyes went wide, realizing what she had nearly done. Snapped back into the moment, she dropped her spell and watched as it evaporated, saving the mares from an untimely death. Unfortunately, the tendrils also dissipated, leaving Celestia free to attack the distracted Luna. Using her telekinesis, she levitated an orb from behind her throne and held it in front of her.

“Nightmare Moon! Gaze upon your doom!” Celestia channeled her magic through the orb and watched as it began to glow. Luna’s attention snapped back towards her sister just as a massive wave of energy surrounded her and began to squeeze her essence. She groaned in pain, dropping to her knees while attempting to regain control. A bolt of energy fired from her horn, impacting uselessly against the interior of the field before shimmering out of existence.

“Wh-what is this? What is this power?!”

“Does it pain you, Nightmare Moon? Do you feel your very spirit being stripped from thy body?!” Celestia screeched at her, before cackling. “We hath been alive for many generations and have created or discovered hundreds of magical devices! Behold, this orb, this simple little ball of glass, shall be the last thing you ever lay thy eyes upon!”

Twilight watched on shocked, as her mentor channeled more and more magical energy into the glass orb. To her horror, the field increased in size and power and it actually began to tear at Luna’s being. Wisps of dark black and blue essence began to shed off of Luna, traveling along the path the wave had created, before being drawn into the orb, changing it from clear to a swirling inky ball of darkness. Luna buckled, collapsing to the ground, her head lolling about as if it had no muscles supporting it. Struggling to keep her eyes open, she gazed up at her sister.

“So… far… you’ve fallen…” Luna’s eyes began to go pale, the colour having been leached out of her irises.

“Neigh, it is thou who art fallen Nightmare Moon! And now, we shall finish what we started one-thousand years prior!” Celestia glared at Luna, before focusing once more on the orb. Before she could finish the deed, however, there was a shout from the doorway to the throne room.

“NO!” The mares turned, recognizing the voice. Distracted from her casting, Celestia also paused, looking up to see Shining Armor, several injuries covering his body, galloping into the throne room. Lowering his head, he slammed shoulder first into Celestia. Shocked by the brazen attack, she lost her control over the orb, and the spell ended prematurely sparing the lunar princess. Gasping for air, Luna watched as both Celestia as well as Shining collided with the throne, smashing it into pieces and sprawling their own bodies across the floor. Celestia was the first to recover, glaring daggers at the captain.

“We had not expected you to show your true colours so soon Captain Sparkle! Since thou art so willing to intervene in royal business, we shall show you what happens to traitors!” Celestia closed her eyes for a moment as a shimmering golden light enveloped her horn. Shining struggled to his feet a moment before her spell struck him. The entire room was blanketed in a blinding light, forcing everypony to clamp their eyes shut. Their was a groan of pain before the room returned to it’s former luminosity. The silence was broken suddenly.

“NO!!!!!!!” Twilight shrieked, tears rolling down her cheeks as she look on in renewed horror at the sight before her eyes. In the place her brother had been standing a few moments before was now a crystalline statue of his likeness, his face permanently skewed into a look of shock. A moment later, the lunar guards flew into the throne room, also covered in injuries, and assisted Luna to her hooves. The trio began backing away towards the door.

“Nightmare Moon, you would be so quick to flee?” Celestia took a few deep breaths, clearly winded by the experience. “We believe your accomplice needs a few more companions!”

“Celestia… sister… I don’t know what has come over you… but I will fix this. I don’t know how but I will.” A single tear dropped to the ground from her eye. She took one final look at the clearly pained Twilight before casting a spell enveloping her and her guards in a cloud of darkness. Celestia fired a ray into the cloud, grimacing as it passed through and impacted on the rear wall of the throne room. A moment later the cloud dispersed, revealing nothing. The trio had vanished completely.

“Tsk…” Celestia shook her head. “We shall deal with her eventually. As for the rest of you…we hath decided to pardon you.” She cast her eyes over the five sobbing mares.

“Wh-what?” Twilight looked up, her eyes burning from the tears.

“Nightmare Moon and the man demon were conspiring against us. We hath readily dealt with both problems. They can no longer influence thy actions and…” Celestia gazed over at Shining Armor. “…Thou art well aware what happens to traitors. You art free to go. Leave us. We hath much to do.”

“Y-yes, Princess Celestia.” Twilight bowed her head. The other mares followed suit, not a dry eye amongst them. They stood and began walking towards the door.

“Oh, yes, about that.” Celestia called them, forcing them to look back over their shoulders. With a flash of magic she repaired her throne, taking a seat. “We no longer wish to be referred to as Princess Celestia. Thou art henceforth to refer to us as…” Celestia took a deep breath before continuing in the Royal Canterlot Voice. “QUEEN CELESTIA, RULER OF EQUESTRIA!”

“Y-yes, your majesty.” Twilight intoned again, before the mares finally exited the room. Slowly they wandered out into the streets of Canterlot, unwilling or unable to carry a conversation before they were nearing the Sparkle residence. Finally, Applejack broke the silence as they stepped across the threshold.

“Alright girls, Ah know… Ah know this isn’t a good scene but we can’t just shut down like this.” She looked over at Twilight and frowned. “Ah… Ah’m so sorry sugar cube. For everything that just happened. Ah know Princess Celestia means a lot to you, and you and yer brother were close… Ah’m… Ah’m just sorry.”

“Thanks, Applejack.” Twilight have a sad nod and sniffed back a few tears. “I’m also sorry.”

“What are you sorry about darling?” Rarity put a hoof around Twilight’s shoulder.

“For… the way I’ve acted the last few days. If this is the way Prin… sorry, I mean, if this is the way Queen Celestia is acting, I can only imagine what I was like. I’m sorry girls.”

“D-don’t worry about it Twilight.” Fluttershy gave a weak smile. “We’ve all done things we regret. What’s important is that we’re together and… and… and maybe someday we’ll be able to get Shining back too. We all know petrification spells are temporary and reversible. Look on the bright side…” A few more tears rolled down her face. “At least Pinkie’s not vibrating all over the place anymore.” As if on queue, Pinkie’s vibrations returned, bouncing the pink mare around the living room.

“How is that not the doozy?!” Applejack glared at Pinkie. “Ah know you don’t have any control over it, but how in Celestia’s name was the two sisters nearly killing each other and Celestia turning Shining Armor into crystal not the gall-darned doozy?!”

“I don’t know!” Pinkie came to a stop and frowned. The mares walked into the kitchen, unprepared for the sight that greeted them.

“You know, for a bunch of colourful ponies that live in happy magic land, you sure can be a bunch of downers. I march all over Equestria to get to Canterlot and what do I find? Even here the pegasi are god damned assholes!”

“P-P-Pinkie Pie?” Fluttershy’s eyes had gone wide as saucers.

“Y-yes Fluttershy?”

“What am I seeing?”

“I think… I think this is the doozy.” Pinkie glanced at the other mares to confirm their jaws had all dropped. Sitting at the table, with ripped clothes, bruises cuts and scrapes over nearly every inch of his body, a black eye, and a shotgun slung over his shoulder was the last being in Equestria they expected to see alive.

“NATHAN?!”

Interlude II: Shifting Allegiances

Interlude II- Shifting Allegiances

In dead silence, one Queen Chrysalis pored over map schematics, resource distribution and troop deployment. Mulling over everything that could potentially go wrong, a knock on the door interrupted her brooding reverie. Standing, she straightened herself out before clearing her throat.

"You may enter, but know that if you don't have a good reason to be interrupting your queen, I will flay your hide from here to Canterlot and back." Chrysalis watched as the door swung open and Broken-Wing entered. The changeling offered his queen a nod.

"Good evening, Chrysy. I apologize for the interruption, but I wanted to look at the battle plans one more time to see if there are any adjustments to be made." Broken looked over and saw them sprawled out on the queen's bed. "Ah, I see you've already done so."

"Yes, I have. You have nothing to fear, however. They are well thought out. I give my approval." The queen nodded, her expression almost warm and caring. Broken backed up slightly, an unnerved frown on his face.

"Alright then. I'll just be on my way..." He took one last look between the papers and Chrysalis before turning to the door. Before he could move though he felt a hoof gently touched his shoulder. He looked back to see Chrysalis looking at him questioningly.

"What is it?" The queen could see the conflict in his eyes. Broken sighed.

"I understand nothing. I feel like there's a larger story to all of this and you're not telling me." Broken shook his head. "This seems far too personal for it to be a mere grudge, on any part of you or that monster Discord."

"I did promise you an explanation." Chrysalis tapped her chin with her hoof before using her magic to lift Broken on to the bed, his protests largely ignored. "Get comfortable. It's a long story."

Equestria, somewhere north of the Everfree forest 23XX years ago

Hundreds of tents were laid out across the plains of Equestria, each tent housing two or more ponies. The land around them, once lush farm fields and forests, were scarred with the wounds over one hundred years of conflict leaves behind. Everypony there were hardened battle veterans, and the word 'peace' was a fleeting notion, one which had not been experienced in five generations. It had been a long and hard fought war. With the aid of the four pillars, the ponies had managed to keep the gryphons at a stand-still. Things were about to take a grim turn however.

"So they've finally managed to also drag the dragons into this. I had hoped that after so many decades any retribution by the wyrmfolk would be forgotten." Princess Luna finished reading over the latest reports and scowled. Glancing up at the other two pillars currently sitting in the command tent she shook her head. "What could the gryphons ever offer them to bring them over to their side?"

"Not killing one of them, for starters." Celestia raised her eyebrow and glance at Discord, who in turn held his claws up defensively.

"It was over a hundred ago, and it was mostly an accident! Heat of the moment and all of that. Can't they take a joke?" Discord sighed. “Maybe I should have sent them all gift baskets.”

"To a dragon, a century is like a week. Most of them are older than us, they think in the very, very long term. Unlike some ignorant immortals. Just be thankful you cannot truly be killed." Celestia narrowed her eyes at the draconequues.

"Why? Because the dragons would have sent one of their kind to destroy me sooner?" Discord chuckled.

"No. I would have killed you myself." Celestia's matter-of-fact statement forced a gasp out of Luna. "The death of one would be a small price to pay if it meant sparing the lives of all of my little ponies."

"Celestia! What on Equestria are you saying?!" Luna walked over and stood so that their muzzles were scant inches apart. “You know why he did what he did, the sister I know would at least be considerate of that fact.”

"Your sister hasn't existed since the day he dragged Equestria into war. Ponies have died by the thousands. Thousands! You expect me to just accept that and move on? Who are we to play with their lives?" She pointed a hoof at Discord, drawing another scowl from Luna.

"If I remember correctly, it was you that declared war on the gryphons." Luna turned away and snorted.

"Yes but the war with them was winnable! Now we have to contend with dragons, and besides ourselves and Starswirl, who I don’t need to remind you is still stuck in the basement of the castle doing research, nopony has the capabilities of dealing with one. We simply can’t deal with the wyrms if they all decide to wake from their Arcadia and attack us!" Celestia huffed and returned her gaze to Discord, her features softening. "My sister is right, however. I blame you for much more than is your due, and I apologize."

"Tsk, don't worry about it Celly. It happens. Here, have some chocolate milk. It'll make you feel better." Discord waved a claw and two identical frothy glasses of chocolate milk appeared. Luna took hers and drank deeply. Celestia, on the other hoof, pushed hers away and shook her head.

"I am not in the mood for your games today Discord." Celestia looked back at the reports and began reading again. Discord shrugged.

"Suit yourself." Grabbing the glass he proceeded to drink first the glass and then the milk itself, eliciting a giggle from Luna. "I always find the glass gives the whole thing a 'piquant' aftertaste." Discord dropped his smile and turned to Celestia. "Any word from-"

"No." Celestia shook her head. "Chrysalis and her contingent of unicorns promised us reinforcements though, and we have to hope she'll come through, especially now that the dragons are going to be an issue."

"Celestia... that was over twenty years ago. Chrysalis always was flighty. If she managed to convince her troops to abandon our cause..." Luna trailed off, unsure how to finish her sentence. Celestia shook her head.

"While I agree with her tendency of making herself scarce, I don't see her abandoning us outright. Also, being a pillar she cannot be dead. She's going to return, eventually." Celestia waved her hoof in the air. "The fates are probably already poking at her to get a move on already."

"Bah, fate." Discord gave a non-committal shrug. "We're the pillars! If what they say is true, what’s the point in thinking about it if they already know what we’re thinking and how we’re going to act?"

"It is an inevitability Discord. When we came to in our respective forms, we stopped being what we were, we’re not different from mortals. We contemplate because we do not know everything, we act on those contemplations, and we base those actions on the emotion that’s intrinsic to the bodies we inhabit. And though everypony else tends to think of us as gods on Equestria, we’re not very different from them, not anymore." Celestia nodded towards Luna. "Besides, I do not believe you have very much to complain about now do you, or did you think I haven’t noticed?" Celestia glanced slyly while Luna face torched a deep red.

"Celestia, thou art making statements thy know nothing about." Luna's blush deepened and she lowered her head. Celestia looked back at Discord.

"She's so adorable when she slips into the Royal Equestrian voice. Does she do that in private as well?" Celestia raised her eyebrow.

"Only when she's nervous or embarrassed." Discord tapped a claw on his chin for a moment before winking at Celestia. "So about two or three times a week. Four if I'm lucky."

"Discord!" Luna shrieked before shrinking into a small black ball, privately hoping for the earth to swallow her whole. Celestia started gagging on air and shook her head, chuckling to the pair.

"Even in the middle of a war you two can make me laugh. It’s times like these that I feel I could never regret becoming..." Celestia was cut off as a guard burst into the command tent.

"Celestia! Luna! Your majesties! Flyers inbound from the north! Advanced scouts report that besides a few hundred gryphons, several dragons have been spotted with them!" The guard panted for air. Celestia snarled, storming out of her tent to begin issuing orders.

"I want all unicorns on the northern barricades with pegasi providing covering fire! Earth ponies- make your way to the tunnel system, dig additional trenches and tunnels if you must, but keep them out of the air!" Celestia's orders were followed without hesitation. "Primary targets are casters, secondary and tertiary targets are any other gryphons. Under no circumstances is anypony to engage a dragon, is that clear?!”

"Yes, Princess Celestia!" The acknowledgement from the troops boomed through the camp.

"Good. Once the initial wave hits, I want the unicorns to fall back and join the earth ponies. Pegasi are to retreat back to Camp Trotting." Celestia scanned the camp once more before moving towards the front lines. A Pegasus captain strode up to her, giving a salute.

"Captain Slatehide, ma'am. Begging your pardon, but why are we being sent away? We want to stay and fight! We have to show these feathered foals that ponies will never again be food!" The captain looked almost hurt. Celestia shook her heard.

"The pegasi strength lies in the air, and now that dragons are about to enter the fray it leaves you at a distinct disadvantage. We are here to win a war, not to be brave." Celestia frowned at this but regained her composure and continued her speech. "You are a good and brave pegasus, and I can see that your foals and your foal's foals will serve Equestria for many years to come. However, I need you to follow my command on this. Please."

"I... I understand Princess Celestia." The pegasus grimaced, but gave a salute and a nod anyways. "At the appointed time my ponies and I will retreat."

"Very good Slatehide. Now- I need that covering fire set up double-time!" Celestia pointed with her hoof, any warmth or kindness drained from her voice.

"Ma'am, yes ma'am!" Slatehide flew off and began to give orders himself. Behind her, Celestia could hear the tent flaps opening. A moment later Luna and Discord stood at her sides.

"Sister, are we prepared?" Luna could see the specks on the horizon that represented the incoming force. "Can we hold them?"

"Indeed, we can and we must." Celestia sighed. "I cannot begin to fathom the cost of life however. This is going to quickly get messy. We need to deal with these dragons as soon as..." Her words were cut off as they saw a second, larger, set of specks join the first in the air. For a moment she panicked, fearing the gryphons had amassed a much larger force than initially reported, but then the specks began to move in and amongst themselves, and several began to drop from the sky. The second group was fighting the first.

Everypony watched the swarm of combatants move closer, a gout of flame or a flash of magic occasionally visible. Squinting her eyes for a moment, Celestia was barely able to make out the scene unfolding before her. Any thought that it was impossible was quickly forgotten as a dragon fell out of the sky, a small mountain rammed through it’s chest, forcing all three of the pillar's eyes wide open. Several flying beasts of all shapes and descriptions were flying in and amongst the gryphons and dragons, using their natural armaments to quickly and effectively thin their forces. Dozens of manticores, wyverns, and windigos were brutally punishing the feathered aggressors, and while they took a few casualties, it was clear that surprise had been in their favor and the gryphons were already scattering.

Drawing closer, Celestia could see that the strange force of monsters was lead by a dragon itself- a young one, not much larger than any of the other beasts, but a dragon nonetheless. One who seemed capable of casting incredibly potent magic. Celestia could just make out the serene, almost emotionless smile on the young dragon's face as it began to lay in to another of the attacking dragons, opening a wide wound in it‘s side. I know that temperament... Her thoughts lost, she realized that the attacking force would be at their front-line in moments, and frantically began issuing orders.

"Unicorns and pegasi! Spells and arrows at the ready! Target designation still stands! Do not fire upon the beasts or the small dragon, am I clear?!" Celestia's order was met with an indication of the affirmative, though she could tell that they were worried about the monsters as much as they were worried about the gryphons. Taking one last breath, she held it for a moment watching the gryphons draw nearer, before thrusting her hoof in the air and screaming.

"Fire!"

Though the battle had been hard fought, and several ponies gave their lives, the gryphons had been soundly routed and not a single dragon had survived. True to their orders, the pegasi had retreated to Camp Trotting, leaving a force consisting entirely of earth ponies and unicorns. As well as dozens of monsters and a young dragon.

Luna was whooping it up with several of the captains- she was still covered in the blood of the three dragons she had personally slain that day and had yet to come down from her battle high. Celestia sighed. Not over a century ago, they would have been aghast at taking a life. Discord had nearly been exiled from Equestria over an accidental killing, and here Luna was reveling in it. Part of Celestia wanted to say that it was justified- they had pushed back the gryphons yet again, saving their ponies from being meals. On the other hoof, every time they engaged in conflict she could feel something come over Luna that was, even for them, unnatural.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the young dragon that had lead their unlikely allies approaching her. Turning to regard her new ally, Celestia gave a warm smile that caught the dragon off guard. Drawing shocked looks from everyone present, including the random assortment of beasts, Celestia strode forward and wrapped her hooves around the wyrm's neck.

"I always knew you would return." Celestia broke the embrace and stepped back, seeing the dragon's face turn red in a mixture of anger and embarrassment.

"H-how? How could you have possibly known?! I've spent years perfecting my magic!" The dragon's voice was powerful, but delicately feminine. Both Luna and Discord turned from their conversations.

"Chrysalis?!" The pair uttered in unison.

"The one and only." The dragon twirled a claw and grinned. "What do you think? Do you like it?"

"I dare say Chrysalis, I like your new look." Discord nodded in approval, then began to laugh. "So, you still have no idea what you want to be, so you turned yourself into a dragon and became a zoo-keeper? Not that we minded the help, of course."

"No, that's where you're wrong." Chrysalis shook her head and began channeling a spell. Green flames licked at her feet before engulfing her whole. Where before was a dragon, was now a figure very similar to Celestia and Luna. Rather than the fur of a pony though, thick chitinous plates covered her body, and her wings were membranous like an insect. She cracked a fanged grin. "I know exactly what I want to be. You're looking at it." The assembled ponies and pillars looked on in awe.

"Chrysalis? What manner of creature is this?" Luna was nearly beside herself.

"It was logical really." Chrysalis rolled her hoof in the air. "I discovered through the course of my research that the pony-like bodies most of us adopted are ill-suited to transformation magic. Such spells are intended to work on inanimate objects, first and foremost, and have a reduced effect on living tissue." She gave her body a little shake for emphasis. "Thus, I had to find a compromise. I ditched most of my skin for inert plating, the wings, while inefficient, are also a large part of it. Even my skeletal structure no longer has living tissue running through it. Physically, I'm slightly weaker, and I don't quite have my looks anymore, but you cannot argue with the results."

"No, I suppose you can't..." Celestia was lost in thought, unsure what to make of this latest development.

"Well that's all very well and good for you, but where are the others? When you disappeared you took well over nine-score unicorns with you. Now you return alone." Luna narrowed her eyes. "Where are they?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Chrysalis turned to the assembled beasts and called out. "Line up in ranks! Change form!" The beasts milled about for a moment before forming a half-dozen columns of ten. Similar green flame enveloped them, revealing new creatures- roughly the size and shape of a pony, but covered in the same black plates as Chrysalis and bearing similar wings. Celestia gasped.

"Chrysalis! How could you do this to them?!" Celestia pointed a hoof at the new race standing before her. "Those were the brightest mares and stallions in Equestria. Those were mothers, fathers, foals."

"And every one of them was a volunteer! Not one pony was force to go through the process against their will, and I saw to it that it was painless. We needed the extra marepower." She turned to her new army and waved a hoof over them. "Call upon any one of them, ask them yourself." Celestia grumbled for a moment before pointing at one of the creatures.

"You there. Tell me about yourself." Celestia was trying to be soft-spoken, but by her own admission she had come off as harsh.

"M-my name is Silver Days, Princess Celestia." For having just waged war as a wyvern, the once-mare was timid in the face of Celestia. "I had just received my c-cutie mark when the gryphons sacked the town of Hoofington. M-my parents and brother were t-taken. I was heartbroken, and wallowed in one of the refugee camps for a while." A glint of determination shone in her eye. " Then Chrysalis came and spoke to us. When she offered a chance to strengthen myself, so that nopony else would have to suffer the same fate in such a cruel way, I jumped at the chance. I... I don't think we're ponies anymore, and that makes me sad, but I would do it again without hesitation. Look how many we saved today!" Her face was a mixture of defiant pride and bitter, sorrowful reminiscence.

The whole thing unnerved her, but Celestia didn't doubt the sincerity of her words. She also remembered the attack on Hoofington. A large gryphon force had caught them off guard, and before the princess' could arrive, the town had been leveled. Hundreds of civilians had been slain or enslaved. Celestia had known Day's father personally. It was sad indeed what lengths these ponies would, and had, gone to in order to protect their loved ones. No, it is also why I go through those same lengths. Celestia slowly nodded her head, satisfied that Chrysalis had acted with the ponies' best interests at heart. To her side, however, Luna was not so convinced. She shook her head and turned away.

"Chrysalis, this is madness. They barely resembled the creatures they were born as. Willing or not, what you've done is terrible." Turning on her hooves, Luna stormed away before entered her tent. Discord followed close behind, leaving Celestia and Chrysalis to run damage control with their respective armies. Inside the tent, Luna was weeping, her head down on a table.

"Luna, come now." Discord conjured up a cotton candy cloud to support her head. "Why are you crying? Argue with her methods, perhaps, but her intervention today likely saved more ponies than she ever transformed. We haven't seen her in over two decades! Don't you think we owe her a little something?"

"No!" Luna yelled more harshly than she intended. "No. We took on physical forms so we could exist in and amongst the civilizations of Equestria, act as counterbalances for Equestria’s flow of chaos and order to ensure harmony, we don’t create new species. We’re not deities. That?" She pointed her hoof out the flap of the tent. "That is the act of a god with creatures that do not understand the ramifications of their decision. For all of my great love for them, I would rather see these ponies lose the war by their own hooves then succeed due to our intervention." Luna continued to sob. Discord wrapped an arm around her, giving her a warm smile.

"It's not any different at all Luna. I don't disagree that Chrysalis' methods are... extreme, even for my tastes, however she really is doing it for the greater good of those she loves. We can’t say that we’re willing to do things for the ponies, yet not allow them the same decision..." He snapped his fingers, and a map of Equestria bubbled out of a spring of chocolate, he pointed to the little marshmallow indentation of a mountain. "Look, with our victory today, it puts us one step closer to the mountain-side fort they operate out of. Soon, we won't need to worry about the ponies you-"

"We."

"We care about so much." He chuckled and took a step back, floating on his side in mid-air. "I don't know how much longer this is going to go on for- stone’s sake, we don’t even really know why the dragons are attacking us all of a sudden, last I checked they were all independent of one another. At this rate, we may be at this for another century or two. If we lose hope now, fight over differences of opinion, this will all have been for nothing. You might as well turn yourself into a gryphon, rule them for a change, and learn to love the taste of pony meat." Luna spun on her hooves, jaw slung open, however Discord continued speaking. "I'm just saying. Those creatures out there that used to be ponies? The ones that horrifying you so? They believe so much in not only what Chrysalis is doing, but in all of us, that they are willing to do anything if it means the safety and wellbeing of those they love. It’s not different at all from what we’re doing.”

"Luna, you know how much I loathe the 'order' your sister has influenced the ponies with. Even if it’s necessary, it makes me sick to my stomach some days." Discord sighed and wrapped his arms around Luna, squeezing her tightly. "But I'm willing to put up with it, because I..."

"Yes?" The corner of Luna's lip turned up. "Because you what?"

"Er, like you. A lot." Discord blushed, drawing a mock gasp from the princess. “So just throw Chrysalis a bone will ya? We're all so different, but we all have the same feelings for these ponies. For me? Please? I'll make you all the chocolate milk you want for a month!" Discord laughed, drawing a hesitant giggle from Luna.

"Alright. I may have been hasty in my judgment." Luna nodded. "I will give Chrysalis a chance- for you. How bad could a few dozen new pony shape-shifters really be anyways? I'm holding you to the chocolate milk though. I'll be expecting a few liters of it next toy bed this evening." Luna gave the draconequues a wink.

"That's the spirit!" Discord clapped his claws together. "Now, shall we go out and greet the heroine of the day? Properly this time?"

"Fine." Luna rolled her eyes. The pair exited the tent, stepping up to where Celestia and Chrysalis were busy in discussion. Chrysalis caught sight of them first, dropping her head and sighing.

"I-I'm sorry Luna. I was just trying to do what I thought was best. I..."

"I'm sorry." Luna lowered her own head slightly.

"What?" Chrysalis raised an eyebrow, confused.

"I'm sorry. I overreacted. I don't necessarily agree with your methods, but I understand you were trying to help." Luna walked closer and put her fore legs around Chrysalis' neck. "It's good to see you again. Thank-you for coming back." Chrysalis was shocked, but returned the embrace, warm smile crossing her lips.

"I-I missed you all too, Luna." Breaking the embrace, Chrysalis took a few steps back while Luna sidled up to Discord. The draconequues was giving the princess a smile.

"See? That wasn't so bad at all." Discord grinned.

"No, you're right. Things are going to be fine." Luna returned his grin. "It's like I said- how bad could a few dozen of these new ponies be?"

"About that..." Chrysalis gave a nervous chuckle and bit her bottom lip. "As part of the whole biological change, we also manage to expedite reproduction. These ponies here were many of the ones that initially went with me but..." As if on queue a buzzing sound filled the air, and from over a hill came a swarm of a few hundred of the new shape-shifting ponies. "... their foals, as well as my own, will soon be of age to join the battle." The assembled ponies, new and old, gave a chorus of cheers. Celestia walked up to Chrysalis and placed her hoof on her shoulder, giving a gentle nod to steady the nervous pillar. Behind them, Luna burnt eyeholes into the back Discord’s head. Discord, for his part could only look up at the approaching swarm.

“Hoo boy."

17: Half-Truths and Baked Bads

17- Half-Truths and Baked Bads

"Nathan?!" Fluttershy pushed herself forward past the other mares and stood in front of the kitchen table, jaw working itself up and down several times while she struggled to say anything else. Sinking down to her haunches, she forced her hooves into her eyes and rubbed them furiously, to assure herself it wasn't an illusion nor hysteria induced hallucination. When she'd finished scrubbing her eyes out, she took another long look, gazing over his ragged body as the ghost of a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Is... is it really you?"

Nathan sat up a little straighter, the small chair creaking in protest from his weight, grimacing as he felt one of his ribs painfully shift slightly in his chest. "Unless you've all been lying to me, which I suppose is a distinct possibility based on the last few months of our acquaintance," he frowned seeing several of the girls flinch at the offhanded comment, "and there's another human running around here acting like an asshole, then yes, yes it's most definitely me. Hey, Fluttershy. miss me?" He smirked.

"Miss you? Miss you?!" Fluttershy’s words came out barely above a whisper, but her voice carried a quiet ferocity that forced even the human to flinch. "Twilight?"

Twilight Sparkle glanced over at Fluttershy, her own stupefied look washing off her face as she was forced to look over at the pegasus. "Er... yes, Fluttershy?"

"I realize that this is your parent's kitchen..." She stood up on all four legs, spreading her wings wide.

"Fluttershy hold on a second..."

Fluttershy wiggled her hips and flank slightly. "And it's a really, really nice kitchen table and I promise that as soon as I'm able to I'll pay you back..."

"No, wait Fluttershy...!" Too late, Twilight's request to cease failed to stall the normally timid mare. With a last wiggle, she sprang from her position, crossing the remaining distance between her and Nathan with a powerful flap of her wings. Wrapping her hooves around his neck, her body came crashing down on the table, shards and splinters of oak from the shattered dinette set and chairs flying to the sides and covering half the kitchen in detritus. Nathan gave a pained yelp as her body pressed in on his ribs, but if Fluttershy gave any indication she didn't show it. Now lying on the floor, he groaned softly as she peppered his face and neck with kisses.

"Miss you?!" Her affections were interlaced with her berating him softly. "Of course I missed you! We all missed you! Do you have any idea what we've been through? What I've been through?! After you... when we all thought you were gone... everything went wrong. First Twilight started acting weird, then everypony else, and the cultists, and....and..." The rest of her words were lost as she regressed into a sobbing wreck, tears running down her face and covering the human.

Nathan slowly wrapped his hands around her body and held her close. "Hey... Shhhh it's going to be ok. I'm right here. I'm here. Everything is going to be ok." He looked over at the other mares, tears gathering in their own eyes. Save for Pinkie. She returned his look with a flat grimace. Soon, Applejack and Rarity surrounded him and began hugging them both as well. Twilight sat off to the side. She was sniffling at the scene, however when the human looked directly at her she lifted a hoof to her nose to rub away an imaginary itch. With a scoff, Pinkie Pie gave him a flat look and left the room. If he wasn't mistaken, he could have sworn he saw a scowl on her face. Pinkie...?

Rarity broke him out of his confusion almost immediately, her own tears mingling with Fluttershy’s and AJ's. "You... you callous brute! How dare you go and... a-a-and put Fluttershy through what you put her through. She thought you were dead. We all did darling! I... I'm so mad at you!" She sobbed against him. How much was over Nathan and how much was just the floodgates of emotion opening was up to debate, but she wept openly and freely.

Nathan just smiled and shook his head, carefully holding Fluttershy. "Rarity you're always mad at me. That's nothing new. I'm sorry I put Fluttershy through that I just thought..." He was silenced as Rarity put a hoof up against his lips.

"No! No... I was wrong. About a lot of things. I was right about a lot of things too, but I was wrong about you. You're not a... bad stallion. Man. Whatever. I made a lot of mistakes. Mistakes I thought I would never get a chance to fix. Now you're here and... I need to be better. For you, for me, and most importantly for dear Fluttershy." Rarity offered a soft smile.

Nathan was a little taken aback. "Wow... I don't know what to say Rarity."

Applejack gently hoofed him in the chest, giving him an apologetic frown as he winced, but continued on. "Ah think what ya mean to say is 'apology accepted Rarity'."

Nathan nodded and smiled. "Of course. That's exactly what I meant to say. Thanks Rarity, apology accepted. For what it's worth I should probably apologize for anything I may have done or said." He turned his attention to Applejack. "That goes for you as well AJ, watch it with your hoof though. I'm really feeling the last couple of days."

The earth pony gave him another apologetic glance and smiled. "Sorry, Ah wasn’t thinkin'. And you don't need to go apologizin' tah me. After that talk we had on the cabbage farm, far as Ah'm concerned we're all square. At least... yer square with me. Ah... Ah suppose yer probably still pretty steamed at me though." She looked away blinking away a few tears.

Nathan shook his head and gently used a hand to bring her face back around to look at him. "No AJ... We've been square for a long time. You're ok. I can call you AJ right? Only your friends get to call you AJ last I checked.”

She sniffled and chuckled at the same time, a faint smile gracing her lips. "That's right. Only mah friends, and you remember that ya darn critter."

"I don't think I could ever forget." Nathan softly nodded his head before turning to look at Twilight. "Well? Why are you standing over there? Are you afraid I'll bite? I don't deserve hugs from you?"

Twilight frowned prior to working her jaw a few times, attempts to vocalize lost in her throat. Finally with a calming breath she shook her head and looked at the floor. "I have a lot to think about, and I'm not sure Queen Celestia would approve of my continuing association with you. I'm glad for my friend's sake that you are fine." Nathan narrowed his eyes slightly as Twilight stood up a little straighter. She's almost like a different mare...

An abrupt change came over Twilight. Any sign of tears or sorrow evaporated as if they had never been there in the first place. She cleared her throat and smiled. "As I told them you would be. Once again, proving me right. You know that the rest of them doubted me the whole time? They thought benevolent Queen Celestia would have anything other than our best interests at heart! She even protected us from Nightmare Moon!" She was positively gushing. The remaining mares were scowling, while Nathan was watching her carefully.

Rarity spoke first. "Twilight Sparkle! Are you still in so much denial you can't see what's happening?! What Pr- I mean Queen Celestia has done?! Have you gone insane?!" Her body was vibrating, an equal mix of fury and sorrow.

Applejack looked between Nathan and Twilight. Matching Rarity’s scowl, she took a few deep breaths before snorting. "Twilight, Ah thought we were over this. What in tarnation has you so twisted up?! If Ah didn't know any better I'd swear somethin' right funny was going on!"

"I am not wound up at all." Twilight stated matter-of-factly. "As you can see I'm am perfectly calm and collected. The only ponies here who seem wound up are you three. Four actually- Nathan seems permanently deranged."

"Ah ain't sayin' yer wound up! Ah'm saying yer twisted. Like somepony or something got ahold of yer brain and turned off every one of yer switches except for some cold logic mixed with denial. If Ah didn't know better Ah'd say..."

"Stop it! Fluttershy gripped her ears with her hooves, clamping her eyes shut. "Stop it stop it stop it! Stop fighting! Please I can't take any more fighting!" She collapsed whimpering, rocking herself in Nathan's lap.

The human glanced between the mares and held out a placating hand. "Hold on. Hold on! Alright, I haven't been around for the last couple of days, but it sounds like you had a rough time of it. I can sympathize, I haven't exactly been enjoying the countryside myself. Everyone deals with their issues in different ways. Some people lash out, others hide behind a curtain." He sighed before looking at Twilight. "Some shut down. You all look like bags of shit and Fluttershy here is clearly suffering. I think you owe it to yourselves and each other to take a breather and rest. We'll have plenty of time to talk later."

Rarity cast one last hostile look at Twilight before slowly nodding. "Fine. A lady does need her beauty sleep I suppose." Assuming my dreams are pleasant for once. She rose to her hooves, casting away the last of her tears. "Alright then, Fluttershy? Were you going to stay with... er... Nathan or are you going to come back to the room you're sharing with me?"

Fluttershy looked up at Nathan and went to open her mouth, however the action was interrupted when he carefully placed a finger on her lips and shook his head. "You're welcome to join me, however I've already looked through the house, and none of the beds are large enough for me. I'll be sleeping on the floor tonight and you look like you could use the kind of sleep you can only get in a bed."

Rarity clicked her tongue. "Are you sure we couldn't find something more comfortable for you dear? I detest the thought of you having to sleep on the floor, especially in your condition."

Nathan smiled, probably the first genuine smile he had ever shown the unicorn, and Rarity would be lying if she said it didn't warm her heart just a little, and shook his head. "No I'll be alright. I'll be right as rain tomorrow I'm sure of it. Well, my rib won't be, but it'll heal. Thanks for the concern Rarity. I'll make something work." With a soft nod the alabaster mare stood and trotted towards the stairs.

"Rares hold up a tick, Ah'm coming too." Applejack stood and followed after her. Turning back to the human she sighed. "You an' Ah still got a lot to talk about, but Ah'll leave well enough alone for tonight. We'll clear out and give you two some room." The three other ponies slowly made their ways upstairs, leaving Nathan and Fluttershy alone.

Fluttershy sat on the floor next to the human, wringing her front hooves together and looking towards the stairs. "I'm sorry I jumped on you. You're... you're not angry at me are you? You... you don't want me sleeping next to you because you're angry aren't you?"

Nathan smiled, leaning over to rub behind one ear. "No Fluttershy. I'm not angry with you at all."

"Then why send me away?!"

"I meant what I said. You need the rest. Hell we all do. Especially since..." He sighed and looked at the floor. "Look... It would be nice if you were to come sleep with me, but you're going to have a terrible sleep if you do and I don't want that on my conscious." Amongst other things...

Fluttershy looked up, a glint of hope in her eye. "R-really? You do care!" She wrapped her hooves around him again, holding back her weight so she didn't compress his ribs further. It didn't stop him from grunting slightly. "Alright, I suppose I'll go join the others and get some sleep then. O-oh!" She smiled and carefully laid one wing down across his lap, the journal slipping out. "I almost forgot! I kept it safe for you. As... as long as it was with me it was like you were still with me."

Nathan gave the pegasus a soft smile and softly ran a hand through her mane. "I really appreciate it Fluttershy. You've been a great friend..."

"Marefriend?"

"...Marefriend. You've made Equestria just a little easier for me. Thanks."

"Well... I would do anything for my friends. All of my friends. I'm not the bravest or strongest pony, but when I'm with my friends I feel like I can do anything. When I'm with you... I... I feel like no matter what happens, no matter if we go through a hundred trials... everything will work out ok in the end." She smiled, nuzzling his cheek softly.

Nathan returned the smile before standing and helping her up to her hooves. "Alright, time to get to bed. Do you mind if I take the journal tonight? I wanted to read what you've written, and I should probably write an entry myself."

Fluttershy nodded softly as she slowly sauntered towards the stairs. "That sounds like a good idea. Have a good night Nathan. I really missed you."

"And I you, Fluttershy." Nathan stood watching the mare depart. As soon as she was out of eyesight however, his smile dropped into a frown as a deep sigh heaved from his chest. "What am I going to do about you Fluttershy?" Walking to the living room, he carefully laid down his belongings- which at this point were the Cannon, a simple bedroll, a bag with a few supplies, and his journal. Re-purposing a pair of cushions from a couch as pillows, he settled in and started tending to his injuries.

Grabbing a roll of bandages, he stripped off his jacket and began the slow process of binding his chest while he browsed through Fluttershy’s writing. There wasn't actually that much there to read, and by the time he had finished cleaning up the last of his cuts, he was coming to the end of her contributions to the tome. Sighing again, wincing slightly as his now tightly bound ribs protested the movement, he grabbed a nearby quill and started penning his own entry.

Day... Ah hell I can't even remember what day it is or how long I've even been here for now. What does it matter anymore anyways? After two more days of plodding through the Equestrian countryside I've finally found the girls again. Except for Rainbow Dash, but we already know where she's going right? I actually made a couple new friends too, to my surprise. I know, horrifying right? But it's true. I'll jot down the rest of that later. Right now I need to think.

Rarity seems... better. She still looks at me like she's trying to decide if I'm about to pour acid on her or stab her in the flank, but she seems to actually care. How much is for me, and how much is making peace with Fluttershy is beyond my ken right now, but I'm not going to do anything to upset her at this point.

AJ is probably the best off out of the lot of them. I'm a bit concerned what sort of conversation she wants to have with me, but I have a feeling she's not going to be any happier once we've had it.

Twilight. Twilight Sparkle. I don't even know where to start with her. I know there is a reason for everything, and the fact the others stick by her even now is a testament to her strength as a leader and friend, but honestly? I probably would have kicked her to the curb long ago. That in turn might be a testament to how shitty I am as a friend.

Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. Fuck. I have no idea how to deal with this situation. Pinkie is angry with me. I don't know why. I'll have to ask her. After I talk to her about the rest of it... but how the fuck am I supposed to deal with this? Fluttershy is a wonderful, kind, caring soul. She's already teetering on the edge of insanity. I don't want to be the one to push her over the edge. What am I even worrying about anyways? I'll be dead or imprisoned by the end of the week anyways. Probably dead. Hopefully dead? Is that selfish?

For now though, I'd better get some sleep.

Finishing his entry, he gently laid the book aside, slipped under the covers of his makeshift bed. Based on the last few days, he was planning to sleep lightly, however his exhaustion and injuries finally caught up with him, and he fell into a deep sleep, that was uninterrupted for several blissful hours.

Pinkie Pie rose with the morning sun, long before any of her 'friends' typically woke. Considering what they had been through for the last week, everypony had needed to catch up on their sleep, and it was only by the virtue of retiring early the night prior that she was able to pull herself from her bed so early. Gazing over to another bed, she could see Rarity and Fluttershy peacefully slumbering in each other's embrace.

Fluttershy.

The sheer venom at which the word leaped into her mind shocked even herself, like an acidic burn on her frontal lobe that refused to recede and left a dull burn. She could feel her face flush with anger. At that moment she wanted nothing more than to cross the room and put her hoof through the pegasus' face. Fluttershy didn't understand Nathan. Not like she did. None of them did. Maybe Applejack, but that was different. Fluttershy was just a stupid silly filly who didn't deserve him. She was a leech. Pinkie could see it. Every time the buttery mare interacted with the human it was killing him inside. Fluttershy was a burden, one so easily removed. W-wait, what? Where did that come from?!

Pinkie felt her hair go limp, all the emotion taken out of her sails. Why would I ever think those things? I love Fluttershy! She's one of my best friends! So... so why does it feel like she's hurting me so much? I need to get some air. Silently gliding to the door, careful to let the other two sleep, she let herself out and trotted down the stairs. She failed to realize until it was too late that the living room, currently occupied by the other source of her pain, was in the direct path between her and the front door.

Taking a calming breath, she stepped into the room. There was plenty of room to go around Nathan, fast asleep on the floor, the barrel of the cannon, which when she thought about it was a funny colour now, sticking out from underneath a pillow. She proceeded to do so, swallowing her emotions and trying to focus on something, anything other than the one she... she... she couldn't talk to about things right now. It wouldn't be fair to him. Or Fluttershy. But didn't she deserve to be happy too? Couldn't they see how much pain she was in? Those selfish ungrateful... No, no Pinkie. Breathe. Deep breaths. They're your friends. They're both your friends.

She was about to leave the room when Nathan started to stir. "Mmm...nnn... Pinkie don't... please. I..." Hearing his voice Pinkie spun on her hooves and walked up to him.

"Yes? Don't what?" The pink mare cocked her head before her expression fell. "Oh... you're talking in your sleep." She traced a hoof along his chest and grimaced. "What happened to you? We were supposed to be there for each other." Sighing she sat beside him and watched his fitful sleep settle again. The sun cast through the windows, softly illuminating his cheeks and jawline. Pinkie sat motionless and just... watched. She realized that she had never really taken the time to just look at him. Much like herself, he always seemed to be going full speed, no matter what he was doing. To watch him just lay quietly, as perplexing as the concept was to her, was... nice. She couldn't help the smile that spread on her cheeks.

She was so absorbed in just looking at him she failed to notice when he started to look back, his voice stirring her out of her reverie. "Hey Pinks. Something on my face?"

She jumped, shocked by the sudden sound. Regaining her composure she shook her head, smile still firmly in place. "No. I just missed you, and... and everything was so busy yesterday we didn't get a chance to talk."

Nathan returned the smile, raising an eyebrow. "Really? I seem to remember a certain pink mare giving me the stink eye and stomping off to bed."

Pinkie's voice caught in her throat as she mulled over the appropriate response. "I'm... I'm sorry. I've been so hurt and angry. They didn't respond at all like you said they would. Dashie abandoned me. Fluttershy is... she's..." She sighed and stood on her hooves. "If you're awake I should go get her. She'll want to talk with you."

Turning to leave, she was surprised to feel his hand grip one of her rear legs. "Wait. Pinks. Pinkie. I want... no I need to talk to you. Alone. Please stay?"

She shivered as she felt his fingers fall away, brushing against her leg. "O-okay. What do we need to talk about?" Her mane was still limp against her neck. He knows... Oh no he knows. He's going to be so upset with me. He's going to yell at me.

Nathan sighed and looked her in the eyes, cupping her chin with a hand. "Pinkie. I promised you that when this is all over, I would be honest with you. I would tell you everything. There's a lot I need to tell you. I owe you a lot and I need to start showing you the trust you deserve.”

"Why not tell Fluttershy? She's your marefriend right?" The earth pony sniffled softly. "Couldn't you trust her?"

Nathan shook his head. "It's because she's my marefriend that I can't tell her. I don't want to see her hurt. She's... very special to me."

"Oh. Right. Of course." Pinkie flinched. That had come out more hollow than she had intended. If Nathan noticed the lack of emotion he didn't acknowledge it. Instead he reached underneath one of the cushions, pulling out a small box.

"Now, Pinkie, I'm trusting you a lot. You might be upset with me, and that's ok. Please, please bare with me when I explain this to you." Nathan looked nearly sick to his stomach.

Pinkie just bit her lip and nodded. "I'm your friend. I couldn't stay upset with you."

Nathan nodded and began to open the lid. "Remember back in Ponyville? When..." His words were suddenly cut short as he heard hooves descending the stairs. Wide eyed, he panicked for a moment before slamming the box shut and shoving it into Pinkie's mane. She yelped as he pulled her close to him suddenly, whispering softly in her ear. "Keep that hidden. Please. I trust you." Pinkie was really starting to hate those three words. Every time he said he trusted her she felt like she was becoming party to another deception. She didn't have time to dwell on it however. He abruptly released her just before the other four mares rounded the corner.

"Pinkie! Darling!" Rarity put a hoof to her own chest. "We were ever so worried when we woke up and you were missing." She eyed Nathan and suppressed a shiver before forcing a smile onto her face. "Good morning sir. You seem to be doing better after a good night's rest."

Nathan smiled. "Actually I am feeling a lot better, thanks Rarity." He raised an eyebrow as Fluttershy and Pinkie exchanged sub-hostile glares before the pegasus shoved herself between the human and the earth pony. Reclining against his shoulder she fluffed out a wing around his body. "And... uh... good morning to you as well Fluttershy."

"Good morning Nathan." She pecked him softly on the cheek,and he couldn't help but blush. Pinkie glanced between the human and pegasus for a morning before standing, shooting Fluttershy a scowl, and walking over to Applejack. Smiling, Fluttershy ignored the pink pony and kept her entire attention on Nathan. "So your sleep was good then?"

"Yeah not bad actually, all things considered. I thought I'd wake up stiff as a board, but I gotta admit Sparkle, your parents have some high end carpeting." Nathan smiled and looked over at the unicorn. "I could get used to sleeping here."

Twilight fumed. "Don't call me that! You don't get to call me anything other than Twilight Sparkle. Maybe Twilight. This is all your fault! Everything! I should be reporting you to Queen Celestia! You're the reason all my friends are sad! And how did you know this was my parent's house anyways?!"

Fluttershy leaped to her hooves and growled at Twilight. "Just who do you think you are Twilight Sparkle?! Just because Celestia. .."

"Whoa, whoa!" Nathan held up a hand, attempting to placate Twilight, while his other arm wrapped softly around Fluttershy. "Both of you. Whoa. Twilight I'm sorry, I didn't actually mean any disrespect this time. Fluttershy, it's ok, she has the right to be angry."

"She does?!"

"I do?!" Both mares spoke in unison. Looking over at the other three, Nathan saw similar looks of incredulity.

"Sure." Nathan nodded. "I've done a lot to be disrespectful of a few of you, I let myself into your parents home without asking, and I've kinda been a jerk. So, I can understand you being upset Twilight."

"W-well. Then. Yes. Of course." Twilight stammered softly before giving a curt nod. "Yes I am angry with you." She abruptly sat down as if the statement needed no further explanation.

"Right..." Nathan rubbed the back of his head as Fluttershy settled back at his side.

"Now, Nathan, darling" Rarity cut in softly, attempting to change the subject. "Everypony has been through a lot, and I understand entirely if you're still not up to it, but I think we'd all like an explanation for what happened to you. Rainbow Dash went looking for you in the bottom of the ravine and said she only found your pack and... well your blood."

Nathan looked between the assembled mares and clicked his tongue softly. They were all staring back at him expectantly, even Twilight was trying and failing to look disinterested. Pinkie, still bearing the hint of a scowl, as well as Applejack leaned forward towards him, and he was careful to avoid eye contact with either. Finally he sighed. "Alright, I suppose that an explanation is in order. It's actually not all that exciting.” The ponies all took a seat on the surrounding cushions, Fluttershy with her head in his lap.

"Right. So we were on the edge of the cliff, with Rarity and myself dangling in mid air..." He rubbed his chin, remembering the details. “I realized that with whatever weird Equestria voodoo was surrounding me, whatever it is, the chances of both of us crawling out of the ravine were pretty slim. Making a decision, I decided Fluttershy needed her friend more than she needed a short term coltfriend.”

“That's was still a very rash thing for you to do!” Rarity snorted. “Poor Fluttershy was nearly paralyzed!” Fluttershy gripped his leg tightly.

“It wasn't going to be a happy ending either way. I chose.” He sighed. “As I dropped through the ravine, I was pretty sure I was dead. I mean, you don't survive a drop like that. Much to my surprise, a powerful gust of wind from the blizzard caught me and tossed me over towards a snow covered pillar of rock. There was enough snow to break my fall, however I was still going a pretty good speed and I came down on my chest, pretty sure I cracked my rib right there.”

“That's awful!” Fluttershy murmured.

“Well if I didn't crack it there, the momentum I was carrying threw me off the plinth and into the canyon wall, wrecking my jacket, tearing up my body, and smashing my nose. Not pleasant. I was able to get a grip on the wall however, and rather than bouncing off, I ended up sliding to the ground. Probably explains the blood stain on the side of the ravine. I came to a stop at the bottom and ditched the gear I didn't need, made a change of clothes and hobbled into a nearby cave to sleep out the rest of the blizzard. I heard some growling or something before I passed out, but besides that that was about as eventful as my separation from you six got.”

“Wait. That's all that happened?” Pinkie narrowed her eyes at the human and he could see her brain ticking along.

“Well, after that I managed to find the south end of the ravine, which had a path, climbed out, and walked to Canterlot. Hard to miss the giant glowing ball on the side of a mountain when the sky's clear. Pegasus guard at the gate gave me a hard time, and I thought I was going to wind up in another fight, but he eventually let me pass.”

“Just like that?” Applejack raised an eyebrow.

“After I showed him the letter from the princess that had requested my presence in Canterlot...”

“You had that?!” Twilight scowled. “That was my property!”

“I figured I might need it.” Nathan shrugged. “Anyways, after I showed him the letter, and told him a passerby had suggested you were going to be here at your parent's house, he let me in. He did however point out my wanted poster. I found my wanted poster... they say some damn creative things about me. Grrrr!” He waved his hands in the air before laughing.

"That... seemed... rather anticlimactic and boring dear." Rarity rolled her hoof around slightly, trying to figure out how to best vocalize her thoughts. "Don't get me wrong, we're all happy you survived and that guard sounded fairly overbearing but... with everything the rest of us went through over the last couple of days, we expected you to have been through much worse. I think?"

"Oh Rarity why would you wish that on him?" Fluttershy admonished her friend. "Hasn't he been through enough?"

"I'm not wishing anything on him!" Rarity looked shocked. "I'm merely saying..."

"Something don't add up right with his story?" Applejack cut in. "Now, Nathan, Ah'm not sayin' yer lyin' but it seems to me that yer leaving a few details out. Like the timberwolves... or how you managed to get in the city without bein' caught." Nathan felt a cold sweat run down his neck. Before he could answer though, Twilight came to his 'rescue'.

"Actually getting into the city makes sense." The purple unicorn faced Applejack. "The wanted posters clearly stated he was dangerous and if it was his intention to go find Queen Celestia, who could assuredly deal with him, the guard probably decided the best option was to let him through. The only other place he might go based on the provided information was here, so either way the guard would have felt the situation contained and report to his superiors." Twilight finished her matter-of-fact train of logic with a curt nod.

"Well that makes sense I suppose." Rarity agreed. "But the timberwolves Dash saw? What about them?"

"I did hear growling before I passed out..." Nathan gave a half hearted shrug. "My bag was missing too after the blizzard so... there's that?"

Applejack frowned. "Well... Ah... Ah guess Ah just assumed more would have happened to you. Sorry to doubt ya." While she bowed her head low, Pinkie stood up and walked closer to Nathan watching his body language.

"Nathan." The earth pony tried to look him straight in the eyes. "Are... are you sure that's everything that happened? Nothing else?"

"Um..." Nathan scratched his chin and looked deep in thought.

Rarity looked back down to Nathan and yelled at him. “Don’t you dare do it- if you do I’ll… I’ll… I’ll hate you forever!”

“Come now Rarity, I thought you already hated me?” With a deft swipe of the knife he severed the rope. Falling backward through the air head first towards the ground, the last thing he saw before the blizzard obscured his vision were the twin looks of horror on Fluttershy and Rarity’s faces. Finally. This god damn nightmare is going to be over. I got to stick it to La Tigra one more time too. Stuffy ass bitch. However, rather than having his brains dashed out on the rocky outcroppings below, his descent was suddenly stopped as he found himself in the forelegs of a thestral, feet dangling in mid-air. “Who the... Stout Heart?”

“H-h-how do you know my... you know what you can t-t-tell me later. P-Princess Luna needs you alive. She asked me to watch over you. You're not as light as you look though.” The bat pony struggled under the combined weight of the human and his gear in the blizzard. “And... I can't seem to fly as well as normal.”

“No shit! I don't understand how you're even keeping in the air! Rainbow Dash could barely fly around me! Just let me go!” Nathan winced slightly as the blizzard whipped at his face.

“M-magic enhanced flight muscles. Being a lunar guard has its b-b-benefits. Mind you having to rescue a weird human in the middle of a blizzard doesn't... ugh... typically go under the 'benefits' column. And no I'm not going to just let you go. Do you want to die or something?”

“Maybe I do! Ugh whatever. Just...” Using half of one hand to protect his eyes from the blizzard, Nathan managed to pick out a snow covered butte a little ways ahead of him. “Just put me down over there. You're going to get yourself killed.”

“Fine whatever.” Stout Heart slowly brought him down towards the outcropping when a flash of light, marking a fireball being flung through the obscuring wall of snow and sleet, caught their attention a split second before whizzing passed the thestral's head. “WHOA!” He spun around in an evasive maneuver and dropped suddenly right before another pegasus' body sped towards them, attempting to ram them out of the air. The sudden drop in altitude saved them as the other pony sped harmlessly by just above them.

“What the hell?!” Nathan shouted as his 'pilot' drifted to the side towards the outcropping, skidding along the top with his feet before another gust of wind buffeted them and pushed them back up into the air. Having caught a glimpse of their assailant, the human quickly identified the attacker as one of the pegasi that had been acting as an enforcer for the gryphon in Manyhooves. “Yo! Stout! Bad news- the pegasus that just tried to slam into us seriously has a bone to pick with me.”

“How big of a bone?!” Stout Heart growled, struggling to find a safe place to land.

“I may have nearly killed one of his friends, and dug the eye out of the socket of another.” Nathan gave a sheepish smile. The thestral looked horrified for a moment before shaking himself. He'd heard worse stories from Princess Luna.

“Question! Would that be one of his friends?” The thestral beckoned with a rear hoof as another pegasus bore down on them.

Nathan sighed. “Yep... yep that's the one I threw off the side of Manyhooves.” He had all of a split second to frown before a hoof caught him across the face, cutting his lip open. On instinct he lashed out with a leg, catching the peagsus on the side and knocking him away. Unfortunately it also knocked himself and Stout Heart into a spin. As the thestral attempted to bring them to a stop, the first pegasus cut back through the blizzard and slammed into Heart's backside, forcing him to drop Nathan.

“Shit!” The human dropped a couple of feet, landing on the side of the ravine on a small ledge, while most of his bags tumbled down the rest of the way to the snow covered floor. Stout was able to regain his balance now free of his load and spun to face the pair just as one attempted another airborne bull rush. Slipping to the side with practiced ease, he was please to see, winded as he was from the exertion of carrying Nathan, that the pegasus was a lot slower than he was in the blizzard. His pleasure was short lived, as the distraction the pair had provided had given their unicorn friend the time to set himself up at the bottom of the ravine and lob a fireball at the thestral.

“Ack!” Stout Heart spun up out of the way, the torrent of flame passing beneath him, singing his tail as it passed. The human is grounded, I can't lift him out of here, and I can't take all three of them...

Just as the thestral was about to give up hope, Nathan shouted over the storm. “STOUT! COVER YOUR EARS!” Without a moment's hesitation, the pony complied just in time to protect his ears.

BANG BANG BANG

Nathan cracked off three shots of the Pie Cannon, catching (the now eye patched) Sprinkles in the side and dropping him to the snow hard. He struggled to stand for a moment before giving up and passing out. Taking a moment to reload, the human was distracted long enough for one of the pegasi to slam into him, causing him to drop the ammo in his hand. He watched helplessly as it tumbled to the ravine floor, lost beneath the snow, and struggled to keep a grip on his firearm. Swinging it around, he caught the offending pony on the chin and knocked him back into the air.

Stout was quick to capitalize on the reduced numbers of their attackers and dodged another attempted blow from the other pegasus. However this time, upon spinning passed his assailant, he brought his rear hooves up behind him and landed a solid buck to the pegasus' wings, cringing slightly as he heard one snap under the assault. The unfortunate target slammed face first into the ravine wall, sliding down passed where Nathan was standing, leaving a bloody trail all the way down, finally coming to a stop next to his unicorn compatriot.

The remaining pegasus took a moment to evaluate the situation. Before he could make any decisions though, a blood curdling howl cut through the blizzard, as a pack of timberwolves slowly stalked towards his friends. With a panicked look between them and his two intended foes, his resolve broke. “Look... look, we're just carrying out orders! We weren't even going to kill you! We were just supposed to rough you up! You... you can't let them kill them!”

“Oh?” Nathan raised an eyebrow. “For all the times you've tried to injure me I'd say it'd be poetic justice. What do you think Stout Heart?”

“What?!” The thestral spun and gave the human another horrified look. “You can't be serious! How could you in good conscious let a pack of timberwolves kill them?” He shook his head.

“You say that implying I care or have a conscious?” Nathan spared a glance to the other pegasus, who had gone white as a sheet and looked mortified by what he was hearing.

“No. We are helping them. Now!” Stout growled.

“You don't give me orders batman. In case you hadn't noticed, not a pony.” Nathan wrapped himself a little tighter into his clothes as the blizzard continued to bite. The thestral's glare didn't subside however, and after a few moments of internal griping he frowned. “Oh for fuck's sake fine. Let's go save the idiots.”

Carefully sliding down the steep embankment, he made it to the pair of unconscious ponies a scant minute or two before the pack would be upon them. “C'mon. Apparently my conscious will be angry with me if I don't do the 'right' thing.” He lifted the unicorn on his shoulder while the remaining pegasus and thestral lifted the other downed pony between them. They could hear the growls of the approaching pack grow louder as they dragged the dead weight into a nearby cave. Thinking quickly, Nathan took his food filled knapsack, rubbing it in the blood of the pegasus, before hurling it as hard as he could away from the cave entrance. They were safely deep within the cave when they heard the first sound of teeth ripping into the food and cloth. Nathan could have sworn he heard a scream, but with the howling of the blizzard it was hard to tell. Turning to Stout and their new 'friend' he frowned.

“Alright then. What are we supposed to do with the three of you?” The human sighed and pointed at the two unconscious ponies. “They're going to need time to recover, and your buddy won't be flying for a little while. As for me, I have to get to Canterlot.”

“We. We need to get to Canterlot.” Stout Heart corrected him. “I still can't believe you were going to let them die.”

“Whoa whoa whoa.” Nathan held up his hands and shot a glare at Stout. “First off, who said anything about we? I've already met your princess- which I'm going to assume you've forgotten. I know exactly what sort of games she's playing. I don't need or want an 'escort'. Second, you don't know anything about me. At all.” Stout opened his mouth to interrupt him, when the human clamped one hand over his snout. “And I swear to God that if you recite some half assed barely researched official propaganda like Princess Luna did I will punch you so hard right in the God damn mouth.”

"Well it doesn't change the fact that I'm under orders to watch over you on the way to Canterlot. Either I come with you, or I go hide out of sight and follow you there. Your choice. " Stout simply shrugged his shoulders and gave the human a dispassionate look.

"We'll discuss this later." Nathan growled and turned back to the other three. "You three on the other hand will not be following us anywhere. Next time you come anywhere near me I'll break your wings and leave you to die regardless of what some namby pamby guard says. Do I make myself clear?"

The pegasus nodded his head emphatically. "Uh... yeah... totally clear. Wh-where should we go though?"

"Don't know, don't care. Soon as this blizzard passes, I expect you to take your friends far away from me. On pain of not wanting to evoke my wrath. Until then, it's too dangerous to go out there with that pack of wolves."

* * * * *

The storm had passed a few hours later, and reinforced by another threat from Nathan the three would be assailants had left without any further trouble. The entire time waiting for them to leave, Stout Heart and the human had both sat on opposite sides of the cave, content to their own thoughts and company. As soon as they were alone, Nathan stood and started packing what remained of his bags.

"Where are you going?" Stout stood and stretched his legs before walking towards Nathan.

"Canterlot, remember? I know you're just a guard, but you can't be that dumb." He grabbed his firearm, slung it around his shoulder and started for the cave mouth.

"It was a rhetorical question, human. Well, you can't leave without me." Stout shook his head. "Princess Luna would have my hide tanned if I left you alone again."

"Wow. Oooooooooo." Nathan waved his hands in the air. "The big bad princess of the night is scary! She's given me a task and if I fail she'll have me torturrrred."

"You watch your mouth!" Stout stomped his hoof. "You couldn't possibly understand how great the princess is! She's given me so much! It's my privilege to serve her!"

"Privilege? What was all that about a tanned hide?" Nathan rolled his eyes.

"That was a matter if speech. She wouldn't actually. She's a just ruler. Maybe not the nicest, but she's just. You wouldn't understand anyways. All you exist for is to destroy, right Ypsilon?" Stout was snarling. "It's not my place to question her but I can't understand what she sees in you. You're just a disgusting brute with no sense of moral or conscious. What help could you possibly be?"

"Don't call me that! That's not my name. I don't care what stupid shit your little pony princess came up with. As for what she wants with me- it's the same as everyone else here it seems. She wants to use me then discard me as soon as I outlive my purpose. I'm sorry if I seem slightly hostile I don't take well to manipulation. Do you have any idea what she wants from me? Did she tell you?"

"No and I don't need to know because I trust her!" He growled back. "Something that, after watching you and Laughter for a day, is painfully lacking from you."

Nathan swung a fist and caught the thestral in the face, sprawling him out across the floor. "How much did you see? How long were you watching?! That was personal, private!"

"Private to her maybe! Not you! She's giving her everything to try and be your friend and you can't even give her a shred of what she wants from you." Stout got to his hooves and wiped the blood from his now cut lip. "What in Tatarus is wrong with you?"

"Wrong with me? Since when the hell did this turn into human psychoanalysis hour?" Nathan slammed one of his bags against the cave wall. "I thought you wanted to convince me to let you 'escort' me to Canterlot. You're doing a pretty piss poor job."

"Am I thought? You're not denying you're using that poor mare as a crutch while you lead another on in some disgusting mockery of kindness, which, I realize now that I've said it, is as ironic as it is sad. You need others. You can't be alone. We both know it- if only to stop you from doing something you'll regret!"

"I'm not using Pinkie, it's complicated! Fluttershy is... I don't know. Maybe I do need others." Nathan glanced back at Stout, most of the fight taken out of him. "Fine. You know what? I can't stop you and you'll just keep spying on me even if I said no. I could kill you though."

"You won't though." Stout rubbed a hoof against his body, wiping away a bit of grime.

Nathan raised his eyebrow. "How do you figure that? I thought you said I had no morals and only lived to destroy?"

"I did, but I've been observing you for a couple days and I know more than you think. I got you angry enough to lash out at me and you pulled your punch." Stout chuckled. "Don't get me wrong, that hurt, but I really don't want to be on the receiving end of anything you might dish out when you're actually trying to hurt somepony. Those three never stood a chance with or without me."

Nathan gave the thestral a long calculating look, trying to wrap his head around the myriad of pace and attitude changes coming from the pony. He finally settled on an appropriate response. "You know what Stout? I may have misjudged you. You're smarter than you let on, and you're not half bad." He stuck out an open palm towards the thestral.

"Err... thanks? I guess? What's with the hand?" Stout nervously offered his hoof in a similar motion, stiffening as the human grasped his hoof and shook it.

"It's called a handshake, though I suppose hoofshake would be more appropriate." He smiled at Stout. "It's how humans express their desire to avoid hostilities or work together. It's a good thing." He gently released the hoof and stood back from the pony.

"Oh. So we're friends now then?" The thestral examined his hoof and rolled his head to the side.

"No. But I won't try to kill you in your sleep now." Nathan laughed.

"You weren't going to try anyways." Stout actually managed to smile back.

"Eh, semantics. Well... should we get going then? I'd like to put a few kilometers between us and this cave before sundown. Still have a couple hours of light left." Nathan picked up his bags again and slung them over his shoulders.

"Actually, I'm quite familiar with this territory. If we walk through this cave we'll come out near Canterlot in a couple days. It'll be a bit of a trek, but no snow. Anypony else looking for us will likely be above ground too." Stout only had his armor with him, which he slipped back into.

"You're asking me to put a lot of trust in you Stout."

"Start by putting a bit of trust in me, and maybe it'll help with your 'friends'.”

Nathan took a few glances between the thestral and the entrance to the cave before sighing. “Alright. I can't imagine it could be any worse than wandering the countryside alone. Lead on.”

“Good.” Stout smiled and started trotting deeper into the cave. “A couple hours into the cave should take us to a water basin where we can camp for the night.” As the human followed him he suddenly looked confused and looked back over his shoulder. “What the hay is a kilometer?

* * * *

“You've got a funny way of trying to build my trust!” Nathan was shouting at Stout over his shoulder as the pair continued their breakneck sprint through the underground. He spun momentarily, cracking off a shot at one of the strange underground horrors that had found their camping spot soon after setting up, catching it on the beaked jaw. It spiraled into a stalagmite moments before dropping to the floor. The human resumed his running not waiting to see if any of the others were going to stop. He cursed under his breath as he felt the shotgun deteriorate further. “You might have mentioned that giant ugly penguins with crab claws would be in the god damn lake!”

“I didn't know!” Stout kept galloping, flapping his wings to regain his balance on occasion having taken a corner or hill too quickly. “There's never been anything like this down here!”

“Son of a-!”

* * * *

Several hours later, leaving the abominations far behind them, they exited the cave just as the sun was rising the next morning. A hasty conversation had determined that traveling through the night would probably be for the best, due to the now ever present threat of unknown abyssal horrors that might be lurking in the under-depths. That being said, following Stout Heart's directions had proved confusing and deposited them in the middle of a jungle.

Nathan took a confused look around and frowned. “Wait... what?” He glanced back at Stout, stepping hoof into the light, then back to the sweltering jungle stretching out in front of them. “Now... I sort of figured out that whatever it is about me is screwing with the weather in Equestria, but... uh... unless you've really taken me off the beaten path, and I'll resist making the joke about taking that left turn back in Albuquerque, should it be warm enough for a jungle? Is there even jungle in Equestria?”

“No... no there's not. Not normally.” Stout trotted around, inspecting the trees and foliage. “Hold on a moment.” Spreading his wings, he gave them several flaps before shooting into the air, straight up above the treeline. Just as he was about to break through the canopy he gave a startled cry and came straight back down, barely righting himself and narrowly avoiding a face first crash into the ground. “Oh... not good.”

“What's going on? You ok? What happened?” Nathan checked the thestral over for any sign of injury, nodding his approval at finding him largely uninjured, save for his pride, possibly.

“I'm fine. I'm fine. There's some form of magical barrier blocking me from going any higher than the canopy. It's not a physical barrier like the ones protecting the towns though. It feels like something else. Either way I have no idea where we are. This should have lead us out directly near Canterlot. I don't understand.” Stout glanced around frustrated. “Well... now what?”

“Well... I suppose we might as well set up camp here. I'm exhausted and I imagine you can't be fairing much better.” Nathan stripped off his jacket and set about building a fire.

“I just feel bad. I asked you to trust me and...”

“And it's ok. You didn't get me killed, and I can see that you're genuinely confused. For what it's worth I do trust you. At least enough I'm not going to kill you.” Nathan shrugged, planted himself next to the fire and took a bite of a piece of dried fruit. “Relax. Here, eat up.” The human tossed him a small bag of fruit, which Stout took gratefully.

“Thanks. I actually expected you to be angry. You almost always seem angry.” Stout chuckled softly. “I guess you're not all bad... Nathan.”

“Angry? Me?” Nathan gave a short laugh and shook his head. “Nah, you weren't that far off. I'm usually pretty angry. Fluttershy and Pinkie both call me out on it regularly. I also probably would have let the wolves snack on Sprinkles and the pegasus if you hadn't been there. Which... I suppose would be indirectly breaking my promise. So.... thanks.”

“So...” Stout gently tried to steer the topic away from an uncomfortable subject. “You already knew my name. I'm guessing we've met before and Princess Luna removed the memory?” He took a few bites of food.

“Mmf- yeah.” Nathan swallowed a mouthful and nodded. “A few nights ago. You and your buddy, Slatehide? Yeah him. Where is he by the way?”

“He's assisting the princess in Canterlot. She had initially sent the pair of us to watch over you, but he felt that I would be sufficient for the task. Being my superior officer I didn't have much say in the matter.”

“Superior? You two seemed to be fairly equally ranked from what I could see.” Nathan raised an eyebrow.

“While technically true, Princess Luna typically defers to his judgment before mine, by virtue of him having more experience. He was also the first one willing to join the night guard after the princess' return from banishment. While he could do to loosen up, I'd trust him with my life.” Stout finished off his small meal and gave a stretch. “Can I ask you something?”

“You just did.” The human chuckled at his own bad joke.

“You know what I mean.” Stout rolled his eyes. “Anyways- you and Fluttershy. What's up with that?”

Nathan narrowed his eyes and subconsciously felt his body shift into a more defensive position, pushing his shoulders out and frowning. “What about us?”

“Well... just... let's be honest here. She's the Element of Kindness, and you're... not?” Stout gave a sheepish grin. “I mean... do you love her?” To the thestral's surprise, the human's entire body sagged and he rocked forward onto his elbows, propping his chin up with his hands and gazing into the fire.

“No. No I don't.” Nathan sighed and shook his head. “I'm not even really sure how I feel about her now.”

“Wait... you don't care about her?” Stout tilted his head.

“No... No I do it's just... that's what makes it hard. She's so sweet, and kind, and gentle. Hell, I should tell you the story of when I showed up in Equestria and spent a few days in the Everfree. She was so damn mad when I saved her from a bear. She's the most caring individual I think I've ever met. Which is why I haven't been able to bring myself to tell her that I don't care about her that way. At all. She's already so delicate and fragile. I'm going to shatter her. It's going to happen one way or another, but every time I try she managed to talk me out of it.” Nathan rolled on to his back and gazed up at the canopy.

“But... but it should be easy for you. I mean, you don't even care for ponies that way right? From everything I've heard?”

“Well.” Nathan scratched the stubble on his chin with a hand and tried to figure out how to answer the pony's question. “That's... that's not entirely true.”

“Wait, wait, WAIT!” Stout leaped up. “You do like a pony? Like, romantically? But not Fluttershy?!”

“Maybe...”

“WHAT?! Then who?!” Stout took only a moment to put two and two together. “Pinkie Pie?!”

“Yes?! SO?!” Nathan sprang up and pointed a finger at the thestral. “What does it matter to you?! So I like her. A lot. I've got my own problems first. Besides, even if I did break it off with Fluttershy, which I should do anyways, who's to say Pinkie would want anything to do with me? It's not like she likes me like that!”

“How do you know though? That mare seems prepared to pour her heart out to you at a moment's notice. I'm sorry for eavesdropping but it's pretty painfully obvious to me that she trusts you more than her pony friends. Which when you consider that they're the Elements of Harmony? Is terrifying to me. You might not want to destroy anything, but if you don't watch yourself you're going to end up destroying the greatest symbols of hope and freedom of our kingdom!”

A flash of anger gripped the human, and for a moment all he could see were flames. “You think I don't know that?! I've already killed her!! What do want me to do, dad?! What do you want me to do?! I CAN'T BRING HER BACK!” Nathan was almost screaming at the thestral.

Stout backed off and frowned. “Wh-what? Bring who back? What are you talking about?”

“I... I...” Nathan took a few steps and slowly lowered himself to the ground. “It's nothing. I'm sorry Stout. That shouldn't have been directed at you.” He swallowed and shook his head. “I'm sorry. What should I do though?”

“You could start by speaking with Pinkie, see how she feels. Share more with her?” Stout shook his head. “I don't know, why are you asking me anyways? Does it look like I'm rolling in mares?”

“Well you started the conversation.” Nathan was still visibly agitated but he tried to shrug off his previous outburst. “Besides, you know what they say. Once you go black you never go back.”

“What?” Stout tilted his head, carefully sitting back down again. “I don't even know what that means. Go back to what? Are you implying that I'm black? I'm really more of like a... charcoal I think?”

Nathan buried his face in his palms and sighed. “Just never mind. We should get some sleep. Since we ditched the tent near the underground lake, we've just got a couple bags for pillows and my bedroll.” He tossed one of the bags to Stout. “I'm going to go get comfortable inside the cave mouth someplace so the sun doesn't keep me up all day.”

“You can sleep later Ypsilon.”

“I told you to stop...” Nathan's protest trailed off as he realized that Stout hadn't been the one to speak. In fact, Stout wasn't moving his lips. Or his body. Or at all. Gazing around, he could see nothing was moving, the bag suspended in mid-air. It was as if the entirety of the world ground to a halt suddenly. Reaching for his firearm, he jumped up to point it at the source of the voice... to find a pair of foals. “Who the hell are you?”

“Wow mister you sure are grouchy!” The filly bounced in place before chasing her tail. “Didn't your mama ever teach you not to use such language in front of foals? We could be impressionable!”

The colt put a hoof to his muzzle and sighed. “You are the embodiment of impressionable.”

“See?!” The female flopped on to her back.

“Specifically? No, I don't think she ever told me to be polite around foals. Children maybe, but not foals. I would be too, if I actually believed you to be juvenile ponies.” Nathan tightened his grip on the Pie Cannon and frowned. “Which, based on just about everything else I've seen, especially the time stop thing, nice touch by the way, I'm willing to bet you're not.”

“Oooooh! He's smart! WAAAAAY smarter than Loony Luna was... or OR Truthseeker. And Truthseeker is really smart! Remember what he said when he first met us? Huh? Huh?!” The filly was doing cartwheels and bouncing around the human. Nathan was torn between wanting to laugh, and wanting to put a slug between the bizarre foal's eyes. She came back up into a normal stance and put a no-nonsense look on her face. “'I have no time for foals like you! I am trying to learn how to see into the future!'” She broke down and giggled, snorts cutting through her laughter, and she collapsed and rolled around. “What a maroon! He would have figured it out wayyyyy sooner if he had just understood that the past is just as important!”

Nathan took a long hard look at the clearly befuddled colt and the giggling filly, standing open mouthed before finally throwing the safety back onto his shotgun and dropping it to his side. He gave the male a sympathetic smile. “I... I have a friend who's a lot like that. I can relate. Alright then, gun's down. You obviously want to talk... whatever you are. So let's talk.”

“You're not as reckless as you look.” The colt regained his composure, ignoring the filly. “If I was a pony and had no grasp of the fates I would have assumed that we'd be arguing for some time before you dropped your guard. But since I am in fact of the fates I knew exactly you would do so. My companion in her zeal for life in these new found bodies was exactly what was supposed to happen and thus it did.”

“Eh? Sorry?” Nathan tilted his head. “You're trying to tell me you can tell the future?”

“Or the past. Or present. Or what could be or might have been. We can see it all for we are fate incarnate. In a sense we know everything that might have been or might be known.” The colt took a deep bow. “We are no more a filly and colt than you are a rock. These bodies are... inefficient but necessary.”

“Well then. I supposed that isn't that surprising since Twilight showed me a few prophecies that have come true. Magic is as magic does I guess. But why appear to me as a foal? You could have shown up as another human. That would have really got my attention.”

“Simplicity. We've chosen a form with which to converse with material beings and it will be fine for this conversation or any conversations we may have in the future. It's also difficult to maintain two separate images for two separate locations at the same time.”

Nathan ignored the latter half of his explanation for the time being and began to pace in a small circle. “Will we have further conversations?”

“We know if it is so, but you at this time do not.”

“'Maybe, but I'm not telling nah nah.' Right, loud and clear. So what do you want with me then?”

The filly abruptly stopped laughing and rolled to her hooves. “Because you're the lynchpin, and your friends are going to need your help. Some sooner than others.”

“What?” Nathan stopped pacing and gave the female a hard look. “I'm going to be honest here and say that that doesn't really make sense.”

“What do you mean?” The filly tilted her head.

“Well first of all, I don't think they need my help. If anything I think I'm making things worse.” Nathan stuck up a finger.

“Which you are.” The colt nodded.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence there.” Nathan grumbled. “Second, the lynchpin for what? Look, you're these fate things right? Side note- if a few months ago you told me I'd be having a conversation with two foals who were actually some embodiment of fate itself, and that I'd think it was no big thing, I'd say you were insane. Anyways- fate things. Why are you telling me anything? If you know everything that's going to happen what's the point?”

“Dopey mopey.” The filly scrunched up her face. “We know everything that could happen. We're just here to help it along so things go the way they should.”

“Yes.” The colt nodded. “Most of the time, we would give vague suggestions to those we visited, veiled half truths and prophecies. It's not in our nature to give our followers the answers they seek. You're a horse of a different colour.”

“Because you're not a horse!” The filly was giggling again.

“Quite.” The foal grumbled. “You're not as easily coerced nor do you trust readily. You also don't spend much time thinking through a problem, jumping at the first solution and executing it. A direct approach is necessitated.”

“Alright, so you're trying to steer me towards something because I'm some sort of lynchpin for something? What does it matter though? Look, I'm no mystical expert or fortune teller, but I'm going to have to make the assumption that you're only taking an active interest in what's going on because it threatens you. If fate is real, which I'll play ball on that way for the purposes of this discussion, fate should just continue on. Regardless of who lives or dies, or how they live or die. Fate continues on.”

“Unless there's nothing left to live or die.”

“Unless there's... wait WHAT?!” Nathan shot the colt a glare. “Back up. BACK UP. Are you saying that because of me that everything in Equestria is going to die? I'm going to destroy the world? How? Why?!”

“I never said you would be the one to do it. In fact, I will promise you that you yourself, in none of the possible outcomes, will be directly responsible for the end of the world.” The colt nodded.

“Indirectly though?”

“Indirectly... you are the lynchpin. Your friends don't know it yet, but they're going to be relying on you. Or it's the end. No more Luna, Celestia, ponies, changelings. Nothing. Equestria will be a scorched ball of rock floating through the cosmos, eventually colliding with the sun.” The colt gazed up through the canopy at the rays of sunshine filtering through the unnaturally still leaves.

“Oh.” Nathan flopped to his backside and shook his head. “Maybe the destroyer is an apt name after all. How can I stop it?”

The filly jumped into his lap and squished his face between her hooves. “You could kill yourself!” She giggled and rolled away.

“Fates above...” The colt sighed.

“Is she telling the truth? Would that save Equestria?” Nathan glanced at his firearm.

“We cannot lie. Yes, it would, but your friends will all die, and with their deaths the chances of Equestria sustaining itself in the long run decreases significantly as the elements would have to manifest in new bearers, not to mention what it would do to Princess Celestia.” The pointed through the jungle. “Just over that way they've just escaped from the stronghold of one of our old associates, Truth Seeker. They've weathered several more trials and are nearly falling apart as a group. While five of them have made their way to the edge of the jungle and will soon enter Canterlot, Loyalty has abandoned their cause for the time being, admittedly due to our intervention. She has gone north to seek help for her friends.”

“They're all ok though physically right?” Nathan looked a little worried and studied the pair of foals. “|I already knew they had been having issues, mostly thanks to me, but as long as they're not hurt...”

“You would be surprised how little of their issues are due to your presence. However, they nearly died the past eve, or turned into mindless thralls. Our old friend Truth has been searching for the key to a prophecy and running ponies through an archaic test with no merit. The failures are turned into mindless beasts, not unlike the ponies and horses from your world. He has fallen out of favour with us. We wish for you to deal with him. Do so, and we will continue to aid you as we can. Don't kill him. Just remind him how little he truly is.”

“Really?” Nathan stood up and glared at the colt. “You want me to go kick the shit out of some ponies that made you angry? Aren't you the fates? Couldn't you have seen that happening?”

“We did! We also knew you would agree to exacting our punishment.” The filly was bouncing again, excited.

“And why oh why, am I going to do that?” Nathan growled at the vibrating foal.

“Because he was trying to twist Twilight to his cult and she was going to agree and sell out Pinkie Pie and Truth would have made her a mindless mud wallower first because he's actually scared of her because well you know exactly why you've seen her 'Pinkie Sense' you think she got that just for fun?!” The filly was giggling again.

“Oh. Really.” Nathan grabbed the Pie Cannon. The fury in his eyes as his face blossomed into a deep shade of red would have cowed a normal pony. Even this filly, as unlikely to be afraid as she was, couldn't help but tremble. “Where was his little compound again?”

“O-over there. It's beyond those trees!” She waved a hoof in a general direction. She cowered beside the colt.

“Wait.” Nathan spun back towards the foals. “Why didn't you talk to me before? A lot of this could be avoided if you had spoken to me earlier.” He threatened them with the gun. It wouldn't have done anything to them, but his rage wasn't going to tell him that.

“We have met once before.” The colt nodded. “When we next meet, if you haven't figured it out I'll tell you then.”

“That's pretty damn cryptic!” The human punched a tree and winced as his hand started to throb.

“So it is. So we are.”

“God dammit whatever. I'll deal with you two later.” He cocked his firearm, chambered it full with the strongest charged beanbags he had and crashed through the jungle.

“Wh-why does he scare me so much?” The filly was still nervously sitting next to the colt. “He's just a mortal.”

“He's a mortal we have very little control of. You know how well and what sorts of magic actually interact with his personal field.” The colt shook his head, pushing her out of the sight of Stout as time resumed its normal progression. “We know where his path intersects however.”

“Nathan? Ypsilon?!” Stout looked around the suddenly empty campsite, flopping over as the bag slammed into his face. All three of them, the two hidden harbingers of fate as well as the thestral night guard currently regaining his footing, could vaguely make out a very masculine and very infuriated voice yelling.

““We hath hearkened that thou was to bring harm to our little ponies. Whilst they may not have brought to thee in greatness harm… We art very able and very willing.”

“Really? Really?!” Stout dashed off through the jungle.

* * * * *

“Alright, now that we've thoroughly thrashed those unicorns...” Stout spat out a bit of blood and nursed a patch of fur that had been scorched by an errant lightning bolt. “Can you explain to me why it was necessary to dash off into the jungle and suddenly beat the apples out of them? And what in Tartarus was with the Old Canterlot speech?”

“Well...” Nathan sheepishly shrugged. “I'm not sure you'd believe me if I told you. The speech sounded appropriate. Like a righteous God given fury. I don't know. You didn't have to come and help me either. What the hell was that all about?”

“That was me showing you I trusted you. Everything I've seen from you says that you would only attack somepony if you had reason to. Your reasons are usually pretty lackluster, but reasons. Try me. Give me the reason.”

“Alright.” Nathan nodded. “There was a sudden time stop spell dropped on top of us, and while you were frozen in place a pair of foals claiming to be able to see fate came to talk to me. They told me that these unicorns,” Nathan kicked one of their unconscious bodies, “tried to injure and/or kill and/or enslave the elements and they had barely escaped. I got mad.”

“Huh.” Stout rolled one of the bodies over and looked him over. “Considering you have romantic feelings for one...”

“Stout...”

“...and are friends with a couple of others I'd say you showed a lot of restraint. Not a single dead body. I'm impressed.” Stout kept looking at the one he'd flipped. “This one looks like he'd already taken a fireball or something before we even got here. Poor sucker. Never stood a chance.” Stout looked up to see Nathan staring at him like he'd grown a second head. “What? Something on my face?”

“Actually yes, you've got a bit of blood rolling down your cheek.” The thestral wiped it away with a wing. “But that's besides the point. I'm a little confused.” Nathan gestured to the room. “I thought Luna sent you to make sure I didn't do shit like this.”

“No, she sent me to make sure nothing happens to you. I'm just doing my job.” Stout grinned. “Ok, ok, I like a good scrap too. Remember- this was me putting my trust in you. I'd say it was well placed.”

“Alright it's official.” Nathan laughed. “You're my friend now. For what it's worth, trusting you hasn't worked out too badly either. You might be on to something. I'll be having that chat with Pinkie when we get to Canterlot.”

“You're pretty ok yourself human. A little horrifying. But ok.” Stout chuckled as they left the compound.

“I can live with that. Man, I need sleep though.” Nathan gave a loud yawn. “Shit... do you remember the way back to our campsite?”

“...really?” Stout sighed.

“Damn. Ok, well I still have the important stuff on me, so I guess we might as well just head towards Canterlot. Look-” He pointed at some damaged underbrush. “Looks like four or five ponies went this way at a good pace. I'd bet that's our mares. Follow the trail and it should lead us to them, which is hopefully Canterlot.” He started walking along with Stout falling in line behind him. “We'll put some distance between us and this place before bedding down for sleep first though. I'm not going to make it another twelve hours.”

“I can concur with you there.” Stout yawned behind him. “I'm looking forward to a good nap.”

“Me too buddy.”

“Buddy's now are we?”

“Yeah... you've earned it.”

* * * * *

After a well deserved, though uncomfortable sleep, and the inexplicable reaction to the jungle just suddenly disappearing as they pushed through onto the plains, the pair found themselves finally, finally, approaching Canterlot early in the morning. Rather than heading for any of the main gates, they had curled around slightly south and come up through one of the small suburbs, Cloverleaf. Having stumbled across some of the wanted posters Nathan was in a characteristically grumpy mood.

“Wonderful. So the girls, myself, and Luna are all wanted criminals now?” He growled at Stout. “There something you're not telling me here? Other than everything?”

“I... I don't understand.” Stout shook his head. “These posters are new. And they're referring to the princess as Nightmare Moon...” He leafed through the stack he had found and tossed them aside in frustration. “Please believe me, I don't understand. She's not. She's Princess Luna. She would never...” He was quieted as Nathan placed a hand on his back.

“Hey, it's ok.” Nathan nodded. He was frowning, but not angry. “I didn't mean to accuse you, I'm sorry. I believe you. Alright then, clearly, things have changed. I thought you said Slatehide was keeping an eye on things in the city?”

“I... thought he was.” He glanced off into the distance, barely making out the Lunar Spire from their position walking through the abandoned streets. “Never thought I'd be happy for a curfew. Not a pony in sight to worry about.”

“Tell me about it. Alright. Game plan. I think our first order of business should be...” Nathan was cut off as Stout suddenly shoved him into an alleyway.

“Pegasus guard! Keep out of sight!” Stout hastily apologized under his breath. Nathan hid behind a dumpster and watched.

“Night Guard Stout Heart?” The pegasus came in low and landed in front of the thestral, giving a polite bow. “Private Sleet, Pegasus Reserve Corps.”

“Private Sleet.” Stout nodded back. “Are you an official escort?”

“No, and keep quiet.” Sleet stepped closer to Stout and Nathan had to strain to overhear the conversation. “At this point I assume you've seen the wanted posters and the notices for curfew?”

“Of course. What is going...”

“Stop. Not right now. I can't explain here, they could be watching us anywhere. Listening in.” Fleet cast a few nervous glances at the sky. “Have you seen Ypsilon?”

Stout carefully examined the pegasus and frowned. The fur on the back of his neck was standing on end and something was not right. “Why do you ask? How do you know that name?”

“We've seen the changes Princess Celestia has gone through over the last few months. We've... been preparing for the worst. First Skylight, the curfews... we're scared. Luna needs help. We're going to give it to her.”

“Who? Who are you? Who is we?”

“We're...” Fleet went silent as he heard the flap of wings in the distance. “We never had this discussion. Stay safe. I'll find you later.” A moment later Stout Heart saw his fellow night guard approaching.

"Stout Heart!" Slatehide set down and trotted up to his usually more jovial counterpart. "Stout Heart, I need to speak with you."

"Can it wait?" Stout Heart glanced at the other lunar guard. "Private Sleet was giving me a report of the goings on in Canterlot. It does not sound good. How did you not hear about this? I've been waiting on you for days."

"I'm... I'm sorry I've made a terrible mistake and I fear for not only your life but Princess Luna's now." Slatehide looked at his hooves before glancing over at Sleet. "You should probably go before you're associated with us."

"Wait, what's going on?" Stout Heart narrowed his eyes at Slatehide. Sleet, for his part, was beginning to look worried. "What did you do?"

"I... I thought that Princess Luna was starting to slip back into being Nightmare Moon. Princess Celestia had me convinced of such. I was just trying to help!"

"Slatehide, what did you do?!" Stout Heart was clearly agitated.

"I sold you and Princess Luna out! I've been feeding her misinformation on Princess Celesia's orders! Now Celestia is about to make her move on Luna, she's actively trying to capture and imprison the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, and she's gone totally nuts!"

"You did what?! Are you insane?! Princess Luna warned us of this! That's why we've been out here! Did you not figure that out?! Do you have any idea what you've done?!" Stout Heart took a step towards his counterpart.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think..."

"Of course not. You never think, always blindly following your orders. Now what? Are you going to confess to Princess Luna? That's what I would be doing."

"Unfortunately, that won't be possible." A third voice joined their conversation from above, forcing both night guards to jump back and look up. To their astonishment, two of Celestia's personal guards were approaching them, spears drawn. "As traitors to Princess Celestia, you have been sentenced to death. Immediately."

"On whose authority? The death penalty hasn't been used in centuries!" Stout Heart took a step back, glaring at the pair of newcomers.

"Princess Celestia's of course." One of the sun guards replied. "Now, are you going to come along or shall we execute you now?"

"Think about what you're doing! You're going to kill two fellow guards because the princess says so? Do you have any idea how wrong that is?"

"Still you question the might of Princess Celestia. She has decreed it, and so it shall be." The pegasus took a few steps towards the lunar guard. "Private Sleet, please assist us in detaining these two traitors. Should they resist, lethal force is authorized. Should you choose to stand against us, such force will be turned on you."

Sleet took a few nervous glances between the antipodes before taking wing. One of the solar guards threw his spear at the fleeing pegasus, striking him in the leg and leaving a long gash. The guard grunted in pain before disappearing into Canterlot. The pair of white pegasi shook their head before turning back to the black ones. Brandishing their spears menacingly, they took a few steps towards them.

"We will deal with him later. Now, are you two prepared to come along quietly? Either way you will be dead before our princess brings the sun down below the horizon, so the choice is yours. As neither of you are carrying any weaponry, this is not a difficult decision."

"Fantastic." Stout Heart muttered before turning to Slatehide. "You betray my trust, as well as that of Princess Luna, and all you're getting out of the deal is your head on a pike. Bravo. Good show. Asshole."

"I made a mistake, alright? I was fooled into thinking Princess Luna had become evil again. You saw the way she skulked about Canterlot at night, spying on her sister and sending us after that human."

"So now that you know she's not, and see what Princess Celestia is doing you come crawling back, begging for forgiveness? You sad pathetic little pegasus. If it wasn't for this pair of jokers attempting to take us in I'd have half a mind to buck you halfway to Trottingham and then drag you back to Princess Luna."

"Alright, time's up! Since you have refused to submit, your fate has been decided." The solar guard took a menacing step towards the two lunar guards before noticing Stout Heart laughing. "What is so funny?"

"Well, looks like we stalled you just long enough.." Stout Heart pointed towards Canterlot, over the shoulder of the guards. "It seems as though Private Sleet decided to get some reinforcements." Turning to look at what Stout Heart had pointed out, the guards saw the still injured private flapping towards them with Shining Armor right behind him. Focusing his magic, he conjured a sphere of protective energy, similar to the one he had erected around Canterlot during the wedding preparations, and enveloped the night guards in it. Skidding to a halt a few feet away, he growled at the assembled guards.

"Stand down, all of you, on the orders of Knight Captain Shining Armor! You will cease and desist all hostilities at once and settle this peaceably." Shining glared at the solar guards in particular.

"You have no authority over us Captain Sparkle. We are under orders from Princess Celestia herself. We are to detain this pair of traitors and take them to the princess herself. Any intervention on your part will be seen as acting against the princess and you shall share their fate, captain or not." The pegasus snorted and turned back to face the lunar guards. "Now, with that interruption dealt wi-URRK!" His words were cut off as Shining leaped over to the solar guard and delivered a buck to his side, sprawling him out across the ground.

"Orders from Celestia or not you have to know that this is wrong. I will ask you one more time to stand down, before I deal with you personally." Shining narrowed his eyes.

"Fool! You have sealed your own fate!" The guard gave a sharp whistle and out of seemingly nowhere several more solar guards appeared, descending upon the now heavily outnumbered and weaponless quartet.

"This is not going to end well..." Slatehide muttered. His concerns were short lived as out of the corner of his eye he saw the muzzle flash of the Pie Cannon.

BANG BANG BANG

Three loud cracks echoed through the streets, two of the shots catching the lead solar guard in the chest and putting him through a flimsy produce cart. The third slug sailed inches over Stout's head, forcing him to duck instinctively, as it found it's mark on the muzzle of one of the low flying pegasi, twisting him in place and dumping him roughly on the ground. Racking three more shells into the shotgun the human leaped off the top of the dumpster, bringing the firearm down like a club and caving in the helmet of a third guard. The sudden attack bought him a moment of confusion, which he used to line up another trio of shots..

Then all hell broke loose.

“It's HIM! Kill the destroyer!” Several of the remaining guards, a quick count determined nine, spun in place and almost as one bore down on his position. Their spears held forward like arrows of death they homed in on their target. With two more cracks of his gun he pulled another out of the air before rolling to the side. He managed to avoid the spears, however one of the solar guards lashed out with a rear hoof, smashing his face as he passed and turning his nose to pulp.

Shining Armor turned to help the human, however he and the other three were still faced with several guards. Grasping the sword out of one of the pegasus' scabbard, he deftly swatted away one of the spears that had been driven towards his face and twisted in place. The solar guard that had been threatening him brought back his spear, intending to catch the unicorn in his now exposed side. He wasn't prepared for Shining to twist fully around, slip within the reach of the pointed weapon, and deliver a headbutt to the pegasus' defenseless chin. The airborne pony folded like a card table and crashed to the ground, his spear rolling to the side. Grasping it in his teeth, he brought the shaft down on another assailant, the pegasi mare he had taken the sword from, dazing the pegasus long enough for him to deliver a solid left hook to her face, forcing the solar guard to drop the hammer she was wielding.

Dealing with his own adversaries- two skilled swordsponies with gleaming blades, Slatehide grunted as his own blade, pilfered from one of the now downed pegasi, clattered against theirs. While by no means green, Slate, like most of the other guards, hadn't seen any combat besides sparring and the odd tussle with a wayward beast. Fighting for his life against two guards that not only seemed, but were undoubtedly, superior to him gave him a sense of unease above and beyond the realization that he might just die, slashed apart by guards that should have been his allies. He dodged to the side, falling into a roll that brought him under two precision thrusts aimed at where his neck had been a split moment before, he slashed recklessly with the blade in his grasp, knocking the swords away but shattering his own. Moving two steps backwards he parried a third strike with the now ruined blade, spread his wings and catapulted himself skyward. That only bought him a second, as the two pegasi were on him just as fast. Dropping the useless slab of metal, he peeled off down the street.

Sleet was surprisingly holding his own against his trio of opponents. Armed only with another dropped sword, he parried and lanced his way around all three, leaping to the air to spin over a pair of spears only to land with his blade in position to receive and deflect a heavy hammer. He snarled as he danced back out of the reach of the spears.

“Sleet!” When Shining yelled at him, he lost his focus for a moment, long enough to catch the butt of a spear on the chin, knocking him to the side. He quickly recovered and sliced off a half meter of the offending slab of wood. “Quit showing off and finish up! Ypsilon is going to get skewered!”

“I'm doing my best boss!” Sleet called back, rushing one of the other pegasi and bowling him into a wall, taking him out of the fight. “You focus on helping Stout!” He rolled his blade aside in time to catch the hammer again, bringing it in close by hooking his sword on the head, before using his other hoof on the flat of the blade to shove the implement roughly back at its owner, striking her solidly in the head and sprawling her out on the street.

“Good job!” Shining covered Stout, still unarmed and doing his best to make sense of the chaos erupting around him. “Stout, what are you doing?” The unicorn staved off another blow directed towards the thestral and gave the night guard a rough check to the side of his body. “Grab something and start swinging!”

“Right... right!” Stout gripped a nearby spear, which he was clearly uncomfortable with and unused to using, and held it in front of him. Shining merely sighed and rolled his eyes, using the hilt of his sword to knock in the helmet of another pegasus.

Nathan recovered quickly from his broken nose, ignoring the pain and blood as he calmly cracked off another trio of shots, catching a pair of the pegasi off guard and slinging them through a nearby window, shards of broken glass clattering off their armor. While out of sight, they didn't seem to be returning to the fight, so he turned to face the remaining six. Several spears thrust towards his head and body, and he had to use the body of the Pie Cannon to deflect as many as he could, catching several in his arms and one to his shoulder. “Agh shit.” He opened the chamber, deflected a sword, slotted three more shells, twisted away from a spear, racked it shut and pulled the trigger.

The muzzle promptly exploded.

The repeated use and abuse of the firearm had finally become too much for the failing steel and the barrel spread out like the bristles of a chimney sweep. The resulting shot was enough to lightly sock one of the guards in the head, but failed to do more than bruise her cheek. Dropping the ruined weapon he frowned. “Well damn.” Two of the pegasi stepped in and brought their hammers around in a low arc, slamming his chest and throwing him to the ground. The crack of one of his ribs snapping was audible and even some of the solar guards faltered in their attack. The delay was long enough for him to scramble out of the way before the hammers came down on his head.

“Hey! Shining!” Nathan wheezed out, clutching his chest. “Sorry we couldn't meet on better terms. Could I get a hand here? You know where the girls are?”

“I'm on it!” Sleet turned and bucked his last opponent in the face, watching him crumple to the ground. Grasping one of the spears, he brought it around in an overhoof throw, piercing one of the hammer guard's legs, forcing her to drop her implement and scream in pain.

“Sleet!” Shining called again. “No permanent injuries!”

“Try telling that to the human with his chest caved in!” Sleet shouted back, dancing into the fray with the remaining solar guards. “I'm doing my best here!”

“I'm ok!” Nathan moaned, the trail of blood he spat up betraying his condition. “Don't kill them on my account! How the hell do you guys grip your weapons anyways?!”

“Enchanted barding clips!” Shining yelled, slapping another pegasus away with the flat of his blade. “Twily and her friend's are at my parents! Directions and small talk later!”

“If there is a later...” The human grabbed the dropped hammer and did his best to defend himself. Out of the corner of his eye he could see a grey shape followed by two glittering suns. Keeping his attention divided to the best of his abilities, as Slate flew low over top of him trying to lose his pursuers, Nathan brought the hammer up in an underhand blow and knocked one out of the sky, directly onto his compatriot. Both tumbled through the air and into a third guard, and it was only by sheer luck none of them ended up impaled on each others blades. The momentary save had distracted him from the pegasi attempting to kill him however, and another spear caught him in the arm, knocking the hammer loose and leaving a long gash in his arm. “Shit!” His desperate scramble to rearm himself was cut short however.

“THAT IS QUITE ENOUGH!” Out of nowhere, the Royal Canterlot Voice echoed through the street of Cloverleaf, stilling the combatants. Shining Armor, Slatehide and Stout Heart all dipped into low bows. Sleet merely stood in place. Nathan collapsed clutching his chest. “THE NEXT PONY TO RAISE A HOOF AGAINST ANOTHER WILL HAVE IT REMOVED FROM THEIR LEG.” None of them were in any position to test that threat. Princess Luna descended to the ground, planting herself directly between the combating factions.

“It's Nightmare Moon!” One of the solar guards shrieked. “Get the wounded and fly!”

“HOLD. She dropped a sphere of dark magic over all of the pegasi guards and smiled as one by one they winked out of existence.

“Are they...” Shining raised an eyebrow before breathing a sigh of relief as the princess shook her head.

“No Prince Shining.” Luna's mouth fell into a grimace. “I've merely placed them in a realm between shadows. I can't say the visit will be pleasant, but they will slip back into our reality in a day or two, no worse for the wear. Long enough to keep them away from my sister.” She turned to Slatehide.

“Slatehide.” She glared down at the stallion. The thestral kept himself flat to the ground, eyes on Luna's hooves. “You have disappointed me. I trusted you more than any other in the new realm of Equestria, and you have let me down. I should remove your from your post, strip you of my blessing, and have you summarily discharged out of the royal service.”

“Wait!” Stout bolted in front of his fellow night guard and dipped into another bow. “It is not my place to question you my princess, but please, don't punish him. He may have made a mistake, but I truly believe he had Equestria's best interests at heart.”

“Yes. That is my belief as well.” Princess Luna nodded and cast Stout a warm smile. “As proven by his willingness to turn against Princess Celestia when it became clear she was harming the kingdom as her madness progresses. While I am disappointed., and it is within my right to pass judgment, I will not nor was I going to. Your willingness to aid your fellow guard speaks volumes to your loyalty and wisdom Stout Heart. Rise, stand by my side. You as well Slatehide. We shall speak further of what your punishment shall be, but for the time being consider your transgressions forgiven.”

“Thank-you, your majesty.” Both lunar guards intoned together, taking up their positions flanking the princess, Slate looking slightly cowed and Stout beaming proudly.

“Prince Armor...”

“Please, Princess Luna. Just Shining. Or Captain Armor if you must.” Shining stood up straight, dropping his pilfered sword onto the street. “I really don't feel comfortable being called a prince, regardless of my marriage to Cadance.”

“Captain Armor then. My lunar guards fighting for their lives against Celestia's loyal, likely brainwashed, guards I can understand. What I am having difficulty grasping is why yourself and...”

“Private Sleet, reserve Corps. Ma'am.” Fleet bowed.

“...and Private Sleet would be combating them?” Luna narrowed her eyes at the pegasus and the easy manner with which he carried himself and the blade still attached to his hoof.

“Would you believe that I'm just trying to keep the peace?” Shining gave a sheepish smile.

“No, I most certainly would not.” Luna tapped an impatient hoof against the ground.

“Then it's a good idea that I wasn't going to say that.” Shining nodded to Luna. “Actually...”

“Um, sorry to break up the little pony guard get together.” Nathan interrupted Shining, spitting up another mouthful of blood. “But I'm fairly certain I'm bleeding internally and could really use a little help. At least a few bandages anyways?”

“Yp... Nathan!” Luna went wide eyed at the human sitting off to the side, cradling his chest with one hand while using his shirt to try to stem the blood flowing from his nose. She turned back to Stout and pointed towards Shining and Fleet. “Stout Heart, you and Slatehide get as much information out of those two as you can. I want to know what's going on.” As the four ponies trotted off to the side she sighed.

“What happened?” Nathan tried to chuckle, though the pain in his chest forced him into a wince. “Well, I was hanging out with Stout- who I'd like to say right now, before I die or something, is pretty cool for a pony and I really appreciate you sending him to watch out for me. Everything was going swell- we beat up some thugs, ran from some sort of subterranean crab penguins, met a pair of not foals, roughed up some cultists, then we arrived here, just in time to get jumped by oh... twenty or so of those solar guard assholes.” He coughed and wheezed.

Luna frowned and conjured up some bandaged, wrapping his wounds and binding his chest to the best of her ability. She made one attempt to ply her magic to his wounds but it was as ineffective as Sprinkle's fireballs. “I'm sorry, I can't do any more for your injuries. This wasn't supposed to happen like this. She's moving too soon.” While she gave no indication she had heard him speak of the foals, the flesh paling beneath the fur on her face was evidence of her feelings.

“I think I'll be ok princess.” He gave her a genuine smile. “Give me a couple of days to recover and I'll still help you with your plan. It's all coming together!” The blood rolling down his chin from his nose told her otherwise.

“Unfortunately there isn't a couple of days to be had.” She shook her head and cast her glance towards the castle. “Any minute now the Elements will be brought before Celestia and she will pass her judgment on them. She will not be kind. If they are to be saved I need to go now.”

“But you can't beat her!” Nathan protested and struggled to his feet. “You've said before she's the more powerful sister! You'll be slaughtered!”

“Be that as it may I have to try! You are in no position to question me either.” Luna snarled back at the human, kicking dust up in his face. “I shall go alone and face my sister. Should I fail it falls to you to carry out our agreement.”

“But if you're gone...”

“Princess Cadance would be an acceptable substitute. All of Equestria is relying on you Ypsilon. Do not forget that. Wait... where is your strange cannon?”

“I taxed it beyond what it could take. Blew apart in my hands.” Nathan shook his head. “Trying to rebuild it in Canterlot would be next to impossible what with the wanted posters everywhere.”

“Hmmm...” Luna retrieved the fragmented shotgun and turned it over a few times in her magic.”While my magic has no effect on you...” She kicked off her glittering shoes, relishing the feel of the ground under her bare hooves, and spun them around the firearm, carefully unweaving and reweaving the magics contained within. A flash of light later, and the Pie Cannon settled softly to the ground, fully repaired. Slipping back in to her now smaller shoes, Luna nodded in satisfaction.

“There you are. Good as new. Better, actually. There are powerful protective, as well as offensive, magics woven into the royal regalia. I was able to impart some of that into your weapon of choice.” Luna smiled as the human looked at his toy with wonder.

Lifting the firearm, he found the weight significantly reduced, however a pass of his hand over the now sheening blue-metal barrel revealed it to be much harder. The stock had been reinforced with a border of silvery steel, and he smiled as he opened the chamber to find it operated more smoothly than even when it was brand new. Pulling a round from his pocket, he almost grinned as he racked it up with a neat and satisfying click. The whole ensemble positively glowed.

“This... this is incredible. Nightmare Boom indeed...” He looked up at Luna and smiled. “I... thanks. I know it seems silly, but after my experiences here, you have no idea how much it means to me to have this thing back in working order.”

“I once waged war against my sister over a thousand years ago human. You would be surprised to know how comforting I have found having a trusted armament by my side.” She looked over to the other four ponies, with Shining and Fleet deep in a heated argument. “Listen to me, Nathan. I go to face my sister, and quite possibly my fate. You are to rest and recover. Go to the Sparkle residence, wait there for the Elements to return.” With that, she took to the sky, speeding towards Canterlot Castle.

“Princess Luna!” Stout Heart cried out. Getting no response from the long gone princess he turned to Nathan. “Where's she going?!”

“To fight Princess Celestia.” Nathan frowned. “She's going to get herself killed.”

“What?!” Stout took off for the castle, Slate close behind.

“Sleet!” Shining yelled at the pegasus. “Go to Cadance. Tell her everything that's happened here! That's a direct order!” He galloped off in hot pursuit of the two thestrals.

“Shining! What are you doing?! Argh FINE!” Fleet turned and headed in nearly the opposite direction, north into the Equestrian countryside.

Left alone to his wounds, Nathan struggled to stand, finally managing to get his feet underneath him. “Well... might as well go check out Twilight's place. Hope her parents don't mind a guest.”

"Nah can't really think of anything else that happened sorry." He shrugged and shook his head. "Sorry it wasn't more exciting than 'I walked to Canterlot'."

"No we quite understand. You can understand the earlier skepticism though right? A lot has happened to us." Rarity frowned, looking down at the floor. "More than one sleepless night for that matter." She shook her head and looked back up at the human. "Still! It's good you're here in mostly one piece. Right girls?"

"Eeeeyup." Applejack mimicked her brother, cracking a smile. "Sure as shootin'."

"Oh of course." Fluttershy stroked the human's cheek, oblivious to him flinching away or the glare Pinkie gave her.

"Whatever." Twilight huffed. "I should go see if Queen Celestia needs me." She briskly walked out the door, barely acknowledging Nathan.

"Sure..." Pinkie gave him a hard look. "Yeah we're happy." She also trotted out the door.

"Pinkie?" Rarity watched the earth pony go, perplexed. "Now what's gotten into her? I'm sorry Nathan."

"No, no it's fine. I should go talk to her though." Nathan stood as Fluttershy gently slipped out of his lap. "Sorry Fluts, we'll catch up in a little bit."

"But... but..." Fluttershy looked lost and confused. "I'm sure she'll be fine... wouldn't you rather stay here with me? I mean we can go walk through the gardens, I could show you some of my animal friends..."

"Fluttershy." Nathan stood in place, his face frozen in conflict. "Look I'm sorry, I really need to talk to her." Grabbing his gear he ran out the door. "Pinkie wait!"

"Nathan!" The pegasus gave a soft gasp and looked back at Rarity and Applejack. "Wh-what's gotten into him?"

"I have no idea." Rarity sighed. Turning her attention to Applejack she frowned. "So? How much of his story did you believe?"

"Rarity, Ah ain't heard a bigger load a horseapples since the last Apple family reunion when the tall tales started flying. Not to mention the little filly's room."

"I was afraid you'd say that." She sighed. "Also, eww and rude. I did not need that visual."

Nathan stumbled down the quiet residential street, still in pain due to his rib, the estates and summer homes of various nobility shimmering in the early morning light. A few curious ponies stuck their heads out of windows at the sound of his feet, but quickly withdrew at the sight of the 'monster'. Unsure of where the pink pony might have gone, he turned towards the castle. Finally he spotted Twilight walking down the main drag.

"Twilight! Twilight wait up!" The human called out. To his surprise she spun in place and fired a beam of energy directly at his torso. It dissipated quickly on contact, harmlessly petering out.

Twilight stomped towards him, snorted, lifted both forehooves to his chest before shoving one directly under his nose. "Look." Her eyes were flaring with hate and... confusion? Huh? "I have tolerated you long enough. I am going to stand in my rightful place by Queen Celestia's side. I will be telling her about you. You've already heard what happened to my brother. To traitors. Don't come anywhere near me or my queen ever again."

"But you love your brother." Nathan tilted his head. "You're just going to let him stay frozen?"

"I still love my brother. But he was a traitor. The Queen knows best. She saved us from AHHHHG!" Twilight suddenly crumpled to the ground, gripping her head. "No... that doesn't make sense... but of course it does, he was wrong... but he was my BBBFF... but she's always right!" She struggled for a few more moments before standing straightening out her mane, eyes bloodshot.

"Twilight I think you need..." Nathan closed the gap between them before she sharply cut him off.

"I don't need anything from you!" Twilight snorted again. "What did you even want anyways?"

"Uh... where would Pinkie Pie go in Canterlot? If she needed to go be alone or something?" Nathan frowned at the unicorn.

"Probably Doughnut Joe's. Fifth and Mane, business district." She glared back.

"Ok thanks Twilight. For what it's worth, I'm sorry." Nathan turned and looked over his back.

"For what? Other than everthing else?" She hissed through her teeth.

"Your apparent lack of care for your brother. He's a good pony. He'd be disappointed." He walked off, ignoring the frustrated screech and several lances of energy splashing against his back. He continued om his way, crossing into the business district just as the shops and bakeries were opening for business. Most slammed their doors as he walked passed, wanted posters and flyers prominently posted in every window. Closing in on Doughnut Joe's (prominently marked by a sign of the grinning proprietor) he was surprised to see the door open and the owner himself standing outside.

"Hey! Hey you!" Joe called out to Nathan. "Yeah you!"

"Oh boy here we go again." Nathan muttered before turning his attention to Joe. "Hi. I know, big scary monster, driving away business I'm sure. Look, I'm just looking for my friend, Pinkie Pie. Soon as I find her I'll be out of your mane."

"What? Nah you misunderstand me. I was actually hoping you'd show up. Pinks is an old friend of mine, she's been here a while. Bein' on the wanted posters she's scared off my business already but I ain't gonna turn her out. She keeps muttering something about 'Nathan' into her coffee. I'm guessin' that's you. I was hopin' you'd come in and talk to her." He gave a smile. "Y'know, you don't look anything like your posters. Can you really devour a pony's soul?"

Nathan could feel the universe toying with him in a sick sort of irony. So close to the end and now he meets a handful of ponies he actually liked from the start? It might have had something to do they were all male, but something told him it probably had more to do with him just having a run of bad luck. He started to chuckle. "Sure Doughnut Joe, I'll talk to her. Like I said I was looking for her anyways."

"Thanks. Oh and you can just call me Joe. All my friends do." The baker ushered him inside and closed the door. "I'll be in the kitchen frying up some donuts, but if you need anything just holler. There's a fresh pot of joe and a plate of my day-olds you can help yourself to." The amiable stallion trotted to the back of the shop, leaving Nathan alone. Across the diner, he could see Pinkie sitting in a booth, back turned to him. Grabbing a couple doughnuts and a cup of coffee, he padded over to where the earth pony was seated.

"Can I sit with you?" He looked down and gave her a soft smile.

"Sure, not like anything I say would change your mind anyways." Pinkie frowned and idly stirred her coffee, not even bothering to look up. "You'll just lie, avoid the question, deceive, twist the truth. Whatever you can that everypony never gets to see the real Nathan. Even after you convinced me to show them the real Pinkie Pie. Which, turned out to be another lie because it turned out awful." Her mane hung limp against her neck.

"Pinkie..." Nathan sat across from her and took a sip of his coffee. Holy crap this is better than Tim's! "I'm not lying or deceiving you. I'm not trying to anyways."

"Then what was that back at Twilight's?" She growled. "You cannot tell me with a straight face that that story you told us was the truth. You just happened to catch a lucky gust of wind that blew you onto a pile of rocks that saved your life miraculously? That busted nose is at best a day old. I could still see the blood. Why don't you come clean about Stout?"

"Pinkie I.. How did you know about Stout Heart?" He nervously glanced between her and the window, like a solar guard was going to come crashing through the diner at any moment.

"Did you forget who I am? I /know/ things. And the longer that I spend with you, the easier it is for me to see through your lies. I don't know how, but I can tell." She took a sip of her coffee finally and grimaced. "Not enough sugar."

"You're right." Nathan passed her the sugar and frowned. "I've lied and hidden a lot from you. For a while now. You're also right about Stout. That's what I was trying to talk to you about this morning. There's a lot I need to come clean with you about. I just... It wasn't the right time. With all of them there. There's a lot they wouldn't understand. Or believe. I was going to start with the case I gave you. That's probably where the lies started."

"I did trust you you know. I didn't even look inside." She gave a half smile. "Are you... Are you really going to tell me the truth? All of it?"

"Yes Pinkie, but it's going to be hard." He was visibly agitated. "I really need you to listen to me. I won't ask you to hide anything from the others but... I'd appreciate it if you didn't volunteer anything either until I'm ready to talk to them myself. Could you give me back my case?"

"Sure." She reached into her mane to retrieve the box. Her mane had curled up slightly again, and her hoof got tangled as she pulled it out. "Here we goOOPS!" The case clattered across the table, popping open and spilling its contents- thirteen shotgun shells, in multi-hued pairs, and a sheet of parchment which flitted through the air before Pinkie caught it with her hoof, glancing down at the shells. "Why did you have a case for them? That's funny there's no beanbags in them. Did you forget?"

"N-no Pinkie." Nathan started to hyperventilate. "I didn't forget. N-n-now you really really need to listen to me. Just wait and I can ex-"

"Silly filly I'll just read this paper." She put a hoof to his lips. "Then you can explain." Nathan continued to panic but Pinkie's pointed look brooked no argument.

First test was spectacular. Second test proof of concept was even better. With the size to effect ratio so high, manufacturing shells in bulk has been spectacularly easy. Considering how cheap oil is, convincing Twilight to refine and produce sheets of vinyl for casings was frightfully easy. That mare can do just about anything when she puts her mind to it. Pinkie even bought the story that she was helping me with my first test fire.

Now, should the six of them, weird friendship voodoo or not, decide to turn on me, at the behest of La Tigra or Twilight, I'll be ready. I've colour coded them so I don't have to scramble in the heat of battle.

Twilight Sparkle (lavender shells): Two buckshot, dense pack. While magic seems to be of mild threat at worst, her TK field could lift a boulder. Based on my research, buckshot to the head at close range to shred her horn should render her powerless. Should she survive, or first misses, second shot to finish.

Rainbow Dash (azure shells): Two buckshot, light pack. Quick and agile, nearly always in the air. Nearly unmatched overland speed. Light shot to shred her wings when she comes in close. She may still fight then, but hand to hoof a swift club to the head will drop her.

Rarity (white shells): One buckshot, dense pack. One lead slug. Not as adept at TK as her fellow unicorn, but strong enough. Shred the horn. Slug is probably unnecessary but would feel so good lodging one between her eyes.

Applejack (orange shells): Two lead slugs. Strongest of the six, highest threat. Those rear hooves could cave in my skull without a second thought. Straightforward approach would work best. Two slugs to the head.

Fluttershy (yellow shells): Two buckshot, light pack, light charge. Fragile and weak. I can't honestly see her threatening or attacking me. Leaving her wingless like Dash would be simple. Light charge so I might be able to avoid a fatality.

The entire time she had been reading the note in her head, her trembling had become more and more violent, tears welling in her eyes. She read the last entry out loud, casting a glance at a trio of pink shells. "P-Pinkie Pie. Pink shells: three lead slugs, h-hollow point, maximum charge." The tears dripped slowly onto the paper. "With her ability to do the most random things, know things that she shouldn't know, and unearthly speed, which I can't even quantify against Dash, Pinkie represents the m-m-maximum threat level next to the princesses, and even then I'm not sure. While I'd like to say that I'd only use these in self defense, the truth is that if.. if... if the six of them were going to try and turn on me I'd have to put Pinkie down first. Hard. Probably preemptively.

"After watching her ragdoll against the wall, she seems highly resistant to blunt force trauma. Maximum charge fragmenting slugs should be enough to shred her internal... internal..." She looked up at Nathan, a mix of emotions she didn't understand seizing her face. Rage, fear, sadness, nausea, even... "H-h-how could you? I thought we were your friends? I was your friend. You were going to... kill us?"

"No! No Pinkie you don't understand! It was different back then. I didn't know what to make of you, or them. I wanted to trust you but trust doesn't come easily for me. These were only a worst case scenario in case my suspicions were right!" He gathered up the scattered shells, all of them lethal, and returned them to the case.

"Your suspicions?!" She screeched. "Y-y-you thought we would try and kill you?!"

"Twilight already tried! Or did you conveniently forget that she tried to slug me in the head with a rock the first time I came to town?!"

"I WASN'T THERE!! I KEEP TELLING EVERYPONY BUT NO ONE BELEIVES ME!" She balled up the sheet of parchment and hurled it at Nathan, bouncing it off his head. "This is how you start telling me the truth? By telling me how you had a plan to slaughter us?!"

"In self defense!"

"That's not what you wrote about me!" She stood and pointed a hoof at him. "You would have eviscerated me as a pre- pre- ERRRGH! As a first strike against our friends. No, my friends! They were never really your friends anyways were they? Except Fluttershy. You love her!"

"No, I don't!" Nathan blurted out grasping at straws. "I don't love her!! I never have! I made a mistake ok? I made a lot of mistakes. I should have never made these." He shook the case in his hands. "I was wrong and I'm trying to do right!"

"Oh sure." Pinkie mirthlessly chuckled. "Do right. What else were you hiding? What other Equestria shattering truths do I need to know? Were you planning to overthrow Prin- sorry Queen Celestia too?"

"I... w-w-well..." Nathan stammered out.

"No." Pinkie's eyes shrank to pin pricks. "You were actually going to... You were going to try to kill Celestia? How? Why? No. I don't know or care why. There's something seriously, seriously wrong with you and I... I... I don't understand."

"It was.."

"A contingency plan, and a good one at that." Bronzewing strolled through the door of Donut Joe's, a swagger in his step. "I would expect nothing less from my top employee."

"I'm not your employee Baron Birdbreath, and this is a private conversation." Nathan growled.

"Let me guess." Pinkie sighed. "More secrets and lies?"

"His thugs were the reason I was bruised in Manyhooves." Nathan sighed. "I made a deal with the gryphon, since I was going to Canterlot anyways."

"After he so delightfully carved out the eye socket of my unicorn companion with a flaming stick. He lived of course." Bronze sneered at the pair.

"You did what?" Pinkie was trembling and backing away. "You... You ARE a monster. How could I have been so blind? I cared about you! We could have..."

"Pinkie wait I can explain." Nathan pleaded. He spun around, glaring daggers at Bronze. "What the hell are you doing you overgrown chicken? You're ruining everything!"

"No you already did months ago. It just took me a long time to see it." Pinkie backed herself towards the opposite door to the dinner just as Applejack burst in.

"Pinkie? Nathan? What's going on?" Applejack glanced between the pair and the gryphon. "Ah... Ah think Ah missed something."

"Oh charming." Bronzewing groaned. "Another filthy mudpony."

"Hey!" The farmer snapped back. "That's offensive and totally uncalled for!" Bronzewing just shrugged.

"Yeah. We all did." Pinkie sniffed and trotted out the door. "Ask Nathan all about it. Watch out though! There's two lead slugs with your name on them! Well at least your colour." She turned to look back at Nathan. "Don't come after me. Don't talk to me. I don't want to see you ever again." With that she ran off, bawling her eyes out.

"Wow... What happened? Ah ain't ever heard Pinkie that upset before." Applejack looked at Nathan and frowned."

"I'll explain in a moment. First I have an unwanted guest to deal with" He glared daggers at the bird. "Bronze what the hell are you doing here? You made a bad situation worse!"

"Hardly! I made it better!" He growled. "I heard your conversation with the mudpony. If you had been able to explain yourself you would still be friends, and you might have second thoughts. Now we just get rid of the other mudpony and we're in the clear!"

"You did what?!" Nathan marched up to Bronze and gripped his beak in his hand. "You are so lucky chicken, that I've actually decided to start keeping my promises, or I would snap your neck where you stand. Do you have any idea what that mare meant to me? Now you want me to kill Applejack? You're up a creek without a paddle you sad excuse for a bird." He roughly released the gryphon and watched him crumple to the floor.

"Nathan, what's going on?" Even Applejack was suddenly terrified of the human. He looked angry and hurt almost like... like a wounded rattler about to strike...

"Applejack look at me." She kept her eyes planted on the floor, trembling in place. "Look. At. ME!" Finally she brought herself to make eye contact. "Do you trust me?"

"Wh-what? Ah..."

"Applejack! Do you fucking trust me or not?!" Nathan was standing over the gryphon, one knee planted on its neck, Bronzewing whimpering in place. He barely noticed the bird though- his eyes were firmly on the earth pony.

"Ah... Yes. Yes!" She gasped as she met his gaze again. "Yes Ah trust ya ya stupid varmint!"

"Good. I trust you too. Give me a minute to deal with this clown and you and I are going to have a nice long talk." He turned back to the wheezing baron. "You on the other hand have exactly one minute to get out of my sight. I will still be doing your little job. I expect to be paid well. I will not, nor will I ever, be killing any of my friends and to have the audacity to ask me to do so in front of her isn't just insulting it's cruel.

"Your little trio of assholes have now tried to attack me twice. According to one of the flying dipsticks, it was on your orders. I want to know why. The answer had better be good or Sprinkles isn't going to be the only one short an eye."

"I... You're going into the crystal caverns below the city. I needed to be sure you'd be able to handle it." His whimpering cut off as Nathan applied more pressure to the neck.

"I put any more pressure down and you're going to start hearing vertebrae snap. Might not kill you, but I'd settle for full body paralysis. Try me again. Make it believable this time. You've said before I'm disposable. Which is true." Nathan snarled into his ear.

"I was paid to try to kill you!" The gryphon screamed. "More bits than I've ever seen in one place just to make sure you were dead and stayed dead!"

"Who?!" Nathan screamed back.

"I don't know! I swear! I promise!" He squirmed under the human. "There was just a bag of bits and note saying that they would be watching me! Don't kill me!"

"You're not worth my time." He stood up and took his knee off the bird before kicking it in the gut. Bronzetalon squawked and pulled himself into a fetal position. "My price just went up. I want that bag of bits, and any information on who is trying to kill me."

"That's... that's highway robbery!" The gryphon gasped for air as he writhed in pain.

"After how many times you've tried to kill me and threatened my... friends... you're lucky I don't change the deal further. Take it or leave it." Nathan cracked his knuckles before slamming a fist into a nearby table.

"Fine. Fine!" Bronze growled and stumbled to his feet. "What a dead man walking needs with so many bits is beyond me though. The minute the pink mudpony... WARK!" He suddenly crashed back to the floor as Nathan slugged him so hard his beak cracked.

"You have exactly ten seconds to get the hell out or I'm breaking a Pinkie Promise. Next time you call either of them a mudpony or some variation thereof, you won't wake up for a month. I hate racists."

Bronzewing opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it as spikes of pain from his cracked beak heated his face. With a grimace, and not a small amount of trembling, he turned and flew off. With him gone, it was like a light switch being turned off. Nathan felt his whole body shake before flopping to his backside. Burying his face in his hands he moaned softly. He almost. Almost. Felt like crying.

"Nathan? " Oh right. Applejack was still here. "What's going on?" The human turned to look at the pony and for the second time in less than thirty minutes he could see he'd scared an earth mare he considered his friend half to death. She trembled in place and cast glances between him, the open door, and the case of shells. "All Ah want to do is get as far away as possible from you."

"It's fine Miss Applejack." He shook his head and rubbed his face with both hands. "I won't hold it against you. Not after what you saw. I'm angry, violent, and I'm probably going to ruin everything. Door's there." He stood and collected his bag and shotgun.

"Ah said I want to run, not that Ah am. What's with the Miss Applejack nonsense now?" Applejack collected herself and took a few calming breaths.

“Only your friends are allowed to call you AJ. I'm pretty sure I don't qualify as that right now.” He shrugged.

"Ah'll be the judge of that. I said I still trust ya. What's in the case?" She was still visibly trembling, but to her credit she managed to not run.

"My back up plan for when the six of you turned on me." He clicked it open and tossed one of the orange shells at Applejack, which she caught with a hoof. "Lead slugs. With how well the ignition reaction works in Equestria that's got enough power to drop a charging bull. I made two of 'em, just in case I missed the first time."

"What?" She dropped the shell as if it had just given her third degree burns. “What in the hay? You were going to kill us?!”

“I already had this conversation with Pinkie. You saw how that went.” He looked out the door the pink mare had ran out of, the memory fresh. “And it wasn't that I was going to kill you. I made a plan based on my general reception by the ponies in Ponyville under the assumption you would finally decide to put me down. I probably would have if I were you.”

“An' I told you that ain't the way things are done in Equestria!” She thought for a moment about Baron Bronzewing. “Usually!”

“I know, Applejack, I know.” He gave a halfhearted shrug. “I made a mistake. A bad one. I was trying to fix it but I was too late. Sorry.”

Applejack stood there looking at the back of Nathan's head and frowned. Her own myriad of emotions was fighting with her body to do the right thing. What was the right thing though? A few months ago the right thing would be turning the human over to the authorities to be dealt with. Now though... She sighed and took a seat next to him. She carefully picked the shell up again and turned it over in her forehooves. “Enough stopping power to drop a bull ya say?”

“Yeah...” Nathan closed his eyes and grimaced.

“Well..” She took another look at it then replaced it back in the case. “Ah don't know whether to be insulted you had a plan to kill me and mah friends... or impressed you thought you needed something that strong to take me down.” She chuckled at the thought. She actually chuckled!

“Wh-what?” Nathan looked up at Applejack and tilted his head. “I thought you'd be angry at me.”

“Oh Ah am. Furious. Livid even. About a lot of things, and especially about you actually having a plan to kill us, and all the lies and deceit. However, yer tryin' now. Ah can see that. You could have snapped the head clean off that arrogant buzzard, and with what I know about you, and for him to suggest you plug me on the spot Ah could see you doing it, but ya didn't. Ah was so scared. So scared!” She sniffled, the first tears falling down her face. “But Ah wasn't scared that you were gonna hurt me, Ah was scared you were about to go down a path that none of us would be able to follow. Ah'm still scared you will. Yer tryin' though, by Celestia Ah can see yer tryin'.”

“I... thanks Applejack. I expected you to buck me in the back of the head and walk off without bothering to check to see if I still had a pulse.” He laughed a little, pulling the earth pony into a hug. “I'm sorry. For a lot.”

“Ah know. We should get going though.” She stood and gave him a sideways smile, wiping away the tears on her face.

“What? Where?” Nathan stood as well, retrieving the Pie Cannon (which he had stashed in the bushes just outside the diner). “Shouldn't you go talk to Pinkie or something? I think she's going to need a friend.”

“She does... but there's Rarity and Fluttershy for that. You need a friend that you can count on right now. So let's go hit them vaults and find whatever it is yer lookin' for!”

“Sorry, say what? Why in Equestria would you ever come with me Applejack?” Nathan shook his head. “It's going to be dangerous, and really really illegal. Do you really want to wind up on the chopping block again.”

“No, but ya'll got a plan right? You can't just be helping that gryphon because he's paying you well, right?” Applejack grinned.

“Well... no... I guess I have a plan...” Nathan nodded back.

“Tell ya what. Let's start walking, and you tell me yer story from the beginning. Tell me where you met this gryphon, tell me what really happened after you plunged into the ravine, tell me how yer gun got all prettied up like that. If Ah don't hear anything Ah don't particularly like, you got yerself a pardner. Pardner.”

“Alright Applejack. Let's start with that. One thing first though....”

The pair was long gone when Doughnut Joe finally emerged from the back of his diner, stacks of donuts on two platters. “Alright! Who's up for some fresh... ones...?” His jaw went slack as he observed the messed up and empty diner. “What in Equestria...? He picked up a note that was sitting on the counter next to a bag.

Hey Joe! Sorry about making a mess and leaving. If Pinkie comes back, tell her I said sorry. Either way, there should be enough bits in the bag to make up for the day's business and to clean up the mess!

-Nathan

Joe took a look in the bag and gasped. Forget the day... that was more bits than he pulled in in a week!

Author's Note

My editor seems to have disappeared, or moved on to better things. Thus, happy new years! Quality may suffer slightly in the future.

Prologue: More Questions than Answers

What Came Before and Beyond

Prologue- More Questions than Answers.

The warmth of the sun was beating down. Even without opening his eyes he could feel the morning sun glittering down, filtering through the trees. A light breeze drifted past, rustling the long grass and tickling his arms. Opening his eyes he sat upright and took in what he saw. He was indeed in a sparsely wooded field, grass and flowers stretching out in all directions. As his eyes adjusted to the light he took in more of his surroundings. Over a light copse of trees a few hundred yards from where he sat he could see smoke drifting up. Likely a chimney he concluded. Birds had been singing up until a few moments ago. Most likely he had spooked them when he sat up.

Taking a moment to re-evaluate his circumstances, he stood up and stretched. God that feels good. That's the best stretch I've had in years. Continuing to glance about, he was disappointed to find that there was no other outside signs of where he was. The only sign of life so far being the smoke that he'd noticed before, it wasn't a difficult decision as to which direction he should go to find a telephone to use. Even if the inhabitants of the assumed house didn't have one he could use, they could always point him in the direction of one. As he started to wander down the slope in the direction of the smoke, he dropped into the long grass surrounding him, hearing whispers just ahead. He strained his ears to make out the conversation, but the voices were too low.

"Look over there girls!" Applebloom whispered to the assembled trio- with her were Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. The self-proclaimed Cutie Mark Crusaders, were crusading for cutie marks. Crouched in the same long grass a few meters off. "Ah ain't never seen a pony like that before!"

"Applebloom, you don't think..." Sweetie Belle began.

"...he could know what..." Scootaloo added.

"...our cutie marks are s'pposed to be?!" Applebloom finished. "Ah don't know, but why don't we go ask him?!"

Sweetie Belle scrunched up her face and though about what Rarity would say. She could almost hear her sister's voice in her head. Sweetie Belle, really. You three are always getting into such trouble trying to find your cutie marks. So very unladylike. So uncouth.

"You know, if my sister was here she would be telling us that it was too dangerous or undignified or unscrupulous."

"Yeah, and when's the last time that you listened to Rarity?" snarked Scootaloo.

"Never." Sweetie Belle laughed. With that, the three of them slowly wandered through the grass, being careful to lay low, in the case that, as was usually the case, their plan went awry.

He could see them coming and vaguely made out their shapes, small and not very threatening. Safely assuming he could take the three of them if need be, he slowly stood, calling out to them.

"Hey! I see you three there."

"Did he just speak to us?" Scootaloo called to the others under her breath.

"Y-y-yeah Ah think so... he's... he's huge!"

"Scootaloo, you go talk to him." Scootaloo's eyes went wide at the white filly.

"M-me? You're the one that suggested that we go talk to him!

"Ah believe that was all of us! Sweetie Belle you do it!" Sweetie Belle swallowed and stood higher, approaching within a few feet.

"Um... hi. I'm S-Sweetie Belle and um... hi. What are you?" Looking down, he twisted his head, perplexed at the diminutive pony talking to him. Shaking off his initial confusion, he responded to her.

"Well I'm a human obviously." He could see the other two ponies slowly backing off, edging closer and closer to the edge of the long grass.

"Right, of course. A human. I'm s-s-sorry to ask but..." She glanced behind her and noticed herself that her friends had become more distant. "Hey, girls, where are you going?"

"Ah'm sorry Sweetie Belle... Ah'm out!" Applebloom turned tail and tore off towards the direction of the smoke. Scootaloo followed suit calling over her back.

"Let us know how it goes Sweetie Belle! Make sure you ask about our marks too!"

"H-hey! That's not fair!" She turned back to the human, continuing to stutter. "I.. uh... I... uh... gotta go!" Sweetie Belle wasted no time trying to catch up with her friends, scolding them as they trailed off in the distance. "Some friends you are! What if he ate me!!?!”

The early morning sun continued to glow hotter as it slowly rose over the trees nearby and warmed the ground around him. Immediately, he felt thirsty, not remembering the last time he had had anything to drink. He wiggled his toes in his boots, stiff, ill-fitted and uncomfortable, and grimaced at only having the one pair available to him. Bemoaning that chances were he would have to put up with them for a while yet, he sighed and resigned himself to walking on. Stripping off his gloves and jacket, and tying the latter around his waist, he set off, following the direction that the fillies had run.

"It's true! Some sort 'a strange animal was up in one the fields. Its fur looked mighty ragged..." Applebloom shouted while the other two crusaders nodded their heads in agreement. After seeing the animal out in the field, the three had immediately run to Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack, for her part, blew a stream of air out the side of her mouth and carefully scrutinized her younger sister. It wasn't the first time the filly had told a tall tale, not that Applejack hadn't done her best to raise her to be honest. Usually though, she could see through her fibs. The fact that Applebloom seemed sincere was troubling.

"Now Applebloom, Ah've told you before that the mark of an Apple is honesty. Ah won't stand here and let you tarnish our good name just so you and your friends can have some fun..."

"But Applejack!" Scootaloo jumped in. "We really did see him! Not only that, Sweetie Belle talked to him! He talked back and everything!" Applejack glanced over to the white filly.

"Is this true?" Sweetie Belle nodded vigorously.

"We swear on our soon to appear cutie marks!" they said in unison as if they had rehearsed it. They probably have thought Applejack.

"Did you happen to catch his name?"

"No, just that he was a human." Applejack blew out another long drawn sigh. Glancing between the three fillies, she processed what she had been told and looked towards town.

"Alright, let's go find somepony to talk to about this an' figure out who he is. I'm warnin' ya though Applebloom, if the three a' yous are spinnin' me a yarn..."

He continued his slow stroll to potential civilization, keeping an eye out for anyone, or anything, else that might be around. Satisfied that the only signs of life he currently saw were a few birds and a squirrel, he allowed himself a calming sigh and approached the edge of the trees separating him from the smoke. The light copse of trees barely concealed the view to the other side, and after only a few steps, his suspicions were confirmed. Not only was there a chimney belching grey wisps of smoke, but there was an entire village spread out. While many of the houses seemed very basic and plain in nature, standing in rows with conjoined roofs and a variety of flowers and ornaments decorating their exterior, a few seemed designed by someone with less marbles and more dust in their skulls, though very obviously indicative of their function and who they housed. The chimney adorned one in particular was beyond ridiculous, looking like a gigantic gingerbread house. The smell of cakes and sweets drifted through the air, he noted that it was probably a bakery either that or a dwelling for cannibalistic witches.

Taking another look about the village, he noted that the other various businesses he could identify were indicated by signs with pictures only; something he noted seemed to be straight out of a medieval painting. No mater where he looked, colour painted the scenery. Holding back his initial curiosity, he crouched down inside the bushes and kept an eye out for the inhabitants of the town. If his greeting party was anything to go by, the rest of the village was likely just as bizarre. Sure enough, he caught a glimpse of some of the other inhabitants, all standing on four legs similar to his initial contacts, but larger, reinforcing his earlier suspicion that the three had met had been youth of some sort. Ponies? I can deal with that. How bad could this be? Remembering that the three youth had run yelling in to town, he watched a little longer to gauge their reactions.

Around an hour later, he was getting bored. Not seeing any sort of panic or worry develop, he decided there was no point to keep waiting on the ponies to do anything, and stood up, brushing himself off, and started to make his way through the trees. Making it a few steps, he was suddenly greeted by a bubbling pink ball of energy bounding up behind him.

"Hi!"

"Ahhgh!" He jumped and spun around, glaring at whatever had made the sound behind him. Seeing it was another one of the ponies he relaxed a little, but the glare still remained on his face. "What? Who are you? Why did you sneak up on me like that?"

"Oh silly, I didn't sneak up on you! If I wanted to sneak up on you, I would be really low to the ground and pretend to move really, really slow and I wouldn't wait until you started moving I would just come up to you I mean I've been watching you for like... forever... and I was getting so bored just watching you sit there watching the town and why were you just watching the town for somepony who's not a pony you sure are funny like a pony oh right my name's Pinkie Pie!"

"I'm sorry I asked. Well, nice to meet you Pinkie Pie. You said you were watching me? For how long?" He shook his head, praying to whatever god he believed in that the ponies were not all like this. He couldn't take a town full of bubbly, crazy ponies.

"Like, forever. Or twenty minutes. Whichever one is shorter, though it felt like it was longer. Applejack was telling everypony that some new creature was in the field and I came to see who it was while they figured out what to do. You're right on time!"

"Right on time for what...?"

"To be here silly! So what's your name? You must have one."

"Uh... Nathan. It's Nathan."

"Oh yeah? Wow that's cool! That sounds so different. I don't know any Nathans. I don't really know any humans though either. You're the first. Want to be my friend?"

"Uh..."

"PINKIE!" Their dialogue was cut short as a group of colourful ponies wandered up. The yell came from an orange pony in the same drawl that the earlier youth had exhibited. "We told you to wait before talking to this human! He could be dangerous." Pinkie just laughed.

"Oh Applejack, you're so funny. Of course he's dangerous. That's why I needed to talk to him first!" Nathan and Applejack shouted in unison at the pink pony.

"WHAT?!"

"What what? I didn't say anything!" With that, she bounded over and joined the group and sat there, the smile never leaving her face. Strange names, they talk, and they come in more colours than a crayon box. Oh. Joy. Well, at least the orange one seems more or less sensible, at least compared to that pink one.

"Hello, human." A grey pony in front of the group bowed to him gracefully. "I am the mayor of this town. Welcome to Ponyville. Might you explain to us how you came to our village today? The fillies told us they found you in the field near here. I'm sure I don't need to tell you that having you sitting in the woods watching us is slightly unsettling." Nathan opened his mouth to answer, but it was cut off as one of the ponies cut in.

"A predator! You eat meat!" At these words all of the assembled ponies shuddered and shared looks of horror. A predator had wandered into town and no one had noticed. "Alright answer me! what's your name?" She had a horn on top of her head, not unlike a unicorn from fantasy. Was her horn starting to glow? It was a nice day, so the light must have been playing tricks with his eyes. Colorful ponies, okay I could plausibly accept that. Colorful ponies that independently developed speech, I'd probably need some more time and probably some time in denial, but okay. Colorful unicorn ponies that have glowing, possibly magical, horns? Less okay.

"Twilight," a white one, also adorned with a horn similar to her hostile friends, "how can you tell that he's a predator? I must say if this is true then it is cause for concern, but really, come now." The one identified as Twilight shook her head and turned to her friend.

"Rarity, look." She pulled out a leather bound book surrounded by a soft glow. Somehow. Without using her non-existent hands, or any of the appendages that she did have. "This is a book I've been studying for the last few weeks, all about biology. Look at these pictures- here's our teeth. Nice and flat, good for chewing and grinding, mostly for grass, hay, and the occasional cake. You can easily see that the human here has narrow sharp teeth on the front. A predator." She looked back accusingly at him.

"Hey! I have the flat grinding teeth too in the back!"

"Fine, so you don't only eat meat. You still eat meat." She wasn't backing down from the point.

Flustered with her sudden demand he scrambled to come up with an answer. What could he say? A predator? Yes he ate meat, but he wouldn't call himself a predator. The pony who called herself Twilight was obviously angry and scared and he didn't want to push his luck. They were all smaller than him, but there were enough of them assembled that they could probably easily knock him out or worse. Those horns, glowing or not looked like they could do some damage. One of the ones with wings flew up- those things actually work?!- Got into his face and tried to pressure him. It was the one with a rainbow mane. While slightly intimidated by this new pony, he couldn't help but chuckle at the gaudy absurdity of what he was seeing. A fluttering bright blue furred rainbow maned pony.

"Yeah! What in the hay are you? WHO are you? Where are you from? What's so funny?! We better get some answers or else!" The orange one with the southern drawl quickly rebuked the hostile flyer.

"Now Dash, Ah don' like the looks of him any more than any of ya'll do, but ya gotta give th' critter a chance ta answer. So pipe down." Compared to the others she WAS a little larger, but carried herself with enough self-assurance she fit right in. It was now that Nathan was noticing that each carried their own distinct brands on their flanks. The rest of the scene continued to perplex him, and that just added to his confusion. The cyan colored one flew back to where the apple pony was sitting. With an indignant sigh she poured out her lower lip.

"Fine! But if this thing gets any ideas and decides to make a snack out of one of the fillies, I'll be the first one to kick it in the teeth.”

"First of all, yes, I have a name, it's Nathan. And I got here..." He thought for a moment, trying to remember the sequence of events that lead to him waking up in a field. "...I can't actually remember how I got here. I'm going with a bad night of drinking until proven otherwise. I don't know where here even is. And don't worry, I am hungry but I don't think I'd be even able to stomach your 'fillies' even if I tried eating them." The apple marks on the side of the one were making him hungrier. For a split second Nathan mused over what a magic talking pony would taste like, but shook the idea from his head. Joking around wasn't going to get him anywhere with these folks being so aggressive and serious.

"Well... well... that's not good enough! You must know more than that! And we don't have any food for the likes of you! I'm the mayor of this town and if it's true that you're a predator, we simply can't tolerate you being here.” While Twilight hoped that he was hiding something, or not telling the whole truth, she could see on his face he was likely telling the truth as best he could. The glow finally went out of her horn at this point, and he heard a clatter behind him, a rock lay about two meters from where he was standing. He wondered where it came from. Nobody was behind him. The only “concealed” pony he noticed was a yellow one with pink hair hiding behind a tree without much success. The fear in her eyes was palpable, as if she was struggling every moment with the decision of whether to flee or stay.

"Deary, you look like you were in a fight with some dreadful thing. Your fur is ragged and falling out everywhere." Rarity stood shoulder to shoulder with Twilight, putting on a brave face. Now that Nathan was focusing on her, he could see she was also wearing a bit of make-up. Nathan was getting more and more confused at every turn. Just how weird were these pony-folk?

"Oh these are just my clothes, but yes it does look like something tried to get me." He stripped off the jacket hanging around his waist and dropped it on the ground for emphasis.

"Clothing? All over? And not even a party or event to go to? How... bizarre." the white pony replied, clearly confused. "Either way, I concur with the mayor. We're simply going to have to ask you to leave. You simply cannot remain in Ponyville any longer than you already have. Predators belong out in the Everfree forest. That's likely where you came in from. Your kind must live out that way." She had fear in her eyes, fearing that the demand would cause a violent reaction from the strange creature. Instead he merely shrugged. It was unlikely that, with their level of technology, that anything resembling a phone would exist, so it's probably best to just leave the strange equine creatures alone; Nathan heaved a sigh and replied

"Alright, I'll leave your town. I didn't mean to intrude.” With that the crowd parted in the direction of a forest. The one with the apple brand gave a quick look of internal conflict, and finally sighed.

“Hold on critter. Do ya eat apples?” She asked. She didn't trust the human, but it went against her nature to watch him walk off hungry, regardless of his origins or diet.

“Uh, yeah I do. Did you have any you could spare?”

“Alright, catch.” She reached into a saddle bag mounted on her waist, and pulled out an apple with her mouth tossing it to the human. Contemplating against eating something that had already been in a ponys mouth, he decided to suck it up.

“Thanks, I appreciate it... Applejack was it?”

“That'd be Miss Applejack to you, though ah reckon ya won't git another chance to use it again.”

“Well thanks anyways Miss Applejack.” She nodded a stern, but approving face towards him. At least he had manners.

Biting into the apple he turned around and started walking towards the woods. There was a quaint cottage surrounded by animal pens of all kinds he passed by, but Nathan didn't give them a second look. He just headed off into the dense woods. He thought he heard the yellow one squeak something at him, but if she did he could barely hear it, let alone make out what she was saying. This wasn't where he was supposed to be, and he needed to respect their decision, hopefully he'd be walking back where he came from. As the last branch obscured him from the townsfolk, they breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"That was very brave of you Rarity. I'm very impressed how you handled that monster." Twilight said to her friend, who now looked a little whiter.

"Oh you think so dear? That's good… I have to go use the little fillies room now though... I think I wet myself." With a blush she quickly trotted off in the direction of her home, the Carousel Boutique. Pinkie Pie, having remained silent through the remainder of the conversation with the human started to hum to herself and wander away, the smile having never left her face.

"Wait, Pinkie." Twilight put a hoof on her shoulder and looked at the relentlessly cheerful party pony. "I know you were talking to him and I know you like throwing parties, but you're not mad right?"

"Just a teensy weensy little itty bit." Her smile still etched on her face, Twilight was having issues appraising her claim. "You treated him like an ursa and sent him off into the forest without a party, or even a cupcake.”

"What? Pinkie?! Did you see him? He was as tall as Celestia! No, I think he was taller! He was a predator, you saw the teeth! What if he ate a filly, or one of Fluttershy's animals?! He belongs in the Everfree!"

"But you're not sure, are you?"

"Pinkie, what are you saying? You said yourself he was dangerous. Dangerous creatures come from the Everfree."

"But you're not sure, are you?" Pinky repeated, smile gone, slower and clearer so she was sure Twilight heard every syllable. Before a flustered Twilight could answer, the yellow one that had hidden in the back finally spoke up and cut in.

"No they weren't sure and barely let him speak. It was just awful! He didn't even take a second look at any of the animals. He was too busy eating that apple Applejack gave him. Because, you know predators eat fruit!" as tears started welling up in her eyes she quickly took to her wings and flitted away, heading to her cottage as fast as her wings could carry her.

"Fluttershy… Should we really have done differently?" Twilight whispered to nopony in particular. Maybe they had been too hasty... She quickly shook the idea out of her head. "I saw his teeth. He eats meat, so he's a predator. And the only nearby place that a predator could be from is the forest. He HAS to belong there, right?"

Pinkie Pie said nothing; she just shook her head and started the walk back to her place at Sugar Cube Corner, her mane and tail drooping down slightly. The rest of the assembled crowd also started to disperse towards their respective homes.

And for once, in a really long time, Twilight actually had nothing to say. What other choice did they have?

Author's Note: While I do a majority of the writing, I would like to take the time to acknowledge the fantastic pre-reading, editing, and co-production of Tencentfriend.

3: A Box of Crayons, and Every Colour is Labelled "Jackass"

Chapter 3- A Box of Crayons, and Every Colour is Labelled “Jackass”

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Nathan's eyes remained shut, but he could vaguely hear the sound of a heart monitor echoing through the room. His head felt like a melon that had been split open, and he could feel dried blood stuck to his temple. A wet sponge moved over his face, wicking up the sweat and crusted blood. He could feel cathodes attached to his chest, the adhesive tugging at his chest-hairs as he shifted his body. What had happened? Had he finally woken up?

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Slowly, he allowed his eyes to part, flooding his retinas with the light beaming in through the window. After a few moments his eyes had adjusted enough he could hold them open without squinting and began to evaluate the scene around him. The white coated nurse-pony that had been sponging off his forehead stepped back, wide-eyed and fearful. Nathan sighed. Either he was still dreaming or he was still in the land of technicolour horses. Across the room on another cot Fluttershy lay asleep, a fresh layer of bandages coating her injuries. It was obvious that whoever had tended to her wounds was a skilled physician.

The heart-monitor apparatus had a familiar glow surrounding it, betraying the magical nature of its operation. The room was clean, with modest trimmings. A couple of pictures, some cupboards he assumed held an assortment of medical tools. As he lifted himself up the pressure on his head intensified and he had to stifle a groan. Oh that’s right. He’d been assaulted by a rainbow after dragging a pony through the woods for three days. Wait, a rainbow? How did he get attacked by a rainbow? Damn. Couldn’t be a dream… this hurt way too much. Finally he managed to turn his attention to the still cowering nurse.

"I'm not here to hurt you. Thanks for caring for me." It was the best Nathan could manage at the time to settle the nervous mare. The nurse took a breath and managed to nod curtly. While most of the ponies he had seen so far didn’t wear much in the way of clothes, she did have a little white hat with a red cross on it, signifying her position. It matched the branding on her posterior. He would have to ask one of them about those tattoos later.

"I'll uh... I'll just go do my other rounds. Now. If you’re feeling ok?” Nathan just smiled and inclined his head slightly, allowing the nervous pony an easy escape. He watched her saunter out the door, and resumed his surveillance of the hospital room he was in, his head still pounding like a drum. In reality he could have used more attention. The blood was still dried to his temples, and whatever medication they had given him to ward off the pain didn’t seem to be doing much. Constant dizziness threatened to knock him unconscious. However, he reasoned the nurse would have been too overwrought with fear to be much more use.

The sun was still hanging low over the horizon, and while no clock could be seen in the room Nathan surmised it couldn't be any later than eight in the morning. Fluttershy's breathing was deep and regular, interrupted occasionally by mild whimpering, her good hind leg twitching. He was surprised they were keeping them in the same room. Perhaps the hospital was full and the staff had decided that Fluttershy was the most logical pairing. After several moments Fluttershy began to stir awake. Slowly her lids opened and she turned, allowing her eyes to meet the ones that had been watching her.

"Eeep!" she squeaked, pulling back her head and shrinking under her good wing, before realizing it was Nathan looking at her. Regaining her composure she managed to relax. He looked over at the meek Pegasus and smiled at her.

“Sorry Fluttershy, I was just looking around the room and you were so peaceful I couldn’t pull my eyes away. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

"H-h-hey. G-g-good morning. How are you feeling this morning? I h-hope that your head is ok. It still has some blood on it I see. W-well we‘ll just have to clean that up. So, how did you sleep?" Smooth as ever Fluttershy, she muttered under her breath. Seeing her human roommate had noticed her muttering, she blushed and quickly added "I was just panting sorry! I sure am thirsty!" Fluttershy laughed awkwardly, Nathan cocked one eyebrow at her, but let the obvious dodge slip.

"Ah-yeah I'm thirsty too. We should see about getting a drink. I’m fine for the most part, thanks for asking. Head still hurts quite a bit. I think I have a concussion. I’ll live though. How are you feeling though? Where are we anyways? How long have we been here?"

"Ponyville Hospital, better part of two days. The doctor was beginning to get concerned that you were going to need surgery or that his knowledge didn't properly cover your... unique physiology." Nathan was concerned for a moment. Surgery. Magic surgery? Some things just shouldn't be. He shuddered. The anxiety quickly passed though. Fluttershy continued speaking. “I’m d-d-doing much better now. The doctor has made sure my bones are in the right place and he says they will mend properly. I’m off them for a couple more weeks, so no flying, but I’ll be right as rain soon.”

"How did we get here anyways? I remember coming out of the trees..." Closing his eyes, he allowed the memory to flood back. He could feel the rain on his skin, bright lights all around him. Searing pain through his entire body, then nothing. Wait, no that wasn't right. It had been a sunny day when they came out of the Everfree Forest. That's when.. "The rainbow hit me. Rainbow Dash kicked me upside the head." finishing his train of thought and answering his own question. Then what was...? He shook the memory loose and mentally filed it away for examination later.

"Mmm-hmmm. I'm so sorry about that. I tried to warn her off, but you know Dash… Well actually, I guess you don't. She tends to leap before she looks, so to speak. I hope you're feeling better. Your head... bled quite a bit. I yelled at her a little when you passed out, and to be honest I think the fact she caused you to bleed so much scared her more than anything else. She was almost as white as Rarity."

"My head feels like someone was using it for a drum, but again, I think I'll be fine. Thank you Fluttershy. I appreciate what you've done for me. I didn’t expect anyone to come look for me in that forest. I also didn’t realize that it was so dangerous.”

"Oh no no! You're the one that dragged me back to town after I foolishly got myself stuck in the forest. I should be thanking you. How things are going to go with my friends though… I'm- I'm sorry but I'm scared they might make you leave again. To them you're still a predator. I’m going to do the best I can to convince them you’re not a terrible po- I mean person, but you’re going to have to help me.”

Nathan slowly nodded his head. He wouldn't blame the ponies if they did ask him to leave, of course. It was their home, and as friendly as they were, they were still innocent, and didn't need an outsider bringing undue stress. Hell, they'd taken the time to put him up in a hospital at least. Looking down, the last thought made him realize that he was wearing a hospital gown. Of course, not being a pony, it was obvious someone had sewn it together at the last minute, trying to create something that would fit his, as Fluttershy put it, “unique physiology”. That was all he was wearing though.

"Fluttershy, where are the rest of my clothes?"

"W-w-well when Rainbow kicked you, you bled a lot, and your clothing was already in tatters, and the doctor wanted to get a full physical in while you were asleep because he was worried that you might be more damaged from the hike and... Ummm.." Fluttershy started to blush. Nathan didn’t like where this was going. He knew where it was going, but he didn’t like it. "I didn't know you wore clothes because you didn't have anything to cover... down there. I-I'm sorry I looked! It was just so.."

"Big Macintosh! Don't ya go barging in on ‘im. Ah told ya the critter ain't a threat to nopony far as ah can see. Fluttershy's gonna be just fine!" Oh thank goodness. A reprieve from one of the more embarrassing conversations he had been part of. A pair of earth ponies burst through the door. Nathan instantly recognized Applejack, but the big red one was new. Big Macintosh? That’s the name that Applejack had used. It made sense- while her cutie mark was a trio of red apples; the large stallion‘s was a singular huge one, sliced open. Family maybe?

Pushing past Applejack, Mac put himself squarely between Nathan and the two mares in the room. Bringing his nose up against the human's he narrowed his eyes. Staring as intensely as possible he scanned the retinas of the human in front of him for signs of weakness.

"Now brother, don't do anything rash..." Yep, family. Older brother family. Uh-oh.

"Nnnope" the large stallion drawled. His coat bristled with sheer power. He didn’t seem angry or upset… just powerful. The muscles of Macintosh bristled from mane to tail, flexing them as he stood there. He was looking for some sort of reaction from Nathan. A flinch, a tick, maybe he would even yell at the red pony. After a few tense moments, Big Mac realized his “adversary” was just going to continue to stare back into his eyes. Relaxing slightly, Mac entered into a line of inquiry.

"Ah heard you dragged mah sister's friend back through the Everfree Forest. Bandaged her up, built a frame and dragged her for three days. That right?"

"Um.. Yes..?" Nathan wasn't sure what answer the large pony was looking for, but so far honesty seemed to be the best policy around these colourful folk. Well, for the most part. He still felt uncomfortable acting totally like himself. His dictionary of curse words would probably be a one-way ticket back to the forest, knowing the way the ponies had acted so far.

"Ahyup. Also heard ya managed to take down th' bear that injured Fluttershy. You seem pretty strong. Ah don’t approve of you killin’ it, but you were defending that poor filly, so I’ll let it slide.”

"Ahyup" he intoned back. Strong? No, lucky more like it, but he wasn't about to correct the agitated pony. Another pony with an aversion to death and the circle of life. Likely all of them felt similarly. Nathan would have to remember to keep his thoughts and habits in check.

"You fixin' ta stick around these parts for long?" Nathan hesitated to answer this question. He needed to be somewhere, he just didn’t know where. If he knew where his home was he would try to get back there, but at this point he had concluded that getting home wasn’t going to be easy, even if he knew where it was.

"Not sure... for now, if I don't get kicked out of town again, I'd like to stay and make sure Fluttershy returns to health. It's the least I could do. She did come find me in the woods after all." Stay here? Sure why not. Where else could he have to go right now?

"You're gonna need a job then. Ya start Monday, seven am sharp. Figure ya can help bring in the bushels. Those fancy digits on the end of your arms look mighty useful.”

"S-sorry?" Nathan was stunned. Did this boisterous stallion just offer him a job? Did they even have money around here? Well obviously they had some form of commerce based on the shops and restaurants he had seen. “S-sure. Big Macintosh right? Thanks for the job offer. I’ll be there.”

Not letting the human see the change on his face, Big Macintosh turned to face his sister who had a knowing smile on her face. Mac was smirking, a playful expression gliding across his eyes. Quietly, before leaving the room, he whispered to his sister.

"Lil’ sis, I don’t understand where somepony like him came from, and I don’t understand why he would stand in between a bear and a pony, but he seems like an ok apple. T’ain’t no reason for all this pussy footin’ around. Don't tell him ah said that though. He don't talk so much, does he?" Briskly walking out, he spared one more hostile look for the human, departing for good. The energy was suddenly let out of the room and the environment returned to a casual calm.

"He don't talk so much? HE don't talk so much? That honkin' galoot. Most words Ah heard come outta his mouth in months!" Applejack finally turned her attention to the two patients. Looking over Fluttershy, she could see her wounds were looking much better, and mentally reminded herself to thank the doctor later for his good work. The human on the other hand… two days later and still a bit of blood loss. Critter jes seems to bleed from the head forever she thought to herself.

"Ah'm sorry guys, you know how Big Red c'n be. Fluttershy Ah'm so glad you're recovering... and uh... you too critter." She immediately corrected herself. "sorry, Ah mean Nathan. If you’re going to be staying in Ponyville, it’ll be better to get to know your name.” Probably so we know who to name the first time a filly or colt goes missing. She walked over and threw her hoofs around him. "Ah don't know if Ah want t' strangle you for making Fluttershy follow you into the Everfree, or kiss you for bringing her back. Ah think a hug is a good compromise."

Fluttershy smiled as her friend started to warm up to Nathan. It was good to see he might just fit in yet. Nathan caught something flash in her eyes. Was that... no. It was already gone, some emotion instantly buried by the reclusive mare. She had relaxed back on her bed, allowing her lame wing to droop off the side. It was good to be in a proper bed again.

"I'm glad you're happy Applejack. It was the least I could do for her. Looks like You'll have plenty of time to strangle me later, seeing as I'll be working on your brother's farm." Suddenly reminded of the recent conversation, a grimace crossed Applejack's face.

"Actually, it's mah farm. Sweet Apple Acres. Ah've no idea what got into that colt, but for whatever reason he fancies you workin' my orchards. Ah did need more help this year, so… I guess we'll give ya a try.” Applejack seemed a bit unsure of herself at this point.

Nathan nodded politely. If he was going to be there for any length of time he would need work. There was food, shelter, and clothing to take care of, not to mention something to keep his time occupied. Hopefully he could figure out the economics of the town soon enough.

"I'm glad to accept the offer Applejack. I haven't worked at a farm in a long time, but I'm sure I'll figure it out." In truth he had never worked at an orchard or farm, but he wasn't going to let on if it meant he might lose a job opportunity. How hard could it be moving some bushels of apples?

"I’m real glad to hear it. So, uhh, you two ready to get up and come out for a walk? The others would like to talk with Nathan, and Ah think you could probably use the air." At Applejack's inquiry, Fluttershy gently lowered herself from her bed. Her wing and leg were still coated in bandages, but she was able to move around fine on her other three legs as long as she didn't over do it.

“We still need to speak with the doctor, but I’m fairly certain we’ll both be cleared to leave the hospital today. Especially now that Nathan is awake. Nathan?" Fluttershy cocked her head towards him. "Feel like a walk? That is, if you wouldn't mind...” In fact, Nathan couldn’t wait to get out of there. His head still felt awful, but he needed to get moving. So many things to do.

"Sure thing ladies, give me a moment and I'll be up." Nathan proceeded to get up, concentrating on not passing out from his concussion. He was so busy focusing on his head he had forgotten what he was wearing. As he swung his legs out into the air and lowered himself to the floor, Fluttershy blushed and lifted her good wing in front of her face, peaking out between a pair of feathers. Applejack's eyes went wide as saucers. Nathan looked down, realizing too late what they had seen. Blushing himself, he quickly grabbed the sheet off of his bed, covering himself. The sudden movement caused a wave of nausea to pass over him and he collapsed in a pile, the sheet barely covering him.

"Is that why you insisted you two share a room? Fluttershy, between him and Red, Ah think Nathan's is..." The two mares began to leave the room, to look for the doctor, giggling as they went.

"Ah-la-la-la-la. I can't hear you!" Nathan had shoved his fingers in his ears and started raising his voice, thoroughly done with the "dog and pony" show. "And somebody find me some goddamned pants!"

During the time the doctor was performing his final examination on Nathan, Applejack and Fluttershy had gone out to their friend’s house to find some suitable clothing. While the wardrobe they put together, a simple shirt and pants Rarity had kept from her time with the diamond dogs, was disappointing, Nathan was grateful for the gift. They were the wrong size, were terribly itchy, and the smell was just this side of ass, but at least he was covered. While he was getting dressed the two mares rejoined their friends outside, having a laugh about something. Probably me Nathan thought to himself.

“Now Nathan,” the doctor had started. “I think you’re going to be just fine, but I still don’t like that injury to your head. You are not to do any strenuous activities for the next couple days, until you are fully recovered. You might not be a pony but you should still look after yourself.”

“Ok doc, I’ll lay off the magic for a couple days.” Nathan joked. The doctor didn’t think it was so funny, but he accepted that his patient was going to be careful, and discharged him. He proceeded downstairs into the lobby of the small hospital. Everypony in the room held their breath.

The predator was awake. He was hungry. What would he eat? Who would he eat? As he walked past the stunned group of ponies, he suddenly stopped at one of them. He turned to face a strawberry-blonde coloured mare, an intense glare in his eyes. His hand reached out for her head, her eyes transfixed in horror. He slowly closed his grip and… grabbed an apple from the bowl of complementary fruit beside the frightened pony. He took a big bite, waved at the room and walked out. He chuckled. Oh come on, they were just asking for it! he reasoned to himself. Lost in thought he nearly ran into Fluttershy and her scowl.

"That was just awful! You did that on purpose!" she fumed. She was upset before about the bear, but right now she was just angry. Nathan knew he was responsible for her newfound rage and let the smile drop from his face. His head dropped to the ground and he stared at a rock just off to the side, afraid to look Fluttershy in the eyes.

"Maybe just a little..." he managed to stammer out. Alright, it was a bad choice of first impressions and he knew it.

“We just got finished talking about how it was going to be difficult to convince the others to let you stay and you do that? What were you thinking?”

“You’re right Fluttershy, I’m sorry. I’ll be more conscious of my decisions in the future.” Fluttershy fumed off as quickly as her limp would allow her. Rejoining her friends she regained her composure. She was upset with him, but she was willing to chalk it up to being uncomfortable in the confusing situation the human had found himself in. However, every one of her other friends were glaring, except for Pinkie Pie, who wore a beaming smile on her face.

"What?" she responded to the questioning looks of her friends. "I thought it was a great prank! The look on that mare’s face was priceless! Could you imagine Nathan trying to eat a pony? You guys are so silly.”

"-- and finally this is my library. I work and live here. I have a copy of most of the more important volumes about Equestrian history and magic, including some on astronomy and stargazing." Twilight sparkle finished off her impromptu tour of Ponyville. The town wasn't huge, but had most needed amenities. It had taken the better part of an hour to do the full rounds, but Nathan was thankful that he had come along to better understand the way the town was set up. They hadn’t gone out to Sweet Apple Acres, but Applejack had pointed out the road that led to it.

Nathan noticed that the six mares he had been following had managed to integrate themselves into most of the important services of the town. Weather control, food supply and preparation, veterinary medicine, and Twilight was the closest thing to a scientist they had. He had guessed, based on her diamond cutie mark that Rarity was a banker or maybe treasurer for the town, and was shocked to discover she was a dress-maker. A society of ponies that normally don't wear clothes and one of them is a dress-maker. He had noticed a few articles of clothing, but they tended to be indicative of station, rather than any sort of protection or fashion.

He had inquired in getting a new set of clothes made, but Rarity had returned and icy glare, stating she would "consider it, if she had time, he had money, and she was hard pressed for the cash". Based on her affluent appearance, Nathan figured that was the most polite way the white pony could say "never". At least she didn't spit on him. While the others thinly-veiled their distrust of the human, Rarity was outwardly hostile, barely tolerating his presence among the six of them. Where Twilight had shown a timid but surmountable fear, Rarity displayed only anger.

"A library? The architecture is amazing. Is that all that's in there, is books and living space?" Nathan inquired as the tour came to a close. Access to books would go a far way in helping to educate himself on the pony lands. Their culture, history, traditions, beliefs. He could already see himself spending hours here in his free time.

"Well there is a lab in the basement, but I never use it for the most part. It's cluttered with magic equipment since the time I tried to figure out Pinkie's 'Pinkie sense'" Seeing the human raise an eyebrow, Twilight quickly added "Don't even bother trying to understand it. I'm sure you'll see it in action soon enough. Let‘s just say that when something big is about to happen, Pinkie Pie… just knows." Nathan was still confused, but he nodded anyways. Some sort of prescience from that pink nut? His mind was already spinning off in another direction though, as Twilight had brought another important idea to the forefront of his mind.

A lab! Even if it was cluttered, it didn't sound like Twilight was using it, and it even had equipment he could take a look at just to see how their technology worked. The tech level here was confusing to Nathan. While they didn't seem to have electricity, so many objects he had come across during the tour couldn’t possibly work without some sort of power source. As they passed the home of two mares, he had seen a set of speakers in their living room. How did that work?

"Now, Nathan," Twilight broke his train of thought. "We've been more than generous showing you around town, and we have no plans to ask you to leave again. Applejack has informed me they had already hired you out at Sweet Apple Acres. However, I would like to make one thing very clear. We. Don't. Trust. You. At. All. You're a strange predator that keeps showing up in town. Then there was that display in the hospital..." Nathan blushed sheepishly. Alright, maybe he had gone a bit far.

"What I'm saying is you can stay until princess Celestia can figure out what to do with you. I'll be sending her a letter later today. In the meantime you need to behave. Fluttershy for whatever reason has vouched for you, and even AJ seems ok with you being here, so we'll take their word on it. For now." The look on Twilight's face was a mixture of stress and mild discomfort. Nathan had no intention of interrupting her. Rainbow Dash had no such reservations.

"Yeah! You heard what Twilight said. You do anything to anypony and you're going to get a hoof upside the head in ten seconds flat. Fluttershy told me what you did with the bear out in the Everfree forest. We don‘t eat meat here, and we don‘t kill anything. Ever." the blue Pegasus was fuming. Suddenly, she felt a tug at her leg, and turned to see a concerned Fluttershy staring her down.

"N-now Dash, we talked about this. I believe you have something to say to Nathan." Rainbow Dash looked back to the human sheepishly, and allowed her wings to carry her a little lower through the air. Scrunching her face into a knot, she glanced back to Fluttershy. Sighing, she nodded and spoke.

"Um... and I guess I owe you a bit of an apology. For, you know, kicking you in the head, when you were just trying to get Fluttershy safely home. So uh... sorry?" As Dash flitted to the back of the group, Rarity felt the need to put her two-bits in.

"I only tolerate your presence because of Fluttershy. She's my best friend, and if you lay a hoof... er paw… er whatever those things on the ends of your arms are... on her, I will show you some unicorn magic, and break you." Nathan nodded solemnly. He fully believed that the white unicorn intended every word she had spoken. Open hostility indeed. Finally, he spoke up.

"Hands, Rarity, they are called hands. Anyone else want to rip me a new one while we're all standing here?" Bristling at the fact the human had called her by name; Rarity’s eyes shot daggers of ice at the brute. If looks could kill…

"A new one what?!" Pinkie asked, excited to learn just what "one" was. Nathan face-palmed and proceeded to pinch the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. If I don’t go crazy by the end of the month it will be a small miracle. How naive are these pony folk anyways?

"Never mind, Pinkie Pie. Just... never mind."

"Speaking of Pinkie," Rarity spoke, a flash of realization crossing her face. "Dear, you are not in any way, shape, or form to throw a party for this… this human."

"But..." Pinkie began to protest.

"No buts Pinkie Pie. We do not need the whole town exposed to this... creature while he is here.” A dark shadow crossed Pinkie Pie's face. It was obvious from her pained expression that she had already started to plan one. Nathan felt a bit better. At least one other pony didn't seem to mind the thought of him being around. That was two of them turned around, and after a few weeks of working with Applejack he hoped he could count on her to tolerate him. He didn’t need them to be his friends, he just needed someone he could turn to if the rest of the town decided to get the pitchforks and torches one night. That being said, if anyone was going to lead the lynch mob, it was probably Rarity.

"Speaking of being here," Nathan turned his attention to Twilight. "While I'm here I'll need a place to sleep. If you're not really using your lab I thought maybe that I could stay there? I could clean it up myself and I'll start paying you rent once I get paid by AJ." He caught the mixed feelings on Applejack's face and quickly turned to her. Already he was overstepping his boundaries, and he knew it. Shit. "Sorry, can I call you AJ?"

"Let's just keep it at Applejack." She had already mulled it over. She didn’t need any additonal complications, being a simple orchard pony. "Only mah friends call me AJ." Ouch. Well at least she wasn't being as corrosive as her friends, even if she still viewed him as an outsider. Realizing the implication in her words she blushed and added "Ah mean... Ah'm sorry that was a lot ruder than ah intended"

"No it's alright Applejack. I understand. So, Twilight, can you spare me the room?" Twilight seemed to mull over something for a few moments before responding.

"Yes... for now you can live here. But! You are not to touch anything in the library without permission, and the door to the basement will be locked during sleeping hours. It's not a prison... I just don't trust you enough." The last condition seemed to internally conflict in Twilight Sparkle. Intending to not look a gift horse (pony?) in the mouth, Nathan nodded his head and agreed.

"Thank you Ms. Sparkle. I can live with that." Twilight blushed at the formality.

"Please, just call me Twilight. I'm not one for such pleasantries. Ok, well I have work to do and I assume you will want to get settled. Come on girls." The group of six mares broke up, slowly moving off to their own homes, Rainbow Dash performing a high-speed loop as she headed for her cloud home, obviously trying to show off. Fluttershy lingered a bit longer, still curious about the human, and needing to have a conversation with him about the hospital incident still, until she was called out by Rarity.

"Dear I'm sure Angel needs help taking care of the rest of the animals. Spending so much time with this human can't be healthy. You should go home now." She didn't bother to veil her obvious disgust. Fluttershy took a few more conflicted glances towards Nathan, but finally took her friend's suggestion and began to limp away towards her cottage. Rarity was right; the animals had been without her for nearly six days. Angel would be overwhelmed and angry. She did however put herself in front of Rarity with a stern look in her eyes.

"Oh Rarity, that was cruel. You can't say that about him. You might not understand or like him, but I do. Understand him I mean. Eventually I hope you can too. Until then, you are not to treat him like such." Rarity harrumphed, stuck her nose in the air and trotted off.

“Fluttershy, when you finally realize what that human can do if given the time and space, I hope you have the good sense to remember that I have tried to protect you." Nathan took stock of the departing ponies and blew out a stream of air at the sky.

"Well, that could have gone better." He was speaking out loud to the sky, not sure who or what might be listening. With that he turned around and headed in to the library. "Might as well start cleaning. Probably get another earful from Twilight too, she seemed to have more to say. I have a feeling she always has something more to say. This is going to be a rough few weeks. God, that Rarity is such a b-"

Enveloped in a cloud of smoke, the shadowy figure flitted in and amongst the various thoughts and dreams of Celestia's mind. A rainbow here, a cloud there, sunshine, cake. For the most part it was so overwhelmingly sweet he had to hold his sickly claw in front of his mouth, and close his eyes, forcing the vomit in his throat to recede. It amused him to think of what would happen if he lost his dinner inside Celestia’s dreams, but decided for the time being to avoid it. He wasn't here for the lollipops and joy anyways. He was looking for something deeper and darker. Something that Celestia didn’t want anypony to see.

As he moved about, a decrepit grin crossed his concealed face. He might be here for that, but why not have some fun. He so did love having fun. He took one of the clouds and gently formed a concept. He closed his eyes, and using his magic he reached out across his sphere of influence for the perfect idea. Moulding the thought like a ball clay, he produced an image of a steak and lobster dinner. Garlic mashed potatoes, vegetables and melted butter lined the plate. A glass of wine finished off the set-piece. Setting it free he softly snickered as it floated up and lodged itself amongst Celestia‘s more prevalent thoughts.

"Now you're going to wake up craving food you can't even describe! Even if you did know what it was, my dear pathetic Celestia, you would be ever so upset. Oh this is too easy! I should have done this years ago" His fun over, he continued down through the images and dreams that surrounded him. The further he went the more remote and buried the thoughts were. Memories from centuries ago, nearly forgotten with the crawl of time, both the good and the bad.

Finally, the shrouded figured found what he was looking for. A dark, haunting emotion, pushed as far down as Celestia could. Seizing the emotion in his claws, he peered in, drinking in the sight. Black tendrils of dread evaporated off the globe he held in his hands, drifting off and disappearing into the relatively dim surroundings. There were three statues, made of the blackest possible obsidian. One each for Nightmare Moon, Discord, and Queen Chrysalis

Each wore a threatening glare, peering down at the broken, crying form of the princess, as she wept upon the floor. Each of these statues represented a failing of the princess, each one time her powers had failed to protect her kingdom and the little ponies who lived there. She remembered clearly each of the events. Those memories were towards the top of her thoughts and could have easily been pushed up for her to remember more vividly. No, these statues represented the feeling of utter helplessness she had gone through. She had buried these emotions, hoping she would never feel such despair again.

The clawed figure began to nudge the memories closer to the surface of Celestia's consciousness, the same way he had done every other night for the last few months. The power of Princess Celestia’s consciousness was overwhelming, and the dark robed figure expended a considerable amount of his magical energy just getting it to move. As time had progressed though, his power had grown, and Celestia’s hold over the emotion had weakened. Each night the exercise was just that little bit easier. He continued to move it up. Not too far though. He needed the emotions to come slower, over time. More "naturally".

Satisfied his night's work was finished, the cloaked being slowly made his way back to the entrance to his portal. The first night he had performed this task, he nearly ran out of energy, nearly trapped himself within the mind of Celestia forever. Now, he felt relatively comfortable. Plenty of time and strength left. On his way he pushed past another thought he had planted a couple weeks before. He was still shocked how quickly that one had worked. Celestia was such a willing guinea pig. He toyed with the idea of removing the thought, or changing it, but decided ultimately to leave it alone. With some many disparate plans continuing concurrently, it was in his best interest to keep things as simple as possible.

Gliding back through the opening of his cauldron, he waved a claw over the pot, sealing the portal once again. Assuring himself he had the materials on hand for a few more similar incantations, he allowed himself to relax and wander down to the throne room where he kept his collection of statues. He sat upon the throne and gazed out an open window, the stained glass motif long ago having been smashed out, and waited for the first rays of sunlight to come flooding over the mountains. Waited for Celestia to awake from another troubled sleep.

Celestia woke with a start. Her bed was covered in sweat and her royal mane was dishevelled and unkempt. The sheets and blankets had been kicked off and lay at a lump at the foot of the bed, and her pillows littered the floor of her bedroom, tossed asunder during her fitful slumbering. Luna was just putting the moon to rest, and had knocked gently on her sister's door, waking her from the uncomfortable sleep. She had been dreaming, but she couldn’t remember what the dream had been about. She remembered… smoke… or something… a cloud maybe? Her sister? Regaining some of her composure she called out softly, answering the knock at the door.

"Yes? Luna is that you?" Celestia called out mild distress. Hearing her sister's panicked voice, Luna strode in the door and took in the room. The normally neat living quarters of her sister was thrown about like a tornado had entered the room, and the smell of sweat hung heavy in the air. Allowing the momentary confusion pass, Luna put on a neutral and caring face and approached Celestia.

"What is wrong my sister? You seem agitated."

"I had a terrible dream. I don't remember most of it. I’m glad you’re here, as you can see I didn’t sleep very well at all. I keep having these recurring thoughts too lately… I'm sorry Luna, but I have to ask you something. Please don‘t be offended or concerned, I just need to know something." Celestia held her breath, worried to offend her sister. Luna cocked her head in confusion and replied.

"You can ask me anything dear sister. What could be troubling you so?" Celestia considered how best to ask her question without hurting Luna. Luna couldn’t imagine what her sister could possibly ask that would upset or hurt her. She loved her, and wanted the best for both of them.

"When... when you were Nightmare moon..." Celestia could see Luna bristle a bit. It had been an unspoken rule between the two of them that they shouldn’t talk about the time Luna was banished to the moon. When Luna turned against Celestia and the rest of the kingdom. Luna gently nodded her head, permitting Celestia to continue her inquiry. "... Did you want to be saved? Did you want to be Luna again?" Luna could feel the emotional minefield she had walked into, and didn't know where her sister was going.

"I don't know. Honestly, when I was Nightmare Moon, I didn't think about what I really wanted, or who I wanted to be. I spent one-thousand years trapped in the moon. One thousand years to watch you rule alone, controlling everything. One thousand years of spending every day thinking to myself ’Celestia, my sister Celestia, used the very weapons that we used together against Discord to me of my powers and banish me'. I hated you. So very, very much. I wanted to come down there and overthrow your rule. I wanted to banish you someplace for all eternity. I wanted… Celestia when I was Nightmare moon I fully wanted, and intended, to destroy you.

"Some small part of me, I’m sure, wanted to just be Luna again, but that fraction of my being was consumed by Nightmare Moon wanting to end your reign. That’s all I could think about. For one thousand years. Now that I am myself again, I am eternally grateful to you and your students. I love you, and looking back I acknowledge that what I did, the things I thought, they were all wrong. Honestly though? No. I would have remained Nightmare for the rest of eternity if given the choice at the time. I'm sorry if that doesn't ease your mind. What did you ask me for though, sister?"

Celestia had asked the question, and was prepared for the answer. Some small part of her knew the whole time what the answer was. The words hurt her though. She wanted to believe Nightmare Moon had been a curse, brought on by some still unknown to them magic, not a choice. She had staked her continued co-rule with Luna based on that. Knowing that she might have stayed Nightmare Moon forever? Celestia was shaken. Allowing Luna to return home may have been the single most disastrous action of her millennia of rule. May have been. She forced herself to acknowledge that so far Luna had returned to rule amicably. She put a smile on her face and managed to reply to her sister.

"Oh I was just curious." A lie, of course. Luna knew it, but let it go. "Let me freshen up and then I'll go raise the sun." Luna politely smiled back and nodded. Something was troubling her sister greatly, but she knew better than to push it. Celestia usually had her reasons. Luna did regret her answer however. Celestia wanted an honest answer, but the pain in her eyes told her she had cut her sister deeply.

"Of course dear sister. I'll leave you in private." Luna turned her back and headed for the door. Celestia allowed one solitary tear to trickle down her cheek, before quickly wiping it away so Luna didn’t see it. Suddenly remembering another part of her dream, Celestia’s face wrinkled.

"Wait, Luna.” Luna turned around again, catching the confused look on her sister’s face. “Do you happen to know what a ‘steak’ is? I have a horrible craving to eat one for some reason, and I don't even know what it is!"