Trips into the unexplored

Chapters

Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 1
Chapter 10
Chapter 36
Chapter 42
Chapter 57

Chapter 2

Spike and the ponies looked at Dave with even greater shock as he shook Spikes hand.

“WOAH you can talk?” Spike looked with his mouth hung open.

“Yes I can talk,” Dave continued to smile at him. “Who said I couldn’t?”

“Cool!” Spike looked up at Dave, “Can I get you anything? Food? Drink?”

“No thanks Spike I’m fine for now,” Dave smiled as Spike ran off giggling over to Twilight who was still staring at Dave.

Fluttershy poked Dave with a hoof. “Um excuse me… um Dave,” She quietly whispered.

Dave turned towards her trying to keep his smile from tearing his face, I just shook hands with a dragon that was so awesome. “Yes Fluttershy?” He whispered back.

Fluttershy stood back shocked, “How do you know my name?” Still whispering.

“I have seen these other ponies call you Fluttershy, well I thought they were talking to you,” His smile went. “Did I get it wrong… I’m sorry.”

“No need I was just a bit umm…. Startled,” Anyway she could talk about other things with him later. “When we were just in the basement...”

“Yeah.”

“Can we not talk about when you scratched my ears… please?”

“Umm… ok sure… why not?”

“I’ll tell you later,” Fluttershy then hurried off towards a punch bowl and poured herself a drink.

Dave then stood up and turned to come eye to eye with Rainbow Dash who suddenly appeared flying up to his level.

“Listen chump. I am going to be watching you like a hawk so don’t try any funny business,” She said with the hint of threat in her voice. “Anything you want to say?”

Dave looked up at her rainbow hair. “I like your mane.”

She flew back a bit and raised her hooves, “THAT’S IT IT’S GO TIME BUD I Will… wait what did you say?” She landed on the floor looking up puzzled.

“umm… I like your mane.”

“Pfft yeah so what?” She looked away but then looked back curiously. “What do you like about it?”

“The way it is rainbow coloured. Do many ponies have that?”

“Well no...”

“That’s really cool in my opinion,” Dave smiled at her.

Dash’s eyes lit up when he said, 'cool.'

“Yeah well it would be if it was on such a radical pony as myself” She emphasized her point with a small back-flip into the air.

Applejack stepped in to stop Dash showing off before it got out of hand.

“Whoa Nellie. Calm yourself down before you go break somthin,” Applejack pulled on Dash’s tail to the ground. “Anyway ma names Applejack,” She outstretched a hoof which Dave shook.

“Nice to meet you,” Dave replied. “Sorry about those apples I took, I’ll try and pay you back.”

Applejack just smiled at him “It’s fine sugarcube. You only took a few.”

“I still feel kinda bad,” Dave scratched the back of his neck.

“Well if you want to I could let you help me buck apples at some point. If yer allowed that is.” Applejack turned to see Twilight walk over and gawp at Dave. “I’ll be leaving you two alone.”

Dave smiled at Twilight who quickly start to blurt out random questions.

“What are you?”

“Well I…”

“How are you speaking our language?"

“See I…”

“Where do you come from?”

“I…” Dave was starting to get pushed back against a wall.

“How did you get here? Tell me. Tell me. Please!”

“Well I’m try….”

“I need information. I don’t know what you are, I have absolutely no knowledge of how you came here and none of these books have any answers and it is beginning to drive me CRAZY!”

“Beginning?”

“Hey I’m asking the questions,” Twilight was standing on her hind legs with both her front hooves on Dave’s chest. The top of her head just reaching the bottom of his.

“Ok calm down can it wait though I would like to meet everyone before I get interrogated.”

“It’s everypony not everyone.”

“Give me a break I’m still new here. I can‘t become perfect with your ways of talking instantly can I?”

“That reminds me,” She dropped down and went over to Spike who was still sniggering.

“Ok that was strange,” Dave still against the wall not sure if he should move or not.

He didn’t have much time to think as a pink head bobbed up from below smiling.

“HI I’m Pinkie Pie!” Still bouncing up and down, “Welcome to Ponyville,” Stopping in midair she gasped.

“What’s wrong?” Dave asked before looking down and realized that she was standing on nothing. “And how the hell are you doing that?”

Pinkie suddenly flew over to Twilight and whispered in her ear.

“No Pinkie we can’t have a welcome party we have to keep it… I mean Dave hidden,” Twilight then went back to writing a letter.

“But when he is allowed can we have a party then?”

“Sure whatever,” Twilight shooed her off with a hoof.

Pinkie then started to bounce around the room excitedly, “YAY now I have even more time to put together and even bigger party!”

Dave watched her bounce round and round but had to force his eyes away as it was starting to make him feel queasy.

Spike walked over and pulled on Dave’s trousers, “Hey Dave you ok?”

Dave looked down at the purple dragon, “Yeah I’m fine.”

“Well you still haven’t met somepony.”

“Who?” Dave asked more out of the need for a distraction from the bouncing pink blur.

“Her,” Spike pointed over to Rarity who was in deep thought. His legs went wobbly “ Isn't she amazing?”

Dave bent over to catch Spike as he almost fell over just staring at her, “Um yeah I’ll take your word for it.” Wow this guy sure likes her...

Spike then regained a sense of what he was doing before grabbing Dave’s hand and dragged him over to Rarity.

Rarity on the other hand had missed out on most of the introductions as her mind slipped into a trail of thought. Why do his eyes give me the tingles? Do they remind me of something? Maybe some Sapphires I had to collect? That’s it I forgot to get the sapphires for my new costume… no wait I picked them up this morning. Did I just compare it’s eyes with sapphires? She didn't notice that Dave was coming her way.

“Rarity you haven’t said hi to Dave yet.”

Rarity snapped out of her bubble before looking at spike. “I’m sorry Spike. Did you say something?” She then looked over to Dave who had knelt down and held out his hand to her.

“Hello my names Dave. What’s yours?” Dave smiled at her and she just stared at his eyes.

“Rarity,” she sighed as she got lost in his deep blue eyes and placed her hoof in his hand shaking gently.

Dave looked back and saw her staring. “Umm are you ok?”

“I am now,” She was losing concentration again.

“Rarity are you feeling ok?” Spike sounded concerned.

“Yes. Why shouldn't I be?” She sighed as she continued to lose herself.

“Because you willingly put your hoof in dirt.”

Rarity snapped her head to look at her three hooves that were on the ground. “I have not Spike!” sounding slightly annoyed she had been broken from her trance.

“Not those ones,” Spike pointed at the hoof she still had in Dave’s hand.

Rarity looked down and noticed her hoof was sat in the Dave’s hand which had bits of dirt and mud covering his fingers.

Rarity pulled her hoof back and held her head high as she tried to regain her composure, “Well I was simply trying to be friendly to Mr Dave and that the fact that you have rudely interrupted us offends me!” She knew she was just trying to cover up the fact that she had been so lost in Dave’s eyes she could have been sitting in the rain and not have noticed.

“I’m sorry Rarity,” Spike looked down at his feet sadly.

“No it’s ok Spike,” Rarity said trying to fix everything. “I over reacted which is so unladylike and I apologize.”

Spike’s smile picked up again, “It’s ok.”

Dave just sat looking a bit confused, Why did she just stare at me?

Rarity then looked at her hoof. A tiny bit of dirt sat in the middle. “Oh dear I look hideous,” she slowly sidestepped around the boys. “I had better go clean myself up. Um Applejack could you be a dear and help me?” She didn't really give her much choice as she pushed her through to the kitchen.

“What the hay do you need me for?” Applejack was a bit annoyed with having being dragged away from her food.

“I need help with something.”

“With what? A tiny bit of dirt of your hoof? I knew you were prissy but this is jus too much.”

“No not with this,” She pointed subtly at Dave through the doorway. “With him!”

“Aww come on that ain't fair he is new is all jus give him some time to settle in and I’m sure you will both get on like a barn on fire,” Applejack put her hoof around her.

“That’s my problem,” moving Applejack's hoof off her.

“What you getting at?”

“When I look in his eyes I just seem to lose focus,” she looked around the door at Dave and Spike again.

Applejack started sniggering, “Like when you used to think of Prince Blueblood?” She remembered how Rarity used to daydream of meeting him at the Grand Galloping Gala and how that illusion was crushed that night.

“Yes it’s worse though. This time he just pops into my head without thinking.”

Applejack started laughing heavily before suddenly realizing who they were talking about, “Wait you're talking about Dave?”

“Yes.”

“The not-a-pony thing?”

“Yes!”

Applejack stared at her trying to see if she was joking. She wasn't. “Are ya sure he ain't just reminding you of somepony else?”

“I have been trying to think all afternoon but I can’t make sense of it,” Rarity started pacing back and forth. “I can’t be… falling for it can I?”

“No… well I dunno,” Applejack grabbed Rarity by the shoulders to stop her pacing. “Well get Dave to come in here and you can both just talk in out like reasonable adults.”

“No nopony must know about this,” Rarity looked back out at Dave. “I will just have to control myself until I figure out what’s going on.”

“Well everypony might start getting curious if you keep avoiding him.”

“You're right, I’ll have to stay near him at all times,” Rarity hugged AJ before brushing the dirt of her hoof and hurrying back into the main room.

“That’s not what I meant,” Applejack sighed as she trotted after her.

Meanwhile…

Spike pulled Dave over to a corner away from the ponies.

“Can I tell you a secret?” Spike whispered in Dave’s ear.

“Umm sure,” Dave put on a reassuring smile.

“I have a crush on Rarity,” He stood back blushing.

“Really?” Dave wasn't exactly surprised but he tried to sound it.

“Yeah but don’t tell anyone.”

“Why would you tell me this if you have only just met me?”

Spike looked down at his feet awkwardly before looking back up at Dave. “Well I don’t have any guy friends and well… I feel like I can trust you.”

“Thanks Spike that means a lot. Hey you and me are gonna be best buds ok?”

“Great!” Spike raising his hands in the air. “So you wanna do guy stuff?”

“Sure what did you have in mind?”

“Well actually I was hoping you had any ideas. Hanging around with Twilight and the others is cool and all… it just feels like something is missing.”

“Well what kind of things do you do together?”

“Well there was this one time we all saved Rarity from a bunch of dogs that ponynapped her. Umm there was another where we had to stop a swarm of bugs that were eating Ponyville. Oh and there was this time we helped Princess Luna fit in after being banished to the moon for 1000 years. Well what do you do? I bet it is even more dangerous than anything we have ever done!”

Dave looked a bit startled, “Well to be honest me and my friend just play a good game of Halo.”

“COOL… umm what’s Halo?”

“A video game.”

“A what game?”

Dave groaned internally as he looked at Spike's clueless look, “Never mind it will take too long to explain. But those stories sound really cool to me.”

“They do? I thought they sucked a bit because I was just being dragged around most of the time.”

“Oh I see what it is. You just can’t have a bit of independence?”

“Inder…what?”

“Have more freedom in choice”

“Oh like when I followed the dragon migration saved a phoenix family and showed some dragons who’s boss. Yeah that was a bad decision to go.”

“Well stick with me and when I am able we can go out exploring one day. Go camping or something.”

“Sounds great.”

“Wait did you say showed some dragons who’s boss?”

“Yeah they were teenagers about the same size you are. And we just ran away to be honest.”

“How big can dragons get?”

“Well they can easily be bigger than a barn.”

“Wow that sounds cool.”

Twilight had just finished her letter and gave it to Spike, “Can you send this for me?”

“Sure,” Spike sent the message away in a green flame.

“Thanks let me know when you get a reply,” she the turned to face everypony as Rarity and Applejack came back into the room. “I have sent a letter to Princess Celestia explaining the newest discoveries. Which I still intend to research,” That last bit was aimed at Dave. “But I was wondering if anypony could let Dave sleep at theirs tonight as I have lots of studying to do and I fear I may get distracted.”

The ponies all looked at each other. Rarity and Fluttershy both put their hooves up at the same time.

“Well Dave who would you like to stay with?” Twilight and the rest of the ponies looked at him.

“Well umm…” Dave looked at both ponies. I would like to stay at Fluttershy’s but something about Rarity makes me think she wants to talk. “I wouldn't mind staying at Rarity’s as long as Spike came along,” Dave looked down and winked.

Spike looked up at Dave as he knew it had something to do with a certain secret he had just shared.

Twilight nodded, “Ok so long as if Spike receives a letter he brings it straight over.”

“I’ll make sure he does,” Dave reassured her.

“Fine, get in the cart.”

“Excuse me?”

“Well we don’t want you to be seen by anypony until the Princess allows it. So this keeps you hidden just in case.”

“Fine,” Dave said as he said his goodbyes to everypony as Applejack and Rarity brought the cart to the door. Dave jumped in with Spike and covered themselves with a large green blanket.

“Thanks for bringing me,” Spike whispered to Dave.

“Hey no problem. It’s what mates do,” Dave replied as he rustled Spike’s light green spikes on his head.

The trip in the cart was a little bumpy but was quite short.

Dave lifted a small gap in the blanket to look up and see spike sitting next to him.

“Psst Spike,” Dave whispered just in case any ponies were up around.

Spike looked down at him before whispering back. “You ok Dave?”

“Yeah I’m fine,” Dave looked past Spike to the night sky. “What time is it?”

Spike stood up and looked in the distance obviously at some form of clock tower.

“About midnight.” The cart hit a bump in the road which send spike falling onto Dave, “We shouldn't be much longer Rarity seems to be in a hurry.”

“Well how far is it to her house?” Dave asked as they bounced up again.

“Well normally it takes about 5 minutes but…”

Spike was cut short as the cart came to a sudden halt but had Dave as a cushion to stop himself hitting anything hard.

Rarity leaned her head into the cart and whispered under the blanket, “We’re here.” She lifted her head up and looked around before putting it back in. “It doesn't look like anypony is around but be quick."

Dave climbed out of the cart and followed her and spike in through the front door. Applejack quickly grabbed Rarity before she shut the door.

“Promise me you won’t do anythin that might make him uncomfortable. He is still new here to Equestria so take things… slow,” Applejack was more concerned with what Rarity might do than what Dave might do.

“Oh Applejack I will be the most delightful host for our guest and don’t fret he is perfectly safe in my hooves,” Rarity applied some of her elegance to show she was perfectly capable. “And don’t worry I have taken our little chat into consideration, bye bye now!” Rarity shut the door before Applejack had a chance to respond. She turned to see Dave looking at some of her designer clothes.

“Do you make all these?” Dave was looking at all the intricate designs and colours, “They’re really good!” he did sound honestly impressed but he was trying to see how they would look if they were for humans.

“Oh these old things I just made them on a whim,” Rarity took then Dave on a small tour of her boutique leaving out a room which had ‘Sweetie Bell’ written across it along the way before arriving in a small guest room.

“And this is where you will be sleeping,” Rarity smiled at Dave before trotting to her own room. “Don’t forget I am just down the hall if you need anything.”

“Thank you for letting me stay Rarity. See you in the morning,” Dave replied before stepping into the room with Spike. “So who is sleeping where?”

The room was small compared to the other rooms but was still fairly large. There was a large double bed and a long red sofa long one of the walls. There was a window looking away from Ponyville and towards what looked like a forest in the distance. The room was bathed in a dark blue glow from the moon.

“I don’t mind sleeping on the sofa,” Spike said climbing onto it. “Just pass me a blanket."

Dave found a blanket folded at the bottom of the bed and threw it to Spike. Dave then took his shirt, jeans and shoes off and neatly left them just under the bed. Climbing into the bed he felt the covers gently lay across the top of him and softly cuddle his body. Letting out a sigh he turned onto his side and fell asleep.

The next morning…

Dave woke to the sound of the door being opened. He gently opened one eye just to see who it was. Rarity gracefully stepped in levitating a silver tray.

Dave sat up in bed to greet Rarity. “Morning Rarity,” Dave rubbed some sleep out of his eye. Rarity placed the silver tray on his lap. “What’s this?”

“Breakfast in bed for our special guest,” Rarity went over to wake Spike.

“For… me?” the tray had some eggs, toast and some hay on a plate in the middle with a small bowl filled with various gems on the side. “Thank you you’re too kind.”

Rarity blushed a little at the compliment, “It is quite alright darling. I wasn't sure what you could eat so I made an assortment.”

“The egg and toast is great but I’m afraid I don’t eat hay.”

“Not a problem,” Rarity levitated the hay off the plate. “Anything else I can do for you?”

“I’m more than fine thank you.”

Rarity left the room with the hay and headed down stairs. Spike jumped onto the bed and grabbed the bowl of gems. “Emeralds yummy.”

“Wait you’re going to eat them?”

“Well yeah… unless you want some?”

“No thanks,” Dave watched fascinated as the dragon happily scoffed the gems into his mouth. This place just keeps getting better! Dave quickly ate his breakfast and set the tray aside along with the empty bowl.

“So what do you think we are going to be doing today?” Spike asked as he jumped off the bed and began to fold up his blanket.

“I don’t think we will be doing much until that princess arrives,” Dave stood up out of bed and looked at his body. There was no sign of any damage apart from a large bruise on his stomach. That looks like that is healing quickly, he kneeled down to get his clothes. Until then he didn't notice the state they were in. They were covered in dirt and the white shirt had lots of holes and tears. The bottom of his shoes were broken and the laces were frayed. At least his boxers were ok. “I don’t think I can wear these at the moment.”

Spike looked at the damaged shirt, “Yeah these don’t look too good. Maybe Rarity could make you some new clothes.”

As if she had been waiting to be called Rarity poked her head into the room. “Has everyone had their breakfast?” She then saw the dirty clothes, “Oh my… what kind of disaster is this.”

“Yeah the dirt has really got stuck in,” Dave sighed as he collected his clothes.

“The dirt only adds to the problem. These clothes are boring and have no flair about them… Where is the ambition in the design?”

Dave just looked at Spike with an unamused look at having his clothes degraded. Spike replied with a smirk.

“Well I was wondering if I could fix them?”

“Oh no you can’t possibly believe I would let you wear these again,” She snatched them away with her magic. “I will make you some new vibrant and elegant clothes for you to wear on special occasions. In the meantime you may use the bath to wash yourself.”

“Ok thanks again Rarity,” Dave started to leave as he felt his boxers being pulled down. Quickly he grabbed them and held them up. “What are you doing?” He said looking at the puzzled Unicorn.

“Well I need all your clothes for measurements.”

“Yeah but don’t take these now.”

“Well why not darling?”

“Well I will be naked.”

“And? Everypony you have talked to has been naked.”

The thought ran through Dave’s mind, she does have a point I mean she is naked right now and so were the others. If they were naked then how come I didn't see any of their… Dave quickly shoved the thought to the back of his mind. They are ponies why the hell would I be thinking that? “Well can you at least wait until I am in the bath?”

“If you insist,” Rarity then left the room with the dirty clothes and tray.

Spike was in the corner sniggering. “Haha your face when she…” He continued with his fits of laughter as he left the room and went downstairs.

Dave rolled his eyes as he went to the bathroom and filled the large white bathtub with warm water that had a thick coating of bubbles on the surface. He dropped his pants and climbed in and relaxed as the water soothed his body. Letting out a relaxed sigh a knock was heard at the door.

“Come in,” Dave quickly made sure the bubbles were still there before looking back at the door.

Rarity walked in and over to the bathtub. “Are you done with these?” She levitated his boxers up.

“Yeah sure umm... What should I do for clothes when I am done?”

“Don’t worry I have some simple yet ravishing clothes almost prepared for you.”

“Thank you err again.”

“Not a problem. Just clean that mane of yours.”

Dave ran his hand through his hair as she turned to leave. But as she turned she tried to get a cheeky peek in the tub but bubbles spoiled her fun. When she left Dave quickly finished his bath and as he was drying himself Rarity floated in some clothes for him. The Shoes felt like leather but was easier to move in. The trousers were a baggy black with various pockets down the sides. The shirt had short arms and a long body section it shared the colour of the trousers but had a dark blue rings around the neck and arms. The boxers and socks were a simple grey. Obviously Rarity had taken what his previous clothes were like but the felt more comfortable, light and yet stronger than his last set. This is simple to her? I would love to see some of her complex pieces. Finally drying his hair Dave went downstairs.

As Dave reached the kitchen door he heard Spike, Rarity and another voice. This one sounded young and had a slight high pitch in her voice. Dave slowly peeked through a crack in the doorway to see a small unicorn that had a white coat and had a mane consisting of a pink and purple.

“So what is it?” The little Unicorn Started to sound excited. “Can me and my friends play with it?”

“It’s name is Dave,” Spike replied.

The filly stopped to ask more questions, “What’s a Dave?”

Dave then slowly walked into the room gently tapping on the door to let everything know he was there.

“COOL!” The filly ran up to Dave and bounced round his legs asking questions with each bounce. Dave told the story of how he arrived in Equestria and any other questions she had.

“And that is why Rarity made me these,” He indicated to his clothes.

“Rarity is the best designer in the whole world and is the most generous pony as well so it’s no surprise she made them for you.”

Rarity blushed at her little sister, “If you haven’t noticed by now that Sweetie Bell is my little sister I don‘t think you ever will.”

Dave sat Back on his chair and chuckled, “Yeah I noticed.”

There was a knock at the door. Rarity walked over and opened it to find Applejack with the cart.

“Howdy folks I was jus wondering if Dave here fancied a trip to Sweet apple acres,” She chuckled at him. “A proper visit this time.”

They all agreed to go as Dave climbed into the back once again. The trip was significantly less bumpy this time and Dave had been laying there for about ten minutes before the cart came to a stop.

Applejack pulled some of the blanket off Dave’s head. “I am just gonna get ma folks ready to meet ya,” Applejack then left Dave’s view and he was left looking at a bright blue sky.

Applejack then reappeared a few moments later giving him a nod. Dave then slowly climbed out of the cart and met the rest of Applejack’s family.

“This is Applebloom,” Applejack indicated the filly with a pink bow in it’s bright red mane and had yellow body.

“Howdy mister” Applebloom greeted Dave with a wave before running off with Sweetie Bell.

“This is Big Macintosh, he is a strong worker ain't ya Big Mac?”

“Eeyup” Replied the large red stallion with his short orange hair.

“And this is Granny Smith” Applejack placed a hoof on the old grey haired green bodied mare. She was snoring away furiously. “Well now you have met ma family do you still want to help out?”

Dave smiled, “Of course. I have debt to repay.”

Rarity stayed back at the farm with Granny Smith while the rest of the apple family, Sweetie Bell, Spike and Dave all went to buck some apples.

Dave had started watching Big Mac and AJ buck apples for a while before he was encouraged to give it a go. Nervously he walked up to the large tree and kicked with the bottom of his foot and to his surprise the apples easily fell out the tree and landed on the ground. Spike then quickly grabbed the apples and dropped them in the baskets.

“Heh beginners luck” Dave joked as he caught his breath. But as he kicked more and more trees he found himself getting comfortable with his kicking technique and began to let himself relax some more.

The bucking continued for another hour before they arrived where Dave had landed.

“What are we doing here?” Dave asked as he looked around the familiar setting.

“We need to take down the tree you crashed into,” Applejack explained. “So we can start planting another one in its place.”

“Oh ok I'll just stand back,” Dave took a couple of paces back and watched Big Mac and Applejack stand side by side backs to the tree.

“All righty Big Mac you ready?”

“Eeyup,” Was the same reply he had given most of the day but this time had a bit of determination in his voice.

“Ok then 3... 2... 1... NOW!! Applejack and Big Mac raised both their hind legs and put everything they had into that kick which spread the crack which Dave had made pass most of the way through. As the large tree started to fall when the sound of laughter came to Dave’s ears as Applebloom and Sweetie Bell ran into the path of the tumbling tree. A loud snap came from the tree as it fully broke. Both the fillies looked up and were frozen with fear. As the tree began to descend they both covered their eyes.

Applejack turned when she herd the snap from the tree to see it falling towards her sister. The only thing she could do was yell, “APPLEBLOOM!”

There was a short scream of pain as it echoed through the orchard. Sweetie Bell and Applebloom both opened their eyes as they looked up at a red faced Dave who was using his back and both his hands to keep the tree off the ground and crushing them. He opened his eyes to look back at them. It’s my fault they almost got hurt or worse. If I hadn't of landed here there would be no need to have taken this tree down and they would be safe. I hate myself for letting it get this close With that thought still burning in Dave’s mind he slowly but steadily began to lift the tree. Everyone stared at him. He lifted the tree above his head. "And I especially hate this god damn tree” He then threw it away. He didn't care. As long as it was gone.

Shaking his head roughly he opened his eyes to the sight of Applejack jumping on him crying knocking him to the ground whilst hugging him.

“Thank you so much Dave I don’t know what ta say,” She broke into another set of tears. “Thank you.”

Dave was a bit confused as he looked at Applejack on his chest crying and hugging him. The fillies still in shock and Spike and Big Mac looking with mouths hung open. His attention was then drawn to the tree that was 20 feet away and had crashed through another tree.

"What the hell?" Dave whispered as he looked at his hands, the small scrapes already healing.

"Celestia needs to hear about this," Spike whispered to himself.

Chapter 3

Dave stared in awe at what he had done. The original broken tree was a good 20 feet away and had collided with another tree along the way. The new broken tree was almost completely broken in half.

“Did I do that?” Dave wasn't asking anypony but was more of a question to himself. He ran the scenario through his head again. The tree started falling as Applebloom and Sweetie Bell ran into it’s path. He understood that bit but the next bit was a slight haze in his mind. I ran and slid under the tree to stop it falling on them… but how did I lift it and do that?

Applejack let go of Dave as the fillies jumped on him, “Thank you Dave you saved us!” they both hugged him tightly as he gave them a soft hug back

“No problem just be more careful,” Dave let them go as he stood up

Spike walked over to where the tree had landed, “How did you do that?” he turned and looked at Dave

“To be honest I have no idea” Dave scratched the back of his head as he looked at the damage he had caused. “Sorry for breaking another tree”

Applejack walked over and gave him another hug, “You don’t have to be sorry for what ya did. I’m just glad ya did nothing bad happened.” she let him go smiling “I think ya have more than repaid a few measly apples. Don’t you agree Big Mac?”

The red stallion gave an approving nod and another, “Eeyup”

“Well Dave you earned yourself a rest,” Applejack smiled as she walked over to her big brother. “Me and Big Mac can bring the apples in”

“Nnnope” Big Mac put a hoof in front of Applejack and gave her a kind smile. “You go too,” Applejack gave him a warm smile before walking back to Dave

“Well Dave come on lets be getting ya some food” Applejack brushed past Dave as she started to slowly walk down through the orchard

Dave followed with Spike and the fillies close behind. Turning to look at Big Mac before he left he gave him a wave. “I’ll see you in a bit”

“Eeyup,” was the standard reply before he started loading the baskets of apples onto a cart

Tuning back he saw Spike let out a yawn. “You tired?”

“Yeah with all the excitement today I am barely walking” Spike rubbed one of his eyes

Dave looked at the sleepy dragon. Aww hell why not he thought as he leaned over and picked Spike up and onto his shoulder.

“Whoa” Spike looked at the ground below “is this what being tall is like?”

“More or less” Dave replied with a chuckle

“Thanks this is much better than sitting on Twilight” Spike used one hand to hold onto Dave’s head until he got a better feel for sitting on his shoulder.

“Well feel free to use me as a taxi when ever you want”

“Thanks Dave” Spike smiled as he looked around the orchard form his new vantage point

Applejack looked up at Dave laughing with Spike. He is just the nicest guy I have ever met. He’s funny, kind, brave and not to mention handsome. She almost tripped at the last thought. Handsome? I must have just meant a strong worker. Sure that’s it. She began to realize what Rarity was talking about how he really did just pop into your mind.

As the group reached the house a large apple pie was sitting on a table outside the house and had some plates arranged the outside. Rarity was sitting at the table quietly waiting for the group to arrive.

“Finally” she let out a sigh “Granny Smith has gone to bed and left this pie for us”

“Well that was mighty kind of her” Applejack took a seat next to Rarity

Dave and spike sat opposite them and the two fillies sat next to their sisters. Applejack cut the pie into pieces and Rarity levitated the slices onto the plates. The sweet, rich smell filled the air and left everyone drooling to get a taste of the sweet pie. They all ate slowly as to enjoy the rich taste of the apples and the texture of the crumbling crust that surrounded the pie.

Big Macintosh came with a cart full of apples and placed them in the barn before sitting down next to Spike and received his own slice of pie.

Rarity was cutting her slice into smaller bits before engaging a conversation. “I heard a rather strange noise earlier do you know what it was?”

“It was Dave” Applebloom said with a mouth full of pie

“Yeah he saved our lives” Sweetie Bell added

“Saved your lives? What ever from?” Rarity had concern in her voice. She was ashamed that her sister was in danger and she didn’t know.

Both the fillies replayed the scene with Applebloom acting as Dave and used a large twig to represent the tree. They slightly exaggerated some parts but kept the story the same. They finished their play with Applebloom throwing the twig away before striking a hero pose, everyone gave a round of applause as they bowed and took their places at the table again.

Rarity looked over at Dave who was blushing. “Well Dave you have certainly worked hard today. Thank you very much for saving my sister. I can‘t begin to think how I can ever repay you”

Dave smiled at her, “It was nothing, honestly” Dave stuffed some apple pie into his mouth. The sun was starting to set and the sky took on an orange glow. Both Rarity and Applejack looked at Dave as he looked towards the setting sun and a breeze flowed through his hair. Both of them felt their hearts beat faster just looking at him.

Rarity rested her head in her hooves as she stared longingly at him He is just so wonderful and amazing. His eyes are turning out to be the icing on the cake. He is handsome and courageous. I wonder how he feels about me? her thoughts then turned to what their lives would be like together.

Applejack on the other hand looked at Dave as she held her hat in front of her face to stop others noticing her blush. None of them did. The fillies were off playing with some more sticks. Spike and Big Mac were having a very one sided conversation mainly consisting of Spike asking questions. He was so brave and strong. Why does he have to be so fantastic? She looked over at Rarity who was obviously daydreaming about him as well. what about Rarity? She will probably make a move first chance she gets. I have to do something… now Applejack then looked over to the barn with the apples in. An idea popped into her head and she came up with a quick scheme to get him alone for a few minutes.

Dave looked towards the setting sun as a cool breeze brushed over his face. I wonder if this will keep happening to me? Will I get stronger? Faster? And why now? Why does the pie taste better here than back home? And why do I have so many questions? He continued to ponder as the breeze passed.

Applejack coughed “excuse me Dave I was wonderin if ya wanted to take some apples with ya back to Rarity‘s” she hoped this would work.

Dave looked over to her and gave her a kind smile “thank you Applejack I would love some” he tried to sound polite even though he wasn’t fully paying attention.

Applejack grinned as she started to lead him towards the barn “I’ll help ya pick the best ones” She said that loud enough for everypony to hear. They knew it would take more than a minute to find one really good apple. Applejack was counting on getting as much time as she could without any of the others getting suspicious.

Dave walked into the barn which was lit by lanterns hung from the ceiling and saw the cart of apples at the far end and he walked up to them. “so which ones are the best?” He began to move some to get a better look at what there was. He didn’t notice Applejack had closed the door behind her. “We got a lot of apples didn’t we?” Dave chuckled. He turned round to look at Applejack “anyway what should I be looking fo….”

Dave was cut short as Applejack pounced on him, pushing him to the ground with her on top and pressed her lips to his. His mouth was still open so she took the chance to dive in with her tongue. She felt her body rush with energy as she continued to kiss.

Dave on the other hand was shocked with the twist of events. WHAT THE HELL?! He tried to open his mouth to talk but she just pushed her tongue in when he did. OK OK this is wrong just push her off. Nice and simple Instead of pushing her off he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. Come on body pay attention this is a pony. A nice pony yes but a pony none the less

Applejack pulled her head away and opened her eyes to look deep into his.

Dave’s eyes had relaxed slightly and looked back up into her green eyes that stared into his. “what was that for?” he tried to sound surprised and angry but instead he just let it out as a soft sigh

“I just wanted to show how ya how much I appreciated what ya did for Applebloom”

“like I said no pro…”

He was cut off again as she placed her mouth back to his but this time Dave played with Applejack's tongue. It tasted like the apple pie but tasted so much sweeter. This is strange. Now I am making out with a pony, another thing to add to my list. This is wrong, but it feels good. Dave mentally slapped himself. OK when she lets go again tell her it can’t work and leave.

Applejack had liked the look of Dave but tried to keep him out of her mind. Especially because Rarity mentioned liking him too. Applejack felt the pleasure of his tongue roll throughout her body. She didn’t want this to end. And she wanted more.

Applejack then used her hooves to lift up Dave’s shirt. His eye’s shot open as he realised how thankful she was about to get. OH CRAP NO, NO, NO please tell me this isn’t going where I think it is going.

He let go of her from his hug and moved his arms to push her but she responded by holding his arms down with her hooves. Damn she is strong. I can lift a tree but I can’t get a pony off me? Someone, anyone help he mentally pleaded but his tongue kept playing around in Applejack’s mouth. Applejack started to run a hoof gently down Dave’s chest. With Dave’s free hand he stroked the side of her face and ran his fingers into her mane. OK stop now you‘re beginning to make this worse. Yes I’m enjoying this…strangely. But this is wrong.

A voice called from outside and it was getting closer. “Dave, Applejack have you almost done yet? We need to get Dave back home.” Rarity was coming.

Applejack reluctantly took her head away from Dave as she yelled out to her waiting friend “y’all just hold on a sec we are just bagging the apples now.”

Dave seeing his chance pulled his shirt back down, brought his tongue back in and slammed his mouth shut. FINALLY he was relieved Rarity was the impatient type but was also strangely disappointed that the moment was ending.

Sitting up he looked at Applejack who stared at him with a bright red face. She was almost as red as the apples. “I’m sorry ‘bout that I don’t know what came over me”

Dave blushed himself “It’s ok… that was good” he smiled at her and she smiled back. WHAT THE HELL DID YOU SAY THAT FOR YOU TOTAL IDIOT?! he mentally screamed at himself as she gave him a passionate kiss and walked over to some bags in the corner and filled one with some apples from the cart.

Passing Dave the bag she whispered in his ear. “This will be our little secret. And I’ll see if I can find some time for us to be alone.” She smiled at him as she trotted for the door.

Dave slowly stood up and carried the bag of apples with him outside. He quietly climbed into the cart waving a small goodbye to the rest of the apple family

3 minutes later ...

The cart ride seemed like an eternity to Dave as he ran the scenario through his head again and again. He had only just met Applejack and she was already undressing him. It wasn’t that Dave didn’t enjoy it in fact it was the very opposite. It was just unexpected.

Spike who was sat in the cart with Dave looked at his blank face. “Are you ok Dave?”

Dave was pulled out of his trance. “huh oh umm yeah I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?” he tried to sound normal but the thought still lingered in his mind like the taste in his mouth.

“anyway in the morning we are going to Twilight’s house”

Dave fully pulled himself away from his concerns. “wait why?”

“She has some questions and other things like that.”

“Ok hopefully an uneventful day” Dave and Spike both chuckled.

“Anyway what took you so long in the barn?” Applejack over heard Spike’s question and almost tripped but regained her balance quickly

“oh well ummm….” He didn’t know what to say “we were only gone for 2 minutes”

“More like 20 to me”

20 minutes! But is felt so much shorter Dave stammered for words. “Well I… guess that Applejack just wanted to make sure I enjoyed it… her apples I mean… She just wanted to make sure I taste good.” The more he talked the worse it got. “What I meant to say was that Applejack. Wanted to make sure. That I got some tasty apples. To enjoy.” Saying it slowly so he didn't say anything stupid again he looked at spike who had a confused look on his face.

“ummm ok.” Spike looked over at Applejack then back to Dave “are you feeling alright?”

“To be honest I just feel tired” He yawned slightly Which tired me out more the tree or AJ? Don’t let those thoughts back in just block them out Dave began to rub his eyes. He was actually tired, tired of all the work and tired of having to relive kissing Applejack every 5 seconds. “how about you?”

“I’m fine. The excitement sure made my day though” Spike yawned as well. It was getting late.

Few minutes later at Rarity’s boutique…

Dave snuck out of the cart and into the house with Spike, Sweetie Bell and Rarity close behind. They all said their goodbyes to Applejack who gave Dave a wink when nopony was looking.

He replied with a warm smile before the door shut. He let out a long sigh before walking over and sitting down on another deep red sofa.

Sweetie Bell climbed up the stairs as soon as she was in the house. Obviously the day had tired her out as well.

Rarity looked over at the sleepy Dave. “Are you alright darling?”

Dave looked up at Rarity who was about to climb the stairs. “yeah just tired” his body had given up on moving so he let himself get comfortable where he was.

“Are you sure? You have had quite the busy day” She started to get concerned

“Yeah I just need to sit down for a bit”

“Well if you need me you know where I am” she climbed the rest of the stairs and went into her bedroom

Dave looked at spike who was yawning himself. “Hey Spike”

“Yes Dave?” He rubbed his eyes again

“You can sleep in the bed if you want I will probably sleep here.”

“Well ok… as long as you’re sure” Spike quietly went upstairs blowing out the candles in a lamp on the way “goodnight Dave”

“Goodnight Spike” Dave rested his head against the sofa and let sleep take over.

Meanwhile in Rarity’s bedroom…

Rarity turned the lights out with magic as she crawled into her bed. She laid her head down and pulled the covers up to her chin. After a few minutes she turned onto her side, then the other. After moving around her bed she laid on her back staring at the ceiling. “Why can’t I get comfortable?” she muttered to herself.

The lights from outside her door went out as Rarity slowly sat up. “Everypony must be going to sleep” she slammed her head into the pillow and covered herself up again. “And so must I. I have had a frantic couple of days and I am missing out on my beauty sleep,” She squeezed her eyes tightly together. After a few more minutes she let out a groan and sat up. “Really now this is getting ridiculous.”

Her stomach growled loudly. “Ah I’m just a bit hungry. Well a small bite to eat before bedtime never hurt anypony” She slipped out of bed before slowly creeping out her bedroom door as to not to make a noise. As she reached the stairs she slowly walked down quickly looking back to see if she had woken anypony. When she reached the bottom she noticed Dave asleep on the sofa in a sitting position.

“Aww he looks so peaceful” she whispered to herself. Her hunger disappeared as she looked at him. “Dave you have no idea what I would do to have you for my own,” She slowly walked over to him and was soon standing in front of him looking up at his sleeping face. “We could have such fun and when winter came around we could snuggle in front of the fire,” She whispered to herself some more of her daydreams.

It felt strange having these feelings with something that wasn't her species. I mean how could it work? He would probably go back to his own world when he had the chance and even if he didn't how could it work? She was a pony and he was Dave how could they even have little fillies of their own?

Rarity’s mind was drawn to the last subject. How did Dave’s species reproduce? She bit her bottom lip as her mind began to wonder. And what does it feel like? The question burned her mind as she moved closer to Dave. I’m sure he feels a similar way I do. she started to remember her old romance novels on how the two lovers would kiss before heeding the call of nature. She slowly climbed and sat on Dave’s lap and stared at him placing her front hooves on his shoulders.

Dave woke up wondering why he felt something sitting on him. He was certainly feeling a bit better. What is on me anyway? He opened his eyes slowly to see Rarity looking at him breathing deeply with her mouth hung slightly open. “umm Rari…”

Rarity watched Dave awaken and she lunged at the chance to embrace him, quickly slipping her tongue into his mouth and letting it rest on his. I hope he feels the same way, she feared the rejection coming.

Dave felt her tongue rest in his mouth. Oh god not again. I almost couldn't stop myself last time. she is not as eager as Applejack at least Dave remembered the feeling he was getting with Applejack and how good it felt. well I have already kissed one I guess.

Rarity pulled her lips away and blushed heavily. “I apologize Dave I don’t know what came over me.” She didn't need a response to know how foolish she had been “I will just be going back to be…”

It was Dave’s turn to cut somepony off mid sentence as he pulled her in and gave Rarity the same kiss she had given him. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she felt her heart race to her throat.

This isn’t so bad I guess. WAIT did I just kiss HER? His thoughts went back to Rarity. She certainly seems to like me as much as AJ does his mood dropped. Applejack. What if she finds out? How would she take it? But Dave’s worries were cast aside as Rarity slowly began to rub her tongue against his. It was slower than it was with Applejack but the feeling was still as intense. And instead of the taste of apples he tasted something more like a strawberry.

Rarity’s horn glowed as she took Dave’s top off and let it fall carelessly to the floor. She took a moment to gaze at his body before embracing him once more. She shuffled her body further up his lap.

Dave didn’t notice his top being removed as he returned to kissing the unicorn. This feels so good I don’t want this to stop. No it has to… in a minute placing one arm around her mid section and pulling her right up to his body using his free hand to stroke her cheek. Slowly he felt a swelling in his pants. crap he realized what it was Ok kissing is one thing but I am not going to sleep with her he felt the swelling persist. So long as she doesn't realize I suppose I can amuse her for a little while longer. He was enjoying himself too much but he would have stop if it was getting out of hand.

Rarity felt the arm around her as Dave’s hand stroked her cheek then her back. She moaned quietly into his mouth in pleasure. By Celestia this is amazing She remembered the rest of her favorite novel well I suppose if it has gone this well then how about a little more? she asked herself I’m sure Dave wants it too She lowered a hoof to Dave’s pants. She felt something in his lap. Thought so she giggled in her mind as she slowly began to rub it.

Aw crap she’s found it he peeked an eye open to see what time it was to see if there was a chance for an interruption. The moon was still high in the sky and it bathed the room and Rarity in a light blue glow. She looks beautiful Dave realized what he had thought. A pony beautiful? REALLY DAVE? The kissing is one thing but this has to stop before you start practicing bestiality Dave heard the faint click and zip as his pants became undone. CRAP forgot they had magic. Come on how an I supposed to resist a sexy magical pony? Wait SEXY? For god’s sake please stop this now.

Dave put his hands on Rarity’s shoulders and slowly broke the kiss. A long strand of saliva branched from his mouth to hers. He stared in her eyes as she stared back, the feeling was great and it didn‘t want to be forgotten. ok get back in there Dave. NO just let her down easy I’m sure she will understand

“listen Rarity. I…” Dave had his mouth covered by one of Rarity’s hooves.

“it’s ok” she whispered softly “I know what to do” she hoped those stories didn’t let her down now as she slowly slid herself down to the floor so her face was level with the bulge in Dave’s pants and licked her lips in wonder.

Dave just stared at a loss for words, OH HELL THE POINT OF NO RETURN. He started to panic in his mind but his body just watched OK ok calm down there is only the chance you end up having sex with a pony you met only 2 days ago but you have to think! Rarity’s horn glowed a light blue and Dave’s pants started to slowly lift. THINK FASTER

“What is going on down here?” squealed a voice and was accompanied with the lights being turned on

Both Rarity and Dave both turned to look at Sweetie Bell who was standing at the stairs with a confused look across her face. Rarity's horn stopped glowing and Dave's pants were still firmly on.

Oh thank you Rarity’s parents for deciding to have another kid Dave felt the bulge go and was left with another problem, Sweetie Bell. “umm..” Dave decided it probably wasn’t the best idea to explain how he was about to receive a blowjob off a unicorn which happened to be her sister.

Rarity quickly spoke up. “I saw Dave sleeping here when I noticed his clothes were damaged from all the work he has done today, so I tried to make him more comfortable and take the damaged clothes away without waking him” she hoped that Sweetie Bell hadn’t seen anything else. Dave looked at her with a mixture of worry and happiness that she had came up with a better excuse than he could.

“Well you didn't do a good job because Dave is awake now”

Rarity looked up at Dave and forced a shocked expression “I am so sorry Dave I know you must be extremely tired after all you have done today.”

Dave quickly caught on and faked a yawn, “No problem Rarity I am feeling a little thirsty to be honest.” Liar. he quickly thought to himself. “I am just going to get a glass of water before I go back to sleep. Excuse me girls” Dave stood up and walked into the kitchen. Leaving Rarity to take Sweetie bell back to bed.

Getting a glass from a cupboard he filled it with cold water from the tap. He hurriedly drank the refreshing liquid letting out a sigh as he placed it down on the table and sitting down. “That was too close” he had to get a better grip on things. Why would AJ and Rarity both throw themselves at me? I mean I saved both their sisters but I had to. The tingling feeling that Rarity left him with didn’t let him get much sleep as he went back to the sofa. Rarity didn't risk going back downstairs to Dave again.

The next morning…

Dave woke with something sharp being poked into his chest. He opened his eyes to see Spike poking him with a claw.

“Dave wake up or we are going to be late for Twilight,” Spike continued to poke Dave until he was fully awake.

“Yeah I heard you” Dave rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Oh no what if Spike finds out that Rarity almost became a carnivore? he slightly chuckled at his own joke.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing it’s just I err… am a bit ticklish”

“Really?” Spike had a mischievous tone about him

“Don’t get any ideas” Dave warned playfully pointing a finger at him

“I won’t. Anyway you’re missing breakfast” Spike then walked back into the kitchen with Dave slowly following.

Yesterday was incredible. INCREDIBLY DISTURBING Dave thought to himself. I almost had sex with 2 ponies and 1 of them almost gave me a blowjob in front of her little sister. Still at least the kissing felt good. Hell it felt more than good. If it had just been that I would have been happy. Dave shook his head as he started to walk into the kitchen. Get a grip those ponies wanted more and you were going to give it to them! He saw Rarity and Sweetie Bell sitting at the table both almost done with what looked like chopped apples and hay.

“Hey Dave” Sweetie Bell cheered behind a mouthful of food

Rarity sat and stared at Dave as he got an apple from the bag he brought back yesterday and sat next to her. “I hope you had a pleasant night Dave?” Dave gulped as he knew she wasn’t talking about a good nights sleep.

“Yeah it was amazing” Dave smiled at her as she blushed. Amazing. Really? What is really amazing is how I have managed to not get laid since I got here. God bless awkward interruptions. Dave hurriedly bit into his apple. I wonder if everything about AJ tastes like apples. Dave just placed a hand to his face as the voice in his head just started to slowly clap, I can’t even eat now without thinking of crap like that?

“Well I am good it made you happy. I had a very pleasant sleep myself” Rarity gave him a seductive look

VERY HELPFUL, Dave blushed back not wanting to speak his mind. Well when I am are done having verbal sex I still have to go to Twilight’s house… wait Twilight... THAT’S IT! Dave stuffed as much of the apple into his mouth as he hurried up to his room. Rarity left some new clothes for him on the bottom of the bed. These clothes were similar to his other ones except these had green lines rather than blue lines. Dave quickly pulled his new clothes on and hurried back down stairs.

“Spike didn’t you say we have to go to Twilight’s house this morning?”

Spike was baffled at how quickly he had gotten ready. “Yeah she should be coming soon”

“Great I’ll go wait in the cart” Dave quickly snuck out the back door keeping and eye out for anypony as he quickly dived into the cart and covered himself. Spike and the 2 unicorns looked at each other with a variety of confused looks.

Dave sat smiling to himself, Genius Dave just bloody genius. If I stay at Twilight’s tonight she will be too busy doing work to do anything or let anypony else stay round, he giggled to himself as he heard Rarity and Twilight start to come towards the cart.

"It's perfect" he whispered to himself "What could go wrong?"

Chapter 4

Twilight and Rarity both helped take the cart through Ponyville. It was the middle of the morning so the streets were starting to get busy and ponies were walking around living their normal lives.

Dave peeked through a small gap in the blanket to get a look at the town. He could see Rarity’s home moving slowly away and buildings started to come into view. Dave could only look at the buildings that had gone past him as he didn’t dare move in case anypony was watching.

Spike was sat next to him and was looking up at the sky. “not a cloud in sight.” He leaned back resting his head on Dave’s back.

Twilight looked round nervously at ponies that walked past her. She wanted to get home quickly but it might draw attention to her and her cargo.

She looked over at Rarity who had a smile across her face. “how are you so calm?” she asked

Rarity looked over at her “sorry Twilight I was just in a daydream” She was thinking about last night and how it could have gone on if she wasn’t interrupted.

“what was it about? I could do with some calming down” she looked up nervously at a couple of pegasi that flew overhead.

“It’s nothing.” She peeked a look over at Dave’s hiding spot “So what type of things are you going to be doing… with Dave?” she whispered the last part so nopony could hear

“simple things” Twilight calmed a bit as she thought of her plan for the day. “just asking questions, some simple tests and reporting any interesting things to the princess”

Spike jumped up and leaned over to Twilight “I have to tell you what happened yesterday”

Twilight looked over at Spike. “what? Did something bad happen?” concern spread across her face

Spike let a massive grin open up “The opposite, it was so cool” He then began to repeat yesterdays events keeping Dave’s name down to a whisper.

When Spike was finished Twilight looked at Rarity. “is this true?” This new information was going to be written up as soon as she got home.

Rarity supported Spike’s story but missed out the part about the time she shared with Dave. A small blush crossed her face as she remembered the night vividly. None of them noticed though.

Dave who was listening from under the covers knew what Rarity was thinking about. In his own mind he was remembering the moment as well. ‘If I stay at Twilight’s house maybe I can get Applejack and Rarity out of my head’ He felt the cart stop ‘I just hope Twilight doesn’t get many visitors’

They stopped outside Twilights home quickly smuggling Dave inside the door and Twilight took Spike and Rarity over to a desk to write a letter for the princess.

“ok Spike write this down. Ahem” she cleared her throat before continuing to form a letter with information that Spike and Rarity provided at important sections. Dave on the other hand looked round at the shelves of books that lined the room.

Dave stopped at a book titled “A mare’s guide to stallions” he looked over to see if anypony was looking before quietly taking it down. ‘alright what lets see if this can tell me how to get them off my back’ He huddled close to the wall as to not draw attention to himself and get ready to put the book back in a hurry just in case.

He looked down the index page. ‘Making first impressions, no. What to say, no. What to name the fillies, DEFINATE NO. He looked through the pages for anything that looked like a page on what a bad stallion is like. Nothing. The closest he got was a small line in the ‘how to cope with rejection page’ it was written next to a picture of a mare looking over a small group of stallions. ‘if you didn’t feel the spark then he is not yours but belongs to somepony else and your true love is still out there’

“Great it seems like no male here ever gets the choice to live alone” he muttered under his breath as he returned the book and faced the trio who were finishing the letter.

“Hope to see you soon. Your faithful student Twilight Sparkle” Spike rolled up the letter and blew it out the window as it turned to smoke and travelled into the distance. “Thank you Rarity for looking after Dave while I got better prepared”

“It was nothing Twilight honestly” She looked over at Dave “It was a pleasure, anytime” She then slowly began to leave

Twilight didn’t notice the way Rarity was staring at Dave and quickly trotted up to him. “So Dave how have you liked your stay so far?”

Dave took his eyes away from Rarity’s to look down at Twilight “It has been…. Different” He chuckled slightly ‘yeah. Kissing two ponies that could have led onto more and not to mention lifting a tree’ Rarity went through the door blowing him a kiss when nopony else was looking.

Twilight walked over to some seats and indicated Dave to sit in one opposite her. Dave quickly took his eyes away from Rarity again and sat down. “now I am going to ask a few questions and feel free to say if you start feeling uncomfortable” She levitated a book and quill over towards her.

“ok no problem” Dave answered as many of her questions as could. They were mainly about his species in particular, some questions about his world and some other bits of general knowledge.

After a few minutes of questions had gone by Twilight had gotten through most the book “ok that’s enough for now” Twilight closed the book and set it down with the quill on top.

“Did you find anything interesting?” Dave lent back in the small wooden chair

“some things” Twilight shuffled to a more comfortable position “I was wondering, if you don’t mind. If I could ask some personal questions?’

Dave sat back up again. “I guess so” he moved nervously in his chair

“What did you think when you came to our world?”

“well when I hit the ground my main thought was… Ow” Him and Twilight both laughed. “but this world has grown on me. Everypony is so nice.” ‘yeah REALLY nice.’

“that is good to hear” Twilight levitated a pot over an some cups. “would you like some tea?”

Dave wasn’t much of a hot drink fan but he was trying to be polite “just a little bit please”

Twilight poured some into her cup and half filled Dave’s before placing the pot down.

“so what kind of things do you like doing?” Twilight took a small sip of her drink

Dave pondered “well besides video games, hanging out with some friends and the occasional book… not much”

Twilight’s eyes looked up at him as he said the last thing on his list. “you like reading?”

“yeah… I guess I do” Dave took a tiny sip from his tea. ‘Actually not that bad’ he took a larger sip.

“So what kind of things do you like in books? Fiction or non fiction?”

“Fiction I guess. Mainly stuff that that feature action I suppose”

“Well I like reading as well” Twilight looked into her tea as she remembered she lived in a library

“I can tell” Dave looked around the giant rows of books. Twilight and Dave laughed again. “what kind of books do you like?”

“Fiction but not so far fetched”

“oh things that are easily relatable”

“yeah. I just wish I was in some of my novels. The ponies in them have things I would like to have”

“so what’s your favourite books?” he gulped down the rest of his tea.

Twilight’s horn glowed and four books from various places around the room floated over and into a pile on the table. “these are my favourites”

Dave picked up the pile and looked through them. ‘Daring Doo and the Temple of Peril’ The cover had a mare reaching for a chest full of gold while a giant snake was sneaking up behind. ‘The journey downstream’ The front cover had a stallion and a mare standing on a small wooden boat that was heading down a long winding river. ‘Another day another mystery’ There was a picture of a stallion looking down at some photos which had white spaces were what appeared to be where he used to be. Dave chuckled ‘these ponies have very similar tastes to humans’ he flicked to the last book.

The cover had the words ‘Secret love’ written in gold across the top and the picture had the silhouettes of two ponies heads linking together to produce the outline of a love heart. ’aww crap a romance novel. Just when I thought I had gotten away from this type of stuff’

Twilight moved over to sit next to Dave as he looked at the front. “it is about an alicorn prince and a servant girl.’ She remembered the book well. “They both have feelings for each other but they know that if they confess their love the prince could lose his throne”

Dave looked at Twilight who stared at the book. “what happens in the end?”

“The prince is about to get married to a mean princess from far away but decides his love for his servant is greater than anything else.” She smiled as she remembered that they both got to stay together and the prince was allowed his throne.

“sounds nice” Dave was trying to think of something to say about the other books but his mind went blank. He looked back at Twilight. ‘oh crap no, no, no, no not again. WAIT Spike is still here so she can’t do anything’

Twilight sighed “I guess that I like the story so much is because I haven’t had time to go and try and find somepony to love. I guess I just expected it to find me.” She looked over to Dave

Dave stared back at her. “ummm yeah. That one true love thing” he couldn’t take is eyes away. ‘Apparently I have won the lottery in that area I already have two that tried to jump me and now I am talking about love with a third!’

Twilight continued to stare at him. ‘He likes books, you like books. He is funny, nice, attractive, smart. He is perfect. What’s the worst that could happen?’ She slowly moved her head closer to his.

Dave noticed the look in her eyes ‘Aww crap again? This is getting weirder by the minute’ His head didn’t move though.

Twilight moved closer again. Dave’s head stayed where it was. She could feel the breath leaving his mouth.

“Dave?” she quietly whispered letting her eyes close

“yes Twilight?” Dave had also let his voice drop to a faint whisper

“would you mind if…”

“if what?” Dave was expecting her to just kiss him like the other two. Maybe this was different.

“would you mind if I… kissed you?” She felt silly asking.

Apparently not. “not at all” Dave moved his head towards her to close the gap. ‘OH YOU PRICK! She asked and you could have told her to take a hike. Don’t worry I still have Spike on back up.’

Twilight gently kissed him and pulled her head back quickly, her face glowed a bright red.

Dave opened his eyes to look at her. ‘Really that was it? At least the other two made it hard to resist. Wait, why am I complaining?’

Twilight looked down at her hooves. “Dave I just want to tell you something.”

“what’s that?” Dave lent back a bit

“I umm… like you” She blushed again “I mean really like you”

Dave stared at her as she continued to stare at the ground. He felt something urge him to move forward again. “It’s ok Twilight” he used a hand to gently lift her face to look at him. He gently smiled at her. ‘Uh oh. Don’t you dare Dave, don’t you damn dare about saying what I think you are’ the words began falling out of his mouth. “I like you too”

Twilight stared at him. She didn’t believe what she had just heard. “You… You do?”

Dave rubbed her cheek with his thumb. “well… yeah” he replied softly as he pulled her in for another kiss. ‘Dammit, you had the chance to stop it and now you have three girls after you.’ If he was back home he would be rejoicing. ‘well at least this can’t go any further with Spike here. SPIKE’

Twilight felt pleasure as Dave allowed her to get used to kissing. It was her first time kissing and it was certainly going better than she expected. She wondered if Dave wanted to take this further, she certainly wanted it to. ‘how would it work? I hope it is similar to the way my books say.’ She just needed a sign for him to see if he was willing.

Dave broke the kiss. He allowed her to do most of the work as he got his line prepared. “Twilight we can’t carry on” Her face drooped “I mean Spike is around so he might catch us if it went any further”

She looked at the floor. Dave didn’t want to hurt her feelings and it certainly took a lot of will power just to say what he did. He hoped she would understand. Twilights face lit up as she levitated over a sheet of paper and started to write something down. Dave tried to look at what she was writing. But before he could get a glimpse the sheet was rolled up.

Twilight stood up and walked a few paces form Dave. “Spike!” She called out with a friendly tone

Spike was upstairs and a faint reply came down. “yes Twilight?” His face poked through the door and looked at her.

“you know you’re my number one assistant in all of Equestria?”

Spike held his head up proudly. “Well I try”

“can you do these things for me? I have lost some time speaking to Dave”

“ok Twilight ill be right back” Spike then hurried out the door

Twilight then turned back to Dave “There, now we have no interruptions”

‘no interruptions?‘ Dave watched as his only hope had walked out. “Spike is you’re assistant? How long will he be?”

“The list I gave him should take him just over an hour.” she stepped over to him again “plenty of time”

Dave felt his body go numb. ‘AN HOUR? I won’t be able to hold her off that long.’ “So what now?” his voice made it sound slightly seductive.

Twilight looked over at the door that led to her bedroom before looking back at Dave with a smile. “I can think of something” She waited for Dave to stand before leading him upstairs.

‘Oh god third times the charm’ Dave walked closely behind Twilight as she shut the door behind them. She then led him to a large double bed which had patterns of crescent moons and stars decorating the covers. ‘This is actually happening’ He turned and sat on the edge of the bed.

Twilight closed the curtains which restricted the amount of light which came through. The room was bathed with a dull glow as she stepped in front of Dave and placed her front two hooves on his chest slowly pushing him onto his back and climbing on top of him.

Dave felt a bead of sweat roll down the back of his neck. He knew that even if Spike came back early then Twilight would come up with and excuse to keep spike away until she was done. ‘Well no wonder, she is smart… and cute’ He felt the last thought take control of his body as he found himself placing a hand on Twilight’s neck.

Twilight let herself drop slowly onto Dave, letting her body rest against his and letting her mouth drop to his. A shock ran through her as she felt Dave move a hand down her back stopping just before the base of her tail. It felt good and she allowed a soft moan to leave her body.

Dave was losing willpower again. ‘I can’t keep this up, I have no escape, no one to save me. I need a miracle.’

Twilight slowly began to let her body rise up. She broke the kiss and looked down at Dave’s clothes and used her magic to remove them, she stopped at the pants. ‘ I will do this part the way the book said’. She slowly began to kiss Dave’s neck and slowly moved down his body with small kisses along his chest.

Dave felt his head fall back as he let his worries leave him. ‘aww hell if it is going to happen I might as well enjoy it’

Twilight grabbed the top of his pants between her teeth an began to slowly pull them off. She caught sight of some hair but was distracted by a loud bang from downstairs.

“TWILIGHT!” Spike yelled out

Twilight was angry at having something so close taken away. “Spike can it wait? I am a bit busy at the moment!” She returned her head to Dave’s waist.

“ No Twilight. The Princess is here!”

Twilight’s eyes widened as she lifted her head, both Dave and Twilight both stared at each other.

“Princess?” Twilight quickly got a comb from next to her mirror and brushed her mane strait. “ok Dave wait here I am going to bring the princess up in a minute.”

Dave nodded as he looked for his clothes. ’That was WAY too close that time.’ he found his trousers and quickly pulled them on as Twilight left downstairs. Dave was slightly angry with the fact that he had just given in and was about to let Twilight continue but was interrupted. He found his shirt and started to pull it over his head, but his attention was brought to the mirror and he checked himself in it, a large bruise where the tree had landed yesterday was healing right in front of his eyes.

“ok that’s strange.” he pulled the shirt down the rest of the way before sitting down on the bed. He heard muffled voices from downstairs, then somepony coming up the stairs. “I’ll worry about that later”

The door cracked open and Twilight hopped in. “Princess Celestia I would like you to meet, Dave.” the door opened the rest of the way and allowed Dave to stare at the tall white mare. She had a golden crown, necklace and shoes. Her hair flowed even though there was no wind and it contained a range of bright colours. Her horn was longer than Twilight’s and had wings that were longer than Rainbow Dash’s. She was tall and her eyes came just a little below Dave’s.

“so this is Dave I have been hearing so much about” Princess Celestia’s voice sounded caring and peaceful but powerful

Dave stared at her for a few more moments. ‘A Princess. Wait royalty?’ Dave quickly sunk to one knee and dropped his head leaving one hand on his knee.

The princess giggled. “It is quite alright Dave you don’t have to be so formal” She smiled at him as he slowly lifted himself up again.

“sorry I am just a bit nervous… never talked to member of a royal family before” Dave chuckled slightly while Celestia giggled at the nervous creature. “Thank you very much for allowing me to stay with some of Twilight’s friends.”

“Do not worry Dave for they would have offered their homes even without my encouragement” She then smiled at Twilight before bringing her gaze back to Dave. “Now I must thank you Dave”

“Wait me… What have I done?’

“In a recent report from Twilight Sparkle I learned that you saved some fillies from a falling tree”

“oh that… Well I couldn’t let any harm come to them” He scratched the back of his head.

“never the less I respect your courage and placing other’s safety above your own” She stepped forwards to him. “But I am afraid for now we have other business to attend to”

“like what?”

The princess smiled “I would like you to come to Canterlot and stay in my castle for a day or two. You may bring somepony with you now and I shall have the rest of your friends collected during the day. Think of it as a little vacation.”

Dave looked over at Twilight who was giving him a smile. “sure I would love to come. Thank you”

“I shall meet you downstairs in the royal carriage when you are ready to depart.”

The princess went back downstairs and Spike came in rushing over to Dave. “how did it go?” Spike looked at Dave who had a large grin spread across his face.

Dave looked down at the dragon “amazing” he looked at Twilight who stared back into his eyes. “simply amazing” the last part wasn’t about the vacation and him and Twilight both knew it.

Chapter 5

Dave quickly ran over to one of the windows and peeked through the curtains. Outside stood a large golden carriage with four grey tough looking pegasi armoured in the same fashion standing in pairs in front. They had large golden rods attaching the front of the carriage to loops on their shoulder plates.

“Whoa” Dave looked over at the crowd of ponies that had gathered around. They tried to see what was going on but still kept a respectable distance from the Pegasi. “Who are they?”

Twilight came over and peeked through as well. “Those are Princess Celestia’s royal guards.” She hummed “she must still want to keep you hidden if she brought the carriage rather than then chariot she normally does.”

Dave walked over to the door and peeked downstairs. The curtains were all closed and Princess Celestia was sat down pouring herself a cup of tea whilst looking over at the four books left on the table. Dave lightly knocked on the door and Celestia turned her head to look at him.

“Excuse me Princess may I come down?”

The princess smiled “of course you can Dave. And please you don’t have to ask me where you can go in Twilight’s home.”

Dave started to descend down the stairs as Spike climbed onto his shoulder Twilight following close behind. “How do you plan to get me into the carriage without anypony seeing me? Unless you are going to let them.”

Celestia placed her cup down. “The only ponies that know you exist and will know of your existence for the time being are the ponies which you have met, my guards and Luna” She raised the cup and took a sip “the guards were informed of your basic appearance as not to raise alarms and Luna will meet you face to face at some time during your stay”

“Thank you Princess”

The front door opened slightly as Rarity, Pinkie, Applejack, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash slipped in and shut the door hurriedly behind them so nopony outside could look inside. They all bowed as they walked over to Princess Celestia.

The princess stood up and faced the new arrivals. “You may rise” They all did and looked up at her. “As you know I was intending to take Dave to Canterlot for a while so I may get a better perspective of what he is like. I am also offering you all a room at my castle while Dave is there so he may feel more comfortable.”

Dave looked over at Twilight, Rarity and Applejack. They had all been casting small glances over to him since they arrived. ‘Yeah make me comfortable’ he thought sarcastically.

“Thank you your majesty” all the ponies seemed to say in unison as they all gave small bows of appreciation.

“Dave may bring one along with him for now and the rest of you shall be brought shortly later after if you need to get any belongings” Celestia looked to him “Is there anypony in particular you would like to join us on the journey to Canterlot?”

Dave’s eyes skimmed over to Twilight, Rarity and Applejack as they all had looks in their eyes. “Um I would like Spike to come along on the journey if that is ok?”

Spike almost fell off Dave’s shoulder as he said his name. “Really? I would have thought you would have preferred somepony else to go with you”

“Ok if you don’t want to…” Dave playfully suggested

“No I would love to come” Spike worried that he had lost his chance

“Ok then” Dave looked at the other ponies “I hope none of you mind” Dave looked at the three he was actually aiming the question at.

All six of them shook their heads.

“Well then I would suggest you six start getting ready as the carriage shall be returning here in about one hour” Princess Celestia allowed them all to leave to attend with personal matters and Twilight went upstairs. “Are you ready Dave?” She moved closer to him and Spike

“Yeah I guess so” Dave looked her in the eyes as she tapped him with her horn.

A small flash of a white light blinded Dave as he fell to the floor. He rubbed his eyes and felt Spike poke his shoulder. “You alright Dave?”

Dave’s vision cleared as he noticed he was in a small, well decorated box with small windows on each side and a large golden seat with large cushions. “Yeah I’m fine… Where are we?”

“In the carriage… where else?”

Dave looked at Spike who had a blank face. “How?”

“The Princess teleported us in here” Spike walked over to the window and tip-toed to look out

“She can do that?” A roar of cheers came from outside and Dave moved closely behind Spike. The Princess was leaving Twilights house and heading for the carriage. Dave quickly hid behind the chair as the door swung open and Celestia walked in shutting it behind her. “Is it ok to come out now?”

“Yes Dave it is quite safe” Celestia sat down and called out “TO CANTERLOT”

Dave heard the noise of the guards rearing on their hind legs and spreading their wings. “Wait is this thing gonna …” he was cut off as the carriage started to move quickly forward and felt the front slowly rise up. “WHOA” Dave moved over to the window to see Ponyville begin to move away with increasing speed.

The Princess and Spike both giggled at Dave. As he took the view in as the carriage began to climb higher into the air. His attention was brought back to the giggling dragon and alicorn.

“What? I have never been in a flying carriage before”

Rarity’s boutique…

Rarity was quickly packing a few bags with some dresses and found some more of Dave’s clothes she had made for him. She brought the clothes and placed them in her favourite bag.

Her cat Opalescence sat down on some fabrics before watching Rarity pack. Rarity looked back at her cat before continuing.

“Oh Opal these next couple of days are going to be simply divine, we get to spend time in Canterlot, we get to spend time with the Princess and most importantly I get to spend time with Dave” Her mind began to wander.

“Oh we will have such fun… sitting in the gardens and have a picnic. I would have to wear the most amazing dress for the occasion.” She looked in her large wardrobe and looked at all the dresses “I will have to wear something sophisticated and stylish but with a hint of playfulness. Ah perfect” She giggled to herself laying the dress into her final bag.

Sweet apple acres…

“Ok Big Mac are ya sure you will be fine a few days without mah help?” Applejack was walking with her bigger brother towards the farm.

“Eeyup” Big Mac didn’t mind working alone and he held down the farm on his own occasionally.

Applejack stopped. Big Mac had taken a few more steps before he noticed his sister was looking awkwardly at the floor.

“Big Macintosh… can I tell you somethin?” she looked over to the barn remembering those few precious moments with Dave.

Big Mac looked at her; he could tell something was eating at her. “Eeyup” his voice applied a curious tone.

“Well you like Dave right?”

“Eeyup”

“He is a nice fella”

“Eeyup”

“Well the other night when he saved Applebloom and I took him into the barn”

“Ta get apples” Big Mac remembered his sis being gone for a while

“Kinda… you see Big Mac when I took him in there. And don’t get mad. I sorta… fooled around with him”

Big Mac stared at her with a blank face.

“I just want you to know that before somepony else does”

Big Mac continued to stare

Applejack looked a bit confused. “Ain’t you gonna complain?”

“Nnnope”

“Really?”

“Eeyup”

Applejack cheered up a bit “well that’s good… do you mind not tellin nopony? I just had to get it off ma chest.”

Big Mac pulled an invisible zipper across his mouth.

“Good” She sighed. She missed the expression that flashed across her brother’s face. He wasn’t expecting her to become so attached.

Twilight’s house…

Twilight was packing some simple things like her toothbrush and comb. As she went to seal the bag she stopped. She looked around before walking over to one of the bookshelves.

Twilight removed the entire bottom row of books and levitated a secret panel. Inside was her diary which she floated over to her. She quickly shifted through the pages. She stopped on the page about Dave’s arrival. She read the entry to herself.

“I saw a strange light in the sky above Sweet apple acres. It is to dark to investigate tonight so I will look in the morning. I just hope it isn’t bad.” She shut the book and placed it with her bags “I’m so glad I was wrong”

Fluttershy’s cottage…

Rainbow Dash had already finished packing a few bits before flying to Fluttershy’s. She was making sure all her animals were going to be ok and she had left her pet bunny Angel in charge.

They were both in Fluttershy’s bedroom as she started packing some things. Dash was lying on the bed.

“So Fluttershy how do you think this will work out?” Dash had her hooves behind her head

“It will be fine I can trust Angel completely” Fluttershy continued to pack

“Not that”

“Oh then what?”

“You and Dave?”

Fluttershy’s head shot up at turned to look at a smirking Rainbow Dash “how… do you mean?”

“Come on Fluttershy I’m a Pegasus too. I’ve noticed your wings every time you heard his name and the entire time you spent hiding behind the punch bowl the day he arrived. Something happened.” Rainbow grinned wider. “You like him!”

Fluttershy’s face glowed a bright red “oh… that” she looked at the grinning Pegasus “please don’t tell anypony. I would be so embarrassed.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes “fine. But what are you going to do? I mean we are all going to be in Canterlot together. Are you going to do anything?”

“Oh… my… I don’t know if I could try I mean… I’m too shy”

“Yeah I’ve noticed.” Rainbow stated sarcastically “Don’t worry I’ll help you”

“Thank you Rainbow Dash. You’re a good friend”

“Yeah I know. But you owe me”

Sugarcube corner…

Pinkie sat in the middle of the room with a few bags with a bored look on her face.

“Is it my turn yet? I’m bored. Why do I have to be at the bottom of the list?”

Err… Back at the carriage with Dave, Spike and princess Celestia…

“Hey!”

Dave scratched the back of his head. He could have sworn that he had heard Pinkie Pie. Eventually he shrugged as he felt the Carriage tip forwards. ‘We have only been in the air for about twenty minutes. These guards sure are tough’

The guards glided gently downwards towards a long white runway which was running alongside the courtyard towards a large set of stairs. The carriage gently bumped the ground as the guards pulled it towards the stairs.

Celestia got up as the carriage gently stopped. “Remain here until one of my guards come for you” She then left and shut the door behind her.

Spike looked at Dave who had an anxious face. “So how do you feel staying in a castle?” Spike almost feel over as the carriage lurched forwards.

“To be honest I am glad for the peace and quiet” Dave looked out the window to see Celestia walking into the large door at the top of the stairs and saw the carriage was being pulled towards a large storage area.

“What do you mean pace and quiet? Didn’t you enjoy yourself in Ponyville?”

“Can I tell you later? In private?” Dave took his gaze away from the window.

“Ok” Spike crossed his arms but looked over at Dave out the corner of his eye.

The carriage stopped again and was closely followed by a knock at the door. Dave shrugged at Spike who returned the puzzled look. Dave slowly opened the door and looked at a large black stallion unicorn with a large scar over his left eye; his mane was neatly cut and was the same colour as his body. His armour was in golden similar to the pegasi but his one had a silver outline.

“Umm… hello” Dave nervously looked at the soldier

“Are you the creature known as Dave?” The soldier’s voice sounded strong and annoyed

“Yeah… what’s your name?”

“Come with me” The soldier started to walk away

Spike climbed on Dave’s soldier as he stepped out of the carriage and began to follow him past some other carriages in the large storage area. They walked past some more pegasi that replaced the ones that pulled the carriage and began to take it back out again. The tired ones started to leave through a door that led outside.

Dave looked back at the unicorn he was following. “I didn’t catch your name.” He ignored Dave. “Bit rude” he muttered

The unicorn led him through some long corridors and up numerous stairs before arriving at a white door.

He turned and looked at Spike. “Spike you will be staying here. Make yourself comfortable until I or another one of the guards come for you”

Spike looked at Dave before dropping down. “I’ll see you later”

Dave waved at Spike before he continued to follow the unicorn up some more stairs. They stopped again at another room.

“Dave this is your room.” The unicorn opened the door and allowed Dave to walk in first.

Dave looked round the room. There was a four-poster bed, a large mirror on the wall, a set of draws beneath it, a door leading to a small private bathroom and a glass door which led onto a balcony that overlooked the wide open fields that rested below Canterlot. “Wow” Dave began to explore his room.

“If you have any questions please ask now for I am very busy”

“What is your name?”

“Is that important?”

“To me it is yes”

“Fine.” the unicorn sighed “my name is sergeant Strong Shield”

“What do you do?”

“I am in charge of the new recruits and making sure the current guard are at the peak of their capabilities” He said that part with a proud tone in his voice “and for the mean time I shall also be keeping the princess informed about your actions”

“How did you get that scar?” Dave had been wondering as it looked like it was deeply cut

“An incident that happened a few weeks ago. One of the guards was knocked down and allowed a changeling to get a swipe at me”

“A changeling?”

“I really must be going if you need any assistance talk to any of the guards” He turned towards the door

“One last question” Dave thought before he asked. “Is there anywhere I could… do some weightlifting?”

Strong Shield looked at him with a curious glare. “One of the training grounds should have some adequate facilities. Follow”

Dave quickly followed him through the castle once more. Descending down a variety of different staircases until they came to a large private courtyard that was on the edge of a cliff. Some guards were in different parts of the area. A few unicorns were practicing using their magic against some targets, some pegasi were flying through some hoops made of clouds doing some difficult manoeuvres and a couple of earth ponies were sitting down while sweat ran down their faces.

“This is one of the training areas. You may use this one as most of the guards use it for recreational use” Strong Shield turned to go back inside. “I trust you remember the way to your room so you may remain here until you are ready”

Dave thanked him but got no reply so started to awkwardly walk over to a tree which had some weights beneath it. The guards that had noticed Dave arrive were all watching him curiously.

Dave looked at the weights he picked up a medium sized one. It felt strangely light in his hand as he calmly started to throw it up and catch it in his other hand. He placed it down as he looked at a larger weight; he picked it up with some effort. “This is better but still not as heavy as that tree” he sighed then he looked at the tree he was standing next to. “I could try that one but… nah” he shook his head and began to gently use the weight in his hands.

Two Pegasi had flew over to the and earth pony and whispered something into his ears. All three laughed. Dave didn’t pay attention to them and continued to raise and lower the weight.

The earth ponies, a brown one with a messily cut mane trotted over to Dave. “So you’re the strange creature we were told about”

Dave looked over at him but then continued with his exercise. “Yeah I am I guess”

“Well do you mind if I use that weight?”

“Not at all” Dave passed him the weight and the pony dropped it on Dave’s foot. “Ow” Dave picked the weight off his foot before staring back at the pony.

A loud laugh came from the Pegasi.

“Whoops sorry I thought you would have been fine with that if you could handle a tree” he left laughing as well as he sat back down with his colleges.

Dave stared at them before deciding to leave. ’I can come back tomorrow’ He calmly walked back inside and up towards Spike’s room. Dave knocked on the door and it opened shortly after.

“Hey Dave” Spike let Dave enter. His room was a smaller than Dave’s room but still had all the same facilities. “These rooms are amazing aren’t they?”

“Yeah they are really nice” Dave sat on the edge of the bed “listen Spike I have to tell you something”

“Yes Dave?” Spike came and sat next to him looking up at him

Dave sighed ‘I can’t tell him about Rarity he would be crushed. But what if he found out? I will have to talk with the others before I tell him’ He looked over at the dragon that stared at him. “I was wondering if you still wanted to go camping because when we go back to Ponyville I was going to start preparing for it”

Spike’s face lit up “Boy do I” He jumped on the bed “it will be so cool” he stopped bouncing “but where are we going?”

Dave shrugged “I don’t know, maybe while we are here we can get a map and start picking out some places”

Spike nodded “sure I’m sure that there is a shop that sells maps in Canterlot, but I don’t have any money,

Dave realized that he didn’t even know the currency of this world. ‘I will have to find a library here and research before I go anywhere else’ He started to scratch his chin in curiosity ‘does this castle have a library?’

Spike looked back at Dave “Is that it? Back in the carriage you looked really troubled”

Dave let go of his head “yeah that’s it” He started for the door “for now…” he muttered under his breath as he left the room waving Spike goodbye.

Spike went to the window and saw a carriage coming towards the castle. ‘That must be the others’

Dave hurried back to his room after getting slightly lost but finally found his way again. He opened the door and shut it behind him. ‘How am I going to tell Spike? He likes Rarity and if he finds out he could get really angry, baby or not he is still a dragon’ He lay back on his bed and placed his hands on his face. ‘None of the ones I kissed know about each other, how are they going to take it? How could I tell them?’

Dave ran different scenarios through his mind for a few minutes. His concentration was broken by a knock at the door, he got up and opened it.

“Your friends have arrived and your presence is required follow me” It was Strong Shield and he had started to leave before Dave even caught on with what he had just said.

“Wait up” Dave quickly shut the door and began to hurriedly follow Strong Shield down through the castle again. “That was quite quick, the guards must be strong”

“The pegasi guards are trained in carrying large weights over long distances so taking a few ponies from Ponyville is an easy task.” He sounded proud that his soldiers were being complimented.

They continued through some corridors and they came to a door with two unicorn guards standing outside. They saluted Strong Shield and opened the door for him and Dave. They walked into a large circular room with various painting lining the walls. Most were of buildings and some of the interior of the castle. Princess Celestia, Spike and the other ponies were seated on large curved purple sofas all having some drinks. Strong Shield saluted the Princess.

“Ah Dave” Celestia placed her drink down “come sit” She beckoned towards a space in the sofa opposite her at the end of one of the sofas next to Spike.

Dave quickly sat down before a butler unicorn pony poured and handed him some tea. “Thanks… um hey everypony”

They all said hello in reply but Pinkie spoke up next. “Dave can you believe that we all get to stay in a castle? It is going to be so much fun we can find someplace to have a party to celebrate.”

“Pinkie I don’t think the Princess would like us partying in her castle” Twilight gave Pinkie an annoyed look.

They all began to have a conversation about what they could and what they couldn’t do while at the castle before the Princess spoke up. “I will allow anything so long as it is kept out of the way of normal business. We wouldn’t like attention drawn to Dave just yet.”

They all nodded and Dave sat with his tea in one hand and his other hand on an armrest balancing his head. He slowly took a sip ‘Why does every thing taste good here? Ah well I shouldn’t complain’ he wasn’t paying attention to the ponies.

Rarity looked over at Dave “Well I think we should do things that Dave would like to do. It is only fair.”

Dave’s trance broke and looked around at the ponies that all looked at him. “Umm well I would really like to keep things simple and quiet.”

“How about a picnic?” Rarity suggested secretly knowing she was hoping for a moment like this

“Or look round the castle?” Twilight looked as some of the paintings

“Or A PARTY” Pinkie cheered as everyone looked at her.

“Um I think the picnic idea sounds ok” Dave placed his tea on a table in the centre of the sofas

“You may use the gardens for as long as you stay here” Princess Celestia stood and began to depart “your bags have been taken to your rooms and I shall have the chefs put together some food for you all. The picnic shall be set up by the time you all are shown your rooms. Dave and Spike would you like to go and find a comfortable place in the gardens and the girls may be brought momentarily?”

“Um thank you Princess” Dave stood and picked Spike up onto his shoulders and the princess gave the orders to the butler who quickly departed.

“It is no trouble at all” She then left and a guard and Strong Shield walked in.

“I shall be showing you all your rooms” the guard announced as the ponies all followed him.

Dave followed Strong Shield who took him through the castle once more to a large door which opened out onto a large garden area with trees wide open areas of grass and a large fountain of four unicorns stood in the middle water spouting out of their horns. Dave looked around and found a space on some grass next to a solitary tree which gave a large shadow which protected from the light from the sun. He went to the side of the tree’s shadow. “Here” Dave pointed at the ground and Spike gave a reassuring nod.

Some more unicorns came out and laid a large blanket out which could easily allow ten ponies to lie upon it, half was in the light of the sun and the other half in the shadow of the tree. An earth pony came and placed down two large baskets and departed with the unicorns.

Strong Shield looked at Dave “I shall be attending my duties, if you need anything talk to one of the guards” he then left as well.

Dave let Spike down before lying on his back in the sun next to the shade, placing his hands behind his head, closing his eyes and letting the warmth of the sun hit his face. “Ah this is good”

Spike walked over to one of the baskets and opened it up. “I’ll say they left me some rubies to eat” He bit into one. “Yum”

“What do rubies taste like?”

“I don’t know… they just taste like rubies” Spike chuckled before throwing the other half into his mouth.

“Yeah well do we have a lot of stuff?”

“Loads it would take us forever to get through all this” Spike started to rummage through the other basket.

“Hey are you starting without us?” Rainbow Dash flew over and pulled Spike out of the basket “what have we got anyway?” She then placed her head inside.

“Does it have any cake?” Pinkie ran over and shoved her head inside the other basket

Spike stood up and rubbed his head. “There is tons of stuff, enough for everypony”

“Well you sure did pick a nice spot” Twilight walked over with Applejack, Fluttershy and Rarity. Rarity was wearing a yellow dress which hung a few inches from the ground and a wide rimmed hat of the same colour which blocked the sun from her eyes.

They all sat down on the blanket. Rarity sat in the shade as close as she could to Dave. Fluttershy, Twilight and Pinkie all sat in the shade as well. Rainbow Dash laid in the sun mimicking Dave, Applejack sat on the other side with Dash in-between her and Dave. Spike came and rummaged through the baskets again.

“I hope they didn’t pack only the snooty high-class stuff” Applejack removed her hat and allowed a gentle breeze to flow through her mane.

“The opposite” Spike pulled out an apple fritter and handed it to her “all this seems to be stuff we would make” Spike then pulled out a large bottle and some large round glass cups “they even packed some apple juice! Anypony want some?”

The ponies all asked for a glass and Spike handed the drinks out. Dave remained motionless as Spike finished handing the drinks and looked at him.

“Do you want a drink Dave?”

“Yes please” Dave didn’t open his eyes but held out a hand and Spike placed the cool glass in his hand and poured in some drink. “Thanks” Dave drank some and placed the drink down next to him.

Rarity took a sip before placing her drink down “I brought you some spare clothes for you Dave, so you don’t have to keep wearing those boring things”

Applejack looked up at Rarity “but you made the things”

“I made them in a rush Applejack”

Dave shrugged while in his relaxed state “well I like them, I think they are very good Rarity and thank you for bringing me some more”

Rarity looked down at Dave. “Your very welcome Dave would you like to pick them up later?”

“Umm yeah sure”

Rarity turned to Twilight “anyway I was hoping I could use you for a new fantastic design I have been working on…”

They all trailed off into their own conversations with each other and Dave continued to relax in the sun. A few minutes before Fluttershy suggested going for a walk through the gardens. They all started to get up apart from Dave and Rarity.

“Sounds like fun we can come back in a minute or two… aren’t you coming” Twilight looked at duo.

Rarity adjusted her hat “I’m afraid that if I do go I may get my dress ruined in some way, I’ll be fine here”

“Ok if you’re sure, what about you Dave? Dave? Is he asleep?”

Dave had remained motionless apart from his slow breathing. He wasn’t actually asleep he just didn’t really feel like talking.

“He has had a strange past few days we should let him be” Rarity looked from Dave back to Twilight “don’t worry I won’t wake him”

The gang all left and Spike decided to sit on Twilight again. Rarity was left alone with Dave and she gazed at his face.

“Oh Dave you look so peaceful” she said softly “I’ve been thinking about that night at my home, that was a good night” she didn’t care Dave was asleep, she just wanted to talk with someone near who wouldn’t judge her. “It’s sad really. I finally met someone who was nice and they will have to leave for their home”

Dave felt his brain flip. ‘Home? I haven’t really thought about it since I got here, how do I go back?”

Rarity continued to talk. “Even if they couldn’t find a way to send you back, how could I be with you? And why would you want to live with a pony.” She gently stroked the side of his face.

Dave felt a hoof touch the side of his face and he resisted taking his face away. ‘Wait… live with? What the hell was with the other night then if she wanted a long time thing?’ He remained still.

Rarity pulled her hoof away from his face and placed it beside her. “Silly Rarity for thinking this would work” she then waited in silence for the others to return.

A few minutes passed and the others all came back with slightly annoyed looks apart from Fluttershy who looked embarrassed. They all sat down in their old spots and had a drink.

“Everything ok?” Rarity asked

“No Fluttershy thought it would be a good idea ta wake a skunk up” Applejack took a large bite out of an apple fritter.

“I’m sorry girls I just wanted to say hello to the little guy” Fluttershy played with a small flower between her hooves.

“It’s ok Fluttershy, it was lucky Twi knew a smell removal smell. Jus give us a warnin next time”

Dave chose to sit up and greet the group. “Hey everypony” He let out a fake yawn “What did I miss?”

“Just some boring stuff, don’t worry about it” Dash stood up again “I wanna do something exciting”

Dave looked at the Pegasus “What did you have in mind?”

“Maybe a short race… just one lap of the gardens”

“I’m up for it” Dave stood up and shook his legs

“Cool” Rainbow Dash then walked over towards some trees and made a line in the dirt between them. “Ok. One lap. Winner gets bragging rights”

“Ok. You want to count down?” Dave got into a low crouch both hands just behind the line.

“Three…” Dash got into position “Two…” Dave raised his back “One…” they both looked dead ahead.

“GO!” Dash yelled as Dave and her charged forwards. Dash ran on her hooves and started to take the lead as they reached a bend.

They both tore around the corner as Dave started to close the gap. They both ran past the guards that stood at the door. Dave continued to gain ground as they reached the next corner. Dave furiously worked hard to try keep up. Rainbow Dash looked back to see Dave had almost caught her. They became neck and neck as they passed the water fountain. They both stayed at each other’s side as they turned the last corner.

“Your fast on your hooves ill give you that” Dash saw the finishing line in the distance

“They’re called feet” Dave panted. He saw the line approaching and gave one final burst of energy and started to overtake Dash.

“oh no you don’t” Dash muttered as she spread her wings and gave a powerful flap which brought her to Dave’s side she flapped again to take her into the lead.

Dave watched as she began to fly ahead. ‘She is cheating, she knows I can’t fly!’ Dave felt a surge of power as he leapt at her and wrapped his arms around her pushing her wings to her body. They both tumbled to the ground and they both stretched out, Dave with an arm and Dash with a hoof.

“Draw” Twilight announced. The two racers looked up to see they both had a hand or hoof an equal distance across the line.

“No fair he grabbed me!” Dash flew up in frustration

“Only because you started flying!” Dave stood to meet eye to eye “Still that was pretty fun” he giggled

“Yeah I suppose it was” They both started to happily walk back towards the picnic. “But you owe me a rematch” She playfully shoved Dave who stumbled a pace to the right

“Oh anytime” Dave playfully returning the nudge “next time I will win”

Dash flew back a bit “no I will!” She shoved Dave again giggling

She pushed Dave a bit harder and made him stumble. He tripped over Applejack and began to fall over. He turned in the air and he landed on his front, an intense pain ripped through Dave’s stomach and he felt his body go weak. He heard gasps as he slowly pushed himself up to his knees. He looked down and saw his shirt stained in blood.

He slowly lifted his shirt and saw his drink glass imbedded in his stomach, blood running down his body.

Chapter 6

Dash flew around to see what had happened and she dropped to the ground when she saw the glass sticking out of Dave’s stomach. She stood staring at him as the others ran over to him.

“DAVE!” Twilight ran over and lifted Dave’s head. His face was turning pale as the blood continued to pour out. “Dave speak to me, Somepony go get help he is bleeding badly”

“No” Dave whispered “just give me a… minute” Dave grabbed the glass and slowly pulled it out. Pain ripped through him again. It was covered in a dark crimson layer of blood and Dave allowed it to drop to the floor.

“Dave we have to go get help this is serious” Twilight looked at the ring of flesh that the glass had cut into his body “Dave please”

Dave fell onto his side and rolled onto his back. “I’ll be… fine” he weakly chuckled “heh been stabbed here as well”

Applejack turned to Rainbow Dash who was staring at Dave “What the hay did ya think ya were doin?” She paced right up to her “You had ta be stupid didn’t ya? Now look at Dave he could die for what ya did!”

Dash continued to stare at Dave. “I… I’m sorry” she whispered sadly, not believing what she had caused

Dave rolled onto his front. “It’s ok”

Applejack didn’t hear him and was still furious and started to yell at her “Sorry? Ya say you’re sorry and ya think that’s goin to make everything better!”

“Applejack leave it” Dave whispered but she continued to yell

“Will he be ok?” Fluttershy whispered to Twilight while Applejack was in a rage

“Not if we don’t get help” Twilight looked at her “Go find somepony quickly”. Fluttershy turned to go find one of the guards.

Rarity came and sat with a hoof on his shoulder. “It is going to be ok” She whispered gently to him

Dave looked up at the ponies. ’Why won’t they goddamn listen. I need is something to slow the bleeding but they won’t stop talking’ they were all talking and didn’t notice him clench a fist. “Will everypony… SHUT UP!” He yelled in anger. They all silenced as they turned to look at him.

Dave felt a massive pain explode in his stomach. He curled up into a ball and screamed in pain. A strange squelching noise came from the wound. He ignored it and forced himself up. They all stopped and stared at him as he got to his feet.

“If you would all be quiet maybe I could do something to help myself but noooo, you all have to sit around and talk like you have all the time in the world!” The pain subsided from his stomach; he felt full of energy and was annoyed at the ponies.

They all had shocked expressions across their faces but it was Applejack who spoke up first.

“I… I’m sorry Dave” Applejack looked at the floor with a sad expression across her face

“We all are Dave… We didn’t know that your race could do that” She pointed at his stomach

Dave felt his anger drift away as he looked down at his body. The wound had almost completely healed and a few patches of skin were moving over what was still exposed. He ran a finger over and found it was as good as this morning. “We can’t”

“You can’t?” Twilight frowned at him

“No I shouldn’t even be standing to be honest” He looked at them all as his friends as he remembered what he had said. “I’m sorry for yelling at you, I don’t know what came over me”

“That’s alright Dave we didn’t listen to ya when you tried to talk. We should be sorry” Applejack gave Dave a smile and he returned it

Dave’s attention was turned to Rainbow Dash who was a few feet away and had turned her back on the group. He walked over and sat down next to her she turned her face away from him, Dave gently placed a hand under her chin and turned it to face him. Dash had some tears in her eyes and they slowly began to run down her face.

“Hey its ok there isn’t anything to be upset about, nothing bad happened” Dave tried to reassure her. “It’s alright”

“You could have died and it would have been my fault” she sobbed “How is that alright?”

“Well the fact I lived could be a fact that I am tough” Dave turned his head away “maybe tougher than you” he said playfully

“You’re not even close to me” Dash chuckled back, she gave him a hug “but I am glad to see you’re ok though”

Dave returned the hug before letting her go and she walked back over to the picnic. Dave stayed where he was and looked down at his body. ‘What the hell is happening? First lifting a tree and now this, I hope Twilight finds something out soon’

Dave felt a hoof tap his shoulder and he turned to see Rarity. “Oh hey Rari… oof” She jumped on him a grabbed him in a tight hug around his neck and fell on Dave’s back.

“Don’t you ever dare think of doing anything like that to me again” She said behind a face full of tears as she pushed her face into his chest.

“Umm… ok don’t worry I won’t ever stab myself with a drinking glass ever again” Dave joked

“You know what I mean… don’t you ever dare get yourself hurt again”

“I promise” He returned the hug

“Get a room you two” Pinkie joked as she saw the two of them

Dave let out a small laugh as he let go of Rarity and they both went to sit back down at the picnic. They all ate their way through the food, talked and laughed as the sun started to go down.

As Dave finished off a slice of cake he looked at everypony. Twilight and Pinkie were playing a game of chess, Dash was lying on the blanket as Fluttershy and Applejack played with some squirrels. He then looked down at the two sleeping beings that used him as a bed Spike who was in his lap and Rarity that rested her head on his shoulder.

Princess Celestia walked over “hello everypony, hello Dave” Everypony and Dave except Rarity and Spike said hello to her. “I see you have had quite the day. I hope everything was prepared well enough” she saw the blood covered glass “what happened?” she sounded scared

Twilight retold the story of the race, Dave falling on the glass and how he mysteriously healed

“It was an accident just to assure you” Dave pointed out as the Princess looked at Rainbow Dash

“Well there was no permanent harm so I see no need for concern but Twilight you will have to do some research to investigate what happened” she turned to leave. “You should all go to bed as you have all had a busy day by the looks of some of your friends” She then departed back into the castle.

They all looked at Spike and Rarity and they all chuckled. “I guess I will take Rarity to her room” Dave sighed and looked down at Spike

“I will take Spike to bed” Twilight gently levitated him onto her back and started to leave with the others.

Dave gently placed his arms under Rarity and lifted her up. ‘I hope she doesn’t wake up’ Dave thought to himself as how awkward it could be to wake up in this situation. She was light and her hat’s rim touched Dave’s chin as he walked into the castle and headed up some stairs. She shuffled so she was comfortable in Dave’s arms.

Dave had gotten to Spike’s room and saw Twilight leaving it quietly. “Psst Twilight” Dave whispered so he didn’t wake Rarity “which one is her room?” he asked giving a twitch of his head to Rarity.

Twilight pointed down the corridor. “Second left” she whispered in reply as she headed for her own room, yawning.

Dave came to the door and awkwardly turned the handle with some free fingers and pushed it open with his head. Her room had stacks of bags in one corner of the room but apart from that it was similar to his room. He laid her softly down on the bed and removed her hat and paced it on top of the bags.

Rarity squirmed in her dress; obviously it wasn’t designed for sleeping in. Dave headed for the door but he heard Rarity shuffle again restlessly. ‘Damn it’ he walked over to her and looked at the dress.

Dave couldn’t see any buttons or zips of any kind. Slowly he lifted her up before he grabbed the bottom of the dress and raised it above her head and gently pulled her hooves out of the arms. She started to fall but he caught her with one arm, dress in the other and slowly laid her down again. He pulled the covers over her and left her to sleep while he folded the dress and placed it on the bottom of the bed. ‘That could have gotten awkward’ he chuckled as he began to leave but Rarity mumbled some words in her sleep. Curious Dave slowly walked over and listened.

“Dave… like my dress…I made it especially” she let out a quiet snore and Dave lent in for another listen. “My goodness it’s huge”

Dave quickly stood up and began to leave ‘bug out this is going to get weirder’ He quietly shut the door behind him.

“That’s the largest… diamond I have ever seen” Rarity let out one final snore then fell into a quiet sleep.

Dave strolled to his room and walked out onto the balcony, he was too full of energy to sleep. The moon was already in the sky to the right of his balcony partly blocked by some of the castle. ’Damn I would love to see all of it’ Dave thought, as his gaze was brought to a balcony a floor up. ‘Maybe there has a better view’

“Worth a shot” Dave climbed onto the railing of his balcony and used a hand against the wall to balance himself. He looked down and saw the gigantic drop to the ground. “Whoa… no mistakes I guess” He muttered as he looked back at the balcony.

He jumped upwards and reached for the balcony. He couldn’t reach it as it was a few feet forwards as well and fell onto his balcony rail again almost losing his balance. He jumped up and forwards with both hands outstretched. He caught the handrail and pulled himself up. Looking up there was another balcony and then the edge of the castle, a large balcony appeared to be up there. ‘Another six floors and only one more balcony taking me up one?’

Dave jumped to this balcony as well but the lights were on inside so he quickly dived past the window and peeked inside. This was Twilights room and she was talking with Rainbow Dash.

“But Dash he forgave you” Twilight was obviously trying to make her feel better after the incident that occurred earlier.

“I know but I feel so bad… I could have killed him then everypony would hate me” she sat on the bed “you saw AJ and how she felt.”

Dave turned away from the conversation and looked up the tall tower. There were small windows that ran up the side and one came within a floor of a ledge that looked like it curved around into a large balcony. He jumped and grabbed the lowest window. He picked the next one and threw himself at it. He repeated this until he reached the top window and saw the ledge. Looking down Dave saw the sheer drop that led into a lethal drop.

Giggling in disbelief he brought his feet to the ledge and pushed. He grabbed the ledge with one hand and pulled himself up. He felt grass under his hands as he looked up. This wasn’t a balcony it was a private garden. It was about twice the size of Twilight’s front room in her house and had a solitary tree standing in the middle. Dave looked around before walking up to it.

He sat down resting his back and head against the tree and looked quickly behind him to see a large pair of double doors, they were black and no light came from the other side. Dave relaxed and stared at the moon which looked much bigger than earth’s moon and twice as bright. The stars dotted the night sky and sparkled in the darkness. He sat there staring for what seemed like an eternity.

“Just…” Dave couldn’t put his finger on the right word “beautiful” he sighed and allowed his eyes to close.

“What did you just say?” Said a slightly confused female voice that came from behind the tree.

Dave tensed as he knew he had been caught “I’m sorry for intruding I didn’t mean to”

An alicorn smaller than Celestia and with a similar but almost black flowing mane with an outline of purple, a dark purple body with black on her flank with a symbol of a crescent moon stepped into view on Dave’s right. “Repeat your last statement”

“I’m sorry for intruding…”

“Before that”

Dave returned the confused glance “um… Just beautiful?”

The alicorn sat down facing him and looked up at the moon before looking back at him “Thank you”

“What for? Saying the moon looked good?”

“Nopony has ever said a nice thing like that about my work” She stared at her hooves “they always find something to complain about”

“Wait your work?” Dave got even more confused “Do you control the night or something?”

“Yes I am Princess Luna, Princess of the night while my sister Celestia controls the day” She raised an eye brow at Dave “forgive me but I have no recollection of your species. What is your name?”

“My name is Dave, your majesty”

“Dave… Dave… Ah Dave the strange creature from another world” Luna looked at him “how did you get up here?”

“I err… jumped?”

“Jumped?” the princess did not sound convinced

“Well lots of small ones but… yeah, I jumped” Dave gave a shrug when she squinted her eyes at him

“Ok I’ll believe you” She took on her royal composure once again “how have you enjoyed yourself in Canterlot during your stay?”

“Well I have been in the castle the entire time but it has been great” Dave relaxed as the princess shifted her gaze back to her moon

“What do you like about it?” Luna asked

"like about what?"

"The moon" She continued to stare at it awaiting his response

“Well I um… like how the stars compliment the moons brightness and umm… the moon gives everything a glow” He had to think how to put the words into the nicest way possible. 'how has this happened? One minute i'm relaxing and now i am having to compliment the moon?'

Luna smiled at him “Thank you Dave… I have duties to perform” she stood up and so did Dave “I would like to talk more at some point” she looked at the moon then back to him “Are you free tomorrow night?”

“Sure yeah… meet here?” Dave was a bit confused to what had happened in the past two minutes

Luna nodded and took her leave through the doors. Dave walked back over to his entrance point. The light in Twilights room had gone out and the path down looked even more dangerous than it did looking up.

Dave gulped as he leaped for a window ledge. He grabbed it almost losing his grip and slowly made his way back down to his room.

Luna placed her crown on her head and began to place her hooves in some matching shoes. She giggled as she saw her cutie mark in the mirror. “Beautiful” she whispered to herself as she walked out of her room and down into the castle with a smile across her face.

Dave finally tumbled down to his balcony and walked into his room and fell on top of the bed. “Ahh finally” he sighed happily as he drifted off to sleep.

The next morning…

Dave woke up, letting out a loud yawn before standing up and stumbled lazily into his bathroom rubbing sleep from his eyes. He looked in the mirror and saw his shirt had blood stains over it. ‘Guess it wasn’t a dream’ he thought as he took the dirty clothes off and got in the bath.

After a few minutes Dave got out of the bath as a knock came at the door. He quickly wrapped a towel around his waist and Rarity stepped in floating a bag behind her.

“Ah Dave good to see you are washed and ready, I have brought you some new clothes. I knew how much you liked the old ones so I have made some modifications to fit the weather.” Rarity placed the bag down on the bed.

“Thanks Rarity, I must have forgot to pick them up yesterday” Dave kept one hand on the blanket and scratched his head with the other.

“Well I should thank you as well”

“What for?”

“For taking me to bed and umm… making me comfortable” Rarity had blushed when she awoke without her dress and knew it wasn’t just anypony that had removed it.

“Yeah err… heh no problem” Dave chuckled weakly

Rarity went outside the door and started to close it behind her. “I just hope you did not take advantage of a defenceless lady” She playfully called into the room before shutting the door completely.

Dave stared at where she had been. “Yeah yeah” he muttered as he pulled his new clothes out. They were similar to his old ones but the trousers were now shorts and the shirt had the old dark blue linings. He quickly pulled the clothes on as he left for breakfast.

Chapter 7

Dave walked down through the corridors before stopping in front of a unicorn guard. “I have no idea where I’m going” He giggled at the guard who replied with a blank stare. “Do you know where my friends are?”

“Follow me” the guard started heading in the opposite direction and led Dave to a set of doors with two guards standing outside.

“Thanks” Dave said to the guard as he carried on with his patrol. He walked up to the door on the left and pushed it open.

Once through Dave stepped into a long room with rows of windows that overlooked Canterlot. A long, white marble table sat in the middle of the room and the ponies and Spike were all sat around with a good two feet between them. The two princesses sat at either ends of the table, Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy and Twilight sat on the side closest to the door. Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Spike sat on the side closest to the window. A spare seat was sat in-between Spike, Princess Luna and was across from Twilight.

“morning everypony” Dave said happily as he walked in and they all replied happily. Dave walked around the long table and sat in the empty chair. “This food looks good” he said as he saw the arrangement of food that ran down the table. There was a large variety of breads, flowers, salads, some flavourings, drinks and some gems for Spike.

“I’m sure the chefs appreciate that compliment. How are you today Dave?” Princess Celestia asked from the far side of the table taking a sip of tea.

“I’m fine thank you” He returned to look at the food, the flowers looked pretty but he wasn’t about to eat them.

“have you met my sister Luna?” Celestia asked

“no he hasn’t” Luna quickly answered for him “Hello Dave it is a pleasure to meet you”

Dave decided it was easier to play along than to ask “The pleasure is all mine Princess” He looked away ‘maybe played along too much’ He didn’t notice her blush slightly.

“So what do you want to do today then Dave?” Spike looked at Dave as he started chewing on an amethyst.

“Well I’m not sure to be honest. I was going back out to the training yard for a bit but then afterwards I have no idea” Dave picked up a piece of bread and started to spread some butter on it. “what are you all going to be doing?”

“We’re all going into Canterlot to do some shopping” Pinkie said as she shoved a handful of daisies into her mouth.

“That sounds nice” Dave finished putting the butter on and started to eat his splice of bread

“I will be sleeping while my sister takes care of the royal duties for today” Luna yawned

“Wait sleeping?”

“why yes, I am in charge during the night and my sister rules the day” Luna sounded surprised he did not know.

“Ok that makes sense… I guess” Dave finished his bread before pouring himself some tea. ‘Damn this stuff has grown on me’ he thought as he took a large sip.

Spike looked at him “can I join you in the training area for a while?” he asked as he picked up a quartz out of his bowl and threw it into his mouth

“yeah sure” Dave relaxed back in his high backed chair with his tea

“Aren’t you going to eat anything else dear?” Rarity asked concerned “You have only eaten a slice of bread and butter”

“I don’t eat flowers unfortunately and I doubt I could eat a gem” He took another sip of tea

“well what kind of stuff would you like to eat for breakfast?” Twilight asked as everypony continued to eat

“Well I wouldn’t mind some bacon or sausages” Dave slapped his hand over his mouth. ‘Ponies don’t eat meat. Please for the love of god don’t mention venison or mutton around them’

“What the hay is bacon and sausages?” Applejack asked as she looked up from her dandelion sandwich

“It is umm…” Dave tried not to look at her “Pig” he whispered as quietly as he could

They all stopped and stared at him with some horrified looks. “Please tell me it is made by pigs and not from pigs”

Dave receded into his chair as far as he could but he could feel all their eyes on him. “made… from pigs” He whispered again.

“You’re a carnivore and you didn’t tell us?” Twilight almost shouted in alarm

“Well technically I’m an omnivore… I’m just a bit picky with fruit and veg” He realised that the last bit wasn’t going to be helpful

“Well are you going to try and eat ma pigs?” Applejack gave him a glare

“No I won’t eat anything anypony here doesn’t” He looked at them all “I promise”

Pinkie Pie suddenly appeared in front of him “Pinkie promise?”

“Yeah?” he looked at his little finger. ‘they don’t have fingers so how does that work?’

“fine repeat after me” Pinkie cleared her throat “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!” She applied appropriate gestures as she went along

Dave repeated the words with the actions and accidentally poked himself in the eye. “Ow that promise hurts”

The ponies all calmed back to normal “That’s good to know you won’t eat anypony now” Rainbow Dash said as she resumed eating.

“wait what is stopping me from breaking the promise?” he asked rubbing his eye

“Pinkie will probably destroy you” Twilight said in a normal tone

Dave laughed but saw nopony else was “haha… Wait… Really?” He looked over to Pinkie to see her snap a breadstick in half. “Good thing I won’t though” he quickly added

“So what other animals did you used to eat?” Twilight asked

“are you sure you want to know?” Dave raised an eyebrow and Twilight replied with a nod “ok then… I used to eat pigs, cows, chickens, sheep, and sometimes turkeys for special occasions”

“really?” Twilight looked shocked again “all those animals?”

“yep”

“but not ponies right?”

“of course not” Dave rubbed his sore eye again

“Well you made a Pinkie promise so we can all trust you will never eat meat again” She returned to her plate.

Dave felt a little sad. ‘Never eat meat again. That will take some getting used to.’ His thoughts were broken when he felt something slide into his pocket and Princess Luna stood up.

“I am going to my chambers now, goodbye all of you” she walked to the door “see you later sis” She glanced at Dave “Bye Dave” and she left the room shutting the door behind her.

They all began to finish their breakfasts. Celestia said her goodbyes and left for the throne room. The ponies all said goodbye to Dave and Spike as they left for the city. Finally Dave and Spike left the room as the table was beginning to be cleared.

“So Spike, where to?” Dave asked as Spike started to walk upstairs

“I’m just going to grab something, you wait here I’ll be right back” Spike hurried up the stairs.

Dave turned to make sure nopony else was in the corridor before removing the object from his pocket. It was a small letter.

Dear Dave

I would like it if we could keep our little meeting a secret between us. If you ‘jump’ up to my private garden again tonight about midnight we can talk and I will be able to explain in better detail.

From Luna x

He read the letter through again and noticed the small kiss at the end. ‘Probably saying thanks for the compliment…. To the moon’ He placed the letter back in his pocket as he heard Spike coming back downstairs. “what did you get?” Dave asked

“A snack bag just in case I get hungry” Spike explained as he jumped onto Dave’s shoulder with a small brown bag. It rattled slightly which suggested that it contained a few gems.

“anyway do you want to go to the training grounds then?” Dave said as he started to walk in it’s direction

“sure” Spike said as he sat down on Dave’s shoulder.

They walked out onto the training area, it was slightly busier than last time but it was mainly unicorns practicing magic with each other. It looked like a form of arm wrestling, they would use magic to try and push the other onto the ground. The two Pegasi and the earth pony from yesterday were joined by two unicorns and they watched Dave as he arrived and laughed amongst themselves. Dave ignored them and walked over to the weights again.

He picked up the one he had used yesterday and found it to be strangely light. He hummed as he picked up the largest weight. The heaviest didn’t feel very heavy either. “Spike how heavy is this to you?”

Spike took the weight in his claws and as Dave let go and it dropped strait to the ground. “Very heavy” He grunted as he tried to lift it.

Dave picked it up in one hand and spun it round in his hand. Dave then picked up some of the heaviest weights. He laid down on his front and awkwardly placed them on his back, he then began to do push-ups and found it was still a little easy. He then started to use only one hand and chuckled to himself when he found that easy as well.

Spike had started to use one of the smallest weights and watched Dave effortlessly rise and fall. Even some of the unicorns watched as he easily pushed the weights up. The gang of five ponies gave him some glares.

Dave started to alternate hands as he pushed up so he was switching continuously from left hand to right hand. This went on for a few minutes and Spike eventually dropped his weight.

“Time for a break I think” He sighed as he opened his small bag of gems inside were five gems each a different type. Spike ate four and as he picked up the final one which was a ruby, it was levitated out of his reach by one of the two unicorns that was part of the small gang. “Hey give that back!” Spike demanded as he tried to jump for the gem.

Dave heard Spike and looked over to see the unicorn and the gang all laughing at the baby dragon’s efforts of retrieving his gem. Dave quickly stood up allowing the weights to slide off his back and grabbed the ruby out of the air in one smooth motion. “Leave him alone” Dave said angrily as he handed the gem back to Spike.

“Aww you ruined our fun” the white unicorn looked up at Dave weighing him up. “I bet you think you’re pretty tough don’t you?”

“When I need to be” Dave returned the stare

“Well how about you and me have a game of magic slam?” He twitched his head towards the other unicorns “See how tough you really are” he smiled

“I would love to” Dave said sarcastically “but I don’t have magic”

“fine if you remain standing for five minutes you can try to push me down any other way”

“Fine” Dave said as he walked over to where the unicorns were in a middle of an intense game. They stopped as he walked over and they all formed a circle around him and the white unicorn.

“three, two, one, go!” the unicorn said quickly as his horn began to glow.

Dave felt a large weight push down on his shoulders and the unicorn flashed a grin before putting on a determined face and pushed with all his might. Dave’s knees bent a little but stood strait again after a second. Dave stood there staring at the unicorn as he slowly felt the weight ease but the unicorns face tighten with determination.

He looked over at the other guards and called out “how long has it been now?”

One replied “about thirty seconds”

Dave continued to stand there as he felt the weight completely leave him and a bit of sweat rolled down the unicorn’s face. A unicorn called out when the five minutes were up and the tired one stared at Dave angrily. “Do your worst you freak”

Dave chuckled slightly as he walked over to the unicorn and grabbed his back legs and dangled him in the air. “How do you like it?” He dropped the unicorn on his face and picked Spike up onto his shoulder. “I think I made my point” Dave, Spike and some of the other unicorns giggled at the loser as he stood and angrily walked back over to his gang.

Dave and Spike spent the next few minutes walking around the castle before Strong Shield came around a corner. “Hi Strong Shield” Dave said happily

“Did you just drop one of my guards on his face?” He said with a serious look on his face

“Yeah pretty much” Dave shrugged

“well lucky for you the one you dropped is one of my slackers so I’ll let you off” Strong Shield tuned to leave before looking back with his good eye. “I like somepony who stands up for himself and his team” He then left down the corridor. “I’ll get you something heavier” He called out before he turned a corner.

“Well this day has gone quite well so far” Dave smiled up at Spike who stood on his shoulder

“yeah you rocked” Spike rubbed Dave’s hair

“nah it was nothing, I wish that group would leave me alone. They annoy me” Dave then sat down on some stairs.

“so what now?” Spike asked

Dave thought then looked over at Spike. “Does the castle have a library?”

“yeah there is one in the castle and a larger one outside but it is in the outskirts of Canterlot”

“lets stick with the one here for now” Dave said as he followed Spikes directions into a large library which had a wall that was one big window and a giant hourglass in the centre of the room.

“This is where it all began” Spike sighed as he remembered Twilight was looking for a book about the Elements of Harmony.

“Where what began?” Dave asked as he let Spike drop to the floor

“This is where Twilight and I spent most of our time before going to Ponyville and meeting the others” Spike looked in the hourglass “seems like so long ago”

“Do you regret anything? Leaving here?”

Spike shook his head “of course not I have loved every minute in Ponyville!”

“anyway you will have to tell me more about that later” Dave looked round at all the books “I need some basic knowledge”

They set about getting Dave some books about the basics of Equestria and of it’s inhabitants. Things like cutie marks, how pegasi control the weather, the basic wildlife and other things.

After an hour or two of reading they heard a door open up downstairs and some hoofsteps coming towards them. As the hoofsteps got louder Twilight came into view and saw the two boys surrounded by a pile of books.

“well I see someone has been doing homework.” she smiled as she looked at the books. “starting small are you?”

“well yeah just so I know what is going on in this world compared to mine a bit better” He closed a book that talked about different spells that unicorns could do. ‘Nothing about portals unfortunately’

“How is it going?” She sat down next to him

“It’s all simple so I think I have got most of it” He sighed as he rubbed his eyes, they were a little sore after reading non-stop for a few hours.

“Do you enjoy my old library?” She had fond memories growing up here

“yeah loads” He looked around as well “So many books”

Twilight looked at Spike who was replacing some books. “did you both have a good day while we were away?”

Dave nodded “yeah we had fun” he decided to leave the story for later “how was yours?”

“fine, we went shopping and Rarity got materials for a new dress she is going to be making while she is here. Apart from that we just had some lunch and walked back here.

“lunch… forgot all about that” To confirm his point Dave’s stomach rumbled “Spike had some gems but I haven’t eaten apart from that bread slice this morning”

“Oh dear we can’t have that… Spike is it possible you could go get Dave some food like some apples or any other fruit?”

“sure thing Twilight” Spike placed a final book on the shelf and walked down the stairs.

The door closed with a soft click an Dave and Twilight we left alone.

“looks like we are alone in a library again” Twilight playfully said as she shuffled closer to Dave

Dave didn’t notice as he got up and started to return some of his books. “yeah I guess we are” he started to climb a ladder and placed a book on a high shelf. ‘please don’t let there be any romance novels near by’ he pleaded in his mind.

“Well about that night… I’m sorry if I came over a little strong” She looked down and began to make small circles on the floor with a hoof

“A little?” Dave raised an eyebrow at her with a smile across his face

“Ok a lot strong… I just don’t know what came over me” She looked up at the book shelves “I guess a mood was set when we were talking about that novel and I just leapt in when I saw a chance”

“Right you said something about wanting something that the ponies in the novels had” Dave slid down the ladder and picked up some more books off the ground

“oh that… well I guess it was all the excitement the ponies all have in the story”

“Excitement? Coming from a pony that fights dragons and helps Princesses make friends”

“Yeah I know it sounds a little crazy but the ones in that story have somepony to share it with”

“well don’t you have your friends for that?” Dave reached up as he placed a book on a shelf above his head

“I mean a special somepony” she looked at Dave who had his back to her while replacing books “Somepony to love”

Dave stopped as he turned to look at her “well from what I was receiving we obviously skipped a couple of bases”

“Bases?”

“Yeah on my world first base is kissing and third base is well… what you were going to do” Dave returned a book before quickly turning back “and besides why would you try with me… I mean I’m not a pony if you haven’t noticed” he joked as he went behind some shelves

“yeah I know” Twilight looked at the floor sadly “when I saw you fall from the sky and when we finally caught you, I wanted to study you. But the moment you woke up you kept surprising me with things I couldn’t have known you could do and I just…” she trailed off

Dave peeked through a gap in the books to see her staring into the floor as if trying to remember what she felt. “and?”

“I just thought you were the most interesting being in the world and when we started to talk about that book… I just let my feelings take over” She raised her head to see a side of his face through one of the shelves.

“feelings?” Dave placed the last book on a shelf and walked round to her and sat down “listen I think this might be a phase of some sort, just try to put it out your mind”

She gazed in his eyes before shaking her head “I’ve tried but you end up being more amazing. I over heard a guard talking about what you did in one of the training grounds… And I have been thinking about you a lot to be honest, even without some of the feats of strength you keep performing”

“what are you getting at?” A concerned frown crossed Dave’s face ‘actually I don’t want to hear it’

“Well I think that I… I umm love you” She looked quickly at him before staring at the ground again

Dave placed a hand over his eyes when she wasn’t looking ‘and there’s the kicker’ He took his hand down from his face. “listen Twilight” She looked at him “I’m not a pony… this couldn’t work, you wouldn’t be able to have any kind of… of future with me.”

She shook her head again “I don’t care… as long as I’m with you”

“and what if I had to go back to my own world?”

“well I could… I could” Her face saddened as she thought about it.

“exactly” Dave picked her face up with his hand under her chin “The best thing you can do is to try and forget about me, I” Dave was cut off as Twilight gently kissed him on the lips.

She pulled away after a few minutes and said in a voice that sounded on the verge of crying “I don’t want to and I am not going to” She then got up and quickly left the room leaving Dave with the taste of her lips on his mouth.

‘great now a pony has fallen in love with me’ He rubbed his forehead with his fingers ‘what if she tells the others her feelings?’ he stopped rubbing his head as he opened his eyes “and how do I feel?”

He stood up before quickly walking around the room “Dammit don’t think like that, they are ponies and you’re a human” He placed his hands on either side of his head “Don’t tell me the others will feel the same”

“who feels the same?” Spike had came back with some apples and oranges. He had a very confused expression

“nopony just muttering to myself, thanks for the food by the way” He said taking an apple and setting the rest where they were sitting.

They both sat down opposite each other as Dave bit into an apple and he wiped the juices from his mouth.

“Where did Twilight go?” Spike asked looking around the room

“she had to go do something” Dave took another bite of his apple

“what did you two talk about while I was gone?” Spike took an orange and began to peel it

Dave decided not to tell everything that had just happened “we talked about Canterlot and what she got up to” he bit his apple again ‘at this rate all the food will be gone’

Spike took a segment of the orange out from the centre and threw it into his mouth. “anything interesting?”

“not really, just Rarity picking up some bits and bobs” Dave relaxed a bit. This conversation was taking his mind off of things.

“Is it just me or has everypony been acting strange recently?” Spike ate another segment

“how do you mean? I have only been here a couple of days so I haven’t noticed much” Dave took a final bite of the apple before deciding to leave it

“well Rarity seems to be daydreaming a lot more than usual, Applejack seems to be quite worried about something, Fluttershy seems more shy… if that’s possible and the others have been acting differently”

“Has Pinkie been acting strange?”

“not anymore than usual” Spike and Dave both laughed

“well anyway what time is dinner?” Dave asked as he stood up offering his arm out to Spike

“soon I think” Spike climbed up his arm and sat down in his normal place “we should start going actually”

They both hurried down the stairs and back to where the dining room was, they pushed open the doors and found the room empty. Dave sat down in his previous place.

“do you reckon we are early?” Dave asked spike as he slouched into the chair and put his feet on the table

“we must be” Spike sat on the edge of the table. The pair talked for a few minutes while they waited.

Meanwhile in Twilight’s room…

Twilight laid face down on her bed attempting to fight off the tears. She eventually lost and let out a large sob as the tears soaked into the pillow. “I don’t want him to go home I want him to stay here with me” She whimpered ‘you’re being selfish, he could be having a better life on his world and you want him to stay so you are happy’ Twilight tried to listen to the voice in her head but gave in once more.

“but I… I love him” She couldn’t believe what she was saying, she had only met him a few days ago and she was already falling for him. The things he could do danced around her mind adding to her fairytale.

She pushed herself off the bed and walked over to the mirror. Her mane was a mess from pressing her face into the pillow. She levitated the comb over and began brushing it slowly. “I can’t help the way I feel, and I know he feels the same way, even if he doesn’t realise it” She wiped the tears from her eyes as she set the brush down and walked outside her room to see the others all walking past her door.

“Hi Twilight” Dash said as she walked over “We are on our way to dinner, we thought you were already there”

Twilight smiled at her friends “I was now heading there myself, should we go?”

The group of six all turned and walked to the dinning room, as they reached the door they heard laughing from inside. Curiously Applejack opened the door first and saw Spike sitting on the large marble table which Dave was holding up with one hand in the air. “What the hay are y’all doin?” She asked slightly dumbfounded by what she was seeing.

Dave gently placed the table back on the floor and looked at the ponies as Spike went back to his seat. “well me and Spike showed up and we were early so he bet I couldn’t lift the table, so I accepted and lifted it above my head” Dave smiled as he ran a hand through his hair.

“Yea I think we all noticed” Applejack and the others all went to their seats as Dave returned to his.

“So what is on the menu for this evening?” Rarity asked as she looked at the empty table.

“Nothin by looks of things” Applejack looked around “the Princess ain’t here that’s why”

“Will she be much longer?” Fluttershy asked quietly nopony heard her except Dave

“I don’t think she will be Fluttershy don’t worry” Dave gave her a reassuring smile which she returned

The doors opened and two guards stepped in with butlers carrying some trays of food and pitchers of drinks. The Princess stepped in shortly after them and took her place at head of the table.

“sorry I am late everypony, I was held up by some important business” She nodded and the butlers left and the guard took their places outside. “so how was everyponies day? I hope you all enjoyed yourselves”

Everypony talked about what they had done that day except Dave who sat there quietly. ‘If Twilight has fallen for me after just a short time… what about the others?’ his gaze switched between all the ponies, as his view swept past Rarity he thought back to Spike. ‘Damn if she does then Spike will be destroyed.’ he looked at a smiling Applejack. ‘and what of her family? Wont they disapprove of their best girl going for me?’

“Dave are you alright?” Twilight asked staring at Dave, she hadn’t looked at much else since coming into the hall. He looked really concerned about something.

“yeah I’m fine” He didn’t look at her but instead reached for some tomatoes and placed them on his plate. His tone was definitely different. ‘oh no I haven’t scared him or anything by confessing my feelings have I?’ She could feel the tears coming around again ‘not only have I scared him away from me I have lost him as a friend?’

“How have you been since we talked in the library?” Dave looked up as he had made a tomato and lettuce sandwich. His tone returned to normal and looked up as if nothing had happened.

“Just been doing some thinking, you know.” She sighed as she realized she was overreacting and stared into his eyes before forcing herself away “You should try the strawberries I think you would like them” She levitated some food onto her plate. ‘you can talk to him later tonight when everypony is asleep’ She thought to herself.

Chapter 8

The rest of the dinner involved lots of talking and joke sharing and almost boiled down to a food fight between Dave, Pinkie and Rainbow Dash but Applejack stopped them before anything more than a few peas were thrown.

The sun started to move towards the horizon as Luna walked in and received a bowl of porridge covered with jam and syrup. “Good night everypony” She yawned “night Dave”

“Umm good night Luna” He figured it must be like saying good morning to her because she slept during most of the day. “How are you?”

“I’m fine just a bit of a bad sleep” She smelled her porridge and levitated a spoon into the centre and lifted a lump to her mouth

“That looks like a nice breakfast” Dave watched as she blew on the spoon

“It’s my favourite” She looked from her spoon to Dave “would you like to try some?”

“Um…Yes please, that is if you don’t mind” Luna shook her head and Dave looked for a spoon but couldn’t find one.

Luna noticed there were no spoons apart from hers. “Um Dave?” Dave looked at her as she levitated her spoon to his mouth and shoved the porridge into his mouth, some sticking to his top lip.

“Oh um thank you” Dave said as he felt her remove the spoon. It tasted delicious and the syrup and jam only helped intensify the flavour. “That’s amazing!” he said as he savoured his mouthful and licked his lips.

Luna smiled as she started to eat her breakfast. “Like I said, it‘s my favourite” she was having fun with Dave and she was going to have a chat with him in a few hours so she allowed herself to be a bit more playful with him. “Would you like some more?” as she raised the spoon up again

Dave held a hand out “no thank you” He swallowed the porridge that was in his mouth and it left a warm aftertaste “If I have any more there won’t be enough for you” he joked

Luna laughed as she returned to her food. “How was everything today sister?”

Celestia looked up and smiled at her sister. “It has been very busy, but I believe that I have done most of the work. You should not have too much to do tonight”

Luna glanced over at Dave who had started to continue with his small meal, the more time she had the more she could spend talking with Dave. “That’s good to hear” she replied to her sister before looking down at her breakfast again.

Dave yawned loudly “ah I’m full” he relaxed back in his chair and wiped his mouth with a cloth from the table. He looked at Luna before standing up, “I hope nopony minds me going to bed a bit early do they?” They all shook their heads as Dave headed for the door.

“I’m tired too, I’ll walk with you” Twilight quickly finished her mouthful of tea before sliding off her chair and walking over to him. “If that’s ok?”

“Yeah no problem” Dave opened the door and allowed her through first, he quickly held up the letter from Luna back to the writer while nopony else was looking before replacing it in his pocket. Luna gave a slight nod to him before resuming the conversations with the others.

Dave and Twilight both walked silently side by side as they headed up to the rooms. They both stopped as they reached Dave’s room and he opened the door. “Well goodnight Twilight” He smiled at her as he started to go in.

She stepped forwards towards the door. “Is it ok if I can come in for a bit… to talk” She tried avoiding looking at him as he walked away from the open door and sat on the edge of his bed. She walked in and softly closed the door behind her.

Dave lent forwards, resting his arms on his legs and placed both his hands together. “So what do you want to talk about?” He tried to make it sound friendly but he had a good guess on what she wanted to talk about.

“Well I was thinking about what you said in the library earlier” she walked nearer to him. “I realised that if you had to go home there would be nothing I could do” She walked forwards again. “But I want to know what you would do if you had the chance to go home”

Dave was a bit taken aback by the question. ‘I still don’t understand what she truly wants… or anypony here for that matter’ he began to ponder as Twilight walked between his legs as he opened his hands and looked up at him “well I am not sure to be honest” he said sadly. He wanted to go home but he loved being here, even with all the crazy stuff that had happened recently.

“Would you stay if I didn’t have feelings for you?” She asked that question with her heart in her mouth. If he didn’t want her loving him she would hide her feelings just to keep him nearby.

“Your feelings are yours and I can‘t control that” he looked at her

She stared at his face as she asked the question that burned her mind “Do you have feelings for me?” She had to know if it was the last thing she did.

Dave’s eyes flickered before retuning to hers “I’m sorry I can’t answer that” He looked sadly at her.

Twilight moved her hooves up to Dave’s legs and pressed her lips against his. “I didn’t hear a no” she whispered when she broke the kiss.

Dave felt his thoughts disappear as she resumed kissing him. Several minutes rolled by as they had moved properly onto the bed and Twilight was practically lying on top of him. ‘This feels right I know but… what about the others? How do I feel about them? Wait I feel for them all too? Crap this is getting out of hand, I mean I must not be thinking strait’ He reluctantly placed his hands on Twilight’s shoulders as he broke the atmosphere. She gazed down at him with her tongue still lightly hanging from her open mouth.

“Twilight I really don’t think we should do this” Dave said quietly to her

“Why not? Aren’t you enjoying this?” She looked at him puzzled as she allowed herself to properly rest on his chest.

“Well I… I am” he slowly confessed

“So what’s the problem?” she really wasn’t asking as she moved her head towards his again

“It’s just us, I mean do you really want to carry on like this?”

Twilight stopped and looked into his eyes “I want to… don’t you feel the same about me as I do for you?”

Dave bashed his head into the pillow he was resting on as she asked that question. He opened his eyes to meet hers. “I guess I kinda do” He quietly replied

Her heart rushed as she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. She broke it for a second to quickly say. “That will do for me”

Dave pulled away again. “But we can’t” He looked away in regret

She felt her heart smash as quickly as it was raised “why?” was all she could whisper as she felt the tears come again.

“Because I want you to be happy and you can’t be that with me” Dave felt her push herself closer to him, if that was possible.

“I am happy… I’m happy because I’m with you” Twilight let a teardrop land on Dave’s face

“No you’re not, if you were happy you wouldn’t be taking things this quickly” Dave wiped the tears from her eyes. “Especially not with something that isn’t your species” He emphasised the ‘species’ part to get the point through that he wasn’t a pony.

“I read that stallions liked these types of actions” Twilight pushed herself off Dave and sat facing away her voice began to tremble “but you’re not a stallion are you”

Dave sat next to her with an arm around her “No I’m not, as much as it pains me to agree with you” He saw more tears start to form. The voice in his head returned with a bang as he realised what he was considering ’NO don’t do it, you will only make things worse and screw everything up around you!’ he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “Do you really want this?”

She turned to look at him. “More than anything” she said as she felt her throat begin to shake

“Ok then. As long as we take everything slowly” He said in a clear voice before opening his eyes to look at her.

“What do you mean?” She knew what they were talking about but she just needed some confirmation

“I can’t push you away so I’ll let you make your own mistakes” He warmly smiled at her “just keep everything to a snails pace”

Twilight let a large grin spread across her face as she embraced Dave in a massive hug. “Thank you” She whispered into his ear as he returned the gesture.

“Just leave it until we get to Ponyville ok?”

“Ok” she happily agreed. She then slowly released Dave and walked over to the door with a spring in her step “I’ll see you in the morning” She left the room allowing the door to shut slowly.

Once the door closed Dave slapped his hands to his face and fell back onto his bed. “What the hell did I just do?” he let his hands fall from his face and he was left staring at the white ceiling. ‘What you did was make a pony very happy’ his thoughts had a very different take on events. “Yeah what about Rarity and Applejack? They sure as hell won’t find this good”

‘Well talk to them, I’m sure they wont mind if you tell the truth’

“Yeah will Twilight appreciate the fact that I kissed her friends before her?”

‘What do you want to do?’

“I don’t know, you’re my mind. You should be telling me!” he realised he was starting to raise his voice arguing with himself so Dave walked into the bathroom and started to fill the sink with water. “How do I really feel about this?”

‘To be honest you don’t know which pony to spend time with as you know they all feel for you. Even if they did show it in a very forward manner.’

“And who do I feel for huh? Apparently I have a knack for making problems, so which ponies life am I gonna screw up?” he turned the tap off on the sink as it was almost full.

‘Haven’t you got to go see Luna?’ his mind asked avoiding the question

Dave chuckled “Just another way of saying, find out for you?” His mind stayed silent as he plunged his head into the cold water. Pulling his face out he dried himself with a nearby towel before staring at the mirror. “Now I’m just going nuts”

Dave emptied the sink and placed the towel back on the rack next to the bath, he walked back out into his bedroom and then out onto the balcony. “I can wait up there” He whispered to himself as he climbed up the balconies. As he got to Twilight’s balcony, something caught his eye.

Twilight was furiously scribbling into a small book, the expression of shock and joy both written across the unicorns face. She was muttering something to herself, Dave pushed his ear close to the glass door that separated him and Twilight to listen.

“I just can’t believe that he said yes” she quietly wrote into the dark green book. “I didn’t know he would even have the slightest interest in me” She smiled as she closed her diary and placed in a draw next to her bed.

Dave took his head away from the door and quickly ascended to Luna’s private garden, stopping as he grabbed the ledge, he peeked over to make sure nopony was there. When he was certain there wasn’t anypony around he pulled himself up and walked across to the tree.

Dave’s gaze was brought to the night sky. The moon was bright but was lightly hidden behind a coating of clouds, the stars which could be seen tried to be as bright as they could be. He sat down resting against the tree to appreciate Luna’s work.

“Do you still like it?” Luna asked as she walked over to Dave’s right and sat next to him

“Oh… Luna it’s you” Dave was startled by her sudden arrival yet again “You’re very sneaky you know that”

“When I’m not in public wearing my usual attire I can be more…” She pondered for the right word “subtle”

Dave noticed she wasn’t wearing her crown or shoes like the other times he had seen her “so I’ve noticed” He rearranged himself back into his comfortable position “So what do you want to talk about?”

“I’m not quite sure on that one detail… I assumed you would have wanted to ask questions” Luna looked over at the human which sat two feet away

“I guess I did, but I went to the library before lunch so I got everything I need to know while I was there” He looked from the moon to Luna “Do you have any questions?”

“Umm… Can you tell me what the nights are like on your world?” She didn’t know where to start so she decided to keep it similar to something she knew all about

“Well the moon is smaller and certainly isn’t brighter, there are less stars” he looked up at the moon “overall I prefer this one”

Luna blushed slightly, something she achieved so easily impressed him so much. “Well I thank you for the compliment. It is good to know somepony likes it”

“Not a problem… by the way” Dave pulled the letter she gave him earlier out of his pocket “what is this about?” he pointed at the small kiss at the bottom

“Oh that umm…” Luna blushed again “A spur of the moment, I’m not used to writing letters that don’t have something to do with royal duties. In fact that is the first letter I have written for personal reasons”

“Well thanks all the same” He placed the letter back into his pocket “So how have your duties been tonight?”

“They have been easy and have been finished quickly, I thank my sister for getting most of them out of the way” Luna looked at Dave to see him yawning “Are you tired?”

“Little bit I guess, but I am going stay here to talk as long as you’re here” He wiped a little bit of sleep from his eyes

“Thank you Dave” Luna shuffled closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder “Beyond the Elements of Harmony and my sister I don’t have any friends”

Dave felt a bit uncomfortable having a princess resting like this, especially after what he had just been through in his room “well you never can have too many friends”

“I appreciate you being here… most ponies are sleeping now so I don’t get to talk” She shut her eyes as she listened to Dave breathing

“Well um… anytime I guess” Dave was slightly distracted by the dark purple horn sitting in front of his right eye ‘don’t say. Are you horny? Now is not the time’

“You know I never really look at my moon” she snuggled closer to Dave “I never really needed to look because I could always feel it up there” she opened her eyes to look up at the moon which appeared from behind the clouds and bathed her and Dave in a light blue glow.

“I can’t imagine how that feels” Dave said as he felt Luna shift her gaze onto him and rest her chin on his shoulder, Luna’s horn sat amongst Dave’s hair.

“It isn’t some grand power that pulls at me, just a tingle at the back of my head” She stared at him as he looked up at the silver orb in the sky

“I’ll take your word for it” Dave continued to look at the sky to stop himself from looking at Luna who was only a couple of inches from his head ‘don’t look at her, the situation is weird enough. How do I keep getting into these anyway?’

Luna quickly glanced at her moon before returning to stare at Dave ‘if he thinks so highly of a large rock in the sky, I wonder…’ “Dave?” she gently whispered

“Yes Luna?”

“You know you said the moon was beautiful?”

“Yeah… what about it?” Dave had a slight nervousness in his voice

“Well I was wondering what you thought about me?”

Dave turned his head to her and found his mouth just and inch from hers “w-well I think that you’re…” he started nervously but as he saw the look in her eyes Dave felt all his emotions wash away, every emotion except one “I…” he could feel her breath enter his mouth, it carried the taste of the porridge from that evening across his tongue.

“Well?” she gently whispered

“I think you are the most amazing and talented pony I have ever met and the moon is but a drop compared to the ocean of beauty that you are”

Luna’s entire body flowed with pleasure as he talked and she couldn’t contain herself anymore “Dave… I don’t know what to say I-I…” she cut herself off as she pushed herself onto Dave, quickly stabbing her tongue into his mouth.

Dave responded to the intrusion by using his own tongue to push Luna’s to the roof of his mouth and caressing the bottom of her tongue slowly with the tip. Luna felt her body shake with joy as Dave pulled their mouths apart and started to kiss her neck. She squirmed as he gently bit her neck and felt a torrent of pleasure crash through her body.

Luna moved her mouth to Dave‘s ear and whispered softly with an undertone of regret “I’m sorry I can’t” She then pushed him using a small blast of magic which sent him rolling away from the tree.

As Dave sat up rubbing his head he realised what he had said and what he was just doing “oh crap I am so sorry Luna I don’t know what came over me I-I-I…” he was cut off when she walked over and gently kissed him on the cheek.

“It’s not you Dave it’s me” she started to cry “I just can’t go through this all again” she quickly turned and ran back into her room

Dave was left staring confused at where the princess had ran to and gently stroked his cheek ‘what the hell just happened? What did she mean by ‘can’t go through this all again’?’ he stood up and eventually started to return to his room using the balconies

Luna’s bedroom…

Luna threw herself onto her bed, forcing her face as far as she could into her pillow before letting out a loud wail of sadness into it. She laid there sobbing until her sister Celestia hurried in through the door to her room and shut it behind her.

“Luna I came as soon as I felt your pain” Her voice was tight with concern as she sat next to the bed with a hoof on her younger sister “Tell me what happened”

The dark purple alicorn sobbed as she moved from the pillow and grabbed her sister in a tight hug “I *sob* don’t want it to *sob* happen again” She let out another loud sob as Celestia returned the tight grasp

“Don’t worry sister” Celestia knew what she was sad about and began to have the same feelings conjure up in herself as well “I won’t let that happen to either of us ever again” she whispered lovingly into her sisters ear as a tear rolled down her face “I promise”

Dave’s bedroom…

Dave walked in through the balcony door and headed strait to the bathroom, as he looked into the mirror he saw a dark purple kiss mark on his right cheek. “What was that all about...” he quickly washed the mark away and looked down at the sink “And what have I done?”

Next morning…

Dave awoke to the sound of a knocking at the door, getting up and walking over to it he was half expecting to see Celestia standing outside, but instead was greeted by a very happy Twilight.

“Morning Dave you’re running late for breakfast” She looked up at him still ecstatic about last night

“Oh… thanks for waking me I’ll come down now” Dave stepped out, closing the door behind him and began following the purple unicorn downstairs “So how are things?”

“Everything is good, the others and I are all going into Canterlot again so I’m afraid you will be left alone again”

“What about Spike? Is he going too?” Dave reached the doors to the dining hall first and opened them for Twilight

“Yes he is, he wanted to go to his favourite doughnut shop” Twilight stepped through with Dave close behind. The table had a similar arrangement but neither of the princesses were there, a bowl of porridge sat in Dave’s spot.

“Where is Celestia or Luna?” Dave sat down and looked at the bowl of warm porridge ‘I hope I didn’t do anything wrong’

“Celestia showed up only to say she had some business to attend to and that we should have breakfast without her” Rarity said noticing a happy unicorn “You seem quite cheerful this morning Twilight”

“I had a good night sleep I guess” Twilight glanced at Dave before starting a conversation with Applejack

Dave stared down at his breakfast ‘Celestia is probably trying to find a way to send me away as quickly as possible for what happened with Luna... why did i have to ruin everything?!’

Spike finished eating an emerald and noticed Dave staring angrily at his bowl of porridge “Are you alright Dave?”

“I’m not hungry” Dave pushed the bowl away and got up “I’m going to the training area”

All the ponies and the dragon looked at each other with mixed expressions but Rainbow Dash spoke up “Hey do you mind if I come with you? I don’t really feel like walking round Canterlot, I would prefer to practice some of my moves”

“Do what you want” Dave grumbled as he walked out the door.

Dash turned to the others “Don’t worry I’ll find out what’s wrong” She then quickly flew after Dave quickly catching up and started to walk alongside him

They both walked down to the training area, there were a few guards around the place and the gang of five was sitting in their usual spot, over by the weights a silver disk about the width of a sink and a few inches thick was sat resting against the tree, it reminded Dave of a large silver coin.

Dave walked over to the disk and lifted it ‘definitely heavier’ he thought as he slowly began to lift it above his head. As he looked up at it there was some words written on the bottom and he read them out to Rainbow Dash “warning! Enchanted barge weight. Do not remove safety restraints” As he looked at Dash he shrugged his shoulders

“Anyway I’m going to be practicing some tricks” Dash said as she flew up into the air aid did some loops and rolls in the air. Dave continued to lift the weight slowly up so his arms were out strait and then slowly down so his arms were being pulled to the ground and continued to do this for a few minutes so his arm muscles we burning before taking a break. Dash saw him stop, so she flew down and landed next to him. “So what’s up?”

“Nothing… you?” He didn’t look at her but his face had a mixed look of concern and anger

“I’m good, and I know there is something wrong” She poked him but his expression didn’t change “I’m your friend, you can tell me anything”

Dave chuckled a little but his face remained the same “I don’t think I can tell anypony” he got up and picked up the silver disk again looking at his reflection on the flat surface

Dash walked over to him “why not? Is it bad?”

“Yeah something like that” Dave mumbled as he held the disk between his hands

“Well if it isn’t Mr Big-shot, are you having fun with your new toy?” Said one the unicorn from yesterday and the rest of the gang walked over behind him

“What do you want?” Dave said agitated “You have all been annoying me since I got here so you can all leave me alone”

Rainbow Dash hopped over between Dave and the gang “Yeah that’s right you have nothing on us!” She growled at the unicorn

“Oh yeah? Well I heard a rumour that you almost killed our special guest” The unicorn smiled at her as her ears drooped down “How does the guilt feel? I bet he hasn’t forgotten has he?”

“Hey you leave her alone!” Dave almost yelled and some of the other guards in the training area looked over

“No Dave its ok” She turned and started to walk back to the castle “I might go see if the others are back” her guilt returned even though she knew Dave forgave her even though she thought it could be unforgivable.

“I reckon we have a chance with her lads. Depressed mares always want company” the unicorn said out loud so she could hear and the gang all laughed. Dash stopped for a second before continuing her walk, normally she would have gone up to the unicorn and wiped the grin from his face but the guilt she felt made her drop her head.

Dave watched Rainbow Dash continue to walk away and glared angrily at the laughing gang, his teeth grinded against each other but finally whispered as they all turned to look at him “That is it… I’ve had enough of you”

Chapter 9

“Oh yeah and what are you going to do about it?” The smug unicorn asked

Dave didn’t respond but swung the disk into the white unicorns head and knocked him flying over to the side, the rest of the gang watched as one of their members lay motionless on the floor.

“OH IT’S ON!” yelled a dark grey Pegasus and he flew at Dave.

Dave responded by side stepping quickly grabbing one of the Pegasus’s wings and bringing the disk into the join between the back and the wing, resulting in a loud crack and a howl of pain from the Pegasus as a result.

Dave then threw the silver disk like a frisbee at the other Pegasus knocking him out of the sky, Dave flipped over the earth pony and the other unicorn grabbing the disk in midair and ramming the edge into the falling Pegasus’ stomach, resulting in a spray of blood from his mouth which sprayed over Dave.

The other unicorn quickly fired a beam of magic from his horn aimed at Dave’s back but to his surprise Dave dropped to one hand, leaving the disk with the unconscious Pegasus and ducked under the beam, using the hand on the ground, he pushed his body, feet first into the black unicorns face.

The earth pony watched as all his friends were beaten down in a few seconds and as Dave slowly stood up and dropped the silver weight to the ground. “Wha… I…” the guard stammered. Dave looked at the brown pony as his face turned from shock to anger “Fine I’ll take you down”

The pony ran at him, Dave used his left hand to uppercut the guard in the chin sending his body upwards and as the pony’s chest levelled with Dave’s he punched him with his right arm, square in the ribs sending him crashing into the tree.

Rainbow Dash watched in a mix of horror and amazement as the human flowed through the gang defeating them all within seconds “what was that?” She asked in amazement “Dave?”

Dave walked over to the earth pony and grabbed him by the mane and lifted him off the ground “I warned you” he snarled as he brought him eye to eye “mess with me again and I will break every bone in your body, you worthless piece of shit” Dave then let him drop to the floor and turned to see a shocked group of guards and Rainbow Dash.

“Dave?” Dash whispered nervously as she saw the rage burning in Dave’s eyes

“What do you want you want?” He said angrily but as he saw the fear written across her face, he realised what he had just done, looking down at the ponies scattered around him. Only four words came to Dave’s mind ‘what have I done?’ he placed his hands on either side of his head as he gazed at the gang “oh no I-I tried to tell them” He looked back at Dash “Rainbow Dash please” He took a step towards her and she took a step back “Dash?” His voice was shaking as he saw her back away into the castle and run for the dining room.

Dave looked around again but then decided to run for his room, nopony tried to stop him. As he reached his room he ran in and locked the door behind him, he quickly ran to the bathroom and saw his face splashed with pegasi blood “WHAT THE HELL” He shouted as he washed the blood from himself.

A knock came from his door and he froze “um… Dave darling… are you in there?” it was Rarity and the others were probably with her. The door handle moved “It’s locked what should we do?” Dave heard her whisper as he walked quietly back into the bedroom and crept towards the balcony

“Lemmie try” Rainbow Dash said as she moved Rarity out the way “Hey Dave I’m sorry I ran earlier I just ah… forgot something”

“Move it I’ll get it open” Applejack shoved Dash out the way before knocking hard on the door “Now you let us all in now mister or you’re in big trouble, ya hear me?” she said angrily

Pinkie looked through a crack in the door and saw Dave walking out onto the balcony “Oh I see him!” She squealed in excitement “HI DAVE!” she screamed and he froze on the spot.

‘Damn it, now im am really screwed. Kissed most of the ponies I have met, one being a princess, said I would go into a relationship with one of them and now beaten up some royal guards’ he sat down on the edge of his bed ‘Celestia is going to punish me for sure’

As he thought her name, Dave heard Princess Celestia approach the ponies outside his door. “Is Dave inside?”

“He is, but he isn’t coming out” Twilight explained

“Wait out here, I will talk with him” Celestia teleported herself into Dave’s room “Care to explain what happened?”

Dave stared at the floor as the bright light dimmed to reveal Celestia standing with a blank expression “I don’t know… since I got here more and more weird stuff keeps happening to me” He placed his head in his palms “what is going to happen now?”

“Well I am going to have to send you away” Celestia stared at the human as he began to cry

“I understand” He fought back the tears, he enjoyed every moment since arriving, including some of the awkward moments “Do I get to say goodbye?”

“You can if you like” Celestia smiled at him “Luna is waiting at ‘the spot’ she said”

Dave nodded “And what of the other ponies and Spike?” He remembered promised Spike a day camping

“Why would you need to say goodbye to them?” Celestia asked in wonder

“Well aren’t you sending me home to my world?” Dave looked up at the princess as she started giggling “What?”

“I’m not sending you away to your world” She stopped giggling and smiled warmly at Dave “I’m sending you and the others back to Ponyville today”

Dave’s stomach did a flip “But what about the things I did to the guards today?”

“Obviously you were provoked and were sticking up for your friend. And don’t worry the guards aren’t seriously harmed” She placed a hoof on Dave’s shoulder “Now go see Luna”

Dave burst out into a smile and hugged the princess in a hug “OH thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!” He gave her a small kiss on the cheek before dashing out to the balcony and eagerly leapt up towards Luna’s garden

Celestia stood blushing with a bewildered look across her face and raised a hoof to the cheek Dave kissed “You’re very welcome” She whispered. She quickly regained her composure as she opened the door for the others “Dave is just saying farewell to Luna then I shall teleport you all back to Twilight’s home”

The ponies and Spike all walked in with their bags, Spike carrying most of Rarity’s luggage for her. “Thank you for letting us stay here at Canterlot Princess Celestia” Twilight said as she sat down on the bed “we have all enjoyed ourselves so much”

“I’m glad you all had fun, and I learned quite a lot from what you have all told me about Dave during our private conversations”

Luna’s garden…

Dave eagerly climbed up to see Luna sitting in the shadow of the tree facing him “Hi Luna” he said as he pushed himself up ‘crap I forgot about last night’ he walked over to her and sat opposite her “I’m going back to Ponyville in a bit”

“I know” Luna whispered as she looked at something she had hidden in a small cotton bag “I am sorry about last night, it’s just something that can’t happen”

Dave looked at her sadly “I understand… it’s because I’m human right?”

She shook her head “no it’s just…” She took a deep breath “Me and my sister have lived for thousands and thousands of years and a few centuries before I was sent to the moon me and her had something we couldn’t keep”

“What was it?” Dave watched as a tear ran down her face so he wiped it away “Actually no, you don’t have to tell me”

Luna looked up at him “No I owe you an explanation for last night” She took another deep breath “The thing me and my sister got were… stallions, stallions we fell in love with but had to keep secret from the public as not to draw attention to them”

“Oh… they weren’t special like you were they?” Dave already knew what she was talking about

“No… after a few years they started to get old and then they both died and we could do nothing but watch, it was devastating to both me and Tia” She looked at Dave “So we agreed to never have feelings for anypony else ever again so we don’t get hurt”

“Oh I’m… sorry Luna” Dave looked away from her “I’m sorry for last night, it was all my fault, if I had known…” He was cut off by Luna as she passed him the small bag

“A gift” She looked from the bag to Dave “I don’t know why I fixed it, I just thought I should”

Dave opened the bag and pulled out his old watch, the one he stuffed into his jumper when he landed in Equestria. It had new golden dials and the glass was fixed and clean, turning it over the back cover had been replaced with a golden symbol of the two sister’s cutie marks in a ying-yang formation.

“Luna… I-I” Dave strapped the watch onto his wrist, it felt a lot more comfortable than before

“I found it in your old clothes, it was very interesting seeing a clock so small” She smiled at the watch and then at Dave

“Its wonderful thank you Luna” Dave stroked the watch with a finger

“Something to remember me by” Luna leaned over to Dave and gave him a hug “I’m sorry I can’t make you live forever”

“Now is what is important” Dave said as he returned the hug “Will I see you again?”

“Oh I imagine so” Luna giggled. Dave released her from the hug and started to head back to his bedroom where the others were waiting, leaving Luna alone “if only you could… live forever” she sighed to herself as she went back to bed

Dave landed back on his balcony still looking at his watch, he looked up to see all his friends sitting patiently for him “hey everypony” he said cheerfully as he was tackled by Spike

“Dave we were so worried about you after we heard about what happened with that gang of losers” Spike climbed onto his shoulder “you sure taught them a lesson”

“Yeah well I’m not about to make it a habit” Dave said as him and the ponies all stood in a group in front of Celestia “I’ve said my goodbyes”

“one more thing Dave” Celestia remembered something “You may now be seen by normal pony folk as I have seen what a nice um… human you are, just show that medallion on the back of your… small clock and everypony will understand that you are a friend of Equestria”

“Thank you princess… for everything” He smiled at her and she replied with one of her own

“It was my pleasure Dave” She felt her cheek grow warm “I will send Twilight Sparkle any messages regarding Dave should the need arise” She lowered her horn to the group “Ready?”

They all nodded their heads and the Princess Celestia’s horn glowed brightly before teleporting the group away in a flash of light.

Twilight’s home…

The ponies all opened their eyes to see themselves standing in Twilight’s main room. “Ah home sweet home” she sighed as she levitated her bags upstairs “So what does… wait where is Dave and Spike?”

The ponies all looked around and saw that the space Dave and Spike should be in was empty “What in tarnations?” Applejack gasped “what happened?”

“I don’t know, all I can say is that they must be somewhere near here” Twilight sighed “at least Dave is with Spike so he knows how to get back here”

Meanwhile with Dave and Spike….

“Uh oh this is really bad” Spike paced nervously around Dave who was pulling his head out of a bush

“Is it always like this?” Dave picked some of the leaves from his hair

“No the Princess never makes mistakes, there must be something else” Spike grabbed Dave’s leg “but first lets get out of here quickly”

“Why?” Dave looked around at the trees “it’s only a forest”

“Dave! It’s the Everfree forest! It is dangerous here” Spike looked around in nervousness

“Fine which way is out?” Dave lifted Spike onto his shoulder

“I don’t know, I don’t come in here alone” Spike looked at Dave

“Come on Spike we are going to be fine… What’s the worst that could happen?” Dave chuckled but his laughter was drowned out by a loud howl “Please tell me that was you or your stomach”

“Nope you?”

“Not me either” Dave heard a footstep behind him and turned to see a large wolf creature that was made of wood, it’s yellow eyes appeared to be made of amber ‘I seriously have to stop tempting fate’

“Oh no, it’s a timber wolf” Spike grabbed Dave’s head in fear

“a timber… wolf” Dave giggled a bit but then saw the rest of the pack appear “Oh um… ok” he took a couple of steps back “should we be running?”

“Very quickly” Spike agreed as he looked down at the hungry beasts “timber wolves are supposed to be fast”

“Good to know” Dave muttered under his breath as he tuned and ran from the pack

The leader of the pack let out a loud howl before giving chase after their meal. One of the pack ran ahead and lunged for Dave saliva dripping from it’s jaws.

Dave saw the wolf leap at him so he quickly changed direction to avoid it’s large jaws and ran between the trees. The pack kept up with him, almost toying with their prey, forcing him to change directions.

Spike noticed a light in the distance between the dense plant life “Dave I think I see a way out” He pointed with a finger to direct him to the source and Dave quickly headed for the dull light.

Dave ran out from between the trees and started running along a small dirt path towards a large tree that had windows and a hollow hole with smoke gently flowing from the top “What the hell?” Dave kept running towards it

“It’s Zecora’s house!” Spike cheered happily but looked back at the timber wolves as they were only a few feet behind “but we won’t be able to get inside in time”

Dave grabbed Spike and held him in his hands “I’ll distract them, don’t worry”

“What are you doing?” Spike asked as he saw Dave stare at the chimney “NO I am not leaving you alone with those things!”

“Too late” Dave smiled as he jumped up the trunk of the tree and dropped Spike down the smoking hole

In Zecora’s home…

The zebra stirred in some leaves into a pot which hung over some smoking hot coals and watched as the liquid within turned a dark brown.

“Ah my favourite herbal tea, a fresh pot just for me” She said as she carefully lifted the small teapot off the coals and set it down on a small table behind her.

She was distracted when she heard a couple of grunts come from her chimney and Spike tumbled out, covered in soot, bounced along the floor and crashed through some pots against the wall.

“Spike my little dragon friend, why from my roof do you descend?” She walked over but Spike quickly rose to his feet and ran to the window,

“We have to help Dave! Have you got anything to get rid of timber wolves” He looked at her panicked

“Hmm I have an item that should, just remember that those wolves are just wood” She then walked over to a small chest that sat beneath the table

Meanwhile with the mane six…

“Hmm where do you think they ended up?” Rainbow Dash asked Twilight who rummaged through her notes

“Do you remember the day Dave arrived and I used a sleep spell on him?”

Dash nodded “Yeah but what has that got to do with anything?”

Twilight rolled her eyes “The first sleep spell was supposed to keep him asleep for hours but it only worked a few moments”

“But you used it again and he fell asleep for about an hour” Rarity added with a worried tone sounding obviously concerned about Dave

“The second spell was supposed to put him to sleep for at least a couple of years” Twilight explained as the others all looked at one another

“So what y’all saying is, is that Dave is somehow resistant to magic?” Applejack asked

“I think so, so when the Princess sent us all here him and Spike must have only been sent partway” Twilight tapped her chin “interesting” she muttered under her breath “I just hope they haven’t landed anywhere bad”

Everfree forest…

Dave held the dark brown wolf’s jaws away from his head but it bit down on his arm, he kicked another one that tried to bite his leg. “Get off, I’m not on the menu!” he punched the wolf that had it’s jaws on his arm in it’s teeth, breaking a few in the process.

He got up and then saw he was surrounded by seven more wolves, each one as hungry as the next, Dave readied himself for another attack.

But as one of the pack prepared to lunge, it was struck over the head by Spike who wielded a flaming torch “TAKE THAT!” He yelled as he swung it towards the other members of the pack “leave my friend alone”

The wolves all looked at the flame in fear and they all began to slowly retreat back into the forest.

“Heh thanks Spike” Dave sighed as he high-fived the dragon “I owe you one”

Zecora walked over to Dave and looked him “my, my what a curious creature” She looked at Dave’s watch and caught a glimpse of the symbol beneath “and it seems he met Twilights teacher”

Dave looked up at the zebra ‘wow an African stereotype pony?’ he shook his head as he collected his thoughts “hi I’m Dave and I’m an uh… human”

Zecora’s stomach rumbled “it is getting late, and it appears I haven’t ate”

Dave looked at her puzzled “why do you rhyme when you talk?”

“Another time is shall tell that tale, but for now you both must hit the trail” She pointed to the path that led her away from her house

“Oh yeah I forgot about Ponyville, the girls must be worried sick” Spike hopped onto Dave’s shoulder “Let’s get outta here”

Zecora waved the boys off as they hurried back home down the dark path.

After a few minutes run they emerged at the edge of the forest and were greeted by a bright sun that hung high in the sky.

They both shielded their eyes “AHH what the hell? Wasn’t it just night time?” Dave moaned as he slowly dropped his hand

“The forest is strange like that… it isn’t like everywhere else” Spike explained the differences between the forest and Equestria as they walked towards Ponyville.

As they reached the outskirts of the town Dave gulped as he headed for the large tree that was Twilight’s home “this is going to be awkward” he nervously whispered under his breath

“Tell me about it” Spike looked at the busy streets that lay ahead of them “You are going to be seen no doubt about that”

“thanks for the reassurance” Dave chuckled as he calmly walked down the road, looking at all the ponies as they all stopped to look at him and talked amongst themselves

“What is that?”

“Why is Twilight’s dragon with it?”

“What’s with the claw marks?”

As Dave increased his pace he looked down at his clothes, a large claw mark stretched down the front of his shirt and a large bite mark was carved into his arm “that doesn‘t look too good“. When him and Spike reached Twilight’s house, the door flung open revealing a leaping, white unicorn.

Spike barely managed to dive off Dave before Rarity crashed on top of him “DAVE! We have been frightened out of our wits when you didn’t appear with us” She hugged him

“Ow… ok Rarity, thanks for the concern, can you let me in please?” He struggled to say as he was being chocked by her tight hug

“Oh of course Dave how rude of me” She helped him up and let him and Spike inside. As she was about to follow she noticed the group of staring ponies “WHAT IS EVERYPONY STARING AT?!” She yelled at them as they all quickly looked away and continued with what they were doing, she raised her head in disgust and proudly trotted inside shutting the door behind her ‘nopony stares at MY Davey wavey’ She thought to herself.

Chapter 11

Dave hit the ground hard and clutched his chest

“Ow” He removed his arms to see two bright, red hoof prints “huh not that bad” Dave poked the marks and felt his ribs move freely “Oh ok its bad”

The front door slammed open and an angry Big Mac and Applejack came running out one behind the other

“Now what the hay did ya do that for?” Applejack quickly dived between the boys “Ya ain’t goin anywhere near Dave again”

“Applejack it’s fine” Dave weakly whispered “Trust me I’ll be fine in AWW GOD!” He grabbed his chest as a loud crack rang out, signalling that his ribs had forced themselves back together “See good as new” Dave chuckled as the marks faded

“Move Applejack” Big Mac ordered his sister but she refused to step aside

“Not until ya tell me why” She met her brother’s angry stare

“I’m looking after ya”

“By killing the one fella I’ve had feelings for?”

Dave stood up and wiped some glass from his back “now listen if we could all just calm down a little”

“Shut it you!” Big Mac commanded Dave before looking back to his sister “what do ya mean?”

“I mean that we like each other”

“He was gonna mate with ya” pointed angry hoof at Dave

“WE were going to make LOVE!” Applejack yelled and both Big Mac and Dave took on looks of shock

“WHAT?” the guys said in unison ‘holy shit! oh please tell me she didn’t just say that’

Applejack walked beside Dave, pulled him to his knees and wrapped her hooves around him “I feel a connection with him, somethin greater than ever felt before and nopony and I mean NOPONY is going to take that away from me”

“But…” Macintosh started to protest but was cut off

“No buts, I’m happy with him” Applejack stared sadly at her big brother “Why can’t ya be happy for me?”

Big Mac shuffled his hooves before looking between Dave and Applejack “Fine, I’m sorry Dave, but I don’t want anything going on, not while Applebloom and her friend are here”

“Fine we will both stay in the barn” Applejack started to nudge Dave towards the barn but he resisted

“Applejack I think it would be best if I just went” Dave unwrapped her hooves “you and your brother need to work things out”

“No Dave if anypony should be going it should be that idiot” Applejack indicated to her brother “besides where will ya go?”

“Well I um…” Dave pondered for a moment ‘crap where can I go? Twilight and Rarity would both try something with me, I have no idea where the others live and it is night time so I can hardly find a nice cave’ Dave had no options, but gave Applejack a reassuring smile “I’ll be fine”

“But I-I…” Applejack tried to find the right words but Dave had already stood up and stated to walk away

“I’ll see you tomorrow sometime” Dave walked past the front door to see the young fillies rushing out

“What happened? We heard noises” Scootaloo and Applebloom stopped at the doorway

“Nothing just an accident… shouldn’t you both be asleep?” Dave hurried them back inside the house and up the stairs into Applebloom’s room.

Dave tucked them both into bed “Dave why did ya come here?” Applebloom asked looking up at him

“To be honest I wasn’t given a choice, one moment I’m heading home and the next I’m here”

“When are you going back?” Scootaloo watched as Dave sat down on the edge of the bed, looking at the floor

“I don’t know” he replied sadly

“Ya mean ya could be here forever?”

“Could be…” Dave didn’t look at them but continued to stare at the floor

Both the fillies looked at each other before Scootaloo spoke up “Don’t you want to stay?”

The question took Dave by surprise “Well I… do a little bit, but I can’t stay, it would cause too many problems”

“Like what?”

“If only I could tell you” he gave the girls a hug “now go to sleep”

“I would like ya to stay” Applebloom whispered as she pulled the covers up to her neck

The fillies both shut their eyes as Dave walked out shutting the door gently behind him. As he turned around he saw Big Mac standing there watching him “Listen Dave I’m sorry for earlier”

“So am I” Dave avoided looking at him

“Why are ya sorry?” Big Mac frowned out of confusion

“For trying it with Applejack… well not putting up a fight I mean”

“Listen ya can stay in the barn” the red stallion whispered

Dave held his hand out “no I can’t knowing you’re uncomfortable with it”

“I’ll feel bad knowing I made ma sister sad… what kind of brother does that make me?”

“It makes you a good one for protecting your sister, and besides a brother does what IS right, not what is easy or what him or his family thinks is right” Dave walked past Big Mac to leave him but was stopped by one of his large hooves

“I think stopping ya earlier was right, but mah sister thinks letting both of ya carry on was right”

“What do you think would have been THE right thing to do?” Dave waited for the response

“Well I…” Big Mac paused to think “I should have let ya both know what ya were going to do, what could of happened and… let ya both decide for yerselves, not make the choice for ya”

“Really? I would have stopped it, just without the kicking” Dave and Big Mac both laughed “but seriously, if you do what is right, you may not be thanked strait away but eventually everypony will see why you did it”

“Thanks Dave, I see why mah sister likes ya” He turned for his bedroom “I think leaving the barn open is the right choice”

“Are you sure?” Dave started to walk downstairs

“Eeyup!” Big Mac called out before closing his door

Dave walked outside, closing the door behind him and as he stated to turn for the path to the barn, he noticed Applejack sitting near the entrance to the barn, looking up at the moon ‘Dammit I’ll go over to her, see what’s wrong’

As he walked closer to her Applejack looked briefly at Dave before looking back at the moon “Hey Dave”

“Hey… you alright?” Dave sat down next to her

“Yeah I’m fine, I thought you would have gone to Ponyville by now”

“I just put the girls to bed and had a chat with your brother”

Applejack looked over to Dave “And?”

“And he said I could stay in the barn” Dave gave her a warming smile “he is a good brother you know”

“He said ya could stay in the barn?” Dave nodded “that’s great I’ll go get some blankets for ya” Applejack got up and quickly charged for the store cupboard upstairs in her house

As Applejack reached the top of the stairs she opened the first door on her right to reveal piles of blankets and other various cloths, some for cleaning and some for decorating. As she pulled out some blankets large enough for two she heard a quiet voice from down the hall.

“Keep it down ya hear” Big Mac poked his head out of his door “I don’t want to be woken up”

Applejack smiled happily at her big brother “thank ya brother and I’ll try”

Meanwhile…

Dave walked inside the barn and moved some hay around to make a suitable bed for himself ‘what if Applejack want’s to stay?’

“Oh crap not this again” Dave slapped his forehead “ok just stop arguing with yourself, you are perfectly fine”

‘Just saying’

“Go away” Dave shook his head in frustration

‘Look at the facts, Applejack wants you, Big Mac said it’s ok and you are in a barn’

“Point being?”

‘Let’s hope you don’t have a problem with bestiality’ Dave’s mind joked

“Technically they aren’t like the ponies back home”

‘Trying to justify yourself?’

“Oh shut up and leave me alone” Dave noticed that he accidentally placed enough hay down for him and Applejack

‘Oh isn’t that convenient because here she comes’ Dave’s mind went quiet as Applejack walked in with two large blankets laid across her back

“Here ya are” Applejack passed the blankets to Dave, who quickly unfolded them and laid them both across the hay

“Thanks I appreciate you letting me stay” Dave climbed between the two blankets and moved around, so he was nice and comfortable

Applejack looked at him and slowly walked over to the edge of the blanket “mind if I join ya?”

“Umm… sure, I guess” Dave moved the top blanket so Applejack could climb in and she shuffled close to Dave

“So ya put Applebloom and Scootaloo to bed?”

“Yeah they were fine, just asked a few questions” Dave looked over at Applejack who slowly made her way closer to him

“What did they ask about?” Applejack looked back at him

“Just about when I’m going back to my world and that kinda stuff” Dave turned his head away from Applejack, to stare at the ceiling

“How did ya get here again?”

“One moment I’m walking home across a field, I tripped and started to fall, then…” Dave shrugged “I just appeared here”

“Ya tripped?” Applejack raised an eyebrow “no magic or anything?”

“I know it wasn’t the most exciting thing ever” Dave chuckled “when I woke up I saw you and your friends looking for me”

“So what did ya say to the little ones? About when you are going home?” Applejack placed a hoof on Dave’s arm

“I just said to them, that I didn’t know” Dave watched a moth fly around the lantern attached to the ceiling

Applejack tapped him so his attention was brought back to her “I’m sure Twilight and Princess Celestia are trying their best to find a way back for ya” She gave him a quick reassuring smile before it faded from her face “but I was wondering if…” she trailed off

“Wondered what?” Dave saw her sadly looking back at him

Applejack shook her head “no I shouldn’t even think about it”

“Think about what?” Dave asked concerned

“It’s jus’ that I was wondering that when they find a way back for you” Applejack took a deep breath “if you would consider… staying”

“Well to be honest Applejack, I’ve thought about staying”

Applejack’s eyes widened “really? That’s great, ya could work here on the farm or something else in town, we can move some stuff around in mah room so ya could stay here with me” Applejack leapt onto Dave and gave him a hug so tight he could hardly breathe

“Applejack?” Dave gasped

“Yes sugarcube?” Applejack happily sighed into Dave’s ear

“I need… air”

“Oops heh sorry” Applejack released Dave from her tight grip

“Besides I’ve said I have thought about it” Dave pushed Applejack so she was sat in the same position she was in earlier before Big Mac interrupted them “that doesn’t mean I can”

Applejack smiled at him “Well of course ya can, I’ll be happy knowing you’re with me”

Dave rubbed his eyes ‘why does everypony keep forgetting that I am not a pony?’

“We will have a swell time together” Applejack placed her hooves on either side of Dave’s head, as he moved his hands away from his face

“I didn’t mean it like that, I meant that I HAVE to leave” Dave looked up at the now confused pony “If I stay and you keep acting like this then… you’re throwing so much away”

“Like what?”

“Well… your future, say you met a stallion that you loved and wanted to have children with him, you couldn’t because I would be here and you would be thinking about me rather than yourself”

Applejack gave Dave a smile which almost made his heart break “Well I don’t want any of that stuff, I want ya more than anything”

Dave felt a guilt vice being wrapped around his chest as he tried to resist looking at Applejack but found his gaze continuously draw to her green eyes “but what about your friends? What will they do if they found out?”

“Well I won’t tell them because I think Rarity may like ya a bit” Applejack hummed as she thought if any of her other friends liked Dave as well

‘A BIT?!’

Applejack placed a hoof on Dave’s mouth as he opened it to talk “Now I don’t want to hear anymore about our relationship tonight unless ya gonna make it good and not bad”

‘RELATIONSHIP?! Oh Applejack not you too’ Dave knew Twilight and Rarity were expecting the same thing, but the others were still a mystery to him

“So… my brother is ok with us being in here, so long as we try and keep it quiet” Applejack removed her hoof from Dave’s lips “So what are we gonna do now?”

Meanwhile…

Princess Luna took some of the clutter away from her desk, it was mainly some of the small tools she used to repair Dave’s watch, but now that she gave it back these tools were no longer required

“He seemed to like his gift” she mumbled to herself as she placed all the tools in a small draw

A small knock came from her door “Enter” Luna called out

One of her dark armoured guards stepped in saluting “Your majesty, it is time for you to raise the moon”

“Thank you, tell my sister I am on my way” She quickly made sure everything was neat before leaving her room

As she walked towards the large balcony behind the throne room the orange sun shone through the various glass windows, creating a variety of different colours that bathed the grand room

“Ah Luna” Celestia happily smiled at her sister “how was your sleep?”

“I slept… reasonably well after you sent our guests away this morning” Luna walked beside her sister “I’m ready”

Both sisters gently flapped their large wings and flew a short distance off the ground, both facing the sun. Celestia’s horn glowed a bright, golden yellow and the sun finally pushed it’s way beneath the horizon, once it disappeared Luna’s horn glowed a powerful, dark purple and the dim light of the moon began to rise from where the sun had set.

Once both princesses were satisfied that their role was complete they gently landed back onto the marble floor.

“Luna I have to ask you” Celestia looked away from the sky and towards her younger sister “Why this sudden infatuation with Dave?”

Luna looked at her hooves that rested within royal attire “He treats me differently”

“How so?” Celestia sat down next to Luna

“He… treats me like a true friend and not like the princess that I am” She tapped the crown that rested on her head “He looked through all this and only saw the good that I do with my moon”

“You have friends with Twilight Sparkle and the other elements” Celestia tried to reassure but Luna shook her head

“This was different, Dave talked with me, not about me, my duties or me being a princess” She rested her head on her big sister “I could feel him happy just being near me”

Celestia rested her head on top of Luna’s “Did that make you happy?”

“Yes, very much so” Luna smiled as she remembered first seeing Dave sitting under her tree

Celestia gently bit her bottom lip “Did you kiss him?”

Luna nodded even though her sister already knew

“What was it like?”

Luna pulled her head away in shock “Tia! Why would you want to know such a thing?”

Celestia gently rubbed her cheek “I apologise, I was just curious” she nervously replied

Luna moved around uncomfortably “well it felt… good… great even” she remembered that night almost every day “I’m ashamed to say that I kissed him first, but the way he accepted me sent a rush down my body and I felt myself wanting to be there forever”

Celestia nodded slightly “So that’s when you went your separate ways for the night?”

“Yes, I believe you remember the rest” Luna relaxed once her short description was done

“Yes I remember” Celestia gave Luna a hug before they both departed for their separate tasks, Luna to go attend her duties and Celestia walked to her bedroom.

As Celestia walked into her bedroom she removed her gold crown, necklace and shoes and placed them on her dresser “why did I have to ask?” the white alicorn muttered under her breath in shame

Celestia already knew what Luna liked about Dave but she wanted to hear it for herself. Celestia remembered when Dave gave her a hug out of sheer happiness of her doing her duty, not to mention the feeling the kiss had left on her. Nopony had treated her like that.

Everypony called her princess or talked to her with nothing but deep respect in their voices, Twilight still treated her like this on the odd occasion but that had taken years to get this far.

Celestia climbed into her bed and rested a hoof on her cheek again “Treated like a true friend?” She reflected on her sister’s words but the final description still gnawed at the back of her mind as she drifted off to sleep.

The next morning…

Celestia and Luna landed on the floor to the balcony again, the rising sun shone light down upon Canterlot and the magnificence of the castle itself.

“Are you sure you don’t want anything more to eat?” Celestia asked “you hardly ate any lunch today”

“I’m fine sister” Luna smiled at her “I was just thinking about what we talked about last night”

Celestia followed Luna back inside and walked with her back up to Luna’s room “How so?”

“Well I know I can’t be with anypony because of… time but Dave makes me happy so I was wondering if he could visit some point in the future” Luna stepped into her room and turned to look at her sister

Celestia smiled warmly “Of course he can, I would enjoy meeting him again, last time I didn’t talk to him much directly”

“That is good to hear” Luna began to close her door “Good morning Tia”

“Good morning Luna, sleep well” Celestia turned and walked the short trip upstairs to her room

As she stepped in she saw her desk piled with work, she had been taking on some of Luna’s work to distract herself from Dave, but before she could sit down to begin her mountain of paperwork a knock came from her door

“You may enter” she called out turning to face Strong Shield who stepped in saluting

“Your highness, the report made yesterday about the strange cave has been reported to have a new addition to the mysterious activities that are distressing the nearby town” Strong Shield passed a letter to her

“What has happened now?” The princess opened the letter

Dear Princess Celestia

I regret to inform that the cave that has been causing a disturbance for a nearby town has had another issue occur.

As well as the violent shaking ground and the loud noises coming from the entrance, it appears the cave is now releasing a large amount of hot gases which prevents us getting close to the opening

We shall stay near the cave and report any further developments

Celestia closed the letter and added it to the pile on her desk “this needs to be resolved soon” she said irritably

Strong Shield saluted again “if I may make a suggestion”

“Proceed” Celestia always wanted to hear another pony’s input

“Send a small team into the cave to investigate inside the cave, equipped with appropriate equipment”

“No, I shall not risk anypony who may be harmed, the reports state unpredictable behaviour” She looked at her guard “what if a situation occurs that your men aren’t equipped for?”

“They will have to be careful your majesty” Strong Shield knew the risks but always thought his men could handle anything

“My decision is still no” she looked at the letter again before replacing it at the top of the pile

“So what do you suggest?”

Celestia rummaged her brain for any ideas ‘the smaller the group going in the better, they need to be able to adapt to any problems which may arise and make it back out’ An idea popped into her mind “No I can’t” She tried to dismiss the idea but the more she tried the more it made sense

“I have to report to my other duties, forgive me your majesty” Strong Shield saluted again and departed closing the door behind him

Celestia sighed and levitated a clean parchment and quill over to her “I hope I am right” she began to write a letter and stopped occasionally to try and think of an alternate option. After a few minutes of writing she sent the letter away using her magic.

Meanwhile…

Dave fell to his back drenched in sweat and panting heavily as Applejack laid down onto his chest giggling slightly between deep breaths

“Aww one more time… please Dave” Applejack looked up at Dave who rolled his eyes before getting to his feet again

“Fine… last time though” Dave picked Applejack up by her waist and held her close to his face “ready?”

Dave’s grip tightened as Applejack let a grin spread across her face “ready”

Dave kneeled down slightly to get the right amount of power he wanted into his push

His arms extended and his grip loosened as he pushed Applejack upwards over the roof of the barn. She twirled in midair and tapped the roof with her hooves before beginning her decent on the other side. Dave meanwhile had quickly dashed to the other side and waited for Applejack, who came falling back into Dave’s waiting arms.

“alright I’m done now” Dave sighed as he sat down allowing Applejack to stand on her own again “after the first hundred throws I began to get tired”

“Alright sugarcube ya can rest now” Applejack gave him a quick kiss “I bet I can find something ya can’t throw over mah barn”

“It’s a challenge I am willing do” Dave smiled as she gave him another kiss ‘how did I manage to get out of that situation? Thank god she is the competitive type’

Applejack watched as the sun began to steadily rise “Do ya reckon there is still time for some time inside the barn?” She gazed into Dave’s eyes longingly

“Mornin” Big Mac called happily as he stepped out to greet the two of them

“Guess not” Applejack mumbled to herself before looking at the intruder to her moment, then a sly grin intensified as and idea came to her mind “Hey Dave?”

“Yes Applejack?” Dave replied

“Do ya reckon ya could throw Big Mac?”

“Throw me where?” Big Mac asked regretting leaving the safety of his bed

“Jus’ come here a sec” Applejack was going to make her brother pay for ruining the moment

Chapter 12

Big Mac screamed as he saw the ground rushing towards him, Dave slid into his path just in time to catch him. He let Big Mac down to see a mixed reaction of horror and anger.

Applejack ran around laughing to see Big Mac look between Dave and the barn “that’s what ya get for interrupting us”

“Sorry… how was last night?” Big Mac looked at his sister “Actually I don’t wanna know”

“It’s ok we only talked and then she started getting competitive” Dave pointed an accusing finger at Applejack “we didn’t sleep much to be honest”

“Well alright, I best be starting work” Big Mac nervously walked into the barn to get some baskets

“Alright Big Mac I’m gonna take Dave into town for breakfast then I’ll be back ta help” Applejack called after her brother and nudged Dave towards the path for Ponyville

“Hey wait for us!” Scootaloo and Applebloom came running out the house and pounced onto Dave “We were going to see if Sweetie Bell wanted to do anything today” Scootaloo explained while she wrapped her hooves around Dave’s neck and hung down his back

“Yeah we were gonna do some more crusadin!” Applebloom cheered as she balanced on Dave’s head “Do ya think we are tightrope walkers?”

Dave giggled as the fillies continued to shout out ideas “so Applejack, where are we going for breakfast?”

“I was hoping we could go ta sugarcube corner” She looked at Dave with his exposed chest “But I have a feeling that ya may want ta see if Rarity made those clothes”

Dave nodded in agreement and followed Applejack around the outskirts of Ponyville to Rarity’s boutique, they allowed themselves in as some of the nearby ponies began staring at Dave again.

“AHH” Rarity screamed as she heard the door open and quickly threw a pony mannequin, covered in clothing that Dave didn’t see, behind some curtains “Oh it’s just you” She sighed in relief as she regained her composure “come to visit have you?”

“We were goin for breakfast at sugarcube corner but we popped by ta see if Dave’s clothes are done?” Applejack tried to ignore Rarity’s strange behaviour “Ya can join us if ya like”

“Well I would be delighted to” Rarity levitated some clothes over to Dave “Here you go darling, try them on”

“Thank you so much Rarity, I swear I’ll find a way to repay you” Dave looked around “do you have a changing room?”

“Why yes of course it’s…” Rarity started to point where she had thrown the mannequin but quickly retracted her hoof “very messy at the moment”

“Well ok…” Dave looked at the two ponies and the two fillies “so where should I change?”

“What’s wrong with ya?” Applebloom asked

“How do you mean?” Dave looked down at the child that circled him

“Do ya have some kind of condition that means ya have to wear clothes all the time?” Applebloom poked his leg

‘Why does everypony keep asking about my clothes?’ Dave thought irritably before heading for the stairs “I’ll get changed in the bathroom”

Dave walked into the bathroom and removed his old clothes and dressed in his new ones, the trousers were the same but the shirt had buttons running up the front so Dave could open it up if he became hot. The colours were also different, they were a dark blue with three thin white lines stretching down the short arms. “I got to admit she does a good job” He said whilst checking himself in the mirror.

Downstairs Applejack and Rarity watched as Dave walked down still admiring his new clothes “Do you like them?” Rarity asked

“I love them!” Dave smiled happily at her “How do you manage to make these so quickly?”

“You asked for simple so I made simple” Rarity levitated a bag over to him “besides I completely forgot about the clothes I brought to Canterlot for you”

“Oh of course I forgot about them” Dave took the bag and slung it over one shoulder “So are we going to eat?”

“Yes you two go on ahead I’ll catch up” Rarity wanted to hide her little outfit from everypony a little better “save me a seat” she called and waited until she was sure they were gone before quickly hiding the mannequin upstairs in her room

Dave wandered happily down the street, not noticing the awkward stares he was receiving until he stopped outside a building that looked like it was cooked rather than built “Heh for Hansel and Gretel’s sake I hope not every giant cake house has an evil woman”

“What ya on about?” Applejack looked puzzled at Dave who giggled to himself

“Nothing, just a tale back on my world” He continued to giggle as he walked inside behind Applejack

“OH MY GOSH HI DAVE!” Pinkie screamed happily as she ran full throttle at him “I MADE YOU SOME CUPCAKES AND SOME SWEETS AND SOME OTHER THINGS THAT ARE FULL OF SUGARY GOODNESS!” She stopped suddenly before crashing into him “so how are you?”

Dave rubbed his ears to get the ringing noise out before looking down at the overexcited pony “Yeah I’m good, how are you?”

“I’m GREAT!” the ringing returned “Sit down and I’ll bring some food over for you”

Dave and Applejack sat down at a table, Dave noticed that Applebloom and Scootaloo were gone probably to go see Sweetie Bell so he decided to leave it. Pinkie Pie quickly retuned with a tray full of cupcakes, muffins, sweets and slices of normal cakes

“Wow did you make all these?” Dave gawped in wonder at the variety that lay before him

“Yes silly I help Mr and Mrs Cake here and baby-sit their two cute little babies” She smiled as Dave picked up a large white cupcake “eat up!”

Dave cautiously bit into the cupcake feeling an instant sugar rush “hmm” he quickly looked at the cupcake before shoving it all into his mouth greedily “Thith ith amathin!” He said from behind the cupcake that blocked his mouth

“I know they are just so amazingly, delicious and tasty not to mention made with a spoonful of happiness!” Pinkie squealed in excitement

Dave swallowed the cupcake and picked up another “no wonder you are so hyperactive with this kind of food!” he almost swallowed it whole with the eagerness to eat

“I’m not hyperactive silly I’m just happy to see that my friends are enjoying themselves” Pinkie threw an entire slice of cake into her mouth

Applejack laughed as Dave tried to stuff an entire handful of chocolate into his mouth but only half wanted to go in “Whoa there sugarcube, you are gonna get sick eating that fast”

Dave controlled himself and took his hands away from the suddenly empty tray and looked at a chocolate covered Pinkie “Those were delicious”

“Thanks Dave!” Pinkie wiped herself down with her tongue in one sweeping motion “So what are you doing today? I would love to hang out”

Rarity walked in and saw the chocolate faced Dave and the giggling Pinkie “Oh Dave how did you get so messy so quickly?” she levitated a cloth to his face and wiped it clean

“Thanks Rarity, I tried to not ruin the clothes this time” he joked and Rarity giggled

“Yes I noticed how you stopped all the food with your face” Everypony laughed as they started to eat some sponge cake together

As they finished the cake they washed it down with some soda but Rarity had a cup of tea, Twilight and Spike came in through the front door, Spike holding a scroll in his claws

Dave noticed them enter and gave them a wave “Hey Twilight, hey Spike how is everything going?”

Twilight walked over with a smile “Dave would you be so kind as to open this for me?” Spike handed him the scroll “It has been sent for you”

“Well I’m fine thank you for asking” He joked as he took the scroll from Spike and looked at the writing around the seal “For Dave only” Dave looked at it curiously “Where did this come from?”

“The princess, I have no idea what is in there” Twilight peeked over his shoulder to see

Dave shrugged and broke the seal and slowly began to open it

Dear Dave

Please read this alone, that means no peeking Twilight…

Twilight sighed as Dave chuckled and walked over to the corner of the room and continued to read

…I am writing because I may have need of you, a problem has occurred near a town called Appleoosa, I believe a member of the Apple family lives there and may be able to provide greater detail if you choose to take this task.

A number of strange activities have occurred in a large cave, I do not wish to risk anypony but it needs to be investigated further.

This is why I am ASKING you to consider taking this task as I believe you will be more capable of tackling any issues that you may encounter

Please reply ASAP

Celestia
P.s. you may allow Twilight to read this now

Dave read the letter again before handing it to Twilight “What do you think?”

Twilight read the letter “This looks suspicious… she didn’t write Princess at the bottom”

“I meant the task” Dave stated as he sat down

“Oh sorry, well if it is just looking in a cave I can’t see any problems” Twilight looked at Applejack “Have you talked to Braeburn recently?”

“Nope not since the incident with the buffalo” She then read the letter with Rarity and Pinkie “it would be good to visit again while Dave does his duty”

“Ok then I should write a reply… Pinkie do you have a pen and paper?” Dave asked as Pinkie handed him the pen and paper instantly “Thanks… wait where did you?”

“The letter?!” Twilight reminded him

“Oh yes of course” Dave looked at Pinkie again before writing a reply

Dear Celestia

I would be happy to complete this task for you, my friends would like to come with me so they may visit Appleoosa while I am looking in this strange cave

I would be happy to depart right away

Dave

P.s. nice prediction about Twilight

Dave rolled up the letter and handed it to Spike who blew it away in a bright green flame “Thanks Spike” He turned to see a frowning Twilight “What?”

“You forgot to write PRINCESS Celestia, where are your manners?” Twilight shook her head “She is royalty after all, she deserves to be treated as such”

“Oops sorry”

“Just because she forgot to write it doesn’t mean you should” Twilight helped herself to Dave’s slice of cake

Spike belched out another scroll onto the table and an envelope containing some tickets, Dave opened the letter and read it privately to himself first “She writes fast I’ll give her that”

Dear Dave

I appreciate this as I could not ask just anypony, inside the attached envelope are train tickets for this afternoon, show them and you shall be able to have the entire first class sleeping area for yourselves

I recommend sleeping well on the journey as you should reach Appleoosa by tomorrow morning

I wish you the best of luck and please send a letter as soon as your task is complete

Celestia

Dave massaged his eyes “so much for looking around Ponyville”

“We don’t have to go until this afternoon so there is still time to do some things” Spike grabbed Dave’s head and pulled him in for a whisper “besides I need something interesting to do, Twilight has been so boring recently”

Twilight looked at the two letters “Why did she forget to put Princess at the bottom of both these letters? Is she ill?” Twilight put the panicked thoughts to the back of her head “We should see if the others want to come with us”

“Yeah we’ll go find Dash and Fluttershy for ya” Applejack left with Pinkie Pie and headed for Fluttershy’s cottage hoping to meet Rainbow Dash along the way

“So what does everypony want to do?” Dave asked as he took the letters and envelope and placed them in his bag of clothes “we have a few hours I’m guessing?”

Twilight nodded “I think the next train arrives at seven o’clock so we have plenty of time to get ready”

“So what should we do until then?” Dave looked at his watch which had both hands pointing trait up at twelve o’clock “I’m already packed” he joked, lifting his bag back over his shoulder

“Well I suppose we could show you around most of Ponyville” Twilight peeked outside “get everypony more comfortable seeing you walking around”

“Yeah I suppose that’s a good idea” Dave stood up as Spike climbed onto him and followed the ponies outside.

Dave walked past a brown pony as he started to walk down the street and received an open mouthed stare “What the hay?” it gasped

“Hello” Dave said happily as he continued to follow his friends down the road

“H-Hello” It said in disbelief as the large creature walked past it

Twilight and Rarity proceeded to take Dave to many different buildings, receiving many stares along the way, they only had to stop to introduce Dave a few times before finally stopping at a large round building.

“So what’s this?” Dave asked as he looked up at the tall building

“This is the town hall” Twilight opened the door for Dave and Rarity to walk in “The mayor would probably like to meet you”

They all walked into the hall and walked into a reception area, another set of double doors sat in front of the group but Twilight and Rarity walked over to a door on the right which had ‘Mayor’ written in large golden letters across the top

Rarity politely knocked and they heard a female voice from the other side call out “Come in”

Twilight opened the door and the others followed her inside, behind a large wooden desk and a small pile of paperwork sat a grey haired earth pony that read through a final sheet of paper before placing on top of the stack

“That’s the funding done for another month” She adjusted her glasses as she looked up “Now how may I help youuuaahhhhhhh!” She screamed slightly as she saw Dave standing behind the two unicorns

“Miss Mayor we would like to talk with you about something” Twilight stepped aside to allow the mayor to see Dave completely

“Does it by any chance have to do with that strange creature?” the mayor couldn’t help but shrink into her chair as Dave walked over to her

“Hello my name’s Dave” He outstretched a hand and the mayor weakly shook it “Thank you for seeing us in such short notice”

“Not a problem um… Dave” the mayor adjusted her glasses before sitting up strait “Well I can safely assume that you are the cause of all the disturbance recently”

“You make that sound like he is a problem” Twilight raised an eyebrow

“No not at all, I was just slightly confused when I heard that Princess Celestia came for a quick visit and then a few days later a freaky creature was reported to be walking through town”

Rarity slammed her hooves on the desk “Would you stop calling him things like freak and strange, he is none of those things!”

The mayor stared blankly at Rarity and then at Twilight as she raised her hoofs to her table as well “I agree, just because he looks a bit different doesn’t mean he is a monster!”

Dave stood up and placed his hands on both the ponies’ mouths and pulled them back “Sorry mayor, they had some cake this morning and I think they are a bit over excited”

“Well it’s good to see that somepony round here is still calm” the mayor didn’t notice the looks she received from the unicorns

They both opened their mouths to protest but Dave quickly stuffed his hands into them “Thank you for the compliment” he noticed something moving around his fingers, he winced slightly when he realised that Twilight and Rarity’s tongues were playing the fingers that rested in their mouths ‘ew, do they realize that they are both doing that?’

Releasing himself from their mouths Dave wiped his hands dry on his trousers and Twilight took her gaze from Dave and back to the mayor “Princess Celestia took him to Canterlot for a while so she could see what he was like”

“She hardly spent any time with me though” Dave realized he only spent a small time with Celestia ‘I only saw her at breakfast, lunch and when she came to see me in my room’ Dave buried his head into his slightly moist hands ‘ohhhh god! I hugged her and kissed her… KISSED her, even if it was just on the cheek. I must be the most disrespectful person ever.’

Rarity ignored Dave burrowing his head into his hands “well the princess talked to us about Dave rather than talk to him directly” Rarity and Twilight continued to tell the mayor about their journey in Canterlot but ignored the physical powers Dave discovered, both the strength and the healing

After they all retold their tale the mayor simply sat and asked a few questions before finally standing up and shaking Dave’s hand again “Well Dave I can see that you should easily fit into life here in Ponyville and please come and pop in if you ever need anything”

“Thank you Miss Mayor I will try to not cause any fuss for you” Dave took a sigh of relief as he released the mare’s light brown hoof

“That reminds me, where are you living?” she took a letter out of her desk and wrote Dave’s name at the top and instead of ticking Earth pony, Pegasus or unicorn she ticked a box labelled ‘other’

“Well um…I have kinda just been staying where I could” Dave scratched the back of his head “I guess when I come back I could find somewhere to live more permanently” Dave briefly explained his task to the mayor before she placed the letter on a shelf behind her

“Well when you return please drop by and I’m sure we can arrange something” the mayor then bided them all farewell as they all departed the hall

“You could stay in my basement if you wished” Twilight suggested with an agreeing nod from Spike

“Twilight you already have Spike living with you full time” Rarity placed a hoof on Dave’s arm “I only have Sweetie Bell occasionally so it makes more sense to have Dave stay in my spare room”

“But you get so tied up with work” Twilight also placed a hoof on Dave

“I can manage perfectly well” Rarity said with a hint of annoyance in her voice “your occupation is very unpredictable, being Princess Celestia’s student and all”

‘Are they fighting over me?’ Dave thought to himself “To be honest if I am going to be here a while, I would like to have my own place”

“Why of course darling, you should have some independence” Rarity kept her hoof on Dave

“And we will be here to support you” Twilight also kept her hoof where it was

Spike who had been quiet most of the day, decided to speak for once “But how will you pay?”

They all fell silent “You have a point there” Dave wondered if Celestia would pay him for assisting her with this task ‘no I couldn’t accept payment for helping out’ Dave shrugged “I’ll figure something out when we get back”

“Figure what out?” Pinkie asked bouncing beside Dave causing him to jump in fright

“Oh Pinkie it’s you” Dave turned to see Applejack, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash all following close behind her “hey everypony” they all replied with smiles, even Fluttershy “feeling better?”

The yellow Pegasus looked confused but Dash nudged her with an elbow “oh, y-yes thank you for asking” She hid behind her pink mane slightly

“So does everypony here want to go to Appleoosa while Dave does this task for Princess Celestia?” Twilight asked the group and they all nodded “good because…” she peeked at Dave’s watch “we have two hours before we need to catch the train”

Dave looked at his watch ‘where did I lose five hours? Heh time flies when you’re having fun’

“So we all meeting at the train station once we are ready” Twilight looked at Dave “seeing as you are already packed you should just follow one of us to the station”

Dave looked at all the ponies “I wouldn’t mind seeing Fluttershy’s animals… if that’s ok with you of course” he looked at Fluttershy who still hid behind her mane

“Oh um… ok… if you want to… see you in a minute girls” Fluttershy then allowed Dave to follow her out of Ponyville and towards the Everfree forest

“Wouldn’t have thought you lived inside the forest” Dave asked still worried about going back in

“Oh no I live just outside” Fluttershy explained

“Ok, but still it is quite close” Dave noticed a cottage coming into view

“When any animals from the forest get injured they come near my house, so I can help them and send them back in all healthy and happy” Fluttershy happily smiled as she thought of all the animals she nursed back to health “they are still animals after all”

“That’s a nice thing to do” Dave saw a variety of animals moving around Fluttershy as she came closer to the front door

“Hello little ones” Fluttershy greeted all the animals individually, to Dave’s amazement “Oh hello Angel”

Dave looked down to see a very angry bunny “well isn’t he cute” Angel gave Dave a kick in his ankle at this comment “Ouch”

“Now Angel that wasn’t very nice, I have to leave you in charge for one more day because I have to go help my friends” Fluttershy walked upstairs and came back down with a small suitcase, she obviously didn’t have time to unpack because of all the animals “I know you will be ok”

The bunny bounced up and down angrily as his master began to leave again

Dave looked at the bunny before quickly walking back outside with Fluttershy “What was his problem?”

“Oh he is just a little bit sad I have to go again so soon” Fluttershy had trouble trying to get the bag on her back so Dave carried it for her “Oh thank you, but I can manage”

“I insist” Dave easily held the bag in his left hand as they started to walk for the train station ‘If that bunny was sad I would hate to see it angry’

As Dave and Fluttershy arrived at the station they were met by the others who all had one small bag each

“Everypony ready?” Dave asked but was drowned out by the loud noise of a steam train braking and turned to see the most colourful train he had ever laid eyes on

The train itself was a deep blue and the driver had his head out the window gawping at Dave, the cartridges had varieties of different roofs, some bumpy, some flat and they all came in colours of brown, pink or blue.

The driver stopped the train and his head was parallel with Dave’s “What the hay?” he mumbled

“Yeah I get that a lot” Dave giggled but took the envelope he received from Celestia out of his bag and handed it to the stunned driver

The driver opened the envelope and looked at the tickets “Royal duty eh?” He tore the corner of the ticket and handed them back to Dave “Second cartridge down” he pointed at a large, regal blue cartridge with a smooth, curving roof

The group all climbed in and placed their bags down onto their respective beds, as Dave walked in he looked around, there were four sets of bunk beds on either side so there were just enough for one each and a two long tables sat at the end of the cartridge next to some large arch windows.

“First class is an understatement” Dave chuckled as he climbed above Spike’s bunk at the end and relaxed on the soft mattress, he still had to curl up a bit so he could fit, after all this was designed for a pony

The train’s horn whistled to show that they were now leaving the station and slowly began to pick up speed

Dave rested his eyes while the other ponies all talked amongst themselves and fell asleep

Twilight on the other hand was writing a letter to Princess Celestia describing Dave’s home issue and had Spike send it before climbing into her own bunk, opposite Dave’s, she wrote the letter with the obvious hint of Dave staying at her library

Twilight quietly watched Dave sleep for a while before finally deciding to shut her eyes ‘I’m sure the princess will allow him to stay at mine’ she thought as she drifted off to sleep

The train travelled non-stop towards it’s destination Appleoosa through out the night while transporting it’s cargo, until they were all suddenly awoken the next morning.

Chapter 13

Dave was thrown from his bunk and landed on the hard wooden floor, Twilight and Pinkie Pie soon crashed on top of him, looking around Dave saw everypony else being thrown around the cartridge from one side to the other

Dave pushed the ponies off himself and headed for the door leading towards the engine, as he walked he noticed the cartridge was tilted to one side and then tilted the other, using the beds to support him he finally reached the door and he pulled it open, a rush of wind greeted him

Dave saw the driver trying to reach the breaks but got thrown to one side before he could reach it, Dave climbed over the coal cartridge towards the driver but stopped, looking around at the train, he saw it continuously roll one side then the other, each rotation threatening to derail the train completely

“What’s happening?” Dave called to the driver

“The ground started shaking and I lost control!” the driver replied as the train hit a bump sending him into Dave causing them both to go crashing into the coal “We need to stop the train to regain balance!”

“I don’t think we have time!” Dave looked at the front of the train as it began to roll to the right

“Well we’ve got to do something!” The driver panicked as he saw the tracks bend to the left ahead “and we better do it fast or we will completely go off the rails”

“I have an idea” Dave got to a crouched position “Do you mind?”

“Just do it already!” the driver called out as the train began to fully tip to the right

Dave jumped forwards and brought his feet onto the left side of the engine’s floor, denting it and forcing it downwards just as they reached the bend

As the train was forced onto the tracks by Dave and off them by the bend, it evened out and they regained balance

“Did it work?” Dave asked as the driver rushed forwards and slammed on the brakes, he had his eyes shut the entire time. The train screeched to a halt and Dave was thrown forwards and landed in a heap in front of the driver

The driver climbed off the train and looked down the row of cartridges, in some of the cartridges ponies had stuck their heads out to look at what was going on “well I’ll be a monkey’s uncle, you did it”

“I did?” Dave climbed to his feet and joined the driver “what happened anyway?” Dave looked down at his coal-covered clothes ‘Again? Really?’

The driver wiped some sweat from his brow “I don’t know, earthquake maybe” he looked over at Dave “So long as we take it slow we can still make it to Appleoosa in about an hour”

Dave climbed back onto the train with the driver ‘it could have something to do with the cave’ he thought as he looked around at the new scenery

It looked like a desert with cactus doted around and long sandy plains, a small blur in the distance suggested that they weren't far from Appleoosa or this mysterious cave, the sun itself beat down on the ground furiously

“Well I’ll start the train up at a slow pace while I go see if everypony is alright” the driver turned the brakes off and set the train at a low speed while he cautiously walked through to the cartridges

Dave meanwhile looked at his new surroundings one more time before walking back to see if his friends were ok

As he walked in, he saw Pinkie and Dash had their heads out of the window, Fluttershy was treating a bruise on Applejacks head while Twilight and Rarity both sat a table

Spike ran over to Dave “what’s going on?” he asked quickly as Dave shut the door

“There was an earthquake I think,” Dave walked over to Applejack “Are you alright?” he asked worriedly

Applejack looked up at him as Fluttershy rubbed some ointment into her head “I’m alright sugarcube just fell on my head is all” She put a hoof on Dave’s shoulder “Thanks for saving the train”

“Wait how did you know I did anything?”

Applejack shrugged “Well I saw ya run out and then the train stopped so…” she smiled at him, “I guessed”

Dave returned the smile “Well I couldn’t let anypony get hurt could I?” He looked round at the others “Everypony else ok?”

They all nodded and Applejack replaced her hat to cover her bruise “thank ya kindly Fluttershy”

Fluttershy smiled as she replaced the ointment bottle inside her bag “you’re welcome” She whispered

The door leading to the next cartridge opened and the driver walked through “Everypony is ok, I am just gonna speed up a bit” the driver left through the other door and the train slowly lurched forwards as it regained some lost time

Dave sat down at the table that Twilight and Rarity was not using and rubbed his face ‘another display of physical power’ he thought to himself as the ponies that weren’t sitting all took a place at a table ‘is this why Celestia asked me?’

Twilight helped confirm Dave‘s suspicions “Well we can see why Princess Celestia chose you for the task” Twilight commented as she made room for Fluttershy

“Yeah I just hope this cave doesn’t collapse on me” Dave chuckled as Spike sat next to him

Spike looked around at the ponies that all agreed, “Wait aren’t we going with you?”

“Well… I don’t know, I thought the Princess asked me so I could go in alone” Dave looked at the shaken ponies “I think I should in case anything happens”

Rainbow Dash sat down opposite him “no way are we letting you have all the fun” she hit him playfully on the shoulder “we got your back”

Dave smirked at the enthusiastic Pegasus “Fine when we get to town we will get some pony to take us to this cave”

Applejack sat down next to Rainbow Dash “I think we are meeting my cousin, Braeburn” She rubbed her bruise slightly “he can take us”

Dave looked at the bruise on Applejack’s head “I think you should stay behind, no offence but that bruise looks quite nasty”

“It’ll take more than a bruise to keep me down” Applejack assured him “I’m going into that cave with ya”

The ponies all talked about what could be in this cave while Dave stared out the window, he saw the desert roll by only to see some apple trees spring up in the distance ‘Applejack’s cousin’s farm I assume’ Dave thought to himself as the train slowed down and pulled into a station

The group all climbed off and immediately all walked over to a blond stallion that wore a hat similar to Applejack’s

“Well howdy y’all!” he happily cheered, obviously unaware of the drama that just unfolded “how is everypony?” Applejack began to explain what happened but the stallion’s attention was turned to Dave “Ah you must be the thing sent here to investigate the freaky cave”

Dave shook the stallions hoof “Yes… I guess I am” Dave put on a smile “My name’s Dave”

“Well howdy Dave, the name’s Braeburn” The stallion stood on his hind legs and kicked his front ones into the air “and welcome ta aaaaappleoosa!” he cheered

“Well thanks for the warm greetings and all but I would like to help with this cave before looking around” Dave watched Braeburn nod in agreement

“Why of course, we need to get there faster than ya can say YEEHAAW” Braeburn began to lead Dave over to a small peddle cart “All aboard”

The ponies all looked at the rusting piece of metal “your kidding right?” Dash asked tapping it with a hoof

“Well I was told Dave here is the only one going inside the cave” Braeburn pushed Dave onto the cart before tuning back to the ponies “It’s too dangerous for anypony to enter”

“We will be fine Braeburn, we can handle ourselves” Twilight started to walk onto the cart but Braeburn’s hoof, stopped her

“I’m serious, even the guards sat outside to keep watch have moved away from the opening” Braeburn twitched his head towards Dave “Apparently the will only let him in, order of the Princess”

Dave dropped his bag onto the cart and grabbed one of the handles as Braeburn stood at the other end “sorry, but orders are orders” Dave began to lift his end of the lever

Rarity quickly dived in front of the cart to stop it moving “well can we at least wait by the entrance with the guards?”

Braeburn adjusted his hat nervously “well I suppose there is a small cart we could attach ta this ya could all sit in” Braeburn looked at Dave “But it means we will have ta work harder”

Dave grinned at the stallion “Don’t worry about that, I can work pretty hard”

Braeburn finally agreed and attached a large, wooden cart which everypony could fit into and took his position opposite Dave again “Ya ready?” he asked nervously

“Oh yeah” Dave said confidently as he quickly slammed his side of the lever down forcing the carts to jolt suddenly forwards

Dash, Pinkie and Spike all raised their arms in the air, laughing as the cart quickly gained speed and tore down the track, all the other ponies held on for their lives as the cart threatened to match the speed of the train

Braeburn managed to open his eyes as he held onto his end of the lever “We should be getting close” He looked at Dave who had a cheeky smile “Please stop us gently” he pleaded

Dave moved to the front of the cart, sat down at the edge and took his shoes off “I’ll try” he chuckled as he pressed his feet onto the metal tracks forcing the carts to lose speed rapidly

As the carts came to a stop Dave and Spike looked around at the ponies and broke into fits of laughter, Braeburn’s hat was firmly attached to his head and all the girls manes were blown backwards by the wind

Rarity used some magic to force her hair back before she allowed anypony to get a good look while everypony else all looked at each other with mixed responses, Pinkie broke into laughter while all the other ponies began to quickly sort their manes with their hooves

Dave apologised and helped everypony out of the cart before putting his shoes back on his feet “well we were in a rush” he giggled slightly as he received a disapproving stare from Twilight

He turned to see two white, muscular unicorns standing before him, they both had some royal armour around their necks obviously they had removed the rest due to the heat from the sun “are you Dave?” one of them asked

“Yes I am and I um… am here to look at this cave” Dave followed the guards as they turned and walked over a small hill

As they reached the top Dave noticed a large cliff face about a kilometre away with a large hole in the side “There is the cave” one of the guards explained as he led Dave, Spike and the ponies down to a small campsite “your friends will have to stay here and you may leave belongings as well”

“Why are we so far away?” Dave asked as he dropped his bag down

“We were next to the cave originally but we were forced to move to a safe distance as the cave began to release very hot gases” the guard took a drink from a canteen “and it is hot enough”

The other guard took a drink from his canteen as well “There was a small water source by the entrance but we can’t access it any more so we have had to rely on water that Braeburn brings us”

Braeburn walked over and dropped four canteens, the sound of water moving around inside “Not a problem” He took some empty canteens and took them back to the cart before returning

Dave looked at the cave in the distance “but what exactly has been…” Dave was cut off as him and the rest of the group at the campsite covered their ears as a loud noise invaded their heads, it sounded like a loud foghorn and was followed by the ground shaking so violently that Dave struggled to keep his balance

“What the hay was that?!” Applejack yelled after being partially deafened by the noise

“That was the cave!” a guard had to yell as everypony rubbed their ears “Now get in there!”

Dave nodded in agreement and started his long walk towards the cave, alone

“Will he be ok?” Fluttershy asked as Dave walked away

“What did you say?” Dash asked, ears still hurting

“Will he be ok?” She asked in her usual quiet voice

“Can you say it louder?” Dash asked as she leaned an ear toward her

Fluttershy inhaled deeply “will he be ok?” she asked quietly again

Dash shrugged “I can’t hear you! Can it wait? I am sure Dave will be back soon so ask us when we leave” She partially yelled

Dave meanwhile was beginning to understand what the guards meant by the cave was releasing heat, he was parched already and his eyes began to sting as he reached the opening

He looked up at the large arching opening, that towered above him and down into the dark cave as it gently curved downwards into the cliff, he noticed a small body of water sitting just inside the rock opening ‘ah finally I can have a nice refreshing WHAT THE HELL’

Dave quickly pulled his hands out of the scolding hot water “WHY ARE YOU HOT?” he screamed at the water but his yell was drowned out by another outburst form the cave and he slammed his hands over his ears “AND YOU CAN SHUT UP!”

He was already beginning to regret going inside the cave as he slowly made his way into the dark depths, slowly climbing down the steady slope leading deeper down into the ground

As Dave descended slowly, the amount of light decreased rapidly and soon Dave was, walking blind into the darkness “stupid cave making stupid noises” Another roar came from ahead and was soon followed by a wave of intense heat

Dave continued, covering his eyes with his hands to protect himself, not realising that the cave began to get brighter as the heat tore past him

He staggered around in the dark, blindly using one hand to steady himself every time the ground shook until he walked something wooden and fell on his back

“Ow” Dave opened his eyes and found the area to be strangely well lit “What the hell?” Dave looked up at the dirty train cartridge

Dave walked up to one of the dirty windows and wiped some of the dirt away, the bright reflection of gold and gems almost blinded him

“Wow jackpot… how did this get down here?” Dave scratched his head as he gazed at the riches before him “What could shake grounds? Produce heat? Very loud noises?”

A loud roar from another large tunnel to Dave’s right caught his attention as he turned away from the cartridge full of treasures and walked through the next tunnel

As he walked the cave opened up massively and the light revealed entire walls made of gems, the tunnels must have descended far under the cliff to make space for the large cave

Dave looked around at the walls and pulled a Ruby the size of his fist out of the wall “Heh Spike would be in heaven right now” Dave stopped as he noticed a fire near where he was standing

The more he looked around the more fire he could see ‘wait… fire, heat, shaking, roaring, gems’ Dave’s mind pieced the puzzle together as he heard a low growl coming from the centre “Big Spike” he gasped nervously

A giant emerald green dragon turned its head and brought its large orange eye to look at the strange creature

“Umm… hello” Dave smiled weakly at the eye that was the same as him “Good dragon”

The dragon snorted at turned its head back to the wall and began to claw at it, Dave walked around the dragon to try and see what it was clawing at

Dave tapped the dragon on its hind leg “Excuse me” the dragon turned again “oh my… anyway I am here to investigate the problem that has been causing a disturbance for a nearby town”

The dragon brought its large head to Dave “leave” it commanded in a deep, loud voice

“Well can you stop causing earthquakes?” Dave watched as the dragon punched a piece of rock off the wall and placed its arm back into a crack in the wall

Dave poked the dragon again “is there anything I can do to make you l…” He was cut short by the dragon swatting him away with its large tail

Dave crashed into the wall and fell to the floor “I will leave when I get MY gem” the dragon reached into the crack

Dave got to his feet “Listen if I help you get this gem will you leave?” Dave watched as the dragon roared at him

“IT IS MINE!” the dragon opened its mouth and fire engulfed Dave in flames “NONE SHALL HAVE IT BUT ME!”

Dave writhed in pain as the flames tore at his body, burning him alive, he screamed as his skin turned to ash, the dragon turned back to his task and continued to dig

Dave screamed as he finally fell to the floor again, his burnt flesh exposed “I… didn’t” his burnt eyes closed “Just… wanted to… help”

The final flames on Dave’s body burnt out after a few minutes ‘oh get up’

Dave felt pain rush through him again as the burnt flesh fell to the floor as new parts replaced them “I…” He took a step towards the dragon as his eyes reformed “Am…” His skin rolled over his body and hair sprouted from his head “Pissed”

Dave grabbed the dragon’s tail and pulled sharply, dragging the large reptile to the floor

The dragon swung its large horned head around to bite Dave but instead received a fist to his bottom jaw, swatting his entire head away

Dave grabbed one of the large spikes attached to the dragon’s head and pulled it to the ground “Now you listen here you scaled arsehole” Dave pointed his finger at the dragons eye “I don’t want your stupid rock”

The dragon tried to lift its head but Dave forced it to the ground again “what do you want?” the dragon asked in its booming voice

“I want you to leave” Dave released the dragon “And I am going to get that gem for you so you don’t have to stay, everyone is happy”

The dragon looked at Dave’s face “you get me my gem and I’ll go” he agreed, “You are interesting”

Dave headed for the large crack “yeah how so?”

“I have been alive for thousands of centuries, but have only seen that once” the dragon leaned down to the crack

“Whatever” Dave reached the crack “So what am I… HOLY SHIT”

At the far end of the crack was a large diamond, easily twice as tall as Dave and three times as wide “it’s magnificent” the dragon stated

“no wonder you want it so badly” Dave climbed on top of it and pulled it slightly towards the dragon “alright I will pull as far as I can and then you grab it” he commanded the dragon

“Just be quick” the dragon responded as it readied a claw

Dave pulled the gem as hard as he could, grinding it against the gemstone walls. As he pulled it further, the dragon’s arm grabbed it and ripped it strait out from the crack along with Dave and a cloud of dust

The dragon caressed the diamond like a long lost lover before Dave interrupted him “excuse me?” Dave tapped his foot “Are we going now?”

The dragon reached around the tunnel and dragged the train cartridge full of riches into the open clearing, he broke the top off as if it was his own personal treasure chest and tried to place the diamond inside

The dragon growled angrily as it removed three normal chests from the cartridge and dropped them onto the floor, he then placed the diamond where the chests were and closed the cartridge again

Dave walked over to the large chests the dragon dropped “What are you doing with these?”

The dragon began to climb up the tunnels with the train cart held between it’s front two claws “I can not carry them, so you keep them” the dragon turned an eye to Dave “Don’t say I was ever nice… it would ruin my reputation” and with that the dragon disappeared from Dave’s view

Dave chuckled as he looked at the chests, red paint flaking off and a large silver lock on each “Dave the treasure hunter” he chuckled to himself as he picked up the chests by their large bronze handles “wait until Celestia hears about this!”

Meanwhile…

Spike watched the opening of the cave like a hawk for any movement, Dave went in about twenty minutes ago

One of the guards decided to try and make a move on Rarity who was sitting alone “hey there” he put on a confident attitude

“Hello” Rarity said blankly as she continued to look at the entrance to the cave

The confident stallion sat down “I like your mane”

“Why thank you darling” Rarity replied “yours needs a bit of a clean”

The stallion turned this insult to his advantage “well I have been a bit busy recently with some dangerous work” he flexed a hoof “it’s tough being a guard, very lonely”

“I can only imagine” Rarity could have sworn she heard something as her ears twitched forwards, all her friends noticed it too as they turned their heads to listen

“Well,” the guard put a hoof around Rarity “I can think of a few things that could make my job a bit easier”

Rarity was about to smack the guard but a loud roar from the cave followed by a dragon stepping out of it with a train cartridge between its claws stopped her

“What in Equestria is a dragon doing there?” Braeburn asked as his jaw hit the floor

Spike and the female ponies had a different concern “Dave?” they all mumbled to themselves in unison

The dragon spread its wide wings and the sand below them were bathed in a green glow from its scales as it took flight and flew towards the horizon, still clutching the cartridge

Everypony ran for the cave entrance as soon as the dragon was in the air and they all stopped as they reached the opening

“Dave?” Spike called down into the cave and his voice echoed down

There were a few moments of silence but it was broken when a large chest flew over their heads, quickly followed by another and they both landed in the sand behind the group

“Hey everypony” Dave said happily as the groups attention was brought back to him, clutching the final chest

“DAVE!” Spike and the girls cheered as the gathered around him

“I think I'm done here,” Dave saw the dragon in the distance “and I have a story to tell you all about that guy” he released the chest with one hand and pointed to the dragon

Dave received a collective gasp by the girl ponies and they all went red in the face

“What?” Dave looked down at them and then where they were looking “oh about that” the chest was taken away as Dave attempted to replace it out of embarrassment “the dragon burnt my clothes, gimme a break”

Chapter 14

“Stupid dragon burning me alive” Dave grumbled to himself as the girls continued to stare

“Don’t worry about the chests” Twilight levitated them out of reach “I’ll carry them”

“How kind” Dave said sarcastically

One of the guards looked to where the dragon had flown to “So that was what was causing the problems” he glanced at Dave before quickly looking away “makes sense”

Braeburn looked nervously at the ponies “umm Dave? Do ya reckon you could hide that thing away like all us other guys do?” he was getting very uncomfortable looking at Applejack’s wide eyes

“My species can’t hide it” Dave began to explain in an effort to distract himself

“Why would you want to?” he heard Rarity mutter under her breath

“That is why I need clothes” Dave finished as he began to walk back to the train cart “I should have some in my bag”

‘And spoil the girl’s fun?’ Dave’s mind mocked ‘why not enjoy yourself? Get to know them all?’

Dave gritted his teeth in an effort not to yell at himself

‘Fine ignore me… but it wont be long until another situation arises between you and one of them’

“And how would you know?” Dave growled angrily

‘Because it’s you’

“Did you say something?” Spike asked as he rested on Twilight’s back “you looked angry all of a sudden”

The purple dragon caught Dave’s attention “I didn’t say anything”

As they reached the campsite Dave hastily took out a random set of clothes and put them on, getting a collective “Aww” from the girls

“Really? All of them find it that fascinating?” Dave whispered in disbelief “I need my own house to stay in”

The guards also began to collect their possessions “well we are done here” He placed his helmet on “thank you for the assistance Braeburn and thank you Dave for sorting the cave”

“Not a problem” Braeburn smiled as he bowed his head

“Yeah anytime” Dave chuckled weakly as he placed on some new shoes

The guards stood close to each other as one of the unicorn’s horn began to glow “Don’t forget to message Princess Celestia” He reminded Dave as his horn flashed and the guards disappeared

Dave sighed as the guards left “I’ll get right on that” he then turned to where Twilight at set the chests down “So how are we going to get these back?”

Braeburn looked at the size of the wooden cart “Well ya could put them in here but it would mean less space for the others” He looked at the chests “And it would make it heavier”

“Me and Fluttershy can fly alongside you” Rainbow Dash suggested, “We aren’t that far from Appleoosa”

Fluttershy agreed, “If it helps I’ll do it”

Dave looked at the carts and then the others “Ok so I will put the chests in, Dash and Fluttershy are flying, the others can just about fit on top of the chests and Spike you can sit on the peddle cart”

Applejack spoke up “ya take a break sugarcube, ya done enough today” She hopped onto the peddle cart “I can work with Braeburn and ya start writing the letter to Celestia”

“Thanks Applejack” Dave smiled “but I haven’t got any paper”

Pinkie tapped his arm and as he looked at her, she held out a parchment and quill

“Thanks Pinkie” he took the paper and quill “hang on where did you? Ah it doesn’t matter”

Dave sat down on the edge of the peddle cart and began to write his letter

The others all took their places as the Apple cousins began to get the carts moving

Dear Celestia

I have helped the residents of Appleoosa with their cave problem, it turns out there was a dragon that wanted a gem really badly

Anyway, I have helped the dragon get his gem and he has left the cave, I return he gave me some chests, I have no idea what is inside of them, what should I do with them?

Also, I have been meaning to ask if it is ok to have some materials to make a small house, just basic things like a bedroom, kitchen and bathroom

I do not want to impose on the girls as they have been so kind already and have been a big help for me to feel welcome

Hope to see you soon

Dave

Dave rolled the letter up and passed it to Spike “so how long do you reckon it would take Celestia to respond?”

Spike blew the letter away in a puff of green flames “Not long if she isn’t busy” Spike leaned back and watched as the ground rolled by “What was the dragon like? Dangerous?”

Dave giggled “Well he was definitely protective of his gem, but he was also a bit mean I guess”

“How so? Did he say anything?” Spike looked up at Dave “What happened to your clothes anyway?”

“Oh they got burned by the dragon,” Dave said normally as he scratched the back of his neck

“Did you take them off?”

“No I was wearing them and then the dragon breathed fire on me” Dave looked at Spike “and it hurt a lot”

“He burned you alive?” Twilight worriedly looked over at Dave “Well if we see that dragon again we will have to have a talk with him” she said angrily and the other mares agreed

Dave noticed all the angry looks on the girls “I don’t see why you are all complaining, I mean he did burn my clothes off,” He cheekily suggested and all the girls began to blush

“Well I guess I didn’t see any injuries on you so I’ll let it go” Twilight said, hiding her face from the others

‘Yeah you all looked at every part of my body’ Dave thought irritably ‘you especially paid attention to one area’

Spike belched out a letter and Dave caught it out the air and began to read it to himself

Dear Dave

I am shocked to hear a dragon was the source of the problems but I suppose it makes sense and you may keep the chests and their contents

Are you alright? I would hate to think you got hurt because I asked you to do this for me, I would never forgive myself if anything serious had happened

As to the question of your living arrangements, draw a layout of the house you are going to build and I will see what I can do

From Celestia

P.s. Are you sure, you are alright? Luna and I are very concerned

Dave giggled “aww she’s worried” Spike poked his sharply in his side “Ow what was that for?”

Spike looked angrily at him “of course she is! She did send you in there after all”

Dave rolled his eyes “Yeah I know” Pinkie handed him another sheet of paper “Thanks Pinkie I… ok seriously now where are you getting these?”

Twilight coughed “The letter?”

Dave began to write but gave a quick glance at Pinkie “I will find out” He whispered

Dear Celestia

I am fine don’t worry and thank you for the chests

I will do a rough sketch on the back of this parchment of the house I would like to build but I would like it built slightly outside Ponyville if that is ok

Dave

P.s. thanks for everything, I know this must be annoying because I am messaging you

Dave then drew a simple square house with a living room, kitchen and bathroom downstairs and then drew a small upstairs that was mostly his bedroom with a private bathroom and a small spare room in case Spike wanted to stay

Finishing his sketch Dave passed the letter to Spike who blew it away again “What was with the drawing?”

“Oh I asked for a few materials so I could build a small house for myself, basic things” Dave relaxed again “I just don’t want to be a burden on anypony”

All the ponies disagreed but Twilight looked at the last letter Princess Celestia sent “Did you write Princess this time?”

Dave playfully shrugged “Might have forgotten”

Spike belched another letter and passed it to Dave

Dear Dave

Thank you for the sketch, I shall have specialists build it in time for your return

I insist that you let me have it built as payment for what you have done today

Celestia

P.s. I enjoy hearing from you so please message me at anytime

Dave began to roll up the letter and receive another one from Pinkie but Twilight butted in “Can I write something to send as well?”

Dave nodded and wrote his section of his letter down

Dear Celestia

Thank you very much for having the house built for me, I cannot thank you enough

Dave

P.s. the next bit is Twilight

Dave passed the letter and quill over to Twilight who began to write quickly

Dear Princess Celestia

Are you ok? I noticed in your letters to Dave that you have forgotten to write some things down and was worried you were ill or very busy

If it is either, I shall stop Dave from writing until your situation improves

From your faithful student
Twilight Sparkle

P.s. sorry Dave forgets to recognise your royal status

Twilight levitated the letter over to Spike who blew it away for a fourth time “Can’t you learn a spell which sends letters?” Spike said angrily “This isn’t exactly the best feeling in Equestria”

Twilight smiled apologetically at him “Sorry Spike but your way is quicker, safer and more secure than any magic I could learn”

Spike crossed his arms in annoyance “I want ice-cream when we get back to Ponyville” he belched a letter and without looking handed it to Dave and Twilight

Dear Twilight Sparkle

I am perfectly fine and I am sure Dave would appreciate you not snooping in his letters, as they are private between him and me

As for the way he addresses me, I have asked him to write to me like this and I am sure he would have wrote Princess otherwise

I assumed you had more sense in these matters

From Princess Celestia

Twilights ears dropped in shame, she turned away from Dave, as he read the final bit to himself

Dear Dave

Sorry if I was a little hard on Twilight, she should have not been reading our letters

I shall have some free time soon so I shall come visit your new home with Luna

From Celestia x

Dave read the letter again ‘a kiss really? Appreciation or just to annoy Twilight if she was reading this?’ Dave pondered for a moment before deciding to place the letters in his bag ‘probably annoy Twilight’

Dave watched as the Appleoosa began to roll closer and the residents of the town were gathered at the train station

They did not seem to notice Dave and instead began to pester Braeburn with questions about the dragon as he settled them down

“Now folks y’all calm down now” Braeburn hopped off the peddle cart “the dragon was causing all the problems lately but it has been sorted now”

A brown stallion with a thick moustache and wearing a sheriff’s badge pushed ahead of the crowd “Now Braeburn how did ya get rid of it?”

Braeburn walked over to Dave and put a hoof around him “It wasn’t me Mr Sheriff, it was this fella”

The crowd all began to swarm around Dave but his friends all quickly leapt in the way, preventing the crowd from stampeding over him

“Back off” Rainbow Dash warned the crowd “you only get to talk to him with our say so”

“Wow I have bodyguards? Yeah I agree with Dash, I would prefer it if the sheriff asked the questions” The sheriff walked past the six defensive ponies and up to Dave

“So what did ya do ta get that dragon ta leave?” the sheriff raised an eyebrow as his moustache bobbed up and down

“Well he just wanted something from the cave, so I helped him get it” Dave looked at the crowd as hey began to mutter amongst themselves

The sheriff calmed the crowd down before turning back to Dave “Did ya fix the cave as well?”

“Well yes because it was the dragon causing all the problems,” Dave removed the chests from the cart “It’s gone now so you can all go back in there”

“Well thank ya kindly mister,” the sheriff shook his hand “we sure owe ya for this”

“Not a problem,” Dave let go of the sheriffs hoof “I was asked to come along by Celest… I mean Princess Celestia” Dave smiled weakly at the frowning Twilight

“Well she chose the right um… thing for the job” the sheriff nodded slightly before getting the crowd to go back to town

Dash turned round to Dave “aren’t you going to do something?” she asked irritably

“About what?”

Dash raised an eyebrow “About him calling you a THING”

“Well no,” Dave shrugged “I mean he didn’t know what I am”

“Fine but you beat the snot out of those guards when they called you a freak” the girls all looked between Dave and Dash, waiting for an answer

“But they did that on purpose” Dave sat down on one of the chests “and they were annoying”

“But it was so cool, the way you jumped around and beat them all in a few seconds” Dash jumped and did some flips in the air

Dave began to fiddle with the silver lock on the chest “If it was as cool as you say it was, then why did you run away?”

Rainbow Dash looked to her friends for reassurance “Well I err…” she quickly looked around for a possible answer but Dave spoke up again

“I know you were scared” Dave dropped the lock and looked at Dash “I was scared afterwards as well, I was worried about what I had done”

“Well I suppose I was a little startled by what happened but scared? Pssh I am never scared” Dash turned her head away

Dave decided to drop the subject and turned back towards Braeburn “So when is the next train to Ponyville coming?”

“Well um…” Braeburn tapped his chin “I suppose if the driver is on time he will be here in about hour or two”

“Hopefully the journey back to Ponyville is less eventful than the trip here,” Dave said to the group as he stood up “Braeburn is there a place we can eat around here?”

“Well sure there is” Braeburn began to lead them towards a large saloon, all the girls walked in front of Dave as Spike climbed onto his shoulder “Welcome to the salt block”

The saloon was an old western type that Dave found hilarious and all the ponies merely ignored his random giggles as the sat at a large round table

“Wow I wonder if they have a Clint Eastwood pony… what would it be called.” Dave muttered to himself as he received a menu from a dark brown, earth pony bartender “Colt Eastwood? Clint Easthoof?”

“What are you talking about?” Spike burst Dave’s thoughts

“Nothing Spike just talking to myself” Dave looked down at the menu “I guess I’ll have the apple pie”

The bartender nodded as he wrote Dave’s order on a small notepad and continued to take everypony else’s orders

“So what was it like in the cave?” Spike asked as he handed his menu back to the bartender

“Well dark to start with but then as I went deeper the dragon’s fire produced some light that was reflected off the gemstone walls” Dave felt around for the ruby he pulled out of the wall “Damn I thought I still had it”

“Still had what?” Spike asked

“I took a ruby about the size of my fist out of the wall, but I guess I must have dropped it when the dragon burned me,” Dave pondered for a moment

“How did you get your clothes burnt anyway?” Rainbow Dash asked

“Well the dragon got a bit over protective and burned me alive” Dave thanked the bartender when he placed his apple pie in front of him

“Burned you alive?” Dash gawped at him “but when you came out you were fine”

“Yeah because I healed” Dave took a bite of his pie, it still had the same taste of Granny Smiths pie but it tasted less sweet and had a slight spiciness to it “Mmm… good pie”

“You make that sound like it happens every day,” Dash giggled as her food was placed before her

“Well to be honest I think it has happened every day since I have arrived here” Dave took another bite of his pie “maybe one day it hasn’t but I’ve lost track”

Twilight shuffled nervously “Umm Dave you said that you couldn’t heal like this back on your world, so how are you doing it now?”

Dave shrugged “I don’t know,” he took another bite of pie “maybe an effect of me being sent here”

“Well when we get back to Ponyville we could do some research” Twilight resumed eating her food

“What time would it be when we get back to Ponyville anyway?” Dave asked as he finished his meal

“Early morning, you probably would want to go see your home and leave your chests there” Twilight gathered up all the dirty plates and passed them to the bartender

Braeburn walked over to the bar “So how much do we owe ya” He asked as he rummaged around for some bits

The bartender shook his head “Nothing Braeburn, after all that guy there deserved a meal after what he done for us”

Dave thanked the bartender as he walked out following the others back towards the train station Pinkie Pie bounced up along side him “I don’t see why you have to get your own home” She grinned widely at him “You could always stay at Sugarcube Corner”

“Or Sweet Apple Acres” Applejack butted in

“Or Carousel Boutique” Rarity trotted beside Dave poking him with her horn

“Or my library” Twilight smiled with Spike nodding on his shoulder

“I’m sure my animals would like to have you around at my cottage,” Fluttershy suggested as she flew above his head “I mean… if you want to”

Dave smiled weakly at them all before looking over at Rainbow Dash “Well?” He asked raising an eyebrow

“Well what?” the cyan Pegasus asked

“Aren’t you going to suggest I stay at your place?” Dave motioned at the other ponies

“Well I would but I don’t think you can walk on clouds” Dash flapped her wings slightly to show Dave what she meant

“Yeah, I don’t think so to be honest” Dave tapped his chin

“Well you can stay at my home” Rarity butted in “I have an entire spare room for you to use”

“So do I” Twilight added, “I’m sure Spike would also like you to stay”

“I have an entire barn he can use” Applejack protested

“I have plenty of rooms in my cottage nopony ever uses” Fluttershy weakly whispered

“I HAVE CANDY!” Pinkie Pie cheered “CAKES, SWEETS, TOFFEE, CUPCAKES, CHOCOLATE, BROWNIES…” she continued her endless list of food

Dave groaned in frustration as the ponies all began to talk over each other loudly “I want my own place so I can live alone,” he growled at the group

“Well why would you want to live alone sugarcube?” Applejack asked sweetly as she lowered her voice

“So I can do what I want” Dave held his arms out “Go where I want, say what I want and not have to worry about following anypony else’s house rules”

“I don’t mind if you don’t follow the rules” Twilight winked

Dave rubbed his eyes “listen when I get my own place, you can all visit when ever you like” Dave’s eyes widened in shock as the other ponies all opened their eyes in excitement

“Visit when ever we like?” Twilight gasped

“Umm well I…” Dave regretted opening his mouth

“That means I can come visit as well,” Dash said excitedly

“I suppose if you wanted to” Dave turned to Spike for help

“Does that mean I can come over too?” Spike grinned happily

“Well yes but…” Dave began to get swarmed by the girls and Spike was not any help

Braeburn watched in confusion the entire time as they neared the train station “Well I’ll be seeing y’all some other time” He tipped his hat to Dave “And thanks again for helping get rid of that dragon”

“No problem Braeburn, see you around” Dave waved goodbye to him as he walked away and Dave was left surrounded by smiling group

Dave sat down on one of his chests and rested his head in his hands “I hope there are a thousand locks on my house,” He whispered to himself

The sound of a train approaching managed to get Dave’s attention and he turned to see the train heading towards the station, the driver waving out of the window “Well if it ain’t you again” he yelled as the train began to slow

Dave moved to pick up his chests but Twilight and Rarity both levitated them for him, they both walked onto the cartridge they used before and placed the chests under the tables

Dave walked over to the driver “Do you need the tickets again?”

“Not for you” the driver tapped his hoof on the train’s engine “you saved the train earlier so count this as if it was free whenever you need me”

“Thanks, by the way I stopped all the earthquakes from earlier so you can get to Ponyville as quick as you can” Dave received a nod from the driver

“Sure thing, you in a hurry or something?” the driver asked as he shovelled some coal into the fire

“Something like that” Dave replied as he climbed into the cartridge with the others

The train suddenly lunged forwards as soon as Dave climbed in and shut the door behind him, all the ponies were relaxing in their bunks talking and Dave sat down at one of the tables, looking out the window

Fluttershy watched Dave stroke his chin and climbed out of her bunk “Are you ok Dave?” She asked quietly as she walked over to him

Dave looked over at the shy Pegasus “Yeah I’m fine Fluttershy”

She sat down on the other side of the table to Dave “I’m sorry for the way I was when we came back from Canterlot”

“Do you mean when you were… ill?”

“Well I wasn’t ill I-I was… scared” She winced when she said it “I-I’m sorry, I know you wouldn’t do that kind of thing on purpose” she hid behind her pink mane

Dave stroked her mane away from her face “I’m sorry I even acted that way, but I’m glad you still like me”

Fluttershy looked nervously at the her friends to make sure none of them were watching, they were all talking apart from Rainbow Dash, who was facing the other direction, probably sleeping

Fluttershy turned back and beckoned Dave closer “That is something else I’ve wanted to talk to you about” she whispered nervously

“Yeah what is it?” Dave was also whispering now

“Well when we first met you I felt sorry for you” Fluttershy looked around again “But it changed”

“Changed? how do you mean?” Dave had a hunch about what she was going to say next

“Well I-I um… like you” She hid behind her mane again “As in I-I like you a lot” she barely managed to whisper

Dave looked over at Applejack, Rarity and Twilight ‘well isn’t this a surprise’ he thought “Well Fluttershy listen, I like you as well”

“As in just a friend right?” She whispered sadly

‘yes’ he thought but his mouth said “no” ‘WHAT?”

Fluttershy’s eyes opened as she leaned back to Dave “R-really? As in more?”

‘NO!’ he mentally screamed but again his mouth said the opposite “Yeah” he sighed with a smile

Fluttershy blushed heavily “That’s good” she whispered as she looked at her friends yet again and then moved her head close to Dave’s “c-can I-I have a-a kiss?” she asked nervously

Dave responded by lightly kissing her on the lips and she giggled happily “um… thank you Dave” She happily sighed as she returned to her bunk

Rainbow Dash meanwhile wasn’t asleep and was listening in carefully ‘Great Fluttershy finally made her move’ she thought angrily ‘wait am I jealous? No I can’t be’ she looked over at where Fluttershy had gone to sleep and then over at Dave who was still at the table ‘I should be happy for her but…’

Dave sighed and walked over to his bunk while Dash pretended to be asleep again ‘but she doesn’t deserve him! They aren’t right for each other, she is the definition of scared and he is totally awesome’ she tapped her hoof against her head ‘he deserves somepony awesome like me… yeah me!’

Dash turned over in shock ‘I am jealous’ she thought suddenly to herself ‘but what if Dave wants to be with me instead of her? I know I am supposed to be the element of loyalty but who should I be loyal to? Fluttershy or myself?’ the Pegasus thought long into the night as she drifted to sleep

Chapter 15

Dave awoke to Spike poking him in the stomach “Wake up” said the purple dragon excitedly

Dave pushed his claw away and turned over “leave me alone… five more minutes” he grumbled as he attempted to sleep again

Spike responded by poking Dave rapidly in the back of his head “Now Dave” he poked furiously until Dave finally sat up

Dave scratched the back of his head “Where are we?” he yawned

Spike walked over to the door “We’re back in Ponyville” he pushed the door open allowing the sunlight to strike Dave’s eyes

“AH CRAP” Dave threw his hands over his eyes to protect himself from the summer sun “Be gentle with that stuff” Dave rolled out of his bunk and followed Spike outside

The ponies were all standing beside Dave’s chests as he stepped out onto Ponyville train station, the train whistled as it began to depart and the driver waved farewell

Dave rubbed his eyes as they adjusted to the sudden bright light “good morning would have been better” he mumbled miserably

“We all woke up when we received a letter from Princess Celestia,” Spike explained as he climbed onto Dave’s shoulder “She told us where your new home is” Spike smiled at Dave

Dave began to follow the ponies as they walked along the street, Twilight was carrying the chests with her magic and as they walked, they all began to talk amongst themselves

“How long do ya think it will take for his house ta be built?” Applejack asked

“Well Princess Celestia said she would send specialists” Twilight looked at the clock tower on the outskirts of town “So they should be finished now”

Rainbow Dash flew above their heads “It took one night to build a house?”

Twilight giggled slightly “The princess would have sent unicorn builders as well to make construction go as quickly as possible,” She looked up at her friend “didn’t you know that?”

“Duh” Dash groaned, “I’m not pen pals the princess though am I?”

Twilight ignored Dash and walked alongside Dave “So what do you think your house is going to be like?” after a minutes silence she looked up at his blank face “Dave?”

Dave was brought back to reality by Spike poking him again “Huh? What do you want?” Dave turned and looked at the dragon angrily

“Twilight is trying to talk to you” Spike shuffled uneasily under Dave’s glare

Dave took a deep breath before replacing the smile to his face “Sorry Twilight I was lost in my own thoughts for a minute”

Twilight bumped slightly into Dave “What were you thinking about?” Obviously, the bump implied she wondered if he was thinking of her

“Nothing important really” Dave lied ‘I am about to get a house and all I can think about is my old home?’ Dave looked down at Twilight ‘I hope she finds out something soon because at this rate I’ll be doing more than just living here’

“Ok and my original question was what do you think your house is going to be like?”

“Simple I hope” Dave looked around at the houses around him ‘and not near anypony else’

They all continued to walk until they reached the outskirts of Ponyville, the houses began to space out until they reached the edge of town

“How far away is this house?” Dash asked as she landed on the ground “Princess Celestia said it would be just outside of Ponyville”

Twilight removed a letter from one of the saddlebags she was carrying “She said that the house should be up this road” She looked at the road ahead “I never thought it was going to be too far away”

Dave walked past the ponies and continued down the road “Now where the hay are ya goin?” Applejack called out to him

Dave turned around but continued to walk backwards “I am going to find my house” he smiled at the ponies that all looked disappointed that he was going to live far away from their own homes, except Rainbow Dash who followed him

“Yeah come on” She flew to catch up with Dave and continued on hoof, “I’m sure it isn’t far”

The ponies all quickly jogged to catch up before walking behind Dave as he scanned the area, after a few minutes of walking Spike noticed a pale blue unicorn in the distance “Hey look” he pointed at the unicorn as it walked over to a large house and they both disappeared

“D-did everypony just see what I did?” Dave stammered

Rarity wandered over to where the house was and slowly stretched out a hoof “Well I must say this is a fantastic spell”

“What is it?” Fluttershy whispered as she hid behind Dave, “Is it bad?”

“Why of course not darling” she tapped her hoof on the air and the sound of wood rang out “It’s an invisibility spell”

Twilights eyes flashed open “Really?” she hurried over and tapped as well “It is!” she said excitedly “I’ve never seen one used on a building before”

Dave walked over and tapped the invisible building as well “Well technically you can never see an invisibility spell can you?” he joked, where he had tapped little dots of wood appeared

Twilight opened her mouth to protest but she quickly closed it again “Shut up” she smiled slightly as the unicorn from earlier stepped out from nowhere

“Can you please stop hitting the wall?” The grey maned unicorn’s horn glowed a faint blue and the building began to fade into view before their eyes “I assume you are Dave?” the unicorn stepped back into the doorway that appeared

Dave stood back and watched as an entire wooden house began to take shape, it was made of wood and had a large thatched roof that easily covered the two-floored building

As all the ponies watched as a balcony appeared on the front of the house and a long black telescope slowly began to fade atop the balcony, Spike also dropped off Dave’s shoulder to watch as a tall stone chimneypot poked out at the top

Dave meanwhile decided to walk inside the door the unicorn left open, he walked into a kitchen so the front door must be on another side, the unicorn walked through a door and Dave followed, they walked into a large living room

“Well at least Celestia got the floor plan nailed” Dave said to the unicorn as he slumped down into a large, brown sofa “Ah finally” Dave sighed as he placed his feet onto the wide table

“Ahem?” the unicorn grabbed Dave’s attention “Mr Dave I was simply applying the finishing touches to your… simple home”

“Are you from Canterlot?” Dave asked as he looked at a large stone fireplace that sat opposite the sofa

“Why yes I am” the pony held his proud head high “Why do you ask?”

‘Because you sound like a pompous snob’ Dave’s mind growled

“I was just admiring the work you’ve done, something simple has never looked better” Dave smiled at the unicorn “And I knew you had to be from Canterlot” Dave strained to say all those things but it was true, he did like it all but it just pained him to say he liked the stuck-up unicorns work

The unicorn meanwhile raised his head higher, if that was possible “Well I suppose it was why the Princess chose me to decorate” he began to head for what looked like the front door but it burst open as the other ponies all charged in along with Spike

“Wow have you seen the size of this place its HUGE!” Spike squealed in excitement as he sat next to Dave leaving the spot on the other side free for anypony to sit down

Most of the ponies took the chance to look around Dave’s new house, except for Rarity who took the opportunity to sit close to Dave “well I must say Darling this is a lovely house” She looked around the living room before resting a hoof on Dave’s leg

“Y-yeah it’s nice” Dave shuffled around uneasily as Spike looked over at Rarity

“Can I get you something to drink Rarity?” Spike asked, his body floating off the chair

“No thank you Spike I am perfectly fine here” Rarity turned her gaze to Dave “can I get you anything Dave?”

“Umm… no thanks” Dave avoided looking at her but watched Applejack trot through the living room and into the kitchen

Spike looked at Rarity who gazed into the side of Dave’s face ‘why is she acting weird recently?’ Spike looked between his best friend and his crush ‘she must be exhausted from the trip to Appleoosa, yeah that’s it’ Spike still had a nibbling feeling at the back of his head that something else was going on

Twilight walked into the living room excitedly “Dave you have something in your bedroom for you” she quickly left the room and climbed the stairs opposite the front door

Dave quickly followed with Rarity and Spike close behind, when they reached the top of the stairs they saw Twilight walk into the door directly ahead from the stairs

Dave walked into the room and saw the other ponies all standing around a king sized bed, which had a brown package resting on the centre and the word ‘Dave’ written across the top

“What is it?” Dave asked as he picked up the package and shook it gently, a faint noise of something bouncing around caused Dave to stop and gently tear the top of the package off

Inside were a bronze key and a deed, obviously for the house but there was also two small scrolls wrapped up inside ‘wonder which Princess these are from’ Dave thought as he unravelled the first letter and read it to himself, careful to not let anypony see

Dear Dave

I hope you have enjoyed your new home so far as we sent as many ponies as we could to get it built in time for your arrival

My sister told me about visiting you soon, I will enjoy catching up

Also, I suggest you enjoy the view

From Luna

Dave placed the letter inside his bag and dropped it onto the bed before picking up the other one, as he unravelled it, Twilight placed his chests down at the bottom of the bed

Dave

I hereby grant you the status of Equestrian Civilian so everypony may know that you are a friend of the royal thrones

Signed Princess Celestia and Princess Luna

P.s. sorry about these formalities

Dave chuckled as he held the letter in his hands “Equestrian Civilian” he muttered under his breath “What did Luna mean about ‘enjoy the view’?”

“Well maybe she want’s you to see the view from the balcony,” Twilight suggested as she trotted over to a pair of glass doors that lead onto a wide balcony

“Well the house is certainly bigger than what I imagined” Dave noticed how much space there was on the balcony even with everypony on it

A long green field stretched downwards towards Ponyville, the walk they had taken could have easily taken ten minutes, the sky was clear of most clouds and only a few dotted the blue sky

The ponies all gawped at the view they had “I can see my house from here!” Pinkie screamed happily

“Ah think we can all see our houses from up here” Applejack chuckled happily

Dave wasn’t distracted by the view but instead had his attention dragged to the long black telescope, Dave knelt down and placed his eye to the eyepiece

At the other end of the view was Princess Luna with her own telescope that was coated with the same colour metal as her crown, she waved as Dave placed his head to the telescope and he returned the wave ‘Damn this thing is powerful’

Dave watched the Princess of the night leave her telescope and return to her quarters “yeah enjoy the view” Dave smiled as he was left looking at the top half of the castle but something caught his eye

Dave turned his telescope to another balcony that was attached to a tower on the other side of the castle, he couldn’t see what it was but all he could see was something white

“Um can somepony zoom this for me or something?” Dave asked trying not to take his eye of the white object

Twilight hopped over “Wow Dave this is an amazing telescope” she looked over at the various knobs around the scope before turning one with her magic “is that better?”

Dave’s view slowly zoomed in towards the white object “thanks Twilight” Dave gave a thumbs up to Twilight who just looked confused at the gesture

Dave fiddled with some of the other knobs to bring the telescope into focus on the white object and the blur took shape

The white object turned into Celestia as the telescope focused in on her, Dave zoomed in closer to her as she looked across Canterlot

“Spike can you write something for me?” Dave asked not moving his eye from the telescope

“Sure thing Dave” Spike grabbed a paper and quill from Twilight’s saddlebag “Ready when you are”

“Just write… thank you for the house it is… brilliant” Dave watched as the Princess sighed heavily ‘what is she thinking about?’

Spike was about to send the letter but Dave quickly took it and wrote at the bottom ‘P.s. I see you’ before handing it back to Spike

Spike blew the letter away and Dave replaced his eye to the telescope, Celestia had her eyes closed and a piece of parchment levitating in front of her, she was writing something slowly but seemed to be crossing out mistakes

Before she could start writing Dave’s letter appeared beside her, she levitated the letter over to her and she smiled slightly as she began to read

Her smile wavered slightly when she read the part Dave quickly added at the end, her horn glowed slightly brighter as a pure white telescope appeared before her and she pointed it at Dave

Dave waved slightly at the Princess, even though the telescope hid some of her face Dave could still make out a wide smile

She hid the parchment she was writing on behind he back ‘what is that letter?’ Dave thought, as she seemed to be very protective of it ‘probably something private’

Celestia raised a hoof and gave him a small wave in return, Dave took his head away from his telescope and looked to where Celestia was sitting many miles away and he could feel her doing the same

Dave stood there staring in the distance and all the ponies looked at him awkwardly, Spike burped out a letter

“Oh” he said in disbelief as he handed the letter to Pinkie

Dave did not notice Pinkie scream in happiness as she shot towards Ponyville faster that anypony could have imagined

“So I’ve got to go” Twilight smiled weakly as she backed away from the others “Got something very important to do” Spike climbed onto her back as she ran downstairs and out of the house

“Yeah I uh… got some tricks to practice, come help Fluttershy” Dash grabbed Fluttershy who screamed slightly and flew into the sky

Dave turned and noticed his friends were all leaving “Where are you all going?” he asked as Rarity and Applejack walked back into his bedroom

The two mares looked at each other but then back at Dave, Rarity spoke up “Well darling we have been having so much fun around you but we really all must go and attend our normal routines”

“Oh ok see you later” Dave smiled as he turned back to his telescope

Applejack stepped over to Dave “If ya like we can stay” she could leave Big Mac for a few more minutes

Dave shook his head “Nah I understand, I’ll see you all some other time” he lowered his head to his telescope but Celestia had disappeared

“Well see ya later Dave” Applejack called as she followed Rarity downstairs and out of Dave’s home

Dave watched as they caught up with Twilight and all three of them hurried towards Ponyville

Dave had no reason to stay on the balcony so he walked into his bedroom and over to his chests “Right let me see what you got” Dave kicked the silver lock, breaking it off he chest and it landed on the floor with a loud ‘thud’

Dave kneeled and placed both hands on either side of the lid “The prize is?” Dave lifted the lid and was instantly greeted by a wave of gold rushing out of the chest and covering Dave’s lap “Ha Ha I’m rich!”

Dave attempted to push the gold back into the chest but it wouldn’t shut “Hmm I guess I could store this gold somewhere else and leave this chest with the rest” He pulled a draw out from the bottom of a large wardrobe and piled the gold into it

The other two chests contained a variety of gold and gems which quickly took up all the space in Dave’s bedroom “Ok so I have chests full of money, gems and most of my storage is now full of this stuff” He pounded the air “I’M RICH!” he cheered again as he danced around his bedroom

He dived onto his bed “Thank you Celestia for letting me keep the chests” he rested his head against his pillow “Ah and thank you for the comfy bed” he sighed as he quickly fell asleep

Many hours later…

Dave was awoken by a loud ‘BANG’ and he was thrown slightly into the air by the tremor “What the hell?” he was still slightly asleep but another blast woke him up

BANG

“What is going on?”

BANG

The banging stopped and the lights went out, Dave ran to his window and looked outside, the sun was setting and the moon was beginning to rise from the horizon

Dave heard noises from downstairs ‘am I being burgled?’ he crept over to his bedroom door and peeked out ‘they must be downstairs’

He took a deep breath and slowly began to walk down the stairs ‘I swear if I am being robbed then they are gonna regret it’ he thought angrily as he turned towards his living room

Dave opened the door suddenly, hoping to surprise the criminals but as quickly as the door opened Dave was blasted by a bright light and a lot of noise

“SURPRISE!” All the ponies in the room yelled and Dave fell over backwards from fright

Dave sat up and looked around his living room, there were decorations everywhere, and some DJ turntables were set up in one corner in front of a short smoking cannon

The ponies around the room all had wide grins on their face, the mane six were there, Spike, the Princesses and even some ponies Dave had never met before

“WOW” Dave got to his feet and looked around the room “What is all this?” He asked in wonder

Pinkie bounced up to him “It’s your house warming party silly” she placed a party hat on his head “Were you surprised?”

“Very” Dave panted, as he looked at the ponies around the room “You all came here for me?”

They all smiled at him ‘oh so when they left earlier they must have been getting ready for this’ Dave looked at the decorations again and the wide spread of party food on the table

“How did you decorate all this so quickly?” Dave asked looking at Pinkie

“I brought my party cannon!” She bounced happily into the kitchen which contained yet more food and bounced back with a slice of cake “Here you go Dave, now lets PARTY!” she screamed and a light blue maned pony with shades flicked on the power to her DJ turntables and music started to blast from some speakers around the room

Dave began to laugh happily as all the ponies around the room started to either dance or help themselves to some food “Thank you” he yelled to Pinkie Pie who was busy shaking her arms in the air

Applejack walked over with a wooden barrel that had a red ribbon on top “Here ya go Dave, a batch of our finest cider!” she allowed Dave to lift the barrel off her back

“Thank you AJ” He called to her ‘Cider? Alcoholic stuff I hope’

“Now don’t drink it all too fast” She started to head for the kitchen “Makes your head go woozy”

“I won’t” Dave lied he wanted to enjoy himself so why shouldn’t he? It probably would not affect him anyway

Dave spent the next hour talking to the other ponies around the room and stopped to talk to the DJ

“So what’s your name?” He yelled over the music to the white unicorn

“Vinyl Scratch but my stage name is DJ Pon-3!” She twisted some dials as she bounced her head with the beat

“That’s cool!” Dave yelled again, “I don’t suppose you could play something better could you?” he teased

The pony playfully stuck her tongue out at him “I was saving this but you asked for it!” She used her magic to place a new record on her turntable, the room went quiet but a single beat could be heard

A fierce combo of noises suddenly joined the beat and all the ponies cheered, obviously, this was a popular one in Equestria

Dave smiled at Vinyl “That’s what I’m talking about!” he bounced his own head with the beat

Dave wandered over to the Princesses that stood together at one side of the room “Hey Luna, hey Celestia” he called to them and they gave him a warm smile “I didn’t think you would both be here”

“We said we would come visit didn’t we?” Luna smiled “This is a good event”

Dave could tell that she was a bit uncomfortable “Loosen up, you seem tense”

Luna smiled weakly at him “I have not been to many parties since my return, I have only been to a few in Canterlot”

“Well everypony here is a friend so you don’t have to be worried about being silly” Dave watched as Luna’s face grew determined and she headed for the makeshift dance floor

“Thank you for that” Celestia stood beside Dave “I have been trying to get her to talk to some of the ponies here”

Dave smiled as Luna began to bounce with the crowd, Pinkie and Rainbow Dash danced near her all of them laughing together

“What about you?” Dave asked as he pulled the stopper out from his small cider barrel “Have you been talking?”

Celestia shrugged “Partially, just passing a hello here and there”

Dave chuckled slightly “Well it means a lot to me that you could make it from Canterlot”

Celestia blushed slightly “As long as you are enjoying yourself” she looked like she was about to say something more but she quickly pulled her head back

Dave smirked as he took a sip of cider, it tasted delicious and made him decide to do something reckless “Who reckons I can’t drink this entire barrel?” he called out to the party

All the ponies turned and watched as Dave began to drink the barrel of cider dry, his friends all laughed as he drank and the party continued long into the night

Very early the next morning…

Dave awoke in his bed, his skull felt like it was going to rip itself apart, the room was still dark and a patch of moonlight bathed the room in a dull glow

“haha ow” Dave giggled heavily as he put a hand on his head ‘I must have had too much cider’ he thought to himself, even though he felt rough he also felt extremely happy, happier than he had ever been

He slowly climbed out of his bed and headed for his bathroom ‘What happened last night? Party, DJ, the barrel and then nothing’ he tried to remember last night as he stumbled to his toilet

As he relieved himself of all the cider he drank his head finally began to return to normal “no hangover? Nice” he said happily to himself

‘You are going to want to focus on this next bit’ Dave’s mind chuckled

“Why?” Dave said still smiling, Dave was still annoyed that his brain had slightly more input than it did on earth but he did not mind right now, he was just too happy

As Dave finished he reached to pull his pants back up “Huh?” where were his pants? Must have just gone to bed naked when he couldn’t find any pyjamas

He wandered back to his bed rubbing his eyes, he stood on something sharp “Ow” he said quietly to himself “what the?”

Dave bent over and picked up a metallic object of the floor, it was too dark to see it properly so he climbed back into bed while holding the object

As Dave got comfortable in bed he held the object to the moonlight, a cloud dimmed the moon’s light only showing the object’s silhouette

‘Is that a… crown?’ Dave’s eyes widened ‘Oh no… Drunk, nude, crown?’ Dave looked over to his left and saw a large bump in his bed ‘OH MY GOD!’ he screamed in his head

‘Luna kissed me before and now I slept with her?’ Dave looked back at the crown ‘What if Celestia finds out? She would destroy me… she would…’ Dave’s thought’s all became one panicked blur as the cloud unblocked the moonlight and revealed the crown was actually golden

‘She would have me thrown in a dungeon… wait… Gold?’ Dave’s jaw dropped as the mound shuffled closer to him and a long white hoof wrapped around his neck

Dave’s body froze as his head slowly turned to look at a sleeping Celestia ‘SHE WOULD SLEEP WITH ME!’

‘Haha’ Dave’s mind laughed at him as he prayed for this to be one huge misunderstanding

Chapter 16

Dave stared up at the ceiling as he dropped the crown to the floor “This has to be a dream” He looked at a Celestia “A really messed up dream,” he whispered to himself

Celestia shuffled closer to Dave and resumed her slow breathing

“OK time to wake up now!” Dave quietly begged

‘Well this was unexpected’ Dave’s mind chuckled lightly

“Oh please tell me I’m dreaming” Dave begged “And if it is not a dream, do not find the memories from last night”

‘I’ll have a look for you’ his mind teased as it went silent

“Don’t you dare” Dave threatened by slamming his head into the pillow

Celestia groaned slightly as her eyes opened “Good morning Dave” she said happily

“M-morning Celestia” Dave said nervously “How are you?”

She shuffled as close as she could to him, wrapping her hoofs around him “Wonderful” she sighed

‘At least one of us is happy’ Dave thought irritably to himself “how was the party last night?”

“Great, I really enjoyed myself for a change” she opened and eye to look at him “and how about you?”

“Umm I liked it… up to the part were I forgot everything” Dave looked at the ceiling

“What do you mean you forgot?” Celestia raised her head in concern

“Well remember I drank that entire barrel of cider?” Dave looked over to see Celestia nod and then looked away again “Every bit after that I can’t remember”

Celestia was almost lying on top of Dave at this point “Y-you don’t remember?”

Dave shook his head “not a single thing” he looked over at Celestia who was looking around the bedroom

“S-so you don’t remember what we talked about?” her eyes began to shine as tears began to form at the edges

Dave began to feel really guilty for what ever it was he had forgotten “I’m sorry” he said as the alicorn sat up and turned her back to him “What exactly happened last night… well vaguely… no details”

Celestia continued to have her back to him and her body shook gently

Dave watched the princess buried her face in her hooves ‘is she crying?’ Dave began to regret waking up this morning “Listen Celestia, if you tell me some things I may remember” not too much, he hoped

Celestia slowly turned around, taking a deep breath to calm herself down “W-when the party was over everypony left, I told Luna that I would be staying with Twilight but I actually stayed here” she looked up at Dave with her eyes grabbing a hold on his “Then we talked”

Dave scratched the back of his neck “I think I remember a bit… you wanted to talk about me or something like that?”

“We were in here talking” she shuffled so she was seated on the edge of the bed “You were sat next to me”

“Alright” Dave played along and sat next to Celestia “what did we talk about?”

Celestia looked at the floor “I don’t think you want to hear it” she looked over at him her eyes on the verge of tears again, “it is different now”

Dave attempted to put an arm around her but she pushed it away “Please Celestia tell me” he pleaded softly

She stared at the floor for several seconds before finally continuing her story “I saw you were a bit sad about something, angry even” her eyes cleared as she tried to remember every detail about last night “I talked with you, we laughed” her voice grew quiet

“What next?” Dave asked like a child wanting their mother to read some more of a story

“Well you asked if you belonged here” she smiled at him “and I said of course” her smile faded “that made you cry though and I had no idea why”

Dave struggled to remember, “I was crying?” Celestia nodded

“You then asked what kind of pony would want you to stay here” she smiled to herself “and I said me”

“I’m guessing I stopped crying about then” Dave felt his heart being twisted in all directions, guilt that he upset Celestia, fear of remembering what went down and anger that he let this happen

Celestia nodded “then we umm…” Celestia laid Dave back and climbed on top of him “we went like this” she spread her wings out slowly and concealed her and Dave under her pure white feathers

Dave felt like him and Celestia were the only things around and obviously she felt the same as she smiled down at him, the only thing that stopped this being perfect was that Dave remembered that he was naked with a princess on top of him

Dave gulped nervously “and umm… t-then what?”

Celestia moved her head to Dave’s but pulled it back “we kissed” she began to get tears in her eyes again “and now it is different”

“How is it?” Dave asked as the alicorn wiped a tear that ran down her face

“You don’t like me” Celestia’s face began to flood with tears “You don’t want to be with me”

Dave tried to protest but she was partially right “listen Celestia” he wiped the tears from her face “if I could I would, but I’m a human and you’re an alicorn”

Celestia smiled slightly “you do like me?”

Dave returned her smile “well… yeah”

“It’s just because you and I are different species?”

Dave chuckled slightly “pretty much”

Celestia’s face tightened in concentration

“So how was I last night?” Dave gave in he was probably going to remember it all sooner or later anyway

“How do you mean?” Celestia asked, her eyes seemed to gleam with a new hope

“You know when we… mated” Dave was waiting to hear something horrid but instead Celestia blushed heavily

“W-w-we didn’t mate,” she said nervously

“We didn’t?” Dave looked down at his exposed body “Why am I naked? Why are you naked… well more naked? Why were we in bed together?”

Celestia looked at Dave’s body as if it was the first time she had actually looked “Oh well I couldn’t sleep in my royal attire and there was nowhere safe to put it so you wrapped them up in your clothes”

Dave raised an eyebrow “then how come I stepped on your crown and my pants are on the balcony?”

Celestia sighed heavily “ok we did get close” she blushed again in embarrassment “things got a bit excited and we did remove clothing but…”

“But what?” Dave asked ‘come on please do not tell me I was interrupted again! Royal guard maybe?’

“But we just lay in the bed looking at each other” Celestia rested her body onto Dave’s chest “Like this”

Dave had to control a very certain part of his body while Celestia’s face was only an inch from his own “so we didn’t… mate at all?”

Celestia shook her head “it was perfect like this” she seemed sad that she was the only one that seemed to be enjoying the moment

Dave looked out to the balcony and saw the moon descending to the horizon “have you got to go now?” he asked with sadness

Celestia smiled knowing that Dave would miss her “no I can do it from here” her horn glowed a bright yellow that almost blinded Dave

As the moon disappeared the sun took its place and Celestia returned her head where it was “I wouldn’t want to leave anyway” she smiled as Dave moved his head closer

“Neither would I” he whispered passionately as their lips met

Meanwhile…

Luna walked back into her quarters after lowering the moon ‘I’m so tired after all that partying earlier’ She giggled slightly when she remembered the dance Dave tried to do ‘what was it? The robot? What is a robot anyway?’

Luna sighed as she entered her quarters, two tall back pegasi guards stood to attention as she passed through the door

She closed the door behind her and removed her crown, necklace and shoes with her magic as she trotted over to her bed

She sighed as she began to climb into her bed, as she began to make herself comfortable her telescope caught her eye

“Hmm, I suppose one quick look couldn’t hurt” she said to herself as she took the telescope out onto her balcony

She knew exactly where she was going to aim it, Dave’s bedroom ‘let’s see if he is awake yet’ she giggled to herself as she brought the telescope into focus

She zoomed in on the balcony, it was her idea that the window faced Canterlot, summer was coming up so the nights could get very hot in that house

As she moved the view over to the bed, she sighed in disappointment “Aww he is gone already?”

Luna had a perfect view on a clean bedroom with a well-made bed, sighing again, she took the telescope back into her room and she climbed back into bed

“If I work hard again tomorrow night I should be able to have some time off” she muttered to herself as she fell asleep

Dave’s kitchen…

Celestia sat at the wooden table resting her head on her hooves, watching Dave attempt cooking in a pony kitchen “Are you sure you don’t need my help?” she playfully teased

Dave was trying to cook using earth pony equipment, the handles had grips that were designed to be held in the mouth or between some hooves, not for a human with fingers

“I’ll be WOAH… fine in a minute” Dave attempted to lift the frying pan but almost spilled the contents onto the floor

He carefully walked over and placed some of the food onto a plate for Celestia “it looks delicious” she smiled at Dave “when was the last time you made an omelette?”

Dave placed the rest of his creation onto his plate before placing the saucepan into the sink “About four years ago” Dave sat down and picked up a fork “and I never risked it since” he laughed along with Celestia

“Well,” she levitated the fork and picked up a piece of omelette “if it tastes bad I’ll have you thrown into the dungeon for treason”

Dave giggled, as he picked up a piece of omelette for himself “well here goes nothing”

They both placed their pieces of omelette into their mouths at the same time and stared at each other

“Good” they both said in surprised tones

“Hey did you doubt me?” Dave smiled raising an eyebrow

“Well of course not Dave… just your cooking,” she laughed as she took another bite of her breakfast “thank you for cooking it for me”

“Not a problem, least I can do” Dave was still surprised at the taste of his omelette

Celestia and Dave both continued to eat their breakfasts while enjoying each others company, once they had finished Dave washed up while Celestia had a bit of leftover cake

“That’s one thing I love about being an alicorn,” she said while swallowing a piece of chocolate cake “I can eat what I want and not have to worry about getting fat”

“Oh so your body is naturally that good” he winked at the princess as she blushed

“Well yes I suppose it is” she smiled as Dave dried his hands and sat down next to her “What are your plans for the day?”

Dave raised his eyes in thought before allowing them to rest back on Celestia “Absolutely nothing, maybe pop into town and do some shopping”

Celestia sat upright “oh but how will you pay? I can give you some bits”

Dave smile only widened “You know those chests I brought out from the cave?”

Celestia nodded “Oh did you open them?”

“Yeah and they were full of gold and gems” he said excitedly

Celestia happily reached over and gave him a hug “It’s good to see that you can take care of yourself” she hugged him tighter as if she didn’t want to let him go ever again

Dave eagerly returned the hug “Hey I can look after myself” he reminded her

“I know” Celestia unwillingly released Dave from her grasp “I should have a few hours free at the end of each day, if you would like me to come by”

Dave smiled and held the white alicorns hoof “I would like that” he said softly to her

Celestia stood up and gave Dave a farewell kiss “I will see you tonight,” she said wishing the day could go quicker

Dave smiled “It’s a date” he smiled as Celestia’s horn glowed and she disappeared in a flash of white light

Once he was alone Dave went to his bedroom and emptied his bag of items and replaced them with some gold

“Time for a normal day for once” he vowed to himself as he walked out of his house, locking it with his key before he began his walk to Ponyville “no problems hopefully”

After a few minutes of walking Dave came to the edge of Ponyville “alright Dave you can go solo, most of these ponies know you by now”

Dave took a deep breath before walking down the road and towards the market area

As Dave walked, a few ponies still gave him curious glances but they quickly resumed what they were doing as he passed by

Dave reached the market without much difficulty and began to look at some of the stalls and what they were selling some had soap, others had saddlebags and one was even selling various statues

Dave wondered for a bit before finding a stall he was interested in, a map stall

He walked over to the pale red earth pony, his mane was neat and of a darker shade of red, his cutie mark was of a small map with a quill

“Excuse me what kind of maps do you sell” Dave asked politely

The stallion looked nervously at him “well I umm sell maps of the local area, maps of famous locations and maps of Equestria”

Dave scratched his chin “Can I buy the largest map of Equestria you have and a few small ones of local areas please?”

“Why certainly” the red stallion paused “Can you pay?” he asked

Dave chuckled as he opened his bag and dropped a handful of gold coins onto the stall “Would this cover it?”

The stall keeper’s jaw dropped “that is more than enough kind creature”

Dave smiled “Well take what you need and I’ll put the rest away”

The earth pony took ten coins from the pile and handed the rest of the gold and a stack of maps over to Dave “thank you for your business” he bowed his head slightly in appreciation

Dave smiled and dropped an extra two coins onto the stall before walking away and stuffing the handful of coins into his pockets ‘right lets see if somepony here makes bags’ he thought to himself

As if by magic a small shop sat ahead of him, the sign above it had a picture of a variety of bags, Dave eagerly walked in and was greeted by a teal mare “how may I help youuuuu wow” she said as Dave smiled down at her, her cutie mark was the same as the sign outside so she must be the owner

“Can I buy the smallest bags you have please?”

“Why yes… how many?” her navy mane flowed in front of her eyes

Dave took all the gold from one of his pockets and placed it onto the counter “As many as I can get with these”

The mare looked at the gold happily “I’ll be right back” she dashed quickly into what appeared to be a storeroom out back

Dave still had another pocket full of gold and his bag was still stuffed with it “well I have definitely got to go on a shopping spree soon,” he muttered to himself as the mare returned with a box full of bags

“Thank you for shopping here umm…” she held a hoof out

“My name’s Dave” he said smiling as he gently shook her hoof “by the way do you know if where there is a jeweller in town?”

The mare smiled “why yes it’s just up the street from here”

“Thanks” Dave called as he picked up his box of bags and headed for the jewellers

Dave ran home quickly to drop of his bags and maps in his living room, collecting some more gold and running back to find the jewellers

“Hey Dave!” A familiar voice called out from above

Dave turned to see Rainbow Dash flying towards him “Oh hey Dash”

“Where are you going?” she asked as she landed and walked along side him

“Just of to the umm…” Dave decided to not say where he was going specifically but instead decided to keep it vague “Shops”

“Oh I was on my way to crash at your place but if you are heading into Ponyville we should go to sugarcube corner,” she suggested

Dave ran his hand through his hair “oh sure, if you go on ahead I’ll catch up”

Dash nodded and took flight into the air while Dave continued to run for the jewellers, he jogged in to the shop a few moments later and was greeted by a faint blue earth pony with a white mane that was reading a book

“Hi I need to buy something special,” Dave, panted

The stallion placed his book down and looked over at Dave “Of course what did you have in mind?”

“Well I was thinking…. Wait aren’t you freaked out by me?” Dave asked pointing at himself

“Business is business” the pony replied

“Fair enough” Dave shrugged “I was looking for something that a pony could wear casually, like a bracelet or something”

The jeweller hummed for a moment before picking a tray out from a shelf behind him “Do any of these grab your attention?”

Dave looked at the various bracelets and finally pointed at a wide silver bracelet with a large sapphire resting in the middle “That one please”

The jeweller nodded “ok that will be three hundred bits”

Dave scooped out some gold from his bag and the jeweller counted the money out into a bag that he then put in a safe behind him

Dave picked up the bracelet between his fingers “thank you very much”

“You’re welcome” the shopkeeper sighed as he returned to a book he was reading

Dave left the shop and placed the bracelet on his wrist, it was a little loose but he meant it for Celestia so obviously it would fit her better

‘Wow I just realised I am putting in a HUGE effort with her. Why Celestia?’

Dave pondered as he walked towards sugarcube corner and saw Rainbow Dash sitting outside with two chocolate milkshakes “Hey Dave take a seat”

Dave awkwardly sat down in the chair opposite Dash “how have you been?” Dave asked as he dropped his bag

Dash took a large sip from her milkshake “I’ve been good, last nights party was so cool”

“Yeah I know wild right?” Dave took a gulp of his drink and the cold drink could be felt running down his throat

Dash laughed “Oh yeah and you know that barrel of cider AJ gave you?” Dave nodded “She brought two to the party one normal and one strong, the normal one was meant for you but she got them mixed” Dash burst into laughter and Dave giggled as well

‘Good thing she did otherwise I might not have had the chance to talk with Celestia’

Dave drank some more of his chocolate milkshake “So what are you doing today?”

“I was going to practice a few tricks later but first I was going to meet Pinkie and play a few pranks on some unsuspecting ponies” A wicked grin spread across her face

Dave finished his drink and looked at her suspiciously “Wait if you wanted to go here and meet Pinkie for pranks that means…”

Dave was cut short by a loud bang going off behind his head, causing him to fall off his chair in fright, arms flailing to try to regain balance

Pinkie appeared and laughed along with Dash, Dave looked up and the ponies and began to giggle loudly as well, as he raised his arms to sit up he looked at his wrists one had his watch ‘oh that survived the dragon fire?’ he thought but his attention was quickly bought to his other wrist, which was blank

“The bracelet!” he said in disbelief, he looked around quickly and saw it rolling quickly down hill “you stupid ponies!” he yelled angrily at Dash and Pinkie as he charged after the bracelet

The bracelet rolled faster as Dave started to catch up, even with his new speed, it was hard to keep up with it

“I am not losing you! Not now!” he growled angrily at the bracelet

The bracelet bounced when it hit a small bump in the road and Dave attempted to dive and catch it, his arms stretched out but he fell an inch short of the bracelet and he watched as it rolled a few feet from him only for it to be stopped by a white hoof

“Oh thank you” Dave sighed heavily in relief as he rested his head on the ground

“Why are you thanking me darling?” Came a familiar female voice “I should be thanking you for this charming bracelet”

Dave raised his head slowly to see a beaming Rarity ‘uh oh’

“Why it even matches my cutie mark” she smiled happily as she held it next to her flank

Chapter 17

Rarity’s smile stretched from ear to ear as she placed the bracelet over her hoof “it’s a little loose but we can get that fixed”

Dave got to his feet ‘We won’t have that fixed because it is for Celestia!’ he thought angrily in his head ‘I can’t say I’m with Celestia, she is a princess, what would that do to her reputation?’

Rarity walked over to Dave, still admiring the bracelet “where did you get the money to buy this?”

“The chests I got from the cave near Appleoosa” Dave stretched down and reached for the bracelet “can I have that back please?”

Rarity took a step back “Give it back?” She gasped “but didn’t you get this for me?”

Dave swallowed his pride and all common sense “I got that for somepony else” he looked at Rarity’s hurt face “The thing I bought for you is loads better”

Rarity raised an eyebrow “Better you say?” she passed the bracelet back to Dave reluctantly “well I am perfectly happy with this though”

Dave took the bracelet before Rarity could take it back “Trust me you will love the other thing that I bought for you”

Rarity gave a reassuring smile as Rainbow Dash landed next to them “Hey Dave why did you run away?”

Dave had to resist yelling at the Pegasus about almost losing him the bracelet “I dropped something when you pulled that prank”

Dash smiled innocently at him “Yeah sorry about that” her smile faded “so is Pinkie”

Dave looked up the long slope at sugarcube corner “where is Pinkie anyway?”

Dash rubbed the back of her neck “She thinks you hate her now”

Dave placed the bracelet on his wrist with his watch on “Damn it, I didn’t mean to yell at you both”

“Yeah I know but…” she avoided looking at him directly “you looked like you really hate our guts”

‘Well what did you expect from what you did?’ he thought angrily “I don’t hate you or Pinkie, I should go apologise”

Dave began to walk up the street with Rarity and Dash following closely alongside him, as he reached the front door he picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder

Dave walked in and saw a confused baker “Um do you know where Pinkie is?” he asked the short plump mare

“She went upstairs to her room” she said worriedly “I’ve never seen her this sad before”

Dave left Rarity and Rainbow Dash downstairs as he walked up a curved set of stairs to the top floor, the door had the name Pinkie Pie written in pink letters across the front

As Dave got closer, he could hear quiet crying from the other side ‘Ah crap’ he thought as he knocked

“W-w-who is i-it?” Pinkie asked as she took her head out of her pillow

“It’s Dave” he sighed loudly “Can I come in?”

Pinkie grabbed her pillow “no you hate me” she then slammed her head down again

Dave rested his head against the door ‘Damn it Pinkie what do I have to do to show I’m sorry’ Dave walked back down into the shop area and found himself staring at a cake being decorated

“Is she ok?” Rarity asked as Dave reached inside his bag

“She will be in a minute,” Dave said determined as he dropped a handful of gold onto the shop counter “I need a cake with a message” he commanded the confused mare

Meanwhile upstairs…

Pinkie cradled her pet alligator in her hooves “I just don’t get it Gummy, he seemed to like me before but now…”

Gummy just stared at her blankly and snapped some of her strait, dull pink hair between his toothless jaws

“I want to go talk to him but he obviously never wants to see me again” a few tears landed on Gummy’s belly “I-I d-don’t want him t-to hate me” she sobbed as she hugged Gummy

Suddenly her bedroom door burst open and Dave slid into the room on his knees, holding out a large white cake whilst wearing a party hat “SURPRISE” he called as he stopped in front of her and showed her the cake

Pinkie brought her head from Gummy and read the top of the cake “I’m sorry I was a silly filly” she giggled slightly at the cake

“I’m sorry I yelled at you Pinkie” Dave held out a party hat to her “Do you want to be involved in my short apology party?”

Pinkie placed the party hat on her head and beamed happily at him “I never miss a party” she smiled

Dave placed the cake down, cutting it a few times and handed her a slice “so I’m forgiven?” Dave asked as he placed a party blower into his mouth

Pinkie took the cake and let Dave sit next to her on the bed “Yes” she laughed as Dave blew the small instrument and it squeaked a loud noise

Dave looked around Pinkie’s room, it was decorated as if a party happened every other minute, there were balloons tied around the bed and streamers coated every available surface

Pinkie took a small bite of cake before looking back at Dave “So we are friends?”

Dave nodded with a smile and Pinkie’s natural colour began to reappear

“Am I one of your super duper best friends?”

Dave chuckled and nodded again

Pinkie’s hair bounced up so quickly that it shot the party hat off like a rocket “YAY!” she screamed as she bounced onto Dave and hugged him tightly “At last nights party we got on so well and you seemed really lonely so I thought that you needed cheering up so I thought I should try and make you happy FOREVER!”
Dave avoided dropping his slice of cake on the floor “that’s good to know”

Pinkie smiled as she placed an entire piece of cake into her mouth “friends forever?”

Dave chuckled as he swallowed his slice of cake “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!” He laughed along with Pinkie as the two other girls from downstairs came up to join them

Meanwhile…

Celestia was sitting in her quarters just finishing some royal letters she needed to send, a knock came from the door

“You may enter” she called as she turned to face the door

Strong Shield stepped in carrying a scroll “Your majesty, the guards have completed their sweeping of the cave near Appleoosa” he passed the scroll over to the princess “The seismic activities have stopped so the cave is now being used for the various gems in the depths”

The princess nodded as she read the report “Thank you Strong Shield for all your help recently”

“I’m merely doing my duty,” Strong Shield said in a proud voice with his head high

“You’re too modest” Celestia smiled “You took all of Shining Armour’s tasks as well as your own” she placed the scroll on a pile next to her “I must ask one question”

Strong Shield stood to attention “Your majesty”

“Why do you push yourself like this?”

Strong Shield gazed at the floor briefly before standing strait again “Doing my duty”

Celestia shook her head “It’s because of your eye isn’t it?”

Strong Shield winced “I don’t want to be seen as weak”

Celestia looked at her guard curiously “You’re worried that somepony is going to replace you because you have gained a… weakness”

Strong Shield did not even blink “Doing my duty” he repeated again

Celestia looked at a calendar on her desk “Captain Shining Armour and Princess Cadence should be returning from their honeymoon in Haywaii soon” she looked over at the stone faced guard “So you should be able to relax then”

Strong Shield saluted “Thank you your majesty but I can’t relax until my duties have been performed”

Celestia nodded as the guard turned to leave “One last thing sergeant”

The guard turned and saluted again “Your majesty?”

Celestia stared out of her window at towards the sky “What do you think of Dave?”

Strong Shield rested his hooves on the ground “He is the most physically able creature I have met, protective of his friends and is certainly a valuable asset to us”

Celestia shook her head “Enough with the formalities Strong Shield, what do you really think?”

Strong Shield frowned in concentration “he is… good, not perfect due to him not being a pony but… good”

Celestia smiled “I’ve kept you long enough, you may go” she heard the sergeant begin to leave “how does he try and let anypony close to his heart?” she muttered to herself

“I don’t” Strong Shield stated as he closed the door behind him

Celestia worried about that guard but if he wanted to work rather then relax that was his choice, she levitated a large brown book over to her as she sat down

“Right now let me see if I can find that annoying spell,” she groaned as she began to flick through the pages

Back with Dave…

Dave walked out of sugarcube corner and began to head home, he wanted the place to be ready for when Celestia came over

As he happily bounced out of town he took the chance to think to himself “I’m sure she will love my bracelet… well I hope she does” he began to doubt himself “She has all that fancy jewellery already”

‘Yes she does and stop being so ridiculous’ his mind butted in

“Oh crap not you again” Dave rubbed his face with his hands “I am definitely going mad”

‘Yes you are’ it growled angrily ‘why are you wasting your time with this princess that is only using you when you have six mares that want to love you?’

Dave stroked the bracelet on his wrist “Because I want to try and make something special… hell I love Celestia” he cheered to himself

‘And you don’t love the others?’

“Well… a little, including Luna but nothing like Celestia” Dave held his head up as he marched down the road

‘Forget Celestia and Luna’ his mind ordered ‘you said you would go into a relationship with Twilight remember?’

“Oh crap yeah” Dave scratched his chin “I’ll let her down easy tomorrow”

‘The others all care about you so much’ his mind’s voice turned angry again ‘Celestia will only use you for your powers and she will probably move onto a nice stallion prince or something’

“Yeah but she said that…”

Dave was cut off ‘YOU said you were not a pony so does that mean you do not have a chance with her?’

“Well it’s a small chance but…” he was cut off again

‘But nothing, she is using you, mark my words she will twist you around her hoof’

Dave’s mind fell silent as he entered the front door “Stupid brain, why does it now seem to have its own opinion on things?”

Dave pushed his problems aside as he took the day’s shopping up into his bedroom and began to count a hundred coins into each of the little bags, he pinned the large map of Equestria to one of his walls and place the smaller maps in a draw nearby

“Right that is now done so…” Dave walked downstairs and into his living room, sitting down in a large armchair “now we wait,” he sighed as he placed his feet onto the table

A few hours later…

Dave awoke as a bright flash of light appeared in his living room and Celestia appeared from the light

“Hello Dave how are you?” she asked as she trotted happily over to him

“I’m better for seeing you” Dave smiled at the blushing princess “Oh by the way I got you something”

Dave took the bracelet of his wrist and offered it to Celestia

“Oh my” Celestia took the bracelet between her hooves and stared at the deep blue sapphire “its beautiful Dave, thank you”

She placed the bracelet on and it rested perfectly on her right hoof, Dave smiled as she admired the gift “Do you like it?”

Celestia shook her head and Dave’s face fell “I love it!” she smiled and Dave began to chuckle at his paranoia

“Well are you going to stand there all night?” Dave asked leaning back into his chair

Celestia looked at the sofa but walked over to Dave “If you don’t mind” she sat on his lap and rested her back across Dave, he wrapped her arms around her so they both could feel each other’s hearts beat in unison

Celestia held her hoof up to the light to admire the bracelet and rested her head against Dave’s head

Dave chucked slightly as his hands gently stroked Celestia’s stomach “So how was your day?” Dave asked

Celestia hummed quietly “Normal business… Strong Shield came to see me today about the cave you went into”

“Oh, is Strong Shield alright?”

“He is doing well” Celestia rested her hoof back down and shuffled more comfortably into Dave “He should have it easier in a few days once Shining Armour returns”

Dave smiled to himself “It’s good to know he is doing well with the guards so far”

“I worry about him though, he is a bit of a… workaholic” Celestia nuzzled her head into Dave’s chin “That reminds me, if you want I can find some more work for you to do”

‘I told you’

“Umm… what kind of work?” Dave asked nervously

“Safer than what you did at the cave near Appleoosa” she rested her eyes as she listened to Dave’s breathing “just some things that the Strong Shield thinks you could do better than his guards”

‘See she is already trying to use you!’ Dave’s mind roared ‘Put her in her place and go and find one of the others!’

“I need to go use the toilet” Dave lied and Celestia allowed him to stand before sitting down in his spot

“I’ll keep this warm shall I?” Celestia winked

Dave smiled all the way into his upstairs bathroom “Ok what the hell is with you?” Dave quietly yelled as he slapped his forehead

‘I am trying to protect you, that filth downstairs can not be trusted’

“That ‘filth’ is Celestia,” Dave growled “And who are you to decide what I should do?”

‘I am the one that has kept you alive you worthless insect’

“What do you mean?” Dave lowered his voice

‘THINK, ever since you arrived here you have been stronger, courageous and better in every imaginable way’

Dave scratched his head “Yeah and my mind got a voice of its own” Dave’s face began to seize up as his arms burned with pain, he raised his hands to see them slowly burn away “What’s happening?”

‘I am simply showing who is in control here, that is the wound you received fighting the dragon and this is when you dislocated your arm’

As Dave’s mind spoke angrily, Dave’s left shoulder dislocated, Dave opened his mouth to scream but his throat was also being slowly burnt

“What… are… you?” Dave struggled to say as he stood and looked at the mirror, watching as his skin burn from his face

Dave’s reflection smiled at him ‘Now that would spoil the surprise’ his reflection laughed as Dave lost consciousness

Downstairs…

Celestia heard a loud thud from upstairs and she sat up alertly “Dave?” she called out

When she heard no reply, Celestia got out of her chair and walked to the bottom of the stairs “Dave?” she called out again

She climbed the stairs cautiously and stopped outside the bathroom door, she placed a hoof on the door and pushed

The door did not budge so she placed both hooves on the door and pushed as hard as she could, the door remained motionless

She looked down and saw blood seeping out from the bottom “DAVE!” she yelled in fright as she placed her horn to the door and used her magic to push it

The door remained still, Celestia began to panic as she heard screaming from the other side and fired a blast at the door, shattering it into small shards

She ran in to see Dave curled in a ball on the floor, flesh burnt, bruised, and the large cut in his stomach had also returned and was pouring out blood

Celestia hardly recognised the creature before her “Dave?” she collapsed next to him, falling into the blood “Dave?” she began to cry, as he did not respond and his body lay silent

‘Now you will do two things’ Dave’s mind whispered to him ‘You will never speak of me to anypony or anything for that matter, especially the princesses, if you do we will both suffer’

Dave managed to open a burnt eye, he saw a mix of black and red smoke

‘And you will continue as you normally have… until I say other wise’

Dave’s vision slowly returned as the black fog faded and he was left staring at Celestia’s blood stained hooves

Celestia had her head rested across Dave’s charred shoulder “Please come back Dave” she cried quietly

Dave rolled his eye to look at the alicorn, he tried to speak but his body didn’t cooperate and he remained silently on the floor

Celestia slowly began to hear a quiet breathing noise and she pulled her head back “Dave?”

Dave’s body punished him with pain as he turned onto his back “Hey” he whispered weakly

Celestia hugged him and he cried out in pain “Oh Dave I’m sorry”

Dave attempted to smile but his lips were almost completely gone “You have something on your hooves”

Celestia looked down at her bloodstained hooves “That is not important right now”

Dave chucked slightly and coughed up droplets of blood “You clean this up and I’ll fix myself”

Celestia quickly used her magic to remove the blood from herself and the floor “Now heal… please” she begged as she sat down close to Dave’s head

‘I will heal you as normal and allow you to use your powers but… don’t mess me around’ Dave’s mind warned as his body arched back in pain

Dave screamed loudly as all the injuries were removed once again and he was left staring up at Celestia “Hi” he sighed quietly

Celestia smiled “Hi”

Dave reached out and stroked the side of her face before passing out once again

Chapter 18

Dave awoke to the pain of his head throbbing, he groaned as he sat up, he was in his bed and alone

“Celestia?” he called out and he received no reply

His attention was drawn to a note attached to his door, he climbed out of bed and tore it from the pin

Dear Dave

I had to return to Canterlot, I am sorry

I will see you tonight

Celestia x

Dave crushed the note in his hand as he walked to the bathroom, he walked up to the mirror frowning angrily

His reflection glared back “What do you want?” it asked

“I want to know what the hell you are and what the hell you are doing to me”

His reflection took a step closer to the mirror and met his stare “You don’t make demands”

Dave placed his hands either side of the mirror as he leaned forwards “Fine… just please tell me why this is happening… how has my mind… got its own mind?”

The reflection shook his head “You don’t get it, I am not your mind” it punched its side of the mirror and it cracked “I am far better”

Dave flinched as he felt his fist seize in pain “So what are you then? A ghost?”

The reflection stroked its chin “Not exactly”

“Well what do I call you?”

“What ever you want” it stared at Dave again, “I am not here to make friends”

“How about annoying?”

“Very funny” the voice in his mind growled

“Fine what are you here for?” Dave rubbed his knuckles as the pain subsided

“I needed a place to stay… luckily you were available” the reflection walked up to the mirror “and I am trying to help you”

“By almost killing me again?” Dave turned his back to the mirror “very helpful” he growled sarcastically

“I warned you that Celestia was going to try and use you, and she tried last night” Dave felt his skin crawl as he knew his reflection gazed at the back of his head

“So what do you want from me?” Dave turned to see his reflection had returned to normal

“Just continue with your life” the voice seemed to resonate into the bathroom “I will tell you when I need you”

Dave walked back into his room, put on some clean clothes and grabbed a few bags of money “Just be quiet” he whispered angrily as he walked out of his front door

Meanwhile…

Celestia sat at her desk staring blankly at her pile of work, she was not reading any of it, and she was too worried about Dave to focus

“I shouldn’t have left him” she sighed as she stood up, she paused before sitting back down “I’m sure he is fine”

She kept looking between her work and her balcony window trying to force herself to go see him

“I… have to stay here” she closed the curtains on her windows and turned the lights on “work is… more important”

She forced herself to read her daily work, it was slower than normal due to her being distracted but as she read she found her mind slowly allow her worries to disappear, until a knock came at her door

Celestia rubbed her eyes as she stood up, head held high “Enter” she commanded and the door swung open

Luna trotted in happily “Good morning sister” she beamed happily at her “How have you been?”

Celestia sat down once the door closed “I’m well, why are you up at this time in the morning?” Celestia smelled something… flowery

Luna sat down opposite her big sister “I was hoping to travel down to Ponyville today”

Celestia forgot about Luna’s meetings with Dave on her balcony, she watched them all of course, for her sisters safety

“Any particular reason?” Celestia noticed Luna’s larger eyes and enticing perfume

“Just to go visit my subjects” she smiled “Hopefully in a slightly different atmosphere than nightmare night”

They both giggled lightly before Celestia looked at her sister “So why the makeup?”

Luna smiled again, slightly weaker “Well am I not allowed to look my best when visiting my subjects?”

“You always look your best little sister” Celestia’s smile turned to concern “I thought you said you didn’t want to get hurt again?”

Luna’s smile also faded “I-I don’t” she avoided looking up at her sister “but I can’t just push him out of my head”

Celestia sighed ‘I managed to’ she looked down at her sister and her drooping ears ‘I can’t tell her about me and Dave’

“Listen Luna” Celestia placed a hoof on her sister’s shoulder “you told me you didn’t want to get hurt again and if you go down this road you will be”

Luna brushed Celestia’s hoof away “But can I at least try and be happy for now? Dave likes me I know he does”

Celestia wanted to confess everything to her but the fear of being hated and the risk of losing Luna’s trust was too much

“All I can say is be careful” Celestia looked at Luna’s face as it slowly grew a smile again “don’t start anything with Dave, just be friends… promise me this”

Luna ignored the strange tone in Celestia’s voice and applied the sweetest grin she could “I promise, don’t worry about me”

Celestia shook her head as Luna happily trotted out of the room again, “I will see you tonight before I go to bed… little sister”

Celestia waited until the door was fully closed before magically levitating one of her pillows over, she pulled out the bracelet that Dave had got her and stroked it gently

“If only I could tell everypony, it would make everything so much simpler” Celestia replaced the bracelet and retuned the pillow to its original position

She then levitated over a large brown book that was hidden under her bed, she flicked to a dirty page towards the back and began to read it quietly to herself, her work can be sorted later

Meanwhile…

Luna trotted happily away from her sister’s room ‘what does she know? She gave up on her love before he even died, I stuck with mine to the end’

Luna started her long decent down through the castle, she stopped occasionally to check her makeup in various windows and in one occasion a guards armour

“Good to see your armour is in good condition guardsman,” Luna announced

“T-thank you your highness” the guard saluted

“As you were,” Luna commanded before quickly trotting away hiding her embarrassment

As Luna arrived at her own room in a tower that complimented Celestia’s she stepped out onto her balcony and gazed down the lens of her telescope, she saw Dave leaving his house and heading towards Ponyville

“What Celestia doesn’t know can’t hurt her” Luna stared at a spot a few feet ahead of Dave, she wasn’t as used to teleporting as her sister but she could do it with concentration

Her horn glowed brightly and she vanished in a bright flash, appearing in the spot where she was staring

Dave dropped the bags he was juggling and jumped in fright at the sudden appearance of the smiling alicorn

“AH oh Luna it’s you” he picked up his bags from the floor “I wasn’t expecting to see you”

Luna fluttered her eyelids playfully “well I wanted to visit my subjects here in Ponyville”

Dave looked over at Ponyville, which was still a good five minutes walk away “I would have thought you would have taken a cartridge for a formal visit”

Luna giggled sweetly “Well just visiting my friends rather than a royal visit”

Dave crossed his arms “And I suppose it was just lucky that you teleported right in front of me” He noticed a slight aroma floating from the princess

“Well I was looking at Ponyville for a nice place to teleport to but I noticed you” she flashed her eyelids again “so I thought you and I could talk while we walked”

Dave noticed the makeup that enhanced Luna’s face to a state that Dave could not concentrate properly on what she was saying

“Huh? Oh yeah I’m walking to Ponyville now” Dave began to walk alongside Luna towards Ponyville “So how are things?”

“They have been just fine, it is nice to get out of the castle for a day” she unfolded her wings and flapped them a little, enough to send a scent of her perfume into Dave’s nose “good to relax a bit”

Dave struggled to form words as the smell lifted his body “well it is always good to… to umm… chill” he thanked the wind as it brushed Luna’s aroma away and replaced it with the smell of summer flowers

Luna occasionally took a slight movement closer to Dave “So what are you doing today?”

“Just going to the Library for a bit to grab something, grab some bits for my home and then head back” Dave looked down at the nearing Luna “How about you?”

Luna hummed for a bit before replying, “I was going to visit my sisters student before visiting some of the other elements”

“So you going to visit any… stallions?” Dave asked raising an eyebrow

“In what context?”

“You know… a friendly way?”

Luna looked at Dave with confusion “I am always friendly to everypony… isn’t that clear?”

Dave rolled his eyes “Do you… find anypony… attractive?”

“Oh THAT context” Luna giggled again “no I am afraid I don’t find stallions attractive”

“Mares?” Dave shrugged in a vain hope that it was the right guess

“Oh my goodness no” Luna blushed beneath her makeup “I haven’t thought about that in at least a few tens of thousands of years”

“Tens of thousands?” Dave mumbled in disbelief, he had forgotten that Celestia was older than he could comprehend “So why all the makeup?”

“Can’t I look my best?”

“You always look your best” Dave sighed to himself

“You sound like my sister now” Luna grunted

“And I’m guessing she knows the real reason you came down here” Dave took Luna behind a tree so they could talk before entering Ponyville

“Ok fine I put all this on for you” Luna waited for a repeat of her talk with Celestia

“Well I thought you said you couldn’t go through this all again?” Dave lent against the tree as he awaited a response

“Well I-I umm…” Luna struggled to think under Dave’s stare

“You said something about me not being able to live forever”

“Well there was this book I found but I… lost it” Luna played with her hoofs as Dave sighed loudly

“Well isn’t that handy? After you tell me to bugger off, you find a book with the secret to eternal life, which is now gone”

Luna’s ears drooped and her voice began to quiver “Well I didn’t mean to” she stared down at the ground “somepony must have taken it out of the library before I could have”

“So what was your plan then?”

“Well I-I was planning on extending your life so you could be mine forever” Luna smiled weakly up at his flaring nostrils

“Be yours? I am not a toy you can play with when you are feeling lonely” Dave looked away from her “I don’t get you Luna, first you want to be friends. Fine. Then you try to take it a step further. Strange considering you are a pony and I am a human.”

Dave turned back frowning “Then you blast me away with this sob story on how you can’t be with me and now this”

“I-I was lonely at the time… I wasn’t thinking strait” Luna stood up and met Dave’s stare but with determination “but I am thinking strait now and I want to try… even if it wont make me happy having you forever at least it will make me happy knowing I did have you for a while”

Luna smiled as Dave’s face grew calm “That’s the thing Luna…” he gently shook his head “you did have me”

Luna’s smile wavered “D-did? W-w-what about now?”

Dave merely shook his head sadly

Luna looked around in disbelief, somepony had taken Dave from her, and somepony had denied her momentary happiness

“Who is she? Please tell me and I can be better” Luna placed her hooves on Dave’s shoulders begging for a look into his eyes “please Dave look at me”

Dave slowly looked at the crying Luna’s face, her makeup was running down her face, long black lines stretched down from her eyes

“I’m sorry Luna” was the only thing Dave manage to say as an invisible grip tightened around his throat

Luna’s crying stopped as her horn began to glow brightly “I won’t let you leave me” she pounded a hoof on his chest “Who is she?” she demanded

Dave struggled to breathe as she gripped tighter “Luna… I’m… sorry”

“NO! Don’t say that we can still be happy” Luna smiled but it quickly turned back “Don’t leave me please”

The bond around Dave’s neck loosened as they both slid to the floor “I’m sorry… you left me on that balcony”

Luna’s face flooded tears again as she dropped her head into Dave’s chest “No…no, no, no” she looked up at him “I can’t let you go”

“I won’t forget those nights we talked” Dave smiled as he stroked her mane “they were fun”

Luna placed a hoof on the side of Dave’s face “they were fun because we were together” she pushed her lips to his, as she tried to place her tongue inside his mouth she found her entrance blocked, she slowly pulled her head away “I love you” she whispered

Dave wiped the makeup away from her face, leaving it in its natural beauty “I have to go now”

“Do you love me?”

Dave stood up leaving Luna resting in the shade of the tree “I may be in sugarcube corner later, when you are done meeting your subjects”

“Give me an answer please” Luna reached for Dave as he walked away “Do you love me?”

Dave stood with his back to the crying princess “I-I can‘t I… no”

“I know you do Dave” Luna’s face turned to stone “what do you mean you can‘t? Is it because I am not human?”

“It has been nice chatting” Dave grinned weakly at her before walking into Ponyville

Luna watched him walk away from her, again. Angrily she teleported back to her bedroom and threw herself onto her bed sobbing loudly

Meanwhile…

Celestia watched through her telescope as the drama between Dave and Luna unfolded, she used an enchantment to allow her to listen to their conversation

Dave’s face grew calm “That’s the thing Luna…” he gently shook his head “you did have me”

Celestia almost broke into tears herself when she felt her sister’s devastation, the feeling of having her sister hate her without her knowledge hurt even more

“I’m sorry Luna,” Celestia whispered to herself weakly “I warned you”

Celestia began to slowly walk to her sister’s room, ready for when she arrived

Sure enough, the moment Celestia reached the door she heard Luna land on her bed

Sighing she tapped the door gently “Luna… it’s me” she opened the door and cautiously stepped in

Luna lay curled in a ball on her bed “Why does he not love me back?”

Celestia sat on the edge of the bed “some things are not meant to be”

Luna sniffed loudly “Help me” she sat up and stared at her sister “help me get him to return my love”

Celestia shook her head “I can’t do that” she smiled at her sister “Just let him be happy”

Luna fell back down again “but he isn’t happy without me” she wailed loudly “I know he feels the same”

Celestia placed a hoof to her head ‘I have to do something soon’

Meanwhile…

Dave knocked on the front of the library door, a heap of stuff in a large bag holding onto his back “come on, come on”

Twilight opened the door and smiled happily “Dave! It’s so good to see you”

“Yeah you too” he gave her a quick hug “is Spike in?”

As if by chance, Spike walked by the door “Hi Dave, do you need something?”

Dave smiled at the dragon “I need you for something”

Spike looked nervously at him “umm… sure what?”

Dave dropped his bag on the floor “Camping, today, a night or two away somewhere”

The being in Dave’s mind chuckled ‘are you sure you can escape? These ponies will find ways to keep you happy’

Spike grinned eagerly “Sure! I’ll go get some things” he then sped up the stairs leaving Dave with Twilight

“Be quick” Dave called above the beaming unicorn’s head “please”

Chapter 19

Dave was hurried towards a chair by Twilight and quickly sat down

“So where are we going?” She asked excitedly

“We? Oh um… I was planning on it just being me and Spike” Dave rubbed the back of his neck “I was going past a camping shop and I remembered that I promised him we would go camping somewhere, so decided to grab some stuff quickly”

Twilight’s face drooped “Oh ok… well where are you going?”

“I got a map so me and him could plan out a route to take” Dave tapped his bag with his foot “Only for a night or two”

Twilight looked over towards the bedroom door “When are you going?”

Dave rubbed his neck “If we get it all planned out quickly enough then… this afternoon some time”

Twilight leaned forwards “When you come back do you want to… pick up where we left off?” she smiled

“Oh I umm… wait you agreed to take it slowly” Dave put his finger on her lips to stop her from complaining “And besides… I need to have a private talk when we come back”

“Why don’t we have it now?” Twilight sat next to Dave with a hoof on his leg

“Because…” Dave carefully pushed the purple hoof away “you might… no WILL freak out a little”

Twilight tilted her head “Why? What is it about?”

Dave saw the bedroom door slowly begin to open so he quickly lent in and whispered in to the unicorns ear “It’s about us”

Spike grinned as he jogged down the stairs and landed in front of Dave “I’m ready to go” he sniggered loudly “I have never been camping before”

Dave grabbed Spike’s bag for him “Yeah well I will try and make it a good trip for you” Dave picked up his own bag as he headed outside “See ya Twilight, we will be in sugarcube corner before we leave”

Twilight waved to the pair as they stepped out of the door “Good bye you guys, I will see you later before you go”

Dave and Spike walked back along the road leading towards the main shop part of town, Dave looked around as if he felt something stare at him with an evil intension

Dave decided to make a detour to Rarity’s boutique, they walked up to the front door and Spike eagerly knocked

“Why are we here?” Spike asked while knocking rapidly

“Umm… I need to ask Rarity to make me a hat quickly,” Dave pointed at the large orb in the sky “to protect from the sun a bit”

‘Sure… hat’ The voice would have rolled its eyes if it had any ‘not getting paranoid are you?’

“Oh that makes sense” Spike rubbed the scales on his head “I should ask for one too”

The door was opened by Sweetie Belle who smiled at the guests “Hi Dave and Spike… what‘s with the bags?”

Dave heard Rarity running from inside the shop “Is Dave here?”

“And Spike” Sweetie Belle reminded her sister who pushed her aside

“Welcome Dave oh and Spike” Rarity fluttered her eyelids at Dave “How may I assist you? Oh and do come in”

Dave nervously stepped in after the carefree dragon “I was wondering if you could make me and Spike some hats quickly for when we go camping later”

Rarity’s eyes lit up “Make you something? Of course, I will have it ready for you in a flash! Oh and yours Spike” her eyebrows tipped when she saw the bags of camping equipment “Why would you want to do anything as revolting as camping?”

“Camping is not revolting, it’s…” Dave was about to provide an argument but was cut off by an excited filly jumping on top of him

“Did you say CAMPING?” Sweetie Belle grinned massively into Dave’s face

“Yeah why?” Dave looked at Spike for support but he was literally blowing heart shaped smoke from his nostrils whilst staring at the working Rarity

“Me and my friends were going to try and see if camping was our cutie marks but we didn’t want to be doing all the boring stuff my sister wants to do” Sweetie Bell looked at all Dave’s equipment before hopping off of him

“The things I want to do are not boring” Rarity threw her head in the air “they are the perfect mix between pleasure and practicality” She winked at Dave who shuddered before she started to work on the hats

“Can me and my friends come camping with you?” Sweetie Belle’s eyes swelled sweetly “We will be good”

Dave who recovered from Rarity’s insinuation looked at the begging child “I guess I could… only if it was ok with your families”

Sweetie Belle threw herself at Rarity’s hooves “PLEASE Rarity can I go?”

Rarity hardly took her eyes from her creations “yes so long as you don’t cause any problems for that hunk… I mean human”

“THANK YOU!” Sweetie Belle screamed as she whizzed out of the front door, she shot back in “I will get my friends and where should we meet?”

“I um… sugarcube corner” Dave stammered

“Yay we can get cupcakes before we go!” Sweetie Belle cheered before charging out the door again

Dave was slightly confused by the events that just occurred “Right… well we should be back in a couple of days”

Rarity placed one hat aside, it was larger than the other so it must have been Dave’s “Do inform me when you arrive as I have something to show you that I have been working on”

Dave shuddered in fear ‘I hope that it isn’t some outfit she made for me… oh god what if it is something kinky and she has a matching costume?’ Dave started to feel slightly ill thinking about it

“What is it?” Spike asked as curiosity managed to subdue his love

“It’s a secret for Dave’s beautiful eyes only” Rarity smiled at the nauseous human

‘OH GOD IT IS ISN’T IT?’ Dave replied the smile nervously “I can’t wait”

Spike looked between Dave and the unicorn of his dreams “I wouldn’t say Dave’s eyes are beautiful… no offence”

“None taken” Dave giggled in a more relaxed tone

Rarity on the other hand did take offence “Yes taken!” she replied as she brought her face close to Dave’s “Just look at those glistening sapphires that almost seem to scream TAKE ME”

Dave gulped as Rarity almost lent in for a kiss “How are those hats coming along?” Dave nervously chuckled

“Hats? What hats?” Rarity sighed happily

“The ones we came here for” Dave said quickly as Rarity almost made contact with her lips

Rarity’s head snapped back “OH OF COURSE” she giggled loudly “Oh I have them done, I assume you wanted ‘simple’ again right?” She took a few steps back before levitating over a pair of matching tan hats

They both fitted comfortably on the both the boy’s heads and they had a wide enough rim to protect from the sun whilst not blocking any vision

“Thanks Rarity we owe you… again” Dave chuckled as he adjusted his hat

Spike’s hat had thin slits in the top so he could place his green scales through them “These are so cool that they match” Spike adjusted his hat so it matched Dave’s “We are like twins”

“Yeah really messed up twins that have gotten mixed up at birth but yeah twins” Dave chuckled as he pulled Spike’s hat over his eyes

They both then thanked Rarity as they left her to continue with her private project, they then proceeded to walk to sugarcube corner

Dave’s hat was so light that he almost forgot he was wearing it until a cyan blur took it from his head “HEY!” he called but rolled his eyes when he realised it was Rainbow Dash

“Cool hat” she playfully called as she flew away “Catch me if you want it back!”

Dave groaned as he dropped his bag “Think you can take this to sugarcube corner alone?”

“You can count on me, go show her who’s boss” Spike saluted as he grabbed a handle on the top of the bag, Dave returned the salute and tossed Spike a bag of money before quickly pursuing the winged menace

“Come back here!” Dave called as Rainbow Dash flew backwards laughing at him

“Na nana na na you can’t catch me!” she teased

‘She is making fun of you’ the voice growled but then it turned slightly playful ‘prove her wrong’

“Will do” Dave whispered happily as he quickly gained a burst of speed and dived at her

Rainbow Dash finished wiping a tear of laughter from her eye to see Dave about to crash into her “Uh oh”

They both tumbled to the ground and began rolling for a few feet before coming to a stop, they both allowed their bodies to go limp as they laughed

Dave opened his eyes to see Rainbow Dash laying on top of him, still wearing his hat “Thank you” he giggled as he removed the hat before replacing it back on his own

Dash raised her head above Dave looking down at him “No problem, it looks cooler on you anyway”

“So where were you hiding?” Dave asked still laying on his back looking up at the cyan Pegasus

Rainbow laughed again “Didn’t you see a cloud follow you from Twilight’s place?”

“So you were the feeling I was getting earlier… so I’m not paranoid” Dave couldn’t shake the feeling that it was evil though

“Oh my!” Dash looked around “It looks like we are completely alone” she smiled cheekily at him

Dave turned his head as much as he could from where he was sitting and saw that they had travelled to a small lake and Rarity’s boutique was now quite far away “So we are”

Rainbow Dash remained standing above Dave as she rubbed her neck “Actually I planned this because I wanted to talk to you”

“Talk? Really? Umm I mean ok I’m listening” Dave was surprised at the Pegasus and her intentions ‘maybe it is not every time I’m alone with a pony it delves into my relationship status’

“I want you to break it off with Fluttershy” Dash stared down at Dave seriously

‘Apparently I was wrong’ Dave rolled his eyes “Oh you saw that” Dave brought his eyes back to the creature standing above him “And why do you want me to do that?”

“Because she isn’t good enough for you that’s why”

“Let me guess and you are?” Dave would have crossed his arms but Rainbow Dash lowered her body

“Yes because unlike Fluttershy I can do more than whisper, I am brave and I’ll do anything” Rainbow was now almost fully laid out on top of Dave

“Anything?” Dave smiled wickedly

“Absolutely anything” Dash winked with a smile

“Then go tell Fluttershy that you intend to take her boyfriend away” Dave was going to have to break it with Fluttershy as well, what if Celestia found out? Dave tapped his chin “What was the element you are supposed to be?”

“Loyalty” Dash sighed sadly but continued to lay atop Dave “But I have to be loyal to myself and I will always be loyal to you”

“Like you would always be loyal to your friends?” Dave almost grinned as the Pegasus squirmed

‘That is getting a bit harsh now’ the voice in Dave’s mind strictly told him ‘almost by my standards’

“Fine, I’m sorry Rainbow Dash” Dave stroked the mare’s mane “What can I do to convince you to leave me alone?”

Rainbow Dash licked Dave’s outstretched hand before glaring at him “You and me right now”

Dave wiped his moist hand on his trousers “Two things. Number one, that was disgusting you don’t know where my hand has been”

“Hopefully one place” Dash winked

“EW, and number two… You and me what?”

Dash dropped her entire body down and smiled seductively “You and me mate right now”

“Hell no” Dave said simply as he turned his head away as much as he could

‘you just passed up a good deal, you could have got her off your back by getting her onto her back‘ The voice laughed loudly at it’s own joke ‘She would be satisfied, provided you performed well and Fluttershy would be none the wiser’

“I am not sleeping with you” Dave kept his head away

“FINE” Dash groaned loudly “How about I leave you alone for a while for one smaller favour”

“In exchange for what kind of favour?” Dave raised an eyebrow

“Just a teeny tiny make out” Dash smiled happily

Dave opened his mouth to protest but Rainbow Dash did not give him the chance to respond as she dove in with her tongue

Meanwhile…

Twilight closed the door to her library as she stepped out onto the streets of Ponyville “Greetings Twilight Sparkle” came a voice from behind her accompanied by a flash of light

She turned around to see a smiling purple alicorn “Oh hello Princess Luna” Twilight bowed “I wasn’t expecting to see you around here”

Luna kept her fake smile “I have been meaning to visit my subjects recently so I decided today would be a good day”

Twilight nodded “Well the weather today is quite exceptional, do you want to do anything?”

“Yes I would enjoy company as I have been rather… upset? No bored, I have been bored lately” Luna was going to keep her feelings about Dave as secret as possible until she figured out how to win him over

“Well I was going to see Dave at sugarcube corner before him and Spike go on their little camping trip” Twilight began to lead the princess to the cake shop “Do you want to come?”

Luna’s eyes grew wide at the mention of Dave’s name “Why yes I would enjoy that very much” Luna wished she had replaced some of the makeup before returning from the palace, “It would be good to see him again”

As they began to walk Twilight’s thoughts began to wander ‘Why does Dave want to talk about our relationship? Does he want to stop it I mean he… or does he want to take it further? He could ask for my hoof in marriage because he is too afraid that some other pony might take me away’

Luna watched the purple unicorn bounce happily as her thought train rode around her brain “Twilight Sparkle why are you so happy all of a sudden?”

“Oh I um… just had an idea” Twilight smiled as they reached sugarcube corner

As they walked in Mrs Cake bowed deeply to Luna “Oh my… Princess Luna! I had no idea you were coming”

“Surprise visit” Luna smiled as she took a seat at a table “Is the element of laughter in? I good do with a laugh of my own”

“Oh no I am afraid you just missed her, she went to the park with Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake” She bowed deeply again “Is there anything else?”

“Just some cupcakes please” Twilight requested as she dropped some bits onto the counter

Twilight and Luna sat and began to eat their cupcakes as they were delivered, they sat in relative silence apart from the odd question or two

After a few minutes they heard the door swing open, they both turned expecting to see Dave standing tall but instead got Spike dragging a heavy bag

“Hi Twilight, oh hello Princess Luna” Spike breathed heavily a couple of times before dragging the bag over to the table

“Hi Spike” Twilight smiled “Where is Dave? Weren’t you two together earlier?”

Spike sat down next to Twilight “Yeah until Rainbow Dash stole his hat that Rarity made” he grumbled irritably

Luna noticed the hat that sat atop the little dragon’s head “and where are they now?”

Spike shrugged “They should be near Rarity’s boutique, heading away from Ponyville”

Luna stood and headed for the door “I will go see Dave before I depart back for Canterlot”

Twilight stood as well “But Princess you only just got here”

Luna smiled over at her “I am quite busy today so I must be going, it was nice to catch up”

Twilight sighed in defeat “Farewell Princess, hope to see you again soon”

Luna nodded before taking flight just outside the door “Dave is alone with that Pegasus?” Luna scanned the ground as she flew over the boutique “I wonder…”

Luna’s suspicions were confirmed when she saw the unmistakeable mark of Rainbow Dash’s rainbow coloured hair laid across the top of Dave

In fury she dove to the ground and landed gently to the ground a few feet behind them, she noticed how Dash was sprawled across Dave “Oh she had better have a good reason” As she quietly trotted closer she began to hear them talking

“I am not sleeping with you,” Dave complained

“FINE” Dash groaned loudly

Luna felt overjoyed that Dave did not want this pony, she knew that this brute would have no chance with Dave and she also let out a sigh of relief as she began to quietly leave but her head turned back to the pair

Luna gasped as she saw the element of loyalty’s head reach down at Dave’s as their lips made contact “He said no” she growled

Dave saw Rainbow Dash fly off him followed by a purple light, sitting up he saw a fuming Luna and her glowing horn “Oh crap… Luna this isn’t what it looks like” Dave held his hands up in defence

Luna trotted over and threw her hooves around him “It’s ok I wasn’t about to let some common pony take advantage of your good nature”

“Wait… what? You aren’t mad at me?” Dave looked at the princess as she released him and smiled happily “And what are you doing here?”

“COMMON!” Dash yelled as she tackled the princess away from Dave “Say that to my face you fancy alicorn mutant”

Luna stood back to her feet and stared at the Pegasus as she spread her wings ready to tackle again

“Oh shit,” Dave gasped as he saw the princess’s horn glow

‘Oh shit is right’ the voice inside Dave also gasped as Rainbow Dash was plucked from the ground screaming ‘this isn’t going to be quick’

Luna’s voice seemed to echo loudly “You are so proud of your wings you petty creature” Dash’s face turned to horror as Luna’s face grinned evilly “I will teach you a lesson you will never forget for the rest of your life for touching Dave”

“Oh holy shit no, no, no,” Dave gasped as he quickly ran at the alicorn and Pegasus as a blood pitched scream filled the air

Chapter 20

Spike sat opposite an impatient Twilight “Are you alright?” he asked nervously as he licked some icing off the top of his cupcake

“I’m fine Spike I am just waiting for Dave to turn up” Twilight reassured Spike with a smile but quickly returned to frowning at the door “I hope he shows up soon”

The dragon swallowed a large bite of cupcake before waving his claw in front of her eyes “Twilight” the unicorn turned to look at him “When is Dave going back to his own world?”

Twilight simply giggled, “He can leave anytime after I find out how to send him back”

Spike placed his cupcake down “And what have you done to find out how?”

Twilight nervously took a sip from her drink “Well I haven’t really done any… because I have had such a hard time with my other studies”

Spike was about to interrogate further but the door loudly swung open and three screaming fillies charged in carrying a small saddlebag each “CUTIE MARK CRUSADER CAMPERS!” they all cheered

Applebloom ran over to Spike “Y’all ready yet?” she bounced excitedly with her friends “We are all ready ta go!”

Spike shook his head “Dave is on his way then we can go” the children all groaned sadly as they sat down at the table

Twilight put a hoof on Scootaloo “Hey how about we buy you some cupcakes?” they all regained their large smiles as Twilight levitated Dave’s bag of cash and removed some bits “Dave’s buying”

Meanwhile…

Celestia crept quietly into Luna’s quarters “Luna, are you awake?” she called softly as she walked over to the large, dark bed that housed a large bulge

Tapping the covers gently they sank inwards “Oh no, why does she act this way”

Celestia stormed away from Luna’s bedroom “Where has she gone? She is so silly when it comes to things like this”

She trotted past the guards that stood either side of the door to her own quarters, as she shut the door behind her she sat down behind her desk “If she wants to hide away and cry so be it” she had more important things to do than to chase her sister around the castle

She levitated over the finance report showing the costs the guards would need for the next month she smiled at the report

“Found another way to save four hundred bits a month Strong Shield” She muttered to herself as she levitated her calendar over and wrote ‘Strong Shield - time off’ in one of the coming weeks “I don’t care if he doesn‘t want to go he has to otherwise he will work himself to death”

Celestia found that curious that Strong Shield never seemed like much more than a typical drill sergeant but ever since the changeling attack he changed somewhat, maybe I was he felt responsible for the guards being under prepared or he almost lost more than his eye

Celestia placed the report aside as the next report had a familiar sentence scrawled at the bottom

Report 39756

Location: Antlerlartica

There have been reports of snow wyverns endangering the local research camps, action required must be to either relocate the research teams or convince the snow wyverns to nest inside a different glacier

Recommendations:

Captain of the guard Shining Armour- [Honeymoon]

Sergeant Lone Night- Send a squad of night guards to perform either task required, night guards recommended due to increased ability to see it the dark as Antlerlartica is in the night period for the next thirty days

Sergeant Strong Shield- Just send Dave

Celestia placed the report onto a pile that was labelled ‘further consideration required’ both sergeants had valid points but Celestia didn’t fancy sending Dave into another confrontation so soon

A light flickered on in Celestia’s head, she felt any strong emotions that Luna felt and visa versa, the one Celestia could feel was happiness, for what Celestia had no idea but she felt it coming from Ponyville “Oh no please don’t tell me she got her hopes up again” the princess sighed

The light suddenly became a roaring inferno of rage, Celestia’s head shot up from her paperwork and she quickly teleported her telescope and herself onto her balcony

“Please Luna don’t do something you will regret” She begged as she aimed the telescope in her sisters direction

She focused in and saw the tackle from Rainbow Dash strike Luna away from Dave but the princess of the night quickly recovered and her horn glow brightly as the foolish Pegasus was lifted into the air, mouth open, screaming

Meanwhile…

Dave ran over to Luna and looked over at Rainbow Dash, her wings were slowly being compacted into her back, inch by inch

“Luna stop!” Dave yelled at the snarling alicorn

“NO SHE TOOK YOU AWAY FROM ME!” She bellowed loudly not taking her gaze from the screaming Pegasus

“No Luna she didn’t” Dave took a step closer “Please stop this now”

“NO SHE WANTS YOU AND SHE CAN’T HAVE YOU!” her voice made all the flowers in the area lose their petals from the force

‘she won’t listen to you, she wont rest until she thinks you are hers and hers alone’ the voice whispered ‘she will make sure Rainbow Dash is incapable of touching another thing if you don’t stop her’

Dave glanced at the helpless Rainbow Dash whose wings were now half their original length “Forgive me Celestia” He muttered sadly, as he grabbed Luna’s furiously glowing horn

The resistance from Dave sent a shockwave at Dash and her wings snapped back to normal, causing her to scream loudly before dropping to the ground and passing out

Luna’s head was forced towards Dave’s “What are you doinmfmf?” she tried to yell but was cut off by Dave forcing his lips to hers, her eyes widened in surprise but quickly fell shut as she eagerly threw her hoofs around him

Dave allowed his mouth to open and allow entry for Luna ‘I’m sorry Celestia I really am, this is the only way’ he thought sadly in a vain hope that Celestia could hear his thoughts as his stomach tightened in guilt

Celesta who was watching from afar cringed in pain as she watched her sister indulge herself in Dave’s mouth “So this is what it feels like to be betrayed by your sister” she said sadly as a tear formed in her eye “No Dave made the move, it isn’t Luna’s fault”

She pulled her head away from the telescope and levitated the bracelet Dave gave her onto her hoof “I’m sorry I tried to take him from you Luna” she smiled when she felt the wave of happiness crash through her sister but it also sparked a tidal wave of sadness through Celestia

She held the bracelet tight to her chest as tears streamed down her face “I promised I would look after you little sister, obviously he means more to you than he does to me”

Dave pulled his head away from Luna’s “Does that prove that I am not with Rainbow Dash or anypony else?”

Luna smiled cheekily “Almost” she giggled as she leaned forwards again

Dave couldn’t take the guilt anymore as it turned to self hatred “NO!” he yelled as he pushed Luna off himself “Listen things are very complicated for me right now so I would appreciate it if you could leave me alone alright?”

Luna smiled awkwardly at him “Umm ok so when should I come over to your place?” she wished she still had her fake eyelashes on so her eyes looked more enticing

“Hmm let me think, did I say come over to my place so we can bang like rabbits or did I say LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE?”

‘Oh yes’ the voice sighed happily to itself but Dave ignored it

Luna took a few frightened paces back from Dave who clenched his fists “Ok I’m sorry” Luna levitated the unconscious Rainbow Dash onto her back “I will take care of the element of loyalty as means of an apology” she smiled nervously

Dave turned and began to storm towards Ponyville “If she is ok by the time I come back I will listen to whatever you have to say” he hid his face behind the rim of his hat as guilt grabbed him again “I’m sorry I yelled at you”

Luna smiled after the human “Good to know he still thinks about me” she whispered to the unconscious Pegasus sprawled across her back as she began to fly into the air carefully

Dave hurried to sugarcube corner, weaving between the ponies that crowded the streets “What did I just do?” he whispered angrily as he rubbed his eyes

‘Well I would say that Celestia would never want to see you again after what you just did’ the voice laughed ‘I mean you kissed her sister first! How unfaithful can you get?’

“Shut up! I can solve all my problems, I just need to make a plan whilst out camping and I can sort everything out when I get back” Dave kept his own voice quiet as not to draw attention to himself

‘Oh a plan? Let me guess… tell Twilight, Luna and Fluttershy where to stick their relationships, forbid Rarity and Applejack from making anymore sexual advances, make sure Rainbow Dash isn’t a cripple before telling her what to violently do to herself oh and make sure everything is dandy with that bitch Celestia’

“Pretty much except Celestia isn’t a bitch” Dave walked onto the road leading to his destination

‘You didn’t know her a few thousand years ago’

“No I didn’t… wait what?” Dave almost tripped as he tried to make sense of what was just said to him

Dave got no response so he pressed on towards sugarcube corner and walked in slowly though the door “Hey everypony” he smiled happily as all the fillies ran up to him

“DAVE!” they all cheered as they tackled him to the ground “thank you for letting us come with you camping”

“Heh not a problem” Dave stood and brushed himself off “So is everypony ready to go?”

The crusaders, Spike and Dave all picked up their individual bags and said farewell to Twilight “Goodbye have a good time” she called “I will see you when you get back” Dave waved over his shoulder as the group pushed forth to his house

As they walked Dave ended up carrying all the bags as the children danced around his feet “Where are we gonna go?” Scootaloo asked as she dived over Applebloom

Dave playfully picked the orange Pegasus up “I have a map so we can choose where to go”

“Does that mean we can go camping in the Everfree forest?” Sweetie Belle grinned excitedly along with her two friends

“NO!” Dave and Spike said in unison as the memories of the timber wolves was brought back to light

They were replied by a collective “AWW” as they reached Dave’s front door and he opened it for them

“Alright upstairs now” Dave took the group upstairs and they all gazed at the map that coated one of the walls

“We should go like this!” Scootaloo traced a hoof along the map “That way we can camp on the mountain and get a great view”

“That will take ages to get up there,” Sweetie Belle groaned “We should go along here,” she pointed to a large cliff face that rested a few miles west of Ponyville

“That’s boring we should go here” Applebloom tapped her hoof on a location labelled ‘Ghastly Gorge’

Dave shrugged “how about we go through here?” he ran his finger along a stretch of woods and hills that spread in a wide loop before coming back into Ponyville

The fillies all nodded as they ran to go explore Dave’s home as he picked up a map showing the route they were going to take in detail

“Dave can I ask you something?” Spike asked playing with his claws

“Yeah ask away,” Dave continued to check the bags for anything he might have forgotten

“Well I’m sure you have been asked before but…” Spike looked around nervously “when are you going back to your world?”

Dave shrugged “Like I have said before, whenever Twilight finds a way”

“Yeah if she ever gets around to it” he grumbled quietly “but do you want to go?”

Dave stopped his rummaging, he wanted to stay with Celestia more than anything but the others were making it too complicated and the fact he wasn’t a pony still remained, he sighed as he finished checking the contents of his bag

“I don’t know” he sighed sadly as he began to walk downstairs, bags hung onto his back and a purple dragon jumped on his shoulder

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Spike leaned forwards too get a better look at Dave’s saddened face

“Well there is somepony I’m interested in” Dave shooed the fillies out of his house and locked the door behind him “but it won’t work no matter how hard I try”

Spike patted him reassuringly on his shoulder “Hey I can help, what’s wrong?”

Dave chuckled weakly “Do you know how to turn me into a pony?”

Spike scratched his head as the children danced around Dave’s long legs “Well I am sure Twilight would be able to figure something out”

“Well tell her if she does to keep it to herself” Dave sighed

“But if trying to turn you into a pony is a problem we can find a solution”

Sweetie Belle stopped chasing Applebloom to look up at Dave “Are you trying to be turned into a pony?”

“No” Dave growled, “That is the problem, I don’t want to be changed but it seems to be the only way my life here can be relatively normal” He opened the map as he lead the group away from Ponyville and towards an entrance of some woodland

Spike took the map from Dave as they walked along the tall green leaved trees, the sunlight sinking in from between the branches

Applebloom trotted alongside the tall human “So what was ya life like back on your world?”

Dave smiled “Well it was pretty boring, woke up, went to school, came home and played video games or watched a movie” Dave looked down at his hands “I remember wishing my life was a bit more exciting before I came here”

“Ya got your wish then” Applebloom smiled “Ya have been on all sorts of adventures since ya arrived”

“One dragon, wood wolves, talking ponies, unicorns, pegasi and a couple of princesses that control the sun and the moon” Dave counted the points on his fingers “Yeah just a few” he laughed

“I found a good spot to camp” Spike said triumphantly showing the map to Dave “It is a few miles north, near a lake”

“Good work Spike” Dave congratulated the smug dragon as they all changed direction towards their sleeping grounds “Judging by the terrain we should get there in an hour or two” Dave folded the map away

The group pressed on as a faint gust of wind made the branches sway in its path and a squirrel hopped down to collect any freshly fallen acorns

Meanwhile…

Luna flew away from Ponyville hospital, she had lied by saying Rainbow Dash had an accident during one of her tricks, they bought it thankfully

She flapped harder to increase her speed towards Canterlot, she was overjoyed that Dave was almost hers again but she could not sake the feeling of sadness

“Luna?” she heard Celestia’s voice resonated softly in her mind

“Yes Tia?” Luna responded applying a light amount of magic to her voice so Celestia could hear

“Do you mind if I teleport you here? There is a package for you” Celestia’s voice had the hint of sadness that Luna could feel

“Of course sister” Luna braced as she was engulfed by a white light and appeared in Celestia’s quarters “What is this package?”

Celestia held up a large silver bracelet that had a sapphire resting proudly in the centre “This arrived for you… from Dave”

Luna’s heart melted as she took the jewellery “Oh… it’s beautiful”

Celestia smiled as happily as she could as the last thing that connected her and Dave was passed to her little sister “It is isn’t it”

Celestia loved Dave but she could not ignore what he had done or the feelings Luna obviously felt for him, Luna and Dave were right for each other and Celestia knew it

Luna beamed happily as she slipped the bracelet on her hoof “I told you Dave felt the same way about me” she tapped the sapphire “the pattern engraved around the edges are a sign of commitment”

Celestia’s sad eyes turned to ones marking concern “Commitment? Where?” she walked over to her sister and looked deeply at the sapphire, indeed there were tiny markings which circled around the gemstone

“I can only think of marriage as being a larger commitment of love” Luna smiled happily “I’m glad I had time to reflect on ancient text whilst I was stuck on the moon otherwise I might have missed this altogether”

Celestia pulled her head back and slowly trotted over to her bed “only thing larger is marriage?” she muttered to herself “Dave must not have known what those markings mean, they come from the time of the great blaze so how could he know”

Luna hopped happily on the spot “Is it ok for me to depart back to my quarters until dinner?”

Celestia turned her head to smile “Of course, I will see you then” as Luna bounced out almost as happy as the element of laughter

Celestia waited until the door clicked shut before slashing her pillow with her horn out of frustration “Why would Dave get that bracelet for me if her felt for Luna?” she glared angrily at the pillow as she repaired it with magic “I want to know… no, I NEED to know”

She levitated over a parchment and quill and she wrote out a short letter before sealing it and sending it away with her magic “If Dave finishes his camping tomorrow evening it will give him plenty of time to get here and talk before spending the night with Luna”

Meanwhile…

Dave dropped the heavy bags as the fillies and dragon reached into their own bags and removed a variety of lunches

Spike had a few gems, Applebloom some apples, Scootaloo a couple of cupcakes and Sweetie Belle had a sandwich

Dave on the other hand had nothing and decided to build the tents for them all to sleep in, he originally got one for Spike and one for himself but the girls could all use the other the guys were not using

After he finished putting both the tents up he stood back happily looking at his work “See I can still do things that doesn’t include punching or getting brutally assaulted” he said triumphantly

Spike burped out a letter “We can’t get away can we?” he sighed, “Are we going back then?”

Dave picked up the letter “Is this for me?” he asked and received a nod from Spike “Then it can wait until tomorrow”

Dave threw the letter into his tent, pulled out a ball and passed it to Scootaloo “What’s this for?” she asked curiously “Are we gonna practice bouncing?”

Dave chuckled “I thought I could teach you how to play a sport from my world” he shook his legs to the side “Football… the English version not the American one because you don’t have hands”

Sweetie Belle finished her sandwich before picking the ball up “Why would you use your hands in a game called football?”

Dave shrugged “I have absolutely no idea”

Chapter 21

The ball flew gracefully through the air as Applebloom smacked it with one of her front hooves, it whistled past Dave’s fingers as he lunged to intercept it

“GOAL!” Spike cheered as the ball passed between two tall trees and Dave fell to the ground

“Handball no fair” Dave panted as he stood up

“We don’t have hands” Sweetie Belle giggled

“Well… I…but…” Dave looked around at the smiling ponies “Whatever” he groaned in defeat as he walked to collect the ball “Why did I choose to be the goalkeeper?”

The ball had bounced behind some bushes before rolling next to the lake, Dave jogged over just in time to stop the ball from entering the water

“Gottcha” He whispered victoriously as he wiped the muddy ball on the grass before picking it up, the reflection in the pool had his arms crossed and was smiling

“Is everything ok?” It asked

Dave threw the ball back over to the camp and heard them all begin another game happily amongst themselves “Yeah until I came here” Dave frowned irritably

“Oh come on are you still uncomfortable having me around?” the reflection threw a stone on its side of the pool but the splash occurred on both sides

“Well yes seeing as you dropped into my body without permission” Dave looked over his shoulder to make sure nopony was watching him “When are you going?”

The reflection looked up at its sky “When the time is right” it shivered as the sunlight shone on its face “Well done with Celestia by the way”

“You finally see how amazing she is?” Dave knelt down to the water

“No I was congratulating on how you managed to get rid of her in an exceedingly painful way” the reflection looked back with a sinister look “You shaved a few days of my waiting time”

“What the hell are you on about? What waiting time?” Dave poked the water and ripples spread across the surface

The reflection laughed loudly “Oh you don’t know do you?” it looked at the sun in a victorious glare “She saw”

Dave took a step back from the lake “Your lying, how would you know is she did?”

The reflection shook back to normal but the voice persisted “I will tell you later”

Dave ran to the water and punched it “Now!” he shouted quietly at the lake before standing up cautiously “Was she spying on me?”

He looked around for any glimpse of Celestia or any of her guards, he slowly walked back to the camp still scanning the area

Spike watched Dave reappear from behind the bushes, his face pale “Dave are you alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost”

Dave rubbed his face in his hands “Yeah I’m fine just a bit tired” he looked at the setting sun, it was duller than normal and the moon that replaced it shone brighter

Spike also noticed the changing of the glowing spheres “Huh I guess Celestia has had a tough day by the looks of things”

Dave quickly set about lighting a small campfire outside the two neighbouring tents “Alright who wants marshmallows?” he asked applying a fake tone of happiness ‘What if that thing is right?’ he thought to himself as he pulled out a large bag of spongy marshmallows

Spike cut open the bag using one of his claws and picked up some sticks they gathered earlier “So does anypony here want to play a game?”

Scootaloo bounced up and down on her flank “Oh Oh I know one!” she screamed excitedly as she was passed a marshmallow on a stick and held it above the flickering flames “I say we play truth or dare!”

The young children all agreed excitedly as Scootaloo tapped her chin “ok Applebloom… Truth or dare?”

Applebloom chewed her marshmallow eager to respond “Truth” she nodded

Scootaloo grinned, “Have you ever… called Miss Cherilee ‘mom’ at anytime?”

Applebloom squirmed under everypony’s gaze “well… um… once” she hid her embarrassment behind another marshmallow as everypony laughed, except Dave

Spike managed to stop sniggering in time to have his go “Ok, Sweetie Belle truth or dare?

“Truth” the eager little unicorn answered

Spike scratched his scales “Have you ever done something naughty and you didn’t get caught?”

“Well…” Sweetie Belle gently placed another marshmallow into the fire “there was this one time I accidentally spilt dye onto one of Rarity’s dresses and she thought it was opalescence”

Applebloom finally recovered from her embarrassment after laughing at Sweetie Belle’s confession “Spike, Truth or Dare?”

Spike stood up “I choose dare, I’m not afraid” he stated confidentially

Applebloom passed him a small stone “if ya eat gems then it means ya can eat this”

Spike rolled the dirty rock in his claws “This is so tasteless and dirty” he groaned

“So ya have eaten one before?” Applebloom and the other two fillies giggled loudly

“Wait no I meant to say… I mean,” Spike groaned loudly as he threw the stone into his mouth and it crunched loudly “Yuck” he shivered at the texture as he held his tongue out in disgust

The three fillies all laughed again as they continued to roast their marshmallows over the gentle flames, Dave sat staring deep into the burning twigs as his marshmallow turned black and began to slowly melt down the stick

Sweetie Belle managed to contain her laughter to look at Dave “Ok Dave, truth or dare?” the laughter subsided from the others as they all turned to look at his blank face

Spike poked Dave with his stick “Dave hello?”

Dave snapped back to reality as his marshmallow finally drooled around his fingers, throwing his stick onto the fire he licked the white glop from his fingers

“Sorry what were you saying?” Dave asked the group as he picked up a clean stick

“Truth or dare?” Sweetie Belle asked again and all the heads turned to Dave

Dave pondered as he stuck another marshmallow onto his stick and held it above the fire “I choose truth… got nothing to hide have I?”

Sweetie Belle’s smile drooped to curiosity as she shuffled closer to the fire “When you stayed at Rarity‘s after saving me and Applebloom…” Dave nodded as he placed his warm marshmallow into his mouth “what were you and Rarity doing?”

Dave gasped at the question causing him to choke on his marshmallow, he wheezed for a moment before managing to swallow

“Well like we said… she was taking my clothes off so I was more comfortable” Dave avoided the strange look he got from Spike “umm… she also threw them away I think, that was annoying”

Dave took his heated marshmallow off the stick before throwing it into his mouth, he threw his stick onto the fire before yawning loudly

“I am going to sleep now so don’t be too long before you all go to bed as well” Dave waited for them all to nod before making his way inside the tent “Ahh I am going to have to work fast when I get back” he muttered to himself as he crawled into his sleeping bag, the faint light from the fire outside casting the tent in dim, orange glow

Dave rolled onto his side, shutting his eyes and allowing sleep to gradually claim him “Do you want to talk now?” Dave opened his eyes as the voice in his head spoke calmly

Dave rubbed his eyes “No because Spike will be here in a minute so it may look a little weird talking to myself” he rested his head again

“He can’t read minds or invade dreams can he?” the voice almost had a hint of concern

“No I don’t think so” Dave sighed until he felt a tapping on his shoulder

“Then get up” the voice growled as opened his eyes to darkness

Meanwhile…

Celestia sat tapping her hoof on her bedroom floor, awaiting the faint popping noise that symbolised a letter from Dave

She paced around her room biting her bottom lip “I shouldn’t have sent that letter,” she groaned under her breath “No it was the right decision and I am sticking with it”

She paced over to her bed and relaxed across it, the window open allowing in a cool breeze which was refreshing from the heat of the summer night

As Celestia laid across her grand bed she laid her head down on the pillow that once housed her bracelet, the very thought brought back feelings of guilt and anger

“I should go get the bracelet back, Dave gave it to me not her” She grabbed her pillow tight with her hooves “But it’s obvious who he should be with”

Celestia raised her head to look at the bright moon as another breeze swept her curtains aside “Oh Celestia who are so foolish, they always did prefer Luna, you were to busy thinking of everypony else”

Celestia’s horn glowed as she slammed her window shut and the curtains fell back into place, she would rather have a bad night sleep than to bathe in the moon’s glow

The princess continued to flow her magic throughout the room as she levitated over her large brown book and a large scroll, as she unravelled the scroll and opened the book she sat up on her bed and began to read to herself

“Why do I need this anymore?” she pondered as she allowed the book to float downwards “I should return this to the library” As Celestia got to her hooves something made her stop

She thought back to when she saw Dave kiss Luna “Why would he string me along if he liked Luna? Why would he string Luna along if he liked me?”

The white alicorn sat on the edge of her bed as she brought over a clean piece of parchment, she wrote down some instructions before rolling up the scroll

“Guard!” she called out and one of the golden armoured guards stepped into her room

“Yes your majesty?” he saluted

“Can you send for Strong Shield? I have some orders for him” Celestia levitated her royal attire over to her as she carefully placed them on

The guard nodded and left the room, a few short minutes later and there was a knock at the door, Strong Shield stepped in saluting “What are your orders your majesty?”

Celestia levitated over the scroll to him and he unravelled the orders and read them to himself, he raised an eyebrow as he read them

“Your majesty I do not understand, why would you order this?” Strong Shield looked up from the orders to the glaring princess

“In all the time you have served me you have never questioned my orders” she tilted her head “If you are not feeling well I may have to relieve you of your duties”

Strong Shield tensed as he felt the threat hit him “I will follow these orders, I just wondered why you would ask something so foolish”

Celestia took a pace towards the sergeant her hooves landing heavily on the floor, her gaze would have made most ponies cower but Strong Shield met her gaze with a frown as if he was containing his emotions

“Don’t forget your place” Celestia glared down at the weaker being “You are only useful until Shining Armour returns, when he does you are of little value, so I suggest that you don’t talk down to me”

Strong Shield’s eyes never strayed from Celestia’s “I apologise your majesty but I am still rather confused about the orders”

“It says it plain and simply on the scroll” Celestia turned her back to him as she strolled back over to the window “When Dave arrives at the castle and tries to see me” She turned her head to look over her shoulder at the guard “stop him, by any means necessary”

Strong Shield slowly saluted “As you wish… your majesty” he turned and left the room shutting the door behind him

Celesta let out a deep sigh as her legs almost buckled beneath her “That silly guard” she muttered as she removed her attire again and set it aside “why is it that he seems to be more loyal to his duty of training guards than to following my orders?”

Celestia had almost caved in and confessed everything to him during their short staring competition, she had leaned in the vast time Strong Shield has been around is that if he says he will do something he would give his last breath to make sure it is done

“Oh Dave I’m so sorry” She sighed sadly to herself as she fell to her bed

Meanwhile…

Dave turned around frantically in the darkness, it was not cold and it was not warm, there was nothing just the black emptiness

“Now…” the voice echoed around him as Dave began to panic “why don’t you take a seat?”

As Dave turned, he saw two high backed, leather chairs one facing him the other facing away a small table sat between them

“WHERE THE HELL AM I?” Dave yelled at the chairs

Heard something move in the chair that had its back to him “This is your mind, don’t mind the emptiness it’s just spiritual not physical”

Dave slowly advanced towards the empty chair, the voice now quietened and only seemed to be coming from the occupied space

“Who the hell are you?” Dave asked as he sat in the chair, it didn’t feel like it was actually their and that Dave was just floating

The source of the voice was a copy of Dave, just with the same glaring eyes “Well I am many things” it picked up a teapot from the table and poured some tea into two large cups “Would you like a cup of tea?”

Dave took a cup, it did not feel like it was their either “Two things” Dave took a sip of the tasteless drink “Number one why the tea? And number two can you stop looking like me because it is a bit freaky?”

The doppelganger chuckled “Well I thought the tea would remind you of your true home” it took a sip and somehow seemed to enjoy the taste “Doesn’t everyone British drink tea?”

“That’s a stereotype,” Dave growled

“Is it now… and the answer to your other question is…” the fake Dave smiled “Yes… I shall take on a form more true to my natural state” it chucked before its face turned blank and its body began to swell

Dave nervously inched his chair back as red cracks appeared along the swollen mass’s body as it suddenly burst sending small bits of flesh into the black expanse

All that remained was a black cloud with streaks of red slashed across it’s humanoid shape “Is this better?” it’s blank face grew a dark red mouth that stretched across from one side of it’s head to the other

“Umm… I guess” Dave looked down at his tea to see one of the fake eyes looking back at him “But the transformation was kinda disgusting”

“Well that is what will happen in real life if I left your body too quickly” it picked up a sugar lump from the table and stirred it into its tea using what used to be a middle finger

Dave almost threw up at the sight but managed to hold it down “And just who the hell are you?”

“Well I haven’t had a name in so long I thought I would make a new one” it threw the finger aside and sipped the tea “For now you can call me… Odio”

“Odio right…” Dave placed his tea on the table as he sat back into his chair as he rubbed his forehead

“Now…” Odio’s blood red mouth turned to a large grin that spread around to the back of his black foggy head “Any questions?”

Chapter 22

Dave put his feet up onto the small wooden table “So what exactly are you doing living inside of me?”

Odio set his cup down as he also rested his long thick arms on the armrests “I needed a place to stay while I recovered my… energy”

“And how long is that going to take?” Dave looked at his watch “Because I seem to be losing a few minutes talking to you”

Odio chuckled and the redness dimmed but slowly returned to his body “heh that depends on your actions, things like fighting a dragon and being burned alive slows me down because I have to fix you”

Dave felt his skin crawl as the being made of a black fog pointed at him “So the reason I have the healing and the other stuff is because of you?”

Odio clapped but no noise was produced from his black hands “Yes while I am residing within you I have a small influence on things close by, but the only thing you bring to the table is a resistance to magic” Odio lent forwards and reached for a TV remote that appeared on the table

Dave and Odio watched as a large TV faded into existence next to the chairs they were both sat on “So that’s why the teleportation from Canterlot sent me and Spike partway” Dave tapped his chin “How am I resistant?”

“Your world is completely void of magic, your magicians just perform complex and difficult tricks” Odio pressed a button on the TV remote and a magician appeared on the screen holding a hat “the laws of your world still apply to you”

Dave recognised the magician on the screen “Hey he was at my eighth birthday party…” Dave looked over at Odio and snatched the remote “does this play my memories?”

Odio’s chair melted into the shape of a recliner as he relaxed back “Yes, this is your mind remember, your imagination is the law here”

Dave pressed some buttons on the remote “Ok… memory channels… recent… ah ha found it!” He selected the picture of Luna attacking Rainbow Dash “Now how did Celestia see me?”

Odio held out a pair of binoculars “Look at Canterlot in the distance… up a bit” he instructed Dave as he looked into the distance of his memory

Dave saw the tower that contained Celestia’s bedroom and saw the princess standing at her telescope looking directly at him “Ah crap” Dave sighed angrily as Odio glowed a dim red

Odio’s grin turned to a snarl as the image of Celestia filled the screen “She sent you a letter remember?”

Dave dropped the binoculars as he rubbed his face “Yeah I am going to read it the moment I wake up” he sat back in his own chair “I still have some questions that need answering”

The fog creature crossed its arms “Ask away so after tonight we wont have to talk as much”

“Why can’t you live outside of me? Or in a pony?” Dave concentrated on the table as a can of cola faded into view

Odio leaned over towards Dave “Because there are certain forces that wish to remove me from existence and I don’t want to be destroyed”

Dave opened his can as he sat back into his chair “Yeah well after the way you have been treating me I might help them” he took a sit of what should be a can of refreshing drink but instead it tasted of nothing

“You wouldn’t want to do that” the black fog floated from its chair and over to Dave “Because if they find out I am here they will get rid of you as well”

Dave wafted some of the putrid black smoke from his face “Why the hell would they do that?”

Odio floated back into his chair “Because of a certain side effect that I didn’t really predict when I fused into your body”

It was Dave’s turn to stand up now and he threw his can aside “Wait side effect? So you have been giving me some weird condition and not telling me?” He pointed angrily at the black and red fog

“And there it is” Odio’s red smile dimmed “Because your body is resisting me I am having to apply some force to keep me here and that has caused a slight… mixing of our personalities”

Dave raised an eyebrow “Mixing? Am I gonna end up looking like you?”

“No but have you noticed your temper has been rather short lately? I am… was normally angry all the time but now I have become slightly more cynical” The fog brushed Dave’s fingers away as a thin strand coiled around his neck “But don’t think I don’t have gone soft”

Dave felt the black string tighten slightly around his neck “You said you could influence things slightly… what kind of things?”

Odio’s grin returned, “I can slightly delve into the minds of others and get a better grasp on their intentions”

“So you could see if Celestia is ok for me?” Dave smiled even though the grasp around his throat returned

“I wouldn’t want to delve into her mind even if I could” Odio’s foggy figure shaped wavered slightly “Alicorns I can’t see into, maybe Luna if I try… Unicorns are slightly harder due to magical properties, Pegasi and earth ponies are relatively easy and Pinkie Pie…”

“Pinkie Pie what?”

Odio seemed to shrug lightly in his dense fog “Her mind is so confusing I just decided to back out, some of the ideas she has are just strange”

“Whatever are we done here?” Dave summoned a large pair of scissors to cut the tendril as he turned and took a few paces away “I have a letter to read”

Odio rose up as well “Fine I can send you from this place but remember, no one is to know I am here” a red light slowly began to fill Dave’s vision “If I am revealed they will know instantly and they will come for us”

“What are these things that might come looking for you?” Dave called as he shut his eyes because of the intensity of the light

“They are infinitely powerful at this time so I recommend ignoring it” Odio responded as Dave fell to his back

As Dave landed he awoke inside a dimly lit tent, as he sat up he noticed Spike curled up and sleeping next to him “Heh cute little guy”

“Not in a century or two when he hits natural puberty” Odio whispered in his head before fading away

“Well I won’t be alive then so who cares?” Dave muttered to himself as his waking irritated Spike’s slumber

Dave carefully climbed out of the tent, picking up the letter along the way so he did not disturb Spike further, the low morning sun cast a dull orange glow across everything

As he climbed out, he saw the charred remains of sticks and marshmallows piled in the centre of a small stone circle, a small wisp of smoke coming from a small ember at the heart of the burnt wood

Dave gently poked his head into the girl’s tent to see them all laid out in different positions about the tent, they all breathed gently, Scootaloo’s wings occasionally flapping

Dave walked gently over to the other side of their makeshift campsite and unrolled the letter

Dear Dave

The castle is available for you to stay in for the next few days if you wish to visit Canterlot properly this time, you may bring the elements of harmony with you

From Princess Celestia

Dave reread the short letter as he rolled it up again “huh an invitation to the castle so I can seethe city?” Dave scratched his chin “Something doesn’t seem right”

Dave walked over to his tent, pulled out a saucepan and wooden spoon “OI BREAKFAST!” he yelled as he bashed his spoon against the bottom of the saucepan

Dave’s tent filled with a green glow as Spike jolted awake sending a small burst of flame from his nose, the girl’s tent jumped of the ground as they bolted awake and Scootaloo literally hit the roof

Dave started cooking a light breakfast as the campers all exited their tents with tired faces “Why couldn’t we stay in bed a little longer?” Applebloom groaned as she sat next to Dave

“Because that’s what campers do, stay up late and get up early for some silly reason” Dave evenly shared out some of the breakfast amongst the fillies before placing what was left onto his plate

“Hey what about me?” Spike complained as the girls hurriedly ate their breakfast

Dave passed him a small bag “will emeralds do?”

Spike opened the bag and three large emeralds rolled onto his lap “How did you get these?”

Dave managed to swallow in time to answer the dragon’s question “Just a few of the gems from my chests at home”

Spike bit of the end of one of the gems, crunching loudly as he chewed “Thanks Dave” he said from behind small dark green shards

“No problem, now eat up so we can start heading back… we have a train to catch!” Dave said excitedly

“Again? Can’t you just have a few quiet days at home?” Spike groaned

Dave started collecting clean plates “Because that would be way too simple,” he said keeping his enthusiastic tone as he started dismantling the tents

They packed up and began their journey home, Dave continually complaining about how football should be played in Equestria along most of the trip

Meanwhile…

Twilight left the post office with a letter from the Princess floating alongside her as she walked into her library, she had collected the letter from the post office because she had received a letter while Spike had met her in sugarcube corner

The original letter simply stated ‘Check post office for next couple of days’ not sure why, Twilight blindly followed her teacher’s wishes and sat down in her bedroom as she unrolled the letter

My faithful student

I have sent a letter to Dave as well informing that you may all come and stay in the castle again so Dave may fully visit Canterlot

He shall be returning today so you can all catch tonight’s train and I shall see you all by morning

Princess Celestia

Twilight eagerly levitated her travel bag over and began to pack some essentials

“Another chance to stay in the castle? This is great, I can show Dave some of the sights” She began to daydream to herself until a bird chirping broke her concentration “The others!” she suddenly remembered

She dashed downstairs, out her front door and towards Sweet Apple Acres via Sugarcube corner

As she ran into the front door of the shop Mrs Cake finished serving a customer and greeted Twilight with a smile

“Oh hello are you here for Pinkie Pie?” She began to turn towards the baking area as Twilight stopped at the counter

“I can’t stop but is it possible she can be packed and ready for a short trip to Canterlot by this afternoon?” Twilight trotted on the spot in eagerness to run for Applejack’s farm

Mrs Cake smiled again warmly “Why of course, she has been helpful these past few days, I’ll pass the message on”

“Thank you so much” Twilight nodded as she charged out of the front door again and towards the bridge out of town

Meanwhile…

Rainbow Dash angrily walked out of Ponyville General Hospital as she shook her wings “Stupid alicorn and her magic”

Her wings had suffered no damage but still felt sore as she flapped them to get into the air “Next time she wont be so lucky” She grumbled as she flew into town

“RAINBOW DASH!” Somepony screamed from below

Dash looked down to see Pinkie sticking her head out of her bedroom window, she flew down to greet the hyperactive pony

“Hey Pinkie how’s it going?” Rainbow floated a few feet away from the window but enough to hear Pinkie clearly

“Twilight was just here and she said we are going to Canterlot again this afternoon to stay in the castle so Dave can visit the city rather than being stuck in the castle all day” Pinkie waved her arms in the air “Isn’t that great?”

Rainbow Dash tapped her hooves together evilly “Go to Canterlot? Stay in the castle? Yeah sounds like fun” she smiled back at the excited mare

“Ok I’ll meet you at Twilight’s in a bit so we are ready for when Dave and the others come back” Pinkie bounced away and over to some pink saddlebags

“Yeah I’ll catch you later” Dash waved as she flew up to her house “And I can catch that alicorn while I am at the castle too”

A Few hours passed as Twilight managed to tell her friends about the small trip to Canterlot and Dave began to reach the outskirts of Ponyville…

“For the last time I don’t want to talk about it” Dave groaned as he paced down the hill, Ponyville was further than Dave had originally counted on

“Aww please tell us,” Scootaloo begged as her and the others jumped around his legs

“FINE!” Dave sighed in defeat “I once got glitter stuck up my nose and I sneezed into some girl’s face”

Spike roared with laughter with the fillies “How did you get glitter in your nose?” he managed to ask through his giggles

“I was five and I wondered what glitter smelled like” Dave pulled his hat down low to hide his embarrassment “It was a sticky, sparkly mess”

The children continued to laugh hysterically as they approached Dave’s house, he opened the front door so he could throw his bag inside before following the fillies back to Ponyville

“Right me and Spike have got to go find the others so I will take you to Ponyville” Dave lifted the dragon onto his now free shoulder “Will you be ok from there?”

Sweetie Belle nodded “We will be fine… it’s just a shame we didn’t get out cutie marks in camping”

As they arrived in the town the girls ran off as Dave and Spike headed for the train station, the sun was already beginning to fall as they turned the corner leading to the station

“HI DAVE!” Pike called out loudly from behind him

“AH oh… hey Pinkie, hey everypony” he waved as the other five ponies appeared from behind Pinkie

Twilight walked alongside Dave as they all continued their journey together “So what were you thinking of doing in Canterlot?”

“Oh this and that” Dave scratched his elbow “I may spend most of my time in the castle anyway”

Rainbow flew over to the platform as the others neared it “You should hang out with us, we know all the best places”

Dave was relieved to see Rainbow Dash was flying normally again as he heard the train whistle in the distance “I guess we will have to wait and see”

As they all stood on the edge of the platform, the train slowed and the driver gave Dave a small nod before the train stopped completely

“How far today?” the driver chuckled as the ponies all climbed into the cabin

As Dave started to climb in he looked back at the driver “All the way to Canterlot today, without any drama along the way please” he teased as the driver saluted playfully

“Why of course sir” the driver whistled the horn again as he released the brakes and the train began to slowly gather speed

Meanwhile…

Celestia held her head high, following alongside Strong Shield as they walked past the guards outside her room “What preparations have you made?”

“The guards have been doubled” Strong Shield saluted the rows of guards that walked past them “The numbers increase the closer he might get to your room”

“Will they be enough to stop him?” Celestia did not even look at the tired guard that accompanied her

“If they are as well trained as I believe they are then yes” Strong Shield looked back at the small platoon outside the princesses quarters “But if he is truly determined to see you I don’t think anything could stop him short of yourself, princess Luna or the elements of harmony”

Celestia paused to gaze out of the windows that lined the long corridor leading to her room “When he arrives act normal and take him to see my sister”

Strong Shield saluted “I have made sure that nopony outside of this castle will ever know what happens here” He dropped his hoof to the floor again “I shall handle everything”

Celestia gave a small nod at the sergeant left to finish preparing for the morning “See that you do” She hated applying this tough act but it was vital to her plan

“If he really wants to… he can get to me” She sank her head “I hope he does” she wished that this test would not cause any harm

Chapter 23

“Hey umm… do you mind giving us a hoof?” The driver poked Dave until he rolled out of his bunk and landed on the floor with a thud

“Huh what?” Dave raised his sleepy head to look up at the driver “Umm… sure” He pushed himself to his feet and followed the driver outside

Three large stallions stood by a large brown cartridge, one side had been taken off revealing large wooden contraptions within

“What are these?” Dave asked as one was carried out by one of the stallions, “They look like… giant crossbows”

One of the stallions, the leader by the look of his clipboard cutie mark stepped over and looked Dave over “What the hay?” The stallion shook his head “These are Pegalaunchers and they are supposed to be shipped to the castle, there are four to be shipped but one of my guys chipped a hoof”

The stallion pulling the giant crossbow stopped for a moment to lean closer to the conversation “He broke his leg!”

“He is a cry baby!” The boss replied “Today it’s a broken leg and last week it was toothache” he turned back to Dave as the two workers removed the rest of the launchers from the cartridge and replaced the wall “Anyway the driver said you could pull the last one for us”

Dave walked over to the launcher left on the floor, it was about four times as long as Dave was tall and it laid on small wheels “well me and my friends were going to the castle anyway so I suppose I can give you a hand”

Dave turned to the driver “Can you get my friends please?”

The driver shook his head “Oh they left about five minutes ago” He headed back for his train “They said they would wait by the castle gate for you”

“Well thanks for everything I’ll see you later” Dave waved to the driver as he disappeared back inside the train “I will just follow you guys then” Dave picked up two pieces of rope and held them over his shoulders as he walked up the tall street

The boss attached some ropes around his chest “Right lads no breaks just a clean run” the other two stallions nodded as they attached their ropes in similar fashions

They all began their accent up the marble street, the boss was in front of the group with Dave pulling at the back, and the high-class ponies all had their noses turned up high but still gave shocked looks at Dave

“What is that horrifying beast?” A mare asked from beneath a large fancy hat

Dave let out a deep breath “I do say, that is a wonderful hat madam” he smiled as he applied a strong British accent

“Oh I say it has manners” the mare held her head high again as she trotted away

“Hmm I may end up ravaging these fancy snobs,” Dave muttered to himself keeping the accent

“Don’t mind them they are all like that to anypony that isn’t classy or has a larger reputation than themselves” the stallion ahead of Dave called back to him

Dave kept pulling the launcher, ignoring all the looks from the upper class ponies and as they reached the large wall separating the city from the castle the boss stopped to talk to one of the guards

“Here are the launchers you ordered,” he panted weakly as he regained his breath

The guard counted the launchers and gave Dave a quick glare “Take them inside, you may leave them there and you shall be paid”

“Ta mate” the boss continued through the slowly opening gates that led onto a large courtyard

As the small convoy left the cargo next to the large white steps, Strong Shield and a white Pegasus guard came down to meet them

“Thank you for the delivery here is your payment have a good day” Strong Shield passed the boss a bag of rattling coins

“Hey Shield” Dave smiled as he dropped his ropes and passed the leaving delivery stallions

Strong Shield whispered something to the Pegasus who saluted and quickly flew away “Hello again Dave”

Dave walked over and playfully saluted the unicorn “so how have things been?”

“Everything has been meeting standards” Strong Shield turned and began to climb the stairs, followed by Dave

“Where are my friends? They should be here” Dave looked around at the empty courtyard

“Ah yes the one called Rainbow Dash became very excited when she met Spitfire of the wonderbolts” Strong Shield nodded to a Pegasus guard in the sky “They followed her to watch her assist with the preparation of the launchers”

“Ok well umm… is Celestia about?” Dave asked as he caught up to the guard

“Princess Celestia is in her quarters with business” Strong Shield saluted the guards that opened two large golden doors that led into the castle “I am taking you to see Princess Luna as she is available at this time”

Dave avoided the stares from the guards he passed “oh well I would really like to see Celestia to be honest”

Strong Shield took Dave up the long twisting stairs of the castle towards Luna’s bedroom “Princess Luna can assist with any problems you may have”

“Not every problem” Dave grumbled quietly as he stepped into Luna’s quarters

Luna sat at her desk but her head quickly swung around to smile at Dave “Ah hello Dave”

“Umm… hey Luna” Dave heard the door click shut behind him as the princess approached him

“So how was your camping trip?” she trotted a bit too close for Dave’s comfort

“It was ok… learned some new stuff” Dave felt a small pain in his head, obviously a warning from Odio

“That is good to hear” Luna stepped closer to Dave as he took a step back “So what are you going to be doing while in Canterlot?”

Dave shrugged “I might just go and see some of the sights” he carefully stepped around Luna to look out of the balcony window, a few guards were flying in the sky above

“The weather schedule is supposed to be sunny for a few days but they are still debating rain” Luna stood next to Dave “Where are you staying?”

Dave scratched the side of his head “I don’t know… guest room again?”

Luna looked at the side of his face “You could always stay here with me”

Dave quickly retreated away from the blushing alicorn “oh no that wouldn’t be appropriate” Dave almost tumbled backwards as he swerved around a table “only ponies in relationship should do something like that”

Luna giggled, “Well we are in a relationship are we not?”

Dave’s eye twitched in disbelief “NO! I only kissed you so you wouldn’t make Rainbow Dash a cripple”

Luna trotted over suspiciously “Then why did you send me this?” she removed one of her shoes to reveal the silver bracelet

‘Oh it appears my attempts at adding a loving touch to the bracelet may have gone wrong’ Odio chucked but Dave ignored him

Dave took the bracelet and looked at the symbols around the sapphire “I didn’t send it to you I personally gave this to…”

Dave’s eyes widened with realisation as he quickly slipped the bracelet onto his wrist and ran out of the door “I’ve got to go”

“Are you ready to meet your friends?” Strong Shield stood waiting for Dave

Dave shook his head “I need to see Celestia”

Strong Shield’s calm face grew to a frown as he stretched his legs “I’m afraid she doesn’t want to see you”

The guards either side of Dave slid into position without him noticing “I don’t care I NEED to see her”

Strong Shield’s horn glowed and a loud bell rang out in the castle halls “Well I’m afraid I have orders to fulfil”

“What do you mean orders?” As Dave finished his question, the guard to his left leapt at his chest while the other jumped at his legs

As Dave twisted through the air one of the pegasi from outside flew through a window and smashed Dave down the stairs outside Luna’s room

As Dave bounced down the stairs more guards appeared at the bottom and caught Dave in a large net, they tied the top with a magical loop being cast by a unicorn guard

Dave squirmed in the net desperately trying to break free “What the hell? LET ME GO!” Dave fought against the mesh that contained him “What is all this?”

“My orders” Strong Shield calmly walked down to him “I’m sorry but you won’t be seeing Celestia today”

Dave managed to squeeze an arm through the net and pressed it against the cold floor “Your opinion” he growled as he pushed the ground as hard as he could

The trapped Dave flew towards a nearby window, bashing the guard securing his prison in his head so he lost concentration on the spell

As Dave flew through the window a corner of the net was caught on the broken glass and quickly unravelled spinning him round and round

As the net fully opened, Dave’s trapped arm caused him to swing into a lower window a few floors below his capture point

“Hmm” Strong Shield hummed “I wasn’t expecting that” he muttered as he sped off in quick pursuit of Dave, his horn glowed and another bell rang out

Dave meanwhile shook the dizziness out of his head as he ran in the direction of Celestia’s quarters “I’m going to get to you if it is the last thing I do” Dave vowed as the sounds of hooves and the clunking of armour seemed to roar from every direction

As he turned a corner more guards appeared to block his path, they all took up a formation as they slowly advanced towards him

Dave turned to see the pursuing guards taking a similar formation, Strong Shield stood at the back of the corridor and watched with his good eye as Dave was slowly being sandwiched between the rows of guards

“Do you wish to go anywhere other than Princess Celestia’s quarters?” Strong Shield asked as Dave’s escape routes were cut off quickly

“No I am going to see her!” Dave glared at the Sergeant “Don’t try to stop me you know the risks”

“I do” the guard replied calmly “But I also have orders”

Dave looked around frantically for an escape route “Which is more important your guards or your orders?”

Strong Shield did not blink “My loyalty to the throne is more important than anything”

Dave backed against the wall as a mix of different ponies slowly closed the gap around him “Why did Luna order this?”

“Halt!” Strong Shield ordered as he marched closer behind the wall of armoured guards “What makes you think Princess Luna ordered this?”

Dave did not take his eyes from the motionless guards “Isn’t it obvious? Not allowed to see Celestia but to be taken strait to Luna instead,” Dave allowed a quick glance at Strong Shield “When did Luna order this?”

Strong Shield took a step closer to get a better look at Dave “Princess Luna didn’t order this… Princess Celestia did”

Dave lost his attention on the guards around him as his face turned white “Celestia ordered this? Did she say why?”

“I don’t question orders” Strong Shield watched Dave slide to the floor

“But… I…” Dave bashed his head against the wall behind his head, his eyes opened with a new sense of determination that concerned Strong Shield “This wall is hollow”

“ADVANCE!” The Sergeant boomed as Dave rolled to his feet and dived through the thin marble wall, the guards poured through the new hole as Dave climbed to his feet

He had crashed through into the dining hall, servants were preparing the table for decoration as Dave slid over the table and ran for the doors pursued by guards

The guards did a mix of running, flying and a few of the unicorns attempted a small teleporting dive to try to grab Dave’s legs

Dave pushed the door open as he hurried through, pegasi guards flying through the large door with ease “Leave me ALONE!” He yelled as a Pegasus managed to grab him by the neck

Dave grabbed the Pegasus by its helmet and threw him out of one of the windows that lined the long corridor, it spun in the air before regaining control and rejoining the chase

Strong Shield walked out of the dining room to see his guards chasing Dave down the long corridor, he began to walk calmly in the opposite direction as he climbed some stairs

Dave reached a set of stairs and began to climb three stairs at a time, as he reached the upper floors he dived into one of the guest rooms and held the door shut

The guards outside all nodded at each other, the pegasi guards flew away and out an open window, the unicorns and earth ponies both began to push the door with all their strength

Dave struggled to keep the door shut as a squadron of pegasi hovered outside the window “Oh give me a break!” He sighed

The pegasi charged at the window, Dave ran towards them but slid under the bed and pushed it upwards, the pegasi closed their eyes as they broke through the glass and opened them to crash into a large bed

The ponies attempting to open the door fell through as the resistance against them disappeared, as they looked up they saw a bed flying towards them, a unicorn just managed to stop it with magic before it collided into them

Dave quickly ran out onto the balcony and jumped down a few balconies on lower floors before heading back into the corridors “I’m coming Celestia” the silver bracelet bounced around his watch as he ran

Dave began his ascent up some stairs as the noise of guards filled his hearing and they swarmed towards his position

Dave stopped as he reached the first step, he looked out of a window and saw one of the launches being assembled, Spike and the ponies were there as well as a Pegasus with a navy body, a light orange head with fiery orange hair

Dave watched as a unicorn servant finished putting the contraption together and left the training ground, his eyes following the pegasi guards above

“There he is!” A guard yelled from the other end of the corridor

Dave looked over his shoulder at the small group of earth ponies led by a unicorn, he glanced up the stairs before deciding to step back and began running along the corridor again

Dave kept looking outside the windows along his right so he could watch the training grounds come closer

The corridor curved around and Dave ran on the opposite side of it as far from the windows as he could “Come on, come on” He muttered angrily as he heard more guards coming the other way

Dave took one final peek outside before he changed course towards the window

Meanwhile…

“That sounds awesome!” Rainbow Dash looked in awe as one of her idols looked over the launcher

Spitfire smiled to herself “Yeah I guess so, the guards say that we can use these for any major performances in Canterlot” She looked back “These are meant to assist us with getting up to high speeds quickly”

Twilight looked along all the mechanics “It looks really simple yet effective, how far will you go?”

The wonderbolt looked up to the sky “Well on the lowest setting it could easily send me out of the castle and past most of Canterlot before I have to start flying normally”

As they all listened intently on Spitfire they all jumped in surprise when they heard a window smash behind them

They all turned to see a broken window a few floors up and a rustling tree beneath, it shook violently before Dave fell out and hit the ground

He groaned as he got to his feet “Hey everypony” He jogged over, glancing quickly at the window he had just jumped from “Hello I’m Dave, Human and I would love to know how it works please” He waved at Spitfire as her eyebrows rose at the sight of him

“Well hello… Dave, I’m Spitfire” Spitfire shook her head as she turned back to the launcher “This is where the Pegasus sits” she pointed at a small wooden plank where a pony could perch themselves

Dave saw a lever a few feet from the launcher “Does that fire it?” He asked pointing as he picked Spike up

“Yeah it is always a few feet from the launcher for safety reasons” She tapped a large handle that sat at her head height “This aims it all”

“Oh so…” Dave pulled the lever and the launcher slowly moved around and he slowly raised the front “That seems simple” he kneeled awkwardly on the small wooden plank as Spike gripped him tightly

“Umm… Dave please don’t sit like this, what if it goes off?” Spike chuckled weakly as some guards began to pour onto the training grounds

“Oh sorry Spike” Dave held him between his hands “I’ll make this up to you” As the guards ran closer Dave threw Spike at the lever

“STOP HIM” a guard yelled as Dave suddenly shot upwards into the air

“What is he doing?” Applejack gasped as Dave flew through the air

“I don’t know but it looks like he is going to crash into Princess Celestia’s bedroom!” Twilight’s mouth hung open in disbelief

Dave spun in the air a few times before managing to steady himself, Pegasi guards attempted to tackle him out of the air but to no avail as he neared Celestia’s bedroom window

He threw his hands around his head as he smashed through and collided with the wall that sharply threw him to the ground

Dave reached out with his hand and felt a hoof “Celestia I made it” he sighed happily as pain raced up his side

“No” Strong Shield replied as Dave looked up the rest of his body “You didn’t” his horn glowed and yet another bell rang out, this time a higher pitch than before

Dave saw the pegasi outside disperse “Where is Celestia?” Dave growled as he got to his feet

Strong Shield shook his head “She left when she heard you were on your way”

“No… She has to…” Dave sank to the floor again

Strong Shield placed a hoof on his shoulder “I suggest you come with me now,” he said gently as Dave removed the bracelet from his wrist

“Can I leave a note?” Dave’s voice wavered “Something I should say to her”

Strong Shield levitated a parchment and quill over “Speak”

Dave rose to his feet as he cradled the bracelet in his hands “Dear Celestia,” he took a deep breath as he looked at the broken window “I would have preferred to say these things in person but…”

Strong Shield looked at the sad human before him “Continue when ready”

“I am sorry if I have done something to offend you, truly I am” Dave walked over and placed the bracelet on the desk “But I got this for you and I meant for it to be a symbol of…” He glanced at Strong Shield “Of our… time together”

“Say what you mean don’t make it any different because I am here,” Strong Shield said calmly

“Ok… symbol of our… love I guess” Dave smiled at it “It’s funny, I never thought I would be with a princess” his smile faded “if you have need of me I shall be at the home you humbly provided for me and I am willing to perform any duties you have, if you have no duties I shall…”

The sergeant patiently waited for Dave to regain his composure

“I shall remain in isolation until Twilight Sparkle has found a way to send me back to my world, where I belong” Dave’s voice shook violently towards the end

Strong Shield never took his eyes from the parchment as he wrote

“From your loyal… servant Dave” Dave took the letter and kissed the bottom gently before placing it under the bracelet “Maybe this is for the best I stay alone” he whispered sadly as a tear dropped onto the parchment

Strong Shield opened the door where ten guards stood outside “He is coming quietly, you may continue with normal duties” He turned and looked at the crying Dave as he slumped to the floor again

“I never thought my life would come to this” Dave looked over at Strong Shield with streaming eyes “I never thought that I would be here, I never thought I would find love like I did” His eyes fell to the floor “I should have never thought that Celestia actually was right for me”

Strong Shield walked over and helped Dave to his feet “Come on now” his voice almost sounded sympathetic

Dave stroked the bracelet once more as he headed for the door “I would give everything just to be with her one last time”

“Just give me an answer” Celestia appeared in a bright flash of light “What is your plan?”

Dave smile almost did not show on his face as he saw the serious look across the princesses face “Right now I plan to move as far away from anypony so I don’t screw up any more”

“Why?” Celestia stood as she glared at him

“I know you saw me kiss Luna, I did it because it was the only way to stop her hurting Rainbow Dash without resorting to violence” Dave’s eyes fell to the floor “I felt guilty doing it and it was the single greatest mistake of my life”

Celestia levitated the letter over to herself as she listened to Dave “Do you feel anything for my sister?”

“Friend yes but nothing more” Dave looked at the serious face from the princess “as I can tell that we aren’t special anymore”

Celestia did not blink “No we aren’t”

Dave felt those words strike him deeper than any wound he ever felt “…ok…I’m sorry I wasted your time”

Celestia watched as Dave slowly removed his watch “Would you like an assignment?”

Dave dropped his watch to the floor “I would like to die to be honest but I can’t… so I leave everything to my friends and the money to be given to charity or somepony who needs it”

Celestia blinked slowly as her eyes met Dave’s “And what about you?”

Dave shrugged “I’m sorry Celestia for everything I wish I could go back and spare myself from this at least… I can tell you must find this easier”

“Where are you going?” Celestia took a pace forwards

“You know I wouldn’t get rid of my memories” Dave smiled slightly “Even though I wish I could remember that night”

Celestia took a few deep breaths “Where are you going?” she said again as she took another pace

Dave smiled at her “I hope you find somepony who can make you happy, as happy as I would have tried to make you”

Celestia’s act fell as Dave’s face streamed tears again and he turned to leave “Dave wait!” she called out in a completely different tone

Dave wiped his face as he turned to look back at her “Yes princess?”

Celestia’s own face began to fill with tears “Please don’t call me that” she wrapped her hooves around his neck as she rested her head against his “don’t ever call me that please”

Dave slowly wrapped his arms around her back “Why are you doing this to me?”

“I don’t know… I didn’t know what to believe when I saw you with Luna, you seemed so happy when you talked with her on her balcony” Celestia rubbed her head against Dave’s

“I would never do anything to hurt you… that is why I have to go” Dave held back most of an onslaught of tears as Celestia gripped him tighter “Eventually you can forget about me”

“No, no, no” She wrapped her wings around him “I never want to forget about you”

Dave pulled himself away and he matched Celestia’s teary stare “You deserve to be happy”

“I’m happy with you” she gazed into Dave’s dull blue eyes

Dave held her hooves in his hands “I…”

Celestia tried to keep eye contact with Dave as he looked down “Please don‘t go, please”

Dave looked back at her “I didn’t get chased by your entire army through your castle just to walk away now”

They both smiled as Celestia pressed her lips against Dave’s and they held each other tightly, Strong Shield watched them stop crying and left the room quietly, using his magic to repair the broken window on his way out

Dave and Celestia remained in her room neither wanting the moment to end as they stood there, lips together, Celestia’s wings wrapped around them and her sun shining brighter than before

Chapter 24

Dave stood holding Celestia in his arms, her wings still wrapped around them both like a barrier to prevent any disruptions

Dave held Celestia as tight as he could, her flowing mane caressed his fingers as he held her close and she allowed her crown to fall from her head

Celestia reluctantly pulled her head away from Dave’s, she kept her lips close to his, their breaths being shared between them

“I’m sorry I ever doubted you” Celestia whispered “I promise to never leave your side”

Dave smiled happily “And I promise I will always be here for you”

Celestia’s horn glowed faintly as her royal attire was removed and she replaced her silver bracelet “What are you going to do today?”

Dave stroked the side of Celestia’s pure white face “I am going to stay with you all day… if you will have me”

Celestia held Dave even tighter “That would make me happier than ever before” She tilted her head away “Guard!”

A Pegasus guard stepped in and saluted with a grey hoof “Yes your majesty?”

“I don’t want to be disturbed for the entire day, I don’t care if Discord has escaped again” Celestia quickly returned her head to Dave “Understand?”

“Yes your majesty” the guard left the room and closed the door gently

Celestia smiled happily “So what should we do?”

Dave looked around the room, a grand bed sat in the middle of the room its covers were completely flat, everything was adorned in white or in the princess’s cutie mark

“Well what could we do in here?” Dave continued to look around the room

Celestia could not see much from her current position, “Well we do have a bed” She blushed heavily as she met Dave’s nervous smile

“I-I don’t know about that” Dave chuckled slightly with Celestia “I have never done that type of thing before”

Celestia buried her head in Dave’s shoulder “I know me neither, don’t know why I suggested it”

Dave looked at Celestia “Hang on, you are countless years old and you never… mated?”

Celestia blushed as she hugged Dave again “Well I have had a… colt in the past that I was fond of but… he wasn’t in the relationship for me, he was just after my title”

Dave kissed Celestia deeply “Well I am willing to wait a million years for you to be ready for that… type of stuff”

“Thank you” the white alicorn held her head gently beside Dave’s “Dave no offence but… you smell a bit”

Dave laughed as he released Celestia “Yeah well running from your army didn’t help much in the sweat department”

Celestia took Dave into the bathroom “Here is my bath, feel free”

Dave gawped at the small private swimming pool complete with miniature waterfall “How big do you want this?”

Celestia smiled “Well I like to clean my wings thoroughly before I go out into public”

Dave removed his clothes and carefully stepped down into the water, it came up to his chest at the shallow end of the pool

“Wow I would have thought this was for exercise not washing” Dave swam to the other end of the pool and dunked his head under, as he came up he wiped his face “Where is the shampoo?”

Celestia tapped the water “All included, specially engineered so the water provides the right mix for whoever steps in”

Dave swam under the waterfall and allowed the falling water to massage his back “Ohh this feels so good” he sighed happily as he rubbed his back

Celestia gently stepped into the pool, the water rose to the base of her neck as she floated behind the waterfall and began to rub Dave’s back for him

Dave let out a deep breath as Celestia massaged him perfectly “How are you that good?” he asked

“About eighty-six thousand years ago me and Luna both took massage classes” Celestia whispered into Dave’s ear “Don’t ask why”

Dave reached over his shoulder and grabbed one of Celestia’s hooves “I won’t don’t worry” He gently pulled the hoof forwards as he replaced Celestia “Now let’s see if beginners luck is any better”

Celestia giggled as she spread her wings out wide “I’m sure you will be fine”

“I’m gonna try and my best though” Dave gently began to massage the joins between Celestia’s back and her wings “You seem to be carrying a lot of tension”

“You can tell?” Celestia smiled at Dave through the veil of water “You just said you never did this before”

Celestia could make out Dave’s smile “I just thought it would seem more professional if I said some words that they do”

Celestia giggled, “Yes well I would certainly be happy having you as my personal masseur”

Dave began to rub around the princess’s neck “Masseur as well as boyfriend?”

Celestia allowed her head to hang as relaxation seemed to flow from Dave’s hands, his fingers working the stress out of her muscles “Don’t you mean coltfriend? Or very special somepony?”

Dave walked through the waterfall and hugged Celestia “We can work details out later”

Celestia tilted her head back and licked Dave’s cheek “Whatever you say”

Meanwhile…

Strong Shield walked along the corridors, unicorn servants were fixing the broken windows

“Has the wall been repaired?” Strong Shield asked the repairpony

“Oh yes sir” The servant bowed his head weakly “I am just finishing off this one and then everything is as good as new”

“Good to see you are ahead of schedule” Strong Shield bowed his own head in return as he continued down the corridor

Strong Shield walked down into the training grounds where Spitfire was supervising the assembly of the remaining launchers

“Hey Strong Shield” She said happily as she heard the guard approach

“Good morning Miss Spitfire” Strong Shield looked over the three launchers “Has the forth been placed on the balcony outside the guard watchtower?”

Spitfire giggled, “Wow you don’t take a break do you?”

Strong Shield did not share her happiness as he took a deep breath “No I do not”

Spitfire leaned against one of the launchers “I bet you’ve seen a lot of action haven’t you?”

“I’ve seen my fair share” Strong Shield didn’t attempted to turn his scared eye away “How do these launchers perform?”

Spitfire shrugged “They work alright” She turned back to the guard “SO what is the most dangerous situation you’ve gotten into?”

Strong Shield rolled his good eye “Miss Spitfire don’t you have practise with the rest of the wonderbolt team?”

Spitfire gasped, “You’re right” she pushed one of the launchers so it aimed over the castle “Do you mind?”

Strong Shield pushed his hoof down on the lever and the orange Pegasus was shot into the air, he watched as she glided effortlessly over the tall castle and flew towards the wonderbolt stadium

“Sergeant Strong Shield” A guard called as he saluted

Strong Shield walked over and repaid the salute “Yes guardsman?”

“Princess Celestia has ordered that she is not to be disturbed today under any circumstances” The guard kept his eyes strait as Strong Shield sighed

“Well then those are our orders” Strong Shield saluted “Anything important comes to me and I shall either deal with it or pass it on to the ponies who can”

“Yes Sergeant!” The guard saluted as he marched away

Strong Shield looked up at Celestia’s quarters, the curtains were closed and the sun shone brightly on the castle walls, his eyes were turned away as a familiar voice reached his ears

“Strong Shield!” A well-built white stallion with a blue mane trotted over, his white horn stuck out of his mane

Strong Shield saluted “Captain Shining Armour”

Shining laughed “I still have one day left on my honeymoon” Strong Shield lowered his hoof “I trust you have been keeping things going since I have been away”

Strong Shield nodded “The guards have been working efficiently and no problems have caused any harm” He raised his eyebrow “May I ask why you are back so soon?”

“We had a fantastic time in Haywaii but me and Cadence decided to come back a little early” Shining Armour tapped his sergeant on his shoulder “Give you some time to tell me if anything has happened that I should know about”

“I have already compiled a report for you and it is currently residing in my desk in my office” Strong Shield began to walk around the captain “I shall go retrieve it”

“I will read it tomorrow” Shining Armour gazed at the launchers before following the guard “For now I might just follow you to see how you have been running things”

Strong Shield sighed quietly “Yes Captain” inside Strong Shield felt slightly happy that is workload had just been considerably reduced

Meanwhile…

Dave dried himself on a warm towel before pulling his clothes on “So I take it you don’t want to be cooped up in here all day” he called through into the bedroom

“Not exactly” Celestia replied, “Is there anything you would like to do?”

Dave walked through into the bedroom “Is there anywhere outside which is private?”

Celestia trotted over to him and placed her hooves around Dave’s neck “Well the gardens are off-limits to everypony except the guards, Luna and I so we could go there”

Dave rubbed his nose against Celestia’s “Do you fancy strawberries and cream and maybe some ice-cream?”

Celestia smiled “Why of course” she led Dave out of the bedroom and towards the garden, they passed the kitchen on the way to order some treats

As they stepped into the garden the sun shone brightly in Dave’s eyes “Whoa, do you have to have it so bright?” he joked

Celestia bumped her head against Dave as the walked over to a tall tree and sat in the shade of its wide branches

A servant unicorn levitated over a large basket, placed it down next to Dave and bowed deeply to Celestia

“Thank you” She smiled as the servant trotted away “So Dave… how long do you live for?”

Dave’s eyes widened as he slowly turned his head to the alicorn “What kind of question is that?”

Celestia rested her head on Dave’s shoulders “I’m sorry I shouldn’t have asked”

Dave wrapped an arm around her “Well generally somewhere in the seventy to eighty region”

“I’m going to enjoy every year” She smiled as she sat next to him

“So am I” Dave smiled as he kissed her head “Strawberry?”

Celestia pulled away “Yes please”

Dave opened the basket and pulled out a bowl full of strawberries, he picked the largest one up and held it out to Celestia, she leaned over and bit the strawberry and the juices burst flavour into her mouth

“Thank you,” she said happily as she ate the rest of the sweet fruit, her horn glowed as she levitated one over to Dave’s mouth “One for you”

Dave smiled as he allowed Celestia to levitate the red treat between his teeth, he bit down on the berry and the explosion of taste exploded around his tongue

“Thank you” He said happily as he savoured the taste, Celestia leaned her back against the tree and Dave rested his head in her lap as he looked up at her “What did I do to deserve you?”

“Well I suppose it was the fact you treated me like somepony normal rather than a princess” Celestia smiled down as she stroked his brown hair “You were so… comfortable around me”

“Yeah the look on your face when I randomly kissed you on the cheek” Dave chuckled slightly as Celestia blushed

“Think yourself lucky” she teased him slightly “I don’t normally date outside my species”

Dave smiled at the joke “you don’t date at all”

“What is this then” Celestia raised an eyebrow at him playfully

“Well we could label it Interplanetary relations” He reached up and stroked the side of her face “But to be honest I think this isn’t exactly at the date phase is it?”

Celestia levitated the basket closer and pulled out an ice-cream “If I could marry you I would”

Dave chuckled “Aww I don’t get to be a prince or… king?”

Celestia shook her head after she had a lick of the small cone “we could do a ceremony similar to a wedding but I have to remain a princess” she shrugged slightly “Something me and Luna thought up around half a million years ago”

Dave blinked heavily “To protect from ponies just after the power?” Celestia nodded “And could you please stop adding dates to things?”

“Sorry” Celestia poked Dave’s nose into the ice cream, leaving a small spot of chocolate on the end “I don’t know what I was thinking”

Dave sat up slightly and Celestia licked the ice cream from his nose “Well maybe I will give you a tickle you will never forget”

Dave grabbed Celestia and began to tickle her furiously, she laughed loudly and Dave could not help but join in as they rolled over each other in Celestia’s attempt to free herself

As they rolled out of the shade and into the bright sunlight Dave stopped tickling and returned Celestia’s hug

They stopped rolling, the laughter still flying from the love struck couple, Dave was lying on top of Celestia and he pushed himself up

As he managed to stop laughing he looked down at the giggling alicorn, they made eye contact as they both calmed down, their faces moved towards each other as they began to kiss

Meanwhile…

“No sir there have been no problems that couldn’t be resolved” Strong Shield sighed as the happy Shining Armour followed him

“Are you sure? Most of the time there is always something happening somewhere” Shining Armour continued to follow the irritated Sergeant down the corridors

“There was an incident with a dragon a few days ago but that has been laid to rest,” Strong Shield continued along his normal patrol route “Sir I recommend you allow me to get the report for you”

“Well I can read it later” Shining Armour looked out one of the windows and towards the bright sun

Strong Shield looked back at the superior officer “Sir in my report it details a visit that is occurring today”

Shining caught up with Shield “Who is visiting?”

“Your sister Twilight Sparkle and her friends” Strong Shield smiled as Shining Armour burst into a wide grin

“Twiley is here? Take me to her” Shining Armour quickly hurried as Strong Shield began to lead him through a shortcut through the gardens

As the walked along the path they heard sudden loud, high-pitched noises, both the guards looked around as they walked

Strong Shield saw Dave and Celestia out of the corner of his eye “Hmm no disturbances” He muttered to himself, he quickly turned as he remembered who he was leading

Shining Armour saw Celestia being held down by a strange creature, the noises could easily have been hers “PRINCESS CELESTIA!” He called out as he fired an aimed bolt of magic at the creature

The creature looked up just in time to be blasted away from Celestia as Shining Armour ran over Strong Shield following slowly behind

Celestia sat up slightly to see Dave stop rolling, a few wisps of smoke floating from his chest “Dave?” she said weakly as he did not move

Strong Shield saw the fear written across Celestia’s face “Uh Oh” he sighed

Shining Armour rushed to his princess’s side “Are you hurt Princess Celestia?” he looked cautiously at the creature

Celestia got to her feet slowly “Dave?” she called again weakly

Shining Armour suddenly became the guard he was known for “Sergeant take the Princess to a more secure location and send reinforcements”

Strong Shield watched as Dave’s hand slowly clenched into a fist “Sir with respect I suggest that YOU get to a more secure location”

Celestia’s horn flowed furiously as she levitated Shining Armour into the air a few feet in front of her

“What do you think you are doing?” She growled as her face curled into a snarl

Shining Armour looked around confused “I-I’m protecting you” He gulped loudly as the princess took a menacing step towards him

“You have no idea what is about to happen to you if Dave is hurt” Celestia’s stare chilled Shining to his core

A hand gently rested on Celestia’s back “It’s ok Celestia, he made a mistake it happens to all of us” Dave stepped beside her

Celestia set the confused and scared unicorn down “I ordered for no disturbance”

Dave placed a hand under her chin and gently brought her gaze to his “Celestia I’m ok”

Celestia wrapped her hooves around Dave’s neck and buried he head into his chest “I was so frightened when you weren’t moving”

Dave heard her begin to cry as he stroked her mane “Shhh its ok” he reassured her

Strong Shield tapped Shining Armour on the shoulder and led him back inside “You just threw yourself into one of the most dangerous situations I have ever seen”

Shining Armour glanced back before looking at the scarred guard “What just happened and what was that thing?” he panted

“That was item one in the report” Strong Shield smiled slightly “That was Princess Celestia and her special somepony Dave”

“Dave?” Shining Armour gawped “Princess Celestia and… him?”

“Oh he is very capable” Strong Shield almost cracked a smile “You would benefit getting to be his friend like me”

Meanwhile…

Dave and Celestia both sat under the tree, holding each other tightly

“Well…” Dave sighed gently “I suppose I could expect that kind of treatment so long as I am human”

Celestia rubbed her head under Dave’s chin “I’m sorry I didn’t know he would be back today”

Dave smiled “I don’t mind, these things happen”

Celestia sighed as she kissed Dave’s neck “I will stop this happening ever again”

“Do you want to go back to your room?” Dave looked down at Celestia as she nodded gently

They stood up together and began to slowly walk back to the castle doors, Celestia wrapped a wing around Dave as they walked and brought him close to her, he responded by wrapping an arm around her neck and hugging gently

Chapter 25

Strong Shield opened the door to his office and allowed Shining Armour to step through

“So that thing… Dave is from another world?” Shining Armour looked around the old office

The walls were covered with wooden shelves, various books from different periods of time sat upon the dusty shelves. A large desk sat in the middle of the room, it was heavily varnished, a small inkwell and quill sat next to a small pile of paper

Strong Shield offered a wooden chair to Shining Armour before sitting in his own one behind the desk, the soft padding was worn and the legs sat over dull patches in the clean floor

“Yes Dave was brought from another world, nopony knows how or even why” Strong Shield opened a draw in his desk and pulled out a stack of papers “This is the report”

Shining Armour levitated the report over and began to read “He attacked some guards?”

Strong Shield began to finish writing some letters “He was provoked by some of the slackers but it proved to be a valuable test”

Shining Armour looked over from behind the sheets of paper that floated around his head “None of our guards slack” the captain set the papers down “What did you do?” he asked suspiciously

Strong Shield didn’t look up “If you read the next page you will see I was wise to ask my guards to test Dave’s physical prowess”

“By getting them hospitalized?” Shining Armour floated over another page “Appleoosa… Dragon?”

“Dave convinced him to move” Strong Shield looked up at Shining Armour “He went in clothed and came out naked”

“And?” Shining Armour failed to see the connection

“Either he decided he hated clothes or he was burned alive” Shining Armour rested back in his chair “He has remarkable healing”

Shining Armour continued to read through the report “Princess Celestia stayed at my sisters without royal guards on standby?”

Strong Shield sighed “Orders, but I know she stayed at Dave’s home” he raised a hoof when he saw Shining Armour’s shocked expression “Don’t worry even I trust him”

“Who are you and what have you done with that grumpy old sergeant?” Shining Armour joked

“He is honourable and I respect that, he did nothing violent until one of the guards made an… insinuation towards the element of loyalty” Strong Shield levitated over two glasses and a bottle of brandy “Would you like some of the rare stuff?”

“Brandy? How long has it been since they stopped making that?” Shining Armour didn’t say no as Strong Shield poured a small amount into the wide glass and passed it over

“I bought five bottles when you were still a filly” He sipped his drink “Shame they went broke after the cider business boomed”

“Is that what you are going to do when you retire? Make your own cider, brandy and wines?”

Strong Shield shook his head “I could have retired years ago and I am never going to” He drank the rest of his precious drink “I am a guard until I die or until Equestria no longer needs us”

“Good thing Equestria will always need guards” Shining Armour took a swig of the drink and his face tightened in disgust “Sweet Celestia that’s strong”

The grizzled soldier replaced the glasses and brandy in his desk “it takes a few years to get used to it, I’ll leave you a bottle in my will”

“Don’t you have much family?” the captain asked still rolling the taste of brandy across his tongue

“None” Strong Shield rubbed his antique desk with a dark hoof “I had nothing but the desire to serve my Princess, so I joined the guards the moment I could”

“Why are you only a sergeant then?” Shining Armour looked over the guard “You could have easily had my position years ago”

“If I had your job the princess could easily force me to retire” Strong Shield almost let a smile crack across his face “If I stick with training the guards and keeping them at the top of their game I am much harder to get rid of as the years go on”

Shining Armour laughed “Well you keep the guards fit and I’ll make sure they have jobs to do” he stood and headed for the door “Resume normal duties tomorrow, except…”

“Sir?” Strong Shield stood to attention and saluted

“If I ever have business concerning Dave I may ask you to come along, I feel my um… interruption my not have gone down well with Dave or Princess Celestia” Shining Armour saluted Strong Shield as he left the room

Meanwhile…

Celestia trotted into her room, Dave closed the doors behind him as he followed her inside “So that was the captain of the guard”

“Yes he has been on his honeymoon and he wasn’t supposed to be back until tomorrow” Celestia stood in the middle of her room and turned back to Dave “Are you sure you are ok?”

“I’m fine” Dave sighed happily as he hugged the worried alicorn “One hell of a first day together”

Celestia looked into Dave’s eyes “I promise I will make it up to you”

Dave shook his head “You don’t have to make it up to me at all” he began to sway slightly left and right as Celestia’s hooves rested on his shoulders

Celestia tapped her horn gently on Dave’s forehead “Everypony will have to know about us”

Dave held Celestia’s head close to his chest “What about your reputation? I think everypony would find it weird that you have taken to a strange creature from another world”

“They can think what they like” Celestia rose her head “But they need to know that I love you”

“Still I don’t want to make you look bad in the public’s eyes” Dave stroked his hand through her mane as she stepped away “But I will support you with any decision you make”

Celestia pulled a brown book from her desk of work, she removed a scroll from the middle of the old book “Will you please get me a cloth from the bathroom?”

“Sure no problem” Dave smiled as he stepped into the bath room, he looked around and found a pure white cloth resting beside the large sink

Dave grabbed the cloth but a familiar voice screamed into his head “ARGH don’t go back” Odio groaned

Dave smiled at the weak reflection “You don’t look so well”

“She has a presence which… forces me to stay silent” The reflection coughed black smoke “I have just enough time to warn you. Don’t. Go. Back”

Dave held the cloth tightly in his hands “Listen Odio I can take care of myself”

Odio’s eyes glowed red “It will drive you mad and I hope it does” he faded back to the depths of Dave’s mind

Dave walked back into the bedroom and Celestia was sat on the balcony, the scroll floated in front of her

“I got you a cloth” Dave stepped out onto the balcony “It’s a nice day”

Celestia floated over a small silver pin “The cloth is for you, I need a drop of blood”

Dave gripped the cloth as he took the pin out of the air “Any particular reason?”

Celestia looked between the scroll and Dave “It’s a… surprise”

“Alright” Dave stabbed his thumb and Celestia floated the droplets of red blood onto the bottom of the scroll, it glowed a faint blue as it soaked up the red ooze

“You may want to put the cloth in your mouth” Celestia’s horn glowed, the sun let out a small pulse of light as Dave placed the rolled up cloth between his teeth

Celestia was surrounded by a yellow glow as she floated from the ground, her wings spread aside and eyes glowing brightly

The words written on the scroll peeled away and flew around the balcony, the paper turned to ash, a fierce wind tore around Dave

Dave used a hand to shield himself from the lights and wind as he was picked into the air, he was levitated higher than Celestia was and her head watched him rise

Dave felt his skin crawl as the words began to close around him, the words soaked under his skin like the blood soaked into the paper

Dave’s jaws snapped together tightly, the cloth stopping them grinding heavily against each other as a sudden jolt made Dave snap backwards and his arms spread out as far as they could go

The sun and Celestia both pulsed in unison as a flash of light exploded from Dave, his scream could be heard from behind the cloth as it rolled throughout the castle

Guards looked around nervously at their posts, servants stopped cleaning and cooking to stop and listen, birds resting in the gardens huddled on their nests

…

Dave felt a dull pain through his body, a voice sounded like he was being held underwater, his clothes felt tight around his body

“Dave?”

Dave’s tongue rolled around the cloth in his mouth and he struggled to spit it out

“Dave?”

His eyes felt heavy as he managed to pull them open, his vision was blurry and he could just make out the shape of Celestia laying by his head

“Mmm” Dave’s throat felt stone dry as he failed to speak “Celestia?”

Celestia nuzzled his neck “I’m here” she said reassuringly

“What the hell happened?” Dave stood but barely managed to hold himself steady as he collapsed to the floor

“I know how much you have been worried about your difference from us” Celestia’s head stroked across Dave’s again “I’ll make you more comfortable”

Celesta’s horn glowed and Dave’s clothes were removed while he lay across the marble floor

“Hey are those my pants?” Dave asked as he rolled onto his front

“You wont need them any more” She smiled happily to herself

“Wha-What do you mean?” Dave pushed a hand to the ground in an attempt to push himself up, a faint sound of hoof hitting stone met his ears

Dave brought his hand to his eyes and his vision slowly focused on a brown hoof “WHAT THE FUCK?” Dave bolted alert and jumped to his hooves “oh my god what the hell?”

Celestia stood back as Dave explored his new body he was taller than most ponies and his body had taken a lighter shade of brown than his mane’s colour

Dave began to laugh loudly “Ha ha EARTH pony” he pulled some of his mane into his view, it was the same brown it was before

Celestia sat next to him “You like your new body?”

Dave rubbed his eyes “No I don’t” he raised his head to look at her “I don’t like the fact that you assumed I wanted to become a pony”

Celestia was slightly taken aback by the change in mood “You kept mentioning that you were human and we were ponies”

“I kept mentioning that because nopony seemed to care that I am apparently a repulsive creature” Dave pushed his mane out of his sight “were you not happy with me before?”

Celestia threw her hooves around Dave “Of course I was happy!”

“Then I would have appreciated it if you talked to me before turning me into… this” Dave rubbed a hoof into Celestia’s mane “I am really grateful that you would do something like this for me”

Dave could hear Celestia crying over his shoulder and the tears fell into his new mane “I’m sorry Dave, I’m so, so sorry”

“It’s ok we can turn me back when ever you are ready and… who knows I might decide to stay like this sometime in the future”

“The spell I performed required blood because…” she pulled her head back and her teary eyes begged forgiveness “it is permanent”

Dave’s face fell “What?” he said in a plain tone

“I’m sorry I-I thought” Celestia buried her head into Dave again “Please don’t go”

“I’m not going anywhere” Dave struggled to wrap Celestia in a hug “I just need to go to the toilet”

Celestia took a few deep breaths and watched as Dave struggled to trot to the bathroom, he closed the door gently behind him

Dave stood on his back legs to look in the mirror “Odio?” he whispered

Dave cringed as a loud screech tore through his mind, his stomach flipped as he rushed to the toilet and released the contents into the bowl

As he wiped his mouth on the back of his hoof Dave looked into the toilet, it was stained red and the stench almost made Dave heave over again but he flushed it quickly away

Dave’s mind screeched again as Odio’s voice growled “I… warned you” the screeching forced Dave to the ground “Nothing is permanent…” Dave clutched his head in a feeble attempt to block out the noise

“And you will learn that I. PLAN. FOR. EVERYTHING!” Odio’s voice scream was deafening as Dave passed out across the floor

Chapter 26

Dave opened his eyes and pushed his new face up off the cold ground, he caught sight of the red line that stretched down the back of his neck in the mirror

Dave touched the redness using one of his hooves but recoiled quickly when it spat pain at him

He turned his head away from the mirror and towards the door, he pulled it gently and peeked out into the bedroom

Celestia was laying on the bed, sleeping quietly with a tissue resting between her front hooves, Dave silently crept out into the bedroom and over to the sleeping Princess

She did not stir when Dave stroked her mane “I will be back soon” he whispered as he kissed her lightly on her head

Dave left Celestia sleeping as he crept out of her quarters, he closed the door quietly behind him and the guards gave him a confused glare

Dave decided to quickly walk away, he walked down through the corridors, and he nervously avoided looking at patrolling guards as he hurried for the gardens

He hurried to the tree he had sat at with Celestia earlier and hid beneath its long branches, he looked at the sky, and the sun that hung in the sky was replaced with Luna’s moon

Dave clumped a few dead leaves together as he relaxed against the tree as well as he could in his new body “So what now?”

The leaves shook violently as they formed a wide mouth “Nothing” Odio whispered from the leaves

“What do you mean nothing? I am staying with Celestia, I am a… pony now” Dave lowered his head as he managed to say those last words

“This changes nothing,” Odio repeated

“What about you? Did this change affect you in anyway?” Dave rubbed his hoof across the ground

“No, I am only held to you through a small link” the leaves resisted a small breeze “It wasn’t affected”

“What about the strength and healing you gave me?” Dave tapped his hooves together

“Those are a bit more… temperamental” Odio’s mouth made of leaves curled into a small smile “Your resistance to magic remains”

“Yeah look how much good that did me” Dave chuckled “This is permanent, no way back so I had just better make the most of it”

“The spell is permanent based on your life span” Odio’s mouth lost a few leaves as another gust passed by “If used on something with a longer lifespan it would only last a century or two, this type of spell just lasts a long time”

“I won’t live that long” Dave reached to break the leaves apart

“I will tell you now before this conversation ends” Dave paused as the leaves began to disperse “you should have listened to every word I have said more carefully”

Dave rested back as the leaves floated away, he looked back up at the moon “If I listened to you I probably wouldn’t be with Celestia,” he whispered to himself

Dave rested for a few minutes as he watched the moon travel slowly across the sky, he heard a few noise come from behind his tree and he tensed

“Who are you?” A familiar voice asked

Dave turned his head to look at Luna staring puzzled at him, he sighed irritably as he replaced his head

“I am speaking to you” Luna stepped around and got a better look at the brown stallion “I have never seen you before”

Dave chuckled as he rubbed his eyes, he stood and began to pace away

“DON’T TURN YOUR BACK TO ME!” Luna growled as she magically grabbed the tall stallion, suspending him in the air by his hooves

Dave groaned as Luna paced around to his face, he was hung upside down he didn’t bother making eye contact with her as he looked at the sky

“Now who are you?” Luna used a small amount of magic to force his gaze at hers “you seem familiar”

Dave attempted to squirm free from his magical bonds

“Why do you resist? Don’t you know who I am?” Luna rose her head at the stranger “You don’t fear me?”

Dave shook his head but as he opened his mouth, Luna gently placed a hoof over his mouth

“Many ponies still fear me after the nightmare moon incident” Luna placed the stallion back on his feet “I will allow you to leave without the use of force, I am busy at the moment as I am on my way to find somepony”

Dave sat back at the tree and shut his eyes

“Let me know if you see a large creature called Dave” Luna looked over the stallion once more before turning to leave

“Good luck” Dave chuckled with Luna still in earshot, they both paused as they realised what they both heard

Luna slowly turned to look at the surprised pony “Dave?”

Dave shot to his feet and bolted for the castle, he gained a few seconds of distance before Luna recovered from the shock and chased after him

Dave ran down the long corridor, taking sharp turns in order to lose Luna until he found an empty spare room, he dived in and held the door shut behind him

Luna pushed the door with both her front hooves “Dave what happened to you?”

Dave looked around the room in a panic, there were no windows, only shelves with various cleaning products and a small light in the roof

“Dave!” Luna called as she lowered her horn to the door “I’m coming in!”

The door shot open and Dave was knocked across the room, Luna stepped in and shut the door behind her

Dave climbed back to his hooves as Luna inspected his body more carefully “Well I see you have acquired a nice posture”

Dave groaned, “Can you leave me alone?” the princess blocked his path

“Stop messing me around” Luna glared at Dave “You say nice things to me on my balcony, then you say we can’t be together, you send me a bracelet with those words before taking it from me and now…” Luna pointed at his body “This”

Dave let out a small chuckle “You think I did this for you?”

Luna stepped closer, backing Dave into a corner “Why else? You proved you aren’t in love with the element of loyalty”

“I don’t love you either!” Dave stated clearly, “You keep thinking I am doing everything for you”

“Then who do you love?” Luna stood close to Dave “I can be better”

Dave sighed, “You are going to find out eventually” he inched around to the door “Celestia”

Luna smiled “Ha now tell me the truth, there is nopony else is there?”

Dave shrugged “Who else could do this to me?”

Luna’s smile faded as her eyes flared with rage “MY SISTER!” she yelled, the shelves shook as Dave attempted to open the door

The door’s lock clicked shut, Dave was surrounded by a dark glow as Luna dragged him over to her, her gaze lowered as her horn glowed brighter

Dave sighed, “You won’t do anything against your sister, and I know how hard it was for you to attack Rainbow Dash”

Luna flipped Dave onto his back and stood over him “What about you? We are alone and I am in control here” She lent down and breathed across Dave’s neck “I love the look of your new body”

Dave raised an eyebrow “Are you completely mental?” Dave shuddered as Luna licked his neck “Celestia would kill you if you do what I think you are going to do”

Luna ignored him “I deserve you, Celestia gets everything” the alicorn switched places with Dave, her magic holding him above her “I love your personality”

Dave was lowered slowly, he resisted as his hooves touched the ground around Luna

“I love your new body”

Dave was lowered almost completely on top of Luna and she wrapped her hooves around him

“And I quite like these red streaks you have”

“Streaks? More than one?” Dave bolted upwards, the magical bonds breaking, Luna’s horn sparked as the recoil from having her magic resisted again, she passed out as her head hit the floor

Dave tackled the door, breaking it from its hinges as he ran down the corridor, he found the stairs leading to Celestia’s quarters and he charged up the stairs as fast as he could

The guards outside the door blocked his path “It’s me Dave the human” Dave panted

The guards looked at each other before one turned to the other “We don’t believe you”

“Fine” Dave raised a hoof and hit the guard in the chest, the guard hardly flinched as the hoof bounced from his armour “oh…”

Dave barely had time to yell for Celestia before he was knocked unconscious, the guards dragged him down into the depths of the castle

Later…

Celestia awoke, her natural instincts on raising the sun forced her wide-awake as she raised the sun from her resting place, the moon suddenly lowered as she did so

She turned, looking at the closed bathroom door “Dave?” she called, her voice was greeted with silence

She stepped over to the bathroom door and knocked gently, the door swung open and she peaked in, it was empty

Celestia trotted over to her bedroom door and opened it to reveal two guards standing guard

“Has Dave left recently?” Celestia asked quietly

The guards turned and saluted “Your majesty we have only just taken over guard duty but we have not seen Dave”

Celestia nodded as she levitated her royal attire over and slipped gracefully into the golden clothes before leaving her room

As the white alicorn headed down to the dining hall, she stopped a few guards along the way to see if they had seen Dave but none of them had even known Dave had been changed

Celestia stepped into the dining hall and was greeted by her student

“Princess Celestia we were wondering when you were going to show up” Twilight smiled as Celestia sat down

“I’m sorry I’m late everypony I had some… business that needed attending to” Celestia smiled as she attempted to ignore the empty chair where Dave should be sitting

Spike also sat irritably in his chair “Does anypony know where Dave is?”

Everypony looked at each other and they all gave confused looks “I haven’t seen him since he used the launcher” Twilight gave Spike a reassuring look “I’m sure he is on his way”

Rarity turned to the vacant princess “What did Dave do when he landed in your quarters?”

Celestia snapped back to reality as she looked at the white unicorn “He was simply assisting the guards with a drill” she applied a fake laugh “Somepony obviously forgot to mention my bedroom was off limits”

The ponies all giggled except Spike who stood up from his chair “Where is Strong Shield?”

Celestia looked down the table at the dragon “Shining Armour is back if you want to find him”

Spike headed for the door “Either is fine”

Celestia paused to think, “Shining Armour should be in the barracks and Strong Shield should be in his office or accompanying Shining Armour”

Spike thanked Celestia before departing for the barracks, Twilight leaned closer to the princess

“My brother is back?” She smiled eagerly

Celestia turned back to her student “Yes he arrived yesterday, I kept it quiet so he could surprise you”

Twilight leapt from her chair and over to the door “I’m going to help Spike find him” She called as she quickly hurried after Spike

Celestia looked over the remaining ponies “You can all go as well, I have business to attend to”

The remaining girls all left the table and joined Twilight and Spike, Celestia stepped out of the dining hall ignoring her breakfast

“Where are you Dave?” She asked quietly as she looked down the corridors

Meanwhile…

Dave struggled against the guard pinning him to the ground “Let me go!” he yelled as the guards attached chains to his hooves

The guards finished attaching the chains and they threw Dave into a dirty cell, the silver bars stood between him and the path to Celestia

Dave staggered over to the cell door and attempted to push his head through the gap “I need to see Celestia, it is me Dave the human”

The jailor smirked “Yeah and I’m a millionaire” he laughed as he walked back along the rows of empty cells and left Dave alone, screaming in his cell

“YOU CAN’T LEAVE ME HERE!” Dave roared as he stumbled back into the dirty cell his eyes were brought to a sheet of metal bolted to the wall so it made a makeshift mirror

Dave trotted painfully as the chains bit into his hooves “Red streaks?” Dave wiped the dirt and dust from the mirror and inspected his body

The red line from the morning had spread down his neck and began to branch across his back as Dave inspected one of the lines reaching around his shoulder and down towards his chest

“ARGH what the hell?” Dave writhed in pain as the red streak squirmed and settled itself running down his front leg

Dave limped over to the concrete bed and attempted to make himself more comfortable as he laid his head down “Celestia has to find me soon” Dave grumbled as the lines continued to grow and squirm under his skin

Meanwhile…

Spike rode on Twilight’s back as they headed into the barracks, as they stepped in a familiar Purple armoured unicorn turned around smiling

“Twiley!” Shining Amour cheered as he trotted over to greet his little sister

Spike was thrown from Twilight’s back as she charged forwards to her big brother, the other ponies hurried over to meet the captain

“You should have seen me yesterday” Twilight smiled “We were only in Canterlot”

“Yeah I had an interesting chat with Sergeant Strong Shield yesterday and I fear the brandy made me a little forgetful” Shining chuckled at the confused glances “I’ll tell you some other time”

Spike stood up and brushed himself off “I’ll be looking around, if anypony cares” he grumbled as he walked down the stairs a chuckling guard was just leaving

Spike came down to a poorly lid corridor, cells ran along each side each of them empty except the first one on his left, a brown pony groaned in pain in the corner

Spike walked back up stairs and explored the rest of the barracks by himself, as he walked around the corner a plain golden door caught his eye

“What’s this?” Spike whispered as he walked over to the golden door, it sat ajar and Spike used a claw to gently open it enough for him to step through

Rows of stone heads lined the walls, they piled to the roof and stretched down the bright corridor, Strong Shield sat at the end gazing at a statue

“Strong Shield!” Spike called as he ran down the corridor

Strong Shield slowly turned “Spike the dragon, what are you doing here?”

Spike looked up at the tower of stone busts “Where is here exactly?”

The guard looked around the corridor “The room of remembrance, the hall of fame…” he sighed “call it what you will it is a room dedicated to those who have had major impacts on our lives”

Spike looked around the shelves and saw a familiar bearded unicorn “Starswirl the bearded?”

“Made lots of spells, one helped cure a particularly nasty disease of the time” Strong Shield sighed, “I come here to think”

“Well I need to find Dave, have you seen him?” Spike felt as if the eyes of the statues watched his every move

“No I have not” Strong Shield “I have gained some free time due to Captain Shining Armour’s return, I will look for him”

“Thanks Strong Shield” Spike headed back for the door “I think Princess Celestia was looking for him as well”

Strong Shield’s ears pricked up as he heard the princess’s name “She is not with him?”

Spike shook his head “No, nopony has seen him all night”

Strong Shield barged past the dragon “PRIVATE BARRIER!” he yelled

A private cleaning his armour shot to attention in the armoury, he saluted as the sergeant charged at him “The intruder you threw into the cells last night, what did he say was his name was?”

The private stammered as the sergeant glared at him “D-Dave sir, Dave the human”

Strong shield tapped the private with a hoof “If the jailor has gone drinking again you drag him and those keys back here!” Strong Shield charged out of the armoury again, the private threw on his armour and headed for Canterlot’s busy streets

Spike stood in his way “What is going on?”

Strong Shield lifted him onto his back “The princess has made a mistake that needs to be solved” he ran through the corridors ignoring any saluting guards “and quickly”

“What has Princess Celestia done?” Spike called as he held onto the guard’s neck

“She made Dave a pony, he is in the dungeon, she must not realize he is resistant to magic” Strong Shield climbed the stairs as fast as his hooves would allow, “He is in danger”

“Dave’s a pony? In the dungeon? THE BROWN ONE?” Spike panicked as he remembered the pony moaning in pain “What danger?”

“I saw him when he was unconscious, the red marks are making their way across his veins” Strong Shield saw Celestia’s bedroom door approaching “He is changing back”

“And he will become human again” Spike felt a veil of dread wash over him “What is the danger in that?”

“His body wants to change back,” Strong Shield panted as he reached the door “By force”

Chapter 27

Strong Shield opened Celestia’s door and he quickly marched in “How long has Dave been a pony?” he stared at the surprised alicorn

Celestia stood and took on a defensive posture “Don’t you knock any more?” she raised an eyebrow “What makes you think Dave is a pony?”

“Tall, brown, no cutie mark” Strong Shield held his ground as Celestia jolted towards him, her serious face replaced with one of concern

“Where is he?” Celestia took a pace away from the guard

“He is in the dungeon” Strong Shield raised a hoof at Celestia “When did you change him?”

Celestia leaned down to match Strong Shield’s stare “Why does that matter?”

“Dave is resistant to magic, I assume you didn’t know” Strong Shield started towards the door “The spell is wearing off and quickly”

Celestia’s ears drooped and her mouth hung open “no…” she breathed in shock as she charged after her guard

Spike who was still holding onto Strong Shield watched as the princess easily caught up with them “So what if he changes back? His body will change where is the harm in that?”

Strong Shield allowed the princess to take the lead as he explained “His body will change slower than the instant transformation that Princess Celestia performed”

“And? He can heal so why is everypony panicking?” Spike held onto Strong Shield’s mane as they ran down the stairs

“Dave can heal physically” Strong Shield looked at the worried princess “but his mind…” Strong Shield sighed, “The pain of the change will be excruciating”

“It will hurt a lot? I still don’t see the problem”

“The pain may make him go insane, the constant memory of being in pain alone in a jail cell, his mind might cut itself from the rest of his body in an attempt to escape the agony” Strong Shield watched as the princess shuddered “It may be too much for him to handle”

Spike glared at the princess’s head “Why would you do this to him?”

Celestia glanced at the dragon before turning to see the barracks approaching “I didn’t know this would happen” she said sorrowfully

The guards barely had time to open the door as Celestia and Strong Shield ran past, Spike saw Twilight and the others standing by some guards, Shining Armour was giving orders to some of his guards

“Twilight!” Spike called and he jumped from Strong Shield’s back as ran to his friends

“Oh Spike not now” Twilight used a hoof to stop his advance “Shining was about to show us some of the guards formations”

Spike slapped the hoof away “Dave needs help” the ponies faces all suddenly turned to Spike “Now you listen to me” he growled irritably

Twilight kneeled down “I’m sorry Spike but where is Dave?”

Spike rolled his eyes as he climbed onto her back “In the dungeon” Spike ignored the confused glances “GO!” he ordered and Twilight sprang into action, quickly pursuing after Celestia and Strong Shield

Strong Shield caught up to the princess “I have sent for the jailor and the keys”

“Will they get here in time?” The princess looked at Strong Shield worriedly as the reached the dungeon door

Strong Shield opened the door, allowing the princess and the chasing others to run down into the dungeons before him “I hope so” he sighed grimly

As they all hurried down the stairs the sound of a loud groaning slowly began to fill their ears, as they reached the dungeon corridor, Celestia turned to the first cell on her left

“Dave?” Celestia rested a hoof on the bars as she looked at the brown heap in the corner

The rest of the ponies all caught up and found positions which allowed them all a view of the jail cell

“Can’t you open the door?” Twilight asked as she pushed on the door

“No this prison was designed and enchanted so any magical beings couldn’t break free, we need the keys” Strong Shield trotted back up the stairs “And it doesn’t help that the jailor likes the afternoon drink”

“Dave!” Dash called out “Dave over here!”

The brown stallion slowly raised his head and turned to the ponies at its cell door, the ponies all gasped as they saw his body pulse a dim red

“H-help” Dave whimpered as he reached for his friends and for Celestia “P-please”

Rarity pushed forwards “Don’t worry darling help is coming”

Dave flashed red again, the red disappeared slower as his eyes widened and he spread out across the floor

“Dave” Celestia slumped to the floor, her head resting against the bars “Stay with me, don’t worry everything will be ok”

Dave’s eyes became suddenly bloodshot, his face tightened in pain as his hooves reached forwards “ARGH No, no, no” Dave brought his hooves closer to his eyes

“Dave look at me, ignore everything else” Celestia shuffled closer to the cell door “Dave look at me, LOOK AT ME!” she called out at her eyes began to water “I’m sorry”

Dave became oblivious to everything around him as he stared at his hoof “No, I…” His hoof swelled and it cracked clean through “AHH” Dave head butted the ground and pulled up a grazed head “Make it stop” he begged

“Hold on Dave!” Spike called as he leapt from Twilight’s back and failed to squeeze through the bars

The cracked hoof released a loud snapping noise that was drowned out by Dave’s screams of agony, from one of the cracks a long segment of bone broke through

Celestia sighed sadly as she watched Dave’s bones push through his hooves “He is going to change from the inside out”

Twilight tore her eyes from Dave “what can we do?”

Celestia’s tears began to roll down her face “Nothing”

All the ponies and Spike returned their gaze to Dave, their faces dropped or writhed in disgust as the muscle around his hoof shifted to wrap around his fingers

“Please make it stop!” Dave called as his arm snapped back to its original shape “PLEASE!” his other hoof snapped in circles as his wrist reformed

Celestia turned her back to Dave as she cried loudly “I’m sorry”

Dave’s head turned up to the sky as he continued his blood boiling scream “ARGH ANYTHING PLEASE JUST MAKE IT STOP!” the top part of his jaw cracked as it forced itself back into his skull, the bottom part of his jaw flapped loosely before it slammed backwards, breaking his teeth along the way

“CELESTIA DO SOMETHING!” Spike screamed as he began to cry watching his friend being tortured by his own body

Dave’s legs popped out of their sockets while his pelvis realigned itself against his spine, the legs straitened and grew as toes burst through his back hooves

Dave’s ribs broke away from his spine so it flowed like a wave as it straitened sharply and forced his head into its natural position

“PLEASE!” Dave begged as his throat squirmed beneath his changing neck “anybody, anything, CELESTIA!”

Celestia brought her head from her hooves and she took on a new sense of determination “I’m coming Dave” She vowed as she walked into the empty cell beside the one Dave squirmed within, she lowered her horn to the wall that separated them

As Dave screamed as his bones inserted themselves back into their places along his spine, Celestia’s horn glowed brightly, it started to burn the wall where her horn touched it, a shockwave attempted to break her connection but she forced herself forwards

Dave’s fur receded back under his skin, his tail was soaked into his back, his mane shortened and his human teeth burrowed through his gums

Celestia managed to melt a segment of wall large enough for her to squeeze through and as she recovered from fighting her own prison she saw Dave collapse to the floor

“Dave!” she cried as she hurried to his side, he laid naked, sprawled face down in the dirt of the cell

Celestia turned him over and cradled him in her hooves “Dave?” she whispered softly to the motionless human “Dave speak to me”

Celestia rocked backwards and forward as her tears fell onto Dave’s face, the others all walked through the hole in the joining cell and sat around Dave

Celestia continued to chant his name “Dave? Please don’t be gone Dave”

Applejack lowered her hat to her chest

“Dave open your eyes”

Pinkie’s hair deflated as she burrowed her face into Rarity’s mane, Rarity simply stroked the dull pink mare in return

“Dave your friends are all here, we need you”

Fluttershy threw her hooves around Rainbow Dash and Twilight as she sobbed uncontrollably, the Pegasus and the unicorn hugged her as they shared her loss

“Dave, I-I need you”

Spike collapsed next to the princess and he cried into Dave’s arm

“Dave…”

Strong Shield arrived and saw the grieving group, he shook his head as he left them to mourn

“…I love you”

Chapter 28

The ponies’ tears continued to roll down their faces as they all slowly grouped around each other

Celestia continued to hold Dave in her arms as Spike turned to the group “I know he was a… good friend” Spike wiped his eyes

Strong Shield sighed as he opened the cell door before trotting away, he travelled up the stairs and into the abnormally busy barracks

Shining Armour stepped forwards “What’s happened?”

Strong Shield ignored him before trotting over to the bemused jailor “Why was I dragged from my break?” he grumbled

Strong Shield threw the keys back at him “You don’t deserve to be called a royal guard,” he said in disgust as he turned away

“Hey!” The slightly intoxicated guard got to his hooves “I am better than you, old timer!”

Strong Shield stopped and glared over his shoulder “I’m not in the mood, I suggest you sit down”

Shining Armour, who was looking down the prison stairs noticed the rising tension “Stand down both of you, that is an order”

Strong Shield saluted before regaining his calm composure but the jailor persisted

“No I want to see what this old git is made of” The drunken jailor lunged forwards with a hoof

Strong Shield rubbed his tired eye with his hoof before he spun around, grabbing the jailor’s hoof and bringing his own into the overconfident guard’s neck

The jailor fell to the floor unconscious, Strong Shield saluted Shining Armour “Apologies but it was self defence”

Shining Armour returned the salute “Unconscious for one hour again?”

“Yes sir”

Shining Armour’s attention was turned back to the dungeon stairs “What happened down there?”

Strong Shield almost looked sad if he was even capable “Dave has… isn’t moving, breathing, I didn’t even see his heart pound behind his chest”

“He’s… dead?” Shining Armour began to walk down the stairs “He can’t be”

Strong Shield trotted through the crowd of guards, following his superior, his ears almost drooped as he saw Dave’s body once again

“Twiley!” Shining Armour ran to comfort his sister, he chanced a look at Dave’s still chest “By the sun, is he?”

Celestia stroked Dave’s hair, she ignored everything around her “I’m sorry Dave for everything, giving the bracelet to Luna, for changing you into this for…” Celestia moved closer to Dave’s head “If I hadn’t of fallen for you then you would still be with us”

Spike noticed the princess’s whispers “You fell for Dave? As in Love?”

The princess turned her gaze to the purple dragon “I did” she sighed sadly as she nuzzled against his head “This is all my fault”

Spike looked over at the crying group of ponies that were being comforted by Twilight’s brother, then at the princess beside him, Strong Shield sat out of the corner of his eye

“What is going to happen to him now?” Spike lifted a limp hand and held it between his claws “Is there anything we can do?”

Celestia gently laid Dave’s head down before taking a deep breath “Everypony can we please go somewhere else?”

The ponies all slowly walked past Dave, Rarity threw herself across him “NO We can’t leave him!” she cried

Twilight and Applejack both helped Rarity to her hooves, her mane soggy from the tears from her and her friends

Celestia looked at her two faithful guards “Can you both take Dave to… to the…” She began to become teary again

Both the unicorns stepped forwards, the picked Dave up and laid him across both their backs and they removed him from the dungeon cell

Spike walked beside Celestia as they began to lead the small convoy of grieving ponies through the barracks and towards Celestia’s quarters

Dave’s body was carried through the barracks, through the infirmary and into a sterile and pure white room

“The morgue hasn’t seen much in a while” Shining sighed as they placed Dave onto a silver table, his feet hung off the edge

“Little crime, most theft, no murders” Shield walked over to a desk and removed a form, quill and inkwell “How do we even fill this in?”

Shining shook his head “Family members are required but…” he sighed, “can’t you leave it for now?”

“Could we get Princess Celestia? She is the closest he has to family here” Strong Shield floated a white sheet over and covered Dave’s body

The captain turned to his sergeant “You really don’t care do you?” he said irritably “Somepony has died and all you care about is paperwork!”

Strong Shield set the items down “I CARE!” he shouted angrily, his face finally showing any major emotion

Shining Armour was startled by the sudden outburst of emotion “Wha… You NEVER care, that’s what makes you the guard you are”

“The reason I am void of emotion and handle paperwork quickly is because it makes me effective” Strong Shield slammed his hoof into the ground “That is why I am good at my job”

Shining Armour watched as the sergeant collapsed to the floor “Why is this getting you riled up then huh? You wouldn’t give this two thoughts normally”

Strong Shield tapped his horn against Dave’s resting place “before I joined the guards, when I was little more than a child, the same thing happened”

Shining sat down opposite the sergeant “What happened?”

“I had to watch my father die in a burning building, the guards that arrived didn’t notice the window they could have flown through to rescue him” Strong Shield shook his head “This is the second time I have had to watch somepony die and I could do nothing but watch”

“That’s why you joined the guards” Shining sighed “So the guards could always find a way to save ponies lives”

Strong Shield nodded “emotions hinder decisions”

“Did you like Dave?”

“Yes, he was a good… human” Strong Shield chuckled “He could have done well in the guards”

“Sounds like you would have wanted every guard to be like him” Shining stood “how are you doing?”

Strong Shield saluted “Surviving”

Shining Armour laughed weakly “Aren’t you always? Shame you didn’t have a family, you would have been a good father”

“I would rather teach my kid formations rather than play” Strong Shield picked himself up “Anything you would like me to do?”

“No duties for you to perform, continue as… you wish” Shining Armour saluted and left the morgue, leaving Strong Shield and Dave’s body alone

“As you command… sir”

Meanwhile…

Celestia opened the door to her quarters, she allowed the ponies to sit themselves around the room, Twilight, Applejack and Rarity sat on the bed, Pinkie and Spike sat on a long sofa, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy both walked out onto the balcony, Celestia herself collapsed at her desk, her head hanging low

“So that’s it?” Spike held his claws out “It’s over? There is nothing we can do to get Dave back?”

Celestia shook her head “I’m sorry Spike, there is nothing”

Pinkie’s lip trembled viciously “We didn’t get to say goodbye” she allowed her tears to run down her dark pink face

Rainbow Dash wrapped her wing around Fluttershy who began to cry again, Rainbow forgot about the resentment she had against her friend “Listen Fluttershy, I know you and Dave said you were going to go out”

Fluttershy managed to look at the cyan Pegasus through teary eyes “You do?”

“Yeah but…” Rainbow swallowed before taking a deep breath to calm herself down “I wanted to brake you both up, I knew he wanted me but he was already with you”

“You did?” the yellow mare backed away from her “Why?”

“He was so… cool” Rainbow wiped the tears that began to form in her eyes “And I felt so guilty when I pushed him onto that glass I-I wanted to make him see that I did care”

Fluttershy frowned “What about me? Didn’t you care about my feelings?”

Applejack watched as the pegasi talked outside, she could not hear but she knew it was not good

Rarity took her eyes from the floor to look around the room, she looked at the heavily decorated furniture, her grieving friends, Dave’s watch and a silver bracelet that contained a sapphire

“Wait… Dave gave this to you?” Rarity trotted over and picked the familiar bracelet up “Why?”

Celestia sighed, “He gave it as a symbol of love”

Rarity’s jaw dropped and she slammed the bracelet back onto the desk “That’s impossible!”

“Because he was human and I’m a pony princess?” Celestia shook her head sadly

“No because he loved ME!” Rarity shouted loud enough to attract everyponies attention

“What do you mean loved you?” Twilight walked over “He couldn’t resist me!”

The pegasi ran into the room “No he loved me!” they said in unison before they glared at each other

Applejack chuckled “Y’all must be confused because me and him were special”

Celestia raised her head “all of you? You all love him?”

Pinkie raised a hoof “I just liked him as a friend”

“You knew he would never love a pony as silly as you so why bother” Rarity spat “And besides me and him almost shared each other before I was interrupted by Sweetie Belle”

“I don’t believe ya!” Applejack walked menacingly over to the white unicorn “I was about to mate with him twice! He would have never touched somepony as uptight as you are”

Twilight chuckled “oh and I suppose he would prefer some uneducated country girl like you rather than a talented unicorn such as myself”

“Psh…” Rainbow Dash flew over to the purple unicorn “You are always using your magic to show everypony how strong you are! Always teleporting short distances, putting a zipper on Spike’s mouth when he talks too much”

Twilight retaliated “Well at least my potential is recognised! The wonderbolts would never recruit somepony as brash as yourself”

“What did you say?” Rainbow Dash pressed her face against Twilight’s as they glared angrily at each other

Celestia stood “GIRLS!” she bellowed, “This isn’t like you, you should be mourning but instead you are throwing insults at each other like school fillies”

Fluttershy finally snapped “IT’S YOUR FAULT!” she screamed “If you didn’t change Dave he would still be alive you, you… MURDERER!”

Celestia fell to her flank again “But…” she hung her head in shame

“You know what?” Rainbow flew towards the balcony “I hate you all and I hope I never see any of you again!” with that she quickly bolted away

“Me too I hate all of you!” Twilight growled, “Agreeing to stay in Ponyville in the first place was the greatest mistake of my life!” she hurried out of the room

The other ponies all yelled final insults before leaving their separate ways, leaving Pinkie, Spike and Celestia alone in her quarters

Pinkie and Spike gave each other shocked glances before hurrying over to the now crying Princess

“Princess Celestia are you ok?” Spike asked

Celestia levitated over the silver bracelet “No Spike, I’m not” she said sadly as she allowed the bracelet to fall to the floor

Pinkie Pie allowed Celestia to hug her as she craved comfort “It will be ok Princess, they are all just really sad at the moment”

Spike indicated that he was going to leave and Pinkie nodded, Spike quietly left and headed back into the castle, he picked up the bracelet and placed it beside Dave’s watch

Meanwhile…

Dave’s eyes cracked open “What happened?” his voice echoed through the blackness he was floating in

“You died” Odio’s red grin appeared “Properly this time”

“H-How?” Dave clutched his head in disbelief

“The pain of you changing back to a human caused your brain to stop, very nasty” Odio’s smile faded as the blackness swirled

Dave saw the cell he was locked in, his friends and himself changing “Why are you showing me this?”

“To see how painful it was” Odio appeared behind him, a large black tendril wrapped around his shoulders “I would sympathize but unfortunately I am incapable of such an act”

Dave rubbed his eyes “If I am dead then how are we talking?”

“YOU died, I didn’t” Odio flipped the world to a classroom, a brain sat on a desk “This is your brain” Odio smashed down on the organ with a black claw and it splattered across the desk “But with me…”

Odio removed his claw, leaving a red section of brain, it pulled the other pieces back to it and the brain shook as it melded together

“So you chose to heal me?” Dave scratched his head “But I thought if I died you did too?”

Odio roared with laughter “I am eternal, it took the tiniest drop of energy to keep me sustained for a good three thousand years”

“Good for you” Dave crossed his arms as he focused on a happier place “Ah, better scenery than my old biology classroom”

Odio walked alongside Dave, his height towered easily over Dave’s “I was fascinated when I read your mind about zoos” Odio leaned down to tap a lion’s cage “Such strong creatures reduced to… captivity”

“Zoos help endangered species” Dave walked past a panda “Why do some people see them as completely bad?”

Odio shrugged “If you wanted to help those creatures leave them alone, those that can’t survive obviously shouldn’t be allowed to exist”

“Anyway” Dave turned to see Odio resting a claw on a giraffes’ head “Made a friend?” Dave joked

Odio pushed the giraffes’ head down, shortening its neck “Did you say something?”

“Why would you?” Dave gawped as the giraffe fell over “How did you heal me anyway?”

Odio walked away from the giraffes’ body “Your mind is resistant to influence, but to extending not so much”

“So you rebuilt my brain?” Dave rubbed his head to see if he could feel anything different

“No when I attached myself to you I left an… imprint, an extension of me which can both absorb and release energy” Odio used a long tentacle to lift Dave’s head to look at his grin “I used it to repair your brain, your mind has made it your own and it is more a part of you than it is me”

Dave pushed the black tentacle away “What kind of energy?”

“Some…” Odio’s smile disappeared and he froze on the spot

“Odio?” Dave attempted to poke the giant but his hand passed through the fog

Odio flashed red, then again, and again, each pulse was more intense and the redness made him swell in size

Dave ran as Odio became a huge ball of black smoke, red lightning crackled across his surface, his arms and legs disappeared, his mouth split and changed into two huge red eyes

“YES!” Odio roared as his eyes seemed to bleed pleasure “You will like this news Dave” Odio chuckled and it shook the ground Dave was running across “It shouldn’t be much longer until I can leave you”

The ground cracked open and Dave fell into the red liquid within “What’s happening?” he called out as the sky swirled with Odio’s fog

“I can‘t use you dead can I?” Odio laughed as he wrapped Dave in blackness

Meanwhile…

“First name… Dave” Strong Shield filled in the document to the best of his ability “Next of kin… none”

Strong Shield had not left the morgue or Dave’s covered body since he brought him in, he had spent most of his time sitting next to Dave’s body talking, no particular subject just… talk

“I wonder if you have ever seen an eclipse, I would have liked to have shown that to you” Strong Shield paused from scribbling on the paper “also I would have liked to teach you how to properly disarm a magical opponent”

He smiled as he thought of his childhood with his father “I wonder if I missed out on having a child of my own? What kind of mare could bear to live with me?” Strong Shield chuckled

Strong Shield sighed, he placed the form down and put the quill and inkwell back inside the desk and he shook his head “Get it together, you haven’t gone senile yet” Strong Shield forced his mind back to normal

As he turned to leave he saw the white sheet was sat up, it slowly moved up then down, breathing

“Dave?” Strong Shield pulled the sheet down and was met by a blank stare

Chapter 29

Dave shivered as he sat atop the cold table where he once laid dead, Strong Shield wrapped the blanket around his shoulders

“Dave are you ok?” Strong Shield kept a hoof on Dave’s shoulder

Dave turned his head slowly to look at the guard “Where am I?” he gasped and his breath floated through the air

“The morgue” Strong Shield helped Dave off the silver table “You must have lost your natural body heat during your… death”

Dave held the blanket tightly around him “How long was I… gone?”

“I’ll fill in the details later” Strong Shield nudged Dave to the door “First let’s find the princess”

“No” Dave resisted “I mean I just died, it will be awkward if I waltz in like this”

Strong Shield hummed “Fine I know a place where you can recover and I can tell you what happened” He walked over to the door and poked his head out “Stay right behind me”

Dave followed the guard closely as he managed to lead him through the barracks without being seen “Where are we going?” Dave asked

“Somewhere nopony has gone before” Strong Shield took Dave through the empty corridors of the castle and down into the back alleys of Canterlot

“Ok seriously where are we going?” Dave’s bare feet managed to keep him as Strong Shield’s speedy trot

He pulled a rusty key from his armour “My house” he sighed as he unlocked the door and hurried Dave inside

“Why here?” Dave as he stepped into the cold house “And why was it warmer in the morgue?”

“I never used this house” Strong Shield looked outside the door “I always stayed at the guard barracks so I was closer to work”

Dave looked around the house, there were no photos, no paintings, nothing to decorate the plain white walls

Only a chair, a sofa and a table sat in the main room “How was this supposed to warm me up?”

“There is a bath upstairs” Strong Shield stepped outside again “I will return in a minute”

Dave nodded as the guard left him in the freezing house, he walked upstairs and found the empty bathroom, void of shampoos and only had one scratchy towel

Dave turned the hot tap on, it rumbled as it shot out steaming hot water into the shallow bath

“Better than nothing” Dave sighed as he climbed in, the hot water quickly heating his body again

Dave stayed in the bath until his hands became wrinkled and the bath water became cold, he stepped out, pulling the plug out behind him

“Are you warm enough?” Strong Shield called

“When did you get back?” Dave called “I didn’t hear you come in”

“Just now” Strong Shield called “And it was me being quiet which helped me get these” the door cracked open and Dave’s clothes were thrown in

“Thanks” Dave called as he dried himself and dressed himself, he walked downstairs and was passed a bowl of apples

“Eat” Strong Shield commanded as he sat in an antique chair, Dave sat opposite in a wooden sofa with hard cushions

“Um… thanks?” Dave repeated as he began to work his way through the fruit

“Make sure you eat lots” Strong Shield leaned back in his chair “The transformation must have taken a lot of energy”

Dave did not have time to respond as he found himself stuffing his face as quickly as he could “I guess you’re right” Dave chuckled as he wiped his mouth

“Of course I’m right” Strong Shield almost cracked a smile “It is getting late, do you require a bed to be made?”

Dave shook his head “I couldn’t impose, I could find somewhere else to stay”

Strong Shield sighed, “Sleep on the sofa then”

Dave looked at the dark sofa “So long as it is ok with you”

“It is fine” Strong Shield levitated over a blanket “Will this suffice?”

“Yeah this is fine” Dave laid his head down on the sofa “thanks for everything”

“I will be upstairs if you need anything” Strong Shield trotted up the stairs, the light disappeared as he disappeared from view “Good night Dave” He called

“Night Strong Shield” Dave replied as sleep quickly took him

Meanwhile…

Celestia sighed as she released her magic, making the sun hide behind the horizon

She stepped back into the her bedroom, Pinkie was asleep on the white sofa, a blanket wrapped tightly around her

Celestia quietly left the bedroom, closing the door with as little noise as possible, she passed her guards as she proceeded the gloomy walk to the barracks

Along the way Luna stepped in her path “Hello sister” she growled with spite

Celestia sighed “Luna I know you must be angry with me but…”

“Of course I am!” Luna cut her big sister off “You took Dave away from me so he could be your plaything for a few years”

Celestia dipped her head “Luna it was nothing like that”

“When you turned him into a pony” Luna shook her head “I bet you assumed he wanted it didn’t you?”

Celestia nodded “I know you must be hurt Luna but he will live in our memories”

Luna chuckled “Live in our memories? You make that sound as if he has died”

The white alicorn stood silent as the smallest of the pair began to breathe heavily

“What happened?” Luna took a pace from her sister

“Dave is resistant to magic, his body forced a reverse on the transformation” Celestia fought back tears “It was too much for him”

Luna fell against the wall “He’s… gone?”

Celestia moved and hugged her “I’m sorry, I was going to… see him”

Luna cried ferociously into Celestia’s mane “Can I come?” she managed to sob

“Yes my dear sister” Celestia walked side by side with the grieving princess of the night

They walked into the barracks together, guards saluted around them as they headed for the morgue

The first thing Luna caught sight of was a sheet of paper lying on the floor, Celestia looked around the room in a panic

“Where is he?” she gasped “CAPTAIN!” she bellowed

Shining Armour rushed in “Yes your majesty?”

Celestia glared as she pointed at the bare silver table “Where is Dave?”

Shining Armour looked around the room “He was here only a few minutes ago”

“Sister” Luna called as she read the paper from the floor “Sergeant Strong Shield has left this half finished”

“Now that is odd” Celestia floated the document over “He would never leave things half done”

“I will search for him personally” Shining Armour saluted the princesses as he marched out of the room

Celestia and Luna gave each other worried glances as they made their way back into the castle

Shining Armour hurried into Strong Shield’s office, the smell of varnished wood moved swiftly into his nostrils

“Where are you?” he asked quietly as he scanned the office, he saw nothing different from the last time he came into the room

The captain walked over to the various files that lined the shelves, he plucked out a folder labelled ‘threats’

“Dragons, changelings…” Shining replaced the folder “Damn it, nothing?”

Shining Armour then tapped his horn in thought against the shelves, the sound of something rattling caught his attention to a folder at the end

“Sanctuaries?” Shining removed the folder before opening it and pulling out a bag of labelled keys “He has homes all over Equestria!” he gasped

A sheet caught his eye “Canterlot?” the list of various houses showing the location of each only showed one in the local area

Shining dived into the bag of spare keys and pulled out a rusted bronze key, tagged with the appropriate address

“I hope you have thought this through” Shining Armour sighed as he charged through the castle

Next morning…

Dave awoke early to the sound of a door being heavily knocked, Strong Shield raced to the door, quietly covering Dave’s mouth to stop him from talking

“I know you are in there” Shining Armour called as he continued to pound on the door “Let me in”

Strong Shield unbolted the door and allowed the captain to walk in “The reason the keys are tagged is to confuse ponies that try to use them”

Shining Armour tossed the useless key onto the table “So I see Dave came back from the dead”

“Shortly after your departure” Strong Shield kept his attention “So what do you require?”

“I need Dave to come back” Shining Armour sighed as he rubbed his eyes “The princesses went to see him”

“They know?” Dave gasped as he sprung out from underneath his covers

“Yes and they are upset” The white unicorn opened the door “So come along”

“Don’t order him around” Strong Shield said angrily “He will go when he is ready”

Shining Armour slowly turned his head “Excuse me?”

Even Dave gawped at the sudden insubordination “Its fine Shield really”

“Don’t feel pressured to go” Strong Shield stood between Dave and his captain “You can stay as long as you like”

“Why are you behaving like this?” Shining Armour advanced towards the guard “Don’t tell me you have grown attached to him because of what you told me yesterday”

Dave stepped forwards to diffuse the situation “I will be out in a minute just let me have a chat”

Shining Armour nodded “I will be right outside”

Dave smiled as the door closed then spun round the Strong Shield “What the hell was that?”

“It’s nothing,” Strong Shield returned to his grumpy mood “Go follow the captain”

“Not until you tell me what is going on” Dave sat down on the floor in front of the frowning sergeant

“Fine…” Strong Shield broke under Dave’s gaze “I am not exactly proud of it but…”

“But?” Dave raised an eyebrow

“I…” Strong Shield rolled his eyes “care about your wellbeing”

Dave thought for a moment before he retreated “You love me as well? I’m not gay”

“Neither am I!” Strong Shield spat “I have just been so dedicated about my job, when I saw you die I actually felt… sad”

“So… Wait” Dave puzzled for a minute “As in a friend?”

“More”

“Boyfriend?”

“Less”

“Symbolic brother?”

“Different relation”

“…son?” Dave raised an eyebrow “why?”

“I was charged with keeping an eye on you, as you spent time here I ended up protecting you from certain ponies” Strong Shield sat down in his chair

“Like who?” Dave sat opposite him

“One of the guards let slip to Prince Blueblood about you” Strong Shield ran a hoof through his greying mane “If I had let him talk to you…” Dave watched as the tired guard take a few deep breaths “You might have ended up being a glorified slave” Strong Shield finished “I didn’t want that for you, so I got you doing a few jobs for the princess”

“So hang on” Dave looked out the window to see Strong Shield waiting patiently on the busy road “You were the reason I fought the dragon?”

“More or less” Strong Shield’s ears drooped “My recommendation carries some weight”

“You were the reason I got to see Celestia more often?”

Strong Shield rolled his eyes “Partially”

“Well… thanks” Dave swept his fingers through his hair as they both sat in silence

“What is your father like?” Strong Shield asked out of curiosity

“I don’t know, he left when I was little” Dave fiddled with his fingers “So I can’t say I have had a father”

“Well he missed out” Strong Shield smiled “I would have been proud to have had a son like you”

Dave chuckled “And you would have made a good dad”

“That’s what I missed out on” Strong Shield looked down at his armoured hooves

Dave suddenly smiled “Listen I have an idea”

“Go on” Strong Shield was surprised at the sudden enthusiasm of the human

“If I ever need a father figure I will come to you” Dave’s smile grew as Strong Shield matched his grin

“I like that idea” Strong Shield walked over to the door and opened it “We are coming now”

Strong Shield and Dave both smiled as they walked outside and followed the captain

“What did you do Dave?” Shining Armour asked as he noticed Strong Shield’s strange smile

“Oh nothing” Dave winked at Strong Shield who continued to smile all the way to the castle

As they arrived at the gates, the guards saluted as they allowed the trio in, they stared at Strong Shield’s unusual happy face

Shining Armour stopped just inside the entranceway “Ok Dave come with me, Sergeant… do you still wish to train the privates?”

Strong Shield nodded “Yes sir I shall see to it right away”

Dave followed the captain towards the barracks “See ya later… Dad” he waved

“I will see you soon… son” Strong Shield’s smile widened than possible as he marched into the training area “Hello privates”

“Good morning sir” they all shouted in unison

Strong Shield looked at the recruits, his smile was hidden as he addressed them but he could not remove the feeling of happiness “Now I expect all of you to work your hardest or I swear to Celestia that I will come down on you like a ton of bricks! You got that you sorry sacks of manure?”

“Yes sir!”

“I couldn’t hear you! A filly with a talent in silence could sneeze louder!”

“YES SIR!”

“Better… now drop and give me one…”

The recruits all looked at each other out of the corner of their eyes

A wicked smile stretched across Strong Shield’s mouth, it sent shivers up their spines “...Thousand” he said slyly

The recruits gulped, they had totted into a world of hurt

Meanwhile…

Dave stopped with Shining Armour outside Celestia’s door “Where are the others?”

“I don’t know” Shining sighed, “Twiley is visiting Cadence sometime today, something about a favour”

Dave shook his head “I am going in alone I’m guessing” he cocked an eyebrow at the captain

“Oh yeah, I wouldn’t do something as silly as come back from the dead” he chuckled as he left Dave

“Thanks for the support” Dave sighed as he knocked on the door

“Enter” Dave heard Celestia call out

Dave creaked the door open and poked his head in “Hi” he said softly as he stepped in

Celestia stood up and began to trot over, Dave shut the door behind him

Celestia walked up to Dave and slapped him with a hoof, his head swung to the side from the force

“OW… listen ok I’m sorry about dying” Dave held out his hands but Celestia manage to swipe him again

“OUCH… ok I’m sorry about… coming back?”

Celestia slapped him continuously as he threw his arms up to protect himself, he was backed against the wall as Celestia persisted

“Ow, ow, ok, ow, stop please, ow” Dave muttered from behind the storm of swipes

Celestia finally stopped slapping, she panted heavily as she rested her hooves on either side of Dave’s head

Dave lowed his stinging arms and gave Celestia a worried look, Celestia’s eyes showed a mixture of sadness and anger

“Why did you not come here when you came back?” Celestia growled

Dave’s mouth hung open “See I err…” As Dave pondered Celestia moved forwards and slipped her tongue into Dave’s open mouth “mfmfmfmfm” Dave mumbled but wrapped his arms around Celestia

Celestia pulled back, leaving Dave half confused at her sudden switch from anger to love and also slightly disappointed see didn’t stay loving for at least another ten seconds

“I am so sorry” Celestia began to weep into Dave’s shoulder “I didn’t want to hurt you”

Dave stroked the white princess “I know, its ok” he said softly to reassure her

“I need to speak to you tomorrow morning… guard!” she called as she hung in Dave’s arms

A guard stepped in “Yes your highness?”

“Inform Twilight Sparkle and the other elements of harmony that Dave is recovering and will be in suitable shape to meet tomorrow in the dining hall, oh and no disturbances” Celestia removed her gaze from the leaving guard and back to Dave’s eyes

Dave hugged Celestia tightly “I am fine now, we can meet them today if you want”

“No” Celestia shook her head gently, her horn glowed, the curtains closed, the door locked “You are going to be a bit busy”

The dark room was gently bathed in a warm orange glow as various candles around the room sprung to life, Dave looked and saw the large bathroom also had several candles around the huge bath and a few floating in the water, the waterfall flowed gently

“Umm…” Dave looked around the room puzzled “So what exactly… am I busy with?”

Celestia pulled Dave away from the wall, she trotted over to the bed, using her tail to tow Dave along, she climbed gracefully across and smiled warmly back at Dave

Dave finally caught on “OH, are you um…” Dave gulped “Are you sure?”

Celestia moved and kissed Dave “I have never been more sure than anything my entire life” Celestia pulled him down to the bed and she climbed above him “You will be busy all day” she hinted as she leaned down

Chapter 30

Dave laid on his back staring at the ceiling “Well… that was… strange” he panted

Celestia snuggled close to him “Good strange or bad strange?”

“First one” Dave wiped his forehead “So what now?”

Celestia looked over at her golden clock “There are still twenty three hours left” she smiled at Dave

Dave raised his eyebrows “You were serious about the whole day thing?” he gasped in a shocked tone

Celestia clambered on top of Dave again “Why of course” she smiled “I intend to use every minute”

Dave smiled nervously “Oh… ok” he gulped as Celestia descended

Meanwhile…

Shining Armour walked into his house, the sounds of giggles rolled out as he opened the door

“Shining you’re back” Twilight managed to smile, her eyes hiding her sadness within

“Told her something funny?” Shining Armour chuckled as he walked over to his wife “Oh and I have some news, Dave is alive and recovering”

Twilight’s eyes erupted with surprise and happiness “He is?”

Shining Armour smiled as Twilight began to rub her chin in thought “Yes and you can see him tomorrow at the castle”

Cadence rubbed her pink nose against her husbands neck “I told her about your surfing attempt on the honeymoon” she smiled as she returned to her tea “so Twilight you said you met somepony?”

“She didn’t tell me” Shining went into cautious brother mode “Who is he?”

“Don’t worry” Twilight smiled “I was just going to see if Cadence could do a favour for me”

“She did save me and our wedding” Cadence smiled, she turned her head to Shining, her long colourful mane swung gracefully “I would be happy to help”

Twilight raised an eyebrow at her brother “We are talking about girl things, go away”

“Fine” Shining rolled his eyes “I will catch you both later” he left the house and Twilight waited until he was gone

“It is Dave” Twilight looked around cautiously “He isn’t a pony”

“The one recovering?” Cadence raised her eyebrows as she thought “A griffon? Twilight that is a bit weird even for my tastes”

“No not a griffon, dragon or even a manticore” Twilight frowned at her sister-in-law “He is a human”

“A human?” Cadence shrugged “What’s that?”

“He is from another world” Twilight smiled as she remembered the day Dave arrived “And he is very special to me”

“So what do you need me to do? Have you had a fight?” Cadence look worried at the purple unicorn

“Well we aren’t exactly on steady ground from what I can tell” Twilight bent the truth slightly “So I was wondering if you could zap him quickly with some of your love magic”

Cadence hummed “Are you sure?”

“Yes but be quick because Dave is resistant to normal magic” Twilight placed her tea down

“So you need me just because my magic isn’t a lasting spell…” Cadence grinned “but because it brings emotions up?”

“Exactly, bring his love for me up so we can move on and be happy” Twilight smiled “Will you do this for me?”

“Ok just this once” Cadence gave Twilight a quick hug “I would like to see you happy”

“Don’t worry” Twilight hid a sly grin “I will be”

Meanwhile…

“Ok… Let’s just… hang on a sec,” Dave panted loudly

Celestia climbed out of the large bath “Come on, that was fun right?”

Dave crawled out after her “Well… yeah but…”

“So come back to bed” Celestia nuzzled his cheek as she bounced into the bedroom “We still have twenty one hours!” she called happily

“Woo hoo” Dave sighed sarcastically as he crawled after her

Meanwhile…

Pinkie trotted outside to see Fluttershy talking to some birds, various different colours and sizes surrounded her but they all listened

“Fluttershy what are you doing?” Pinkie asked uneasily as the birds all stared at her

“None of your business” Fluttershy hid her face behind her pink mane “these are my real friends”

The birds squawked happily, but Pinkie burst forth “But I’m your friend!”

“No you aren’t you wanted to take Dave away” She stroked a robin that landed on her hoof

Pinkie shook her head “I didn’t I just wanted to be his friend”

Fluttershy turned her head away “But you would have wanted to…” Fluttershy felt embarrassed saying the words “…mated”

“EW no” Pinkie shook her head and she stepped past the birds and over to shy Pegasus “Dave was a friend, just that”

Fluttershy cautiously turned back “Do you really mean that?”

Pinkie smiled “Why would I want to make my friends sad?”

Fluttershy smiled as she hugged Pinkie “Thank you, I’m sorry I was mean I didn’t mean that”

A guard stepped out and some of the birds scattered in fright “Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy?”

The girls turned and nodded “What is it?” Pinkie asked the guard

“I have been sent to inform you that the human Dave has… awoken” the guard waited for the girls to exchange a few shocked glances “He is in recovery but can meet you tomorrow”

Pinkie’s hair burst back to life “HE’S ALIVE!” she cheered, she hugged Fluttershy tightly “I need to go get balloons!” she screamed as she ran into the castle “See you later Fluttershy”

Fluttershy waved her hoof at the happy mare as she left “hmm” she thought her birds all arrived again and sat around her “Ok, I want you to do one small thing for me…” Fluttershy began telling her animal friends her scheme

Meanwhile…

Celestia poked Dave’s snoring head “Wake up” she said loudly

“Huh? Wha…” Dave awoke and looked around the room “What time is it?” he asked with tired eyes

“Irrelevant, you still have fifteen hours to go” She smiled as she stroked his face with a hoof

“Where are you getting this energy from?” Dave grumbled as he was pushed onto his back

Meanwhile…

Strong Shield sat in his office, a wide smile still sat across his face, a messenger walked in

“Sir I have told all the elements of harmony of Dave’s return” The guard saluted “they all seemed eager to see him”

“Well done,” Strong Shield returned the salute “Now go and clean your armour, you have some bird waste on you”

The guard grumbled as he saw the white streak of bird excrement on his chest plate “Yes sir right away” the guard sighed loudly as he walked out and over to his bunk in the other room

“Make sure you add some wax this time” Strong Shield called after him, he may be happy but he was still the same Strong Shield underneath

Strong Shield’s head sprang up “nopony has told Princess Luna” he finished his report before hurrying out the door

He trotted past all his guards, they all saluted him and he responded with a salute of his own, as he reached Luna’s quarters he removed his smile and replaced it with his emotionless grin

Strong Shield knocked and was replied with “You may enter” He stepped in and saw the fresh tears being wiped from her eyes

Princess Luna sat up strait as she watched the sergeant enter “Oh, please say you have good news”

Strong Shield could not help but smile “Why yes I do”

“Make it really good, I am not in the best of moods” Luna replaced her head onto her desk

“Dave is…” Strong Shield started but was cut off

“Dead, I know” Luna held back a sob “Have you found his body?”

“Sort of” Strong Shield smiled again, “he is alive”

Luna turned her gaze slowly and menacingly at him, “If this is a joke I will hurt you”

“He is recovering from his ordeal and you may see him tomorrow” the unicorn finally finished and he saluted “That is all princess”

Luna waved the sergeant away “See him tomorrow?” she rummaged through her papers and pulled out a familiar brown book “I'll show her what happens when you steal from the library”

Meanwhile…

“Please” Celestia begged “Just six more hours”

Dave lay on his side “No” he grumbled “I’m tired I need sleep”

“We agreed on one full day” Celestia frowned “Now climb over here”

“You agreed…” Dave grumbled something inaudible “Mrafmfmfm… and no”

Celestia rolled Dave over onto his back “Don’t you want to do anything?”

“No” Dave almost pleaded

“Ok, I can do everything don’t worry” she said happily as she adjusted herself

“No more please!” Dave attempted to resist the alicorns force but his attempts were futile

The next morning…

Shining Armour sat in the Dining hall with Strong Shield, they had been ordered to arrive early to meet Dave and the princess

“So Dave is your son now?” Shining asked as he sat opposite the sergeant

“Symbolically” Strong Shield grinned again “If he needs a father figure then I am to assist”

“Well you raised one fine son… sort of” Shining and Shield both stood and saluted as the door opened

Celestia happily trotted in and took her place at the head of the table “Good morning” she said happily as they all sat down

Strong Shield continued to look at the door “Where is Dave?”

“He is coming” Celestia smiled as the door opened again “Ah here he is”

Dave shuffled in, his legs looked locked into place and his face a mixture of pain and exhaustion “Hey” he said weakly as he slumped in the chair closest to Celestia

“How are you Dave?” Strong Shield asked concerned

“Yeah I’m…” Dave’s head fell backwards and he began snoring loudly

Strong Shield poked him awake “You look really tired? What have you been up to?”

Dave rubbed his eyes and looked over at Shining Armour “Where do alicorns get the energy?”

Shining chuckled “I have no idea” he started to sip his water before he spluttered heavily “You and the Princess?” he coughed

“Twenty four hours” Dave sighed loudly as his arms hung low

“And they were great” Celestia smiled at Dave who attempted to respond with one of his own

Strong Shield and Shining both looked awkwardly at each other “Ok…” the sergeant started “now why have we been called early?”

Celestia took her gaze from Dave and over to Strong Shield “I wanted to inform you both that Dave has made a full recovery and is well enough for any duties you may have him perform”

Dave responded by falling asleep again and head butting the table

Celestia and the guards exchanged glances “You may want to let him have a good nights sleep first,” she giggled lightly as the guards saluted and left the dining room

After a few minutes of Celestia watching Dave sleep the doors opened again and Luna stepped in

“DAVE!” she called happily, waking him up before lunging in for a hug “They said you were dead”

“Huh? Oh yeah that…” Dave hugged Luna before she sat down at her chair “so how are you?”

“You die and all you can say is ‘How are you?’” Luna frowned at him

Dave rolled his eyes and held his arms out as if asking for a hug “Braaaains” he said in a slight moan “Better?”

“Is that supposed to be funny?” Luna attempted to hide a slight grin

Dave chuckled but his face went blank, his eyes shut and he hit the table again

“DAVE!” Luna dashed over and shook Dave, she looked at her calm sister “What’s happened?”

Celestia smiled at her sister “He is just tired”

“Oh…” Luna released Dave as he began to snore again “Well at least he is healthy”

Both the princesses sat in silence and watched Dave sleep, they watched him snore until the door opened again and Dave bolted upright

Pinkie walked in beside Fluttershy, Twilight, Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash still gave each other scornful looks

“DAVE!” they called in unison as they dived on him, they all hugged him tightly

“Hey girls” Dave gave them all hugs

The girls all sat around the table, glaring at each other, Pinkie took the opportunity to but in before anypony else could

“We are super duper happy that you are alive” Pinkie smiled

“Well I’m glad to be alive” Dave smiled

“Well Dave I was wondering if…” Rarity started to talk but was quickly silenced by Applejack

“Now don’t bother him, he has jus’ had a tough time” Applejack said angrily

“And what have you got in plan? Kicking trees?” Rarity sneered at the earth pony

Celestia stood and slammed her hoof on the table “ALL OF YOU BE QUIET!” she glared at the suddenly scared ponies “Will you put your bickering aside?”

“No!” Twilight stood up “If you all leave me and Dave alone then everything will be fine”

Rainbow flew over and poked her “No way, he deserves better than you”

Luna stood up “Listen everypony” she sighed sadly “We are forgetting that it is Dave’s choice who he spends time with”

Rainbow returned to her seat “I suppose so”

Rarity nodded “I agree, we allow Dave to chose who he really loves”

Pinkie shuffled uncomfortably in her seat “Are we all still friends?”

The ponies all looked at each other slowly “For now” they all growled

Both the princesses sighed at each other, Luna turned her head to Dave “Dave make your decision”

Dave’s head was slumped back, mouth open

Applejack poked his stomach “Are ya alright sugarcube?”

Dave leaned forwards and head butted the table loudly again, the girls all screamed but the princesses reassured them that he was just sleeping

“What was he doing yesterday that would make him this tired?” Twilight tipped her head to the side to get a better look at the sleeping Dave

Celestia blushed lightly “I think it may just be an effect of his resurrection” she sighed as they all nodded in agreement

Dave grumbled as Applejack attempted to wake him "No... no more... can't feel... legs" he pushed Applejack's hoof away and continued to sleep

The ponies all gave each other confused glances while Celestia hid her face behind a white hoof

Chapter 31

Dave shot of the table as steaming coffee was poured down his open mouth, “WHAT THE HELL?” he yelled as he waved air into his burning gob

“Ah you’re awake” Luna laughed as Dave climbed to his feet “You kept falling asleep so we decided to give you something to help”

Dave frowned at the ponies around the room “Thanks… I guess” Dave rubbed his mouth as it continued to sting “So how is everypony doing?”

“Better now we know you are alive” Rarity smiled warmly at him and so did the others

“Umm… ok that’s good to hear” Dave stood, his legs almost buckled beneath him and leaned against the wall behind him “So what does everypony want to do?”

Celestia raised her hooves to silence the ponies as their mouths opened in unison “One at a time please, Sister you may go first then the others”

Luna smiled warmly at her sister and even warmer at Dave “I was going to show you something, would you come by my quarters this evening?”

Dave shrugged “I can’t see why not” Dave slowly turned his head to Rarity who sat eagerly awaiting her turn

“I got in contact with an old friend, Fancy Pants” Rarity smiled as Dave shrugged again “And I got us a place in his VIP box for the wonderbolts derby”

Dave scratched his head “Fancy Pants? Well I can tell he must be very important,” Dave muttered to himself before turning back to Rarity, “Sounds like fun”

Rarity squeaked slightly in excitement as she jumped from her chair and to the door, “I will see you outside in ten minutes?”

Dave looked at the others “Umm… sure, we can do some stuff tomorrow right?”

The girls all nodded sadly, Luna and Celestia both smiled at him as he walked away

Dave followed the corridors until he reached the front gate and stepped out onto the quiet courtyard, three privates were running round the edge while Strong Shield stood in the middle

“Get a move on!” he barked, “You have only done thirty one laps!”

Dave grinned as he jogged over “Hey, how many laps have they got left?”

Strong Shield allowed a weak smile as Dave stopped beside him “four hundred and sixty nine” Dave sniggered at the sixty-nine, Strong Shield raised an eyebrow “What’s so funny?”

“It’s… never mind” Dave shook his head “Anyway I am going to a derby with Rarity, to see a Fancy Pants or somepony”

“Fancy Pants?” Strong Shield hummed “Well don’t let those uptight ponies bully you ok?”

“I won’t” Dave help up his hands “Should I remember my pleases and thank you’s?”

Strong Shield raised another eyebrow but ended up smiling slightly again “I didn’t raise you to be like this”

“Aww you never let me have any fun” Dave said in a childish tone before he started laughing along with the unicorn

“Just be back before night fall” Strong Shield yelled some more motivation at the tired rookies

“I case I get mugged?”

“No in case you hurt the muggers” Strong Shield rolled his eyes “Just don’t get lost, hurt or killed”

“But that is most of what I do!” Dave joked as the castle doors opened again

Rarity stepped out wearing a massive blue hat that easily shielded her from the sun “I’m ready!” she sang as she descended the white steps

Dave wondered how the hat managed to stay on her head as she bounced down to meet him “So do you know where you are going?”

“Why of course darling” Rarity began to push Dave to the courtyard exit “I know Canterlot better than anypony”

Dave waved goodbye to Strong Shield as he was hurried from the courtyard and into the busy upper-class streets

Dave nodded to the standing guards as he followed the unicorn “So what is this Fancy Pants like?”

“He is nice, charming and very important” Rarity stopped to look in a shop window “You should be fine as long as you are friendly”

“I am always friendly” Dave exclaimed

“Oh you know… try and be shy,” She continued past the window when she saw nothing of interest

“Why?” Dave followed closely beside her, ignoring the stares from the rich and famous

Rarity beckoned Dave closer “These ponies like to feel superior, through connections, wealth or even physical appearance” Rarity whispered into Dave’s ear, she looked around before closing in again “Some say that’s why Fancy Pants married Fleur de Lis”

“Is she hot?” Dave asked casually, he smiled nervously as Rarity glared at him “I-I mean… by popular opinion is she attractive?”

“Well yes quite” Rarity continued to lead Dave down toward the large stadium “You will know who she is and who Fancy Pants is soon enough”

“Alright…” Dave sighed as he followed her into the stadium and up the large stairs to the private boxes up top

The crowds of ponies gasped and stared at Dave as he walked past, as they reached the largest VIP area a unicorn guard stood in the way

Rarity stopped “Fancy Pants should show up in a minute to let us in”

“He might be a while” Dave looked up as he heard giggles from above, a strong male voice leading the others

“Like I said, a short wait” Rarity sighed as she played with her hat

Dave looked at the guard “Alright?”

The guard looked at Dave “Yes Dave and you?”

“Not to bad…” Dave stroked his chin “Can we go in?”

“For you no problem” The guard levitated the rope out of the way

“Cheers” Dave nodded to the guard as he walked up the stairs, Rarity gawping as she followed

“I’ll go first” Rarity rushed ahead “Just wait a moment”

Dave rolled his eyes as he stopped before the turning at the top of the stairs

“Ah Rarity, how good it is to see you again” Dave heard an extremely posh voice call quickly followed by mumbles of agreement

“Hello again everypony” Rarity smiled “I have brought a friend along, I hope you don’t mind”

“Not at all, it is always lovely to meet a new face” the voice called again followed by yet more agreement

“Ok just warn you he is a little… different” Rarity looked awkwardly at Dave out the corner of her eye

Dave walked up the rest of the stairs as Fancy Pants continued to talk “No matter I am sure that GOODNESS GRATIOUS ME!”

Fancy Pants’ monocle fell from his eye and the ponies around him shred his gasp as Dave came into full view and Dave waved nervously

Fancy Pants replaced his monocle “Well I say this is certainly different” he trotted over “Where did you find this… thing?”

Dave flinched at the last word, Rarity noticed and quickly jumped in “Dave here is from another world and he has had a tough time”

“Dave? Certainly an odd name” Fancy Pants was accompanied by another wave of agreement from various posh ponies around the VIP box

Rarity laughed nervously “Yes well I’m sure Dave is normal for his world”

“Definitely… I do say doesn’t he look angry, is that natural?” Fancy Pants clearly mistook the large frown on Dave’s face for a race difference

“He is just a bit thirsty” Rarity pushed Dave over to the drinks table and whispered to him again “What are you doing?”

“Me? Nothing apparently I am some dumb creature to these ponies” Dave glared at the posh group as they laughed loudly amongst themselves

“Listen stay here, cool off then come over and say hello” Rarity passed Dave a glass of champagne before trotting away

Dave glared at the bubbles in his drink, his back turned to the others, and the bubbles twisted and formed a familiar pair of flat eyes

“Twist right and stab the tall mare in the back of the head with that wine glass,” Odio growled quietly

Dave held the glass close to his chest, he turned and saw a tall mare, Fleur de Lis by the way she hung around Fancy Pants like a fly to a corpse

“What the hell?” Dave whispered quietly when he was sure nopony was listening

“What? I have had to stay quiet for a while now… I need to make up for lost time” The eyes shook “Now backflip and snap the popular one’s neck”

“No Odio” Dave sighed as he swigged the wine “I’ll speak later”

Dave turned and walked to the group of talking ponies, the niggling temptations to kill from Odio made his walk harder

“Ah Dave” Fancy Pants sighed “Are you feeling better?”

“Much better thank you” Dave smiled, receiving a few gasps

“It can talk?” One of the stallions gaped

Fancy Pants quietened everypony down “now give it some space, tell me Dave… what do you do on your world?”

Dave laughed lightly, “Nothing, my royal servants provide everything” He smirked as the ponies’ ears all pricked up “I am a prince on my world and I had just finished vanquishing some evil forces I decided to try my magical powers at teleportation, I ended up here”

The ponies all muttered amongst themselves but then they all moved around Dave “What is your kingdom like?” A mare asked

“Vast, as much as you can imagine” Dave had to refrain from giggling as the ponies bought his lies

Fancy Pants stepped before Dave “Well I must say that we jumped to conclusions”

“Yeah you did” Dave shattered the glass in his hand as he gripped tightly “So next time I suggest you be nice to ponies before finding out if their assets are worthy or not”

The ponies gasped at this sudden outburst “Guard!” one called, the guard hurried up the stairs, stopping at the top, looked at the angry Dave and quickly retreated

“I’m not royal by the way” Dave wiped broke glass from his hand “But I have done many, many things since I have been here that your selfish mind can’t comprehend “

Fancy Pants foolishly stepped forwards “After that first ridiculous lie why should I believe you?”

Dave chuckled “the reason the guard decided to leave may have something to do with me beating the hell out of a goddamn dragon!”

“A d-dragon?” Fancy Pants dropped his monocle again, “I apologise Dave for my rudeness this evening”

Dave sighed loudly “I’m sorry I lost my temper” He chuckled “being called ‘thing’ and ‘creature’ get on my nerves”

They both shook hands like gentlemen and got into a conversation, Dave gave Rarity a reassuring smile before continuing his talk with the talkative stallion

“So do they have tea and scones on your world?” Fancy Pants asked as a servant brought a tray over

Dave chuckled “Yes we do, very popular with my part of the world… well that and top hats if you take the stereotype into account“”

“Would you like a top hat?” Fancy Pants leaned towards a servant

“No thanks” Dave looked out of the box and down onto the cloud race track “I bet the bluely one will win”

Fancy Pants smiled “I doubt that… now tell me more about your adventures” he sat quietly while Fleur de Lis came and rested on his shoulder “They are very riveting”

“Well ok I can just tell you about the time I died, once this race is over” Dave gazed out the window while everypony gave confused glances at each other

A loud horn blasted and the row of pegasi bolted forwards easily gaining speed as they rounded the first corner and a commentator began to yell in excitement

“And there goes Slipspeed but wait here comes Fleetfoot!” The crowed cheered as the commentator announced a change in position “And Fleetfoot wins again!”

Dave fell back into his chair as his racer lost “Ah well” he sighed “Better luck next time I guess”

Fancy Pants nodded “We can’t win them all” he was echoed by the ponies around him “Do you have anything planned this evening? I have a small gathering planned I was wondering if you would care to join us”

“I am afraid I have to refuse, I have to go see Lu… Princess Luna” Dave stood and shook Fancy Pants’ hoof “Thank you for the offer though”

Dave said goodbye to the upper class as he followed Rarity out of the stadium “Good to see you didn’t lose your temper too much” Rarity sighed as the exited onto the streets of Canterlot

“Well they were calling me ‘thing’ I’m not a thing I am just like them… kinda” Dave stretched as Rarity shook her head

“But they are important” Rarity looked over at Dave “They hold some influence over public opinion”

“I don’t care what other ponies think” Dave shrugged “Just because a few ponies don’t like me does that mean you don’t?”

Rarity gasped, “Of course not I think you are better than anything!”

“So why do I have to care if my friends like me?” Dave raised an eyebrow as Rarity slowly nodded

“I suppose you are right” She turned onto the long broad path leading to the castle

Dave waved at the guards and they opened the large gates

“Anyway I am going to see if Luna is waiting for me” Dave walked through the open courtyard and into the castle

“Ok well I shall see you at lunch” Rarity split and walked in a different direction, most likely going to find her friends

Dave walked up most of the stairs and changed stairways to ones that would take him to Luna’s quarters

Dave approached the door and knocked gently, nodding to the guards as he did so

“Enter!” Luna called from behind the door

Dave stepped in and the serious faced Luna smiled “Hiya am I too early?”

“No not at all!” Luna nervously used magic to tidy the room, books and scrolls flying around the air distracted Dave as she slipped a scroll under a wing “I have a surprise for you”

Dave gulped slightly “Umm… ok thanks” He stood close to the door

“Make yourself comfortable I just need to use the bathroom” Luna winked as she trotted in closing the door behind her

Dave nervously sat on the large purple sofa that sat opposite the bathroom door “Comfortable Psh” Dave muttered as he squirmed uneasily

“Even though I am not you, I feel uncomfortable,” Odio whispered into his mind “And by the way I hate you a little more”

“Why?” Dave whispered

“That all day marathon you had with Celestia made me puke… if I could” Odio hummed slightly “What I mean to say is I found it revolting”

Dare failed to notice a burst of light from under the bathroom door as he rolled his eyes “Whatever get over it” Dave rubbed his eyes as the bathroom door opened

“No I will not… oh” Odio rummaged in Dave’s mind “So that’s the surprise”

“Oh Dave?” Luna called softly

Dave looked up, the door was open but Luna wasn’t visible, he saw the glow of her glowing horn and the lights dimmed, the door locked and the curtains closed

“Now where have we seen this before?” Odio whispered as he faded away

Dave looked around the darker room, he certainly was not comfortable “Umm, Luna?” Dave called out nervously “Where are you?”

Luna stepped into the doorway, throwing a scroll aside as she leaned her back against the doorway and rubbed her body with her hands

“What the fuck?” Dave gasped quietly as he saw Luna’s new form

Luna had a human body, everything except her head and legs were human, her large wings still sprouted from her back

“Do I look good?” She smiled as she looked at her hands and played with her fingers

Dave noticed her body was still covered with dark fur and she now had rather large breasts

As Dave’s gaze passed over Luna’s chest he slapped a hand over his eyes to stop him looking as her ran for the door

Dave couldn’t tell how close the door was as he ran into it, recovering he hopelessly attempted the door handle

Dave felt Luna’s new arms wrap around him, her fingers exploring his chest as her naked body was pressed against his back

“See how much I care?” Luna whispered softly into his ear

“Listen I think this is REALLY awkward” Dave turned and pushed himself as close to the door as he could

Luna placed her new arms either side of his head “Don’t worry I can make everything better” Luna sighed seductively

Dave raised his arms to push her away but it would involve grabbing certain parts of her body so he swerved around her to avoid contact

“Listen I um… like the body but it doesn’t suit you” Dave walked backwards but fell backwards onto the bed

Luna took the chance to pounce onto of him “Well I changed myself for you rather than force a change onto you like my sister did”

“She has a point,” Odio quickly whispered

“Well I appreciate the thought but you have to… to” Dave struggled for words as Luna began playing with her chest

“What are these?” She asked as she grabbed them

Dave began to sweat “Um… those are called boobs, Could you stop touching them please?”

Luna dropped her hands to Dave’s wrists “Of course… you should touch them first” she smiled as she grabbed Dave’s wrists and forced his hands up

As his palms made contact Dave gasped loudly, “THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT”

Dave grabbed Luna’s waist and flipped her over onto the bed and shot to his feet, he dived for the balcony doors

“I thought you would have liked this,” Luna said sadly as she climbed to her hooves “I didn’t have time to perfect it but…”

Dave opened the balcony doors and slipped through shutting them behind him, Luna ran over but Dave held them tightly shut

“How long will this last?” Dave asked as he stopped the handles from turning

“About an hour” Luna pressed her body against the glass “Just enough time”

Dave avoided looking at Luna “I am not going to sleep with you” he quickly peeked at her “Even if your body is human”

Luna’s fingers tapped the glass “Why not?” Her eyes blinked slowly “You were killed by my sister, allow me to make it up to you”

Dave chuckled “Oh she more than made up” As Dave realized what he said, he looked at a shocked Luna

“Celestia mated with you?” Luna gasped

“No… sorta… ok a lot” Dave admitted “So I can’t do it with you otherwise it would be damaging to the relationship”

Luna pondered for a moment “Why not have us both?”

“Excuse me?”

“NO! Both would drive me mad,” Odio blurted in quickly

“You love Celestia and me so why not have us both… I’m sure she wouldn’t mind” Luna stroked the glass between them

“Isn’t that slightly frowned upon? A large relationship group?” Dave did not notice his grip loosen on the door handle

“No, most ponies are normally happy with one but… I need you” Luna opened the doors quickly and threw herself at Dave’s feet “Please” she begged as she hugged tightly

Dave looked around uneasily “Umm… we need to talk to your sister first”

Luna’s horn glowed dimly “Sister I need you,” she said to herself

Suddenly a flash of white appeared beside them, Celestia stood next to them, a shocked face showing her surprise at the sight before her

“Can either of you explain this to me?” Celestia was not showing much concern at her sister’s new appearance

“I want a harem” Luna begged, “It isn’t fair that you have him all”

Celestia sighed as she trotted inside “We need to talk”

Dave looked down at Luna who still clung to his leg “Can you let go? You don‘t work at a strip club”

Chapter 32

Luna eventually released her grip on Dave’s leg and followed her sister inside, Dave followed behind and sat on the sofa

“So what are we talking about?” Dave asked as he sat down “and what the hell is a harem?”

Celestia sat down on Luna’s bed “A harem is a group of in this case, females for one male”

“So wait… you are suggesting that I make a harem with you, Luna and the others?” Dave’s eye twitched “I can’t keep up with that”

Dave slowly tuned his attention to Luna who was bouncing on the spot, she was looking down at her chest watching her boobs bounce up and down

“Can you stop that please?” Dave asked as he attempted to turn his head away

“Why? This feels funny” Luna laughed lightly “Tia you have to feel how soft they are”

“NOPE!” Dave threw his hands in the air “Ok this is slightly confusing”

“How so?” Celestia was also distracted by her sister

Dave rubbed his face “Don’t you care?” Dave leaned forwards and stared into Celestia’s eyes “You are hiding something”

Celestia glared at Dave “How dare you!” Celestia turned her head away “What makes you think I would hide something?”

“Because you are either using me as a sex toy or you have an agenda” Dave walked over and kneeled before the white alicorn “Which is it?”

Celestia’s head fell so she gazed at Dave “I love you Dave but I need to protect Equestria”

“So why are you willing to share me?” Dave placed his hands on Celestia’s front hooves

“The elements of harmony know about your various relationships” Celestia sighed “And they are not happy”

Dave groaned as he bashed his head into the bed “Oh no I am so screwed”

“So I need you to make a harem with them so they remain friends” Celestia smiled as Dave sat up

“Hang on… so they stay friends? Aren’t they angry at me?” Dave held his hands up in confusion

“Apparently not, just talk with them and see if they will agree to group with you” Celestia smiled “I know you can do it”

Dave smiled as he stood up “You’re right, I can do this” he walked over to the door “Only one problem…”

“What is it?” Celestia asked she was slightly distracted by Luna lifting a leg above her head

“I don’t want to be with them I want to be with you!” Dave pointed angrily

Celestia sighed, “The elements of harmony require friendship to work, and if they aren’t friends then they can’t protect Equestria”

“So I am still in a relationship with you but I have the others on the side?” Dave scratched his chin “I don’t feel comfortable about this”

“To be honest it may mean us spending less time together” Celestia smiled “But this way everypony is happy even Luna”

Dave and Celestia turned to Luna who was gabbing her bottom, “This feels firmer now and I don’t know why”

Dave face palmed as he sighed loudly “So you are perfectly happy with me sleeping with your sister?”

“Well…” Celestia looked at Luna then back to Dave “I am happy to know that you and her are having fun”

Dave shrugged “Fine... get out”

Celestia gasped, “What did you say?”

“Get. Out” Dave walked over to Luna “Me and your sister need privacy”

Celestia stopped herself from yelling “Oh I see what you are doing, trying to make me jealous”

Dave shrugged “Technically it was your idea” Dave stepped away from Luna who was now leaning over “And to be honest I will probably wait until Luna is normal or until she has decided being a stripper isn’t a good career choice”

Celestia sighed, “Well I suggest that you talk to the others about the harem idea before you… take more steps with any of them”

Dave walked over to the door “Ok I will see if I can find them”

“Twilight will probably be in the library” Celestia called after Dave

“Look Tia I can balance really well!” Luna cheered happily as she did a handstand, legs spread wide

“Oh my” Celestia blushed as she looked over Luna’s figure

Dave walked out of the bedroom and headed down the stairs, he nodded to a few guards along the way as he headed to the library

As he reached the door he opened it quietly and snuck up the stairs, he peeked up and saw Spike reading a book

“Oh hey Spike” Dave said cheerfully “Do you know where Twilight is?”

Spike glared at Dave but turned away “She isn’t here” he grumbled

Dave looked around at the shelves “Well I can see that, do you know where she is at the moment?”

Spike stood and walked over to Dave, still frowning angrily “She told me where but I am not telling”

“Wha? Why not?” Dave kneeled to talk with the angry dragon

Spike swiped at Dave’s face, slicing his cheek “You knew I have a crush on Rarity but you took her from me!” he screamed angrily

Dave stood and clutched his face as it healed “He attacked you out of hate, how… lovely” Odio whispered “Are you going to accept that?”

Dave kneeled down again restraining his anger “Listen this is slightly more important than your silly fascination” Dave poke Spike sharply in his stomach

Spike growled as he swung his claw again, Dave grabbed his wrist and grabbed him by the throat, Spike squirmed as Dave tightened his grasp

“N-no you betrayed me” Spike managed to wheeze

Dave walked over to the large window and broke it using his empty fist, holding Spike outside over the long fall “I MEAN IT SPIKE!” Dave yelled angrily

Spike held onto Dave’s arm tightly as he saw the drop beneath him “Ok, Ok she said she was in the gardens”

Dave dragged Spike back through, his face shuddered as the dragon began to cry “Oh I am so sorry Spike” Dave released the dragon and he fell to his knees

“It’s ok” Spike moved away from Dave in fear “I’m fine see”

Dave shook his head “I have been so angry lately, everypony is getting on my nerves” He looked up at the dragon “and I never wanted to take Rarity from you I swear”

Spike climbed to his feet, massaging his neck “I believe you, I can’t control who she falls for so I am glad she fell for you”

"I don't want her to" Dave whispered sadly but then he shook his head “I will find a better way to apologise I promise”

Spike smiled “Ok come find me sometime before we go home... promise?”

Dave nodded “Promise” he shook the dragon’s claw “You have a hell of a swing you know that?”

They both laughed and Dave left the library and headed down to the gardens, he walked around until he spotted Twilight out of the corner of his eye, standing beside a pink alicorn

Twilight smiled as Dave jogged over “Hi Dave, this is my sister-in-law Princess Cadence”

Cadence smiled as Dave waved at her “Nice to meet you Dave” she said happily “Twilight was right when she said you weren't from this world”

Dave chuckled “Yeah, no offence but I need to have a quick word with Twilight” Cadence nodded in acceptance as Twilight hopped over to Dave

“What is it?” Twilight asked

“I need to talk about our relationship and the others” Dave looked around “Can we go look for them?”

“Ah a good thing you brought us up” Twilight hopped beside Cadence “Now!” she cheered

Cadence’s horn glowed brightly and a spark slammed into Dave’s head “Ah what the… hell?”

Dave rubbed his eyes and his gaze spiralled to Twilight, she seemed beautiful, Celestia and the others fell from his mind

“I think it worked” Twilight gasped happily “Thank you Cadence!”

“It’s ok Twilight” Cadence smiled “Anything to help you two out”

Dave chuckled slightly “What happened?” he rubbed his head slightly

“That Princess controls love, she affected your mind to make you fall in love with Twilight and Twilight alone,” Odio laughed “But don’t worry, I can fix this”

Dave walked over to Twilight and Cadence “Twilight” he smiled

“Yes Dave?” Twilight leaned forwards expecting a kiss

“HOW STUPID DO YOU THINK I AM?” Dave roared

Twilight and Cadence leapt back, Cadence attempted to reverse her short spell but the spark did not even reach Dave

“Dave calm down” Twilight pleaded

“NO! I was going to go through with Celestia’s silly plan of making a harem, you could have been with me but you know what? FUCK IT!” Dave threw his arms in the air as he walked away “All of you ponies and this entire world can burn for all I care!”

Twilight and Cadence shared frightened glances before hurrying for Celestia’s quarters, Odio clapped inside Dave's head "Bravo!" he cheered

Dave meanwhile stormed through the castle, any doors that didn’t open in time he kicked from the hinges “Stupid ponies thinking they can use me” he growled as he walked through the courtyard

Dave walked through the streets of Canterlot, ignoring the gasps and stares as he reached the train station “I see now that these elements of harmony all have… flaws” Odio muttered

The driver was just pulling the brakes as Dave climbed aboard “Oh hey Dave… where are your friends?”

Dave sat down on the coal pile “I don’t know and I don’t care” he grumbled angrily “Just take me back to Ponyville”

The driver uneasily released the brakes as Dave began to leave the station, Odio continued to mumble in his head “I take it you don’t like the harem idea?”

“No I don’t” Dave growled “Who cares if the girls don’t get along”

The driver looked over at Dave “Why are ya talking to yourself?”

“Shut up and keep driving” Dave spat

Odio appeared out of the soot “Now I suggest you start taking a better grasp on your own life”

The driver turned with fear “What the hay is that thing?”

Odio looked over at the driver “I wouldn’t talk or even repeat this entire experience if I was you”

The driver shook with fear “Please don’t hurt me”

“Do you have children?”

“n-no but…” The driver was cut off as a black tentacle wrapped around his neck

“Good then nopony will come for revenge” Odio smashed him into the floor and stuffed the unconscious driver into the coal

Dave frowned at the floating soot “Why did you do that?”

“He was incompetent and mildly annoying” Odio shifted around Dave “Why do you care? You didn’t even know his name”

Dave looked at the floor “Whatever just let us get back home and can you go away? I need to be alone”

“Aww… have you realized that because of your rejection to the harem idea you may have lost Celestia?” Odio teased

"i broke a promise" Dave sighed as he looked over his shoulder at Canterlot that was speeding away “And I am afraid I may have lost everything”

Chapter 33

Dave dragged the driver from the pile of coal “So he won’t remember anything?” Dave asked as Odio wrapped a tendril around the ponies head

“As far as he will know, you would have been in the cartridge and just saying goodbye” Odio’s body blew away in the wind as he removed the cord

The driver’s eyes flickered as he regained consciousness “Oh hey Dave you’re awake,” He said happily

“Err… yeah” Dave looked forwards and saw Ponyville drawing closer “I’m just passing by on my way”

The driver gripped the brakes “Well it was good to see you again… heh you know you have been working to long when the journey seems shorter” The driver lightly applied the brakes and stopped gently on the platform

“Well see you later” Dave waved over his shoulder to the driver as he stepped off the train and began walking home

The ponies glanced at Dave as he walked down the streets, they resumed their lives as Dave passed by

As Dave reached the outskirts of town Odio began swimming in his mind “So what is the plan now?” Dave hummed until he reached his house

“Sit at home and ignore everypony” Dave opened his door and locked it behind him “I am tired of being used”

“Oh woe is you,” Odio grumbled, “You have eight girls throwing themselves at you, also two of them happen to be gods!”

“Counter argument, you hate Celestia, not really fond of Luna and you are using me as a hiding spot” Dave paced into the kitchen “I can’t talk like this!”

“Well I am not coming out and I take it you don’t want to go to sleep” Odio swirled slightly “Bag of sugar in top cupboard”

Dave opened the cupboard, removed the bag and slammed into the wall opposite, Odio floated the granules of sugar into the form of his tall humanoid figure

Dave sat down in the living room “Is there a way for me to get home?” he stared at Odio as he stood against the wall

“If Twilight started any research I’m sure there might be something to go on” Odio chuckled slightly “That unicorn has been ignoring a few responsibilities lately”

Dave rubbed his face “Brilliant” he sighed sarcastically “so Twilight won’t help me go home”

“What was wrong with the harem idea?” Odio shuffled forwards “It is what everypony wants”

“But it isn’t what I want!” Dave punched the sofa cushions angrily “I was happy with Celestia”

“But she doesn’t care about you” Odio moaned, “She just wants to have everything go her way! Do you really think she hasn’t had a day of lust with other ponies?”

“Well I…” Dave glared at the floor “She said she loved me”

“And then she said to go off with the elements after she fucked you!” Odio slammed his palms onto the table “SHE USED YOU!”

Dave growled angrily “I am not going to be used by anypony anymore”

“I shall make sure you are… protected until I have gained enough energy” Odio paced back into the kitchen “Still wish to be alone?”

“Yeah…” Dave followed Odio into the kitchen and watched as he flowed back into the bag “I just need to think things out”

Odio laughed “You know where I am if you need me” his head crumbled as it fell into the bag with the rest of his temporary body

Dave rolled his eyes as he placed the bag of sugar away again, he angrily stormed up and into his bedroom

Dave strode over to his telescope and peered down the scope, as the sun began to set lights began to spring up over the castle

Meanwhile…

Twilight knocked heavily on Luna’s bedroom door “Princess Luna!” she called

Princess Celestia opened the door and smiled “Hello Twilight, how can I help you?”

“Princess Celestia? I was looking for you at…” Twilight shook her head “That’s not important right now, I may have done something wrong”

Celestia frowned at the unicorn as she allowed her into the room, Luna was resting on the bed with a large grin on her face

“Hello Twilight how art thou?” Luna giggled like a filly as she rolled over the bed

Celestia leaned down to Twilight’s ear “She is just suffering withdrawal symptoms from a spell”

Luna sat up crying, “Why doesn’t he love me?” She sobbed, “I did so much” she clutched her flat chest with her hooves “I want my boobs back!”

“Not until you figure out how to make this spell safer!” Celestia ordered her sister “So Twilight what is the matter?”

“I used Princess Cadence in an attempt to force Dave to love me” Twilight grinned nervously as Luna charged over

“WHAT DID YOU DO TO DAVE?” she yelled angrily, Celestia used a hoof to block her path

“It didn’t work and he went completely mad, he yelled something about a harem and stormed off” Twilight pointed at Celestia “He said it was your idea”

The tall white alicorn sighed, “Yes I told him that he should make a harem with you and your friends”

“Why? You had him… why would you let that go?” Twilight sat down as Luna suddenly started licking her lips

“I fancy some ice-cream… GUARDS YOUR PRINCESS DEMANDS ICE-CREAM!” Luna held out a hoof and her face was carved serious, she slowly tilted forwards and fell on her face, flank in the air

“Right…” Celestia turned from her sister and back to her student “Dave needs to either leave or make a harem with you all… I’m guessing you would follow him if he left”

Twilight nodded “Of course I would! But a harem means he would be shared”

“But if you don’t then you might not even have a part of him” Celestia smiled “I am giving him to you and your friends”

“But I still wonder… what about Luna?” Twilight looked at the snoring Princess

Celestia sighed, “She may join it as well, we shall see” Celestia turned away from Twilight “Gather your friends and find Dave or lose him forever”

Twilight held her head high “Don’t worry princess I will find him” she cheered as she darted out of the door

Celestia felt Luna stagger beside her “Why don’t you just join the harem as well?” the recovered Princess asked

“Because I will want him all… I almost felt hatred towards you when he suggested mating with you” Celestia’s eyes began to fill with tears as she looked down at her little sister “And I never want to hate you”

“I love you sister” Luna smiled as she nuzzled against her big sibling “I know this must be tough”

“I love you too little Luna” Celestia gazed out of the window as she felt familiar eyes resting on her “Dave?” she whispered in shock

Meanwhile…

“Ahh she can feel your gaze on her” Odio smiled inside Dave’s head “She knows you are here”

Dave growled as his grip tightened on the telescope, “I’m guessing you can lip read pretty well”

“Why yes” Odio coughed “In summary… Something about the harem, err… ice-cream and lovely families”

“Well… ok” Dave walked back into his bedroom “How long do you reckon until they all show up?”

“I would give them either all night if they take the train or less than a hour if the Princess teleports them” Odio squirmed inside Dave’s mind “Do me a favour and find a diamond”

Dave rummaged through his draws and found a large diamond “Why?”

“Just hold it tight” Dave obliged Odio as the veins in his arms turned black “This may sting”

Dave’s hands began to bleed, the blood soaked into the diamond, it slowly filled with tainted blood, as it filled the blood stopped flowing, and it faintly glowed a dim red

“What the hell was that?” Dave asked as he flipped the blood diamond in his hands

Odio panted, “I just cut a portion of my power and placed it inside the gem”

“So storage space?” Dave carefully placed the gem inside one of his chests, buried beneath the block of gold coins

“In a sense” Odio appeared inside the gem “I can recover this power at will, just don’t break it”

Dave chuckled “break diamond?”

“Now it has been filled with some of my power it has become fragile” Odio sighed “We don’t want you overflowing with power”

“Will I get more powers?” Dave tapped the diamond before closing the lid

“No you will explode and die permanently” Odio shot down Dave’s smile

“Oh well it was worth asking” Dave looked out the window “Can they teleport in?”

“Probably… put signs up just in case,” Odio suggested

Dave walked downstairs “How will that stop two alicorns? And six pony superheroes?”

“Common courtesy or fear” Odio hummed “I think writing ‘LEAVE OR DIE’ across the house in blood should do the trick”

Dave found some white paint in his cupboard under the stairs and walked outside, using his fingers he wrote, “Keep out, no visitors”

“That should…” Dave wrote in small letters beneath ‘P.s. no Jehovah’s witnesses’ he laughed as he walked back inside

“I don’t understand” Odio squirmed “What does that mean?”

Dave replaced the paint and walked into the kitchen to wash his hands “Don’t you have access to my memories?”

Odio crashed around Dave’s mind before flying back “Every week?” he asked surprised

“Yeah I kinda lived in a hotspot for them” Dave chuckled “One day I opened the door dressed as Satan that was hilarious”

Odio laughed along “Well at least it will delay them”

Meanwhile…

Twilight ran into the dining hall, her friends all sat in silence, Pinkie trying her hardest to start a conversation

“Girls we have a problem!” Twilight frowned as everypony ignored her “It’s about Dave”

The girls all whipped their heads around “What’s happened?” Applejack asked as Twilight sat down beside her

“Dave has gone mad and has stormed off somewhere” Twilight braced for the response to the next bit of info “Apparently he was going to start a harem with us”

The girls all gave confused glances but Rainbow Dash spoke up “You’re just saying that so you can trick us”

“No!” Twilight shook her head “I think that Dave cares about all of us so much that he would try to make a harem to make us all happy”

“He is so nice” Rarity sighed “But what about the princesses?”

“Luna might join but I don’t think Celestia will” Twilight looked as the others nodded “I am in this harem”

“So am I!” Rarity cheered

“Same here!” Applejack nodded

“Um… I’ll join… if that’s ok,” Fluttershy whispered

“This is gonna be AWESOME” Rainbow Dash cheered

Pinkie Pie smiled “That’s great that you all are friends again!”

“Wait Pinkie don’t ya want to be in the harem?” Applejack raised an eyebrow at the frowning mare

“No… why would I want to be?” Pinkie tapped her chin

“Don’t you love Dave? Don’t you want to mate with him?” Dash also stared puzzled at her

Pinkie rolled out her tongue “EW no… Dave is just a friend and besides he isn’t a pony, what would the fillies look like? OH maybe they will be Paves or Donies!”

The girls all shrugged as Pinkie started one off her random rants and they all leaned together for a group hug

As they released each other, the doors loudly swung open and Celestia and Luna ran in

“Have you formed a harem?” She asked

Twilight smiled “everypony who wants to be and we are going to find Dave now”

Celestia shook her head “No I know where he is, he is at his home in Ponyville”

“That quickly?” Dash gasped, “He must have stolen the train to get there that quickly”

“No the train is still driving normally” Celestia pushed Luna towards the group “but you all need to calm him down”

Pinkie bounced over to the group as Luna stood behind them “Why am I going sister?”

“Do you not wish to be part of the harem?” Celestia raised an eyebrow

Luna stepped closer to the group “I am ready” she nodded

Celestia sighed “Don’t worry I shall send Spike along as well” Celestia’s horn glowed brighter “I wish you all happiness… send me a letter to let me know what happens”

The ponies all nodded in agreement as Celestia teleported them in a flash of light, she remained alone and she sagged to the floor “Happiness with the one I love” she said sadly

Meanwhile…

Dave sat on his sofa but he bolted to his feet when he saw the flash outside his house “I don’t care what they want, they can leave me alone”

Odio wrapped around his mind “Spike, Luna and the elements”

A knock on the door was followed by Applejacks voice “Dave, we know ya are in there” She peeked through the letterbox to see Dave run upstairs “Ah see him”

Rainbow flew onto the upstairs balcony and looked through a small crack in the curtains “Dave we agreed on the harem!”

Dave ran to his bed “NO I WANT CELESTIA!” he roared as he threw the bed at her

Dash gasped and flew upwards as the bed crashed through where she previously stood, Dave stood by the open hole he had just made

“Celestia doesn’t want you,” Odio whispered in case Luna felt his presence “Go with them”

Dave grabbed his head “ARGH… fine, meet me in my living room” Dave grumbled as he walked downstairs, opening the front door for the ponies along the way

They all nervously trotted inside, Spike rubbed his eyes “I was sleeping… why am I here?”

Dave managed a quick grin at Spike “Go upstairs Spike and help yourself to any gems”

Spike snapped awake “thanks Dave!” he cheered as he ran upstairs, he ran over to Dave’s chests “I’m sure he has stored them all in one of these”

Spike opened the first chest to find it full of bits, the second was also full of gold coins but the third contained a large black and red diamond

“WOAH!” Spike gawped, he licked his fangs

Downstairs Odio felt the dragon’s hunger “DAVE UPSTAIRS!” he shouted and Dave jumped to his feet with realization

Dave rocketed up his stairs and shouldered his bedroom door aside, he saw Spike curled on the floor, the diamond had one large bite on the side, Spike groaned as he held his stomach

“I think there was something wrong with that gem,” He moaned as he coughed black smoke

“That doesn’t look good” Dave and Odio, said in unison

Chapter 34

Dave hurried to Spike’s side, he kneeled beside the coughing dragon “What’s happening?”

“He ate a small amount of my power” Odio growled “Stupid beast”

“Spike are you ok?” Dave reached for Spike but he punched Dave’s chest, sending him across the room

Spike roared angrily as his nostrils continued to pump out black smoke

“Ok I may have to be honest for once,” Odio, said in a nicer tone, “The power source I have been using for a while now is actually an emotion”

“What is it?” Dave grumbled as he climbed to his feet “Tell me it is something nice”

“No it is actually anger, hate and all emotions related” Odio chuckled “And it seems Spike is adding to the power now within him”

“Power within?” Dave rubbed his head as the black fog engulfed Spike “How?”

“He hates you for taking Rarity away, he likes you really but my power is amplifying the hate” Odio hummed “Sorry about that”

“So how do I stop him?” Dave stepped back as the black fog grew wings and claws “Or should I say it?”

Spike completely disappeared behind the fog and was replaced with a dull red glow which sat in the heart of the black, smoky dragon and it stood twice as tall as Dave

It roared at Dave, its foggy jaws revealed bright red fangs that burned brightly and it shot a red ball of fire at Dave

Dave raised his arms and the ball slammed him against his wall again, the fog tackled him through the wall and outside onto the ground

Downstairs the girls had heard the banging and ran out side to see Dave holding large dragon’s jaws apart

“Leave him alone!” Luna called out as she fired a blast of energy at the foggy intruder

The dragon rolled to avoid the blast before retaliating with one of his own, Luna raised a shield to protect from the blast

Dave quickly kicked the legs from under the dragon and held its jaws shut “RUN!” he yelled at the girls as the dragon began to claw at his legs

The girls all took shelter from the fight by hiding behind the house, Luna kept her barrier up just in case

The dragon managed to grab Dave’s head and slammed him into the ground, the girls gasped as the dragon wrapped his tail around Dave and began to crush him

Dave grabbed the dragon’s snout and head butted it with all he could, the dragons crushed snout quickly filled out again and threw Dave through a nearby tree

Dave staggered to his feet, he saw the fear stricken girls and looked at the dragon, and “How do I stop it?” he whispered to Odio

“You need to get the source of power back” Odio rummaged inside Dave’s mind “But I take it you don’t want to kill Spike”

“No… can you absorb the power back?” Dave looked around, he saw some rocks a few meters away “If I get Spike can you absorb the power?” he asked again

Odio sat silent “Yes, if you remove Spike from that fog of his hatred yes I can”

“Alright then” Dave whistled at the dragon “Come here you oversized lizard!”

The dragon opened its wide wings and flew into the air, roaring as it flew in a wide circle and grabbed Dave

“Ok I wasn’t expecting this” Dave gasped as he was dragged into the air, the dragon spun in the air and threw him down

Dave smashed into the ground legs first, they snapped as he hit the hard ground and he screamed in pain, the dragon smiled as he dived onto Dave’s chest

“Good news!” Odio cheered “With the energy needed to heal you there will be enough space for Spike’s energy!”

Dave groaned as he pulled the dragons head from his stomach “Isn’t that wonderful” he sighed sarcastically

Dave’s legs cracked back to normal and he kicked the dragon away, it rolled on its back frantically before regaining its footing

Dave dashed over to the rocks and grabbed the sharpest one he could, “Come on, come on” he chanted as the dragon began to run at him

As the dragon leapt at him, Dave fell to the floor and slashed across its chest, it healed the wound as it landed

“What?” Dave looked at the fog dragon then at the rock “Fine… plan B”

Dave stabbed himself with the rock and pulled out the blood-covered blade, the dragon charged again Dave jumped and stabbed into the dragon’s forehead

The dragon roared in pain as the blood broke down its head, Dave meanwhile sliced a hole into the dragon’s back, holding tightly onto the large spines on its back

As soon as the hole was large enough Dave dived in with his hand, feeling around the foggy insides, eventually he felt a scale

Grabbing it tightly Dave ripped the unconscious Spike from the dragon, he jumped away from the roaring fog as he clutched Spike’s chest

“Do it now!” Dave commanded as Odio began to drain the power from the gem within Spike

Spike squirmed and his eyes shot open as the redness seeped through his body and into Dave’s hand, behind them the fog shook and faded slowly as Spike’s hate was severed

“Wha… What happened?” Spike rubbed his head as he looked around “And why are we outside?”

Dave chuckled as he carried Spike back inside the house, the girls had all ran inside after them and crowded around Spike as he was laid down on the sofa

“Spike was inside that thing?” Twilight gasped

Dave walked over to his stairs “Can you all stay here and look after him please?”

The girls all nodded but Luna followed Dave “How did Spike change?”

“He umm… ate a tiny gem from my room” Dave climbed his stairs but stopped before his bedroom door “Wait here while I make sure everything is ok”

Dave snuck in and ran over to the diamond “Brace yourself this might hurt” Odio warned

“Hang on I was just goin to hide it,” Dave whispered

Odio began draining the power from the diamond “Luna will sense it the moment she walks in… just pretend that Spike ate it all”

Dave groaned quietly as he felt his body surge painfully “Ok Luna… its ok” Dave managed to put a smile on his face as the princess stepped in

“Where is the rest of this gem?” She glared around the room

Dave snuck the empty diamond into a chest “Spike must have eaten it all”

Luna used her magic to repair the damages as she walked over to Dave “That was a good idea you had… using your blood to remove the transformation”

“Thanks” Dave sat down on his bed “Will Spike be ok?”

“He should be fine… I thought me and my sister had gotten rid of those cursed gems” Luna growled “At least that is one more gone”

Dave ignored her as he fell to his back “Ok well I will come down in a bit… I guess I have to start this harem thing”

Luna gently climbed onto Dave “Well you don’t have to” Luna spun her hoof in small circles on Dave’s chest “Don’t do anything you don’t want to do”

Dave sighed “I have to… you still in?”

Luna pondered before smiling “Of course”

Dave smiled as he got to his feet and walked downstairs, Luna walked alongside him “Can somepony put Spike in the spare room?” he asked

“Sure!” Applejack carefully put Spike in the spare bed before returning quickly “So what the hay was that thing?” she asked Dave as he fell onto the sofa

Luna opened her mouth to explain but Dave held out a hand “Can we just forget about that for now?”

“So what are we doing now?” Twilight asked as she sat next to Dave

Dave rubbed his eyes “Well… we need to sort this harem out” he looked at all the ponies “Who wants to be with me?”

All the girls except Pinkie Pie raised their hooves, Fluttershy shook as she did “Can I? If… that’s ok,” she whispered

Dave clapped his hands once loudly “Great now that is over with,” he said happily

The girls all gave confused glances “What about spending time with us?” Rarity moaned, “Are you going to do something one at a time or all together?”

“Yeah an’ what about matin?” Applejack stood up “Which of us goes first?”

“Well I’m not sure about that really” Dave scratched his chin “any ideas?”

Fluttershy blushed while the girls all thought, suddenly Rainbow Dash jumped into the air and flew over “We could all have a go at the same time!” she cheered as she kissed Twilight

Twilight pushed her away “I’m not sure if I should agree or be scared of how natural you made that feel”

Dave shook his head “Now I am not doing that” he patted Dash on the head “Nice to know you are open minded though”

“One at a time for the rest of the day!” Rarity smiled “That way we all have a piece of Dave today!”

“But who goes first?” Dave smiled at the fact that because all the girls were thinking they were running out of time

“Spin the bottle?” Fluttershy whispered and everypony smiled at her

“Brilliant idea Fluttershy!” Twilight cheered as she levitated a soda from the fridge “Ready?”

“No” Dave snatched the bottle “Two seconds” Dave removed the gap and gulped the drink down before placing the bottle on the table

“Alright let’s see who is going first” Rarity smiled as she spun the bottle with her hoof

The bottle span repeatedly before landing on Dave “I am not going to mate with myself” Dave spun the bottle again and it landed on Pinkie

“No I am not playing!” She screamed as she dived out of the bottles way, she spun it again with her tail

The bottle spun viciously until it slowed down, the girls all leaned forwards as they awaited a result…

Chapter 35

The bottle spun slower, Dave was biting his nails while the girls leaned closer to the table, the bottle finally stopped and their gazes all followed where it was pointing

“Fluttershy?” they all gasped, the shy Pegasus hid behind her mane

“Oh… my” she blushed “Um… I don’t mind missing my go”

“Nonsense!” Rarity smiled as she pushed Fluttershy to the stairs “You have your fun while the rest of us start choosing who is next”

Rarity also dragged Dave from his chair and poked his back with her horn, Fluttershy and Dave both nervously climbed the stairs

Rarity rejoined the circle around the table, “Alright girls who’s next?” she asked as she span the bottle

As the bottle stopped spinning it landed on Rainbow Dash, “YES!” she cheered

The others groaned as they span the bottle, ignoring the celebrating Pegasus, it stopped on Applejack who joined the celebrating by throwing her hat in the air

The bottle span again and landed between Rarity and Twilight, they both gave confused looks at each other

“Do you want to do what Rainbow suggested?” Twilight blushed as she licked her lips

Rarity’s face burned a bright red “Oh no darling… you go first I’ll go in after you”

Luna sighed in the large chair “I did so much to try and be with Dave” she smiled at the ponies “But at least I know you girls had a fair share”

Rainbow stopped dancing “Hang on… Dave and Fluttershy are upstairs” she tapped her chin

“Well did ya expect them to mate down here?” Applejack shook her head

“No… but I wanna listen” Rainbow rubbed her hooves evilly

Rarity sighed loudly “How dare you try and invade their private time together” she sat on the sofa and raised her head “At least the rest of us have the decency to… girls?”

Rarity sat alone in the living room, groaning she silently followed her friends upstairs and placed her ear next to the door

The girls all raised their eyebrows as they heard a loud panting that sounded like Fluttershy “Wow” Twilight gasped, “She sounds like she really enjoys it”

Luna smiled down at the purple unicorn “I felt a strong feeling of pleasure from my sister when she spent the day with him”

“Princess Celestia spent a whole day with Dave?” Twilight raised her eyes to see Luna blushing

Luna smiled weakly “Yes a whole day non stop” she turned back to the door sourly “and I almost had him as well… I even changed myself into a human”

“What does a female human look like?” Twilight asked as the breaths continued to resonate from Fluttershy

“Well I only partially changed, but I had these large things on my chest…” The door unlocking cut off Luna, the ponies all jumped away and put on innocent faces

Dave opened the door and a blushing Fluttershy hurried out, “I’m sorry again Dave” she whispered

“Don’t be it was my fault” Dave smiled reassuringly “Ok well… who is next?”

Rainbow flew in and landed on the bed, ginning massively at Dave “Only the most awesome Pegasus around!”

Dave shrugged to the others as he closed the door, the ponies all circled around Fluttershy “How was it?” Applejack asked

Fluttershy hid behind her mane “I um… don’t know”

“What do you mean?” Twilight looked at the door then back “Didn’t you mate?”

Fluttershy squeaked at the word “No… we started kissing then he… gently touched my flank then…” Fluttershy’s voice trailed off

“Then what?” Luna tilted her head in confusion

“I panicked” Fluttershy curled up into a ball “I knew what was going to happen but I couldn’t breathe”

“So that was a panic attack we heard?” Twilight gasped

Fluttershy nodded “I know Dave was just trying to make it easy for me and I didn’t want to disappoint him”

“Well I am sure he doesn’t think any less of you” Rarity wrapped an hoof around her “You can try again some other time”

From behind the door they all heard a roar of laughter from Rainbow Dash, obviously she had heard what happened and was having fun thinking about a scared Fluttershy on top of a confused Dave

Inside the room, Dave was sat on the edge of the bed head resting in his hands “When I was told I would have a bunch of girls wanting to mate with me I was expecting to be some kind of sex slave but…” Dave looked over at the Pegasus laughing madly “So far I haven’t had anything!”

“I’m sorry I’ll be done in a minute” Rainbow managed to say between fits of laughter

Dave shrugged as he pondered “So far I only slept with Celestia… hang on!” Dave face turned to horror as he hurried to the door, he opened it to find the ponies still standing around “Do you just want to come in and watch?”

“Can we?” Applejack’s ears shot up in excitement

Dave faceplamed “I was being sarcastic” he turned to Luna “Can Alicorns get pregnant?”

Luna tapped her chin “I don’t think so… we have a natural barrier that we have to lower willingly”

“So unless you wanted to get pregnant you can’t?” Dave sighed thankfully

Luna smiled “Yes it is a simple magic spell”

Dave’s smile dropped “Magic spell?”

“Yes but you didn’t… finish in Tia” Luna chuckled nervously “R-right?”

Dave bit his lips “Well not at the start but… towards the end I started to drift off” He chuckled nervously “So there may be the slight chance”

Luna gasped, “I’m going to be an aunt?”

“We don’t know that yet!” Dave started to panic “Can you go and see if Celestia is… you know”

Luna nodded “I’ll go right now” her horn glowed brightly and she vanished in a burst of light

Dave slumped to the floor and hugged his knees “Oh please tell me this isn’t happening”

Spike staggered through the spare bedroom door “What’s happening? I heard loud voices” he rubbed his sore head

Pinkie looked over “Dave is going to be a dad!” she cheered

“WE DON’T KNOW THAT YET!” he yelled as he started to rock gently back and forth

The ponies all placed a reassuring roof on him as he stared blankly at the floor “I take it ya don’t want ta mate at the moment” Applejack asked

Dave slowly turned his head to look at the orange earth pony “You think?” he said eye twitching “I can’t be a dad… I-I I’m too young!”

“Well Princess Celestia can make up for it” Twilight attempted to reassure him but instead his gaze turned to her and she smiled awkwardly

“Thank you for reminding me that I may have got a GOD pregnant” Dave dropped his head into his hands “Ohh what would the children be like? Will they be pony? Human? Or a weird hybrid?”

The ponies all exchanged concerned glances and Spike sat next to the worried human

Meanwhile…

Celestia was finishing her work and rubbed her eyes, the work had piled up over the past few days and she had lots to catch up on

As she placed her quill away a flash of light shone behind her, she turned and saw a scared Luna

“Ah sister is there something wrong?” Celestia’s kind face quickly became confused when Luna placed her horn near her stomach

“Have you been feeling strange lately?” Luna’s horn glowed as she scanned inside her sister

Celestia placed her hooves on her sister and held her so she could speak to her properly “What is the matter Luna?”

Luna squirmed as she talked “When you had that day with Dave” Celestia nodded “Did he… you know… inside?”

Celestia rose an eyebrow and chuckled “Maybe once but…” her smile faded “Oh my”

Luna nodded as Celestia looked down at her stomach “Do you think? Maybe?”

Celestia dragged Luna’s horn down again “CHECK!” she cried in shock

Luna’s horn glowed “I don’t know I can’t see anything” she shook her head “How do mares find out if they are pregnant?”

“I don’t know I never expected this!” Celestia rubbed her stomach “I’m scared”

“Me too” Luna hugged her sister “Don’t worry I’m here for you”

Celestia rubbed her head against Luna’s “Thank you” she pushed her away “Does Dave know?”

“It was his idea that I come here” Luna smiled “Should I go back?”

Celestia hugged her sister again “Can you stay until I am sure?”

Luna smiled “Of course, but there may be problems finding out if you are pregnant”

“Why?” Celestia rubbed her stomach again “Can’t we just scan later?”

“Well it is a magical scan, if the child has inherited Dave’s magical resistance we can’t find it” Luna sighed, “We may have to go to a hospital for a scan using a machine”

Celestia sat on her bed “But that means the chance this may go public” she began to breathe heavily “What if I am?”

Luna sat next to her panicking sister “We can work through this don’t worry”

The sisters sat in silence, both hugging as the watched the moon dance across the sky, Celestia hummed occasionally as she rubbed her stomach

Finally she spoke up “How about a royal visit to Ponyville?” she looked at her sister “You and me tomorrow”

“Sounds good” Luna smiled “Should I keep the public busy while you and Dave go to the hospital?”

Celestia smiled “You know me too well” she hugged her sister tightly “I wonder if Dave is as excited as I am?”

Meanwhile…

Twilight finished bringing the sleeping bags from the store cupboard, she had found the tents and suggested that the girls all slept over

Rarity was already asleep on the sofa, a blanket was laid across her and Spike was sleeping on the chair, curled into a tight ball

Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy took a sleeping bag each and fell asleep on the floor around the living room

Pinkie and Twilight both agreed to sleep in the spare bedroom, Pinkie was already going to sleep on the sleeping bag on the floor

Twilight was about to go into the spare room but knocked on Dave’s door “Dave?” she called gently

She opened the door and poked her head in, Dave was still rocking back and forth on the bed, biting his nails furiously

“Are you ok?” She asked as she walked over to the bed

“Huh?” Dave twitched as he talked “Me I’m fine! Good! Great even… why wouldn’t I be?” he forced a chuckle

Twilight sighed as she climbed onto the bed and sat next to the human “Where is the brown paper bag we gave you?”

Dave opened his hand and showed scraps of brown paper “It exploded! I think I may have breathed out too much” he dropped the pieces into a bin near the bed “Is Luna back yet?”

Twilight shook her head “Listen I know you are nervous” she placed a hoof on his hand “But don’t for get we are here for you”

Dave wrapped an arm around Twilight “Thanks” he sighed, “I just never expected this”

“Well we don’t know if she is pregnant yet” Twilight nuzzled against Dave’s neck “I’m sure everything will be fine”

Dave groaned loudly “ARGH what if there is something wrong? What if Celestia doesn’t want to be pregnant?”

Twilight slapped Dave hard across the face, Dave held his sore cheek as Twilight poked him “Listen to me, if Princess Celestia doesn’t want to have a child with you then she is stupid”

“Would you run the risk of having a child that might be deformed or… human” Dave buried his head in his hands

Twilight picked Dave’s head up and kissed him “So long as I was with you I would repopulate Equestria”

Dave chuckled “I’m not sure if that should be a complement of how much you love me or you are a sex pest”

Twilight hugged Dave “I’m not good with trying to sound romantic”

“I noticed” Dave and Twilight laughed until they fell asleep

The next morning…

“TWILIGHT!” Spike called from downstairs, waking the unicorn from her slumber in Dave’s arms

The dragon ran into the room holding a scroll, he looked awkwardly between Twilight and the sleeping Dave

“What is it Spike?” She said irritably as she levitated the scroll over and opened it, as she read she poked Dave awake

Dave groaned as he sat up and read the letter as Twilight passed it to him

Dear Dave and his harem

I am writing to inform you that my sister and I will be visiting Ponyville and have already sent news ahead to the mayor

Dave’s harem I would like you to spend time with Luna and enjoy some of the festivities that will be set up for our visit

Dave I would like you to meet me outside the local hospital, we have things to find out

From Celestia

Dave sighed as he stood up and dropped the letter back on his bed “So this is it” he walked into the bathroom and splashed water over his face

Spike and Twilight left the room and walked downstairs to meet the others

Dave’s reflection smiled “Do you want a spoiler?” Odio chuckled “Or would you rather wait?”

“I REALLY need to be alone right now” Dave tried to ignore the dull pain in his head

“You know what would be funny?” Odio laughed, “If I broke your legs so you couldn’t see Celestia”

Dave snarled at the mirror “Don’t. You. Dare!” he growled

Odio laughed even louder “Oh your face is priceless, nah I’ll let you find out if you are a daddy or not”

“Do you want me to call it after you?” Dave chuckled

“No” Odio lost his smile “But I am not going to say anything… have fun with your harem”

“What do you mean?” Dave looked over his shoulder “They are all friends again”

“But if Celestia is pregnant don’t you think the others will want children?” Odio stroked his chin “Don’t you think jealousy will get the better of them?”

Dave scratched his head “We don’t know if Celestia is pregnant yet”

“Well… you don’t” Odio smiled “have fun!”

Chapter 37

Celesta smiled weakly as she gently shook her head, Luna retuned the nervous smile before joining Strong Shield in looking at Dave who dropped his head into his hands

“Princess Luna may I recommend retuning to see the public?” Strong Shield managed to tear his gaze away from Dave

Luna glanced at her sister “Yes I believe I have been gone long enough” Luna teleported away, Strong Shield glared at Celestia before walking out of the hospital

Celestia became confused as she was left alone with Dave, she trotted over and sat next to him

“At least this has been sorted now” She smiled as she looked at Dave, her smile wavered as she noticed his shaking “Are you… crying?”

Dave dropped his head further, his hands ran through his hair before tightly grabbing, Celestia looked around before turning back to Dave

“Hey” She placed a hoof on him reassuringly “It’s ok now, I’m not pregnant”

Dave stood up and walked over to a window, his back still turned to Celestia “That’s the thing” he managed to mutter sadly as he looked at the crowds that surrounded Princess Luna

“Are you saying that you wanted me to be?” Celestia got to her hooves

“No, well… yeah kinda” Dave tapped his head against the window

Celestia walked over and nuzzled against Dave’s shoulder “You know I love you”

Dave smiled “Yeah… I know” he placed a hand on Celestia’s neck “I love you too”

“But me being pregnant wouldn’t be a good thing” She sighed as she listened to Dave’s steady breathing

Dave turned his head to look at the white alicorn “Why?” he frowned as he dreaded the next answer

“Because…” Celestia sighed, “It would have put a strain on the harem”

Dave stepped away from Celestia “Can’t you leave the harem thing alone for five minutes?” He grumbled

Celestia turned her head to follow the human’s pacing “No because the elements are sharing you and if you don’t make an effort the harem will break”

“Make an effort?” Dave stopped “You have no idea how much I am doing to try and make it work for YOUR benefit”

“Dave this is for the good of Equestria” Celestia shook her head “You have to do this”

Dave chuckled which confused Celestia “Have to? I don’t have to do anything!”

Celestia frowned at Dave “Listen I know how hard it was for you to give me up… it was hard for me too I…” Dave cut off the princess throwing the table across the room

“BULLSHIT!” Dave pointed menacingly “I was used and I am still being used!” his mind finally started to realize what Odio had been saying

Celestia’s face turned from anger to sorrow “No… I would never use you”

“You slept with me… You made me go and solve the problems of YOUR world” Dave clutched his head “You never loved me did you?”

“Of course I did!” Celestia hurried over to Dave “I tried my hardest to not send you to Appleoosa and to that dragon… and that day we spent together was special”

“And I’m supposed to believe that you haven’t done anything like that with anypony else?” Dave took a step back “That wasn’t special at all, I was just a play thing… a toy for you to play with for a few years until I die”

“NO! There was never anypony else!” Celestia threw her hooves around Dave’s neck “I know you are upset that I’m not pregnant but don’t take it out on me please”

Dave did not return the hug, he just stood there glaring at the alicorn that hung from his neck

“Did you lie about that as well?” Dave glared into Celestia’s teary eyes “Are you lying about being pregnant so I wouldn’t leave the harem to be with you again?”

“No, no, no” Celestia shook her head “I wouldn’t lie to you”

“You don’t return my feelings” Dave stared at the floor “I was fooling myself this entire time”

Celestia hugged Dave tightly, her tears dripped onto his neck “Please don’t do this”

“I was brought from my world, I made friends, most had larger feelings for me than I did for them” Dave chuckled “Then I fell for you”

Celestia sobbed loudly as Dave almost spat those final words with disgust “And I fell for you”

“But you had your fun” Dave snarled “Then you passed me onto your sister and your subjects”

“I didn’t want to” Celestia pleaded “It is for the good of Equestria!”

“What about me?” Dave met Celestia’s eyes “Which is more important… and don’t lie because I know the answer”

Celestia dropped her eyelids sadly “Y-y… Equestria”

“Exactly” Dave returned his gaze out of the window “I gave up on returning home for you, I did things for you… I even died for you”

The white alicorn raised her eyelids again, “Please don’t hate me” she begged

“I thought of a solution” Dave slowly turned his gaze to the princess “The problem is me, I either have all the girls or I go”

Celestia’s eyes widened in shock “NO don‘t say it!”

“All I want is you, I can tell the girls to leave me alone and move on with life or…” Dave paused while he looked out the window again “I can leave”

“No I won’t let you” Celestia kissed Dave’s cheek

Dave raised is eyebrows in realization “I wouldn’t have any trouble, I can’t die, I don’t think I need to eat”

“Where would you go?” Celestia was worried by the seriousness in Dave’s voice and she fell to the floor in dismay

“Anywhere” Dave smiled slightly “I’m free to do what I want!”

Dave turned and began to head for the door, Celestia rose from the ground and stamped her hoof “I won’t let you go!”

“And what are you going to do?” Dave laughed loudly, insanely “Nothing can stop me… not even death”

Celestia wavered “Dave this isn’t you, this isn’t the Dave I love”

“The Dave you love?” Dave chuckled “What does love mean here hmm?” Dave began to count with his fingers “Let’s see… Twilight used a love princess to attempt to brainwash me, Rainbow Dash was almost crippled by your sister Luna, Applejack and Rarity just try to jump my bones, Fluttershy is to scared by her friends to be honest, YOU killed me”

“But I-I…” Celestia’s stature took a blow as Dave continued

“The only one that hasn’t tried is Pinkie Pie and she can’t keep the same thought in her head for two minutes” Dave’s sarcastic smile turned to a real snarl “So why wouldn’t I want to go? I can’t be sent home because Twilight wont do any research and I‘m resistant to magic”

Celestia sat down sadly in a chair, she spotted a terrified Nurse Redheart hiding in one of the many vacant patient rooms “Why did you agree to the harem if you felt this way?”

“Because it made you happy” Dave’s snarl faded and was replaced by sadness “I was just trying to make the most of things until I met you, then I just wanted to make you… happy”

Dave sat down next to Celestia, they both stared at the floor in silence until Celestia spoke up “Would you stay if that made me happy?”

Dave sighed before nodding gently “Probably”

“I never wanted to hurt you” Celestia placed her hoof on the armrest between her and Dave

Dave looked at the white hoof before holding it gently “I know,” he whispered as his voice shook

Celestia smiled weakly as Dave leaned over and hugged her, her tears rolled into his hair as his dripped into her mane

Celestia squeezed Dave as tightly as she could “I never want to lose you” she whispered happily into his ear

“Me neither” Dave sobbed as he held Celestia “I’m sorry”

“It’s ok” Celestia stroked Dave’s head gently, she released him so they both stared at each other, their smiles appeared from behind teary eyes

“Do you have to go now?” Dave wiped the tears from his eyes “The crowds would want to see you”

Celestia sighed, “I should make an appearance”

“Will I see you later?” Dave reluctantly released Celestia as she stood up, her horn glowed and her body was cleared of all traces showing the emotional weakness she just experienced

“Yes I’ll try… do I look ok?” She looked over herself

Dave smiled “You look perfect”

Celestia rolled her eyes as a smile spread across her face “I mean will the public notice if something is wrong”

“You look fine” Dave’s smile lasted briefly, “I’m sorry for the way I acted”

“It’s ok” Celestia smiled warmly “I will try and see you soon… I promise”

As Celestia finished her horn glowed brightly and she teleported from the hospital to her sister’s side, the crowd cheered as she appeared before them, Luna glanced at her sister and the nodded to each other

Dave walked quietly from the hospital, his heart weighed heavily and his mind began to expand

“You were so close” Odio sighed in disappointment “You almost broke free”

Dave did not respond as he walked through the town, he walked behind the large crowd, Twilight smiled at Dave from her perch beside Celestia, her smile faded as Dave did not respond

“She was at your feet, she would have done anything to keep you, and you crawled back” Odio tugged at Dave’s mind “She knew you wouldn’t leave”

Dave walked onto the long path that took him back to his house “I don’t care what you think” Dave looked over his shoulder at the town, the royal cartridge standing proudly in the centre

“You know she wont actually change, she will still leave you with your harem” Odio’s red eyes burned into existence in front of Dave, they hovered just ahead of him as he walked

Dave chuckled “I want her to be happy and if that means being with my harem then I will do it”

“No questions asked?” the flat broad eyes narrowed

Dave smiled “No questions asked”

“I don’t have to read your mind to know that what you just said was a lie” Odio sly grin tore the air as it joined his eyes “You still want to leave don’t you?”

Dave reached his home, his hand pushed the front door open slowly, Dave walked over and sat in his large chair, and Odio followed him in casting the room in a blood red glow

“I gave Celestia a bracelet here” Dave sighed sadly “I… I miss that moment”

“A moment that won’t happen again” Odio’s flat eyes and mouth floated slowly around the chair “You don’t belong here… go now”

Dave sat in silence, rarely blinking as Odio drifted back into hiding and the red lights faded from the room

Chapter 38

Strong Shield watched the crowds carefully, Celestia was beside Luna, talking to each and everypony individually

Celestia’s smile worried Luna, it was obviously forced, the public might not notice but she did, even Twilight had a hunch that something was wrong

“Sergeant Strong Shield?” Twilight stood near the guard “What happened?”

Strong Shield sighed as his gaze darted to Celestia “Negative” he said quietly

Twilight sighed “I saw Dave but he completely blanked me” she shook her head “I think something is wrong”

“This is not the place for discussions Twilight Sparkle” Strong Shield glared at the purple mare “Meet on the path to his house”

Twilight nodded as she understood what he meant and quietly slipped out of the crowds, Strong Shield saluted the princesses

“I have a duty that needs attending to” He stood proud as both the alicorns nodded to him, regret in Celestia’s eyes and concern in Luna’s

The sergeant marched away from the cartridge and through the town, the crowd had thinned because the sun would be lowered soon, signalling the leaving of the royal guests

He stopped at the start of the road leading to Dave’s home, he breathed deeply looking around he saw Twilight running towards him

“H-how did you get here so fast?” a confused Twilight panted

Strong Shield rolled his eye “Those with the greatest will shall surpass even the greatest foes”

“How is that relevant?”

“Those who can be bothered can do great things” He stared as Twilight failed to grasp even the simplified quote “I care more than you so I shall be there for Dave first”

Twilight gasped “I care about Dave more than anypony!”

“Then how come you are here when you could be at Dave’s side now?” Strong Shield turned and began the walk to Dave’s home outside of Ponyville

Twilight had to jog to keep up with the rushing guard “So Celestia isn’t pregnant?”

Strong Shield looked around, nothing but fields and the town met his gaze “No she isn’t”

“That’s good right?” Twilight looked ahead at the house, the dark windows sent a chill down her spine

Strong Shield sighed “For Celestia yes, for Dave… I think he may have taken a blow”

Twilight’s ears pricked up as they stopped at the door “Do you hear that?”

Strong Shield frowned at the door “The sound of silence”

“Something doesn’t feel right” Twilight backed from the door “Can we go?”

“You want to leave Dave?” Strong Shield turned “I thought you loved him”

Twilight stomped forwards “Of course I do!” she stood by Strong Shield’s side

Strong Shield knocked the door heavily, even the sound of hoof hitting wood sounded forbidding

“I don’t like this” Strong Shield stood frowning at the door “I can’t hear anything”

Twilight’s horn began to glow “Let’s just teleport in” the glow surrounded her body, but as soon a she disappeared she reappeared in a burst of purple and red, she groaned as she staggered to her hooves

“I thought you were supposed to be the element of magic” Strong Shield sighed as he trotted past Twilight “Now get behind me”

Twilight frowned at Strong Shield as she made her way behind the stallion “What are you doing?”

“Showing you what is standing in our way” Strong Shield’s horn glowed as a ball of light floated from his horn, it floated into the air before splitting into smaller balls “Don’t blink”

The balls raced towards the house from different directions, as they neared a black fog exploded from the house and the balls of light were destroyed by red lightning that raced to meet them

Twilight watched as the fog seeped back inside the house “What was that?”

“That was Dave’s immunity to magic, he must be expanding it around his house” Strong Shield shook his head “We aren’t getting in”

“How has he expanded it?” Twilight nervously walked back over to the house

Strong Shield looked in through the window “either he found a way to do it or this is an effect of an emotional trauma”

“Like when young unicorns get a sudden increase in emotion their magic becomes… unpredictable” Twilight avoided Strong Shield’s grin

“Yes the classic, horn sparks normally associated with ahem… mating activities” Strong Shield groaned as he returned to the door and knocked again “OPEN UP!”

“Sergeant Strong Shield I don’t think that…” Twilight was cut off when the front door opened

The sun finally set and the moon took it’s place, the house which normally welcomed the moons glow almost seemed to resent it, Dave’s hair cast a shadow over his face

“Hey dad, hey Twilight” he said sadly

Strong Shield pushed past, flicking the lights on “Sit down and talk”

Twilight reluctantly stepped in to the home and Dave gently closed the door, he walked over to the chair and dropped into it, the purple unicorn nervously sat next to the guard

“So what are you doing here?” Dave asked his voice low and emotionless

Strong Shield sighed “I know it must have hurt finding out that Celestia isn’t pregnant”

“You don’t… you never loved anypony” Dave’s eyes stared from behind his hair

Strong Shield removed his helmet, revealing his greying mane “I care about you… I love you like a son”

“Like a son” Dave chuckled “am I being used by you to fill an emotional gap?”

“No… I took you in when you came back from the dead because I knew everypony else would drive you to do something else stupid” Strong Shield glanced briefly at Twilight “I think you have done enough stupid things Dave”

“Dave… your harem are always there when you need them” Twilight smiled reassuringly as Dave’s eyes passed over to her “I’m always there when you need me”

“My harem” Dave’s eyes dropped “the girls that love me”

“Yes we all love you” Twilight smiled as Dave’s eyes danced around the room “Please come with me and find the others, we can help”

“Actually just you” Dave raised a finger to point at Twilight “I need information”

Twilight laughed weakly “Anything just ask”

“Can you send me home?” Dave’s eyes squinted slightly

“This is your home” Twilight said, she cowered when Dave’s fists clenched

“My real home… not yours” Dave relaxed his hands again

Strong Shield stood “Let’s go Twilight Sparkle… let him sulk”

“No…” Twilight hurried to Dave’s side “I won’t leave him”

“Go Twilight… I will see you again soon” Dave smiled at Twilight as she followed Strong Shield from the house

The door slammed loudly and Dave let out a loud sigh of relief “That was way to close”

“I told you I could stop them teleporting in” Odio said proudly “Now there is a rather nice beach I think you might like to take Celestia, aww wait she doesn’t care”

Dave ran back upstairs and over to his makeshift bag, he had taken one of the tent bags and attached some more pockets as to carry anything else he needed

“Right I have tent, sleeping bag, maps, some bits and umm…” Dave walked into the bathroom and retuned to the bag “Toothbrush”

“So which way are you going?” Odio floated around Dave’s mind

Dave scratched his chin “I know how about you tell me which way to go, you haven’t let me down so far”

Odio was pleasantly surprised “Finally seeing my way? Ok hmm… if you go west then…”

“Go east? Fair enough” Dave lifted the bag over his shoulder and took it downstairs

“I’m sorry have I done something to upset you?” Odio’s voice became sarcastic “Oh yeah I made your relationship with Celestia break down and I am doing everything I can to ruin your life”

Dave dropped the bag by the front door, his gaze was brought to a notepad and pen that sat on a small desk beside the door “I could leave a note”

“Write ‘I’ll be back in five’ then hide and see how long it takes before they realise you aren’t coming back” Odio growled when he saw who the letter was meant for

“Shut up I know you are going to complain” Dave wrote the letter, pausing occasionally to think

Odio groaned loudly “Hurry up! You aren’t writing a novel”

“Fine” Dave finished of the letter, he found envelopes in the draw beneath so he sealed the letter inside and wrote ‘Celestia’ across the front, he placed the letter on the table in the living room

“She will probably use it to save firewood” Odio moaned “This is really getting on my nerves, are you going or what?”

“For fuck’s sake you moan more than Celestia did!” Dave’s chuckle was cut short by the sound of Odio being sick “What happened?”

“You had to bring that day up didn’t you?” Odio sniffed in disgust “Ew do you mind if I get rid of some of the stuff in here… it got a bit messy”

Dave rolled his eyes as he picked up his bag and stepped outside “So what is east then?”

“Well I believe that there was a migration east which happened a few months back” Odio laughed “You should pass near some mountains so I’m sure you will meet one of the fantastic creatures”

“That might have been the first compliment I have heard you give to a creature” Dave smiled “Let me guess the ‘mixing of personalities’ has worked it’s magic”

“Actually they are disgusting, primitive and as stupid as a rat with no head” Odio sighed happily “Also fuck you”

“What was that for?” Dave asked raising an eyebrow

“Boredom”

Chapter 39

“I spy with my little eye…” Dave tapped his chin

“Tree” Odio grumbled

“Ok… I spy with my little eye”

“Moon” Odio yawned

“You know this would be a lot more fun if you didn’t read my mind” Dave shuffled his grip on his bag “So we have been walking for a long time now”

“It’s been five minutes”

Dave shrugged “I’m bored, no offence but you aren’t great company”

Odio sighed, “Well I can read you a story if you like”

“Wow” Dave rolled his eyes sarcastically “Fine is it interesting?”

“Yes it involves me actually” Odio coughed to clear his spiritual throat “I had an interest in love with a nice mare called Maredusa”

“Wait that sounds similar” Dave tapped his head

“Yes it is basically a pony version of Medusa in your Greek tales” Odio sighed happily “She had two very sexy anacondas that stretched down her front”

“Did you have fun?” Dave gave a cheeky smile

Odio chuckled “Yeah I loved the way she screamed as I plucked each snake from her ugly head”

Dave’s smile dropped and his eyes widened “I thought you said you loved her?”

“I said interest in love, I was interested in where this love emotion came from, so I cut her open,” Odio grumbled in disappointment “Never did find the elusive love muscle”

Dave stopped at the edge of the Everfree forest “Aww crap, this was east of my house?”

“Told you to go west” Odio said proudly “Too late now”

Dave shrugged as he stepped carefully between the trees “So what happens if I run into of the ahem ‘friendly’ wildlife?”

“Stand your ground? Don’t take shit from anything,” Odio growled, “you have me on your side remember?”

“Yeah I admit the strength and healing is quite nice” Dave hummed “Is there anything else? Flight or telekinesis?”

Odio rummaged inside Dave’s head “I could give you that stuff but it wouldn’t be fair on everypony else”

“Whose side are you on?” Dave stepped out from the bushes and trees and found a suitable path

“Well to be honest I enjoy watching you and your opponent kick the shit out of each other” Odio chuckled “I even have a highlight reel for when I’m bored”

Dave stopped as he saw Zecora’s house, he crept quietly around avoiding dry twigs and dead leaves

“You seem to like swearing a lot,” Dave whispered when he was clear of the clearing that housed Zecora’s home

Odio muttered a few swears as he thought “Equestria hasn’t got any swear words so these are quite nice to use”

“Are we going to make it to the other side of the forest by tomorrow?” Dave asked as he stopped at a small cave in the side of a rising mountain

“No, sleep if you want” Odio forced a yawned “I’m just tired of doing fuck all in your head”

Dave crouched into the cave “I thought that you can do anything in there?”

“Imagination’s a bitch” Odio grumbled, “I’m too busy forcing myself to remain inside your body to think of anything”

Dave unpacked his sleeping bag and crawled inside “Go through my memories and find something labelled under… time wasting”

“Time wasting? Umm… I found wanking time but not time wasting” Odio paused “Wow you have a weird fetish”

“Yeah well I slept with a pony princess that raises the sun so I don’t classify much else as weird” Dave rested his head on his bag “Ok try… video games”

“WOW this is a large chunk of space” Odio crashed into the new information “Wow you have played a lot”

“Have fun!” Dave said happily as he drifted off to sleep

Meanwhile…

Strong Shield teleported into the barracks, he stumbled from the effort required to teleport such a long distance

A few guards saluted him as he marched past them and out of the barracks, Strong Shield walked along the white corridors, the gathering clouds outside signalled a coming rain

Strong Shield’s marching took him to Celestia’s quarters, he saluted the guards “The princess sent for me” he lied, the guards never questioned him as he stepped into the room, closing the door behind him

“Oh Strong Shield” Celestia was slightly taken back by the random, unannounced entrance “Is something the matter?”

Strong Shield’s eyes narrowed “I hope you told the truth to Dave”

“Truth?” Celestia thought “you mean about my pregnancy don’t you?”

“I swear that if you lied and you hurt him anymore you will regret it” Strong Shield’s glare only seemed to turn the threat into a promise

Celestia sighed, “I admit he was a little hurt”

“A little?” Strong Shield shook his head “he was devastated the way you seemed happy about it”

“I take it you went to his home, how was he?” Celestia sat as a concerned look managed to cross her face

Strong Shield shook his head “I don’t know what you said to him in that hospital but he is not in a good place right now”

Celestia gaze out of the window the moon was nearing the top of the sky “He was… ok when I left him”

“Well he changed because I left an emotionless husk sat in a dark house” Strong Shield lost his glare “I think you should make your standing clear, either have him or cut him off completely, none of this ‘I love you but you must do this’ nonsense”

Celestia stood and held her head high, her wings unfolded and she looked down at her guard “Who are you to give me orders?”

“I am the father of the one you supposedly love” Strong Shield did not shy away from the princess “You do love him?”

“Of course” Celestia frowned “Why does everypony question me on that?”

Strong Shield chuckled briefly “Because he seems to try and be with you but you appear to be stringing him along, using him”

Celestia gasped, “I never forced him to do anything!”

“But he did things because YOU asked him to” Strong Shield shook his head “If it had been anypony else he would have said no”

“I made it clear he never had to do anything”

“YOU made it clear that it would make you happy” Strong Shield frowned “Do you love Dave?”

“Yes I do” Celestia’s wings fell as she sagged to the floor “By the sun I do”

Strong Shield paced over and stood tall “Do you want to hold him and be with him forever?”

“Y-yes” Celestia looked up at her sergeant

“Then why would you give him away?” Strong Shield knew the answer already

“For Equestria… the elements need to…” She was cut off as Strong Shield stamped his hoof

“The elements are only needed for a crisis, the changeling queen and her army was stopped by Captain Shining Armour and Princess Cadence” Strong Shield looked down at the white alicorn “You thought the elements were needed… I lost an eye then but I still saw what happened”

“I know what you are saying… the elements aren’t the only solution” Celestia levitated a small wooden box over, she smiled as she opened it and removed the silver bracelet “I’ve been foolish haven’t I?”

“Princess excuse my language but… yes, it’s about fucking time you realised that” Strong Shield rocked his head side to side “Don’t ask about the word I heard Dave say it”

“Well you have a fine son” Celestia smiled as she climbed to her hooves “Am I too late? Has Dave fully committed to the harem?”

Strong Shield saluted “He is more committed to you”

Celestia allowed herself to give the sergeant a small hug “Thank you for helping me see the way, I will make your son happy”

“You better had” Strong Shield walked over to the door “If you do get married please wait until I’m dead… I don’t want to be called daddy by you as well”

Celestia smiled “Time will tell” she sighed happily as she followed the guard “Seeing as I don’t have a father you might have to give me away”

“Does that involve dressing in a suit?”

“Yes most likely” Celestia walked side by side with her guard as they left the room and down into the castle

Strong Shield grumbled, “I’m busy that day”

Celestia smiled “I will try to stop you receiving any special treatment”

The pair walked down into the large throne room, Luna sat on the tall dark throne that currently sat at the top of the room

“Sister I thought you would be sleeping” Luna smiled as her sister neared “What has brought you here?”

Celestia hugged Luna, the princess of the night returned the hug out of confusion “I just want you to know that whatever happens… I love you”

“I… love you too sister” Luna released Celestia and noticed the bracelet around her hoof “Are you going to join the harem?”

Celestia shook her head “I’m sorry Luna, but I have to do this”

Luna looked into her sisters caring eyes “You’re going to… take him from the harem?”

“Yes” Celestia nodded gently “I know he means a lot to you but… he isn’t happy with the harem”

“What about the plan to keep the elements as friends?” Luna shook her head “Equestria will be at risk”

Celestia glanced at Strong Shield “The elements don’t solve everything” she smiled again “Equestria has to learn to fend for itself”

Luna’s eyes began to water “But you will take him from me”

“I know and I’m sorry” The white alicorn embraced her smaller sibling “But I know he cares for you as you do for him… but you have to think about his happiness”

“Like you should have?” Luna held her sister tight

Celestia sighed “yes… I’m afraid his happiness also joins with mine, we love each other”

Luna smiled “I know you both do… and I am happy seeing you both happy together”

The alicorns released each other, they both laughed at each other’s teary faces, Strong Shield stood to attention as they both looked at him “I am not being a father figure to you all” he stated

Luna used her magic to wipe Celestia’s tears “Go on now… there is somepony waiting”

“I will return soon Luna” Celestia gave her a small kiss on the head “And everything will be just fine”

Celestia vanished in a flash of light, Luna grew a sly grin as her gaze fell on Strong Shield “You know what we should do?”

“What?” Strong Shield was slightly unnerved by his princess’s smile

“We should follow my sister and surprise her and Dave when they get together” Luna hopped over to Strong Shield, her horn began glowing “That’s an order!”

Meanwhile…

Celestia appeared at Dave’s front door “Dave? It’s me Celestia” she called as she knocked the door, the door swung open as her hoof made contact

The house was cold and dark, the light in the living room was dull from being left on for so long, Celestia used her magic to turn the lights on for the kitchen, it gave enough extra light to look around properly

“Dave?” She called nervously as she stepped in, the sound of silence made each step more uncomfortable than the last

Celestia looked around the room until her gaze fell onto a letter that rested on the table, it had her name written across the front so she sat down and opened it

Dear Celestia

I am sorry to let you down but I had to leave, the harem would have never worked so this is the next best thing to keep the girls as friends

I wish I could stay, to have friends… to see you, but this is for the best and it is what you would have wanted so I am happy to oblige

To make sure the girls, Spike or anypony cannot follow me I have no idea which way I am going, if I get lost then that is good

Tell Strong Shield that I am sorry that I couldn’t be a better (symbolic) son to him, I hope I made him proud in the short time I have been here

I hope you find somepony that can make you as happy as I would have wanted you to be

Love Dave Shield

Celestia’s magic faded and the letter fell to the floor, her gaze never moved from where the last three words hung

Luna jumped in followed by a grumpy Strong Shield “Surprise!” Luna called, her smile dropped when she saw her big sister’s horrified face, she looked as if she had watched the destruction of Equestria “What’s wrong?”

Strong Shield levitated the letter over to himself and he read it through, his serious face almost buckled as the paper creased due to his sudden grip with magic

Luna used her magic to wrestle the letter from the guard, she gave them both concerned glances until she read it and dropped to the floor “No…” she whispered in disbelief

The trio sat in silence until Strong Shield turned to Luna “Send me back and I will form a search party”

Celestia shook her head “He’s gone… I was too late” a tear rolled down her face

“NO!” Strong Shield bellowed, “I am NOT giving up… I said send me back!”

“Celestia… he wrote that this would have been what you wanted” Luna shook her head, her horn glowed as the letter curled into a ball and she threw it at her sister, it bounced harmlessly from the golden attire she wore “You did this… you drove him away with your stupid concerns”

“Dave?” Celestia finally managed to whisper to herself

Luna stood and stamped her hooves angrily “You drove him away from all of us… forever”

“I’m sorry” Celestia dropped her head sadly as the tears continued to stream down her face

“Sorry?” Strong Shield snarled, “He could be in danger because of you… I have lost my son” he spat in disgust

Luna stood next to the growling sergeant “Lets go find Dave” she whispered to him, she glanced at her sister before teleporting “You don’t deserve him!” she sighed angrily

Celestia opened her eyes as the bright flash of light faded from the room, she picked the letter from the floor and opened it flat again, she hugged the final remnant of Dave she would ever have

“I’m sorry Dave… I just wanted…” Celestia could not finish the sentence as she looked out the window “I just want you to come back”

Meanwhile…

Dave rolled onto his front as he pushed himself to his knees, the darkness of the forest helped him sleep but the constant howls and roars made it restless

“How much further until we are out of this forest?” Dave grumbled

“BOOM HEADSHOT!” Odio yelled, “Oops sorry I was just playing some of the stuff up here”

Dave rolled his sleeping bag up and repacked it inside his bag “Whatever… do you think I made the wrong choice? Leaving?”

Odio sighed, “Yes you made the right choice, now if you walk long and hard and only stop to sleep you should be out of the forest in a day or two then near the mountains a day after”

Dave rubbed his eyes as he picked up his bag, “Woo” he said sarcastically as he began walking again

Chapter 40

Dave crawled through the dense hedge, twigs slapped against his face as his hands dug through “It isn’t” Dave moaned

“IT IS” Odio growled, “The cake is a lie!”

“I had enough of that when I was on earth” Dave spat a leaf from his mouth “And I don’t need you bringing it up”

“Hey!” Odio snapped as his voice became dryer “I never asked for this”

“Oh for fuck’s sake will you shut up with the references?” Dave finally burst free from the forest, the bright sun scorched his eyes as he climbed to his feet “Wow” he gasped

An untouched field stretched as far as the eye could see, large mountains poked up on the horizon, their flat tops seemed to support the sky

“Well I have good news and bad news” Odio sighed, “The mountains are closer than I thought but… you have a storm behind you”

Dave turned and looked up at the sky, dark clouds were sliding forwards, and the sounds of the pegasi wing beats caused a thunderous sound

“Well this is brilliant” Dave sighed as he checked his bag for any cuts or damages “At least my stuff won’t get wet”

“You will be walking in an open, flat piece of land during a storm” Odio waited for a response but he got none so he continued “Does lightning sound like a problem in this situation?”

“I see what you mean” Dave scratched his head “I can’t see any other route so I guess I will have to hope”

“Hope is overrated” Odio flowed back into Dave’s mind “I am stuck on this level”

Dave began walking as his eyes closed in confusion “You are using my memories on a game, can’t you cheat?”

Odio gasped “But that ruins the fun! I even made a nice game room using bits and bobs I found around in here, now how do I kill this guy?”

Dave rubbed his temples as a headache set in “What’s his name?”

“General dick face that dodges bullets” Odio growled “This guy thinks he is hot shit because he has shades!”

“Yeah just hide and shoot when he isn’t looking” Dave felt the headache fade after a few minutes “Did it work?”

Odio muttered a few words to himself “Yeah he ran like a bitch now I am fighting his prostitute”

“Don’t worry Wesker will be back” Dave sighed “I wish I could dodge bullets”

“I’m not giving you super speed, the speed you have now is good” Odio grumbled, “I just want to let you know something”

“Yeah?” Dave scratched the back of his head “What is it?”

“I love these games” Odio sighed happily “The violence in some of these are extraordinary, Equestria has never even thought of some of these small ones”

“Glad you approve” Dave chuckled “I take it you like Gears of War for the anger issues?”

“Yes and I love this electric thing this black guy with asthma uses” Odio hummed “Duck Vinegar?”

“Darth Vader” Dave corrected “now is there anything in these mountains that are a threat?”

“No” Odio said instantly “Nothing is a threat to you”

Dave rolled his eyes “Let me rephrase that… Is there anything that can cause lots of pain?”

“Of course” Odio chuckled happily, “trouble seems to find you so easily, I wouldn’t be surprised if that gryphon fell in love with you”

“Gryphon? What gryphon?” Dave felt a sharp object hit the back of his head, he turned to see a large brown gryphon with a white head, two smaller ones of similar colours hovered behind it

“State your business” The gryphon glared

Dave shook his head as he continued to walk “Just going travelling” he called

The gryphon quickly flew in front of him and landed holding his beaked head high, his eyes matched Dave as the gryphon pumped out his chest menacingly “You are crossing the border into the badlands, state intentions”

“Badlands?” Dave scratched his head “What the hell is that?”

“Equestria is a world of peace, the badlands is that barren piece of land that spat out some of the more vicious creatures” the gryphon eyed the human “If you live in Equestria I suggest you turn back now”

“You are border police?” Dave chuckled “well I want to get to those mountains, are they home to dangerous creatures?” he pointed to the mountains in the distance

“Those are in Equestria, this is a small branch of the badlands territory that has thinned over the past few years, if you are quick you may get across in time” The gryphon nodded to his colleagues “This branch stretches north for a mile and south for twelve”

“And east?” Dave raised an eyebrow

“A hundred meters” The gryphon looked at the ground uneasily, “If you like I can fly you over”

“Nah a hundred meters is a piece of cake” Dave stepped past the gryphon “Some badlands how can a hundred meters be dangerous?”

“GRUB SINKHOLE!” Odio yelled, slightly laughing

“Enough with the quotes I get it” Dave stepped on a soft piece of yellow ground as he walked “I am almost a quarter of the way there and I haven’t seen anything that ARGH!”

Dave seized in pain as a pair of long fangs stabbed through his left leg, he turned to see a four-foot yellow maggot followed by several others that crawled from holes in the ground

“Aren’t they only supposed to eat dead flesh?” Dave managed to ask between gritted teeth

Odio chuckled “Your flesh will be dead if they tear you to pieces”

Dave grabbed the fangs that stuck through his shin and snapped them off, the maggot retreated but Dave managed to plunge one of its own fangs into its soft body

Another maggot attempted to stab Dave, he managed to avoid the long, thin, brown teeth as he kicked them back into its body

Dave held his one broken fang like a dagger, he ignored the pain of Odio patching up his leg “How much further?”

Odio hummed in thought, “About fifty meters, then you are back in super happy land”

Dave threw the fang, slicing one rearing maggot across its side, the cut ran deep and it squirmed on the floor

Dave turned and bolted, the bag on his back did not stop him easily outrunning the yellow swarm as he lunged for safety, he rolled and one speedy maggot caught up and reached for Dave’s chest, as it neared a large orange beak stabbed into its side

The three border patrol gryphons scared the remaining maggots away as they began to gently feast on the kill

“WHAT THE HELL?” Dave yelled, arms outstretched at the situation

The head gryphon swallowed “Bird side of gene-pool, we like to nibble on bugs occasionally so we got the job making sure these changeling maggots don’t cross over”

“Changeling?” Dave scratched his head as he remembered Strong Shield said he lost his eye to one

The gryphon nodded “They can take the shape and form of anypony they like and feed on love”

“I heard about the incident in Canterlot” Dave shook his head “but it is over now”

“Yeah but the queen will probably come up will another evil scheme” The gryphon leaned over “Listen I didn’t tell you this but changelings are more bugs than ponies so the gryphon union thinks that…”

“HEY COUSIN LET’S GO BOWLING!” Odio cheered happily, Dave facepalmed

“I’m sorry to interrupt you but I have to go” Dave waved goodbye to the hungry gryphons as he continued his walk toward the rock towers in the distance “Anything else you want to say?” Dave whispered to himself

“I came to kick ass and chew bubblegum” Odio began “And I have no idea what bubblegum is, excuse me” He muttered as he rummaged around Dave’s mind

“Well I can tell that this is going to be fantastic” Dave sighed sadly, as he pushed on towards the mountains, the first drops of rain began to dip onto his neck as the dark cloud blocked the sun

Meanwhile…

“Ok so he isn’t in Ponyville we can guarantee that” Luna sighed as she looked at the map of Equestria

Strong Shield’s horn glowed a ring around Dave’s houses location and slowly expanded it “By my calculations this is as far as he could have gotten if he ran non-stop since I last saw him”

Luna shook her head “Such a large area” she rubbed her eyes in disbelief “Will we ever find him?”

“We have to try” Strong Shield said determined as he looked over the map, “He is unique so somepony can easily identify him”

“And if he avoids contact with anypony?” Luna sat down on her sofa “What if he hides in a cave for the rest of his life, eating dirt to survive?”

“He wont” Strong Shield reassured his princess

Luna chuckled “And how would you know? You didn’t know he was going to run away”

“I’m his father” Strong Shield glared at the map “has he said anything that might indicate a preferred path?”

“None that I know of” Luna rubbed her hooves together “Are you hungry?”

Strong Shield shook his head, “If we get some pegasi to do a sweep across here to over there then we can cancel out this section here” he tapped the map “Then they can easily move over here”

Luna watched as the sergeant tirelessly planned and scanned the map, she yawned loudly as she looked out the window and the sun shone in her eyes

“Where is my sister?” Luna glanced back to Strong Shield

“Her quarters I would imagine” he never lifted his gaze from the map

Luna sighed sadly “do you think we were too hard on her?”

“No it was her actions which drove him away” Strong Shield looked closer at the terrain around Ponyville “I think we can rule north out of his direction of travel”

“I’m going to see my sister, you may remain here” Luna stood, adjusting the crown on her head as she left the room and started walking to Celestia’s quarters

The white corridors reflected the sun that shone through the windows, the stained glass put various patches of colour across the walls

Luna arrived at the large golden doors after a few minutes walking, she tapped the door with her hoof before walking in, and she hardly made it past the doorway before noticing her sister sitting on the balcony

“Tia?” Luna said softly

Celestia did not turn her head, she did not move at all, just her mane continued to softly flow with the assistance of the breeze

Luna stood by the balcony door, she stood in silence for a few moments, waiting for her sister to acknowledge her existence, when that did not happen she walked over and sat beside her

Celestia stared, unblinking out over the city of Canterlot, her usual smile was gone, replaced with an empty expression but the eyes still showed the hurt within

“We are going to start looking for Dave soon” Luna looked over the city as well “I just thought you would like to know”

“Why?” Celestia continued her vacant gaze “Why tell me that you are looking?”

Luna looked up at Celestia “Because I thought you would want to know if we managed to find him”

Celestia blinked slowly as her eyes dropped to the ground, her head remained high “And what do we do if we find him?”

“We bring him back or you go to him” Luna shook her head as she returned her gaze to the city

Celestia gently dropped her head to look at the silver bracelet that was wrapped around her front right hoof “Why should I be with him? I would only ruin his life”

“You will ruin your entire existence if you don’t try” Luna frowned “True he may not be with us forever but at least he will live forever in our memories”

“I have done so much to hurt him” Celestia lightly sighed “Why would I want to ruin his life?”

Luna stood, glaring at the depressed alicorn “You are his life, he lost his for you once” Luna shook his head “And he forgave you, after all you did he forgave you”

Celestia slowly turned her head to look at Luna “If you love him why don’t you spend his lifetime together?”

“Because he loves you, no matter how hard I wish, no matter what I do that will never change!” Luna took a few breaths to calm herself “I want him to be happy, I want you to be happy… so I must let you be”

“He wants me to be happy” Celestia returned to her original position “And that is what made him leave, he thought that I valued Equestria over him”

“And do you?” Luna asked raising an eyebrow

Celestia looked over the horizon “No” she whispered, “I would give anything to be with Dave”

Luna shuffled close to her big sister “I know you would, so why are you here sulking when you could be out finding him?”

“Because Luna” Celestia turned her head more alertly this time “Dave needs somepony better than me… like you, somepony that won’t ruin his life”

“Don’t you dare say that” Luna moved away again “If he was to be with me it would drive me crazy knowing that he loved you more”

Celestia looked back at the city as the spreading storm clouds finally moved over Canterlot “Luna… forget about Dave, he doesn’t want to come back and we will have to move on”

“Strong Shield lost his son, you lost a lover and you’re telling us to move on?” Luna stood and glared at Celestia “You’re right… Dave does deserve better,” she snarled as she hurried inside and out of Celestia’s quarters

Celestia finally let out the breath she had been holding to keep her voice strait, she brought her hooves to her eyes as the tears began to flow

As she sat crying the storm clouds reached over the castle and small droplets of rain fell into her mane, her rapidly dampening mane slowly began to stop flowing and rest down her back

“Dave I’m sorry,” She cried into the growing wind “Please come back” she begged softly as she clutched her bracelet

Meanwhile…

“Well that was… shocking!” Odio burst into laughter

Dave removed his charred shirt “Not funny, you could have warned me that I was going to be hit by lightning”

Odio stopped his laughter “I did, when you first stepped into the field”

“I was kinda ignoring you because of all the video game quotes you yelled constantly” Dave rubbed his chest that was healing a large burn wound

Odio chuckled again, “Hey Dave guess what?”

“What?” Dave stood with the feeling something bad was going to happen

“DO A BARREL ROLL!” Odio yelled

“No I won’t AHHHHH!” Dave shook violently as another bolt of lightning struck his back and he collapsed to the floor

Odio sighed disappointed “I warned you” Odio chuckled slightly “Dave? Dave? DAAAAAAAVE!”

Chapter 41

Dave stumbled across the grassy ground, the furious winds made each step a struggle to stay standing and the rain smashed into his healing back

“Eleven times” Odio chuckled “You got hit by lightning eleven times”

Dave’s hair was drenched and it laid across his eyes “Yeah thanks for reminding me” he groaned as he felt another rush of wind threaten to throw him to the ground

The Everfree forest had long since left Dave’s view and the heavy rain had reduced his vision even more, the tall mountains were just silhouettes, the tall peaks piercing the clouds

As Dave used his arms to shield his face from the wind and rain, his feet dragged across the increasingly muddy ground

“Is there anywhere to sit out of the rain for two minutes?” Dave had to yell over the roar of thunder

“I’m just inside your head, I’m not back in Canterlot!” Odio growled, “You don’t have to yell”

“Sorry” Dave said, lowering his voice “But is there a cave or anything?”

Odio hummed “no… just the mountains” Odio swirled gently even though Dave tripped and fell to his knees “I take it that you don’t fancy climbing them anytime soon”

Dave panted as he rested on one knee “No not soon…” he looked up at the towering pillars, his lips turned to a snarl “Now!” he growled as he stood again and slowly began to increase his pace

Dave’s short stumbles turned to a determined walk, his arms hung at his side, then it picked up to a jog and then finally into a quick run

“It’s funny how determined you have become since you left Celestia” Odio sighed “You made the right choice”

“Did I?” His running was lessening Dave’s irritation “I only left because the elements of harmony are needed… it’s what she wanted”

“Hey look on the bright side, at least you are getting out more” Odio joked which received a small snort from Dave

“I wonder what she is doing. Will she get over me?” Dave allowed his head to turn in the direction he felt was Canterlot

Odio groaned, “She will get over you soon, she is immortal and eternal, I think she has learnt how to get over things”

“Didn’t Luna say that they had relationships a while back?” Dave’s run decreased back to a jog as the ground turned rocky

Odio inhaled in thought “Yeah… I would guess about… one thousand six hundred and twelve years ago”

“That is a bit accurate” Dave raised his eyebrows out of astonishment

“Yeah well I could slightly delve into Luna’s mind when I was weaker” Odio finished healing Dave’s back and squirmed back into position “It didn’t turn out so well”

“What happened?” Dave began to see tall rocks appear along his path, he saw one about twice the size of him so he stopped behind it to shield himself from the rain

“As far as I could tell… what a surprise a princess lied”

Dave wiped his hair from his face “You sound like you knew all along and was just trying to figure how to make a rhyme”

“True” Odio chuckled quietly “But the stallions they were with were a bunch of power grabbing bastards”

Dave smiled as he dropped his bag and slid to the floor, back against the rock “you didn’t approve of the princesses being mistreated?”

“I just think they didn’t do a good enough job,” Odio murmured “But the princesses had to stick to the story of ‘they grew old and died’ rather than tell the truth and be laughed at in public”

“So what happened to the stallions?” Dave asked as he ran his fingers through his drenched hair

“Cartridge accident” Odio said slyly “Who knew the Pegasus attachment rail could break”

“They were assassinated?” Dave gasped

“No… they actually had an accident, really convenient actually” Odio yawned “So you gonna climb this mountain or what?”

“Umm…” Dave looked up through the heavy rain and up at the tall mountain “In a bit I’m going to wait and see if this rain dies down”

“Maybe in an hour or two but to be honest I think that OH YOU GREEN DILDO!” Odio roared angrily

Dave leapt to his feet and scanned the surrounding area “What is it?” he asked in a panic, the flash of lightning lit up the surrounding area, briefly revealing the stone ground

“I spent two hours making this house perfect and now this dick came along and blew a hole in it!” Odio panted after his sudden outburst

Dave groaned as he sat down again “For the last time. Stop. With. The games” he rested his head in his hands and he slowly managed to slip into a light sleep

Meanwhile…

Spike was replacing some books back on the shelf when the door knocked “I’ll get it!” he call to Twilight who was sat upstairs

Spike placed the final book on the shelf as he walked over and opened the door, he opened it to reveal a soaked orange mare

“Oh hey Applejack” Spike stood aside to allow the earth pony in

“Howdy Spike, is Twilight in?” She shook her damp mane as Spike shut the door to block the weather

Twilight came downstairs “I’m here Applejack, What’s up?”

Applejack shook her head “I’m just wondering if ya heard from Dave is all”

“No I haven’t” Twilight levitated a towel over and passed it to Applejack “How is the farm?”

“Fine, jus’ the weather makin it hard for us” Applejack began wiping herself with the towel “How have ya been?”

“Fine but I have been worried about Dave as well, when I went up before the storm hit the door was locked” Twilight bit her bottom lip “Is he still upset?”

“Nah he can’t be, I mean he still got us an’ the harem” Applejack began drying her tail “ya did say the princess wasn’t pregnant didn’t ya?”

“She isn’t pregnant but…” Twilight rubbed the front of her leg “I don’t know if she has been to see him afterwards or not”

“Why don’t you just write to her?” Spike suggested as he continued his chores

Twilight and Applejack nodded to each other as Twilight levitated a parchment and a quill over “Shall I just ask if she has seen him recently?” Twilight asked

Applejack nodded again “Just make it quick… I don’t want to waste time sittin’ if it ain’t helping nopony”

Twilight wrote out a short letter before rolling it up and passing it to Spike who blew it away in the signature green flame

“What should we do if Princess Celestia hasn’t seen him?” Twilight rubbed her hooves nervously

Applejack finished with the towel and replaced her hat on her head “I don’t know Twilight I just hope that…” Applejack was cut short by several white flashes around the room

Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Pinkie pie all looked around the library bewildered as to what happened until they saw Luna and Celestia

“I wish there was a warning we were gonna get teleported” Rainbow Dash groaned as she sat next to Applejack

Celestia sighed sadly as she looked at her still angry little sister, Luna rolled her eyes angrily as she stepped forwards

“All of you sit… this is going to be a shock” Luna looked at them all as they all sat together, Spike also joined the group “Dave has… left”

“L-left Why?” Rarity gasped as the others all exchanged shocked glances

Luna glared at Celestia before turning back “He believed that we would be happier without him, that we could have fuller lives”

“But we were happy with him!” Rarity looked between the princesses “Where has he gone?”

Celestia shook her head “We don’t know” her head drooped “And I don’t think he does either”

“Well we have to get out there and start looking!” Rainbow Dash took flight into the air of the library

It was Twilight’s turn to shake her head “In this storm we won’t be able to search any further than Sweet Apple Acres”

“How long has he been… gone?” Fluttershy whispered

“Anytime after Twilight saw him last” Luna sighed “which is almost two days at most”

“Wha? Well he could be anywhere by now!” Spike threw his hands into the air “And we can’t do anything?”

Celestia and Luna both shook their heads “Sergeant Strong Shield is working as hard as he can to find any trace of him” Luna assured the worried group

Pinkie walked over and tapped Celestia “Is Dave ok?” she asked quietly

“I hope so” Celestia smiled weakly “I hope so…”

Meanwhile…

Strong Shield sat at the large desk in the centre of the barracks, the map was laid out across the wooden surface and various figures of pegasi were being moved around by magic

“Corporal Ironwing you take a squad west and around towards Appleoosa” Strong Shield saluted the three golden clad pegasi as they flew into the air “Private Barrier!”

“Yes sir!” The nervous private marched over and saluted

Strong Shield never took his eye from the map “I want you to go and question everypony in the upper district about Dave and his whereabouts”

The unicorn saluted “Yes sir!” Before hurrying away

“Sergeant Strong Shield!” A white pegasi marched over

Strong Shield returned the salute “tell me you found him,” he ordered

“Err… no sir not exactly” The pegasi dropped his hoof “I have a sister that is… dating a gryphon”

“If you want a medal I’m afraid I don’t have one for tolerance,” Strong Shield returned to his map

The pegasi looked around at the busy barracks “The gryphon is on border patrol for sector eleven-foxtrot”

Strong Shield’s eye moved from the map and rolled over to look at the guard “And?”

“Apparently he saw a tall creature that healed from a Changeling maggot attack” The guard licked his lips nervously under the sergeant’s glare “The description matches that of Dave”

Strong Shield stared at the map “Sector eleven-foxtrot is in the heart of the storm… damn”

“Shall we all divert course east?” the guard looked at the map

“No…” Strong Shield slammed his hoof onto the desk, causing most of the models to fall over “Going into that storm would be suicide, he may survive but you won’t”

The guard saluted “Orders?”

“Get everypony back here and send a message to Cloudsdale” Strong Shield saluted the guard “If they don’t remove the storm soon then Princess Celestia will burn it away when she finds out”

“Yes sir!” The guard yelled as he quick marched away

Strong Shield removed the pieces from the table and glared at the location east of Ponyville “The Plains… Badlands… Dragon Mountains” he groaned as he stepped away “I hope the storm provides cover for him”

The leaving guard stopped and turned “Should I send a message to the Princess?”

“Ye… no wait until it is confirmed” Strong Shield rolled up the map

“But sir doesn’t the description alone fits Dave perfectly, and the estimate distance travelled only further proves that…” The guard was cut off by Strong Shield turning an angry eye to him

“I said no” Strong Shield placed the map beside some others on the table “that’s an order”

The guard looked around at the busy barracks “Excuse me sir but why not?”

Strong Shield turned towards the guard “It isn’t any of your business… dismissed guardsman” he snarled as he turned away and left the room

The guard walked away to a corner of the room “Stupid old git” he muttered as he pulled a blank piece of parchment and began writing

Meanwhile…

Spike paced around the library “But what if he is hurt?” he asked panicked

“Then he will just heal” Luna sighed, “I am afraid to say that he will be fine on his own”

Rarity stomped her hoof “But what if he can’t find any food?”

“Has he eaten much since he arrived?” Twilight shook her head “He has hardly eaten a thing… I doubt he needs to”

Celestia sat silently until a letter flashed into existence in a bright flash, she turned her head and floated it over, it was not sealed and it was hastily written

Strong Shield knows information on Dave’s location and has ordered me to silence

Celestia gave Luna a confused look as she passed it over “Why would he keep it secret?” She asked as Luna shook her head

“I don’t know” Luna passed the letter to the others and they all gasped, “When are we going back to Canterlot?”

The girls all looked at the white alicorn as Spike snatched the letter and read it himself “Well?” he asked angrily

Celestia picked her head up “We are getting answers now” she walked over to the group with a new sense of determination

Luna nodded slowly at her as their horns began to glow and the group disappeared in a flash of light, they all reappeared in the guard barracks, the guards all saluted, Strong Shield saw all the glares cast from the girls

“Your majesty” he saluted, his eye darting to a nervously sweating guard “How may we assist you?”

Spike pointed his claw at the unicorn “Spill the beans, where is Dave?” He growled

Strong Shield dropped his hoof “Remind me that I have to train these guards how to follow orders,” he mumbled angrily

Luna stepped forwards her head held high as she looked down slightly at the guard “Tell us what you know”

“No” Strong Shield frowned, his eye darted around the room at all the shocked glances at his refusal to follow orders “may we speak in private?”

The princesses lead the way into Strong Shield’s office, the girls and Spike waited outside as Strong Shield stepped in and the door was closed firmly behind him

“Which way did Dave go?” Luna growled

“I’m not telling” Strong Shield sat behind his desk

Celestia rested her hooves and stared at him “I am trying to make things better and you aren’t helping”

Strong Shield chuckled “Better? You ruined his life with the harem idea”

Luna joined her sister “We are getting rid of the harem” She glanced at Celestia “Once Dave is back we can tell the others”

“Leaving is the best thing he has done so far” Strong Shield sneered “he is better off this way”

“No” Celestia shook her head “I drove him away so I must get him back so we can be happy”

Strong Shield began laughing “Again it’s ‘we’ isn’t it?” his smile turned to a frown “Once again your needs come into the equation”

Celestia stared, lost for words as she backed away “I’ve been selfish haven’t I?”

“No!” Luna turned to her sister “Dave wants to be with you just as badly, he is just… confused”

Celestia turned to the door “The private must know something” as she opened the door, Strong Shield shot a spell out and it collided with the guard

Twilight rushed over to the unconscious guard “What happened?”

“A memory removal spell” Luna growled as she turned to Strong Shield “And knowing him I doubt it can be reversed easily”

“Three days if one of you fully dedicate yourselves to repairing his mind” Strong Shield didn’t flinch as Celestia stormed over to the desk “More than enough time for Dave to get as far away from you as possible”

“SERGEANT STRONG SHIELD!” She called in her royal Canterlot voice “I AM STRIPPING YOU OF YOUR POSITION AS SERGEANT AND BANISHING YOU FROM THE GUARD”

Chapter 43

Celestia and Strong Shield reappeared in the barracks, the guards moved towards Strong Shield but Celestia raised a hoof

“No he has… complied” Celestia looked at Strong Shield before turning away “He is free to leave”

Strong Shield marched from the barracks, not looking at anypony or saluting the princesses, the guards all exchanged nervous glances

“So where is Dave?” Twilight asks, Shining Armour was sat beside her still rubbing his throat

Celestia looks over at Luna “We can go tomorrow when the storm calms down… we are heading east”

“Hold up, why can’t we go?” Rainbow Dash flaps her wings and flies over to the princess “how far has he gone?”

“Strong Shield merely said that ‘we will know when we see it’ whatever he means by that” Celestia shook her head

Luna hummed before looking at the girls “I think it would be best if they returned home to Ponyville” she managed to sneak a quick wink to her sister

“But what if you find Dave?” Fluttershy whispered from behind Pinkie Pie, she shot scared glances at all the big, strong guards that moved around the barracks

“We will let you know and I am sure that Dave would want to come see you” Luna smiled and the girls all nodded “Just go down to the cartridges and the guards can take you all home whenever you please” she smiles as the girls leave

“I have to go now” Celestia shakes her head as she spreads her wings “I can’t sit around waiting”

“No wait like Strong Shield said, you owe him that much” Luna frowned as the white alicorn reluctantly folded her wings again

Celestia sighed, “I regret removing him from the guard” she shook her head “So are you going to come and search for Dave tomorrow?”

“Yes I will come with you” Luna tried to hide a frown “After all it is for Dave’s sake”

Meanwhile…

Strong Shield sat alone, the soft sound of music floating from a young filly musician in the corner, a pegasi was sitting in the corner, a black hat pulled down, hiding his eyes

“I’ll take another,” Strong Shield groaned as he tapped an empty glass forward

The bartender trotted over and poured another glass of cider “are you alright? I never seen you before and at this rate you will be drinking my business dry”

“I’m fine” Strong Shield grumbled, “My son ran away that’s all”

The bartender nodded “Ah alright” he continued to wipe the dirty glasses left from previous patrons, the door creaked open and two muscular earth ponies walked in, they were both brown and one had some stubble around his chin

“Two ciders” he ordered as he sat down, he swayed which sent the signal that the duo were already drunk “Anyway I was telling this little runt that if I caught him again I would break him in half”

The companion laughed as he swigged his cider “Yeah well those beggars need to be… b-beaten” he slurred his words as he leaned on the bar

The filly missed a note as the two drunks laughed again, she looked nervously at the bartender who just replied with a reassuring nod

Strong Shield looks at the filly before drinking quickly and pushing his glass forwards “I’ll have it bottled please” he said in a calm tone “is that your kid?”

“Yeah she wants to play for the princess when she is older, I let her play down here and the customers seem to like it” The bartender places the bottle in front of the retired guard and takes the bits left on the bar

Another roar of laughter causes the filly to make another fault, the pegasi twitches his head so his eyes can scan the room, he sniffs as he drops his head again

“Can you keep it down? I’m trying to listen to the music” Strong Shield gulps down his bottle of drink and places it on the bar

The drunk stallions snort “Sorry grandpa, do you help getting out of your chair?” the stallion with the stubble chuckles “besides I can play better, watch!”

The drunk stallion begins to stumble over to the filly that freezes in terror “Hey don’t touch her!” the bartender says loudly, his frown fades as the stallions look at him

“Oh yeah? And who is going to stop me?” The stallion smirks

Strong Shield sighs and stands between the bartender and the drunk “I think you had better leave while you are still awake”

The stallion laughed as he began pacing over to the unicorn “Are you gonna make me leave?”

Strong Shield slides the bottle slightly along the bar, he grabbed the stallions head before slamming it onto the bottle top, it slammed into his forehead and the bottle became covered in cracks

The other stallion watched his friend fall to the floor and began to charge at Strong Shield, the guard swatted the bottle and it completely shattered, send broken glass into the drunk’s eyes

Strong Shield waited until the charging stallion reared its head in shock before dashing forwards and bringing his hoof into his throat

As both drunks rolled on the floor in pain Strong Shield levitated them out of the bar and onto the rainy streets, he sat down again before levitating the broken glass into the bin

“Well that was impressive Mr?” The Pegasus hopped onto the chair besides Strong Shield

“Shield… Mr Shield” Strong Shield shook his head “I ain’t a sergeant no more”

“An ex-guard?” The Pegasus rubbed its chin “I think I know someone you could use you talents… just how good are ya?”

Strong Shield rolled his eye over the cocky black Pegasus “I’m guessing that you are part of a small gang ring in Canterlot, you can’t do much besides look scary with that hat which was on sale, and so you need me to provide muscle”

“Wha? How did you get all that” the pegasi leaned away in shock

“I’m the best” Strong Shield chuckled “Besides why else would you spend an hour with one drink in a small business unless… you plan to wait until it is quiet before you shake the owner down for ‘protection money’ and you seated yourself close to the filly for intimidation purposes”

The pegasi attempted to run out the door but the door had been blocked by a couple of drunks that had been laid outside a few moments ago, as the pegasi bounced off the solid door, Strong Shield darted over and kicked him in the back of his head and he was knocked unconscious

“Ahh… vigilante justice” Strong Shield sighed “Don’t worry I’ll take them to prison, have a good day” he nodded to the shocked bartender as he levitated the unconscious group behind him as he headed back for the castle

“Well that is certainly a story to tell” The bartender smiled to his daughter

Meanwhile…

Dave sat opposite the red dragon “So… Garble is it? What do you do until you’re old enough to go and live in solitude?”

“Meh we just have parties and stuff, you?” the dragon stretched his back with a loud crack

“Kinda the same” Dave ran his fingers through his hair “Except I don’t classify gems as party food”

The dragon chuckled “Sucks to be you” he shuffled closer to the human and whispered quietly “Want to see something cool?”

Dave chuckled as he stood up “Sure let’s go, beats sitting around” he followed Garble over to the edge of the cliff before stopping

The red dragon took flight before turning to look at Dave “Well what are you waiting for?”

“Yeah I can’t fly” Dave crossed his arms and the dragon grabbed him

“Don’t worry I got ya” The dragon smirks as he dives to the base of the mountains, they pass through the storm clouds and are greeted with a light rain “Storms almost gone… perfect time” the dragon slyly grins

“Perfect time for what?” Dave asks, not sure if he wants to know the answer as the question as they land in a bush

They both poke their heads out and the dragon starts grinning, Dave meanwhile spat some berries out his mouth

“Dirty pervert” Odio chuckles “Ah well at least we have good seats”

“Wha?” Dave’s eyebrows drop in confusion but as he turns, they raise in shock “Oh…”

“I love mud baths” Garble grins as he looks at the large mud pit that has formed and the various female teenage dragons relaxing

Dave looks at the excited dragon “Why did you bring me along? I’m not a dragon”

“You’re my wingdragon! You keep tubby busy while I work my moves on the others” he combed his head scales back

Dave shook his head “I’m your wingman? Screw that I am not going to try and put any moves on any dragons”

“Fine just come along, you will be a great conversation starter” the dragon rolled his eyes as he dragged Dave from the safety of the bush “Hey!” he called to the girls as Dave got to his feet

The female dragons all turned their heads, they inspected Garble but their gazes quickly shifted to Dave

“What is that?” a black female dragon with long spikes pointed

“Be rude, they will leave you alone!” Odio blurted before Dave opened his mouth

Dave frowned as he crossed his arms “None of your damned business!” the dragon next to Dave smiled nervously

The girls all looked at each other, a dark green one smiled to its friends “It’s feisty… I like it” the other girls all nod

“Oh fuck” Dave facepalmed as Odio began laughing loudly

“HAHA You actually fell for it!” Odio managed to breathe between fits of laughter “Dragons are naturally greedy, aggressive bastards and you actually believed me!”

Dave groaned as he was pushed towards the group of girls “Actually can I sit out on this?” he pleaded but received a nudge from Garble

“Nice work dude, we are totally in!” He says excitedly, but Dave failed to match his enthusiasm as they neared the group “I knew you were helpful!”

“Brilliant” Dave sighed sarcastically as he stopped at the edge of the bubbling mud “Wait… how hot is this?”

“Nice and boiling” The black one breathed a dark flame into the mud and it boiled ferociously “Why don’t you both join us?”

The red dragon eagerly dived in while Dave stayed at the side “I’ll pass” he waved his hand

“Come on dude” Garble shot Dave a look that pleaded for help

Dave rolled his eyes “fine, but I am not getting in WHAA!” Dave didn’t notice a long black tail wrap around his legs and drag him quickly into the searing hot mud “Oh ssshhhhhit” Dave groaned quietly as he felt the mud wrap painfully around him

“Too cold?” The black one asked as she released Dave from her grip, Garble was holding back a chuckle

“Nope… just right” Dave smiled bravely but glared angrily at the dragon responsible for bringing him down the mountain

“Say her claws look nice and sharp, or mention how her tail is strong enough to bend iron” Odio chuckled “Or how about she has a venomous glare that poisons your heart”

Dave sat against the edge of the mud bath, Odio made the mud feel cooler out of sympathy as he laughed

“So where do you come from? You don’t look like any type of dragon to me” The black dragon slithers closer for a sniff of Dave “And you certainly don’t smell like one”

“No… Really?” Dave groaned sarcastically but that only gained a smile

Odio managed to stop laughing after a few minutes “You know, why don’t you stay with this reptile? I can’t stand the princesses and the elements are becoming a bit of a drag”

Dave rubbed his face, slightly smudging it with mud as he began to think of Celestia

“Oh shit I shouldn’t have said anything” Odio sighed “Well don’t worry I am sure she is doing fine… alone… without you”

Garble was laughing along with the females and managed to sneak a wink at Dave “This is great isn’t it?”

“Yeah kinda” Dave groaned, he looked awkwardly at the black dragon beside him, he could have sworn something was rubbing against his ankle

There was a loud cracking of rocks and a sudden wind picked up, Dave turned to see Adamas landing behind them “Having fun?” he asked with a raised eyebrow

“No” Dave grumbled as he climbed out, the rain washing the larger pieces of mud from his body, his trousers still held onto the brown mud tightly “What are you doing here?”

Adamas hisses at the teenagers as they begin to lean over and listen to the conversation “The time to meet the elder has arrived, I have been set to collect you”

“Woo!” Dave cheered as he climbed onto Adamas’ outstretched claw “would it be too much if I yelled ‘for glory’ as we fly?”

“Yes” Adamas glared as he flapped his wings and held Dave tightly

As they flew, Odio began to play the Skyrim theme music in Dave’s head, much to his irritation “What?” Odio asks innocently over the noise “It fits perfectly!” he continued to play as they flew back up to the mountain peak

Chapter 44

Strong Shield dropped the three unconscious criminals inside the individual jail cells “Thanks for taking them” he sighed as he turned to face Shining Armour

“Not a problem… where is your armour?” Shining Armour raised an eyebrow at the half-grey mane

Strong Shield looked at his exposed body, the fur had grown to show the many years of duty, for once his cutie mark was exposed, a dull iron shield stood proudly on his flank

“At my home, clean, waxed and awaiting somepony to bring it back” Strong Shield looks away from his body and back at the captain “shall I go and collect it now?”

Shining Armour shook his head “You keep it, besides it’s older than I am” he chuckled “But make sure you take your brandy before I get a chance to nab it”

Strong Shield started to salute but stopped “Well I never thought it would come to this but… I’m glad the guards have somepony like you to aspire to”

“Thanks” Shining Armour smiled

“If I had a boss that allowed an evil queen to take over then I would want to do better” Strong Shield smirked

Shining Armour laughed it off “Yeah well don’t break a hip walking home” they both nodded happily at each other as Strong Shield walked to his office and collected his final few things

The captain of the guard waved the old stallion off as he left the barracks “You still pack a mean swing” Shining Armour muttered to himself as he headed back inside

“Captain, who shall replace Strong Shield’s position of training recruits and guard maintenance?” Private Barrier asked as he saluted, his head sweating slightly down his grey fur

Shining Armour looked at him “At ease… nopony yet” he shook his head “We shouldn’t have lost him this way”

The private wiped the sweat from his brow “Well I know you will make the right choice, I have to go for my shift” the private saluted and hurried away

Shining Armour walked over to the large barrack window and looked at the sky above, the moon was beginning its decent “How long have I been up?” the unicorn rubbed his eyes “Heh the excitement of being a guard”

“Sir I actually had a message for you” Private Barrier returned saluting “It’s from your wife, Princess Cadence”

Shining Armour nodded “Continue”

“She said that…” Private Barrier paused to think before relaying the message “You missed dinner, it’s in the dog”

“Ah…” Shining Armour sighed, “Hmm… bugger”

Meanwhile…

Adamas dropped Dave at the entrance to a cave in the side of the mountain, the rocks seemed to swirl inwards, and the dragon crawled on all fours while Dave had to jog to keep up

“So what is this elder like?” Dave asked as he avoided Adamas’ swinging tail

The dragon hummed “Wise, he is the oldest and last remaining elder of our time”

“What happened to the others?” Dave asked as the cave randomly opened up enough for Adamas to crawl comfortably

“They died doing generous acts” Adamas chuckled “They did what they did so the future was better for all”

“Sounds like Rarity has some competition for Element of Generosity” Dave smiled as he jogged “So what does he want to see me for?”

“he has little rants that make little sense, long story short he wants to inspect you” The dragon had enough room to look back, his head scales brushed against the roof and a few rocks broke

Dave avoided a rock that fell from the roof “Ok… so he is kinda crazy?”

“No!” The dragon spat “He is wiser than any other, and has seen much more than you can imagine” Adamas stands to his full height as the cave opens up again, Dave had to lean back to look up at him

The walls and roof of the cave are supported by four large rock pillars and each are twice the size of Adamas, other dragons are sat around and Adamas joins them as Dave steps towards a large bulge in the wall

“So where is this elder?” He calls but his voice is drowned out by a deafening voice that echoes around the cave

“I am everywhere!” it booms, the large bulge opens up revealing a huge yellow eye that reduces the other dragons to nothing more than insects

Dave gulps as the eye takes up most of his vision and makes him feel like a flea “Hello… I’m Dave”

“Yes the young one has told me about you” The eye looks at Adamas before returning to Dave “I am honoured to meet you”

“Wait meet me?” Dave shrugged “What have I done?”

The eye chuckled and blinked, causing the cave to shake “You showed generosity to something that attacked you, you remained resilient”

“You mean gave Adamas a diamond?” Dave laughed nervously “Well ok it was nothing really but…”

“No you taught us all a lesson” The eye looked at the dragons “We thank you”

The dragons all slammed their tails against the ground and the sound similar to a drum beat rings out “Your welcome” Dave rubbed the back of his neck “WAIT!”

“What is it little one?” the elder asked as Dave looked around the room again

Dave pointed at the large, gazing eye “If that is your eye then how big are you?”

The eye chuckled “I am generous so I allow my body to be a home for dragons” the pillars scraped the roof as long claws were revealed on top of each stone pillar

“Y-you’re the mountain?” Dave gawped

“Yes, this cave you are in now is just one of my claws” The eye nodded “and I am proud to support my descendants during their lives”

“So the outside was just your wings wrapped around you?” Dave rubbed his head in amazement

“A couple of times actually, I must ask you something” The elder’s eye looks sympathetic

Dave managed to stop gawping to nod “Sure what is it?”

One of the claws descended and stopped a few feet from Dave’s head “May I have a look?”

“Look where?” Dave looked nervously at Adamas who simply nodded reassuringly

“Into you, the ponies aren’t the only ones with magic you know… even if the gift has died out” The elder looked sadly at the dragons

Dave flinched as Odio squirmed painfully, obviously to hide from the guest “Sure… go ahead” Dave smiled as the claw gently rested on his head

Dave’s body seized up and shook slightly, the eye moved slightly as if it could see all of Dave’s being, it hummed and chuckled as it learned about Dave, he stopped when he hit a certain piece of information

“Rest for a moment” The elder removed his claw “Then we must talk” Dave collapsed to the ground and Adamas frowned as the elder glanced at him

“What is it elder?” Adamas asked as he looked down at Dave

“In a moment he will awaken” the elder sighed and a gust blew through the cave “I must let you all know first” The elder revealed the new information and the dragons all look between him and Dave

Meanwhile…

The girls all climb out of the cartridge, one behind the other and they all thank the guards

“Well I must say I am worried about Dave” Rarity sighed, “I hope the princesses find him soon”

“We all are” Applejack smiles reassuringly “Well goodnight everypony”

“Goodnight” Twilight smiled to her friends as they all went back to their own homes, Twilight walked into the library, Spike on her back “So we are just going to wait?” Spike moaned

“Yes Spike we can’t do anything” Twilight sighed as Spike jumped of and began storming to the bedroom “I told the girls that we would meet them in the morning”

Spike mumbled to himself as he climbed the stairs “Whatever” he said aloud as he left Twilight alone downstairs

Twilight was about to follow Spike but a knocking at the door stopped her, she opened the door to reveal Pinkie “Oh hey Pinkie what’s up?”

Pinkie walked in but turned to Twilight, her face slightly serious “Hey Twilight can I talk to you?”

“Um… sure what about?” Twilight led them both over to some seats and sat down

“It’s about the harem thingy” Pinkie shuffled on her seat

Twilight grinned, “You want to be part of it too?”

“Oh no” Pinkie shook her head “Dave’s only a friend”

“Then what is it about?” Twilight’s curiosity peaked, her friend was slightly more serious than usual… so actually serious

“I was wondering that, if Dave chose to be with one of you” Pinkie played with her hooves “Would we all still be friends?”

“Well I…” Twilight had to think, she wanted Dave but she was beginning to see that she had been slightly nasty towards her friends “Yes Pinkie, we have been through worse”

“GREAT!” Pinkie bounced on the seat “So what are we gonna do when Dave gets back? Party? Please tell me we are going to have a welcome party!”

“Yes Pinkie we can have a party” Twilight sighed happily

“HURRAY!” Pinkie cheered loudly, Spike groaned up stairs as he put a pillow over his head to block out the pink mare’s cheers

Meanwhile…

Dave awoke rubbing his head “What the hell happened?” he looked up at the giant orange eye “Oh I remember”

“Well you managed to have another being forced into your head” Odio chuckled “He is weak though so he couldn’t find me”

“Thank you again Dave” The eye looked at the dragons that sat around the room “We thank him!” the dragons pounded their tails again

Dave reluctantly got to his feet “what have I unintentionally done now?” he asked as he continued to rub his head, Odio managed to remove the dull pain

“Many thousands of years ago” the elder began, the dragons around the room groaned as another story was going to be told

“Oh hold up” Odio rummaged “Let me get the popcorn”

“A choice was made, a choice that would ripple through time, things would happen that never would have occurred and a child was born that shouldn’t have been” the elder sighed

“Woopidy do da” Dave cheered sarcastically “is this going somewhere?”

“I have been alive longer than I should be” The elder ignored Dave and continued “I have learned that the past will always come back to haunt us”

Dave looked around at the other dragons, they all had sat upright, serious eyes locked onto the elder and Adamas shot Dave a threatening glare

“I learned that you have to do things for the good of others to stop the nightmares returning” the eye shuddered “You have to make sacrifices to stop chaos reining”

The dragons begin to slam their tails in unison, Dave looks around nervously as the ground shakes, Odio’s chuckle stops

“That time has come about once more” the elder glared at Dave “there is a storm coming Dave, one of fire and pain”

“What do you mean?” Dave’s voice did not travel far due to the thunderous beats

“The pain will scar eternity!” The elder shouts and the dragons roar, “The fire will consume the sun and burn the moon!”

Odio swirled slowly around Dave’s mind “this doesn’t sound good” he whispered as the ground cracked at the edges due to the combined force of the dragon tails and the elder’s voice

“Consume the sun? Burn the moon?” Dave’s heart leapt to his throat “Celestia and Luna? How do I stop it?”

The elder’s eyelids fall slightly and the beats of the dragons stop “Celestia, god of the sun and Luna god the moon, both princesses of Equestria”

“Yeah that’s them” Dave steps forward “What is this storm?”

“The storm has been coming for a long time now” the dragons begin their beat again “It will win, it plans, it shapes and evolves”

“What is going to happen?” Dave yelled

“The mighty princesses” The eye frowned “are going to be destroyed”

“No…” Dave growled behind gritted teeth “How can I stop this from happening?”

“You can’t, the moment they gain possession of a certain tool… it is over” The eyelids drop shut for a moment before opening again

“What’s the tool?” Dave began to snarl as he stepped forwards “Tell me!”

“The tool… the item that can defeat the sun, the moon and the elements of harmony” the elder sighs “It shall doom us all if the sun doesn’t have control”

“If Celestia is destroyed the sun will stay up or never show!” Dave yelled “Now for the last time… TELL ME!”

The dragons all glare at each other before retuning their gazes back to Dave and the elder, the elder groans as he looks at the angry human

“The tool… is you”

Chapter 45

“Is that it?” Odio groaned in disappointment, “I was expecting something better”

“I am going to be used to kill Celestia and Luna?” Dave stepped away from the massive eye

“I’m afraid I can’t allow you to simply leave Dave” the elder sighed “But I can offer two choices”

Dave stopped and grabbed his head as panic set in “What do I do?” Dave looked frantically around the room “How long do I have until this… storm gets here?”

“Hard to say” the elder blinked “Now the choices”

“I have to run! Hide!” Dave began to pant heavily “something I mean I could…”

“SILIENCE!” the elder roared and the cave shook, rocks fell from the ceiling and landed heavily on the floor, Dave froze and looked at the dragon “You have two options and I suggest you listen” the elder’s voice sounded annoyed his eye frowned

Dave took a few deep breaths “Fine what are they?”

“You need protection, you can stay here amongst the dragons, we will protect you and treat you like one of our own” the eye turned sympathetic “and the other…”

“Let me guess” Dave rolled his eyes “If I am killed then they can’t use me?”

“No, they will probably use your corpse” the eye looked at the floor in thought before returning to Dave “The other is I send you back to Celestia”

“Wait, send me back?” Dave scratched his head “To the beings I am supposed to kill?”

“They are the supreme beings, they can protect you” the elder chuckled “everything knows it would be foolish to attack the princesses head on”

“But unless they have me first, they can’t do anything” Dave’s new smile was short lived “How am I supposed to get back there fast enough if you think this is an immediate problem?”

“WOAH WOAH WOAH!“ Odio blurted loudly “Don’t go back! Stay with the dragons, Celestia doesn’t want you!”

Dave frowned at the floor “So how am I supposed to get back fast enough? Is Adamas going to fly me?”

The elder chuckled “Actually, I can think of one faster way” the ground shook violently, the cracks around the room opened up as the elder’s claw came free and the eye moved away

The outside of the mountain cracked, the dragons quickly gathered their loot and took to the air and rested on some of the neighboring mountains

Dave and the other dragons under the elder’s guidance remained where they were as the ground they sat on turned into a palm of one of the dragon’s massive claws

The eye was attached to a large rocky head, it cracked loudly as its jaws separated and it breathed fresh air for the first time in hundreds of millennia

The mountains outer shell unfolded, various rocks fell to the ground below and they began to stretch outwards

Dave ran over to the edge of the palm and held onto one of the sharp claws as he looked over the edge

The elder had been curled up like an infant, the ground shook and the air filled with noise as the rocky body broke free from itself, releasing legs and a large pointed tail

The wings continued to expand and each one dwarfed the nearby mountains and shadowed the ground beneath

As the elder shook his head, rocks crumbled from him and long serrated spikes snapped out from underneath

“What the fuck?” Dave gawped as the dragon stretched its back with a snap that forced Dave to cover his ears

The dragon flapped his wings once, sending small rocks the bombard the ground and a gust that sent the storm clouds away

“By your measurements I have a wing span of two miles, height of three and a half miles from snout to tail” The elder smiled “and an internal digestion system that would take you three of your lifetimes to walk through”

“Show off” Odio snorted

Dave gawped at the ground that was literally a mile away “so you curled into a mountain, not to hide, but to give other dragons a home?”

“Essentially… I also give these few guidance so they may do things as I have done” the elder smiled at the dragons and Adamas “As thanks for what you have done, I present you a gift”

Dave smiled as the dragon’s free claw stretched to his chest “So what is the AWW SHIT!” Dave’s smile faded as the elder scrapped away the rocks and tore some scales from beneath

The elder dropped the flake of scales next to Dave “There is enough there” he smiles satisfied

“Enough to cover a bed” Dave gasped as he held up the dark green scales “What am I supposed to do with this?”

“I offer you protection, my scales are strong enough to survive rocks from space” he moved a claw close to Dave and the scales “I hope it serves you well”

“Yeah the boogieman will never get me now” Dave sighed sarcastically as he wrapped it around himself

The stone dragon chuckled “I see that you would prefer it like this” the claw touched the scales and they floated around Dave, forming links and breaking away as they move into a new positions

Dave looked down at the large trench coat that stretched almost to his ankles, the sleeves ran up his arms to his wrists, a collar rested gently along the back of his neck

Odio wolf whistled and Dave nodded “Now that is what I am talking about!” Dave cheered “Thanks!”

The elder managed a sly grin that caused the dragons to flee “Do you wish to witness how protective it is?”

“Umm… Sure!” Dave chuckled nervously as the elders jaws opened “Are you going to breath fire?” he readied the coat around his face

“No no… I’m not young, I’m an elder!” The elder said proudly “I breathe lava!”

“Wait… WHAT!” Dave gasped as he felt a surge of heat and force, push him across the palm of the dragon’s claw

As Dave peeked out slowly, he gawped when he saw he was surrounded by bubbling lava, the only spot untouched was where he stood

“Impressive” Odio managed to say “But I still could have healed you”

Dave laughed as he looked at the undamaged coat “This is awesome!”

“Glad to see you enjoy it” the elder smiled “You may say goodbye to your friend”

Adamas landed behind Dave, the flapping of his wings cooled the lava “Goodbye again Dave, I thank you for getting me into the enlightened”

“I thought you said ‘don’t say I was ever nice… it would ruin my reputation’ and now you are grateful you were?” Dave folded his arms and smiled victoriously

“I learned that to overcome ones own imperfections is to gain a new chance at life” the dragon held out a claw “I thank you for giving me new purpose”

“Don’t mention it” Dave shook one of the sharp points “Will I see you again Adamas?”

The dragon shook his head “I doubt it Dave, but don’t be afraid to come find me”

“I won’t” Dave smiled sadly as the dragon flew away and he turned back to the elder “I’m ready to go!”

“Good, also I gave you that coat for a reason” the elder chuckled “beyond the fact that everything is done for a reason”

“Yeah I have began to notice that, if I hadn’t have been brought here” Dave looked over his shoulder to where Adamas once stood “he wouldn’t have been able to join your enlightened”

“True” the elder nodded as he brought his other claw up to his palm, his middle claw held behind another “We wish you luck Dave!”

“Thank you” Dave smiled but slapped his hands over his ears as the elder roared to the sky, his claw released and he flicked Dave from his palm, Dave’s screams were drowned out as he burst through the sound barrier in a loud bang

Meanwhile…

Celestia sat in her bedroom, she looked down at Dave’s watch and her silver bracelet “I’m sorry I couldn’t have realised sooner” she sighed sadly “when you first arrived, you were so… strange, you never left your friends and you did ridiculous things like climbing the side of the castle”

Celestia smiled weakly as she replaced the watch and bracelet back into her small wooden box “The day you kissed my cheek was a shock, not that you were a different species but… because you did so with nothing but kindness and love”

The white alicorn smiled as she stepped out onto her balcony, the moon was almost about to hit the horizon “That night you open your heart to me and I welcomed you, even if you were drunk at the time”

Celestia sighed sadly as she looked east “And that day of bliss and pleasure was the greatest in my entire existence, and it broke us apart after that stupid hospital scan”

The horizon glowed gently, Celestia frowned as the small silhouette of a dragon appeared, she levitated her telescope out and in front of her, and she adjusted the focus and zoom until she saw the dragon roaring at the sky

“Luna!” Celestia’s horn glowed as she cried out for her sister

Luna appeared beside her “What is it?” she asked in a hurry before Celestia motioned for her to use the telescope, Luna gasped as she saw

“Its east” Celestia frowned “I am not waiting anymore, are you with me?”

Luna nodded “For the good of Dave, you and all Equestria” she spread her wings wide “Shall we teleport?”

“No” Celestia also spread her wings “It’s been a while since I made a sunburst and you made a moonbeam”

“I take it that you want to make this reunion memorable?” Luna smiled briefly as they began to fly “I admit the sonic rainboom that the Element of loyalty makes is more colourful”

“But ours is just as grand” The princess of the night lowered the moon as the princess of the sun raised her bright orb

“Morning glory?” Luna smiles as her mane begins to get swept back by the increasing speed

“Morning glory!” Celestia cheers as they push the forming air barrier aside and two glistening explosions grace the sky, a ring of gold coated by bright silver stars form as they lunge forwards towards the horizon, the sun revealing their path

Meanwhile…

“AHHHHHHH!” Dave screamed loudly as he saw the ground slowly approaching

“WOOOOOO!” Odio cheered loudly as he sae the ground slowly approaching

“This isn’t going to be gentle is it?” Dave asks in a plain tone as he flew over the Everfree forest

Odio chuckled “Oh no, it isn’t”

Dave slammed through the top of the town hall, breaking the metal flagpole and sped towards Sweet Apple Acres

Meanwhile…

“I gotta do this mamma!”

“I know son, I’ll miss ya”

The teary mother waved to her son as he climbed over the fence and free of the mud, he cheered and he hopped happily into the air

The mothers smile disappeared as a dark green blur shot through where her son once was

Meanwhile…

“Huh?” Dave looked at the large pig in his arms “Where the hell did you come from?”

The pig looked confused at him before squealing loudly as it saw the mountain that sat outside of Ponyville approaching rapidly

“3... 2... 1” Odio counted down as Dave slammed into the mountain, a large spray of blood signalled a sudden stop “You have reached your destination”

Dave pushed his face from the rocks, Odio healed the various broken bones as Dave looked down at himself

“Aww shit we hit a pig” Dave sighed as dropped his arms to his side, he snatched his hands up as he realised the dragon-scale trench coat was still hot from the lava exposure

Odio gasped happily “At least something good came from it!”

Dave looked down and saw a perfect strip of bacon sizzling away on one of the sleeves “Oh… yes” Dave’s eyelids dropped seductively as he slowly licked his lips “OW!” Dave rubbed his eye that suddenly screamed in pain

“Meh it’s probably nothing” Odio reassured Dave as he reached for the juicy meat

Meanwhile…

Twilight awoke from the shaking table, she had fallen asleep downstairs talking to Pinkie, but Pinkie was now shaking violently

“NOPONY BREAKS A PINKIE PROMISE!” She yelled demonically as she shot out a window and flew to Sugarcube Corner, she broke through her bedroom window and ran over to her closet

She dragged out a box labelled ‘Promise Breaker Punisher XPAINX’ she opened it up and equipped the worst weapon imaginable

She sniffed the air before charging out the room again like a bolt of lightning, she shot past Twilight that had just opened her front door

“CAN’TSTOPGOTTOGOMAKEDAVEPAYFORTHINKINGABOUTBREAKINGAPINKIEPROMISEWILLRETURNSOONANDPREPAREFORWELCOMEPARTY” Pinkie yelled at the speed of light as she raced down the path towards

“Umm… ok? Wait did you say Dave?” Twilight gasped as she teleported after the pink missile

Meanwhile…

Dave sat relaxed against the mountainside, the blood had seeped down onto the grassy floor but Dave held a perfect strip of bacon in his hands

“This has made everything worth while” Dave sighed as his tongue rolled out his mouth and he held the meat in the air

“STOPRIGHTTHEREMISTER!” Pinkie screamed as she stopped instantly in front of Dave, she stood on her hind legs, a large brown bandolier loaded with cupcakes was strapped to her chest

“Oh yeah the pinkie promise” Dave rubbed his eye “forgot about that”

Pinkie removed one of the cupcakes and threw it at the bacon, it stole the meat from Dave and slammed against the rock wall, the cupcake hardened and encased the meat

“Aww…” Dave moaned sadly “wait… is this the destroying part?”

“No… you didn’t break the promise” Pinkie pulled another cupcake out and held the giant pink iced bun high in the air “So I’m gonna leave you with a reminder not to get this close again!” she scowled and Dave began to sweat nervously

As Pinkie’s hoof came down Dave covered his eyes using his new trench coat, after a few moments Dave peeked out to see Pinkie eating the cupcake

“Wait how is this bad?” Dave raised an eyebrow

Pinkie snarled “I’m gonna eat all these tasty cupcakes… and you can’t have one”

“OH MY GOD WHAT A MONSTER!” Odio gasps sarcastically “How is this bad?”

Dave watched Pinkie eat and he stomach rumbled, “Can I have one?”

“No” Pinkie glared as she chewed

“Please?” Dave begged

“No”

Dave folded his arms but he began to sweat “Please?” he attempted

“No” Pinkie licked some icing from her hoof

Dave began to cringe in pain as Pinkie got down to two cupcakes “Ok I’m sorry!” He cried, “Just let me have a cupcake!”

Pinkie smiled victoriously “Apology accepted” she glares into the distance “Nopony actually breaks a pinkie promise and lives to tell about it”

“What?” Dave looked up with a raised eyebrow

“Nothing”

Chapter 46

Twilight appeared beside Pinkie and Dave, she frowned in confusion as she saw them eating cupcakes “So Dave… you’re back”

“Mm? Oh yeah a slight meeting with dragons” Dave licked his fingers

Odio coughed loudly “I wouldn’t mention that you are a doomsday device, besides with me here you are totally buggered”

“Who are the things after you anyway?” Dave mumbled quietly

“None of you business” Odio spat

Twilight looked at Dave “Did you say something?”

Dave looked up, remembering that he wasn’t alone “I was just thinking aloud”

“Right…” Twilight sat down as they finished their cupcakes “What is with the clothes?”

Dave looked down at his new attire “Pretty cool huh? It was given to me by a dragon elder”

“A dragon openly gave you a gift?” Twilight raised her eyebrow in suspicion

Dave nodded “Yeah something about generosity allowing them to help others”

“So Dave why did you leave?” Pinkie smiled

Dave chuckled nervously as he scratched the back of his head “Well to be honest I…” Dave was cut off by Pinkie inhaling and darting away “What is up with her?”

“Welcome party” Twilight sighed before looking at the red mountainside “What happened here?”

Dave looked at the large red pattern that slowly ran down the rocks “umm… sneezed”

“Sneezed?” Twilight glared unimpressed

“Yeah just as I hit the mountain” Dave grinned “And the extra force splattered me everywhere”

“I don’t need to be applejack to know that that was a lie”

Dave sighed in defeat “Yeah but I’m not saying what actually happened”

Twilight hummed as she stood, she looked between Dave and Ponyville “Listen if you don’t want to go strait back I understand”

“Where else can I go?” Dave stood as well, he leaned back slightly “Unless… you’re thinking of going to my house”

Twilight blushed lightly “Well I don’t know, if you want to” the purple mare looked around awkwardly before slowly trotting away

“Something isn’t right,” Dave whispered as he followed the unicorn around the town

“Ignore it, have some fun, you just hit a mountain now you can hit that flank” Odio made suggestive noises but stopped when he wasn’t getting a response from Dave “Come on she wants you more than Celestia does”

Dave shook his head “She seemed almost reluctant”

“You have been away for a while… don’t worry, she will come back around” Odio sighed quietly “They all will”

Dave decided to ignore the last comment and jogged to catch up with Twilight “So how have things been since I left?”

“Well everypony was upset, Strong Shield managed to find out where you went” Twilight stopped “The princesses said that they were going to look for you”

Dave stooped a few steps ahead of Twilight and turned slowly “When were they supposed to leave?”

“Today” Twilight smiled nervously “I-I’m sure that they will be fine, how hard can dragons be?”

“Umm…” Dave responded with another nervous smile that removed Twilight’s “I met one that was pretty big and… he flicked me here”

“How big?” Twilight licked her lips nervously

Dave began to walk again, “It was a mountain… literally”

“Don’t worry Dave” Odio reassured him “Nopony can kill Celestia or Luna without you”

Dave and Twilight hurried towards Ponyville, Dave’s trench coat did not sway much in the wind as he ran

Meanwhile…

Celestia and Luna began to descend towards the moving mountain, “It will take years to get comfortable again,” it groaned as it moved its tail back against its legs

“How big is that dragon?” Luna gasped as they neared the rocky beast

Celestia glared “I am more concerned on what it has done with Dave”

The smaller dragons assisted with helping the elder move back into his original position “Thank you young ones, it appears my joints are as hard as my scales” it sighed sadly before chuckling “At least I shall be a sturdier home for your hatchlings”

The elder rolled his eye up to look at the descending princesses “Well well, we have visitors” The elder open his claw and the alicorns landed “Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, we welcome you”

The enlightened landed where they could and slammed their tails, Luna looked around curiously, her gaze stopped on a large green one that stared intently, and she carefully walked over while Celestia looked at the elder

“What are you looking at?” Luna asked gently as the dragon leaned down

“Are you one of the princesses that Dave is fond of?”

Luna blushed slightly “Well yes I suppose… what is your name?”

“Adamas… given to me by Dave” The dragon chuckled and small rocks bounced that rested near him

“Well Dave seems to be making an impression on everypony” Luna sighed as she sat down “Some more than others” Luna looked over her shoulder at Celestia

“Is he special to you?”

“More than imaginable, but it seems he returns the feelings for my sister rather than mine” Luna returned her gaze to the dragon

Adamas shuffled “So you will allow your sister to have the one you care for?”

“Yeah… I know Dave cares somewhat but…” Luna smiled “I am happy knowing they are happy”

“Thank you” Adamas smiled “I have learned a lot about generosity recently, I hope to be as great as the elder one day”

“How do you know Dave may I ask?”

“I was the dragon your sister sent Dave to dispose of” Adamas groaned, “I never did keep that diamond”

Luna smiled “I’m sure you will find something else to fill that hole in your heart”

Celestia and the elder secretly watched the pair talking, Celestia smiled as she looked at the elders large eye “It seems friendship can find everypony”

“Yes it appears so… now may I ask why we are blessed with your visit?” The elder continued to shuffle but left his wings unfolded

“Do you know the whereabouts of a creature called Dave? He is very… special to me” The princess blushed slightly but cleared her throat and retained her composure

“I sent him to you… did you not receive him?” the elders eye dropped in thought

Celestia shook her head “No and I even flew here so I couldn’t have missed him”

The elder reared his head and looked over the horizon “Oops… I may have not taken the shifting of the land into account” the elder chuckled “Only off by a few miles”

Celestia’s horn glowed brightly and she dragged the elders head back “Tell me where he is!” she snarled slightly, her horn strained with effort as the dragon pulled his head from the magical grip

“He is in a town referred to as Ponyville” The elders head was released and Luna hurried to her sister’s side

“Thank you, we wish you luck with your enlightened” Luna smiled before beginning to push Celestia away “Don’t upset him” she warned

“Wait!” The elder boomed causing the dragons to stir “I hope you keep him protected… I don’t want my kind put at risk”

“Risk?” Celestia frowned and swerved away from Luna’s shoving “What risk?”

“Have you not felt the sea of time crashing back onto present shores?” The elder shook his head “The mistakes you made are returning”

Luna frowned “What mistakes?”

“The one you chose to banish rather than destroy” The elder growled “Do you not remember the seeds he planted in your mind?”

Celestia frowned “The nightmare was removed by the Elements of harmony” she smiled at her the princess of the night “Anger and hate no long rule my sister”

“The Elements were responsible for bringing it here in the first place” the dragon snarled “sometimes I wonder if Discord knew what was going to happen”

“If we didn’t know then Discord surely didn’t” Luna pondered, “Wait… how do you know about Discord?”

The dragon looked down at his cracked body “I was just a young drake but the purification of Equestria will burn forever in my mind”

“Well we are glad that you saw an end to the chaos” Celestia stood close to Luna “But what do you know of… its return”

“Ashamed of what you allowed to live?” The dragon sighed, “All I know is that it will want revenge and if he gets Dave then it can crush you”

“We can stop it with the Elements” Luna cheered but Celestia’s head drooped slightly and Luna caught on “But if it get’s Dave then…”

“Then Dave may be effected as well” Celestia sighed “and I don’t want Dave gone”

“If it gets a hold on Dave then there is nothing you can do” The dragon shook his head causing rocks to break from his chin “Thousands of years planning for every situation”

“I won’t let it get close to Dave!” Celestia snarled as she stamped her hoof

“Neither will I!” Luna stood proudly

The combined stare from the princesses gave the elder hope “Then I wish you both well” the elder nodded gently

“Thank you for showing Dave hospitality” Celestia nodded “This time we are teleporting” she whispered to Luna as her horn glowed brightly

As the princesses disappeared Adamas stood in the place they once were and looked up at the elder “I take it that you aren’t going to tell them that Dave is a risk even on his own?”

“No, so long as they don’t anger him” the elder smiled “Now help me get my wings around”

The dragons rolled their eyes as they all flew over and helped lift one of the enormous wings around the old beast

Meanwhile…

Celestia and Luna appeared in Twilight’s library, Pinkie was firing her party cannon in all directions, streamers and balloons stuck where they hit, but in her excitement, Pinkie fired a blast at Luna

Celestia could not help but laugh as her sister became decorated with a party hat and a party blower landed in her mouth, she wiped her smile away as she returned to the task

“Princess Celestia? Princess Luna?” Pinkie rolled the party cannon aside “You got my party invites already?”

“Umm… no we just came to see if Dave was here with you” Celestia sighed as she looked around the decorated library “I guess he isn’t”

Pinkie tapped her chin “I left Dave with Twilight when I remembered that I had to start getting the party ready”

Luna gasped and her party blower squeaked loudly, as she spat it out her mouth she turned to Celestia “Twilight is part of his harem!”

The white alicorn realised what was being said and turned to the door, her hoofs carried her as fast as she could out of the door, she looked round at the town that was slowly beginning to awaken as her sun illuminated their dark homes

Luna caught up, using magic to remove the various party items that covered her as she helped look around the town

“Where would they be?” Luna searched, not only for her sister’s benefit but for hers as well

“I don’t know… maybe his house or…” Celestia shook her head “They could be anywhere”

Luna nudged her out of the library door “Well let’s start at his home”

The princesses said their quick goodbyes to the party pony before hurrying to the edge of town, Luna kept up with Celestia, nervously looking at the windows of the houses around them

“How are we going to get him into private?” Luna heard a door opening behind her and looked to see a yawning mare

“I don’t care if all of Equestria sees what I am going to do” Celestia quickly looked down the backstreets as she turned onto the road that led to Dave’s home

Meanwhile…

Dave hung up his dragonscale coat next to the door as Twilight sat down in the living room, Dave smiled nervously as he walked into the kitchen

“Can I get you a cup of tea?” Dave called as he turned the kettle on, his dislike on tea had turned since he arrived and started to drop a teabag into a cream mug and readied another

Twilight rubbed her hooves nervously “Um… milk with four sugars please” she looked around the room as she heard the clinking of spoon on mug

“Wait… four?” Dave leaned back to look at the purple unicorn “Can I just base that on a pony thing?”

Twilight nodded before chuckling “I keep forgetting that you’re human… shame you couldn’t stay as a pony”

Dave lifted the boiling kettle and poured the scolding water into the two deep mugs “I much prefer being human”

Twilight smiled as Dave returned with two cups of tea and placed one onto the table next to the sofa “so umm… how are you?”

“I’m good” Twilight nodded as Dave sat down next to her “So did you do anything exciting while you were away?”

“Not anymore than usual” Dave laughed as he took a sip of his milky drink, the sweetness instantly forced his head away “Ah… I have yours”

Twilight smiled as she reached for the mug but her hoof accidentally tipped the mug around Dave’s finger, causing the drink to spill over his lap

“OHHH SWEET CHRIST!” Dave screamed as his lap suddenly jumped in temperature

Twilight panicked as the stained clothes were obviously causing discomfort “Take your clothes off!” she yelled the advice and Dave quickly jumped to his feet and pulled his trousers down

Dave sighed as his hot legs were exposed to the cool air “That’s better” he smiled reassuringly to Twilight

Suddenly the door burst open as Celestia and Luna bounced in, they quickly scanned the room before their eyes landed on a bare-chested Dave with his trousers around his ankles

The princesses’ jaws dropped and Twilight nervously squirmed as their gazes darted between her and Dave

“Oh um…” Dave’s throat became suddenly dry as Celestia’s gawp turned into a furious frown “I can explain”

Dave did not have time to take a breath as Celestia charged and dived over the table, tackling him to the ground, she sat above him and began slapping him with her hooves

“OW! Stop please I, OW! I wasn’t going to, OW!” Dave used his arms to protect from the angry alicorn’s swipes

Twilight looked from the strange heap over to Princess Luna that simply responded with a shrug

“You left me!” Celestia managed to yell down at Dave as her hooves began to turn red with the repetitive strikes

“OW! Well in all fairness, OW! What other choice did I have?” Dave managed to grab one of Celestia’s hooves “I wasn’t happy in the harem, so the only other choice was to leave because I didn’t have you!” Dave’s arm was slapped away and followed with a smack to the face

“How dare you! I was going to get you but I find an empty house and a note” Celestia looked at Dave’s bruised arms and she began to shudder “I realized that I want… need you”

“Let me guess, a dragon told you that I could potentially destroy you and Luna” Dave shook his head with mild disgust “well I find it very funny how you expect me to jump from you to harem and back again”

“I know this may seem false to you but… I want you to come back to me” Celestia’s shudder turned into a weak sob “I realized before I even knew about the dragon”

Dave smiled in disbelief “I’m sorry are you planning on having sleeping with me again and then conveniently realizing you never actually cared?”

Celestia cried harder as she resumed her hitting “I always cared!” her tears fell from her face with every strike “I’m sorry I played with you, I’m sorry I hurt you and I’m sorry I didn’t realize this all sooner”

“OW so why are you hitting me?” Dave managed to yell from the shelter of his arms, his arms were slowly covering with a mix of bruises and tears

“Because I hate myself for almost losing you” Celestia collapsed, Dave opened his arms to catch her and she cried loudly into Dave’s neck “I-I just want to be happy but I can’t knowing you might live your life I somepony else’s hooves”

Odio writhed in pleasure at the combined sight of watching Celestia squirm and the power of her self-hatred

Dave slowly wrapped his arms around the crying alicorn “I know you’re sorry, but I am not being used again”

“You’re not being used, I swear” Celestia’s sobs were quiet, even though she held back as much as she could “I know you want to be with me”

“So are you going to play on that?” Dave’s reassuring hug slipped slightly “Use my feelings to make me come flying back to you?”

“No!” Celestia sobbed louder as she realized everything she said made things worse “I just want us to be happy”

“Your happiness or mine?” Dave pushed Celestia off the top of him and climbed to his feet, pulling his trousers up along the way

“Ours” Celestia laid on the floor looking up at Dave who shook his head

“I’m going to bed and if you cared about my happiness then I won’t see you when I wake up” Dave glared at Luna as he climbed the stairs and slammed the bedroom door behind him

Twilight, who had been staying silent, finally spoke up “What was that about?” she asked Celestia but was answered by Luna

“Twilight Sparkle I recommend returning home” Luna smiled weakly as Twilight reluctantly nodded and left the house “Now I shall return to Canterlot to take care of our duties”

“I’ll come too” Celestia wiped the tears from her eyes before standing tall again “I am not welcome here”

Luna blocked Celestia’s path “No, you are staying right here”

“Why? Dave doesn’t want me, I failed” Celestia’s ears drooped against her head

“Do you love him? Don’t you want to be with him?” Luna advanced towards her sister

Celestia looked at the stairs that lead to Dave’s room “Yes to both”

“Then stay here to show that you care about him the most” Luna placed a hoof angrily on her big sister “I am not letting you throw him away like I did”

“You could probably make him happier” Celestia removed the dark hoof that rested on her chest “So why don’t you stay?”

“Because I can’t make him happy” Luna glared angrily “Only you can”

Celestia climbed onto the sofa and laid her head on the armrest “What if I can’t?”

“Then you try your hardest doing the best job you can” Luna closed the windows and locked the door using her magic “Because if you don’t then he will never look at you the same way again”

Celestia smiled at her sisters encouraging words “I-I’ll try Luna”

“I will see you happy,” Luna vowed as she teleported from the lonely house and back into her quarters in Canterlot Castle

Celestia listened for any signs of movement from upstairs, when she heard silence she lowered her head again and drifted into an uneasy sleep

Chapter 47

“Dave is back!” Spike jumped from his chair “Well let’s go!”

“Hold it Spike” Twilight jumped in front of the smiling dragon “You can’t go yet”

Spike cocked an eyebrow “Well why not?”

“Do you want to get between an angry princess and a super powerful alien?” Twilight frowned until Spike obediently returned to his chair

Spike returned the glare “Don’t call Dave an alien”

“Whatever I… I think Celestia wants him back” Twilight sighed sadly as she looked at the floor

“So she is joining the harem?”

“No I think that it is a serious thing” Twilight returned to looking at her assistant “The way she was acting was weird”

“So you and the others are going to try and get Dave back?”

Twilight shrugged “I don’t know about the others and… I don’t know about me”

Spike leaned forwards at Twilight’s change of heart “I thought you loved Dave”

“I do!” Twilight frowned but her ears began to drop “Well… I did”

“What’s wrong?” Spike asked in a reassuring tone as he walked over to the purple unicorn

“When he came back he seemed… different” Twilight shook her head “It’s probably nothing”

Meanwhile…

Dave opened his eyes to look up at the walls of a muddy trench, he sat up to see a familiar olive green suit of armour

“Master Chief?” Dave gasped as the yellow visor turned to him

The seven foot armoured soldier laughed as plasma flew past it’s head “No Dave”

“ODIO?” Dave stood an looked over the walls of the trench, the familiar alien army advancing towards them “Where the hell are we?”

“Your mind” Odio reloaded his assault rifle “I fancied having some time with you”

“By dragging me into a war zone?” Dave shook his head but smiled at the same time “I’m touched”

Odio stood up and began to blindly fire over the top of the trench “There is a gun beside you”

Dave looked to his right and the characteristic pistol rested on a crate beside his hand “Wow a pistol and not a rocket launcher?” he grumbled as he picked it up

Odio sighed as he placed a grenade into the smaller human’s hand “Hope you can throw” he chuckled as he pulled the pin

“WHAT THE HELL!” Dave yelled as he quickly threw the grenade over the wall, the resulting explosion caused chunks of body bits to rain into the trench “I hate you”

“Don’t worry, when we die you will wake up. Here take this” Odio picked up a shotgun and passed Dave a small silver cylinder “for when they get close”

“An energy sword?” Dave gripped tightly and the glowing blue blade formed before his eyes “I don’t plan on slicing through aliens”

“Well I am getting pretty good at this so sit this out, if you like” Odio pumped his shotgun in one hand whilst shooting with his assault rifle

Dave looked at the sword in his hand then at Odio “Ah hell when am I ever going to get the chance to stab a video game character again?”

While Odio was unloading a shotgun shell into an outstretched arm of a short alien, Dave jumped and sliced across his exposed neck

Dave’s smile was removed as Odio calmly turned around, the visor looked more intimidating as it looked down at him

Slowly the helmet tipped forwards and dropped to the floor, the beheaded body slumped backwards and collapsed to the ground

Dave threw the sword aside as he laughed “Wow the graphics are certainly better in my mind” his happiness was short lived as he turned and saw an alien towering above him, the four mandibles on it’s face moved with each of it’s heavy breaths

Dave tensed as he smelt the wretched scent and felt the cold metal that rested in his hands, he slowly slipped his finger onto the trigger before taking a deep breath

“RAGE QUIT!” Dave screamed as he placed the barrel under his chin and pulled the trigger

Dave shot upright in bed, he had removed the dirty trousers and was laying under the covers

“You dick” Odio grumbled “I was doing so well and then you joined”

Dave stroked his chin to check for any bullet wounds “Shut up, I don’t feel like talking or playing any games right now” he wiped the sweat from his eyes as he climbed out of bed in search of clean clothes

“Fine what ever… at least at this rate your hatred will give me a considerable charge” Odio snarled as he restarted his game “I’ll be here when you’re feeling lonely again”

Dave found some new clothes and quickly pulled them on, they were a simple dark blue and the t-shirt hung loosely around his neck

Dave opened his bedroom door and walked slowly downstairs, he continued to wipe the sleep from his eyes until he turned to the living room

Celestia lay across the sofa, head resting on a cushion and breathing gently. Her wings were folded loosely against her back and her mane continued to flow gently

Dave stared at the princess, he quietly crept back upstairs and collected a blanket from underneath his bed before returning downstairs

“Why do I even care anymore?” Dave sighed as he carefully laid the blanket over Celestia, her tail and head poked out at both ends as she shuffled into a more comfortable position

Dave walked over to the window and peeked out of the curtains, the sun was nearing the horizon and he could see the town’s streets beginning to empty

Dave closed the curtains again and quietly walked into the kitchen, looking back to make sure Celestia was still asleep before walking over to the fridge

As the door opened the light flickered on revealing the small amounts of food inside “A few eggs typical” Dave groaned as he removed them and wandered over to the cooker

Dave cooked the eggs and placed two on each plate “Wait why am I making eggs for her?” Dave picked up the second plate and dumped the eggs into the bin beside the door

Celestia stirred as the noise reached her ears and Dave quietly cursed to himself, he slowly walked over to the plate that still had eggs resting on it and grabbed a fork

Dave moved the fork towards the bright yellow yolk before dropping his hand to the side of the plate, he heard the alicorn shuffle in the next room and picked up the plate. He marched into the living room and stood at the edge of the sofa next to Celestia’s head, his grip on the plate tightened as he looked down at her

The white alicorn shuffled again, her face still showing the emotional weakness she released earlier, the sight caused Dave to drop the plate onto the table and hurry upstairs again

Celestia’s eyes slowly opened at the sudden noise of the plate landing on the table and the sound of Dave’s bedroom door slamming shut. She lifted her head to see two eggs staring back at her

“Dave?” She called quietly, hoping he was still nearby, when she heard no response she sat up, the blanket falling from her body. She smiled slightly as she held the blanket, the obvious caring nature of Dave still resided nearby

Slowly Celestia stood up and began the long walk up the stairs, she stopped outside the door and held a hoof near the bare wood. She sighed as doubt crept into her mind, the fear of being rejected and the shame of allowing herself to be this weak. She knocked gently.

Dave stood up from his bed and walked over to the door and his hand stopped before it grabbed the doorknob. He dropped his hand and sat with his back against the door

“Dave I know you can hear me” Celestia sat on her side of the door as she talked loud enough for Dave to hear “I know you must be angry”

Dave chuckled, he wasn’t angry. He was just tired of being pulled around and thrown away

“I was a fool to let you go the first time” Celestia rested her head against the door, the soft sound of Dave’s breathing floated into her ear “I wish I had never suggested the harem to you”

Dave looked at the floor, his mind wandering in other directions as he thought about the other girls. The ones that hadn’t tried to play him. The ones that cared

“I just wanted to know Equestria was safe” Celestia stroked the door gently as if she was rubbing Dave’s back “So I didn’t have to worry about you being in danger”

“I can look after myself” Dave frowned as he looked at his hands “I just don’t want to be used again, you talked to the elder as well so you know what I am talking about”

“I am not trying to get you back for Equestria” Celestia turned and glared at the door “I am doing this for us”

“So you are willing to risk the elements of harmony so you can be happy with me?” Dave growled “I thought that is why you gave me up”

“I know what I did” Celestia tapped her horn on the door “I have regretted it but I am willing to lose everything for one more chance”

“So you take me from the harem and your sister, what have you done to me compared to them?” Dave counted with his fingers “You killed me, tortured me with that day of lust before throwing me away. Oh and let’s not forget the joyful expressions you made clear in the hospital”

“I wasn’t happy!” Celestia pounded the door with a hoof “I would have been happy if I was pregnant”

Dave turned and faced the door “And I’m supposed to believe that? And that you would take me from your sister that changed herself rather than me!”

“Luna is letting you go because she knows you will be happier with me” Celestia stood away from the door

“So she cares that much about me and you that she will lose that much?” Dave let out a chuckle of disbelief “It is pretty obvious that she seems to care more than you do”

Celestia opened her mouth to respond but her voice failed to leave her throat, she dropped her head “You’re right… I was a fool”

“Yeah” Dave sighed quietly to himself “Both of us”

“I will leave you now” Celestia took a few deep breaths to calm herself “I will tell Luna that she is entitled to you”

Dave’s frown slowly slipped from his face as he heard the first suppressed sob from the other side of the door

“I wish you both well” Celestia managed to say before her throat began to tremble

Dave stared at the door his mouth slightly open, Odio squirmed in pleasure at the princesses torture. They both heard the alicorn hurry down the stairs, running for the front door

“But I don’t want Luna” Dave whispered as he grabbed the doorknob and pulled it open “I want you…” he stared at the spot Celestia was

“You can’t catch her, she is already at the door” Odio whispered “It’s too late”

“The hell it is” Dave growled as he ran through the door and jumped down the stairs. He landed awkwardly and fell to his face. Grumbling he pushed himself to his feet

Celestia opened her wings to take flight but stopped as she heard the sound of something hitting the ground. She turned to see Dave pushing himself to his feet, the exposed parts of his arms scrapped in various places. Celestia turned away again, hiding her tears behind her large wings

“Wait!” Dave called as he reached his hand out at her “Please don’t go”

“Why should I stay? So you can remind me how horrible I have been to you?” Celestia’s voice trembled “Well go ahead… I deserve it”

“No” Dave walked over to the white alicorn “It’s my fault… I’ve been a dick”

“You haven’t” Celestia used a hoof to stop any tears dropping to the floor “I must go now”

“Wait… please” Dave walked closer to the princess. Her head still hidden behind her vast wings “I have done nothing but mess things up, complain and make trouble”

Celestia didn’t respond but she forced herself to lower her wings slightly

“When you changed me, I should have thanked you. You cared about me enough to try and make our lives together better” Dave smiled as he took another step

“But you died and it was my fault” Celestia’s wings couldn’t hide the sadness in her voice

“But I am not dead now” Dave stepped again “And what kind of boyfriend am I if I keep making you cry?”

“Boyfriend?”

“Coltfriend, whatever” Dave chuckled weakly as he stood the other side of Celestia’s wings, he rested a hand on her back and she tensed, but quickly relaxed as she welcomed the touch “So long as you can forgive me”

Celestia’s tears stopped as she turned her head to look at her wing. The barrier between her and Dave lowered and she stared at his teary eyes “Why are you crying?”

“Because I am so lucky to have had you. You deserve better than me”

Celestia completely dropped her wing as she turned and stood in front of Dave “But I-I”

“You could have had anypony, you’re a princess” Dave wiped the tears from his eyes as he looked away “But instead. For some strange reason. You chose me”

Celestia continued to stare at Dave’s face “But you…”

“I must have been the last thing you needed” Dave shook his head “A different species, kinda close with your sister and now a weapon”

“Dave” Celestia placed a hoof under Dave’s chin and turned his head gently towards her “Shut up”

Dave opened his mouth to talk again but Celestia’s mouth quickly blocked his air supply, her tongue gently waiting at the entrance to his mouth and her front hooves wrapped around his neck

Dave slowly wrapped his arms around her as his own tongue gently welcomed her in. They both kissed slowly at first as if they had never kissed before

Celestia slowly pulled her head away, only enough to look deeply into Dave’s eyes and his into hers “I’m sorry Dave” Celestia whispered

Dave smiled “What for?”

“This” Celestia snarled as she brought a rear hoof between Dave’s legs, he silently screamed as he kneeled over clutching his crotch

Dave watched the alicorn walk behind him and grip the back of his shirt between her teeth “why?” he managed to groan with effort

“Well I wasn’t sure how quickly we were going to make up” Celestia smiled “We can skip all the kissing and hugging. Right?”

“Yes but… HEY!“ Dave was powerless to resist being dragged back upstairs into his bedroom “Well you… you’re terrible at foreplay” Dave folded his arms angrily as Celestia closed the door

Chapter 48

“Please for me” Celestia begged as she wrapped a hoof around Dave’s chest, “I’ll do anything”

“Ok I’m going to say it” Dave folded his arms in displeasure “But this is the last time”

“That will do for me” Celestia rested her chin on his shoulder

“You’re my special somepony” Dave fluttered his eyelids whilst applying a fake smile

Celestia squealed happily as she kissed Dave’s cheek “I will never get tired of hearing that”

Dave rolled his eyes to look over at the clock next to him “Wow we started at nine o’clock last night and it is now almost one o’clock in the morning”

“Do you… want to do another marathon?” Celestia blushed as she looked up at the sighing human

“No I don’t want to be tortured like that again” Dave looked down at the pouting princess before groaning “Fine one more time tonight and we can discuss it later”

“Yay!” Celestia smiled “do that thing again”

Dave that had begun to shuffle down the bed stopped “What thing?”

“I can’t remember but it felt like the whole house was shaking” Celestia hummed happily

Dave looked at his hand and a smug grin spread across his face “Damn I’m getting good”

“I thought it was adequate,” a booming voice said from outside, Celestia and Dave turned to see Adamas looking in through the balcony windows

Celestia shrieked and quickly levitated the bed covers up to her chin, hiding Dave in the process “What are you doing here?”

Adamas looked at Dave’s wiggling feet that poked out from the bottom of the bed “Well I have Dave’s bag he left back at the mountains”

“Thanks Adamas!” Dave called from somewhere in the bed “Just leave it on the balcony”

The dragon dropped the bag and its contents onto the balcony before relaxing back in his last position. Celestia smiled nervously before whispering down to Dave “He isn’t leaving”

Dave lifted his head from the covers and looked at the dark green dragon “Why are you still here? I’m kinda in the middle of something… literally”

“I was going to offer advice because you both looked liked two hatchlings with one gem” Adamas sighed as he stretched his wings “I will see you some other time”

Dave waited until he was sure that the dragon was definitely gone before diving back under the sheets “Well at least that solves the shaking house mystery”

“Just serve your princess” Celestia stopped the conversation by closing the open part of the covers “In the morning we can do some stuff together before you meet your harem”

In the morning…

Celestia awoke with the need to raise the sun, she yawned as she fulfilled her duty and the bright orb poked out from the horizon. Dave groaned as the light filled the room and he slowly awoke

“You are the worst alarm clock ever” Dave yawned and he snuggled closer to the princess in his arms “Do you make noise? No, you burn me awake with the sun”

“Would sending you to the moon be a better wake up call?” Celestia smirked as she held the grumpy beast in her hooves

Dave chuckled “Yeah I’ll stick with this”

“I thought so” Celestia reluctantly climbed out of bed “Shall I make us breakfast?”

“There isn’t anything left” Dave rubbed his eyes until they could stay open by themselves “those eggs were the last I had”

“Hmm maybe we could go to that café in Ponyville” Celestia looked out the glass balcony doors “It looks like a nice day”

Dave rose his head from the pillow he was hugging in replacement of the princess “You don’t mind being seen in public with me?”

“I would love to be seen in public with you” Celestia smiled as she bounced back over to the bed and rubbed Dave’s face with her own

“So… you’re not embarrassed by me?” Dave smiled as he pushed himself up

Celestia gave Dave a quick peck on the lips before trotting into the bathroom “No I am not and I don’t care what anypony thinks anymore”

Dave climbed to his feet and he rummaged around the floor for his clothes “So is this a… date?”

“If you like” Celestia called

Dave found his clothes in some strange places and he pulled them on. Celestia came out of the bathroom with her flowing mane combed and began putting on her royal regalia. Dave took a few small bags of coins as he quickly followed Celestia downstairs and out the front door

“So how should we do this?” Dave asked as he nervously rubbed his hands together

Celestia looked over “What do you mean?”

“Well what excuse should we use if anypony asks for the sudden visit?” Dave looked nervously at the approaching town “and what if they ask why you are with me?”

“Tell the truth” Celestia smiled

Dave tripped but quickly regained his balance “Are you sure?”

“Very” Celestia moved closer to Dave as she rubbed her horn through his hair “Why would I want to lie?”

“Well if you’re sure” Dave smiled as he nuzzled back, pulling his head sharply away as they neared the edge of town

Celestia stopped as she noticed Dave’s twitchy behaviour “Unless… you’re embarrassed by me?”

Dave turned and walked back to the princess “I would never be embarrassed by you”

“So lets go then” Celestia smiled again as she nudged Dave into town and towards the café

The town streets were empty apart from the tired ponies setting up their market stalls or shop owners getting ready for the day. Nopony noticed the princess and the human walking towards the opening café

Dave opened the door and allowed Celestia to step in. the café was empty apart from a tired waitress yawning behind the counter. Her pale yellow earth pony body was covered by a small waitress clothes and her orange hair was the only piece of her head visible

“Take a seat I’ll be right with you” She sighed as she continued to make a large coffee pot

Dave and Celestia walked over to a small table at the end of the café, Dave smiled at the waitresses lack of knowledge that a ruler had walked in

The waitress finally finished preparing before trotting over, notepad between her teeth “So what can I get for you… Dave is it?” She smiled as Dave nodded

“Yes I’ll have a glass of apple juice and an omelette” Dave turned to the alicorn opposite “What are you having?”

“Yes what can I get you p-p-princess Celestia?” The waitress almost fainted as she fell to her flank “What are?” She quickly shook her head and bowed deeply

“I’ll have the same please” Celestia smiled as the waitress slid away, bowing all the while “Do you think she was shocked?”

“Nah” Dave chuckled “Just startled”

The waitress returned with one drink and one omelette and placed it in front of the princess “Your omelette Princess” the mare bowed

“What about mine?” Dave asked

The mare turned to Dave “Oh yeah I’ll have yours done in a minute”

“Well please hurry” Celestia smiled, receiving another bow

“Y-yes of course your majesty” The waitress bowed again and returned a minute later with another omelette and drink “Will that be all your highness?”

“Yes thank you” Celestia nodded “How long until the café becomes… busy?”

The waitress thought, “Well it gets pretty full around breakfast time”

“Which is now” Dave whispered to himself

“But… I can take you to a special table if you like” The waitress smiled as she pointed to a large table at the other end of the room “So you aren’t disturbed”

“I am fine here. Thank you” Celestia smiled before turning to Dave “Unless you want to move?”

Dave shook his head before leaning over to the white princess “I’m fine right here”

The alicorn blushed “Am I that much of a view?”

“Like sunset on a warm beach”

The waitress decided to back away slowly, confused at the situation in her café “Well I’ll be over here if you need anything”

Dave finally managed to prise his gaze from Celestia to begin eating his breakfast “So what are we gonna do when more ponies show up?”

“Continue with our breakfast” Celestia looked out the window behind her to the slowly filling streets “Just don’t make me say anything out loud”

Dave glanced at the waitress that was busy behind the counter before rubbing his leg against Celestia’s “Like this?”

Celestia squeaked, stopping Dave’s slow advance and blushed heavily “Yes like that”

“You didn’t seem to mind earlier” Dave retracted his foot and continued with his breakfast “But I understand” he teased

The door opened and two ponies arrived in the café, one a stallion and one a mare. They wandered over to seats, completely oblivious to the princess sitting at the end of the room

“I don’t know if I am ready for this” The grey Pegasus sighed, “Are we ready for a child?”

The amber unicorn mare smiled reassuringly as she sat down “yes I’m sure you will be a great father”

“Thanks Hun” The stallion smiled back “ok… we will give it a go”

The mare smiled happily as she leaned over the table and rubbed her head against her lovers “As Celestia is my witness we will be good parents”

“I’ll hold you to that” Celestia smiled as the couple whipped their heads around, jaws open

“P-princess Celestia?” The mare gasped before bowing, quickly followed by her special somepony “What are you doing here?”

“Having breakfast” Celestia had a sip of her apple juice “So you are trying for a child?”

“Y-yes your majesty” the Pegasus slowly rose out of the bow “We have been discussing for some time now”

“Well I wish you the best of luck” Celestia nodded as she turned back to her breakfast

The mare bit her lip “How are you princess? I mean as in your love life?” her coltfriend quickly placed a hoof in her mouth and smiled innocently to the princess

“Well…” Celestia reached a hoof out and smiled at Dave as he held it in his hand “I think it is going well”

The couple’s and the waitress’s jaws dropped when they saw the human and alicorn lean over the table and kiss each other gently

“Well buck me” The stallion gasped as he released his marefriend and sat down “What is the princess doing with that?”

Celestia turned and frowned at the stallion “Excuse me?”

The Pegasus realized his mistake and he bowed deeply “I’m sorry princess I meant no disrespect”

“It’s alright I know this seems strange but… we do crazy things when we are in love” Celestia turned back to Dave

Dave returned the smile “We sure do”

The stallion and mare turned to each other happily as the waitress took their orders. The café slowly began to fill, the customers noticed the princess and bowed their heads in respect

“I am not on a royal visit I am just here for breakfast” Celestia said to the small crowd before nodding to the waitress “Which is good thank you”

The ponies all settled down and continued with their normal lives. The occasional glance still found it’s way over to Celestia and Dave

“I can see why you get annoyed with this” Dave whispered as he finished his breakfast and took a sip of his apple juice “So what now?”

Celestia finished her drink and wiped her mouth with a napkin “Well I am happy doing whatever you want to do”

Dave shrugged “Well we could go somewhere until we go talk to the harem”

“We can see how empty the park is” Celestia sighed as she looked at the café out of the corner of her eye “Because I don’t like what they are thinking about us”

“You can read minds?” Dave gawped

Celestia smiled sweetly “Only when I need to”

“So… have you been reading mine?” Dave asked nervously as he began to count out some coins onto the table to pay for the breakfasts

“No and with your resistance to magic I doubt I could read your mind for more than a few moments” Celestia stood and walked to the door, receiving bows along the way

Dave placed more than enough coins to pay for the breakfast onto the counter before hurrying after the princess. As he caught up he began to slowly walk alongside her

“So what’s the plan?” Dave asked as he tried to avoid eye contact with any ponies that noticed the princess walking through their town

“Well I plan to keep you as long as I can before you have to tell your harem what is happening” Celestia nuzzled her head against Dave, gaining a few gasps

“Ok I’ll tell the girls that I’m… breaking up with them while I’m already seeing you” Dave placed his arm around the white alicorn “So basically you are going to let me get kicked repeatedly in the balls”

“Well I doubt the element of kindness would be that brutal”

“You haven’t seen her bunny” Dave chuckled

Celestia cocked an eyebrow “I thought you have only mated with me”

“I haven’t mated with anypony else” Dave held the princess close “but they all have something that is going to hurt me”

The pair reached the park, a few trees sheltered some empty benches and Dave sat down. Celestia laid down and rested her head on Dave’s lap “What like?”

“Big Mac AND Applejack are both strong kickers, Angel the angry bunny, Spike the dragon twice and Rainbow Dash is a bit aggressive” Dave sighed as he ran his fingers through Celestia’s mane “You owe me”

“I’ll give you a title”

“And an ice-pack”

Chapter 49

The birds chirped happily in the tree above Dave and Celestia, their little hatchlings called for food. Celestia welcomed Dave’s fingers that ran through her mane

“So what should we do after you have spoken with the harem?” Celestia asked quietly as she enjoyed the moment

Dave sighed as he looked down at the princess “I’ll talk to Twilight then Rarity and maybe Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy if they are around”

“And the Element of honesty?” Celestia turned her head to look up at Dave

“I’ll see Applejack last” Dave scratched the back of his head nervously “Delay the kicking to the groin as long as possible”

Celestia smiled as she stroked Dave’s face with her hoof “I’m sure that will not happen”

“Last time I almost mated with Applejack I was bucked out of a window” Dave shrugged as Celestia sat up in shock

Celestia looked over Dave’s body before reluctantly pushing him to his feet “Well the sooner you talk to them, then the sooner we can be together”

Dave gave Celestia a small kiss before running to Twilight’s library. He ran and stopped next to the front door in the large tree. He took a few deep breaths before knocking gently

After a few minutes of silence, Dave knocked again. And again. And again.

“Hmm she must be out” Dave sighed as he turned to walk to Rarity’s boutique

“Very freaking observant” Odio growled “Figure that out by yourself?”

Dave rolled his eyes as he continued down the path away from the library “Would you take that sour mood and shove it up your ass”

“Don’t make demands from me you pathetic creature” Odio spat

Dave chuckled “Coming from a fog monster that is hiding in my head” he stopped outside the large boutique “Who sounds more pathetic?”

“Why you little…” Odio was cut short as Rarity opened the door

“DAVE!” Rarity leapt up and wrapped her hooves around his neck “When did you come back?”

“Yesterday, listen Rarity” Dave managed to release himself from her grip “I have something to tell you”

Rarity cut him off with a hoof over his mouth “Shhh darling, we can talk inside”

Dave nervously followed the unicorn inside and sat down on the couch “Right well I have something important to say and you might want to sit down”

Rarity smiled as she shook her head “Oh Dave don’t rush a lady” Rarity’s smile turned seductive “Can I make myself comfortable?”

Dave threw his hands up in defeat as he relaxed back into his seat “Fine whatever”

“I’ll be right back” Rarity winked as she trotted upstairs

“Now you listen here you fucking mortal” Odio squirmed violently “You are making a huge mistake doing all this”

“You just don’t like Celestia” Dave whispered angrily “Now do us both a favour and shut up or I will tell on you”

“OOO I’m so scared” Odio gasped sarcastically “Do it and I will kill you in front of her”

Dave smirked “So you are scared otherwise you wouldn’t threaten me”

“It wasn’t a threat” Odio began to fade as Rarity began walking down the stairs “It was a promise”

Dave rubbed his eyes as Rarity entered the room again, “I’ve been working on this for some time”

Dave looked up and instantly regretted it “Oh fucking really?”

Rarity was dressed in black, the cloth coiled around her legs giving the impression that she was taller and more flexible. The dress managed to effortlessly enhance her figure, especially a very certain area beneath her tail

“So how do I look?” Rarity fluttered her eyelids

Odio was still angry “Like a cheap whore riddled with herpes!” He yelled

“Umm alright but listen…” Dave was cut off again as Rarity stepped closer, tongue hanging out her mouth

Rarity lunged forwards and Dave darted to the side “Oh playing hard to get?”

“No but I have to talk about us” Dave backed around the entire room while Rarity stalked him

“Ohh you want an outfit too?” Rarity managed to tackle Dave as he tripped over a mannequin “Well let’s get mine off first”

“I’MBREAKINGUPWITHYOUFORCELESTIA!” Dave yelled as the unicorn’s tongue almost met his lips

Rarity pulled her head back and glared down “Excuse me?”

Dave cleared his throat “I am back with Celestia and I am leaving the harem”

Rarity laughed until she realized Dave was serious and began to growl, “You are leaving me? For HER!”

“Umm yes” Dave braced as Rarity stomped away and over to her workplace “Are you ok?”

“Ok?” Rarity turned her raging head to glare at the human “I made clothes for you, kissed you, loved you and all you can say is ‘Are you ok?’ ”

Dave inched towards the door “I’ll be leaving” his pace quickened as Rarity levitated a large pin cushion into the air

“Oh darling” Rarity smiled like a maniac as she removed the pins and pointed them at Dave “you know where I am if you decide to come crawling back”

Dare opened the door as fast as he could but it couldn’t stop a hail of pins stabbing his backside, he yowled as he darted out the boutique and left Rarity to cry

“I think you… got the point,” Odio cheered as Dave painfully plucked the pins from his butt cheeks

Dave shook his head as he pulled the final pin out and dropped it to the floor “I think I’ll try Applejack next and get my dick kicked into next week”

Odio merely grumbled as Dave began to painfully walk to Sweet Apple Acres “Celestia wouldn’t love you if it wasn’t for me”

“How so?” Dave’s buttocks became less painful as he walked

“Would Celestia degrade herself for normal you?” Odio sighed as Dave shrugged “But I gave you strength, healing, speed, endurance”

Dave groaned as he saw the apple trees come into view “What are you getting at?”

“She only likes you because you are different,” Odio said in disproval “If you couldn’t heal or anything else I do for you then she wouldn’t care at all”

“You’re wrong” Dave retaliated “You’re just mad that I am not giving you attention”

Odio chuckled “Attention? You have no idea what complete isolation feels like so I suggest you shut up”

Dave shook his head as he stepped onto the small path that led to Applejack’s house and saw three familiar fillies playing

“Dave!” Applebloom cheered as they all ran over “Where have ya been?”

“Umm… I’ve been away for a while” Dave scratched the back of his neck “listen is Applejack around?”

“Yeah she’s in the barn” Applebloom tilted her head at the nervous human “Are ya ok?”

Dave nodded “Ok can you three do something for me?”

“Anything for you Dave” Sweetie Belle cheered “After all you in love with my sister”

“Yeah I just broke up with her and I am going to do the same with Applejack” Dave marched into the barn, leaving the fillies to gawp at each other

Applejack sat at the end of the barn removing the rotten apples from the good ones. Applejack’s ears shot up ass they heard Dave enter the barn, she turned and smiled at the human “Dave!”

“Hey Applejack, I have bad news” Dave said glumly

“Nonsense sugarcube” Applejack trotted over and looked up at him “It ain’t a problem so long as we have each other again

Dave chuckled “That’s the bad news”

“What is?” Applejack glared into Dave’s eyes “And don’t you go lyin to me”

“I am…” Dave subtly covered his groin with his hands “breaking up with you”

Applejack roared with laughter “Ha ha that’s a good one Dave” she wiped a tear from her eye but soon cast a suspicious glare as Dave began sneaking out of the barn “Wait one apple buckin minute!”

“It’s not you it’s me!” Dave yelled as he turned away and held his arms out to stop Applejack breaking the door down

“What the hay do ya mean you are breaking up with me?” Applejack yelled through the door as she attempted to bash through it

“I mean I am breaking up the harem to be with Celestia,” Dave yelled back

The hits on the door stopped… momentarily before returning harder than before and was accompanied with Applejack yelling at the top of her lungs

“CUTIE MARK CRUSADER VENGENCE TAKERS!” The three fillies yelled as they bucked Dave in the face, stomach and groin simultaneously

Dave did not know where to hold as he fell to his knees as the barn door swung open and knocked him to the floor. Scootaloo looked at her bare orange flank

“Aww no cutie mark,” She groaned with the girls “But at least we got revenge for Applejack and Rarity!”

Dave rolled onto his back to look up Applejack’s flared nostrils “I tried to make it easy… kinda”

“I’m gonna make sure that you ain’t leavin me like this” Applejack advanced towards Dave “I wanna make sure you know what you are dealin with”

Dave held out his hands “How else am I supposed to break up with you? Bake ‘fuck you’ onto a cake?”

As Applejack raised a hoof, Big Mac jumped in the way “Nnnope!”

“Oh thank you Jesus” Dave rested his head “Listen Applejack I’m sorry”

“No you ain’t!” Applejack yelled in her accent over the red tower in front of her

“He said sorry” Big Mac held his ground until his sister took the fillies inside before turning on Dave

Dave gulped as Big Mac frowned down at him “Oh shit, bad to worse’

“Are ya really sorry?” the muscular stallion stared down at Dave

“Yes I tried to make it easy but she went all ‘I’m gonna hit you until you love me’” Dave climbed to his feet “And if you want to hit me go ahead”

Big Mac shook his head “Nnnope”

Dave took a step back just in case it was a trap “I thought that you would have kicked me”

Big Mac chuckled “I know ya didn’t mean ta hurt her feelings”

“Yeah… the kids pack a hell of a punch don’t they?” Dave laughed as he rubbed his nose “So are we cool?”

“Eeyup” Big Mac held out a hoof for Dave to shake “Just don’t take it personally if she doesn’t talk to you for a few days”

Dave nodded as he began to walk away from the farm “I’ll see ya”

“You got beaten up by children. How… pathetic” Odio sighed “So two down and three to go I’m assuming?”

“Yeah after this is all done I am taking a break” Dave rubbed his healing stomach

Odio began to fade away “Just what she wants”

“What now?” Dave growled angrily

“Hmm? Oh, yes… Celestia is causing you to become alienated by you’re friends so you go live in Canterlot” Odio chuckled lightly as Dave missed a step in thought

“Well so far they seem to hate me… No” Dave shook his head in an attempt to remove the doubt in his mind “I am doing this for Celestia and she knows they will still be my friends”

“But that wont stop her from dragging your sorry ass to her bed in Canterlot” Odio swirled around painfully in Dave’s mind “Dave the royal sex slave! That’s your title”

“Fuck you” Dave spat “She knows I wouldn’t simply get up and go”

“You did to try and leave” Odio hinted “And she could always use the excuse that you are a doomsday weapon”

“I have a house” Dave looked towards the town and its busy streets

“That she owns” Odio sighed, “I don’t know why I bother with you”

“Because I’m your only option” Dave growled “And without me you would have been found by these ‘mysterious forces’ you keep going on about”

“Have you been paying any attention to what I say since you arrived?” Odio’s squirming stopped “Or do you assume I am some kind of joke?”

“A joke… a really. Unfunny. Boring. Joke” Dave snarled to himself

Odio took a few deep breaths “Next time you sleep I will show you something”

“You packing your bags?” Dave insinuated

“No… something that will put your relevance to light” Odio sighed sadly “You will see what I am saying, and when you do… well let’s just say your future was bright”

“What do you mean ‘was’ bright?” Dave stopped before stepping into town “What is going to happen?”

“Bad things, good things and downright strange things” Odio crawled back into hiding “But everything fits together in the end”

Chapter 50

Odio sat quietly in Dave’s mind as the human walked through Ponyville. Dave avoided the busy streets as he walked back into the park to see Celestia talking to some of her subjects, there were three mares each bowing deeply as they neared their princess

“There she is Dave,” Odio said in a low tone as Dave watched from afar “The one you love and your undoing”

“She would never try to hurt me on purpose” Dave dropped his gaze to his feet “she has gone public with our relationship… doesn’t that show that she cares?”

Odio growled slightly “So she blurts out that she loves you and you think that is enough?”

“She doesn’t care what the public think” Dave returned his gaze “She cares about my feelings”

“You think you are special to her?” Odio growled, “She cares about nothing”

“Shut up” Dave refrained from punching the tree “She cares about me!”

“You and your powers” Odio sighed, “If you weren’t better than her then she wouldn’t give a shit”

“But…” Dave opened his mouth to respond but slowly closed it again

Odio chuckled “Now you see… now you understand why she must keep you safe from those that would use you”

Dave merely looked at his hand “I wouldn’t hurt her”

“Your resistance to this world’s magic means that Celestia’s immortality is pointless” Odio faded as Dave took a few deep breaths and began walking towards Celestia “If you weren’t different then you would be trash in her eyes”

“Hey Celestia!” Dave cheered in a happier tone as he got closer and the white alicorn turned from the small group with a smile

“Speaking of which here he is” Celestia smiled as she pulled Dave in for a powerful kiss, gaining a gasp from the three ponies near her

The mint coloured mare managed to shake her head back to normal “So he is your special somepony?”

Celestia broke the kiss with Dave to smile at the trio of gawping ponies “Why yes, for sometime now I had been making mistakes but…” She turned and smiled to Dave “I think we are going to be fine from now on”

“I hope so” Dave fake smiled as he decided to take a break from the harem and spend a few minutes with Celestia “I hope so…”

Meanwhile…

Strong Shield groaned as he readjusted his cream, scarf before he knocked on the front door of a small wooden house on the edge of the Manehatten slum district, he waited patiently until the door opened revealing a scruffy, navy Pegasus

“Are you Pickpocket?” The retired guard asked as he spotted the cloak and dagger cutie mark

The Pegasus looked up and down the unicorn “Yeah what do you want?”

“I am going to search your house” Strong Shield started to enter but was stopped by a navy hoof

The Pegasus chuckled “Heh no offence grandpa but you aren’t coming in”

Strong Shield nodded before head butting Pickpocket out of his way and entering the house. He closed the door before dragging the injured Pegasus into a small, poorly lit kitchen

“Now I am gonna look around, ask you some questions and if you answer correctly then I won’t have to get tired beating you to death” Strong Shield sat Pickpocket into a chair before tying him to it using his scarf

The pegasi struggled against his bonds as Strong Shield began searching the small house “Do you know who I am?”

“Pickpocket, Pegasus, thief, male, one sibling” Strong Shield began tapping the floors “You only steal when you need to or it is your little sister’s birthday”

“YOU LEAVE HER OUT OF THIS!” The Pegasus yelled, “What do you need and I’ll get it for you, just… don’t hurt her”

Strong Shield stopped tapping the floor and he walked back into the kitchen and placed a frying pan onto the rusting cooker “So what kind of things have you stolen for your sister?”

“Toys, books and once a gem” The thief glared as Strong Shield turned on the cooker and began heating the frying pan “Why are you here?”

“Have you done many ‘jobs’ in Canterlot?” Strong Shield watched as the frying pan began to glow a bright red

“Yeah I was in Canterlot for a year” Pickpocket dropped his head “I had to leave when I broke into the castle”

“a secret tunnel” Strong Shield nodded “That‘s how you got in”

Pickpocket looked at the unicorn “How do you know?”

“I allowed you to leave and I made sure that I kept a tab on you” Strong Shield turned off the cooker and levitated the searing hot frying pan into the air “Where is the entrance outside the castle?”

“Why do you want to know?” The Pegasus struggled harder as the frying pan neared his face

Strong Shield stopped and glared “I need to know where the only unknown entrance is to the castle is”

“What? If I help you in then I could go back to jail! It‘s treason!” The Pegasus began to sweat as Strong Shield stepped over and moved the glowing metal near his mouth

“Either tell me how you got in or I will shove this in your mouth and buck you in the jaw” Strong Shield frowned harder “Now tell me how I can break into the castle”

Meanwhile…

Dave and Celestia waved goodbye to the small crowed that gawped at their relationship and as they left Celestia placed her head on Dave’s shoulder

“So have you done with the harem?” She asked as she watched the birds play in the air

Dave wrapped an arm around the princess “Applejack and Rarity were both pissed, the others I still have to talk to”

“So who are you going to talk to next?” Celestia looked up at Dave’s vacant stare into the distance “Dave?”

“Huh? Oh I am gonna try and find Rainbow Dash then Fluttershy and then finally Twilight” Dave smiled at Celestia briefly before looking away again

Celestia noticed Dave’s odd behaviour “Is everything alright?” she asked with an obvious worried tone

“Yeah I was just thinking about something” Dave applied another fake smile “It’s nothing to worry about”

“Are you sure?” Celestia moved her head into Dave’s vision “it looks like it is really bothering you”

“I said I’m fine” Dave turned his gaze again as Celestia recoiled slightly

“Ok now I know it is serious” Celestia placed a hoof under Dave’s chin and gently turned his head to look at her “Now talk to me”

Dave sighed, “I was stabbed in the ass and was beaten up by three children and I…” Dave stopped when he noticed Celestia holding back a smile “Forget it”

“No, I’m sorry” Celestia to a breath to calm herself before sitting quietly again “Continue”

Dave looked at the serious face of the princess beside him “I was wondering how I managed to get you”

“How do you mean?” Celestia shuffled closer so her chest was pressed against Dave’s arm

“Why were you attracted to me?” Dave looked at her out of the corner of his eye

“I suppose it was the way you treated me” Celestia dropped her gaze “You looked at the mare rather than the princess”

“And it had nothing to do with my resistance or healing?” Dave stared into Celestia’s eyes as she looked back up

“No, your powers have nothing to do with it” Celestia placed a hoof on Dave’s hand “and don’t you dare think otherwise”

Dave looked at the white hoof “what if I lost my powers tomorrow?”

“It wouldn’t change how I feel” Celestia joined Dave in looking at her hoof on his hand “do you regret loving me?”

“No” Dave responded instantly “I love you”

Celestia looked at the side of Dave’s face, ready to look him in the eye “Do you want to keep the harem?”

“I’ll go and find the rest now” Dave looked at her “I want you to be happy”

Dave hugged the alicorn gently as she responded with one of her own. They both held each other for a few moments before they finally relaxed and stood up

“I’ll be waiting at your home for you to return” Celestia smiled at Dave as he nodded

“I’ll go and talk to the rest of the harem” Dave sighed as he walked past Celestia “I won’t be long”

Celestia watched Dave walk around the edge of town until he disappeared from view before she began walking to Dave’s home. Dave meanwhile kept looking at the floor until he reached Fluttershy’s cottage. Dave knocked on the door, tapping his foot as he heard various noises of animals inside

Fluttershy nervously opened the door until she spotted Dave “Oh hello Dave, d-do you want to come in?”

“Umm… yeah I think it would be best” Dave stepped into the cottage and made his way over to the sofa

Fluttershy came sat down next to Dave as he shuffled his feet nervously “Are you ok? You left for a while”

“Yeah I had some things that I needed to sort out” Dave snapped back to the task at hand “But the reason I’m here is because I need to talk about us”

Fluttershy began to blush heavily “Oh do you want to try again?”

“What? No not that” Dave couldn’t help but chuckle at Fluttershy’s sigh of relief

“So what is it? That is... if you want to tell me” Fluttershy looked up at Dave but he turned his head away

"I have to" Dave whispered to himself as he scratched the back of his neck “Well basically I’m breaking up with you and the rest of the harem”

“W-what?” Fluttershy’s bottom lip began to quiver “But I thought you loved us”

“Well I kinda did it so you and the others stayed friends” Dave sighed as he turned back to look at the yellow mare “Umm… are you ok?”

“Y-yeah I’m fine” Fluttershy could not hold back a large wail and a flood of tears “So you didn’t love me?”

“Well I um” Dave had planned on physical attack not a major guilt trip “I will always care for you like friend”

“So you don’t find me attractive?” Fluttershy continued to cry as she hid behind her mane, “I’m not pretty?”

“You’re pretty!” Dave held out his hands in an attempt to calm the mare “Any guy that loves you will be lucky”

“So why don’t you love me?” Fluttershy’s eyes were barely visible through her mane

Dave did not have to think, “Because I love Celestia and I want to make her happier than she has ever been”

“B-but what about making me happy?”

Dave sighed, “Well I’m sorry I have to say this but… you can’t make me as happy as Celestia does”

Fluttershy managed to calm herself down to repeated sniffs “So Celestia makes you happy”

“Yes she does” Dave nodded as he turned away “I’m sorry I messed you around like this”

“It’s ok” Fluttershy replied in her nervous tone “It’s nice that you are happy”

Dave opened his arms “Are we still friends?”

Fluttershy hurried into Dave’s hug “Of course”

Dave smiled in relief that he still had one friend “I still have to talk with Twilight and Rainbow Dash”

“Oh Rainbow was going to see Twilight today” Fluttershy wiped the tears from her face “At sugarcube corner I think”

Dave stood up “Thanks Fluttershy” he walked over to the door sending back a weak smile

“I hope it goes ok with you and Princess Celestia” Fluttershy smiled until Dave left her house before dropping her head into a cushion

As Dave started walking into Ponyville again to see the final two mares, Odio returned in a surprised tone, “Well I wasn’t expecting her to get that… whatever it is that creature does”

“She was upset and she isn’t the violent type” Dave looked back over his shoulder “But I felt really guilty doing that to her”

"What did you expect? Fluttershy was the only one to give you a chance" Odio shrugged off Dave’s sigh “Not to mention you know that being with Celestia is wrong but you can’t face it”

“You won’t drop that will you?” Dave rolled his eyes "And me being with Celestia is right... we love each other"

"Love again?" Odio growled slightly before responding, “Don’t think for one second that she is doing this for love”

“Just let me talk to Twilight and Rainbow” Dave shook his head “Then tonight you can show me whatever it is that you wanted to show me”

“If you aren’t sleeping with that vile creature” Odio spat

Dave frowned “Don’t talk about her like that! Besides I don’t feel like doing that right now”

“Fine… I’ll show you tonight” Odio’s tone became unnervingly darker “I hope you will see the truth behind it”

Chapter 51

Dave and Odio never spoke another word until they reached Sugarcube Corner, and entered the shop. Dave looked around to see Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Twilight sitting together in the middle of the room

“Hi Dave!” Pinkie cheered and Rainbow turned to look at him with a smile but Twilight gave him a quick glance “Can I get you a cupcake? Bowlcake? Bucketcake? Cartcake?”

Dave shook his confused head “I’m fine thanks”

“Are you sure?” Pinkie bounced behind the shop counter and into the kitchen, returning with a tray of cupcakes and treats, “I made them for your return party!”

“Can you just suggest something to get rid of her?” Odio growled

Dave rubbed his eyes “Ok Pinkie can you set up a small party for me and friends”

“Yay a party for everyone!” Pinkie bounced happily on the spot

“No a relaxed, quiet party” Dave paused as he thought “Just a party for me, Spike and maybe some other guys”

“A guy party?” Pinkie hummed “That sounds weird but fun”

“Well I would label it hanging out but meh” Dave shrugged “See if Spike has any ideas for anything to do”

Pinkie saluted as she placed on a military party hat “Yes sir!” she yelled before charging out of the door

Dave turned back to the two mares “Well that’s one way to start this conversation,” he grumbled as he sat down

“So Dave what did you get up to while you were gone?” Twilight sipped her drink as Rainbow shuffled around the table to get closer to Dave

“Well I met some gryphons, changeling maggots and some dragons” Dave plucked a cupcake from the tray and licked some of the icing “One dragon was a mountain”

“That sounds so cool, I wish I was there” Rainbow Dash shuffled closer again “So what are you doing later because you still owe me a go”

Dave dropped the cupcake “Alright I am going to take this really slow because the last three times I went really fast and it never went ok”

“What do you mean?” Twilight’s gaze finally moved to Dave

“I like you both and the rest of the harem but… I love somepony else” Dave dropped his eyes as Twilight and Rainbow exchanged glances

“Who?” Rainbow frowned angrily “Who do you love?”

“It’s Celestia isn’t it?” Twilight sighed “its ok Dave”

“What?” Dave and Rainbow gasped in unison

Twilight shook her head “It’s obvious you love her more than us and I want you to be happy”

“Ok I’m confused now. Why are you ok with this?” Dave leaned over the table

Rainbow stood up “This isn’t ok! Dave chose us first”

“The element of magic has appeared to have grown” Odio hummed “This is interesting”

Twilight rubbed her head “Listen all I’m saying is that Dave made that choice for us and not himself”

“You are getting dropped by Twilight” Odio chuckled “Aren’t you going to fight for her?”

Twilight rubbed her head again “I’m not feeling well”

“You should go home” Dave sighed, “I’ll talk to you later”

Twilight nodded gently as she left Sugarcube Corner and headed home. Dave turned and came face to face with an angry Pegasus

“Hey Rainbow, are you ok with this?” Dave smiled weakly until the cyan mare jabbed him in the stomach

Rainbow Dash turned and hurried out of the shop yelling back “I stayed loyal to you!”

Dave groaned as he stood and held his stomach “Great” he grumbled sarcastically as he left the building and began the journey home

“Well mission complete” Odio sighed, “So you’re going to crawl to Celestia and grovel at her feet and server her in any way she wants?”

Dave avoided eye contact with the ponies “Listen I am going to go to sleep and if I am not satisfied with what you have to show me then I am not going to be happy”

“Well you aren’t going to be happy either way so what is the fucking point of me even trying to cooperate with you?” Odio yelled angrily

“You calm the fuck down” Dave whispered “I wont spend that long with Celestia if that makes you happy”

“Ok” Odio sighed, “I’m sorry but I am annoyed that you take me for granted”

“Is that an apology?” Dave smiled

“Well I can either apologise for that or the fact I may have to do some shit to piss you off” Odio chuckled

Dave shook his head as he smiled “just go play some games”

“Yes sir” Odio flowed into his usual spot “Want to play together later?”

“Yeah sure” Dave scratched his chin as he saw his house approaching “Anything else you want to do?”

“Can I change your appearance? I was playing Jak 2: Renegade and damn do I think you would look cool with a dark form” Odio pleaded “Please or at least let me give you claws or some shit like in Prototype”

Dave shook his head “We will discuss it later”

“You aren’t going to sleep with Celestia?” Odio gasped

“No I know how mad you have been since I have been neglecting you” Dave shrugged as he reached his front door “So no hanky panky”

“Thanks that means a lot”

“You know unless she does something exceptional like…” Dave opened the door and saw a trail of rose petals leading upstairs “that”

“OH FOR FUCK’S SAKE!” Odio yelled but silenced so Celestia would not feel his sudden presence “Be quick”

Dave chuckled as he followed the trail upstairs and towards the bedroom. He knocked gently before slowly opening the door to reveal a candle lit room

“Well this is nice” Dave smiled, as he looked around the room “Where are you?”

Celestia poked her head around from the bathroom “Oh you’re back already?”

“Yeah and I assume that this is some form of reward for my physical, emotional and mental trauma?” Dave raised an eyebrow

“Well yes” Celestia blushed “But can you go out and come back in again… I wasn’t ready”

Dave looked around at the various candles before slowly moving out of the room “Ok but I don’t see how you could make this better” Dave stood and waited patiently until he heard a rummage inside the bedroom followed by the sounds of a perfume being sprayed “You done yet?”

“Wait!” Celestia called “Just a few seconds”

Dave laughed quietly “This is very romantic”

“I thought you deserved a treat” Celestia replied, the sound of wings flapping accompanied her voice “So you have talked to the entire harem?”

“Yeah Twilight took it well actually” Dave leaned against the wall next to the door “And Pinkie is going to help set up a small party to welcome me back”

“Who’s going?” the alicorn continued to shuffle inside the room, muttering, “No, this won’t do”

Dave stretched his neck “Me, Spike and a few others”

“I’ll see if Shining Armour wants to go” Celestia called before one final flare of her wings ended the small talk “I’m ready”

“That sounded seductive” Dave smiled “You sure you don’t need another minute?”

“Just get in here” Celestia called less seductively

Dave slowly opened the door again, this time the light of the candles were being reflected by Celestia’s open wings spread open in the shape of a heart

“Well this is certainly a surprise” Dave stood with his eyes as far open as they could go “I like what you’ve done with the place”

Celestia smiled at the candles around the room, the scent blended with her perfume to produce layers of different flowery fragrance “I know you must feel terrible for what you had to do”

Dave shook his head, as he walked over to the bed “Can we not talk about it”

“Sorry” Celestia smiled as Dave climbed onto the bed and shuffled closer “but I want you to know that you are the most important thing in my existence”

“You’re the most important thing in mine” Dave rested his head against Celestia’s chest

Celestia shut her eyes and allowed her wings to drop as Dave listened to her heartbeat, his eyes also shut as he ran his hand through her mane. Celestia kissed the top of Dave’s head as she moved her mouth to his ear

“Dave” she smiled as he rubbed his head against her “for the time you have with me I want to experience it all”

Dave chuckled “I didn’t know you wanted to try anal”

“What’s that?” Celestia rose an eyebrow “Or is it best if I didn’t know?”

“You don’t wanna know” Dave pulled his head away to look into Celestia’s eyes “As you were saying?”

“I know that I will live on long after you… move on” Celestia shuddered at the thought “but I want to spend your life making it the best one ever”

Dave smiled “And I want to make you happy but” he looked away as he held the alicorn in his arms “I don’t want to make you sad forever when I die”

Celestia shook her head “I would never be sad again knowing I made your life perfect”

“You already have” Dave smiled along with Celestia as they finally pushed their lips together

Meanwhile…

Strong Shield sat alone in the cartridge of the train, behind one of the small tables. The driver walked through the door and sat down opposite the guard

“So you got sacked protecting your son Dave?” The driver shook his head in disbelief “I would have thought you would have got a medal”

“I have enough of those” Strong Shield smiled as he tapped his scarred eye “Got three just for this”

The driver nodded “Impressive I guess”

“Valour, courage and determination” Strong Shield tapped his hoofs together “All gone due to selfishness”

“Protecting your son isn’t selfishness” The driver turned his gaze to the window “so how far are you going? Canterlot?”

“No not that far” Strong Shield smiled “Just Ponyville”

The driver nodded in understanding “family reunions” he chuckled as he returned to the front of the train

Strong Shield opened his small guard saddlebag and pulled out a brown notebook. He flicked through the notes of criminals, crimes, points of interests and stash points until he reached a blank page in the middle

Strong Shield looked around before his horn glowed and letters began to appear across the page, an accurate description of the secret entrance into Canterlot castle

“Heh I wonder if Princess Cadence knew that she was sat on top of the tunnel during her imprisonment” Strong Shield hid the letters again, he didn’t need them for any purpose yet. They were just insurance

The driver poked his head back inside the cartridge “You get some shut eye and I’ll wake you up when we are close”

Strong Shield nodded “alright just… yell my name”

“Will do” The driver left again as Strong Shield walked over to one of the bunks and climbed in

The unicorn looked out the window at the descending sun “You had better make sure he is good for when I get back” he glared as he dropped his head and forced himself to sleep

Meanwhile…

Dave opened his eyes in brown muddy water. He quickly dragged his head from the puddle and gasped for breath

“Odio?” Dave called as he wiped his eyes and saw the various stone headstones around him “What the fuck?”

Dave climbed to his feet and looked around at the grim scene. The rain poured down heavily and quickly reduced Dave’s vision

“Odio!” Dave called louder as he looked around the graveyard, the rain reducing his view but a glimpse of white against the grey stood out

Dave stumbled closer, pain raced through his legs. He looked down to see a large burn on the side of his left leg “What is going on?”

Dave ignored the pain as he neared a familiar image, the sun cutie mark stood out against the rain “Celestia?” Dave reached out until he noticed the large grey wing covering her

A tall grey alicorn, stallion looked at Celestia he smiled briefly before joining her in staring at a solitary grave

Dave walked around the pair and followed their gazes to a mossy, cracked and chipped headstone. Dave collapsed when he saw the inscription labelled across the front. Most of the inscription was covered but the part he could see pained him

Here lies Dave Shield

Dave looked back at the alicorns, the grey stallion kept gazing at Celestia and back to the grave, his large wing protecting the princess from the wind and the rain

Celestia herself was crying but closed her eyes as she reached over and rested her head against the handsome stallion

“I know you don’t like this but it is for your own good” Odio placed a black claw reassuringly on Dave’s shoulder “And before you ask I am not making this up”

“Then what is this?” Dave growled as he glared at the grey alicorn “And who the fuck is that?”

“This is the future” Odio sighed as he looked at Dave’s grave “I spent a lot of time with only my own mind for comfort and I learned how to see what was going to happen based on current events”

“So how far in the future?” Dave looked up at the pair of red eyes that flickered in the rain “A thousand years?”

Odio looked at Dave “More like twenty two”

“Twenty two?” Dave flicked his head to Celestia “What happened?”

“I can’t say” Odio released Dave “and the answer to that grey alicorn is about to be revealed”

The princess of the sun hurried back inside the corridors of the castle and the grey alicorn sighed, his horn glowed and a large golden helmet floated onto his head, its design was too elegant to be a guard’s helmet

“How long have I been dead for this to happen?” Dave turned as he got to his feet “TELL ME!”

“You have to swear that you can’t let this information affect you outside of your mind” Odio’s black fog sheltered around his burning eyes “If Celestia suspects anything too soon then we are in trouble”

“Fine” Dave glanced back at his grave “How long have I been dead?”

Odio’s eyes looked away “Twenty two”

“But if this is Twenty two years in the future and I’ve been dead for twenty two then… no” Dave’s eyes searched the floor for answers “no it can’t be”

“It is happening soon I’m afraid” Odio’s black fog slowly wrapped around Dave “You had to see… I will speak again soon”

Dave managed to get a final glimpse at the grey alicorn before the fog engulfed him

Chapter 52

The sunlight reached the sleeping human and Dave slowly opened his eyes to see Celestia looking back at him “Morning” he smiled, forcing the nightmare from his mind

“Morning” She replied softly as she pushed her lips out and touched Dave’s mouth

Dave’s smile grew wider as he received the kiss, a kiss he knew he had to savour “Last night was different”

“They always are” Celestia said cheekily as she licked Dave’s nose “Don’t you think?”

“I suppose,” Dave shuffled closer to the princess “So are you going to suggest another round or?”

Celestia placed a hoof up to block Dave’s mouth from reaching hers “Not today unfortunately”

Dave gasped playfully “For once you don’t want to sleep with me”

“I have to go back to Canterlot” Celestia sat up “I can’t leave my sister in charge of everything alone”

Dave sadly climbed out of bed and put his clothes back on “Ok I should see you soon though… right?”

“Of course” Celestia rubbed her stomach “Let’s go downstairs”

Dave followed the princess downstairs, not wanting to tear his gaze from her until they both froze at the living room entrance

“Hello son” Strong Shield smirked “How have you been?”

“Dad?” Dave ran over and hugged the unicorn “I haven’t seen you in ages”

Strong Shield rolled his eyes as he patted Dave’s back “I know”

Dave pulled away and looked over Strong Shield “Where is your armour?”

“I’m not a guard anymore” Strong Shield rose an eyebrow at Celestia “Didn’t she tell you?”

Dave turned and looked at the princess “No she hasn’t”

Celestia looked between Dave and Strong Shield “Ok listen I didn’t want to tell you because I knew you would be upset with me”

“What happened?” Dave growled

Strong Shield smiled at Celestia “She accepted my resignation”

“You quit the guard?” Dave gasped “But I though you loved it”

Celestia mouthed “Thank you” to the unicorn as Dave turned away from her

“Besides I can’t be a guard AND look after your children” Strong Shield smirked

Dave smiled “What do you mean by that?”

“Come on, I could hear you and her halfway from Ponyville” Strong Shield shook his head at the blushing couple “You should have tried something I picked up on an espionage mission, what you do is place your hooves either side of her tail and…”

“Aww Dad I don’t want to know” Dave laughed

Celestia nodded “Yes I think we will be fine for advice in that area”

“Suit yourselves” Strong Shield snorted

Celestia kissed Dave’s cheek “I will see you later”

“Ok I’ll be careful not to be attacked by any super villains” Dave smirked as he watched Celestia vanish in a burst of light

Strong Shield watched Dave’s face deteriorate to sadness “What’s wrong?”

“Are there any other alicorns beside Celestia, Luna and Cadence?” Dave frowned at the spot Celestia stood “Any male ones?”

“No Cadence was the last reported alicorn besides the princesses” Strong Shield leaned forwards “What has happened?”

Dave shook his head “I had a nightmare… that’s all”

“Well it must have been a big one” Strong Shield sighed, “So what are we doing today?”

“We?” Dave smiled weakly “I would have thought that you would have something better to do”

Strong Shield stood and marched towards the door “If you don’t want to spend time with your old man then fine” he sighed playfully

“Alright, Pinkie is throwing a small party with Spike’s help” Dave grabbed his dragonscale coat and quickly put it on “You want to come along?”

“I suppose a small social gathering will be acceptable” The retired guard nodded “Fine let’s go”

“Good to see you are taking it easy” Dave locked the door behind him as he followed the unicorn into town “I guess we could go to Twilight’s and see if Pinkie is with Spike”

“I suppose that is an accurate assumption” Strong Shield changed course and Dave jogged to keep up

As Dave caught up, he tapped Strong Shield on the shoulder “Can’t you just say ‘yes’ rather that expand and compliment me like a guard?”

“Well I suppose I could attempt a simpler way of speaking that relays information quicker and with simplified words to reduce confusion” Strong Shield looked up at Dave’s raised eyebrow “I mean… sure”

Dave rolled his eyes as they both chuckled and stopped at the library door. Dave knocked and heard a frantic rushing inside

“Pinkie Pie, Spike, Big Macintosh and two large boxes” Strong Shield looked at Dave again “Umm… somepony is inside”

“I was more freaked by how you could tell from a few noises” Dave smiled as the door opened and Spike leapt out, wrapping his arms around Dave’s neck

“DAVE!” Spike cheered, “We set up as much as we could”

Dave followed the ecstatic dragon inside and looked around the library “Cider! Thank the lord” Dave smiled as he saw the table piled with drinks and snacks, mainly a strange mix of cider and cupcakes

“Big Macintosh” Strong Shield shook the fellow stallion’s hoof “I assume this gathering is for male friends as Dave is uncomfortable spending so much time with members of the opposite gender”

“Eeyup” Big Mac responded

Strong Shield nodded gently “Right to the point… I like that”

Dave’s eyes fell to two large boxes tied with large red bows “What are these?”

“Guests!” Pinkie bounced on each of them “Surprise guests!”

Dave gawped at the sealed boxes “And are you sure they are still alive?”

“Of course silly” Pinkie waved a hoof “I’ll be going now to help with another party across town see ya!”

Dave quickly opened the first box and Shining Armour tumbled out, head over hooves and landed in front of Dave

“D-Dave? Where am I?” Shining rubbed his eyes

Strong Shield hurried over and helped his old captain to his hooves “Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle’s library”

Shining Armour shook his blue mane “And why am I here?”

“Dave’s welcome back gathering,” Spike cheered, “Dave wanted to spend some time with his friends”

“Oh yeah that explains Pinkie hitting me with a balloon hammer” Shining shrugged “Well I’m here… who is in that box?”

Dave reached for the latch and gently opened it, revealing a bearded Braeburn “What the hell?”

“I-I remember you” Braeburn crawled from the box, covering his eyes from the sun “Dave the human”

“You look like Osama bin Laden” Dave gawped “How long has Pinkie had you in that box?”

“About a week” Braeburn sobbed, “She said she might need me some time so she kept me close”

“Braeburn?” Big Mac ran over a knelt beside his cousin

“He looks like shit” Dave shook his head “Clean him up please”

“Eeyup” Big Mac nodded as he helped Braeburn to the bathroom

Dave grabbed some cider and sat down next to Shining Armour and Strong Shield “So now what?”

“Anything interesting happen while you were away?” Shining asked as he levitated his own drink over

Dave sipped his drink and milled the liquid in his mouth before replying “just a bunch of dragons, nothing major”

“I haven’t seen that place in ages” Spike jumped up on the subject “were they bigger?”

“One was a mountain” Dave replied calmly and Shining spat his drink over the floor

The captain turned to Strong Shield “Why wasn’t that in the threat report?”

“Because he isn’t a threat” Strong Shield smiled “he even helped Dave get home”

Shining Armour shrugged and smiled as a clean and tidy Braeburn returned “Howdy Braeburn”

“Howdy folks” He quickly gulped down a cider “please tell me that Pinkie ain’t around”

Dave shook his head but stopped as he heard a knock at the door “Who is that?”

Dave walked over and opened the door to reveal a slim, dark purple mare “Umm hello”

Spike ran over “Ah yes do you need to get set up?”

“Just tell me where the bedroom is,” the mare groaned as Spike pointed to the spare bedroom and she walked into the room

“Umm Spike” Dave tapped the child “what is going on?”

Spike smiled happily “Well I needed to get set up quickly so I used my plan from Shining Armour’s bachelor party”

“So you got us a stripper?” Dave’s eye twitched “How the hell did you get a stripper?”

“When I was in Canterlot I walked into a bar and asked for entertainment for grown stallions” Spike nodded proudly “And some guy told me about her”

“Oh by the sun” Strong Shield coughed loudly “Dave… that isn’t a stripper”

“If it isn’t a stripper then it must be a prostitute” Dave chuckled in disbelief but his jaw dropped as Shining Armour and Strong Shield nodded in unison “No way”

“Yes way, she is known for having… low standards” Strong Shield shook his head in shame “She slept with the guard that tried to arrest her”

“So we have a whore that can fuck her way out of trouble?” Dave chuckled

“Why does this sound like a really bad porno?” Odio hummed “Two guys in boxes, a baby dragon, a big farmer, an old guard and an alien” Dave laughed quietly at Odio’s joke

“Hey” Spike yelled, “Where is Braeburn?”

The group looked around the room until their gazes fell on the door “Do you think he went for it?” Dave asked nervously

“Eeyup” Big Mac shook his head in shame

Shining Armour looked at the others “Should we check?”

“You can” Strong Shield smirked “I am not looking”

Everyponies gaze landed on Shining Armour as he placed his drink down and crept over to the door. He peeked through the key hole and immediately removed his head and hurried to the other side of the room

“Is it bad?” Spike inched away from the door in fear

Shining Armour nodded “We are going to have to wrap that winter up before Twiley sees the mess”

Chapter 53

Dave and the others all sat in silence as Braeburn walked out of the spare bedroom, smiling to himself

“So you had your apples bucked I take it?” Dave shook his head

Braeburn frowned as he pulled his hat down “I was held captive for a week, ah think I’m entitled to some fun”

“Yeah fun is a night out with some mates” Shining Armour chuckled “Not sleeping with a dirty whore that was bought by a baby dragon”

The prostitute left the spare bedroom and silently left the library without so much as a glance at the males around the room

“So… what now?” Spike hopped onto the sofa, sitting between Shining Armour and Big Mac

Dave shrugged “Well our entertainment ended up being a whore for Braeburn”

“Can ya drop that now?” Braeburn drank his cider quickly “Fine how about a few stories?”

“Stories?” Dave chuckled “How do you mean?”

Braeburn smirked “You know… mating stories”

“Well I doubt anything we have can top what you just did” Shining Armour joked, receiving a laugh from the group

“Alright captain” Strong Shield smirked “What is the best time you have done it?”

Shining Armour leaned forwards “Me and Cadence after the changeling attack, we went back into the caves beneath Canterlot and had hot, dirty sex across the floor”

The group nodded but Big Mac chuckled “Mine’s better”

“Oh really?” Shining Armour relaxed as he sipped his cider “Go on then”

“Me, three mares, in a pile of zap apples” Big Mac smiled proudly as Braeburn chuckled

Dave shrugged “I don’t get it”

“Zap apples contain electrical charges” Strong Shield shook his head in disbelief “The mixture of sweat and juices must have made one hell of a conductor”

“Ohh shit really?” Dave gawped “And what did you do with the apples after?”

“The mares ate the messy ones” Bug Mac laughed at the various gawped faces

“I don’t understand” Spike shrugged “A bit of dirt never hurt anypony”

Shining Armour patted the dragon’s innocent head “You will understand someday”

“Alright sit down because here comes a good one” Braeburn cleared his throat “Me, a nice pony mare and a buffalo”

“Really?” Big Mac quickly drank his cider to stop his laughter

“Seriously!” Braeburn tipped his hat “I gave them both a pounding harder than the buffalo stampede”

The guys all roared with laughter, wit the exception of Spike that continued to shrug. Once the laughter had stopped, the gazes turned to Strong Shield

“I suppose you aren’t expecting much,” Strong Shield murmured from behind his drink

“Nnnope” Big Mac egged the ex-guard on

“Fine there was this one mare” Strong Shield hummed before continuing, “She was sleek elegant, married”

“Oh shit this is getting good” Dave eagerly shuffled forwards along with everypony else “What happened?”

“I needed to get access to a particular area due to an infiltration mission” Strong Shield sighed, “Her husband was a suspect in part of a powerful mafia ring”

Shining Armour coughed loudly “Who was it? Also skip to the end, we don‘t need to hear every detail”

“The husband agreed to assist with the taking down of the mafia… some ‘gentle’ persuasion on my part” Strong Shield lifted his drink but stopped “Also his wife was Fleur de Lis”

“WHAT?” Shining Armour yelled, “That was all you?”

“Yes” Strong Shield smiled “All off-record, I had a code name and everything”

“I hope it was Snake” Odio sighed, “Just this once let it be something game related”

“What was it?” Spike asked

Strong Shield thought back “Serpent”

“SO FUCKING CLOSE!” Odio cried, “I got so confused at the end of Snake Eater I want to see a reference somewhere”

Dave shook his head “Well mine still tops all of yours”

“Go on” Braeburn “I bet it isn’t as shocking as that”

“One whole day of nothing but sweet love with Celestia” Dave nodded at the gasps from Braeburn, Big Mac and Spike “We did it everywhere!”

“The bath?” Braeburn asked and smirked as Dave nodded

Big Mac leaned closer “The royal gardens?”

“The Captain of the guard’s desk?” Strong Shield smiled

“Twice” Dave chuckled as Shining Armour’s face became petrified

“WHAT?” He groaned “But I eat there”

“So did I!” Dave laughed along with the others as Shining Armour rushed to the bathroom to clean his teeth

Two hours later…

“Alright one more time” Braeburn wiped a tear of laughter from his eye…

A gryphon is in a bar and goes to the barkeep and says, “Can I get a cider?”

The barkeep nods and pours him another drink before mentioning “That will be two bits”

“Don’t worry” The gryphon smiles “But it on my bill”

Dave and the others roared with laughter again as the drank more cider and their legs collapsed beneath them

“Oh that is funnier here than on my world” Dave continued to laugh, “How much have we drank?”

“Enough for irreparable liver damage” Strong Shield chuckled “But the day is young and we have lives to lead”

Spike pushed himself from a cushion he was laughing into “Hey Dave”

“Yeah Spike?” Dave gulped his seventh drink down and poured another as he looked at the slightly intoxicated dragon

The dragon managed to hold his balance as he stood and pushed his chest out “Do you think I would make a good dragon?”

“You would make a damn fine dragon” Dave rose a glass to the child

“Shame you won’t see him get that big” Odio sighed, “Can you drink less? You are lagging my game”

Dave looked down as he remembered the prediction of the future “Hey guys, can I ask a random question?”

“Eeyup” Big Mac burped from his slumped position across the table

“If you had only a short time left alive… what would you do?” Dave cradled the cider in his hands

“Spend time with my family” Braeburn sighed, “Even if they are scattered everywhere”

“Same” Big Mac hiccupped “How about the unicorns?”

“I would fight” Strong Shield frowned at the ground “I would fight for more time”

Shining Armour shook his head “I would spend what time I had making Cadence happy”

“I would like to spend time with my friends” Spike looked around as if he was already being hunted “What about you Dave?”

“I suppose that I would…” Dave looked out the window at the sun “I would fight to make Celestia happy”

Strong Shield shook his head “She will be fine so long as she knows that she made your life the best it could be”

“Am I that easy to read?” Dave sighed “How long before she would move on?”

“As in love somepony else?” Shining Armour shook his head “Never, I’m surprised she even considered loving you… no offence”

“None taken” Dave finished his eighth cider and started a ninth “But what if another alicorn comes along? A male that sweeps her off her hooves”

“Never” Strong Shield frowned at Dave “She is in complete love with you”

“But what if…” The older unicorn cut off Dave

“She could meet somepony better than you in everyway and she wouldn’t pay the blind bit of notice even if you had been dead for a million years,” Strong Shield continued with his drink “Don’t let that nightmare worry you”

Odio swirled against Dave’s worries “Listen if you are really that worried about the whole death thing then stop sitting on your ass and do something”

Dave lowered his voice to less than a whisper “I still find it odd that I am going to die soon and that an evil power is going to use me”

“And? Major coincidence or evil plan, either way you are very important at the moment” Odio grumbled “I still would like to know what you intend to do against this… thing that is supposed to destroy the princesses”

Dave looked at his friends around the room “I am not going to let anything harm my friends or Celestia” the slightly drunk human looked at his clenched fist “I need to get stronger”

“How so?” Odio stopped his gaming and turned his attention to Dave “You have me to do things”

Dave allowed a small smile to spread across his face “But what if we could get more? We could protect everypony”

“I am not being a hero,” Odio snarled “But I suppose a bit of training couldn’t hurt”

Dave placed his drink down and turned to Shining Armour “Hey is it alright if I can come use some of the gear up at Canterlot?”

“Sure, Princess Celestia would like to have you around too” Shining Armour took another swig of his drink “just don’t beat up my guards this time”

Dave chuckled “Thanks… actually is it possible that… nah leave it”

“What is it?” Braeburn adjusted his hat

“I was wondering if you could send a message to Adamas” Dave shrugged “But I take it that you don’t want to wander into a dragon’s home which also happens to be a dragon”

“Nnnope” Big Mac held up his hooves in defeat “I would rather live”

“What does this dragon look like?” Strong Shield placed his drink aside

“Umm… big, green and may have broken scales where I punched him in Appleoosa” Dave scratched his chin “Besides the obvious head pikes and his name, I can’t think of anything else”

“What purpose do you need him for?” Strong Shield was already mulling situations over in his mind

“I was going to see if he could help me train” Dave squirmed uneasily under the unicorns stare “Don’t worry he is friendly”

“The dragon causing those earthquakes is friendly?” Braeburn shook his head “Now I doubt that”

“He was in that cave for a diamond which he gave away” Dave frowned at the earth pony “He helped me out anyway”

Strong Shield stood and shook his legs “Right so when do you need him?”

“Wait… you’re going?” Dave gawped “But not all the dragons were friendly”

Strong Shield shrugged “I will be fine Dave”

Shining Armour chuckled “Retirement is boring you?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe” Strong Shield sighed “But I will return to Canterlot by tomorrow evening”

Spike sat up “But that would take ages for you to get there and back”

“Don’t worry, when I say I will do something, I do it” Strong Shield nodded to the group before walking to Dave “You look after yourself until then”

“Alight dad” Dave exchanged smiles with the unicorn as he left the library “So who is going now then?”

Braeburn and Big Mac stood up together “I’m gonna sleep at Sweet Apple Acres tonight and get the train home tomorrow”

Big Mac simply nodded as he guided the drunken pony out of the library. Spike stood and yawned loudly

“I’m going to bed, I will see you in the morning Dave” the baby dragon stumbled upstairs as he left for his bed

Dave stood and sat himself next to Shining Armour “So are you going too?”

“Nah… I assume Cadence has heard that I was meeting you” he stretched his back and sighed happily “You going?”

“Not while I have friends here and cider on the table” Dave smiled happily, but his smile slipped as he looked at the floor “Can I ask you a question?”

“Go ahead” Shining finished his drink and set it aside

“Do you ever wonder what Cadence will do once you pass away?” Dave looked at the white unicorn out of the corner of his eye

The captain shook his head “I try not to think about it, I mean I want her to be happy but…”

“That might mean her loving somepony else?” Dave sighed as Shining nodded

“Well if we have a child it may make her happy for a while but…” Shining rubbed his head “I don’t think about it”

Dave sat back in the sofa “All we can do is bear with life and hope that our alicorns have fun”

“Immortality is a bitch ain’t it?” Odio chuckled “Still he is with the princess of love so she is almost guaranteed to marry again”

The unicorn and the human sat in a sad silence until Shining coughed loudly and placed his drink down “Well I am going to go back home now”

“Alright same here” Dave stood and followed the captain onto the streets that were bathed in the sunset’s glow “I will see you tomorrow”

“Get the morning train” Shining Armour waved as his horn began to glow “I’ll get stuff ready for you”

“Thanks” Dave smiled and waved in response as the unicorn disappeared in a flash of light

Dave closed the door to the library and began his slow lonely walk back home, ignoring the sun that shone into his face

Chapter 54

Dave sat up with a painful headache and growling stomach. His eyes took a while to adjust to the light rolling in the bedroom

“Celestia?” Dave called out of curiosity as he nursed his head

“Not here” Odio sighed happily “just your best friend in the whole universe!”

“Jesus?” Dave looked around

Odio groaned “No not Jesus”

“But Jesus is always there” Dave said sadly as he climbed out of bed

Odio swirled as he removed Dave’s hangover “So what exactly do you have planned to do today?”

“Well I am going to Canterlot” Dave picked up his coat from where he dropped it last night “I hope Strong Shield is ok with the dragons”

“I’m sure he is fine,” Odio said without paying much attention “Have you ever wondered what this… evil thing intends to do?”

“No but the elder said it would destroy Celestia” Dave frowned as he walked downstairs “And I am not going to let anything hurt her”

Odio sighed “Yes but that dragon has lived as a mountain most of his life”

“Whatever” Dave groaned as he stepped outside and into the breeze, “Still I intend to train and get stronger”

“Well at least you won’t be short on protection, I mean you have two princesses, castle guards, a dragon and me”

“Well that’s all well and good but…” Dave was cut off

“ME!” Odio cheered, “Why wouldn’t you want me? I’m perfect, an icon of power”

“Also a sprit of hate, fugitive and a gamer” Dave chuckled

“Nat a fugitive, only hiding” Odio hummed “Well technically that last bit was your fault”

“Would you prefer if I hadn’t shown you them?” Dave’s smile grew as Odio gasped

“NO! I love these things, the violence, the story and even some of the girls” Odio chuckled to himself “Basically I am a male version of Cortana… except with out the boobs and the nudity”

“You can’t wear clothes” Dave shrugged “But I suppose you are just a fog with eyes”

Odio’s voice suddenly became booming “A damn cool fog with burning eyes!”

“Are you going to start ranting?” Dave sighed as Odio began a long-winded speech

“I strengthen you, I am a kind and gentle soul” Odio’s voice became sincere “And when I saw your broken and damaged body, I took the time to put you back together and we formed a strong bond”

An idea popped into Dave’s mind “how’s Minecraft going?”

“Amazing” Odio completely switched subjects “I have mined everything”

Dave stopped “Wait… everything?”

“Yep, there is only a large, floating, diamond temple dedicated to me and it is floating over a world of lava” Odio sighed proudly “Also I made a seat dedicated to you”

“Aww thanks” Dave smiled

“It’s a toilet” Odio spat

“Ah” Dave scratched his chin “Well at least I’m recognised”

Odio swirled gently “Well I still won’t forgive you for being serious with Celestia”

“Yeah well if I fail to stop this evil that is coming then worst case scenario I die and you can leave” Dave sighed “I still wish I knew exactly when this thing gets here”

“All I could show was Celestia and that grey alicorn looking at your twenty two year old grave” Odio sighed angrily “And if you want to stop this evil then I suggest you allow me to help”

“How you already heal me and give strength” Dave looked at his hands “Unless you want to give me something else”

Odio groaned, “Well I suppose at some point I could give you a… boost”

“Boost? More strength? Invulnerability?” Dave’s hopes rose “Flight?”

“No” Odio rolled around “go over to that lake to your left”

Dave turned his head and spotted a lake concealed from the town by some hills, as Dave neared his head began to hurt

“What the hell are you doing?” Dave growled as he felt the fog move into his arms through his veins

Dave looked at his arms, his veins were a mix of red, and black, his muscles glowed before resting back in their natural colour

“Remove the water,” Odio ordered

Dave chuckled “You gave me telekinesis?”

“Not exactly” Odio said slyly as he shuffled around Dave’s arms

Dave shook his head as he gently rose his arm to face the water “Alright so what exactly am I supposed to do?”

“It is like a natural reaction” Odio moved back into Dave’s mind “You just have to know how to kick it”

“Umm ok” Dave shook his arm slightly “Lift” he commanded but the water refused to move

Odio groaned, “Wow you couldn’t shift a drop” Odio chuckled sarcastically “How do you plan to protect Celestia?”

“I will learn I just need practice” Dave frowned angrily as he tensed his arm and attempted to use his mind

“Practice?” Odio snorted, “You could be dead tomorrow and Celestia would be completely vulnerable”

Dave dropped his arm “I never asked for your help so you can shut up with lecturing me”

“You know what? I hate Celestia but I pity her for falling for you!” Odio yelled

Dave’s frown turned to a snarl “Fuck you and FUCK THIS LAKE!” Dave swung his arm, releasing a large bolt of red lightning from his palm, causing the water to explode from the lake and the nearby ground burst apart leaving a large scar in the ground as the water rained onto Dave

“There we go” Odio sighed happily as he looked around at the destruction

“What. The. FUCK?” Dave gawped at the large crater where the lake was “what happened?”

Odio laughed, “I use hate and anger as a energy source so of course you would have to be angry to use my power”

“So that was all just a thing to make me angry?” Dave chuckled “well it is nice to know that I can shoot lightning from my hands”

“Energy. Not lightning” Odio sighed, “Lightning is stored in the clouds”

Dave played with his fingers “Well I am very happy with that”

“I bet” Odio reduced the colour in Dave’s arms so they looked normal “But be careful with it”

“Why?” Dave smiled as he managed to force a spark from his finger

Odio chuckled “Look at the ground, imagine if you hit a living thing”

“I see your point” Dave scratched his chin “I will only use it in emergency”

“See that you keep your anger in check” Odio receded into his usual spot “Because it is your fault if you blast a pony apart”

Dave bowed to the muddy trench before happily jogging to Ponyville train station

Meanwhile…

Adamas snored as he slept soundly, until he felt something tapping his large snout. Lazily he opened his eyes expecting to see a bird pecking at the remains of the last one but instead saw a black unicorn, tapping impatiently

Adamas reared his head and growled, “Who do you think you are?”

“Dave’s father, Strong Shield!” The unicorn replied, “Are you Adamas?”

“Yes” Adamas lowered his head again to meet the pony “I didn’t expect Dave’s father to be a pony”

“More of a symbolic relationship” Strong Shield nodded “Regardless he wishes to receive your assistance”

Adamas frowned out of curiosity “Assistance?”

“Yes Dave is training himself and he wondered if you could assist in some way” Strong Shield shrugged “I don’t see how but he obviously has an idea”

The large dragon hummed “I would like to assist but first I must talk with the elder”

Strong Shield nodded in understanding “I will wait here”

Adamas reluctantly nodded as he saw the teenage dragons approaching Strong Shield “I will only be a moment”

Adamas turned as Strong Shield nodded again before sitting down. He flapped his large wings enough to glide him from the top of the mountain to a large hole in the side, which he quickly crawled through. As Adamas reached the large opening he bowed to the large amber eye

“Elder… Dave has requested my assistance” Adamas looked back up at the elder’s eye

“You may go” The elder chuckled “You are being more helpful by the day, soon we won’t need to push you to be helpful”

“Spontaneous kindness seems a long way away for me” Adamas sighed “Regardless if this helps my understanding of generosity then I shall perform to the best of my abilities”

Adamas turned to leave but the elder coughed “Listen young one”

“Yes elder” Adamas looked back over his wing

“Make sure that the princesses are kept safe” the elder’s tone took an unusual seriousness “the coming storm still hasn’t revealed his full plan but it is coming soon”

“Can I count on Dave’s assistance?” Adamas frowned to himself

“Maybe not… we shall see” the elder’s sigh released a gust of wind “But I have faith in your abilities that you can provide assistance so that the princesses and the elements of harmony will send it back to the dark sky”

“Elder, what if this storm wants a second chance?” Adamas looked at the eye pleadingly “Because you told us that this is how it all started”

“It was an infant and it couldn’t control itself” The elder’s eye shook sadly “Now it has grown and it wants nothing more than to see those responsible harmed”

“Nothing can harm the princesses” Adamas shook head dismissively

“Dave could… but he wont” The elder sounded sure “Not even if he has to choose between himself or them”

Adamas growled, “Why won’t you tell us when this is going to happen?”

“Nothing can predict the future” The elder responded with a growl of his own “now I am proud of you young one and I hope your stay in Canterlot goes well”

Adamas nodded before crawling back through the tunnel and flying back to Strong Shield “What happened here?” He asked as he saw the unconscious group of teenage dragons arranged around the unicorn

“Self defence” Strong Shield groaned as he stood “Now how do you want to travel back to Canterlot?”

Adamas lowered his body and stretched a wing to Strong Shield’s hooves “Flying is much faster than walking”

“I made it here in one night” Strong Shield proudly puffed out his chest “But I wont say no to a free ride” he smiled as he trotted up the large wing and sat against a large scale

Adamas smiled “Hold on then” he flapped his wings, easily taking him into the sky and towards the city in the distance

Meanwhile…

Celestia smiled from ear to ear as she stepped into Luna’s bedroom and saw her little sister

“Luna!” She called happily as she trotted over and hugged the smaller princess

Luna returned the hug “Hello Tia, how is everything with Dave?”

Celestia released her sister “Perfect” he smile was accompanied with a small tear “Finally it’s perfect”

Luna smiled as she wiped the tear away “I am happy for you sister”

“Thank you for taking care of everything while I was away” Celestia looked at the clear desk “How has it been?”

“Quiet thankfully” Luna laughed, “I might not have coped otherwise”

Celestia smiled as Luna followed her into the corridors of the castle “Dave should be arriving sometime soon I hope”

“That is good” Luna remained close to her sister’s side “I haven’t seen him in some time”

Celestia led the princess of the night into the castle gardens and over to the large tree where Dave and her had sat before “Listen Luna I have something to tell you”

“What is it?” Luna looked at her big sister as she detected the worry in her voice

Celestia shuffled “I know you love Dave but… I was wondering if it was alright if I could take it further with him”

“Tia…” Luna looked down at the floor sadly “You shouldn’t have to ask me for permission”

Celestia placed a white hoof under Luna’s chin and brought her gaze back to her “But I don’t want to see you hurt if what I do upsets you”

“I care about your happiness more than anything else in all of Equestria” Luna smiled “But I am curious, what do you mean by take it further?”

Celestia could not contain her smile “I was going to see if he wanted to try with me”

“Try? Try what?” Luna rose an eyebrow until her gaze was drawn to Celestia rubbing just below her stomach “Y-you’re sure this time?”

Celestia shook her head “I thought Dave would have hated being a father, so I put on one of my acts when I had the scan” Celestia sighed, “I appeared relieved but I was actually devastated”

“Because you didn’t want to put guilt on Dave or the harem” Luna realized as Celestia nodded “Does Dave want to try?”

Celestia hummed “I would assume so but I will talk with him when he arrives”

“I can contact you when he arrives” Luna pushed the princess of the day away “For now, you can go get some advice on how to improve chances of getting a child”

Celestia nodded “Thank you Luna” she hugged her sister quickly “I won’t be long”

Luna’s smile remained until Celestia disappeared before she released a small sob she had been holding since she heard Celestia’s intentions

Meanwhile…

“Ok now take these once a day for the next week and hopefully the rash should disappear” Nurse Redheart smiled warmly to the stallion

“Thank ya kindly” Braeburn tipped his hat before hurrying out of the hospital with the medication

Nurse Redheart filled out the paperwork before returning to the hospital room she was cleaning, she did not notice the tall white alicorn standing next to the door

“Excuse me” Celestia asked quietly

Nurse Redheart stooped and took a few steps back to look at the princess “P-princess Celestia?”

“Yes I need some advice” Celestia smiled as Nurse Redheart bowed quickly

“O-oh of course princess” Nurse Redheart smiled up “What do you need?”

Celestia looked around nervously at the empty hospital “I was wondering how I could improve my chances of conception”

“WHAT!” Nurse Redheart leapt off the ground in shock but was silenced by Celestia trapping her in a large magical bubble

“You helped perform the scan when I wondered if I was pregnant before” Celestia looked around again “So technically you are the closest to a royal nurse I have had in centuries”

“WHAT!” Nurse Redheart yelled again

Celestia frowned at the gawping white mare “Will you help me or not?”

Nurse Redheart took a few breaths to calm herself before nodding gently and being released from the bubble

“Well Princess Celestia” Nurse Redheart bowed again “I would recommend trying some positions that assist the um… flow”

Celestia stared blankly at her “Positions? Flow?”

Nurse Redheart shook her head “Excuse me but for an immortal being I would assume that you would know everything about these things”

“Are you suggesting I am a whore?” Celestia rose an eyebrow “How would you feel watching past lovers die and all you could do is watch?”

“I-I’m so sorry princess” Nurse Redheart bowed in forgiveness

“It’s ok” Celestia sighed “It’s just that Dave has done so much to be with me that I am wanting to give this a chance… also he seems to be the only one that has caught my eye over my existence”

Nurse Redheart nodded “Ok well by positions I mean, how you position yourself during and after mating”

“Ok” Celestia nodded “And by flow I assume you meant his”

“Yes his… fluids” Nurse Redheart blushed at the thought of her princess giving herself to somepony else

“Thank you for you assistance” Princess Celestia nodded “I may see you again soon if I need a scan”

Nurse Redheart bowed “Anytime Princess” she held the bow until she was sure Celestia had teleported away before collapsing to the ground “I hope royal nurse comes with a pay rise” she groaned

Chapter 55

Odio stood calmly in the middle of the room, the roof made from bamboo and the walls from plain wood, his long silver katana posed by his face

As he braced himself a ninja descended from the roof behind him while two more rushed from in front. With his blade he spun and slashed the head from the foe behind him before dancing with his blade and slicing his enemies that stood together

In his attack, Odio failed to notice the new enemies that joined the fight and they quickly proceeded to stab and slash at his back

“FUCKING NINJA GAIDEN!” Odio yelled, causing Dave to flinch

“Give it a rest will you?” Dave groaned “All I've been hearing is ‘fucking insane difficulty’ or ‘motherfucking piece of green shit on a stick will you stop blowing up my house’”

Odio sighed loudly “I keep telling you that my Minecraft creations are pieces of art and deserve respect!”

“Yeah I’ll bet” Dave chuckled “They aren't just you writing ‘I am great!’ onto the side of a wall are they?”

“Umm… no not at all, heh heh” Odio’s laugh was fake but Dave didn't catch on

Dave nodded along “Well I hope you save regularly”

“Of course! It is always good to be prepared” Odio swirled calmly before yelling loudly “THERE IS A REASON YOU DON’T SHOW UP WHEN IT IS DAYTIME!”

“Ok Odio calm down” Dave attempted to stop the loud voice in his head

“NO DAVE!” Odio yelled angrily “This fucktard only shows up at night because it is an ugly fucker that was rejected by his parents and he assumes blowing up some random guy and his house is a great way to make up being a fucking mistake!”

“Are you alright?”

“Yes I’m fine… why wouldn’t I be?” Odio responded in a much calmer tone “Anyway the lizard and the one eyed unicorn are almost at Canterlot”

Dave scanned the sky and saw Adamas as a faint blur in the distance “Strong Shield is riding him?”

“More like holding on for dear life but… yeah basically” Odio sniffed loudly “Rest in peace Mr Snuffles”

“Mr snuffles?” Dave chuckled “Please don’t tell me you are holding a funeral to your dead wolf”

“He was more than a wolf… he was a friend and faithful companion” Odio cried quietly “And he will never be replaced in my heart”

“You don’t have a heart,” Dave groaned

Odio laughed “Oh yeah!”

Dave rolled his eyes as he saw the train coming and waved to the driver as he jumped aboard “Hello again”

“We have to stop meeting like this,” The driver joked as Dave made his way into the cartridge

Meanwhile…

“Alright land on the eastern side of the castle runway,” Strong Shield yelled against the wind to Adamas

“Eastern side?” Adamas called “I’m a dragon not one of your fancy balloons”

“Just land on the long flat bit” Strong Shield groaned before clutching onto the dragon as he dived forwards

Adamas landed gently before being surrounded by guards “No offence but what do you think pointed sticks are going to do to me?”

“It’s ok everypony!” Strong Shield called as he jumped down “He is with me”

“We are going to need proof that you are allowed in unfortunately” one of the guards shrugged

Adamas roared loudly “Good enough?”

“Yep that will do” the guards slowly walked away until a flash of light revealed Princess Luna “Your highness!” he saluted along with the other guards

Luna shooed the guards away and turned back to Adamas and Strong Shield “Hello again both of you”

“Good morning your majesty” Strong Shield saluted out of habit “Adamas and I are to assist Dave with his training”

“Ah of course” Luna nodded and rose an eyebrow to Strong Shield’s salute “Does Dave know Celestia removed you?”

Strong Shield shook his head as he lowered his hoof “I said I retired”

“Why would you lie?” Luna frowned “Wouldn’t you like your son to know?”

“It is better this way” Strong Shield turned away slightly, “If Dave found out Celestia sacked me then he wouldn’t be too happy”

“I suppose not” Luna shook her head before holding her head high again “Will there be anything else you require?”

Strong Shield looked up at Adamas “I think we will be fine for now”

Luna nodded to the unicorn and dragon before returning to the castle, Adamas snorted at the leaving guards before turning to Strong Shield

“So what shall I assist with?” The dragon lied down to listen to Strong Shield

“Well I have an intense regime planned” Strong Shield tapped his chin “That is if Celestia allows him to train through the night”

“Why would she have a problem? I mean she only mates with him at night… oh” Adamas answered his own question and rolled his eyes “She has a serious problem”

“Alicorns are the most powerful things around, infinite energy” Strong Shield chuckled “So it is right to assume that the effort required with mating doesn’t apply to her”

Adamas rose his eyelids “So all pleasure?”

“Indeed” Strong Shield nodded

Meanwhile…

Dave shook his legs as he stepped off the train “Thanks again” He called to the driver as he walked into the streets

Dave walked along the white streets and past the posh and rich population of Canterlot city, they still shot glares at him as he stopped for a moment

“So what do you reckon Strong Shield and Adamas have in store for me?” Dave scratched the back of his head as he looked up at the castle

“I don’t know” Odio grumbled

Dave rolled his eyes as he continued walking “So you can predict the future but can’t tell what is happening the other side of a wall?”

“Nopony can predict the future” Odio sighed, “I only showed you what would happen if everything keeps going as they are”

“So if I didn’t get stronger then I would be dead soon” Dave frowned “And that grey alicorn would be around”

“Something like that” Odio hummed “Actually you might as well stick with the idea that I can predict the future”

“Who was that grey alicorn anyway?” Dave growled, “He seemed too close to Celestia for my comfort”

“So when you die you want Celestia to live alone?” Odio sounded happy “You want her to wallow in misery for the rest of eternity?”

“Well I… no I want her to be happy” Dave relaxed his clenched fists “I just wish she hadn’t moved on that quickly”

“Well after the experiences you have given her I imagine she has gained a taste for pleasures of the flesh” Odio chuckled “You should be thankful that you were the first to pleasure her”

“Woo hoo I was the first” Dave shook his head “I don’t intend to be a memory just yet”

Dave reached the castle gates and nodded to the guards “So what has been going on since I left?”

“Not much” A guard responded “But we wouldn’t like to be you”

“Why?” Dave noticed a reflection in the guard’s golden armour and turned to see a large green claw

Dave could not avoid it as he was plucked from the ground and thrown over the castle wall and onto the hard ground of the castle runway

Strong Shield sat at the side with a drink and a newspaper “Day one, survive getting attacked by a dragon” he called to Dave

Dave climbed to his feet and removed his trench coat “And you are happy with Adamas and me fighting?”

“Dragons can take a beating better than most” Strong Shield looked up “Besides it was my idea that he beats you around a bit”

Dave tossed his coat over to the unicorn “If you are looking for a good dad award then that isn’t how you go about it”

Adamas stretched his arms “We aren’t in a cave so I can be a much harder foe to defeat”

“Yeah well I have gotten stronger since then” Dave braced himself “So how should we do this?”

“No flames and no weapons” Strong Shield called “Just get on with it”

Dave looked over at the unicorn “I’m sorry do you want to fight the dragon?” he joked

Adamas took advantage of Dave’s distraction, wrapped his tail around his legs, and lifted him into the air “Never look away from your opponent”

Dave smiled “And make sure that you always cover everything” Dave responded as he reached up and wrapped his arms around the scaled tail and squeezed

“Argh” Adamas released Dave and shook his tail “That is beginning to hurt”

“What are you going to do?” Dave chuckled but stopped as the tail began to quickly descend towards the ground

Dave’s back smashed into the ground and released his grasp on Adamas’ tail, which was followed by the dragon clenching a claw and punching down onto the already broken human

“How many bones are broken?” Adamas looked over at Strong Shield, not noticing Dave had grabbed a rock from the cracked ground and held it above his head

As Adamas looked back down, Dave punched through the rock sending stones into the dragon’s large eyes “I would tell you to have a look but obviously you have a small problem there”

“Nice adaptation technique but I wouldn’t think that the tall terror is at a disadvantage” Odio sighed “His sense of smell is better”

Dave leapt backwards to avoid a claw crashing down where he once was “Ok I’m sorry about the stones but are you trying to kill me?”

“Yes he is” Strong Shield called before returning to his newspaper “seven letters, disloyal and acts against friends”

“Traitor?” Dave called as he continued to avoid swipes “Was I right?”

“Yes” Strong Shield’s horn glowed as he placed a rock behind Dave’s feet and caused him to trip and fall onto his back “Stab him!” he called to Adamas

Adamas managed to open an eye and instantly lunged for Dave with a large claw, it whistled through the air before Dave managed to stop it with his hands

“How long is this going on for?” Dave asked as his hands began to bleed clutching the sharp blade nearing his stomach “Seriously!”

Strong Shield finished his drink “Until you manage to hold Adamas down for three seconds”

“How the fuck am I supposed to do that?” Dave resisted harder as the claw began to scratch his skin

“Dave!” Luna called as she stepped outside and saw the struggle “What is going on?” she yelled at Strong Shield

“Training” the unicorn responded, “Dave is doing adequate”

Luna shook her head “Well I am stopping this right now!” her horn began to glow and a bolt fired at Adamas, who had no chance of avoiding

Dave saw the bolt and released the claw, allowing it to cut him deeply across his side as he lunged upwards and into the path of the blast

As the magic made contact it knocked Dave into Adamas and sent them both flying against the castle walls, Strong Shield shook his head as Luna gasped and ran over

“Dave I am so sorry are you ok?” Luna leaned closer to Dave’s limp body that was sprawled across Adamas’ leg

Adamas groaned, “His magical resistance didn’t help the blast” the dragon shook his leg and Dave rolled onto the floor “And it certainly didn’t help him”

Luna looked at the deep cut that removed most of Dave’s middle “Why would he do that?”

“Because you were going to hurt his friend” Strong Shield walked over and tapped Dave’s head with a hoof

Luna turned to the retired guard with fury in her eyes “this isn’t training! This is ridiculous!”

“If Dave didn’t think this would help then he could easily stop us,” Strong Shield sighed “that is what we want him to do, to stand up to everypony and take control of his life”

“What?” Luna shook her head “it sounds like you want him to fight everypony and take control of more than his own life”

Strong Shield returned a glare to Luna “What are you insinuating? That I am trying to get him to fight you?”

“No I just don’t want Dave to think that fighting solves everything” Luna laid down next to Dave’s body

Strong Shield began to trot away “Fight or sacrifice” he indicated to Adamas to follow “Only those two things solves anything”

Luna remained by Dave’s weakly breathing head as the wounds across his body slowly healed

Chapter 56

Dave managed to force his eyes open and observed his surroundings. He was resting against a tree at the edge of the runway and a pain burned his side

Dave looked down at his bandaged side “Wow I take it that I don’t want to see underneath that?” he chuckled to himself

“No you don’t” Luna sighed as she appeared from behind the tree “Don’t try to move”

Dave attempted to move anyway but the pain forced him to go limp again “Why am I bandaged anyway?”

“The wound looked bad” Luna sat next to Dave “So I thought it would help”

“I can heal” Dave reminded the alicorn as he began to shuffle

Luna frowned at Dave’s groaning as he moved an inch off the ground before falling down again “I recommend you stay put until your wound has healed”

“Is Adamas ok?” Dave asked as he scratched around the bandage

Luna rolled her eyes at the human “Wow you are unbelievable”

“Who told you?” Dave chuckled and earned a grin from Luna

“It’s just that you are suffering from such a bad injury and you care more about some dragon you hardly know” Luna looked down at her hooves “And I was foolish to think that you were in trouble”

“Well it was just training for me” Dave turned his head to look at Luna “But I appreciate the thought”

Luna smiled at Dave but her gaze dropped to the bandage “that was my fault that you got hurt”

“Hey I’m ok” Dave managed to lower his head to regain eye contact “listen if you don’t want me to train by fighting a large dragon then I won’t”

“R-really?” Luna smiled “You would do that for me?”

Dave hugged the happy princess “yeah, you’re Celestia’s sister”

Dave felt the hug loosen “Celestia’s sister” Luna whispered sadly as she pushed Dave away

Dave fell onto his wounded side and groaned in pain as he watched Luna run away and back into the castle “What the fuck?”

“Wow she has some serious issues… again” Odio sighed

Dave attempted to push himself up but the pain pinned him to the ground “Are you healing me?” he asked irritably

“Yes slowly” Odio mumbled, “You did some damage to your spine which is like rewiring a house during an earthquake”

Dave looked around the abandoned runway “So I take it I am going to be lying down in the mud for a few moments”

“Yeah” Odio chuckled “It would be really bad if it started raining wouldn’t it?”

Dave managed to turn his head to look at the clear sky “Well at least the hard ground isn’t so bad”

“How so?” Odio asked as he continued with his task

“Well I can listen to the sounds of the earth,” Dave said in a spiritual tone

Odio hummed “I can fix you in like… five seconds but it will hurt”

“Do it” Dave commanded

Odio chuckled before speeding up his healing efforts, causing Dave to yell in pain and the bandages restricted his breathing

Dave pulled the bandages from his stomach and took in a deep breath “Thank you Odio” he groaned as he pushed himself to all fours

“You are very welcome Dave and I SHIT” Odio went silent as the castle doors swung open and Celestia rushed out. Dave quickly grabbed the bandages and hid them in his pocket

“DAVE!” Celestia called as she looked around the runway, she spotted Dave’s head from behind a tree and ran over “Dave are you ok?”

Dave coughed as Celestia helped him to his feet “yeah I’m fine”

“What happened?” Celestia nuzzled against Dave’s cheek as she looked at his healed belly

Dave scratched his chin as he looked up at the castle “Just a small incident during training and I decided to wait here while I healed”

“Are you sure you are ok?” Celestia brought Dave’s eyes back to her own

Dave smiled at the princess’ concerned attitude “Listen I am perfectly fine” Dave placed a hand on Celestia’s neck to reassure her

“Well if you’re sure” Celestia’s frown turned to a smile “Oh I remembered that I need to talk with you about something… involving us”

It was Dave’s turn to frown “What is it?”

“Don’t worry it isn’t bad” Celestia smiled at the thought of Dave’s face when she reviled her intentions

“Alright what is it?” Dave asked as his face calmed

Celestia opened her mouth but idea flashed her head before any words left her mouth “Actually can you come up to my quarters and we can discuss in private”

“Yeah sure” Dave shrugged “I have something to take care of anyway”

Celestia opened her wings to prepare for flight “Will it take long?”

“No” Dave put his hand in his pocket and felt the bandages “It shouldn’t”

Celestia nodded before flapping her wings and rose into the air, heading towards her quarters high in the castle. Dave watched her soar before heading into the castle and ascending the tall steps, running past the guards and servants

Dave continued up the steps towards his destination, slowing only to catch his breath as he reached the door being guarded by two unicorns. He nodded to them as he knocked heavily

“I am not seeing anypony at the moment” Luna called through the door

Dave rolled his eyes as he knocked again, “It’s me”

There was a small shuffle heard from the other side of the door followed by Luna walking closer to the door “Why are you here?”

“I need to talk with you” Dave pulled the bandages from his pocket and held it in his hands

Slowly the door opened and Luna peeked through the crack at Dave “What do you want to talk about?”

Dave looked at the guards beside him “Can we talk in your room? In private?”

“Ok just wait a moment” The door closed, more shuffling noises were heard, and the door opened again “You can come in now”

Dave walked in and closed the door behind him, Luna was nowhere in sight “Umm where are you?”

“In the bathroom” Luna called “What was it you wanted to talk about?”

Dave stood by the bathroom door “Listen I just wanted to thank you for putting the bandage on me”

“It’s ok” Luna replied softly “Is that all?”

“No I was thinking about something” Dave placed the bandages on the desk before returning to the door “Down in the courtyard you left me stuck on the floor”

“Sorry” Luna sighed, “I didn’t mean to leave you like that”

“Yes you did” Dave frowned at the door “You said something after I mentioned you’re Celestia’s sister and then pushed me away”

Luna sat silent on the other side of the door before finally responding, “You are so stupid”

“Excuse me?” Dave rose an eyebrow

Luna moved around on the other side of the door “You are free to leave whenever you please”

“I’m not done” Dave turned to the door “I want to know what your problem is with me”

Luna gasped, “I don’t have a problem with you”

“Then what is it?” Dave held his arms out “Is it that I wanted to train or some other stupid reason”

The bathroom door swung open and revealed Luna, her eyes obviously showing the strain of heavy crying “It isn’t you”

Dave noticed the tear covered face and the wobbly voice “Luna?” He dropped his arms at the sight

“I have a problem with you forgetting me” Luna turned her back and began to close the door again but Dave managed to grab it before it blocked his view of her

“Forgetting you?” Dave let out a small chuckle “What do you mean by that?”

Luna turned and trotted close to Dave “You love my sister”

“Yes” Dave frowned down at the dark alicorn

Luna took a deep breath “You used to love me didn’t you?”

“I suppose at one point but you stopped that” Dave did not move as Luna looked over Dave’s features before returning to his eyes

“I know that somewhere under all that emotion you have for Celestia, that you still love me” Luna moved her head towards Dave’s lips but stopped an inch short “But the fact you love Celestia is pushing you away from me”

Dave shook his head “What I feel for Celestia has no impact on what I think about you”

“It does” Luna turned away again “If Tia didn’t have you then I would”

“Are you suggesting that Celestia is keeping me away from you?” Dave looked for answers around the room before looking back at Luna

“That is exactly what I am saying,” Luna held back a sob as she continued “You do things for her that nopony would ever think of doing under any circumstances”

“And you think that it should have been you I do those things for” Dave sighed

“Yes” Luna looked at herself in the bathroom mirror “You and I shared something unique on my balcony many nights ago”

“You stopped that not me” Dave folded his arms in agitation

“But I fought to get it back and instead you lift my hopes before smashing them again” Luna pushed the crown from her head at let it fall to the floor “I am sick of Tia getting what she wants again”

Dave shook his head in disgust “Now you are just being selfish”

“Selfish? Selfish!” Luna laughed weakly “I changed myself for you and you thought nothing of it”

“So what?” Dave snorted

“TIA KILLED YOU!” Luna yelled angrily “And you forgave her and it made your love for each other almost unbreakable”

“That is what this is all about?” Dave gawped “You want proof that I care about you more than a relative to my lover”

“Yes. No” Luna shook her head as she allowed the tears to flow freely “I want you to love me like I love you”

Dave sighed angrily “You want proof that I care about you? How?”

“I don’t know” Luna wept

“That isn’t helpful” Dave looked around the room “Do you want jewellery? Flowers?”

“Gifts mean nothing to me” Luna stared at Dave “I want Tia happy but that means me being unhappy”

“So you are telling me to make a choice?” Dave rubbed his eyes “Between you and Celestia?”

Luna’s mouth hung open “I want you to be honest that you love me”

“I can’t be with you” Dave growled “And if I admit feelings I don’t have then I ruin everything I fought to gain with Celestia”

“You still love me” Luna sneered, “You just can’t be honest because of what Celestia might do”

Dave stormed into the bathroom, it was similar to Celestia’s except everything was in a shade of light blue. The bath did not have a small waterfall but instead had a deep section in the middle, easily deep enough to submerge a full-grown alicorn with outstretched wings multiple times

“I am not afraid of Celestia!” Dave yelled, “I am afraid I might lose her if I admit anything!”

Luna yelled back “So you do love me?”

“Of course I fucking do but I love Celestia way more!” Dave growled “And I want you to know that I would do anything you wanted me to but I am not putting mine and Celestia’s happiness at risk”

“How do I know Dave?” Luna glared up at him “How do I know that you care about me in the slightest way?”

“You want proof?” Dave snarled, “You want proof that I care about you beyond a simple extra package that came with Celestia?”

“YES!” Luna yelled back “I want to know that I was truly loved at one point. I want to know that somepony cared about my happiness. I want to know that YOU LOVE ME!”

“FINE!” Dave yelled angrily “I will give you what you want”

Luna took a few breaths as Dave walked past her and into the bath “What are you doing?”

Dave looked back over his shoulder “This is what you truly want. You want to know somepony would die for you”

Luna’s eyes shot open and she dove in front of Dave, her futile attempts at stopping his advance only made her reduce to tears again “No Dave please don’t!”

The water began to rise up to Dave’s chest and then his shoulders as he neared the deepest part. Luna began to swim to try and stop him

“You can’t stop me” Dave looked at the crying alicorn “I am stronger physically and your magic won’t work against me”

“Dave stop!” Luna begged, “I’m sorry, you don’t have to do this”

“Apparently I do” Dave spat “And if it makes you happy then I am going to do it… just like I would for Celestia!”

Dave took a deep breath before diving under the water and swimming down to the deepest part. He removed his shoes and kicked his toes under the stone bottom so he was anchored down. Luna followed after him and put her hooves on his face

Luna shook her head as Dave’s angry features disappeared and was replaced with a kind smile. Luna released a sob as Dave opened his mouth and allowed the air to rush out of his lungs. The princess held onto Dave’s head until his smile began to waver and his body began to twitch due to lack of air

Luna shook her head and swam to the surface, she broke the surface of the water and inhaled deeply. The tears running down her face was masked by the water that soaked her coat. As she took in as much air as she could she dove again and returned to Dave. She gazed into his eyes as they began to slowly close

Luna’s sad expression and shaking head screamed, “Don’t do this”

Dave’s calm face and relaxed eyes signalled, “I have to”

Luna shook her head one last time before forcing her mouth to Dave’s

Chapter 58

Adamas glided past the castle windows and spied in on the castle corridors “Were are you Dave?” he muttered to himself

As he flew around he snapped at the birds that flew in his path, he growled at the fleeing birds as he returned to looking around the castle

Adamas eventually closed his eyes as he soared around the castle, using his hearing rather than sight. He heard the clanging of pots in the kitchens, the conversation of servants and the rallying of guards. One particular noise caught his ear, the sound of crying

Adamas opened his eyes and scanned the towers on the castle, he spotted Princess Luna resting beneath a tree on her balcony, and Adamas took one final look around before gently descending to the alicorn. He hovered close to the balcony and the flapping of his wings caught Luna’s attention

“Oh it’s only you” Luna wiped her tears as she hid her face

Adamas frowned out of curiosity “Are you ok?”

“Nothing I can’t handle” Luna cleared her throat before continuing, “Can I assist you with anything?”

“Do you know Dave’s whereabouts?” Adamas tilted his head as Luna turned away

“Why do you think that I would know?” Luna turned her back to the dragon “you think that because I love him that I follow him everywhere?”

“No” Adamas reached over with a claw and gently wiped a tear from Luna’s eye “What happened?”

“I pushed Dave too far and the only thing I achieved was pushing him further away” Luna stomped her hoof in aggression “I can’t do anything right”

“You control the moon” Adamas’ face turned from a sympathetic frown to a serious one “You have done so since you were created”

“And? Nopony likes my nights, they sleep not dance and play” Luna pushed Adamas’ claw away

“Many wondrous things happen at night” Adamas smiled slightly “Most dragon habits revolve around the night”

Luna’s eyes lit up “Really?”

“Yes, if you ignore the hunting we used to regard the moon as a beacon” Adamas’ smile grew as he looked away from Luna “The elder tells us stories of how him and his siblings used to try and fly to the moon”

“Why would they try to go to the moon?” Luna stood “I was stuck there for a thousand years and I hated it”

“Well I suppose if the moon looks that beautiful from here” Adamas looked back at Luna “Imagine what Equestria looks like from there”

Luna sighed, “I suppose I couldn’t get enough of the sight”

“Please talk to me” Adamas clutched the balcony and allowed his head to rest in front of the princess “You seem upset”

Luna smiled at the dragon “Are you only going to talk to me because of your elder?”

“Kinda” Adamas sighed, “Adjusting to be kind and generous has been hard”

“Well I suppose it in a dragon’s nature to be greedy” Luna gave the dragon a sympathetic smile

“It isn’t” Adamas chuckled “the elder said that dragons were just like ponies are today”

Luna’s curiosity peaked “What happened?”

“Apparently the dragons that were kind and generous were able to sustain magic” Adamas sighed “But pony magic was already spreading across Equestria”

“And then what?” Luna sat down as she listened intently “Did dragons attempt to gain the ponies powers in secret?”

“No dragons couldn’t be bothered so they grew big and strong so they could physically overpower foes” Adamas chuckled “The elder chose us because he feels that we have the potential to learn dragon magic”

“Spike that lives with Twilight Sparkle can relay messages between my sister and Twilight using his breath” Luna smiled at Adamas’ small nod

“Dragon magic isn’t like pony magic, sometimes we might not even know that we are performing it” Adamas focused his eye back on Luna “Now tell me what is bothering you”

Luna sighed as the conversation spun back to her “Do you think that I could kill Dave?”

Adamas reared his head as he stared down at the princess “No I don’t think you would”

“Well I did” Luna frowned to herself “And now I will never get him to recognise what I feel”

Adamas lowered his head again “listen if you care about Dave… let him go”

“How can I? He is in love with my sister and they are probably trying for a child right now” Luna huffed as she folded her hooves

Adamas focused his hearing and did hear some peculiar noises coming from Celestia’s tower “Well I umm…”

“Exactly” Luna sighed, “I had Dave at a point and I gave him up, and what happened? My sister took the place that should be mine”

“I understand that you are angry Princess Luna but you must understand that you don’t want to mess with Dave’s emotions” Adamas shook his head “Why don’t you ask for a harem… you ponies do have harems?”

“Yes but it is the last thing I want to bring up” Luna looked back at the large, scaled head that rested in front of her “He gave up the last harem to be with Celestia so I doubt that he would even consider another”

“Have you tried?” Adamas rose an eyebrow

Luna opened her mouth to respond but she sat back again, “No I haven’t”

Adamas began to extend his wings “All I can say is go about it carefully”

“I guess I have no other choice” Luna sighed, “You seem to know what to do”

“The elder used his magic to look inside Dave” He smiled “Like I said, dragon magic acts differently so he was able to get a good look”

“Was there anything interesting?” Luna queried as she stood

Adamas frowned slightly and his voice turned darker “No, nothing… I will speak again” Adamas bowed his head before releasing the balcony, falling until he opened his wings and soared away

Meanwhile…

Spike was placing books back in their appropriate places as Twilight came downstairs “Hey Twilight are you feeling better?”

Twilight smiled to her assistant “The headache has gone finally”

“Heh I suppose the party wasn’t much help” Spike finished his task before climbing down the ladder

Twilight took a book from the shelf and sat down at her table “So who showed up?”

“Me, Dave, Strong Shield, Big Mac, Braeburn and Shining Armour” Spike thought for a moment “Yeah that was it”

“I thought I heard somepony else” Twilight looked at the purple dragon

“There was a mare for a while but the others said that Braeburn umm…” Spike hummed “Braeburn apparently helped her do the horizontal pony pokey”

“Horizontal pony pokey?” Twilight gave Spike a few puzzled blinks “What are they on about?”

Spike shrugged “She left after that”

Twilight returned to her book “I swear I heard another stallion”

“Nope” Spike shook his head “We had tons of fun though”

Twilight’s reading was distracted by a knock at the door, she trotted over and opened it to reveal the three members of the Cutie Mark Crusaders

“Oh hi girls” Twilight smiled “Why are you here?”

“Howdy Twilight” Applebloom attempted to look past the taller pony “Do ya know where Dave is?”

Twilight shook her head “I’m sorry I haven’t spoken to him in a while”

“We wanted to apologize for bucking him the other day” Sweetie Belle looked down sadly “Scootaloo suggested that we might get our cutie marks that way”

Scootaloo nodded before her head jumped up “Hey don’t blame me, you didn’t have to join”

Applebloom stood between her friends as she looked up at Twilight “Well if ya see him can ya tell him we are looking for him?”

“Of course” Twilight nodded “Actually how are your sisters?”

Sweetie Belle sighed, “She just keeps making dresses”

“Anything different?” Twilight suspected more

Sweetie Belle tapped her hooves “Well she made another black hooded cloak and she went to the spa twice yesterday”

“Thought as much” Twilight shook her head “That is three less than normal”

“Applejack has been actin strange too” Sweetie Belle sighed, “She was in her room when she weren’t buckin the trees”

Scootaloo looked at her friends “Rainbow Dash has been napping a lot” The other two fillies and Twilight all gave her looks which demanded greater detail “Rather than practicing her tricks yesterday she stayed at her home”

Twilight rolled her eyes as Spike joined them “Well I don’t see the issue” She looked at Spike “Have you seen Fluttershy?”

“This morning when you sent me to the market, she was fine” Spike scratched his neck “She was as shy as usual but I couldn’t see anything different”

Twilight shook her head “I have got to have a talk with the others about all this”

Meanwhile…

Dave sat on the edge of the bed yawning loudly “Well was that enough of an apology?”

“More than” Celestia sighed as she hugged the human from behind “So what are you doing tomorrow?”

“Going to see what torture Strong Shield has planned tomorrow” Dave chuckled as he reached a hand over his shoulder and stroked Celestia’s cheek

Celestia nuzzled against Dave’s soothing touch “I don’t see why you are training”

“I intend to fight whatever intends to harm you” Dave turned so he could look into Celestia’s magenta eyes

Celestia sighed, “I don’t want you to get hurt either”

“I know” Dave smiled as Celestia kissed the back of his neck “I suppose we have to hope that whatever it is that it is afraid enough of you to leave us alone”

“It isn’t afraid” Celestia rested her head on Dave’s shoulder “It is smart enough to know that it would be foolish to attack head on”

“Brilliant” Dave dropped his head “I’ll let you know if I notice any strange behaviour”

Celestia laid back down on the bed “You aren’t going anywhere now are you?”

“I suppose not” Dave laid back and rested his head next to Celestia’s “So do you know what this thing is?”

“Me and my sister used to know it before Luna was banished to the moon” Celestia turned her head to look at Dave “I guess it is a little upset with what we did”

“What did you do?” Dave stared up at the white ceiling

Celestia placed a hoof around Dave’s arm “Well I wasn’t going to have it nearby after what it did, so Luna and I used the elements to banish it”

Dave rolled onto his front so he could get a better look at Celestia “What did it do to Luna?”

“It talked and planted thoughts in her head” Celestia shook her head “Sometimes I wonder if she would have turned into Nightmare Moon regardless of it’s interference”

“Hey, don‘t think like that” Dave held the alicorns hoof reassuringly “At least she wont go that way again”

Celestia smiled at him “I know… but it just worries me if Luna is suppressing some of her emotions in case she begins to think like that again”

Dave watched Celestia’s mane flow along the bed “How do you manage with all these problems happening?”

“I did it originally for the good of Equestria, I suppose when Luna was banished I turned my attention to redeeming myself in some way”

“Why would you need redemption?” Dave looked at Celestia’s eyes that gazed down

“I should have never let Luna turn into Nightmare Moon” Celestia looked back to Dave “But now I do things because of you”

“Why me?” Dave asked, “I know that you love me and all”

“I must have done something right to get you sent from across the stars to me” Celestia smiled “And I never want to see you leave”

Dave smiled as well “And I don’t intend on leaving either” Dave moved forwards again for a kiss while he felt Odio be sick in his mind again, causing him to chuckle slightly before he made contact with the princess

Chapter 59

Dave awoke to the dark bedchambers, his breathing accompanied by Celestia’s that laid on top of him “Hey you awake?” Dave whispered

When Celestia failed to wake, Dave rested his head back onto the pillow. The curtains to the balcony window were not closed and it allowed the light of the moon to flood the room in a light blue glow. Dave struggled to see the clock with Celestia’s mane flowing in the way but from what he saw, it was still a good three hours until morning.

Dave closed his eyes and attempted to sleep again, his body was sharing the warmth of the bed with Celestia and her fur was soft against his skin but for some reason his eyes would eventually open again

Dave sighed as he decided to gently slide Celestia off the top of him and snuck into the bathroom. He closed the door before fumbling around for the light switch, as he flicked it on the waterfall slowly began to flow.

He was still curious to how the waterfall worked but decided he could probably ask somepony in the morning. As Dave wiped his eyes, he walked over to the sink and looked at the mirror above. His teeth were clean (probably due to the lack of eaten food) and his face was clear from any spots

“Looking good Dave” He joked to himself as he splashed his face with warm water

As Dave wiped his face with a towel, he checked his body for any marks or any red streaks he gained during his time as a pony. When he was satisfied everything was ok he turned the light off and crept into the bedroom.

Dave smiled at Celestia, sleeping soundly in her bed as she dreamt of past adventures or far away places. Dave longed to join her in sweet slumber but the hairs standing on-end along his arm said otherwise as he scanned the room

Nothing was different, nothing was out of place. The only things in the room were Dave, Celestia and the moonlight. The moonlight only made the vision of Celestia even more stunning as Dave wandered silently over to the balcony

He gently opened the balcony doors and stepped out onto the grass. The moon greeted Dave as he closed the door behind himself and walked over to the edge. He could easily see all of Canterlot from his altitude and spotted a small changing light in one of the back streets. The vibrant colours and the staggering ponies outside only helped his suspicion that it was a nightclub

Scratching his chin, Dave snuck into the bedroom to retrieve his shirt and trench coat. He had left the money that originally resided in his trousers inside the trench coats pockets so he could sleep in his trousers

Dave kissed the alicorn lightly on her head before sliding out of the bedroom door, his silent nod to the guards said enough as he descended into the quiet castle. The castle had taken a different tone from its usual elegance and class that the sun showed. In the moonlight it was relaxing and calm but in the areas with fewer windows, it felt foreboding

The quiet human wondered if the castle reflected the minds of the princesses. Celestia being happy with her newest love and Luna being torn from having it taken away. Dave decided to ignore these thoughts as he reached the castle courtyard and headed towards the main gates

A night guard the was adorned in dark armour that suited his role glared at Dave as he saw him approaching “What are you doing up?” his yellow feline eyes narrowed

“Going for a walk” Dave responded with (to his surprise) a faint mist attached to his breath

The guard rolled his eyes as Dave put his hands in his pockets “Alright just checking”

Dave nodded as the guard opened the gate enough for Dave to slip through and onto the empty streets of Canterlot. His destination was to the faint beats of music he heard floating from down the back streets far from the castle.

As he approached, Dave began to recognise the beats from a night that he was glad he experienced. He looked above the nightclub’s doorway to look at the neon sign that was written in light blue

Shade

Dave contemplated the thought for a moment before joining the small queue of ponies that waited for a chance to enter the musical hive. The ponies barely glanced at him as the listened to the muffled music and attempted to start bobbing with the beat

Eventually Dave was the last in the queue and was standing in front of a tall black bouncer unicorn. He reminded Dave slightly of Big Mac, mainly due to the silence

“Name?” The bouncer asked looking at the list attached to a clipboard

Dave cleared his throat “Dave Shield” he began to wonder why he started to use Shield as his last name. True he agreed to be a son to Strong Shield but he never agreed to change his name, but at the same time, it felt right

The bouncer flicked through the list “Not on the list”

Dave took his hand from his pocket and placed a finger on the clipboard “I’m right there” he pulled his hand away and left ten gold coins in its place

“So you are” The bouncer quickly hid the money “Go right inside”

Dave nodded as he stepped inside to be greeted by the lights and the music. The roof and floor of the entire club had a strange cooperation witch allowed the walls to take on a colour that was not being shown. The bar was reasonably busy but the dance floor was ridiculously busy. The mass of ponies moving with the rhythm and beats almost made the scene look like a tribe celebrating

Dave’s eyes followed the sea of fur and mane along the dance floor until he saw a giant podium supporting a familiar DJ and her professional equipment

A smirk came to Dave’s face as he watched Vinyl Scratch work her moves and magic with a mix of skill and passion as she controlled the beats and the ponies effortlessly. The human wandered over to the bar and sat down in one of the silver stools

The slim, green, Pegasus bartender was admiring the music but somehow knew another customer was waiting for a drink “Blooming hay” he gawped when he saw Dave “You new in town?” he yelled over the music

“Been around for a while” Dave nodded to the dance floor “but I am new here” he replied

The bartender smiled “Well it is always good to see a new face, what are you having?”

“I don’t know” Dave shrugged “whatever you recommend”

The pegasi looked Dave up and down “I know what you need” He winked as he turned to reveal a cocktail mixer for a cutie mark

Dave watched in awe as he flipped multiple bottles using his wings, tail and head. The liquids each went into different cocktail shakers that were shaken together and poured separately into one glass. The colour changed from a light purple to a red before settling on a dark orange

“What’s this?” Dave asked as he lifted the drink

The pegasi lent on the bar “It’s called ‘buck in the throat’ and it lives up to the name” he grinned

“Alright” Dave shrugged as he took a sip of the cold liquid that instantly burned his throat, causing him to cough until he was red in the face

The bartender laughed until Dave managed to turn and look at him “You want another?” He smirked as Dave held the glass out and dropped a handful of bits onto the counter

Dave took his drink and managed to find an empty table near the dance floor. He watched the ponies move with the music in harmony with each other. If it wasn’t for one dunk in the corner than the entire scene could be considered beautiful

“HEY YOU!” Dave heard a mare call from behind. He turned to see the white unicorn with her spiky blue mane

Dave smiled to the DJ “Hey Vinyl or is it DJ-Pon3 at the moment?” out of the corner of his eye he noticed the empty turntables which suggested some automatic device was switched on

“When I am of my decks you call me Vinyl or another word meaning cool” She continued to slightly bob with the music “So what are you doing here? I haven’t seen you since your house party”

Dave held up his drink “Alcohol and music!” he felt the pony’s eyes search him from behind the large shades “Alright I couldn’t sleep” he admitted

Vinyl shook her head “Why are you out here all by yourself?”

“Let’s just say that my special somepony isn’t as restless as me” Dave sighed

“Speak up!” Vinyl held out her hoof as Dave opened his mouth “Actually I have a better idea come on!”

Dave followed the head banging DJ over to a door by a long window, she opened in and Dave shut it as he stepped in. The music instantly silenced and the beats no longer shook Dave’s legs

“Soundproof” Vinyl smirked “I come in here sometimes to give my hearing a rest”

Dave looked around the circular white room. A long sofa curved around the room, leaving only space for a private bar and the door in which he entered. A large glass table sat in the middle and the mirror that separated the private room from the nightclub was now a window

“Very nice” Dave complimented “This all yours?”

“Yeah” Vinyl began making herself a drink “I travel a lot and have rooms paid for as part of my deals, when I had enough cash I built this entire nightclub to practice in”

“Practice?” Dave chuckled “You don’t need that”

Vinyl stuck her tongue out at Dave “It brings in extra cash as well so in case my gigs dry up for a while then I can always rely on this place”

Dave sat down on the spongy sofa with his back to the crowd and facing Vinyl “What about this room? VIP?”

“Personal area” Vinyl floated a small navy drink with an olive onto the table before she jumped onto the sofa opposite Dave and removed her glasses “It was going to be VIP but I ended up loving it too much”

Dave noticed her dark magenta eyes for the first time and decided to avoid them “Well I can see why” He smiled as he bounced on the sofa a bit

Vinyl laughed at the human as he placed his drink down on the table “So what you been up to?”

“Meh” Dave shrugged “Love, death and the usual”

Vinyl’s attitude dropped “Somepony died? Who?”

“Me” Dave chuckled “Twice actually”

The unicorn gawped “You died twice?” she rubbed her eyes and then her ears before repeating the question

“Yeah I don’t really want to go into detail” Dave frowned but calmed as Vinyl simply shrugged and stretched across the sofa

The DJ gazed out the window before returning her gaze to Dave “So why are you alone?”

“Let’s just say that I can’t sleep but my girlfriend sure can” Dave chuckled as he took another brave swig of his drink “Come’s with the job she has I guess” he managed to say between coughs

Vinyl laughed as her gaze rose to the ceiling “I heard a rumour that Princess Celestia is apparently dating a tall furless creature”

“That’s me!” Dave cheered and Vinyl merely clapped her hooves

“I knew it was you” Vinyl took a large swig of her small drink and caught the olive with her teeth “Ta-da!”

Dave clapped playfully “So how about you?”

“I am having a bet with an old colleague Octavia” Vinyl waved off Dave’s confused glance “Basically I bet that I can turn any classical nonsense she has into music fit for this place and visa versa”

“Wow a classical rave” Dave chuckled “I would love to see that” he rubbed his eyes from the effects that the swirling colours outside left him with

Vinyl trotted around the table and stood in front of Dave “Hey” She whispered

Dave opened his eyes and found the unicorn uncomfortably close “Oh hey”

“I wanna ask you something” She took another pace closer her head nearing Dave’s lap

“Oh crap” Dave began to sweat “Listen I don’t know what you are thinking but…”

Vinyl smiled “Can you clap again?”

“No I won’t sleep with… huh?” Dave raised an eyebrow so far it threatened to leave his face “You want me to clap?”

“Yeah like you did before” Vinyl closed her eyes and began to bob as Dave clapped in a calm rhythm “That’s it… bit faster”

Dave did as he was commanded whilst moving his crotch away from the pony for his own mental comfort. The look of concentration from the DJ actually inspired him to add a bit of flair every now and then. This only made the unicorn get more into it

“PERFECT!” She screamed as she ran over to the bar and pulled out a small recording machine “just clap into this nice and simple”

Dave shrugged and clapped for about a minute, keeping a consistent beat before Vinyl turned the machine off “What do you need that for?”

“I needed something like clapping hooves but I couldn’t get anything right” Vinyl jumped onto the sofa next to Dave “But thanks to you I have it now”

Dave chuckled “Your welcome I guess” Dave scratched his chin as he glared at his empty glass

The DJ took the moment of confusion to shuffle closer and move her mouth to Dave‘s head “You wanna mate?” Vinyl whispered seductively into Dave’s ear

The human’s eyes bolted apart, he threw himself across the table, and landed near the private bar “No, no, no” Dave held out his hands in panic “I have had enough of girls trying to mate with me! I am happy with Celestia!”

Dave frowned at the floor until he noticed a fit of laughter coming from the white unicorn “HAHAHA Sweet Celestia you actually thought that I was serious!” Vinyl continued to laugh so much that a tear was brought to her eye

Dave groaned but eventually found himself chuckling along as he realized his stupidity “Don’t do that again” Dave pointed at the mare “Seriously I almost had a heart attack”

“You loved it really” Vinyl teased, “Now go on get out… you have a princess to see”

Dave nodded “Yeah thanks for the drinks and hope that bet goes well” he waved as he returned to the violent beats of the new song witch some mares and stallions decided to jump harder than before. He quickly made a beeline for the exit and onto the streets of Canterlot

He made his way back to the castle, quickly slipping through the main gate and corridors alike as he reached Celestia’s quarters once again

He nodded to the guards as he caught his breath and snuck back into the bedroom, making sure his footsteps did not awake his princess. He removed his clothes until he was back in his pants and slid carefully next to the alicorn

His short adventure wore him out enough to fall into a light sleep. As he joined Celestia in slumber, they both shuffled into each other’s embrace before both falling into complete deep sleeps. Unknown to them a particular being was watching outside both loving and hating the scene before them

Chapter 60

Strong Shield yawned as he stepped into the quiet kitchen, the few cooks all awaiting the princesses to ask for breakfast. Strong Shield waved quickly to the chefs as he took a few snacks to eat whilst Dave trained later that day. A guard entered the kitchen soon after and marched over to his old sergeant

“Your presence is required on the runway,” The guard said in a groggy tone

Strong Shield placed his selection of food down “What is the matter?”

“The dragon has to return home briefly” The guard shrugged “He won’t say anything else”

Strong Shield nodded to the guard and followed him out of the kitchen, but instead of turning right, he turned left towards the runway. The moon was almost down and would soon cause the awakening of both princesses that would end the night and bring the day.

Strong Shield descended the steps of the castle, moving past guards leaving or heading to their morning posts. As the unicorn reached the runway, he saw the large emerald dragon growling to itself.

“Is everything alright?” Strong Shield asked with a raised eyebrow

Adamas turned his head “I am going to see the elder but I shall return soon after sunrise” the dragon opened his wings for flight but Strong Shield took a pace forwards

“On your way back can you get a boulder?” Strong Shield smiled at the nod he received from the dragon before it went airborne and left Canterlot

The aging guard rubbed his neck before returning to the castle, still wishing he could wake Dave and begin early training. In the end he decided a little lay in wouldn’t hurt and returned to his small house just outside the castle walls

Adamas meanwhile picked up speed quickly and the ground beneath him began to blur as his destination came into view in his focused eyes. As he neared, he allowed himself to glide towards the small opening that led to the enlightened and the elder.

He crawled through to be instantly greeted by the large amber eye “Elder I have returned like you asked,” he announced with a small bow of his head

“Good youngling” The elder looked over the young dragon body “I hope the training is going well”

Adamas nodded “And I have been keeping an eye on Dave like you asked” the dragon frowned at the ground “I still don’t like spying on him and the princess of the sun, their time together doesn‘t need a prying individual such as myself”

“It is a necessity that you stay as close to the princesses” The elder had complete faith in his young student “And if needs be you may have to get the elements of harmony yourself”

The drake sighed “But what about Dave? Are you sure he can’t be relied on to assist us when the time is right?” the smaller dragon looked up at the elder’s eye almost pleading there was something. Anything

“I’m afraid that the chance of Dave’s cooperation is minimal” The elders eye scanned the empty cave “but you must remain vigilant”

Adamas chuckled “You have taught us to be kind and generous yet you seek to destroy”

“Not destroy” The elder’s eye focused back on the dragon before him “It is a cleansing of mistakes”

Adamas spat an ember before bowing again, “I will do as you please elder”

“Make sure you do” The elder watched the youngling leave “if everything goes as planned then the princesses lives will be spared and you will learn the most important lesson I can never teach you”

Adamas hated the foreboding nature of which they spoke and focused on finding a boulder to take back to Strong Shield. The rocks around the Dragon Mountains were certainly tough and large. Until he found one he could hold in his front claws, Adamas began to remember the talk with Luna and the stalking of Dave during his late night adventure

As Adamas flew back towards Canterlot he felt the shiver along his spine that signalled sunrise was approaching.

Meanwhile…

Celestia awoke, the need to raise the sun had not arrived yet. She was thankful the sun was not allowed up yet because it allowed her to watch Dave sleep peacefully. The princess of the sun wrapped a wing around Dave and herself that allowed her to get closer.

“I suppose you are dreaming of some exciting adventure you had since your arrival” Celestia whispered gently to Dave “Or perhaps you are dreaming of what adventure we are going to have together” she rubbed her stomach gently with her hoof “I know I was”

As the white alicorn leaned forward to kiss her partner awake when she spotted Luna landing on her balcony. Celestia rose from her bed carefully, as to not wake Dave and joined her sister outside.

“Sister what is the matter?” Celestia embraced Luna in a hug as she saw her watery eyes. As she released the princess of the night she noticed her staring into her bed

“Did you keep him awake all night?” Luna asked in a voice that clearly revealed her sadness

The sun princess shook her head “No Luna, and please be happy for me”

“I am happy for you but I am not happy with myself” Luna licked her lips before looking at her bigger sister “I talked with the dragon Adamas last night”

“What did you talk about?” Celestia and Luna both sat on the grass as they waited the changing of the moon to the sun

“He suggested that we should have a harem” Luna chuckled weakly “I told him that it would be a mistake”

Celestia nodded “I suppose it would be” the pair sat in silence for a moment before Luna managed to get her voice ready to talk with confidence

“I am happy for you both but that doesn’t mean I won’t stop trying to get a return on my feelings” Luna kept her voice strait as she looked up at her sister “I hope you can forgive me”

Celestia smiled as she hugged Luna “You know I will but I am worried about what will happen to you” the larger of the alicorns glanced into the bedroom at the sleeping Dave “You can’t keep pushing him his entire life”

Luna quickly wiped a tear away as she pulled away from the hug “I envy you again sister” She said sadly “But I will never turn into that monster again” Celestia’s smile was a huge comfort to her but her heart still weighted her body to the ground “is it ok if I rest with you and Dave while we wait for the sun and moon?”

Celestia looked at Dave and then back to Luna, her ears drooped as she feared Dave waking to find the princess of the night next to him “You shouldn’t”

Luna smiled down at her hooves as her own ears dropped “I understand but we do crazy things when we are in love” Her smile rose to greet her big sister. The two shared another few silent moments before Celestia stood

“Be gentle little sister,” Celestia groaned as she quietly opened the balcony door for the smaller of the siblings to enter first. They both made their ways to opposite sides of the bed that easily could hold them all

Celestia entered first, moving close to Dave but enough to allow him to be cool when the new alicorn joined them. Luna nervously slid under the covers, shuffling closer to Dave than Celestia did. Being careful not to anger her sister or awaken Dave, she looked over Dave to the older princess. Upon receiving a gentle, understanding nod she closed the final few inches

She felt Dave’s exposed back against her chest, his heart beating made her own race as she placed a hoof over his chest and pulled herself closer. Dave shuffled and clutched Luna’s hoof, causing a gasp of happiness from Luna as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment

Celestia on the other side was struggling to stop herself from removing Luna with her bare hooves. The sight of Dave welcoming another mare was sickening and enraging the princess. Her mind raced as she considered the possibilities. Was Dave assuming Luna was Celestia or did he actually feel Luna’s presence? Was he unaware or was his body showing what he truly felt?

Either way, Celestia was liking this moment considerably less than Luna was. The dark alicorn continuously managed to get closer to the sleeping human as Celestia watched. Luna eventually plucked the courage to lick her dry lips once more and rest them on Dave’s back, pulling away after a moment with a blush

How Luna yearned to kiss Dave again like the night on her balcony and for him to hold her tight as they basked in each other’s company. Her daydream was brought crashing down as Dave sensed something was wrong and escaped Luna’s embrace before entering Celestia’s

Luna bit her bottom lip as she quickly left the bed, not caring if Dave awoke or not. Celestia kissed Dave’s head before following her smaller sister outside onto the balcony.

“Why must he resist even when he sleeps?” Luna eventually sobbed

Celestia sighed as she wrapped a wing reassuringly around the smaller sibling “Because he is afraid of losing me again”

Luna stopped sobbing to look into Celestia’s eyes “you agreed to let me that close to him didn’t you?” the princess of the night stopped crying as the spark of an idea was literally visible behind her eyes

“Yes because I want to see you happy but it conflicts with mine” Celestia held back tears of her own “That is never going to go more than what you just did”

“One time” Luna begged “Just tell him you are ok with him spending one night with me,” the alicorn pleaded to Celestia’s shocked face

The white princess shook her head “I’m sorry Luna but I won’t allow that” she resisted Luna’s pouting lips “Dave wouldn’t be happy either and he would hate me too for agreeing”

“Let’s trick him!” Luna smiled “I can pretend to be you and slip away whilst he sleeps”

Celestia gasped at the serious tone in Luna’s voice “Now I will not believe that my innocent little sister is considering that type of deceit”

Luna collapsed to the ground as she realized what she had suggested “Oh sister what have I become?” her tears streamed down her face “I would never dream of hurting you like that even when I was Nightmare Moon”

Celestia laid down next to Luna “I know Luna, I know” The sisters found comfort in each others company as they felt the recognisable urge that required them to change the night into day, but for a moment they remained motionless. Luna fighting a war in her mind between responsibility and desire.

Finally the sisters performed their duties and the sunlight began to roll towards the castle “I have to go back” Celestia whispered to Luna who simply nodded before standing

“I am sorry sister,” Luna said before taking flight to the sky and towards her own quarters. Celestia herself returned to bed and managed to snuggle lovingly against Dave before sunlight filled the room. Dave’s eyes cracked open to see Celestia beaming at him

“Good morning” Dave whispered with a smile

Celestia returned the gesture before climbing out of bed once more “You stay right there” she smiled “I thought we could have breakfast in bed” she hid the fact she felt the need to apologize for a night Dave never experienced

“Ok…” Dave sat up in bed “and am I right in guessing that we are gonna… carry on with trying conception?” Celestia’s smile was not larger but it definitely carried more emotion as she now knew Dave’s full commitment to her

“I’m going to get the breakfast myself” Celestia winked “I might pick something special up” she left the room leaving Dave with an embarrassed face. Dave sighed as he relaxed in the large bed

“Oh thank fuck I get to talk again,” Odio gasped, “You miss me?”

Dave hummed “More than I thought to be honest” his relaxation was put on pause as he asked a question that sprung to mind “Why didn’t you talk at the nightclub last night?”

“I was still thinking” Odio said in a slightly less happy tone “Anyway Luna was thinking of raping you”

Dave gasped “WHOA! Hang on, you talk for the first time in ages and you tell me that?”

“Well rape sounds so violent whilst Luna wants you for passion and love reasons” Odio hummed “So technically it is more of a struggle-snuggle”

Chapter 61

Celestia wandered into the relaxed kitchen, the chefs were sat around a small table and did not notice their princess stroll in. As one heard the door close he noticed Celestia poking around in one of the cupboards and rushed over

“Your majesty” he bowed deeply “What do you wish for breakfast?”

Celestia turned her attention back to the cook next to her “Just something simple” she answered before continuing her journey in the cupboards. Her searching eventually made the head chef feel nervous as he looked over at his assistants

“Was there something else?” The chef asked quietly, not wishing to anger the princess. His colleges around the table nervously drank their coffees as they awaited a response

Celestia tapped her chin “I assumed we had a collection of every food product here” her tone did not sound angry but it did carry the tone of disappointment. The chefs exchanged glances before the head chef spoke up again

“Well some food is kept elsewhere” The pony bowed as Celestia turned to him. She was looking down at a slim, short unicorn. His coat was a light blue with streaks of navy along his mane. The cutie mark on his flank showed a bistro hat “What do you require?”

Celestia blushed slightly “I would rather find it myself, the nature is rather… embarrassing” she cursed her royalty as the chef gasped

“No, no, no Princess” the unicorn pleaded, “We will never judge you or what cravings you may have” the pony bowed deeply whilst his workers all smiled reassuringly. The princess only held her head high as she ordered her breakfast

“I would like eggs, cress, strawberries and some porridge” Celestia kept her head high as the ponies began their work “I would like enough to be made for me to share” the princess ignored the split-second glances “Also this is to be delivered to my quarters”

The head chef rallied his workers into action but turned again as he heard Celestia clear her throat “Is there anything else your highness?” the chef bowed as Celestia had one last quick glance inside the cupboards near her

“I would like either a can of whipped cream or some melted chocolate” Celestia blushed as one of the more sociable workers stared in shock. He knew what she was thinking of

The head chef did not catch on “We shall find which ever compliments the taste of your breakfast, where would you like us to spread it?” the cook that understood Celestia had to force a hoof in his own mouth to refrain from yelling at his boss

“If you find whipped cream then leave the can separate, if it is chocolate then leave melted in a bowl” Celestia stared down at the chef as he raised a confused eyebrow

The head chef nodded slowly “If that is what our princess desires then we shall retrieve these objects without delay” He bowed again before starting his preparation of the white princess’ breakfast. Celestia herself made a quick retreat from the kitchen and towards her quarters

Meanwhile…

Dave adjusted the pillows so he could sit in the bed more comfortably in the large, white bed “So what exactly have you been thinking about?” Dave asked the empty room around him. His mind began emitting the familiar warmth that Odio released as he spoke

“Just bits and bobs” Odio sighed “I have rethought a few things but nothing that affects the overall scheme of things” the black fog inside Dave’s mind swirled around and seeped into the human’s limbs. He delivered a charge of energy to Dave’s muscles “Now up you get and start training”

“No Odio I am waiting for Celestia” Dave remained in the bed, even though he was suddenly filled with energy “I understand you don’t like her and feel uncomfortable around Luna but you have to remember my feelings”

The groan from Odio was short lived “Are you sure you aren’t doing this in anger because I took you from your world?”

“I told you I am thankful you brought me here” Dave patted his own head jokingly “I was bored with my life on Earth and I am glad I met Celestia”

“Unwilling matchmaker” Odio directed at himself “I can’t believe you are trying for a child with her. Can you guarantee she can get pregnant by you?”

Dave rubbed his arms as his smile dipped “Well she wouldn’t have panicked last time if I couldn’t get her pregnant”

Odio saw Dave’s logic and was forced to groan in acceptance “But how will it affect her? She was given the parts but she was never actually designed to populate Equestria”

“Well I suppose I will have to help her in anyway I can” Dave nodded in determination “I swear on my life that I will protect Celestia and our child”

Odio’s flowing stopped “That is a promise you may not wish to keep” he sighed as he felt the presence of an alicorn approaching “I will probably talk when you aren’t blinded by love”

The door softly opened and Celestia trotted in, closing the door behind her with a gentle kick from her rear hoof “Well I can honestly say this is the first time I’ve walked into my bedroom to see a handsome male in my bed”

Dave could not resist joking, “So you have walked into see an ugly male in your bed?” he sniggered as Celestia shook her head with a smile. The white alicorn removed her golden regalia and set it on her desk

Celestia walked to the bed before sliding under covers and shuffling close to Dave “Did you love anyone before coming to me?” Celestia’s question made Dave chuckle again before dipping his head

“To be honest I never got into relationships with girls” Dave’s smile dipped “I had no problem making friends that were girls, it was just that none of them felt right” Dave turned his gaze to see a sympathetic Celestia wrap a hoof around his neck as she rested her head on his shoulder “None except you that is”

Celestia never thought about Dave’s life back on his world. She was too busy enjoying him to ask. “Well I’m glad that you thought I was right” Celestia closed her eyes as she listened to Dave’s breathing. The bed certainly kept the couple comfortable as they kept each other warm.

They both sat in relative silence as they preferred to listen to each other’s natural rhythm and take in each other’s scent. The intimacy was put on hold as a knock came from the door. Celestia beckoned the visitor in, which turned out to be the chef that knew Celestia’s intentions.

He nervously looked at the happy couple “Umm… your majesty I have your breakfast and umm… cream” the chef blushed along with Celestia as Dave raised an eyebrow “And we followed your previous wish of getting enough to share so we got an umm… extra-large bottle”

“What is this?” Dave asked as Celestia quickly levitated the tray over and allowed the chef to quickly escape. She removed the large can of whipped cream and hid it beneath her pillow

“Breakfast in bed, I ordered it myself” Celestia smiled as she lifted a few bits of cress into her mouth, Dave also took a strawberry from the plate which included four eggs. A large bowl contained some steaming porridge and the couple began their breakfast in comfort

Dave cut the eggs and Celestia levitated the sections into each other’s mouths. The feeling of cooperation only made them rest their heads against each other as they watched their breakfast slowly disappear from the plate. As they moved onto the porridge, Celestia lifted the spoon into the porridge and playfully made Dave chase the spoon with his mouth

Once the breakfast was finished, the alicorn levitated the tray and dirty cutlery away. She also placed the bowl aside as Dave finished the last bits of porridge. “Are you ready for dessert?” Celestia smiled as she magically removed the lid from the whipped-cream can

“Dessert? When was the main course?” Dave asked as he stared quizzically at Celestia’s cheeky smile. He looked at the can as it was slowly lifted into view, he smiled as Celestia threw the lid aside "I have those on my world, I used to love it with ice-cream”

Celestia’s blush increased as she moved it closer to her chest “Do you want it? I hear some ponies enjoy squirting it into their mouths” She blushed from thinking of the other form of squirting which obviously hadn’t crossed Dave’s mind

“Yeah it feels weird but it tastes nice” Dave smirked at Celestia. He closed his eyes and opened his mouth, expecting the cold taste to rush into his mouth

The squirt was heard. No taste was felt. Dave closed his mouth, opened his eyes and looked at Celestia. She continued to blush as Dave looked at the floating can, the remnants of the whipped-cream stuck to the tip

Dave’s eyes eventually fell to Celestia’s chest, which held a small spot of whipped-cream. The penny dropped in Dave’s mind and he joined Celestia in mad blushing. “Well I was taught not to play with food but…”

“You can play with me can’t you?” Celestia smiled “And I think I’m sweeter than dessert” she winked before giggling gently as the pair began to lick the whipped-cream from wherever it fell on each others bodies. Anywhere

Meanwhile…

Adamas landed and dropped the boulder heavily on the side of the runway. He awaited the appearance of Dave and Strong Shield but was only greeted by the latter.

“Where is Dave?” Adamas scanned the area in hopes he was exercising

Strong Shield sighed, “Where do you think?” He shook his head as Adamas chuckled “This boulder will do nicely” the unicorn thanked the dragon as he looked over the oval rock. It would easily be twice as tall as Dave and five times as thick

“Do you require me for anything else?” The emerald dragon rested down on his stomach with his head near Strong Shield. His tired wings rested loosely at his side

The black unicorn shrugged “I can’t think of anything until later on” Strong Shield admitted “If you want to sleep somewhere I can find you when the time arises”

The large dragon nodded “I will sleep somewhere here, out of the way probably” he looked around the runway and saw grassy areas past the trees at the side. “I can stretch myself out there,” He indicated with a claw

Strong Shield memorized the location before turning to the castle “I suppose I will go wake Dave”. He said a quick goodbye before marching into the castle. As he walked down the corridors, he slowed, allowing himself to appreciate the architecture of the castle. In all his time as a guard, he never looked at his surroundings more that simple corridors

The windows that used to be entrance points were now stained glass, artworks. The curved ceiling was no longer a space for changelings to stick to but instead was now a testament to the superb stonemasonry of the ancient ages.

Strong Shield wished he knew how to make a castle survive countless years and endless assaults. He pushed these thoughts to the back of his mind as he reached the large golden doors that led into Celestia’s quarters. The two golden clad unicorns stood tall as they heard hoovesteps but relaxed when the saw the familiar eye-scar of their old sergeant

“Hello guardsmen” Strong Shield nodded as they resumed their normal positions “I assume Dave is inside”. The guards were stopped from responding as a loud laugh was heard, quickly followed by a moan which increased rapidly in volume before fading with loud gasps of breath. All three stallions avoided looking at each other until the noise silenced

Finally, one guard plucked the courage to talk “Yeah he is inside… I mean in the bedroom” he sighed as the awkward silence resumed. Strong Shield eventually shook himself out of the trance and headed for the door. He pushed them open before entering and looking over at the bed

Celestia had her eyes closed, sighing happily whilst clutching Dave’s head into her chest. “I hope you are finished” Strong Shield rolled his eyes as Celestia’s eyes shot open and glared at the intruder. Dave’s head slowly turned to reveal a large white moustache resting beneath his nose.

“Hey dad” Dave licked his lips free of the whipped-cream “Kinda busy here”. He made sure the bed sheets were covering him and Celestia before rolling off the top of the white alicorn

Strong Shield failed to notice the whipped-cream can that rolled at the bottom of the bed but instead noticed the white substance along Celestia’s neck and trails leading down to the parts of the body he could not see. Dave also had spots across him that were also smudged by licking

Strong Shield groaned at the sight “Adamas and I are waiting on the runway, get down there soon… oh another thing” Strong Shield turned back “If you want to have a child then the white stuff is meant to go inside her” He winked at Dave before hastily leaving. Not giving Dave or Celestia the chance to explain the situation or what the substance actually was

Chapter 62

Dave blushed as he climbed out of bed, grabbing a towel so he could wipe the whipped-cream away before putting his clothes on again “Alright I will try and find you whenever I get free time” Dave gave Celestia a quick kiss as he put on his trench coat

“I might come down and see what you are doing” Celestia took the towel from Dave’s hands and began wiping herself down. She smiled to Dave one last time as he left and set about making herself more presentable. She combed her mane and dressed in her regalia. “Guard” she called

A unicorn guard nervously stepped in, staring at the ground. “Yes your majesty” his voice shaking nervously

“You and your fellow guard may take a few minutes break” She looked at the guard as he nodded quickly

“Thank you” he said as he gently closed the door. As it clicked shut, it was quickly followed by the sound of the guards running quickly away. Celestia grinned as she calmly left her quarters

Meanwhile…

Dave happily walked down the stairs, narrowly missed by guards charging past him. He shrugged it off as he continued with his path that led him onto the large runway. Strong Shield was sat near Adamas as they looked over at him. The sun shone into Dave’s eyes, forcing him to shield his eyes with his hand until he got nearer

“Strong Shield was just telling me that you were having difficulties in the bedroom” Adamas shook his head “I would have assumed one of you could have guessed where it goes by now” Dave facepalmed as he groaned

“That was whipped-cream” Dave stated, “I know where it goes” he frowned as Strong Shield shrugged and Adamas pulled the boulder in front of Dave. The dragon held the top of the rock as Dave tapped it. “And what is this for?”

Strong Shield looked up at the large rock “You are going to break it with your bare hands” his gaze moved to the human “Once you have broken enough off, you may rest” The atmosphere broke for a moment as the castle doors opened. The trio turned to see Celestia trot out with a deckchair and umbrella.

She set herself up at the side of the runway, far away enough to not hear the conversation but enough to get a good view of what was happening. Dave waved and Celestia replied before her servants began taking care of any requirements she had. Strong Shield nodded to Adamas, who then quickly flicked the back of Dave’s head

“Alright I’m paying attention” Dave forced Celestia out of his focus and stared at the rock before him. He raised his fist and punched the rock, it chipped and the tiny stones fell to the floor. “This is going to take ages,” Dave moaned as he looked at his grazed knuckles

Strong Shield rolled his eyes “So either find a way to hit it with more force or speed up your attacks”. Dave began smaller repetitive strikes against the rock. Small chips flew past his ears and he brushed some granules from his chest as Dave kept his strikes going hard and fast.

Eventually Dave stopped and looked at the minimal damage. He removed his trench coat and shirt before continuing his assault. Adamas exchanged glances with Strong Shield before his eyes returned to the rock. Dave began to pant for a few minutes before stopping

“This rock is quite tough” Dave went to rub his knuckles but flinched as the skin and muscle was worn away. He did not look at Celestia as he saw what little damage he did. “I don’t get why I am doing crap”

Strong Shield chuckled “This is reinforced” he tapped the rock before continuing, “I mixed in a few bits while we were waiting” The unicorn looked up at the dragon “Let’s go wait with Princess Celestia while Dave works”

The dragon nodded and followed Strong Shield over to the princess. They both sat by her shaded seat and joined her in watching Dave exercise. He waited until his knuckles healed before trying slower, harder punches. Strangely, Princess Cadence trotted in, quickly followed by her husband.

“Hello Princess Celestia, Hello Strong Shield” She looked up at Adamas “Hello AHH!” She jumped behind Shining Armour that also looked surprised. Adamas chuckled as he leaned down to the nervous couple

“Hello my name is Adamas” He extended a claw “Nice to meet you” Shining Armour and Cadence both shook one of the sharp points each. They sat down close to Celestia as they looked to Strong Shield for a reassuring nod before joining in watching Dave

“So what is going on here?” Shining Armour asked his old sergeant. He moved closer as he dropped to a whisper “also what is with the dragon and why is Dave punching a rock?” he smiled at the dragon that obviously heard him

“Dave is training his ingenuity and strength” He indicated a hoof to the tall dragon “And Adamas here was responsible for the incident near Appleoosa, now is an enlightened in the dragon community and friend of Dave” Strong Shield analyzed Dave’s attack patterns “He is doing better but not good enough” he muttered to himself

Princess Cadence soon had her own deckchair brought out and placed next to Celestia’s. The princesses both relaxed under the shade of their umbrellas. After a moment of watching Dave work out Cadence turned to Celestia.

“So how has your relationship with Dave been?” She stared at Celestia’s eyes, scanning the way her eyes moved. Celestia’s eyes stayed focused on Dave before eventually finding their way to the pink alicorn

“Everything has been perfect” She smiled as she gazed back at Dave “We are even trying for a child, would you consider foalsitting again?” Celestia joked as she relaxed

Cadence shook her head “What’s the problem?” she saw strait through Celestia’s guise. The princess of love was not restricted to intimate love between two ponies, she also could feel the love between family members. “Something Luna has done?”

“You always could see more than was needed” Celestia whispered before shaking her head “but it isn’t what Luna did but it is more like what she hasn’t done that worries me” The princess of the sun sighed. The sight of Dave throwing punches at the rock made her wonder why he could be so gentle

“I feel the love that Luna and Dave share” Cadence smiled “It is beautiful, they were in complete harmony at one point,” The princess of love did not notice the glare from Celestia, the type of glare that would make anypony think they were going to the moon

Celestia allowed the guilt to remove her anger “Until I ruined it don’t you mean?” Celestia’s ears drooped “sometimes I wish that I never went to see Dave at his house that night”

The pink alicorn gasped “Don’t ever say that!” she smiled sympathetically “But the love you and Dave share is unbelievable, nothing can break this” she tuned to Dave where he was now adding in a few kicks “I believe that Dave would break reality to see you smile”

Celestia shuddered “I just don’t want to live in fear that Dave might break and go with Luna” Celestia refrained from succumbing to tears as the image of Dave and Luna sharing intimacy like she had only recently felt “I love them both but I can’t rely on faith alone that they wont do anything”

“You can’t smother Dave and you can’t resent your sister” Cadence shrugged “All I can say in my professional opinion is to let them figure out their places by themselves” She waved of Celestia’s protesting glance “If you truly love Dave all I can say is to let him do what he has to do”

The white alicorn shook her head “I don’t like the way you say that” She sighed as the castle door opened again and Luna hesitantly stepped out. “Come sit here sister” Celestia called happily. Luna nodded as another deckchair was placed beside Celestia’s and sat down

Strong Shield and Shining Armour glanced at the three alicorn princesses “Well I can personally say that if I was an alicorn I still wouldn’t have enough time to understand mares” Shining Armour sighed “But being married to the princess of love has its benefits”

“How so?” Strong Shield grunted as he continued to study Dave’s abilities. He thanked a servant that brought out cool drinks for all the ponies and a large barrel for Adamas.

Shining Armour whispered so his wife couldn’t hear “Well she has been amazing in bed since all this energy from Celestia came around” Shining Armour puffed his chest out proudly “I haven’t seen this much action since the wedding and the honeymoon!”

Strong Shield held back the barf “I get it, Cadence is charged because of all this alicorn energy” the unicorn slowly swept a hoof through his greying mane “I still think that Dave can’t train properly here, he is either distracted by Celestia or Luna”

The captain of the guard chuckled “Come on can’t you let love work it’s magic? Everything will be fine, good always wins” The white unicorn blew an air-kiss to his wife. Strong Shield rolled his eyes as he drank his drink

“The problem is that good is a matter of opinion” Strong Shield muttered to himself “My intentions are good whilst the training could be considered evil” he continued to listen to the unicorn next to him while Adamas slowly laid down and drifted asleep

Cadence eventually clapped her hooves together “I’m going to have a chat with Dave, last time we finished on a rather awkward situation” she stood and began to walk towards Dave

“There was nothing awkward!” Luna glared “You attempted to use your power over love to manipulate him, and he resisted” Luna folded her hooves as Cadence dropped her head and continued to Dave

Dave wiped the sweat from his face as he waited for his healing to finish. Cadence appeared beside him with a wide smile that made Dave look away. “It has been a while since I’ve seen you… Cadence was it?”

“Yes Dave” Cadence nodded “I was wondering when you planned to mate with Luna” This statement caused Dave to botch his punch and turn to face her. Her sweet smile only made Dave feel uneasy

“I am not planning to mate with Luna,” Dave growled as he returned to his boulder. Cadence laughed as she glanced back at the other princesses. She turned so Celestia and Luna could not see what she was saying

“I’m the princess of love and I can tell you and Luna have feelings that aren’t going away” Cadence rose an eyebrow “So I can almost guarantee that you will both mate at some point” she didn’t notice Dave’s small snarl

“We are friends and that is all it is going to be” Dave growled “And I still haven’t forgotten the time you attempted to brainwash me. He looked at the pink princess expecting a forgiving face but instead looked at a large grin

“I am not guilty for what I did” Cadence played with her mane “I’m just annoyed that Twilight isn’t happy and you are playing the princesses against each other” The alicorn frowned at Dave as he chuckled

“Sorry Princess Cadence I am going now because at the moment you are acting like a Princess of bitching!” Dave stormed away angrily towards the castle, quickly putting on his shirt and trench coat along the way

Strong Shield moved into Dave’s way “Hey, you aren’t going anywhere until you break that rock” he met Dave’s glare until the human threw his arms in the air and returned to the large boulder

Dave glared quickly at Cadence as he passed her. When he reached the rock, he placed his left hand on the surface beside the patch he had been punching. He brought his right fist up and rammed it into the rock. He plunged his arm up to his shoulder and began moving his arm inside.

Strong Shield smirked as a large crack shot across the outside of the boulder. Dave groaned as he lifted the top half of the boulder and threw it into the air. Whist the top half rose, Dave climbed on top of the bottom half and stomped in the middle, causing it to break into smaller segments.

The piece of boulder in the air descended back towards Dave. The human roared as he punched the rock before it crushed him, the spray of broken stones caused the ponies watching to shield their eyes, Adamas chuckled as he saw Dave walk out from behind the pieces of broken rock

“Right now I’m going” Dave announced “I’m going into Canterlot” he walked over to Celestia and gave her a powerful kiss that calmed him down “Anypony want to come?”

Shining Armour glanced at his wife the was gawping at the sudden destruction “Yeah I have some guard stuff to do” he shrugged “Maybe next time”

“I don’t think I would be much good apart from blocking the streets” Adamas sighed “besides I have to clear the mess you made” he chuckled as he began to pick the bits of stone up and throw them into a large pile

Strong Shield shook his head “I have some things to organise so consider this a break” he patted Dave on the arm as he walked past “Good work though” He then went back into the castle to start preparations on another extreme training idea

Celestia smiled “I have to attend some duties as well” She laughed, “I can’t leave my duties as Equestria’s princess forever can I?” her smile wavered as Luna sat up

“Would it be ok if I came along?” She nervously looked between all the ponies around her “I haven’t been into Canterlot for a while and I could use the exercise” Everyone there knew that alicorns could be as lazy as they wanted and still be more attractive than almost everypony

Dave shared an uneasy look with Celestia before shrugging “I can’t see why not” he smiled. Luna stood and went to go retrieve her regalia whilst Dave headed for the castle gates

“Are you going to take her to that club?” Odio teased, “Sneak into that back room and have fun?”

Dave sighed “Seriously Odio, that isn’t helpful”

“Just in witty one-liner!” Odio cleared his imaginary throat “Are ya gonna rock out with your cock out?”

Dave did not know how to respond so resorted to face palming as Odio roared with laughter

Chapter 63

Dave leaned against the castle wall, staying far enough away from the guards so he could start a conversation with the being in his mind “Can you shed light on why the alicorns here have no neutral feelings?”

“Celestia loves you, Luna’s obsessed and Cadence is jealous” Odio chuckled “You know how to impress women don’t you?”

Dave rubbed his neck as he thought about Odio’s evaluations, “I agree on the first two but why would Cadence be jealous?” Dave hummed as he watched the birds fly in the sky “Could it be that Celestia and I are trying for a child?”

“BINGO!” Odio cheered, “Also the fact you resisted her love spell must have pissed her off” Odio chuckled as he swirled against Dave’s mind and seeped into his body “Her happiness carries a small amount of doubt”

“Her and Shining Armour look perfect together” Dave sighed, “Where is the doubt? I mean she could always find ways to make their love stronger”

Odio had to agree with Dave “Yeah but Shining Armour was brainwashed by the queen of the changelings for quite some time” Odio chuckled “I personally think that something happened”

Dave shook his head “I doubt that Shining would sleep with her with all the security they had on at the time” Dave paused as the gates opened but only a few guards marched out, calming his nerves “He is the captain of the guard, he wouldn’t do anything that risky”

“He lost his virginity to her on Twilight’s bed,” Odio said in a serious tone that did not carry any hint that he was joking

Dave laughed before stopping “Wait… are you serious?” he gasped but his shocked face disappeared as the gate opened again and Luna stepped out. The princess of the night did not see Dave from his position away from the gates and she sighed sadly

The human hesitated as he saw Luna step to the side of the road, avoiding the guards until she was away. She looked for Dave again but he had ducked behind a bush that allowed him a perfect view. When the princess of the night could not see her friend, she used magic to bring a small mirror into existence in front of her face.

Dave suddenly noticed the makeup that enhanced her features, the scent of her perfume just managing to drift into Dave’s nostrils. She removed her hoof from her regalia so she could check the makeup around her eyes

She sighed, “What was that you said Dave?” She whispered to herself “I always look my best” she smiled before wiping the makeup off and restoring her face to normal

Dave looked away while he composed himself. After a few breaths he jogged out and over to the dark alicorn “Hey Luna” he smiled weakly as she turned to look at him

“Hello Dave” Luna disposed of her small mirror “So where in Canterlot do you want to go?” she stood but didn’t get any closer to Dave

The clueless human shrugged “Well I am stuck on that one detail… actually I know where we can go” Dave began to walk past the princess and caught another whiff of her smell. “It isn’t Canterlot though”

“Where then?” Luna had to quickly trot after the quick human, nodding at the ponies that bowed. The excitement of adventure suddenly made Luna break out into a full run, Dave smirked before running and soon both were running quickly for the edge of the city

As the suddenly laughing couple reached the towering gates, Luna knew what Dave was thinking and quickly flapped her large wings to get into the air. Dave waited until he was almost touching the gate before jumping and quickly ascending the wooden barrier, using his fingers to pull himself over the edge

Before Dave began to jump down the other side, Luna quickly clasped him in her hooves and pulled him into the air. Dave gasped as the ground rapidly shot away and his falling was turned into a rapid ascension.

“So where to?” Luna asked as she easily held Dave in her hooves. She held Dave tighter, not out of fear of dropping him but because Dave was letting her

Dave smirked “High, really high up” He looked over his shoulder and saw Luna wink.

“You got it” She smiled as she flapped her wings and rose above the clouds, startling some pegasi along the way. As they punched through a layer of cloud Dave laughed at how high they were, Luna meanwhile began to slow her flapping until they were merely hovering.

Luna flipped Dave around so they were facing each other and because Luna was holding him, their mouths rested a few inches apart “Listen Luna I am gonna ask something that you might have a problem with” Dave smirked

“Don’t worry Dave, I would do anything you asked me to” Luna quickly glanced at Dave’s lips

Dave leaned close to Luna’s ears “Let me go” he whispered. Luna looked at Dave in shock “At this height? Please don‘t kill yourself for me again” she begged but Dave shook his head

“No I was going to see if I could glide to Ponyville using my trench coat” Dave indicated to the dragonscale clothing “Then we can grab cupcakes, see how much the girls have calmed down and then get the train back”

Luna groaned before nodding “But if I think you are in trouble then I am going to catch you” Luna slowly forced her hooves open, smiling at Dave before he slipped from her grasp and she quickly tucked her wings in so she could pursue him

Dave fumbled with his trench coat before opening it like a squirrel suit. The speed downwards suddenly became a small inconvenience compared to his speed forwards. Luna glided past him, wings spread aside as she glanced back with a smile

Grinning, Dave tucked his arms in and managed to do a small spin before righting himself. Luna laughed and did a small front flip in the air, her dark crown fell from her head and passed by Dave’s head. They both looked at each other with a grin before spiralling down to race for the crown

Dave and Luna quickly chased after the crown as they saw the town of Ponyville below. Luna flapped her wings so she got ahead of Dave, he responded by grabbing her flowing tail and pulling himself into the lead again. They both fought over the spot to capture the crown first but as they playfully struggled against each other, they forgot to consider the ground

Luna managed to scoop her crown back using her horn, cheering she opened her wings and levelled out again. She turned to see Dave still speeding to the ground, her eyes shot open as she noticed Dave flip in the air before landing feet first

A cloud of dirt concealed Dave as he touched the ground, a tinge of red crackling energy bounced between the small stones tossed in the air and Luna quickly used her magic to blow the dirt out of her vision

As the dust finally cleared, Luna gawped as she saw Dave smiling at her. “Well that test worked” he chuckled as he walked over, making sure his legs worked

“Test? What test?” Luna almost screamed in panic and anger. She would have slapped Dave if her hooves were not shaking from the shock

Dave shrugged “Strong Shield has been training me to control my anger, so I figure that if I got angry at the right time then I could survive falling from a height” he checked again and saw that his test was successful

Luna growled at Dave “Don’t you DARE think of doing that again!” she yelled. The sudden outburst of fury made Dave take a cautionary step back but Odio squirmed in pleasure at the new energy

“Hey I’m doing this to protect you and Celestia!” Dave responded, “Why aren’t you helping me out? Why do I have to trick you into helping me?” Dave openly pointed at the princess, his eyes easily made Luna shudder

“Because no matter how hard you fight, how hard you train or how hard you resist. He will get to you” Luna frowned as her tone dropped “He will get you in one way or another, today or next year”

Dave struggled to stop his fists from clenching “You seem to think that he is unstoppable” his eyes narrowed “What is he?”

Luna shuddered again as she sat down “He is pure, natural and patient” Luna sighed, “he got into my head and said things that made me do things my word nightmare couldn’t match” she held herself as if the evil was behind her

“L-Luna if you don’t want to talk it’s ok” Dave shook his head so he could focus again “I’m sorry I yelled” Dave looked towards Ponyville. His instincts told him to run as far away as he could, to run and hide. His attention was brought back to Luna as he heard her stand

The princess of the night checked her regalia “Celestia and I will tell you together when you return later” Luna avoided Dave’s eyes “I hope you have fun here” she held back her tears until she had teleported back into her bedroom

Dave meanwhile rubbed his eyes “That was incredibly stupid, risky and stupid” Odio spat “That outburst on landing was almost enough to reveal me!”

“Whatever” Dave groaned, as he walked towards Ponyville “Let’s just say hello to Spike so I can get the hell out of here” He stormed off in the direction of Sugarcube Corner in hopes he could find them there

Meanwhile…

Twilight finally released the magical bonds that were keeping three of her friends in place “Now I am going to say this one more time, we are going to talk!” she sat down with a frown

Rainbow Dash reluctantly sat down “Dave made his choice, he doesn’t want to be with any of us” The Pegasus crossed her hooves “Why aren’t you angry huh?”

“Because I… because” Twilight shook her head “That doesn’t matter, what matters is that we all find a way to get along” The purple unicorn frowned at the three more stubborn of her friends “Now I want us all to respect Dave’s choice and forgive him”

Applejack shook her head “Now ah can’t do that Twilight, Dave made a promise to always be with us” she avoided eye contact with the others as they all knew that it was a lie

“Look what he has done to us!” Rarity gasped, “We have all been at each others throats and made ourselves look like complete fools” the white unicorn waited for her friends to all nod “That is why we have to take drastic action to make sure this never happens again”

“D-drastic action?” Fluttershy whispered from behind her mane. Rainbow Dash and Applejack nodded in agreement whilst Pinkie and Twilight exchanged nervous glances

“I call a vote” Rarity held her head high “I vote we never speak to Dave again unless it is important” She held up her hoof and so did Applejack and Rainbow Dash

Twilight gasped, “That is completely ridiculous! We have to talk to sort this problem out, not push it out the way!” Twilight groaned as she held up her hoof, “I vote we sort this out properly”

Pinkie also held up her pink hoof “I agree with Twilight, we can’t just kick Dave out” all eyes fell to Fluttershy who squeaked as she became the centre of attention “What do you think Fluttershy?”

“I… don’t want to disappoint anypony” She nervously played with her hooves “If I vote to see Dave then I lose friends and if I vote to leave Dave then I lose my other friends” she closed her eyes in concentration “I don’t want to lose anypony. I’m not voting”

“Three beats two” Rainbow nodded “Dave doesn’t exist for all I care” she glared at Twilight “And if you think I will change my mind then you are in for a big surprise” The Pegasus got up and headed for the door “You coming girls?”

Applejack and Rarity eagerly followed the cyan Pegasus out of Sugarcube Corner leaving Twilight, Pinkie and Fluttershy to give each other nervous glances.

The three leaving ponies were too focused on glaring forwards to notice the disheartened human standing next to the door. He heard the entire conversation and stared blankly at the ground.

“I guess I’m pissing everypony off” Dave sighed as he walked away from the candy shop “So I am not welcome in Ponyville apparently and I can’t seem to do anything right by Luna” he dropped his head as he walked to the train station, taking the back streets so he reduced the chances of meeting anypony

“Listen to me Dave” Odio’s tone was more sympathetic “the ponies of this world will never understand you nor will they try to be your equal” the entity in Dave’s mind growled, “They fight what is better than them, evil or good”

Dave shook his head “But I am not better than them” he sighed “Me and Celestia get on perfectly well, granted we had a few mishaps but the relationship is getting better”

“You say relationship like it is going to last” Odio grumbled to himself “But the reason Celestia likes you is because of…” Dave cut him off be raising his hand

“Because of my powers I know… but they are your powers you are giving to me” Dave shook his head “All I can do is resist magic” He kicked a stone as he walked

Odio groaned in agreement “Not forgetting that energy sponge in your head” Odio rolled around Dave’s mind. Dave reached the train station and sat down on one of the benches

“So what about you? You give me these powers, keep me alive” Dave checked to make sure nopony was listening “I understand that you are hiding in me from forces more powerful than you but why stay?”

“I don’t need to stay anymore to be honest Dave” Odio sighed “but I have kinda grown attached to you, not in a spiritual or physical way but as in I like talking to you”

Dave chuckled “So I am your friend?”

“For the first time in my life I have a friend” Odio shook as his cloud of hate sparked a small beam of blue light “But that won’t change anything I’m afraid” he sighed “I had a plan when I arrived but you do what you do best and change everything”

Dave rubbed his nose “Well I try” he joked “But I want to get rid of this impending doom out of the way” Dave sighed as he shuffled his feet “Good thing we are alone so we can talk”

“Yeah but it also means that the evil can get close ooooOOOOoooo” Odio chuckled “Seriously though it is the princesses’ opinions that it is evil”

“Yeah the dragon elder said it made a mistake last time it was here but I wonder if…” Dave paused as the pieces in his mind clicked together

Odio’s chuckling stopped “Ah finally you catch on Dave” his normal joking tone replaced with a seriousness “Although I thought you would have caught on sooner, the facts have been in front of you for quite some time”

“The evil made a mistake and was banished” Dave held his head “You made a mistake and was banished” Dave shot to his feet “The coming storm wasn’t the return on the evil! It was you regaining your strength!”

Odio clapped slowly “Congratulations Dave you win top prize!” Odio resumed to his normal self “So do you want to play games next time you go to sleep?”

“You are going to kill Celestia! And Luna!” Dave growled “But I won’t let you”

Odio groaned, “If I wanted Celestia dead then she would already be worm food”

Dave paused “Explain before I yell your name out” he still tensed his body as he prepared to take any action he could

“You slept with Celestia many times, while you both slept I could have killed you both” Odio made a valid point “Last time I was here, granted I may have put some idea’s in Luna’s head that slowly made her a tad crazy”

Dave sat down again “So why did you possess me and bring me here?”

“Needed a vessel to return in and I need the special hatred and anger that the ponies here produce” Odio sighed “No offence but human anger is a bit… impure”

“Impure? Well if it gets me a free ride to another world then I can’t complain,” Dave chuckled “Ok, I’ll let you stay on one condition”

Odio swirled in curiosity “What is it?”

“Pinkie promise that you aren’t going to kill Celestia or Luna” Dave folded his arms “Or I’m telling”

Odio sighed “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye” the phrase but Dave’s mind at ease but the next part shocked him “that also includes mild physical harm and no permanent, magical imprisonment”

“Wow you really don’t want to kill Celestia” Dave was still expecting a pink blur to come crack his skull open and strangle Odio with a party streamer

“Heh what can I say?” Odio chuckled “I guess I have gotten a little soft, being friends with the princess’ coltfriend”

Chapter 64

Chapter 64 (aka, I was playing mass effect)

The train finally rolled into the station, Dave eagerly hopped on without a sound as he bounced into one of the bunks with a smile on his face “This is perfect!” he cheered

“Forgive me for asking but… How?” Odio asked as he swirled “Urgh I need to get good at these games again” he grumbled to himself

“Well the supposed ‘evil’ is actually a gamer that lives in my head” Dave smiled “I don’t need to worry or train because you aren’t going to do anything”

Odio had to agree with Dave’s logic “I admit this is the perfect situation, but we can’t just stop training instantly” Odio sighed “They will know something is up if you bounce in happier than a filly on crack”

“Ah but I wont go in happy” Dave smirked evilly “I will be mega pissed at the girls for shunning me and annoyed at Luna for not being understanding about the burden on my shoulders”

“But all you have to worry about is an evil coming to take control of your body” Odio chuckled “But it seems the ‘evil’ has gotten stuck on the video games in your mind. That reminds me, do you want to join me?”

“Sure why not?” Dave smiled as he curled up and easily fell asleep. The feeling of rest was replaced with the feeling of weightlessness and Dave opened his eyes. He stared up at a large TV screen and a familiar fog tapped his shoulder

Dave turned to see the humanoid version of Odio relaxing in a hammock, a large claw and long tendril both held a customized X-box controller. Dave conjured a large, white chair that reminded him of an evil villain from spy movies. Sitting comfortably Dave put his feet up and a matching footrest rose from the floor

“So how are you?” The human asked as he summoned a large can of cola into his hand. The fog next to him shrugged, the flat, burning red eyes continued to stare at the screen. His claw and tendril moving quickly along the controller

“I’m good” Odio sighed “How about you?” his mouth burned into existence of a second before its snarl disappeared

Dave shrugged as well “well I think everything is going to be ok from now on” he smiled as the words left his mouth. He thought ahead, planning for his life

He would go back to Canterlot, put on a depressed act for a day or two. When everything calmed down then Dave could spend more time with Celestia. He was slightly nervous about the pregnancy idea but at the same time was more excited than he had ever been

“Dude shut up” Odio groaned as he looked over at Dave’s puzzled face “We are in your head… your inner monologue is kinda loud here”

“I can’t hear it” Dave listened. Eventually he figured it was because his thoughts were inside his head, even though he was in his head… but because he was in his own head it must cancel out in some way… or maybe

Odio groaned loudly “Seriously shut UP!” Odio’s eyes swirled “Now what do you want to do?” a few images and videos quickly began swirling around the endless black surroundings. Dave recognised some of the things as video games and the others as locations he had been to before

“Umm you can continue playing because I might do some decorating” Dave focused but managed to bring a white table that rested at next to his left armrest, he concentrated again and placed a photograph of Celestia in a golden frame. The picture of Celestia was the time Dave awoke from the party at his house and found the princess in his bed, his favourite moment was when Celestia rested on his chest and smiled down at with nothing but love in her eyes

“Ew can you not have it looking at me?” Odio’s eyes were pleading but were also shaped with a hit of disgust. Dave moved the table to the other side so the picture was facing away from the being of hatred

Dave also placed down a solid gold controller, complete with gemstone buttons for whenever he fancied playing with Odio. He took a sip from his canned drink and the fake taste flowed into his mouth.

“So what do evil villains do?” Dave joked as he asked

Odio shrugged “Stay up late, drink energy drinks and play video games” He rubbed his eyes “Sorry I just summarised your life” Odio cracked a smile at Dave that chuckled in response “But don’t call me evil because I’m not”

Dave spun his chair to look at the fog in a hammock “I know it is opinion but I mean come on…” He shook his hand at the black fog “Spirit of hatred sounds evil”

“Hatred is a perfectly natural emotion all living things can feel in one way or another” Odio looked at Dave “Does every world have a being that controls the sun? A being with such power they demand worship?”

Dave turned back to the screen “Celestia doesn’t demand anything” Dave scratched his chin. He wondered what Odio’s response would be. Probably that Celestia would not be as eager to use her powers if she was homeless

“Sorta, I was going to say she doesn’t say no to all the riches and power” Odio snarled at his game “Can you help me in this game?” Dave grabbed his controller but Odio dropped his “How about we go completely immersive?”

Dave nodded as the humanoid figure fell apart and the usual fog with eyes began to consume Dave’s vision. As he opened his eyes, Dave noticed the snowy ground and space ships fly over his head.

“Over here you green bastard” Odio called. Dave turned to see the large reptilian head that belonged to the ridged black body of a krogan soldier. Dave looked at his chest to see his green, rough skin

“I’m a drell?” Dave gasped in a slightly raspier voice “Are we in Mass Effect?” his smile was short lived as a couple of shots flew past his head. He jumped into cover beside Odio as he grabbed a pistol attached to his waist “This is cool!”

Odio’s large mouth revealed a long set of sharp, dirty teeth “We are fighting reaper forces on Firebase White” Odio pulled out a large shot gun “But instead of waves we have ten minutes before extraction”

Dave nodded as he pulled his gun from its holster and looked over the broken ship the duo was using as cover. He pointed his gun at the large tumour on a cannibal’s back and fired a round. The bullet easily tore through the soft flesh and the grey inside sprayed over the skeletal husks that ran towards them

One husk jumped into the air over the cover. Dave shot his hand out in reflex and a blue blast knocked the black robotic zombie away. Odio grabbed the other and slammed his shotgun into its eye socket before pulling the trigger. Dave wasn’t sure which to be more scared by, the noise of the shotgun or the loud screech that drowned it out

Odio swore as he broke cover with Dave close behind. Roaring the krogan head butted an incoming husk, smashing its weaker face inwards. Dave used his newfound agility and athletics to dive over cover, shooting the ghastly figure that was hiding behind it

The screech called again as Dave and Odio reached the entrance to the base. Dave stood at the top of a ladder, kicking or shooting anything foolish enough to try to climb up. Odio’s hand glowed a bright orange as holographic panels coated his lower arm and a ball of fire raced toward a hulking beast that began climbing the stairs. Another screech echoed out, causing the already outnumbered team of two to scan for the source in panic

Odio stuffed his shotgun into the large brute’s mouth before blowing it back down the stairs, its weight crushed a husk that did not move in time. Dave was snapping the neck of another as he felt the ripples of something teleport behind him. He turned to see the lanky, grotesque body of a once alien female

Dave could not move as a large claw grasped his neck and lifted him from the ground. It’s other claw explored down his chest before the beast found the soft spot of his stomach. It readied its claw to plunge in but was tackled to the ground by Odio

The stronger reptilian grabbed its claw and ripped the entire arm from its naked, warped body. “SCREAM NOW YOU BANSHEE BITCH!” Odio roared as he used the creatures own arm to slash its throat. The scream now turned into a loud hiss and splutter as the beast shook violently in an increasingly large pool of black blood

A shuttle craft flew into view, the side door opened allowing for entry. “Come on Odio, extraction is here!” Dave yelled as he continued to shoot at the incoming group of hostiles. Odio released the heat sink in his gun, cooling it quicker. He grabbed the searing hot piece of metal and stuck it into the opening of the Banshee’s neck

“Say hey to Sovereign for me” He chuckled as he followed Dave to the extraction vehicle. He charged through the enemies as he ran around the cover towards the only chance of escape. Dave did a flip over an enemy, making sure to put a bullet in the back of its head along the way before he climbed into the shuttle

As Odio leapt on, he was quickly followed by another large brute. Its arms pinned Odio whilst it’s large, heavy body helped to lower its skull and mouth to the krogan’s face. Dave reached around his belt and thanked his luck as he pulled out three joined cylinders.

He stuffed the grenades into the brute’s ribcage and pushed the trigger button. The krogan roared as he slowly lifted the brute off him, Dave used his biotics to lift it the final way and kicked it out of the shuttle. The door slid shut before the sound of three repetitive detonations signalled the cluster grenade had done some damage

“Nice” Odio grinned, “How do you like the new way to play?”

Dave panted for breath “This is amazing!” He gawped at Odio “I am loving the realism and the intensity” He looked around the shuttle, not noticing Odio had readied his shotgun again

“Hey Dave?” Odio smirked as the drell turned to have the barrel pressed against his forehead “This is for killing me on Halo” The shot rang out through the shuttle and Dave’s body flew backwards against the side of the shuttle. Odio laughed as he dropped the shotgun “thanks for the game though”

Dave bolted awake, bashing his head on the bunk above his. He looked around the real world around him “Dick” He whispered half-smiling as he rubbed his head. Odio swirled proudly before resting back in his normal spot

“Did you think I would forgive you for cutting my head off?” Odio chuckled “besides, you are back in Canterlot in five minutes” Odio silenced as he resumed playing games by himself

Dave climbed out of his bunk, making sure everything was in his pockets before heading to the cartridge door. He looked out the small window in time to see the platform appear, only a few posh ponies were waiting but apart from them the station was almost deserted

Dave hopped out as the train slowed to a crawl and began his walk to the castle. The upper class that trotted down the streets with their heads held high did not glare at Dave. Well not anymore than usual at least

The happy human made a detour towards a small donut shop, the seats inside were reasonably full and didn’t give Dave much hassle as he bought a bag of donuts with pink icing and sprinkles

Dave began nibbling one of the donuts, making sure to make it last until he reached the castle gates. He wiped his mouth, stuffing the bag of donuts into his trench coat pocket before the guards noticed

He quickly jogged through the castle, attempting to find Celestia. If he ran into anypony else then he could start his act now but his happiness was too great.

“Alright Dave, tomorrow we can throw our little performance” Odio suggested “Because today you only have one thing to do and if you get agitated whilst you are training then it would look like you have had enough”

Dave hummed as Odio talked “I see what you mean… alright we can train a bit, get annoyed and then spend the next couple of days refusing and spend time with Celestia” He wondered if there was a quicker way but his mind found another problem “Wont it be weird that the evil will never show up?”

“Nope because if you and Celestia form a special bond then using you would be foolish no matter the outcome” Odio chuckled “Besides I doubt I could force you to kill Celestia”

Dave frowned slightly “Nopony can make me do anything from now on” His smile returned “From now on it is going to be me, you and Celestia as the only beings I care about”

Odio slid around Dave’s mind “So everything is going to be alright? No problems?”

“Don’t worry, be happy” Dave began to sing, “Cos every little thing, is gonna be alright!”

Chapter 65

Chapter 65 (Aka don't mess with your nurse) [don't know why i have began adding extra bits here]

Celestia managed to push through all the work that piled up on her desk. Everything had been quiet in Equestria, no murders, no changelings and certainly no immortal enemy. The princess was not sure if she should be grateful or worried at the lack of problems.

The sun was just starting its journey back down to the horizon as the alicorn sent her final message away and stood up. She stretched her neck to get the stiffness out before walking towards her door. She was halfway as the door swung open and Dave marched in.

“Dave? When did you get back?” her curiosity swiftly left her mind as Dave wrapped her up in his arms, giving her a powerful and slow kiss. As they pulled apart, Celestia shared Dave’s smile. “Guards!” she called happily

A guard groaned as he opened the door “We know, no disturbances” the guard levitated a pair of earplugs into his ears as he closed the door. Celestia shrugged off the guard’s disrespectful tone as she gazed into Dave’s eyes

“How was your day out with Luna?” the alicorn gasped as Dave lifted her up and carried her over to the bed. Her smile turned into a cheeky grin “actually you can tell me later”

Meanwhile…

Twilight, Pinkie and Spike all sat in the library. Spike was growling to himself while the ponies exchanged worried glances

“How could they kick out Dave like that?” Spike threw up his arms as he demanded an explanation “He did nothing wrong!”

Twilight attempted to calm the dragon “Listen Spike I think they are still a bit upset that Dave broke up with them” she glanced at Pinkie again. “I know Fluttershy and I got over it but those three are more… stubborn”

“I’m confused why they changed their minds so quickly” Pinkie hummed “Did Dave act like a meanie?”

The purple unicorn shook her head “He was calm and broke it to us gently… at least he did for me and Rainbow Dash” Twilight jumped as there was a knock at the door. Spike stomped over and yanked it open. Expecting one of the three mares that disowned his friend

Instead, Nurse Redheart looked down with a smile “Oh hello Spike” She said sweetly, causing Spike’s frown to disappear “I was actually coming to find you”

She entered the library and placed down her saddlebags “Hello Twilight, Hello Pinkie” She smiled at the mares before pulling a letter out of her bag “Is it ok if you can send this letter to the princess?”

Spike looked nervously at Twilight “I don’t think the princess would allow normal ponies to send letters this way” Spike shrugged “Sorry about that”

Nurse Redheart sighed, “It is about the Princess and Dave” She sat down “Apparently for the duration of her pregnancy I am going to be a consultant”

“So you get to do all the medical checks and scans?” Twilight gawped “How did you convince her to give you the job?” The purple mare began to wonder if the princess did not trust her enough to build her own scanning machine

The white nurse sighed, “Actually she may have forced it on me” She stared at her hooves “After that day she first thought she was pregnant I apparently got given the job as royal nurse”

Spike picked up the sealed envelope “So is this the result of the scan?” He raised an eyebrow further as Nurse Redheart shook her head

“No that is a recommendation that she comes in for a scan” The nurse blushed slightly “If Dave and the princess have… mated when I think they have than the scan should be fairly accurate by now”

Spike looked at Twilight for a nod before blowing the letter away in a bright green flame. Pinkie bounced up to Nurse Redheart, so close she almost tipped her over

“When is the party?” Pinkie cheered in Nurse Redheart’s confused face “You know? The promotion party followed by the royal conception party!”

“I doubt the princess would want to spread the word about her conception so quickly” Nurse Redheart managed to shuffle away from the pink, bouncing blur “And I don’t want anypony to know that I am the royal nurse”

“Why not?” Twilight tilted her head “Everypony knows that I am Princess Celestia’s student and I don’t get treated differently”

Nurse Redheart rolled her eyes “Yeah and you continuously keep getting into some trouble or you have some other wacky adventure”

Twilight stood up “I don’t keep getting into problems!” she protested “A few weeks ago when Dave first arrived nothing happened!” she froze as she realised she was talking to her nurse “Actually I’m sorry don’t say anything!”

Nurse Redheart giggled, “You came in one of those days with repetitive strain injury in your hoof” her smile widened as Twilight blushed

Spike shrugged “So? She reads a lot and likes exercise” his child mind didn’t understand why Nurse Redheart laughed loudly

“Yes exercise can be quite… pleasurable” Nurse Redheart winked at the red-faced Twilight. Pinkie stopped in mid air and turned to glare at Twilight. Her face covered with disgust

“I have had those hooves on my face” She shuddered as Twilight pulled a book to her face to hide her shame

Spike scratched his head but burped as a scroll was released from the flames. Spike held up the letter and read it aloud. “Dear Nurse Redheart, I shall come along later on as I am busy for the next five or ten minutes, or maybe an hour we will have to wait and see” Spike shrugged at the others “P.s. Please be careful when sending letters, the last one gave Dave a very nasty paper cut”

Twilight looked over from her book “Dave would have had to been close to Princess Celestia for it to give him a paper cut” She hummed before blushing again “Oh… I’m guessing an hour”

“Well at least it gives me time to get the machine ready to scan her” Nurse Redheart picked up her saddlebags “I will see you later” As she began walking out, Twilight stopped her

“Is it ok if you can see what is wrong with some of our friends?” Twilight smiled “They have been acting strange lately and I feel they might be more open with you”

“You are all weird” The nurse muttered to herself as she saw Pinkie bounce across the roof “Ok I will talk with them next time they come in”

The nurse said her final goodbyes as she left the library, leaving Spike with an overexcited partygoer and an embarrassed clopper

Meanwhile…

Dave rubbed the stinging scar that ran across the top of his eye “Who in their right mind sends a letter with sharp edges through a teleportation system at speeds faster than the speed of sound?”

Celestia placed the dangerous envelope aside and nuzzled Dave’s side “At least we know that we can find out if I am pregnant or not yet” The white princess gladly shuffled into Dave’s open arms “Are you nervous?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe” Dave chuckled as the cut slowly healed “But I am ready for whatever happens” He held Celestia tightly as she enjoyed his embrace. The mood was soon cut short as Dave heard yelling

“What do you mean no interruptions?” Strong Shield yelled, “He knows what he is supposed to be doing!” The unicorn groaned loudly before knocking politely. Celestia used her magic to open the door and a calm Strong Shield walked in “Dave, Your majesty” he bowed

Dave chuckled nervously “Hey dad… how are you?” He awaited yelling and more aggression

“I’m fine, just waiting for you to came continue training” Strong Shield smiled “Oh and is it possible those guards can have the earplugs removed? It was hard to get my point across”

Celestia relaxed as she remembered her guards were still outside “Yes I will make sure they are not equipped with anything that isn’t standard issue”

Strong Shield bowed his head again “Alright come on Dave there is more training to be done” The unicorn glared at the human with his one eye before Dave reluctantly stood and followed him back through the castle

“So what are we doing today?” Dave sighed unenthusiastically as he dragged his feet behind the unicorn “Fight off a giant three-headed dog?”

Strong Shield hummed “I wonder if I could get Cerberus to come tear you apart” He thought for too long before shaking his head “Too much paperwork”

Dave gawped “You were seriously considering it?” He shrugged “Let’s just get this over with” Dave groaned as he stepped out onto the runway and saw the pile of chains running along the length of the stone and over the wall

“Put this on” Strong Shield passed Dave a set of chains that fitted around his chest “Right ALRIGHT ADAMAS!” he yelled as Dave secured the chains

“Hang on where is Adamas?” Dave felt the chains move and Adamas fly up from the other side of the wall with the other end of the chains “Oh shit” Dave was violently pulled from his feet and began sliding towards the wall “Actually I would really like to reconsider!”

He slammed into the wall before being dragged up the stone wall, Dave grabbed the chain and managed to plant his feet at the top of the wall, resisting the dragon’s pull

Adamas turned upside down so he could look back, his wings flapping gently as he smirked “I doubt that you could keep this up” he saw Dave attempt to look back at Strong Shield so he flapped a little harder to get his attention again

“Ok this training is getting ridiculous!” Dave yelled, “Can we stop?” His plan had only started but it was already shot down as Strong Shield frowned

“The hell you are!” Strong Shield yelled back “You are going to keep training until I think you can control yourself” Strong Shield sat down “Now keep going”

“Control yourself, normally that means you are too unstable” Odio sighed “Luckily you just need some good old fashioned motivation” The black fog swirled quickly “Alternative is you actually use the power in your body to slam that scaly fucker”

Dave glared at Strong Shield over his shoulder “If I can contain Adamas then can I leave?”

“Sure if you can” Strong Shield chuckled. His eye still studied Dave as if he was struggling to hold the dragon at this rate

Dave smirked as he pulled on the chain, pulling the arrogant dragon into the castle wall. As Dave’s feet touched the ground, he elbowed a hole in the wall and ducked through. Adamas was still recovering as Dave tied the chain around his back legs

Adamas attempted to kick Dave but that only pulled the chain around his neck, he snarled as he attempted to swipe Dave with his tail. The human avoided by climbing up the dragon and sitting on top of his nose

“Am I done yet?” Dave smiled victoriously at the angry dragon

“Not yet” Adamas growled as he flicked Dave into the air and opened his jaws. A stream of fire raced at Dave, engulfing him as he flew through the air. Adamas closed his jaws and saw Dave come out of his dragonscale trench coat

Dave landed on Adamas’ head, inspecting his trench coat “Made from dragonscales… that means it is fireproof” He chuckled as he used the dragon’s head as a path to the top of the castle walls. He leaned over the edge and waved to Strong Shield “Done!”

Strong Shield grinned “Good, now we can try again tomorrow!” he called as he watched Dave climb down the chain, breaking it at the bottom so Adamas could move freely again

Dave stopped “Yeah I don’t think training is really working out” he scratched the back of his head

“We will keep training Dave until I think you are ready” Strong Shield glared “Don’t spend your time fooling around with Celestia” His words hit Dave like a ton of bricks

“Heh… Excuse me?” Dave returned the glare “What do you mean fooling around?”

Strong Shield took a step to Dave “You aren’t doing this training just for Celestia” The unicorn growled, “This is for all Equestria, because if she falls then the sun will stop”

“I’m doing this for Celestia, Luna, You, Adamas and all those ponies that hate me” Dave poked Strong Shield “And don’t you dare think that I would let anypony down” Dave marched around the unicorn and into the castle “I don’t need training, I’ll see you around”

“Bravo Dave” Odio cheered, “Now I was hoping that we could go to the wonderbolts derby. I have a knack for guessing which pony is going to win”

Dave opened his mouth but quickly shut it as he heard hooves coming from around one of the corners. Luna stepped around with red eyes, signalling she had been crying. They froze and looked at each other

“Hey Luna” Dave sighed, “How are you?” He asked knowing he would not get an answer

“How did you get back so soon? I would have figured you were spending time with Strong Shield and Adamas doing training” The alicorn turned her head away as she walked down the corridor “It doesn’t matter, dinner is being served”

Dave followed Luna as they headed into the large dinning hall. Celestia sat at the head of the table, Luna sat at the other. Cadence and Shining Armour were both sat next to each other in the middle of the table

Dave avoided looking at Cadence as he gave a small wave to Shining. He moved one of the chairs so he was sat on the opposite side of the table to the other two guests but he was sat next to Celestia

“Hey Celestia” He whispered as he kissed her cheek “Have I missed the food yet?”

The white alicorn smiled “Not at all, I was surprised you were joining us seeing as you have training to do” Celestia rested a hoof on top of Dave’s hand

“Yeah it wasn’t working out so I have stopped all that nonsense” Dave smiled back as he held Celestia’s hoof. He heard a sigh of relief from Luna.

The chefs brought in various trays of food and left them on the table. The head chef bowed before leading his team back into the kitchen. The ponies smiled at the trays of fancy vegetables and other pieces of flora

Dave meanwhile picked up a few slices of bread and some strawberries “Shame there isn’t any cream” he joked which made Celestia blush

“Well I’m sure the chefs are sorry that they couldn’t meet your needs,” Cadence said just loud enough for him to hear. Shining chuckled before quietly muttering something to his wife.

Dave continued with his meal, picking up anything else he wanted to try “So Shining, how have the guards been?”

“Well they have been fine, maybe a little relaxed without your father to keep them busy” He joked which caused both the males to chuckle

Dave made himself a small vegetable sandwich and took a bite “Well it is good to know that everypony is doing alright” He smiled but sent a concerned look to the princess at the other end of the table. Luna merely poked and prodded her food, she wasn’t in the mood for eating and didn’t look at Dave

“Yes Shining my husband has done a good job recently” She smiled at her husband “There have been virtually no arrests since he had somepony else take up Strong Shield’s old job”

Dave closed his eyes and took a deep breath “Maybe it is because my father had criminals punished and not give a slap on the hoof to those who made small crimes”

Cadence leapt at Dave’s retaliation “Well if your father did such a good job then why did Princess Celestia have him sacked?” She smirked proudly as Dave’s eyes flared open

“Cadence honey” Shining shot her a frightened stare “You promised not to tell anypony” his eyes were full of fear as Dave talked in an oddly calm tone

“Celestia is that true?” Dave looked at her out of the corner of his eye. The white alicorn shuddered as her head fell in shame and nodded “Ok… I’m gonna take a walk and I will see you back in your quarters” He kissed her on the head as he stood up “We can talk about it then” He said reassuringly

Dave walked to the door but did not get the chance to leave as Cadence took another shot “He doesn’t even care does he? How did both the princesses fall for him?” Celestia and Luna both shot angry glares at the pink princess whilst Shining Armour began drinking strait from a wine bottle

Dave opened the door, stepped out and turned to look at the smug Cadence “Well I am very sorry that Celestia’s coltfriend did not get FUCKED BY A GIANT BUG!” And with that, Dave slammed the door in time to avoid the large spray of alcohol that Shining Armour spat out in shock

Chapter 66

Dave growled the entire time he marched away from the dinning room. He heard the door swing open and a crying Cadence run away with Shining Armour close behind her, trying his best to be reassuring

“Well Dave you performance was very well done” Odio chuckled “Well at least they know you aren’t happy, that you are going to stop training and move on with your life”

Dave rolled his eyes as his frown left and was replaced with a guilt-ridden sigh “I shouldn’t have yelled at Cadence like that” He rubbed his face “Celestia probably thinks I’m a dick right now”

Odio squirmed at the mentioning of the princess’ name “well it probably will last for as long as you keep this angry charade”

“I’ll go apologize later” Dave sighed as he dropped his head “Why does everypony hate me all of a sudden?”

“I don’t hate you” Odio said reassuringly “And I guess that the others are all angry that you don’t love them” The fog swirled in Dave’s mind “But the worst that can happen is that you go live in your house with me”

Dave shook his head “I won’t give up on Celestia, not now, not ever” He swore quietly as he reached Celestia’s bedroom and stepped in “I am going to apologize to everypony”

“Why? You have done nothing wrong, they are the ones with their panties in a twist” Odio protested, “Cadence provoked you, the girls all expected too much too fast and Strong Shield expects you to be a saviour”

Dave grumbled as he sat down on the edge of the bed. The sudden swirl in his head signalled Celestia was coming in. The human frowned the floor as helicon stepped in

Celestia glared at Dave “Explain what you just did” She commanded. Her voice was full of authority and anger. Dave didn’t need to look up to know she wasn’t smiling

“She provoked me” Dave growled, “You saw me contain myself but I wasn’t having that” his eyes rose to meet the princess “But what I want to know is why my father was sacked”

Celestia held her ground “I had every right to do it” She held her head high “He had reliable information on your whereabouts which he refused to give to me”

“So when I left he continued to protect me?” Dave gave a quick smirk “he did that so you sacked him?” he turned his back to the white princess

“I did that so I could find out where you were” Celestia didn’t allow her voice to shake “But right now I wish I hadn’t bothered trying to find you”

Dave snarled to himself “Why? Because you know that I would be foolish enough to come crawling back to you?” He kept his voice low as he awaited a response

Celestia shook her head “You know Dave I used to wonder why you played on my mind” She played with her hooves before looking up “But with the way you just acted I wonder why you even have the nerve to walk into my room without permission”

The human turned to look at the alicorn “Oh so when you need some pleasure the door is wide open but when I am being harassed I am not allowed near anypony?”

“Don’t you dare make yourself out to be the victim” Celestia frowned “If you want sympathy then go cry somewhere else” the princess held herself with respect and confidence as Dave’s face wavered

“I don’t want sympathy,” He mumbled, “I just wanted to be…” Dave did not finish as he walked over to the balcony doors “If I am such a pain in your side then why don’t you use the elements of harmony to get rid of me?”

Celestia kept staring at Dave “Because for some reason I don’t understand at the moment, I love you” Her eyes fell to the floor “and I never want to see you gone”

“Yeah well I’ll be dead in sixty years, that is probably a small time to you” Dave gritted his teeth “and for some reason you chose to try and have a child with me” Dave stared out the window at the blue sky

“I love you and I want to make your life as good as you make me feel” Celestia sighed as she sat down “But I have never been more sure of what we are doing” she looked back up at Dave’s back “Do you regret choosing me?”

“No” Dave said almost instantly “what would you do if somepony came along who you also loved? As much as you love me”

Celestia looked around the room a she spoke “Nothing because I would already be with you” she smiled slightly “Besides, I doubt I could love anypony more than a subject”

“Yeah… any pony” Dave growled as he felt Celestia’s eyes rest on him again “I just want everything to be ok” he tapped his head against the glass “I want to make everypony happy but that would make you unhappy”

“So you have to choose between me or everypony else?” Celestia smiled weakly “I doubt it is that straight forwards”

“The girls voted to never speak to me again, your sister is corrupted with jealousy and I just snapped at Cadence, bringing up the fact that her husband might have had an affair” Dave shook his head “In exchange I get you loving me for a short time before being mad at me”

Celestia shuffled uneasily as Dave looked at her with sad eyes “Everything will be sorted soon enough” the princess sighed

“Why do you want to have a child with me?” Dave stiffened his bottom lip “Why would you want a painful reminder of me for the rest of eternity?”

“Because I love you and want to cherish your memories” Celestia stood as she moved closer to Dave “I want to remember you and not let you fade into a memory or a photo in a book”

Dave chuckled “This supposed evil is coming to get me and use me to hurt you and Luna” He frowned “What is its name?”

“I don’t want to talk about that now” Celestia sighed as she moved closer again “I want to talk about how we can sort out this mess you have gotten yourself into”

Dave walked around her avoiding contact “Give me a name” He growled “What is it anyway? An evil monster, evil twin?”

“It was a side effect of defeating Discord” Celestia muttered before continuing the last subject “But I want to stop this arguing and sort this problem out”

The human rolled his eyes “I’m the problem maker not solver” Dave grumbled, “All I wanted was to make you happy but all I do is mess up” Celestia slapped the human across the face but his head didn’t move and his gaze didn’t waver “that isn’t going to work Princess”

Celestia moved closer to Dave “I told you to never call me that” she growled with a hint of sadness “I don’t want you to feel obliged to do anything”

Dave chuckled “Why do you think I have even been around this long?” Dave stared into Celestia’s hurt eyes “Everything I have done was to make you happy, I felt compelled because we loved each other”

“Dave I want you to either shut up or…” she paused as Dave tilted his head

“Or what? Leave? You know I will” Dave frowned “you lied about my dad, you allowed him to lie and now you say it was justified” He licked his dry lips as he talked “what would happen if I left again? You would burn my house down?”

Celestia walked over to the bed and sat on the edge “Do what you like Dave” She removed her crown and placed it next to her “I am not your princess, I have no control over you”

“No you don’t” Dave gazed at the floor “How you answer this next question means I will either leave or stay” his eyes met Celestia’s “would you love me if I was evil?”

Celestia shuddered as she looked at Dave’s vacant face. Eventually she shook her head “You would never be evil” Dave blinked before turning away and Celestia’s eyes fell shut

She heard the door open and slowly swing shut. She sobbed, quietly at first but eventually allowed all her built up sadness to turn into tears and noise. She crawled over to her pillow and wailed loudly into it, it soaked up her tears as they continued to flow

She sat up, looking down at her regalia. Snarling she pulled off her golden shoes and threw her necklace across the room. She dropped her head into her bare hooves and allowed herself to feel her sobbing face. Slowly she tipped backwards, meaning to collapse into her pillow again but instead was caught halfway and was cradled

She opened her eyes and saw she had landed in Dave’s arms as he sat on the bed. She closed her eyes again and sobbed into Dave’s chest as his fingers ran through her mane. She wrapped her hooves around him and held him tight, never wanting to let go

Dave held Celestia back, his own face remained dry as he sighed “I am so sorry Celestia” his voice trembled “I need you, please don’t hate me”

“I w-would never hate you” Celestia sobbed “P-please stay” she held Dave tighter as he gently stroked the side of her face

“I’m not going anywhere” He smiled happily “I will never leave you”

Celestia smiled “Pinkie promise?”

Dave chuckled weakly “Cross my heart and hope to fly… stick a cupcake in my eye” he kissed the top of Celestia’s head

“I want you to know that whatever happens… I love you” Celestia finally stopped crying and looked up at Dave’s eyes “Nothing, not even time itself will ever change that”

Dave smiled as Celestia reached up and planted a soft kiss on Dave’s lips. They both smiled at each other as they rested looking at each other. Celestia opened a wing and concealed the rest of the room form their vision. Dave could only see his Celestia and Celestia could only see her Dave

Meanwhile…

Adamas crawled into the elder’s cavern and stood upright “Elder I have returned” He announced unenthusiastically

“Ah Adamas” the large eye slowly opened, it gradually opened enough for the elder to see the young dragon “How is everything in Canterlot?”

“Dave has stopped training and he has become strangely… happy” Adamas shook his head “You told me that this evil was merging with Dave, slowly corrupting him”

The elder sighed “Dave can’t hold hatred off forever, but when he breaks you must keep them safe” His eye closed as he coughed

“Are you alright elder?” The young dragon looked with concern

The elder’s eye nodded “Just an old creature realizing how old he is” The elder said sadly “But you must return to Canterlot, make sure this plan goes ahead”

“But there has to be another way” Adamas pleaded “Being around the princesses only slows Dave’s transformation”

“I’m afraid not young one and you must not reveal that we know of Dave‘s burden” The elder sighed with regret before frowning at Adamas “Now are you going to make sure that the spirit of hate completes his plan? Stage one of three is almost done”

Adamas shuddered “If it is the only way” he slowly crawled back out of the cavern and took flight back towards Canterlot

Chapter 67

Shining Armour sat outside his bedroom door, listening to the soft crying of his wife “Are you alright?” He called softly “I will have a word with Dave in the morning”

“Don’t bother!” Cadence yelled before returning to her pillow “if he wasn’t around then there would be no threat!”

Shining opened his mouth to say more reassuring words but a knock from his front door stopped him. He stood, wobbling slightly from being on his flank so long and made his way to the door

He opened it to reveal Dave with his head hung low “Hey Shining… is Cadence in?” He sighed

“She doesn’t want anything else to do with you” Shining glared “And frankly I am not happy with the way you talked to my wife” His eyes attempted to warn Dave off

Dave nodded “I came to apologise to you both” He let out a long sigh before continuing “I had some bad stuff going on and I wasn’t thinking strait”

Shining looked into Dave’s deeply apologetic face and groaned, “If I even think you are going to do anything, I will throw you out” he warned

Dave followed the white unicorn upstairs and over to the bedroom door, Dave nodded and stepped in. “I said I didn’t want to be…” He gaze rose from the bed and she looked at Dave “What do you want?”

“I came to apologize” Dave sighed “For what I said and for anything else I have done” He looked at his feet “I won’t bother with excuses because it was all my fault anyway”

Cadence opened her mouth but she slowly closed it again. She looked at the sad human and slowly allowed a smile to creep across her face. “That is it”

“Huh?” Dave asked as he looked up at a surprisingly happy Cadence “What’s up?”

Cadence trotted over to Dave and tapped his chest “That is why she loves you” Cadence shook her head “I couldn’t see why but now… I get it”

Dave rose an eyebrow and Shining stepped into the room, being cautious that nothing bad was going to happen. Dave looked down at Cadence’s hoof “Yeah but I don’t” he shrugged

“Princess Celestia has always held herself together for the good of Equestria, she always had Luna to share her problems with” Cadence’s smile grew “But she never had anypony to share herself with and for them to do the same”

“So I broke down her emotional barriers?” Dave shrugged again, “That makes it seem like I tricked her”

Cadence shook her head “You don’t understand, you would do anything for Celestia. Correct?” her smile grew as Dave nodded “And why is that?”

“Because it is Celestia,” Dave said as if it was the most obvious question in the world

Cadence moved towards Shining but still addressed Dave “And what do you want in return for your affections?” She gazed into the ponies eyes as they both smiled

“Well I suppose I just want Celestia to be as happy as she makes me” Dave looked away from the married couple “I want to make her smile, to have her know that she was truly loved and… to know that she will never be alone so long as I’m around” Dave chuckled as he looked back “I’m sure you can probably figure it out but… I AM STILL HERE!” Dave gasped

Cadence had Shining Armour’s horn buried in her mouth, a thin line of saliva running along its length. Shining panted heavily as he spoke “Sorry Dave… Cadence gets a little…whew…. Excited when somepony talks about love”

Cadence pulled Shining out of her mouth and massaged her jaw “Sorry, true love is a wondrous thing and what you just said made me want to ride Shining like a chariot!” she blushed heavily as she realized Dave was gawping and Shining was staring at the ground “I apologize for the way I have treated you too Dave” Cadence held out a hoof “Friends?”

Dave reached for the hoof but paused “Has that been washed recently?” He asked as Cadence shot him a glare “Ok friends” The group smiled as Dave rubbed his hand in Shining’s mane and headed for the door “I will see you both some other time”

“So…” Shining shuffled his hooves “are we getting the equipment out this time or what?”

Meanwhile…

Nurse Redheart placed her final piece of paperwork aside as a flash of light blew the stack over “Good afternoon your majesty” The mare bowed, ignoring the sudden chaos in the room

“Good afternoon Nurse Redheart” Celestia nodded so the earth pony could rise “Are you still willing to do the scan?” Her nervousness made her voice shake slightly

The smaller mare smiled “Of course Princess Celestia” Nurse Redheart took the princess through the empty hospital corridors and into the scanning room “Just lay back like last time”

The princess climbed onto the table before lying as straight as she could, her wings tucked in and head tipped back slightly so her horn did not catch on anything. “How accurate is this scan?” Celestia called to distract herself from the large machine opening near her head

“Depending on how far along you are with your pregnancy I would say it is very accurate” Nurse Redheart smiled warmly butting the princess’ mind at ease “Alright here we go,” She said enthusiastically as she pushed the start button

The princess held her breath as she was slowly slid into the large round machine and the noise began to echo in her ears. A few lights flickered on and off as Nurse Redheart adjusted a few dials. “You are doing great princess” She called again

Celestia stayed motionless until her table was smoothly slid out from the machine and the noise stopped. He face blushed red “So what happened?”

“Well…” Nurse Redheart removed a scan sheet full of colours that made Celestia stare “It appears that alicorn and human children may spend a little more time in the womb than normal ponies”

Celestia sighed before her head shot up “Wait how would you know if alicorn’s take longer to have a child?” Her curious frown quickly changed into a large grin “Am I?”

Nurse Redheart nodded “From what I can see, I know some congratulations are in order” She passed the princess the sheet “And I am sure that you and Dave will make great parents” She gasped as Celestia picked her up in a tight hug

“Thank you so much for your cooperation” Celestia smiled happily as her eyes began to water again “If there is anything you need then I shall help you to the best pf my abilities” She held the smaller pony in her hooves and Nurse Redheart merely tapped her softly

“Well I see that you must have somepony to inform” Nurse Redheart was released and she made sure her cap was still attached to her pink mane “But with a this child being born with an alicorn mother I would suggest that you come in again in a week so I can be sure and we can take precautions”

“Is there something wrong?” Celestia suddenly stared at the white nurse “If there is anything you need to help me then I can…” Nurse Redheart cut off the princess raising her hoof

“Everything is fine but…” She rolled her eyes nervously “There has never been a reported case of an alicorn giving birth or even going through pregnancy so there is a chance I could be wrong” She sighed at Celestia’s drooped ears “But I know what to look for and if I scan you next week then I can be exact”

The princess of the day nodded “Thank you so much for everything Nurse Redheart” The alicorn smiled as she stood “I will see you next week then” she vanished in a flash of white light and left Nurse Redheart alone in the hospital

The nurse looked around the room before rubbing her eyes “I’ll just write it in the appointment book shall I?”

Meanwhile…

Dave walked back into the castle with a smile on his face, he hummed quietly to himself but stopped as he turned a corner and stood in front of Strong Shield “Hello Dave” He said in a plain tone

“Hey dad how’s it going?” Dave smiled but his face dropped as Strong Shield let out an angry sigh “What have I done now?”

“You yelled at a princess, abandoned your training and now letting all of Equestria get in harm’s way” Strong Shield glared “There is another boulder outside and I want it broken by the end of tomorrow night” He barged past Dave as he went down the corridor and down some stairs

Dave took a breath to calm himself before continuing his walk “You know I am getting really sick of everypony demanding things all the time,” Dave said quietly

“Well I keep telling you that as long as you do what they say they will use you” Odio swirled around Dave’s mind “they either control or remove anything stronger than themselves”

“Where did you fit in?” Dave asked as he began climbing more stairs “Because all you did was say some words”

“Words have power” Odio chuckled “Just look at Skyrim haha… no laughter? Fine” Odio murmured to himself before continuing “but I couldn’t control myself back then so I accidentally said some words which made Luna go Nightmare”

Dave ran his fingers through his hair “So what was Equestria like back then?” Dave reached Celestia’s door and went in, making sure that the alicorn was not around

“They had the whole ‘we are happy with this gift our princess has bestowed us’ thing going on” Odio sighed “It was really, really annoying” A silence lasted between the pair until Dave removed his clothes and walked into the large bathroom “No drowning this time” Odio joked

Dave chuckled as he swam over to the waterfall and pushed his head through, allowing the water to massage his back “If you talked with Luna then you must have been friends… right?”

Odio groaned in various pitches before actually talking “Well I was more of a responsibility than a friend” The fog in Dave’s mind moved slowly as he thought back “My creation was their fault so they had to look after me”

“How were you created anyway? I guess it has to do with hatred” Dave swam to the edge of the pool so he could relax

“When they first used the elements of harmony against Discord they did it out of hatred for what he was doing to Equestria” Odio chuckled “As a by-product of their power I was formed as no more than a wisp of smoke”

Dave nodded gently “So I am guessing as you gained some power they became aware of your existence” Dave shrugged “So I guess I would be right in assuming you had no choice but to do as they said?”

“Yes they could have destroyed me and we wouldn’t be here now but it was Luna that convinced Celestia to give me a chance in life” Odio’s sounded vaguely disappointed “But she still helped her big sister send me away”

“So that is why you hate Celestia and dislike Luna” Dave realized “They both sent you away but Luna gave you the benefit of the doubt” Dave chuckled “Look how much good that did her”

“They both hate me now regardless of what happens” Odio sighed before flowing slightly more aggressively “I am a very strong believer in beings getting what they deserve”

Dave nodded gently “I bet you are” His conversation was cut short as he heard somepony enter into the bedroom “Celestia?” He called out as Odio faded into the darkness of his mind

The white alicorn stepped into the bathroom “Hello Dave” she smiled happily as she removed her regalia and joined Dave “I went for a scan today”

“Did you?” Dave stared at the princess “Was everything ok?” His voice grew with concern but it left as Celestia nodded

“The nurse doesn’t want to get out hopes up so I have to go again next week” Celestia nuzzled Dave’s shoulder “But she said that she might have seen something”

Dave’s jaw fell open but soon his lips curled into a smile “That’s wonderful” He wrapped his arms around Celestia “That is absolutely amazing”

“I know Dave but we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves” Celestia hated breaking the contact “I will go for this scan next week and we will find out then” She smiled at Dave as her eyes began to water “I love you,” she whispered

“I love you too,” Dave whispered back as his arms wrapped around Celestia again and held her close. She wrapped her hooves around Dave’s neck allowing the water to support them both as they held each other

Odio cheekily sent a tiny surge of energy through Dave’s body. A few bubbles left the human and his eyes shot open in shock. Celestia’s head rose and looked at the water in curiosity “What was that?”

“Umm… happy gas” Dave smiled as he made a mental note to kill Odio “We might want to go back into the bedroom” Dave suggested as he hoped to get out before the smell hit them. Celestia agreed and they both stepped out of the water

Celestia licked Dave’s cheek “Actually how about we make it more accurate and go straight for the bed?” Dave grinned as Celestia brushed gently against him “I’ll be waiting” She kissed Dave with a burning passion before leaving the bathroom

Dave smiled after the alicorn and whilst her back was turned rose a middle finger to the mirror “That plan backfired didn’t it?” he chuckled quietly as his reflection rolled his eyes angrily. Dave then returned to the task at hand and eagerly followed Celestia to the comfy bed

Chapter 68

Chapter 68 (beginning of the end)

Dave awoke to the blinding light flowing in through the balcony windows, his eyes took a moment to adjust before he focused in on the alicorn resting her head on his chest

“Morning” He smiled as he stroked the side of her face. Celestia rested her eyes and allowed herself to sink into Dave’s hand

“Good morning Dave” Celestia smiled as her eyes opened and looked at Dave “Would you like breakfast in bed again?”

Dave chuckled “Nah I think we should have breakfast properly” His smile weakened “I think we should spend time with Luna”

Celestia nodded “I admit that this latest development has but some slight distance between us” she continued to rest her eyes as she listened to Dave’s heartbeat

“Well I suppose we have to get up then” Dave raised his eyebrows as Celestia hummed in agreement “Are you going to get up?”

“In five minutes” Celestia opened one eye with a smile “Please?”

Dave rolled his eyes and smiled as he hugged the alicorn “Alright fine… I suppose a good lay in will do some good”

Meanwhile…

Adamas was awoke by Strong Shield tapping his nose “It is very unwise to wake a sleeping dragon” Adamas snorted

“Yeah well it is also unwise to use Canterlot castle as a gym but here we are” Strong Shield frowned as he rolled his one eye to the large white walls of the castle “I am going to get him down here”

Adamas yawned as he pushed himself up into a seated position “What do you need me to get today?” His wings unfolded gently and slowly flapped to work out the muscles

Strong Shield stood silent before replying “Just another boulder” His gaze dropped to the floor “But there is something I want to know”

“And what is that?” Adamas stretched his arms before shaking them. His eyes narrowed as he saw the unicorns glare

“What are you telling that elder of yours?” The ex-guard held his ground as the dragon lowered his head to his level

“That is business between me and him” Adamas snorted hot air into Strong Shield’s face “Don’t pry into matters that are beyond you” His growl didn’t intimidate the pony as he took a step forwards

Strong Shield pointed a hoof at the dragon “If I suspect anything then I will have your scaly flank thrown out like yesterday’s newspaper” The unicorn turned and marched back into the castle leaving the dragon to growl to himself

“Your role will be the greatest” Adamas sighed “I hope you will live up to it… little unicorn” He then flapped his wings and engaged his search for a suitable rock

Meanwhile…

Shining Armour saluted to some of his guards as they went off on patrol, his purple armour covered his body and gained salutes from passing guards. His attention turned to a private that marched towards him “Private Barrier” He saluted and gained one in return “Do you have something to report?”

“Yes sir” The private lowered his hoof “I have come to inform you that the element of magic has come to Canterlot” His nervousness still held in his voice as he talked to his superior

“Twiley? What is she doing here?” His eyes danced around before holding up his hoof “Actually I shall ask her myself… where is she?”

Private Barrier took a deep breath “She is waiting inside the castle library, she said she had to do some umm… research” His face remained strait as the captain chuckled

“That curious little unicorn” Shining shook his head with a smile “I will go see her now, dismissed guardspony!”

“Yes sir!” Private Barrier saluted again before marching away faster than he approached. The captain of the guard then left the barracks and headed for the library, saluting to guards along the way. As he entered the library, he saw Twilight gazing into the giant hourglass

“Still trying to figure out why it never runs out?” Shining smiled as Twilight turned in shock. When the mare realized that, it was her older brother she quickly relaxed

“I know how it works!” She smiled “But I am here to speak to Dave” her smile lessened as her ears drooped “I am afraid that it isn’t good news”

The taller unicorn sat next to his sibling “What is it Twilight? I’m your big brother, you can tell me anything” His reassuring smile always made her open up

“Some of my friends voted to never speak to Dave again” She sighed sadly “And I have no idea how to fix it” She frowned to herself “they don’t talk about him, they avoid anything to do with him and they even tried to convince Fluttershy to get her animals to attack his home”

Shining Armour’s frown grew as his purple sister talked “I know they must be upset but this seems a little extreme” he removed his helmet and allowed his blue mane to fall into it’s natural place “I am sure that eventually they will get over it, you will see”

“I hope you are right” Twilight turned her head to look back into the hourglass “I will go find Dave at some point today and speak with him… maybe his has some ideas”

Shining gave his sister a reassuring cuddle before releasing her “Well if you need me at anytime you know where I am” He placed his helmet back on and began his journey back to the guard barracks

Meanwhile…

Dave and Celestia happily walked together as they headed for the dining hall, Celestia was in her royal regalia and Dave was in his normal clothes. They stepped into the room together and instantly saw Luna eating her porridge at the end of the table

“Good morning sister… good morning Dave” She smiled happily at the couple as they took their seats “How was the scan sister?”

Celestia smiled “I have to go for a scan next week to be sure but…” her eyes wandered over to Dave’s “It looks good”

Luna smiled happily, as she saw her sister’s bright eyes “That is wonderful news Tia” the princess looked back down at her breakfast “do you know how long the pregnancy should last?”

Celestia’s smile disappeared as it was replaced with a curious frown “I don’t know” She hummed as some breakfast was brought in for her “I suppose that Nurse Redheart will inform me during my next visit” the white alicorn began to eat her breakfast as Dave ordered his from the waiting chef

“And I don’t suppose you have vegetarian sausages do you?” Dave asked with his fingers crossed

The chef shook his head slowly while his face tightened in confusion “I am afraid I don’t know what vegetarian sausages are… if you give me a short description I can try my best to recreate a few”

Dave shook his head “No I couldn’t ask you to do that… I guess I will have whatever you recommend” He nodded with a smile as the chef’s face beamed with excitement and he rushed away to begin preparing the meal

“So Dave… what do you think that this is going to be like? Being a father?” Luna’s curiosity vastly outmatched her jealousy.

The human chuckled nervously “Well I am nervous at the moment but… I have a feeling that it will all turn out alright” His happy smile was aimed at Celestia as she placed a hoof to her stomach “And I am sure I speak for both Celestia and I when I ask if you, would like to be heavily involved in our child’s life?”

Luna’s mouth slowly turned into a large smile “I would be honoured to be a part of its life” she held back the tears of happiness by hurrying to her sister and giving her a large hug

Dave smiled but his attention shifted as he heard the door behind him open. He turned to see Strong Shield frowning at him. “Word” he said as he left the room, leaving the door open for Dave to follow. Rolling his eyes, Dave reluctantly followed the unicorn into the corridor and closed the door gently behind him

“So what’s up dad?” Dave folded his arms as he leaned against a wall. The unicorn turned to frown at him

“Don’t give me that,” He growled, “What is going on? You have dropped the training and Adamas has been acting as vacant as a brain-dead sloth” Strong Shield held his ground as Dave frowned at him

“Well I am spending time with Celestia, if you haven’t heard the news then you are in for a shock” Dave held his arms in the air “There is a good chance she is pregnant”

“She is?” Strong Shield’s frown waved before coming back stronger “All the more reason for you and that dragon to get off your flanks and get to work!”

Dave rolled his eyes with a chuckle “No wonder you never met anypony with that cared about you with your attitude” His eyes fell back to the black pony “I would train if I felt I needed it”

Strong Shield shook his head with a sigh “you used to be so eager to do things but now… you aren’t nearly as powerful as you used to be” the unicorn then turned and left Dave to glare after him

Dave moved to go back into the dinning hall but stopped, his hand moved to push the door opened but it never touched the polished wood as he heard Celestia and Luna talking happily. He looked down the empty corridor where Strong Shield once stood before heading in the opposite direction

Meanwhile…

Luna released Celestia from another hug “So what are you going to name it?” The smaller alicorn sat in Dave’s empty seat while she talked with her sister

“Well I don’t know what gender it is” Celestia smiled in mystery “I am not sure if I should be scared or happy” her appetite faded as thoughts bounced around her mind

The princess of the night could not help but chuckle at her sister’s face “You look like the first time I showed you a meteor shower” She smiled at the memory “We will do something special to commemorate its birth”

Celestia nodded but her smile faded as she noticed Dave was no longer in the room “Where has Dave gone? It couldn’t have taken that long to talk with Strong Shield” She smiled at Luna “I am going to check the bedroom to see if he is there, can you check elsewhere before you retire to your quarters?”

“Of course” Luna nuzzled against her sister “it is good to see you smile again”

Meanwhile…

“Why does everypony have a problem with you?” Odio grumbled “Strong Shield, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie” His growling made Dave growl as well “They all tried to twist you around their hooves and look where you are now”

Dave marched out onto the runway and saw the large boulder “Another boring challenge in my life” Dave sighed as he saw the sleeping Adamas. He rolled his eyes as he began punching the boulder

“You are trapped unfortunately” Odio rolled around gently “You can’t reveal me without being destroyed yourself, you can’t put off this training without arousing suspicion”

The dragon cracked his eye open to see Dave muttering to himself, the castle door opened and Twilight stepped out. “Hello Dave” she called as she approached

Dave did not acknowledge her presence as he talked to Odio “I am not going to live my life in fear of being rejected”

“You are like a leaf in a stream” Odio flowed along Dave’s veins, as the human’s anger rose “You have no control over what is going to happen”

Twilight stopped as her headache returned “Ah… Dave who are you talking to?” she looked at the dragon as she began to panic “What is going on?”

Adamas sighed as Dave’s strikes became harder and faster. Dave’s breathing soon became replaced with soft growls

“I am controlling my life” Dave growled, “No one is making decisions for me”

“Dave what are you talking about?” Twilight looked at Adamas for help

“Celestia is trying to get a leash on you with this child” Odio’s voice soon resonated throughout Dave’s body “You are just a puppet!”

“I AM NOT A PUPPET!” Dave roared as he kicked the boulder away, he slammed his palm forwards and a blast of red energy blasted the rock apart. Adamas reared his head at the amount of power he witnessed, Twilight even ducked as small chunks of rock rained down

“Odio?” Another voice called behind, it is tone a mixture of sadness and horror “It’s been you all along”

Dave’s anger froze as he turned to see Luna standing by the castle door “Luna?” his eyes shot open as her face turned to a snarl and a large ball of light slammed into him, sending him into the smokescreen he created

“Celestia!” She called as she fired blast after blast at the human. Celestia appeared, she felt Luna’s anger and knew it meant only one thing. She too quickly joined in firing blasts at the dust cloud, causing the ground to shake as the princesses combined power devastated their target

Twilight gawped at the scene as the princesses finally stopped their attack and moved forwards to investigate. As they approached Dave’s beaten and unconscious body, Celestia wailed loudly and fell to ground

“No, no not him” She sobbed as she became physically sick “Why him?” she sobbed as Luna rushed to her side “If I had known it was him I would have never let him near us”

“He tricked us both” Luna said reassuringly “It’s not your fault Tia, now we know we can stop him for good”

A few hours later…

Dave’s eyes slowly cracked open, his arms and legs restrained by large golden bonds, the metal tight around his skin. The room was dark and the walls were a dull stone that showed the test of time.

“Why did you come back?” a female voice called. As Dave’s eyes came into focus, he saw Celestia glaring with murderous eyes

“Celestia I can explain” Dave’s voice was weak as he realized another bond was around his chest, restricting his breathing

Celestia snarled, “I never thought I could hate you anymore Odio but you managed it” he horn glowed and the bonds around Dave’s body burned like the sun

“AAAAHHHH!” He gritted his teeth as the burning stopped “I am not Odio… I am Dave… Odio is…”

“SILENCE!” Celestia yelled, “Whatever you call yourself now is of no importance. I loved the mask you made for yourself but in the end your anger revealed you”

Dave shook his head as he panted, “No you don’t understand I AAARRRRGGGHHHH!”

Celestia kept the burning shackles going until the false love before her silenced “I opened myself to you, loved you but I would never love something that would turn my sister against me”

“Celestia I want you to know that I…” He was cut short as Celestia pressed her horn against his throat

"The only reason i showed affection to you was because you were a great asset to Equestria... nothing more" She meant those words to hurt and they did. Dave shuddered as his gaze fell and his eyes rained tears

The princess of the sun snarled until the broken door behind her opened and Luna stepped in followed by the girls adorned in the elements of harmony

The girls all gasped but as Luna revealed Dave’s true nature, they all slipped into a snarl, except Pinkie who spoke up “I don’t get it… none of this makes sense”

“You don’t make sense but we put up with you!” Rainbow snapped out of the build-up of anger towards the restrained beast “Let’s send this thing back to the stars”

Celestia shook her head “No… he would return and surprise us” She shrugged off Dave’s tear filled eyes “Make him a paperweight and we shall bury him somewhere”

“Celestia please you have to listen to me!” Dave begged as the girls took formation and the white alicorn paced away, back turned to him

Twilight’s eyes glowed as the girls levitated off the ground. The princesses’ eyes were full of hate and pain as Dave wrestled against the bonds that held him

“NO!” Dave yelled as he broke the metal restraining his arm and reached for Celestia. His vision was soon filled by the blinding rainbow and his vision faded from a white to a black

…

“Doctor I think he is waking up” a woman’s voice said happily

“Ah yes, he has been in a coma for a while… give him a moment” a male’s voice said in an equally happy tone

Dave managed to open one eye, his vision was blurry but he made out two human shapes “Where am I?” Dave’s throat was stiff with pain

“You are in hospital” The tall doctor sighed “You cracked your head open when you fell onto a rock, your head filled with water and you had a very nasty infection”

“Hospital?” Dave’s muscles refused to move as he attempted to sit up “Where is Celestia?”

“Celestia? Who is that?” The doctor hummed as the nurse left his side “I think you may have experienced quite a lot during your coma”

“Coma?” Dave’s breathing became quicker as he heard the bleeps from the heartbeat monitor race “None of it was real?”

“I’m afraid not” The doctor shrugged as he walked for the door “Get some rest, you won’t be moving for a while”

Over the next hour, Dave attempted to move but his muscles refused. He sat crying for a few minutes as the shock of the news sank in. He begged for the doctor and the hospital to be a nightmare, for him to wake up in Celestia’s hooves again

Eventually Dave stared up at the plain white roof as a janitor came in to clean the floor, his whistling was the only thing Dave could hear over the bleep of the machine next to him

“Well aren’t you a sack of shit?” The janitor chuckled

Dave growled “Who ever the fuck you are… leave me alone” his vision was suddenly filled with a black fog with burning red eyes

“Now is that anyway to greet your only way out of this prison?” Odio chuckled

Chapter 69

Chapter 69 [lol]

Luna sat around the dining hall, the elements of harmony sat around the table except Fluttershy and Pinkie that sat either side of Strong Shield. Everypony sat in silence as the sun was lowered and the dull moon took its place

“So you mean to tell me that Dave has been the spiritual embodiment of hate this entire time?” Strong Shield stared out of the windows at the sleeping city “How come we are only finding this out now?”

The princess sighed as she removed her crown and rubbed her eyes “He has been away for over a thousand years… he must have gotten crafty”

“But he has been around us for ages” Strong Shield shook his head “I just don’t get it” He dropped his eyelid as his head rested

Twilight looked back at her teacher’s sister “Recently I have been getting headaches near Dave” Luna’s eyes looked tired as she looked at the purple unicorn

“I suppose as the element of magic you must have been picking up on his power” Luna chuckled “I guess he didn’t expect you to be so powerful, he only masked himself around me and my sister”

“I knew he was trouble” Rarity sighed, “It was a shame that he messed with our hearts before we caught on” she held her white head up to look over at Pinkie “It seems Pinkie was the only pony that didn’t fall for his trap”

The pink party pony did not accept the comment as she helped Fluttershy reassure the black unicorn. His eye showed a lot of pain but his face showed only fury

Fluttershy looked around at the ponies “Umm… where is Princess Celestia?” she asked quietly as all the ponies looked to Luna for an answer

“She has locked herself away in her quarters” Luna held herself together “She blames herself for everything” Luna smiled at the ponies before it faded again “And if she feels as bad as I do for even loving Odio then I am afraid she is not going to fully recover”

Applejack snorted, “At least she doesn’t have a bun in her oven” her smile moved around to meet Luna’s glare “SHE IS?” Applejack’s jaw dropped

“We don’t know for sure but it does look like it” Luna sighed as the ponies exchanged shocked glances

Strong Shield groaned as he stood up and angrily marched to the door “I am not standing for this” he grumbled as he slammed the door behind him “That dragon knows something and I am going to find out what!”

Luna shook her head “I’m going to talk with my sister… the rest of you may use any of the guest rooms” The alicorn put her dark crown back on as she left the room, closing the door more gently than the previous user did

The princess of the night stopped outside her sister’s bedroom door, the surface flowed like the surface of the sun. The guards had moved away from the intense heat but still saluted Luna

“Sister open this door” Luna called, she heard sniffles from the other side but soon the barrier faded away. Luna stepped in and closed the door behind her, she looked at the heap on the bed

Celestia was hidden beneath her bed covers, crying loudly as she coiled into a ball, like a filly that lost her pet. Luna stood by the edge of the bed as she rested a hoof on the mound

“Sister I know you must be hurt but…” The dark alicorn was silenced as Celestia yelled back, her voice muffled by the thick sheets

“You have no idea!” Celestia howled “I loved that disguise and it loved me back but I should have know it was too good to be true” The ball shuffled as Celestia crawled out of the sheets, hurling a silver bracelet at her wall, it bounced off and rolled around the floor before falling still “Those words were written by him that is why they’re there”

Luna sighed as she saw her sister’s bloodshot eyes “Listen, Odio has been stopped, he isn’t coming back”

“He doesn’t need to” Celestia sobbed as she snarled at her stomach “This… This… abomination inside of me has to go”

As the words left Celestia’s lips, Luna gasped “Celestia how could you think of such a thing? It may be a piece of Odio but it isn’t the child’s fault”

“I don’t care” The white alicorn wept, “It will be an everlasting reminder that he bested us” Celestia brought the covers over her head so she could hide from the world “I let everypony down”

Luna climbed onto the bed and lay down next to her sister, placing a comforting hoof over the mound to let her know she was near

Meanwhile…

Odio left Dave’s vision as he fumbled around the hospital room “Right well do you want a long explanation or a short one?”

“I’m a bit fucking confused and very fucking pissed so I suggest you make it a novel,” Dave growled as he resumed to staring at the roof

“The elements are using your own mind to make the perfect prison, everything here is being forced to keep you here” Odio picked up the defibrillator paddles and turned the machine on “This is gonna hurt” He brought the paddles onto Dave’s temples causing him to bolt upright

Dave shook his head as he looked around the room, the view outside the mirror was a random assortment of buildings, skyscrapers and fields “What the hell is this?”

“Perfect prison” Odio chuckled “No one can break out but luckily there are two of us” Odio smiled as he fumbled around the draws “Ah ha just as I predicted” Odio tossed a shotgun onto the bed

“The only reason we are talking is because everypony thought I was you” Dave grabbed the shotgun and pointed it at the fog “Why the fuck should I listen to you now?”

Odio calmly changed into his humanoid form, his eyes narrowed as they looked at Dave “You used my power and revealed us and I told you that the princesses would take action”

“Fuck you” Dave pumped the shotgun “Now tell me why I am not hallucinating and why I should believe you”

“Because you are the only one that has EVER treated me as a friend, I can leave whenever I want” Odio’s fog shuffled aggressively “YOU are trapped not me”

Dave growled as he let the weapon drop to his side “So how do we get out?” Dave followed the fog out of the hospital room and into the school corridor “Wait? The fuck is going on?”

“Your mind was heavily affected due to your body resisting this worlds rules” Odio chuckled “let’s just say shit is going to get weird” the corridor filled with noise as armed soldiers rappelled in through the windows

Dave fired his shotgun and as the first soldier fell his head shot with pain “Ah shit… fighting inside my head” He grumbled angrily as Odio dragged him through a door and they landed in a supermarket

“Yeah you just shot a small part of your muscle memory” Odio chuckled “Looks like you are a noob at Call of Duty again” he pulled a shopping cart over and placed Dave inside “Alright this is perfect!”

Dave fired some more shots at anything that jumped out in front of them as Odio pushed the cart along, his groans soon began to spur him on as he yelled, “so where are we going to show up once we break free?”

“Where ever it is that Celestia had you buried” Odio chuckled “Well technically she had Adamas drop us over the badlands and to never know where you are ever again”

“BITCH!” Dave growled as he removed the head from a soldier. The cart was pushed into the hardware section and Odio began to search for a tool to use “Alright once we are out we kick in the front doors to Canterlot, show everypony what we can truly do and then I am having a word with Celestia”

Odio picked up a sledgehammer and twirled it around “Then what? Rule over everything?”

“No, we can leave, go back to my world and take that over” Dave grumbled “I never want to see this world again” He spat as Odio shrugged

“Alright prepare for the universe’s greatest jail break” Odio chuckled as he broke Dave’s arm off with the hammer. The arm broke and crumbled like stone, the grey solid turned to dust as it hit the ground, Dave did not yelp at the pain but nodded as Odio slammed the blunt object into his face

His vision suddenly cracked as his eyes rubbed against the hard stone that retrained his body. On the other side of the stone, he heard a faint buzzing. He groaned as he broke through the rock and fell onto the squishy floor, breaking the stone around his head

“Now what is this thing?” A female voice asked and was responded with various buzzing “I know the hive doesn’t know, I AM the hive you inferior beetle”

Dave pushed himself to his knees, allowing the final bits of Stone to fall from his body. He looked up through various holes that separated him from a group of bug like ponies

“Oh are those the changelings?” Dave asked Odio “They look really… similar”

“Well we are meant to take different forms so having individuality naturally is pathetic” The holes moved and Dave realized they were the holey hooves of a taller changeling, a small crown rested on her head and a greasy mane dropped from her head

Dave held his nose as a repulsive stench rushed into his nostrils “Have you ever heard of deodorant or air fresheners? Seriously!” His smile became apparent as Odio chuckled

“How dare you mock me! Queen Chrysalis! Queen of the changelings!” the royal bug held her head high as she attempted to talk down to the human “Now explain what you are before I have my army tear you apart”

Dave released his nose and looked at the queen “We are Dave and Odio” He bowed “And if you ever try to threaten me again I will burn your entire race before your eyes, I will squash every maggot with my feet and I will make you watch while I fill the holes in your body with coal before setting it alight!”

Queen Chrysalis glared angrily “Why you pathetic little creature” She snarled and her minions began to circle “Give me one reason I shouldn’t kill you where you stand!”

“Well let’s just say I have an appointment with Celestia” His smile turned to a frown as his body became wrapped in a dense black fog “And I would HATE to miss it”

Chapter 70

The changeling buzzed angrily behind their queen but she raised a slender black hoof to silence them “You are going to Canterlot?”

“Yeah so if you don’t mind pointing the way then I will be on my way,” Dave growled as the noise began to annoy him “Because no offence… actually DO take offence, you all disgust me”

“And me!” Odio added in, causing the changelings to scurry around as the voice came from the fog

Dave nodded “Yes and Odio” he looked back at the humming queen “So please tell your busy bees to get out of the way”

Queen Chrysalis paced around Dave inspecting his fog-covered body “What do you plan to do when you reach Canterlot?” The queen’s sleek body moved easily on the soft ground

“Well I am not exactly welcome so I will be kicking in some doors and possibly blasting some guards if they stand between me and Celestia”

Chrysalis froze at the mention of the princess’ name “Did you say Princess Celestia? What business do you have with her?” He green eyes narrowed as she sniffed the human “Ahh… the smell of love, you reek of it”

Dave rubbed his eyes “I’m sorry but do you plan on making sense or can I leave?” The fog around him receded slightly until it only appeared to leak from the openings of his clothes

“We shall make a deal with you, Dave and Odio” The queen motioned for Dave to follow and he reluctantly did so

They walked through narrow tunnels and occasionally had to leap across gaps until they reached a large door, the swarm kept up as they stared at Dave. He kicked one away as it attempted to nibble at his trench coat

“Leave us,” The queen hissed and the smaller bugs scattered, the royal shot Dave a strange look before resting her horn against a cracked wall, the surface moved and absorbed the queen, leaving Dave to cringe at the thought of walking through something organic

Odio’s eyes floated either side of Dave’s head “Well I suppose if the changelings haven’t attacked yet they must be in trouble” the spirit of hatred looked around “Even if this is a trap we could easily kill everything”

Dave rolled his eye as he approached the wall, he rested a hand on the sticky surface and it slowly dragged him in “Now I know what being shat out feels like” Dave groaned before his head was pulled through, as he entered the other side he instantly noticed the large yellow sack that was attached to the ceiling

Queen Chrysalis had a different smile, it was vaguely sad with a hint of happiness. She was not looking at Dave, she was looking at the sickly changeling that was attached to the sack “Hello sister” Chrysalis sighed as she nuzzled the changeling

“What the fuck is wrong with her?” Dave cringed again as he realized the yellow mass was actually a large egg sack. His mind returned to the form that was slightly smaller than Chrysalis

The queen held the old changelings head “This is my sister, she is weak and I am afraid might not last much longer” her face held a lot of sadness as she looked at Dave “That is why I am proposing a deal”

“Deal?” Dave raised an eyebrow “I have everything I need”

“Celestia did this to my sister and I want to see her suffer” Chrysalis snarled, “My sister was born with the gift to lay changeling eggs, she is responsible for the survival of our race. We attacked Canterlot to get love for my people to feed on, I attacked Canterlot so I could feed my sister”

Dave shook his head “How did Celestia do this? And what is this deal?” His anger grew as the weak changeling coughed, spraying yellow saliva over the floor

“Celestia prevented me getting enough love to feed my people and my sister, she had to delay me so Cadence and Shining Armour could repel us” She sighed sadly “My sister refused the food so her children could feed”

Odio’s eyes burned dimly as he gazed at the weak changeling “So you need love to feed your sister” His eyes glanced at Dave as the human shrugged

“Yes, here is the deal” Chrysalis moved close to Dave “You allow me to take enough love from you to save my sister and I will assist you in destroying Canterlot”

Dave chuckled “I am only going to show that Celestia was wrong and missed out on how much love I had to give her” Dave shook his head “I am not hurting anypony else”

Queen Chrysalis recoiled in shock “You love Celestia… that explains it” She rubbed her chin before looking at Dave again “fine… we wont attack Canterlot but I still need love to save my sister”

Dave looked at Chrysalis with a glare “Alright you can take some of it but I don’t want it used to help you attack anypony… got that?”

“Deal” Chrysalis nodded before her horn glowed a bright green and her body slowly shifted into the shape of Celestia

Dave cringed slightly “Urgh I may have to close my eyes for this… no offence I love Celestia but I know you are really a bug”

The illusion snorted “Fine but I will have to make this quick, your mind can only be fooled for a short time” The changeling queen moved close to Dave, his magical resistance made her disguise shake and weaken

Odio chuckled as Dave shut his eyes and allowed his mouth to hang open. The changeling queen’s own tongue extended out of her body, its length and size made Odio stop giggling and instead look on with disgust “Ok that is just nasty”

Dave foolishly opened one eye to see the mixed image of Celestia and Chrysalis, ram three feet of black tongue down his throat and into his chest. His coughed as his windpipe was blocked but also his body tingled as he felt his chest feel lighter. The queen removed her forked tongue as her image fully restored, her tongue returned to her body as Dave held his throat

She hurried to her sister “Sister! I have a gift for you” She held one of her hooves near the weak changeling, a small drop of green goo dripped from one of the holes “There is more than enough here for you to be restored

The weak changeling extended her own tongue and placed it into the holes, the sound of gulping made Dave gag as he looked away. Odio stared out of pure fascination as the wrinkled changeling became as young as her larger sister

The queen pulled her hoof away as she was released from the grip of the weak changeling’s tongue. She beamed happily as her sister smiled happily “Larva? Are you alright?”

The previously weak changeling smiled at her slightly larger sister “Chry? How are my children? Are they alright?” Larva cuddled her sister from her position atop the egg sack her eyes opened and wandered over to Dave and the floating red eyes “What are they?”

Chrysalis released her sister “The hairless monkey is Dave and the fog is Odio” The changeling queen suddenly remembered that she wasn’t alone with her sister “I thank you Dave for allowing me to help my sister”

“It was his love that rejuvenated me?” Larva shook her body to shed her dry outer layer. As she stretched herself in her light grey body and her new orange hair flowed, it was cleaner than her larger sister’s was but it was brand new

“Chrysalis and Larva?” Dave chuckled and Odio soon joined in “Is everything a reference even here?” the fog swirled slowly as Dave folded his arms

The royal changelings gave Dave a glare before smiling again at each other “I wont have you torn apart because you helped my sister” Chrysalis hissed “But don’t think that your jokes will be tolerated”

Odio’s burning eyes floated over to the two changelings “Yeah we are going to have the usual explanation of your roles before we never see you again” The burning eyes were joined by a fiery smile for a moment before Larva released Chrysalis

“My sister was born with greater powers than mine so obviously she became queen of the hive” Larva produced a smile “But our mother gave birth to me and I have the rare talent of providing my sister with her minions”

Chrysalis nodded “We share a rather unique agreement, she provides the changelings while I provide results” She held her head high as Dave nodded “She will also give rise to more queens for our future, but not before our end is near”

Dave rolled his eyes and Odio chuckled again “Yeah well can I get directions out please?”

“Sure we can have a group show you out and point you towards the ponies and their city” Larva tilted her head at Dave “May I have a taste of love straight from the source?”

“Umm no thanks where I am from it is normally the females that do the gagging” Dave held back a chuckle while Odio burst out laughing

Chapter 71

Adamas crawled back into the elder’s cavern, he bowed respectively as the eye opened halfway “Elder the elements have been used and Dave was turned to stone… as planned”

“G-good” The elder coughed and the mountain shook “Return to Canterlot, wait for the next stage… it shouldn’t be more than a day or two”

“Elder why couldn’t we warn the ponies or help Dave with his explanation that the spirit of hate is residing within him?” Adamas looked at the large eye with his own pleading ones

The eye drooped before looking up again “Because this way is best” The elder’s voice sounded weak “Now return to Canterlot before they suspect anything and make any altercations”

“No I demand to know why I am having to lie to my so-called ‘friends’ rather than protecting them” Adamas snarled, “I listened to your words and took in your wisdom but you deny me the truth”

The elder’s eye closed as the mountain shook gently “You will go far young one” The elder chuckled before coughing again “Fine here is the truth, you must let this happen or everypony could potentially meet their end”

Adamas searched the elder’s eye for anything that could be a lie “Fine… what is going to happen?”

“Everyone will get what they deserve… Dave, Odio, Celestia… even you” The elder sighed as he revealed the truth to the younger dragon

Meanwhile…

Chrysalis and Larva both rolled their eyes as Dave and Odio stopped giggling like children. Larva winced as she pulled herself from the sack, the yellow dimmed and the tip sealed up. The squelching made Dave stop smiling as Larva flicked the goo from her tail

“Well it has been a real pleasure being French kissed by a bug and all that but I really must be off” Dave received a nod from Odio. He looked back to the royal changelings “Yeah where am I going again?”

Larva smiled at her sister, her wings buzzed and Chrysalis responded with her own deep flutter of wings. The exchange of faces and buzzing continued for a few moments before Chrysalis rolled her eyes “Fine seeing as you have been stuck to the sack for a while you may take Dave to the edge of our territory but not a step further”

Odio cleared his throat loudly “What is going on? Tell us or I will break out the bug spray”

“My sister will take you in the direction of Canterlot” the queen moved against the wall “once you have dealt with your problem you could return to have the rest of that love pumped out”

Dave shook his head “Nah I may come back for a postcard but that is it” His joke made Odio and surprisingly, Larva chuckle

The queen smirked as the wall pulled her through and left the human, spirit and changeling alone “Alright!” Larva said in a more upbeat tone than her sister “Let’s go!”

Dave followed the princess through another section of wall that took them into a steep tunnel. The changelings walked along the surface in numerous directions, they gave bows to Larva, not the respect and fear they gave Chrysalis but instead gave looks children would give their mother

Odio’s fog engulfed Dave’s feet and hands that allowed him to easily climb the slimy and smooth wall “So how large is the badlands exactly?” Dave asked as Larva cleared the path

“Large enough, my children are taken and buried in various places before they become maggots” Larva stopped to nuzzle a sleeping changeling “There they grow and make their way back alone”

“But only the strong will make it all the way” Odio sighed “I suppose nothing changes”

Larva sighed sadly “The hive must stay strong, it pains me and my sister to lose so many lives but it is a necessity” She stopped as she stepped into a room, the roof held a small hole which allowed a small amount of sunlight to stream in “Here we are”

Dave walked into the sunlight, a small cluster of tendrils extended from the fog that shrouded his arm and pulled himself up and out. He emerged into a small trench that then opened out into a large flat dull orange and brown ground, the sky had no clouds and the sun seemed oddly large

“Ahh Celestia’s sun is different” Larva flew up and landed next to Dave “I assume that it was your fault” Odio chuckled as the changeling took the lead and began to walk away

“Yeah… I guess,” Dave muttered sadly “Anyway how long will it take to reach the end of the badlands?” he walked slowly to keep up the same pace with the changeling

“The sun is almost down so we will have to set up camp, the nights here are a bit chilly” Larva smiled as she skipped in the sun “Afterwards it should be half a day to the edge of changeling territory, the rest of that day to reach the end of the badlands and then you know the way through the Everfree forest don’t you?”

Dave nodded “Yeah well I have a good idea and I have this foggy GPS anyway”

“Hey!” Odio’s eyes narrowed before scanning the area “Just because I don’t get lost doesn’t mean that I am a GPS”

The changeling princess smiled at the arguing friends “Come on lets get going” She lead the way as Dave walked alongside her, Odio went back into Dave’s body and resumed his quiet gaming. The changeling and human talked about small things like what the other’s favourite colour was. Dave’s was now black for some reason that he blamed on Odio and Larva’s was an emerald green

As the horizon turned into a long, drawn out sunset, Larva and Dave got into a little game where one would throw a stone in the air while the other blasted it apart. The playful destruction got them laughing until they decided to stop to set up camp, Dave collected a few dead plants that hid in the small cracks in the landscape whilst Larva got the fire going

Dave took off his trench coat and used it to keep his body off the hard ground, Larva meanwhile used her magic to coat a piece of ground in the same stuff the changeling hive was made of. As Dave laid down, he instantly rested his eyes “Hey Odio can you wake me up the moment the sun begins to rise?”

“Huh? Oh yeah… sure thing” Odio returned to his game as Dave laid his head down. Larva watched Dave for a few moments before her horn began to glow.

Meanwhile…

Twilight stared at the library floor, her magic catching anything that fell from the shelves as Spike rampaged around

“How could he?” He yelled angrily “How could Dave be the bad guy? He was the best guy ever!”

Twilight shrugged “I don’t know but it came as a shock to us as well” She caught a row of books as Spike kicked the shelves “He is gone now so there is nothing we can do”

“No I am not giving up on him!” Spike growled, “There has got to be something that will clear Dave’s name!”

“His name was Odio!” Twilight responded in a slightly louder voice “And the elements turned him to stone, move on Spike!”

The purple dragon growled again, “You moved on too quickly Twilight” He growled as he stormed up to the bedroom, slamming the door behind him

The purple unicorn was left alone, she replaced the fallen books and cleaned the room again. As she did so, she stumbled across the small bag containing Dave’s belongings he had when he first arrived, the small tools he used to break out from his prison in the basement

“Prisoner when he arrived and prisoner at the end” Twilight sighed as she put the items back in the bag and set about doing some late night reading

Meanwhile…

Dave opened his eyes to stare at the roof of Celestia’s bedroom, he looked around and the room was indeed hers. The door opened and his head quickly turned to see the white alicorn enter. His heart pounded heavily as she smiled lovingly at him

“Did you have a nice sleep?” Celestia smiled as she made her way over to the bed “You looked so peaceful”

“That wasn’t real?” Dave glared at the princess of the sun “am I dreaming?”

The princess climbed onto the bed and moved closer to Dave “Does this feel like one?” She pushed her lips against Dave’s and her hooves fell around his neck. His heart fluttered as he stroked the side of her face

Dave pulled back so he could smile at her, his face dropped as he saw her lips were black and her mouth was fanged, the spot he rubbed returned to its original black. He snarled as he grabbed her horn, her body shook violently as the illusion around her and the room melted away

Odio grabbed Larva as her disguise fell, his fog restrained her entire body and Dave stood up “What exactly did you think would happen you pathetic bug?” Odio snarled as claws clutched her neck “I outta squash you”

Larva looked at Dave “Why did you resist me? Celestia broke your heart yet you still love her” The changeling stared into Dave’s eyes “Why don’t you accept me? I will gladly have your love and you can have me”

“Just because Celestia broke my heart doesn’t mean I have to get revenge by sleeping with you” Dave held out his hand and the fog dropped the changeling “Point in the exact direction Canterlot is before me and Odio split your precious egg sack in half and drown the changelings in the pus”

“Argh you could do so much more if you cooperate with me and my sister” Her smile grew wider “Together we could rule everything and I would gladly satisfy any desires you may have,” She shrieked as Odio put pressure on her neck

Dave shook his head “Celestia is the only one that ever made me happy… directions or I will let Odio do unspeakable things” Dave’s snarl made Larva reluctantly point and Dave began to follow her direction “Tell your sister that I will be fine from here on out… also see if you could buy breath mints or toothpaste seriously!”

Chapter 72

Adamas landed on the runway, his gaze quickly swept to the black unicorn that sat in the middle “Hello Strong Shield how are you?”

“Don’t give me that” Strong Shield spat “You did nothing to help Dave, you keep scurrying off to see your elder and not to mention you have no reason to be here anymore”

The dragon sighed “Listen I am sorry about what happened but you shouldn’t go blaming everypony for it” Adamas shook his head “I will remain until the princesses decide it would be best for me to leave”

The unicorn snarled at the vacant dragon “You know Luna wont get rid of you and you know that Celestia isn’t doing anything at all” Strong Shield stormed back into the castle “Don’t worry I will do what needs to be done”

Strong Shield marched up to Celestia’s quarters and knocked heavily, ignoring the guards either side of him “Open up Princess!” he yelled. The door finally opened but was opened by Luna

“Hello Strong Shield, you missed my sister” Luna sighed sadly, “You probably won’t see her until tonight” She left the bedroom as Strong Shield had a quick look to make sure she was telling the truth

Groaning, Strong Shield followed the princess of the night “So where has she gone?” his angry attitude increasingly growing

“She has gone to get another scan” Luna drooped her head “A couple of days early but she wants to ask a rather different question” Her sad eyes made Strong Shield’s lips curl into another snarl

“What question?” Strong Shield’s eye scanned Luna’s for any hint or clue

Luna shook her head as she held it high again “That is for her to tell, not me” She looked down sympathetically at Strong Shield “I’m sorry you lost the son you thought you had”

“I haven’t lost him” Strong Shield growled “What ever it was you turned to stone, that wasn’t the Dave I knew or the one you fell in love with”

“We couldn’t have Odio back again,” Luna said in a more serious tone, “Even if he has changed he would still cause problems that my sister and I would rather leave buried”

Strong Shield stopped walking “I don’t care anymore Princess Luna” He said princess in disgust “Dave and Odio, Dave and Odio” He repeated the words as a murmur “it just doesn’t seem right” He sighed before leaving the princess to walk the corridors alone

Meanwhile…

Celestia let her head hang as she slid out of the scanning equipment, her eyes looked up at the nurse. Her wings were loose and her regalia were left at her quarters back in Canterlot. The nurse pulled out a pen and paper to do a short calculation

“Well Princess Celestia I have some news” Nurse Redheart double and then triple checked her calculation “You are definitely pregnant and the due date is…”

“I don’t want to hear it” Celestia sighed sadly I want to know if you can…” She held back her tears as she whispered the words “get rid of it”

Nurse Redheart gasped, “No I can bucking well not!” the white mare frowned angrily at the princess “Why would you want it gone?”

“Dave was actually an old enemy in disguise” Celestia shuddered at the thought “He did this to me so I would have a constant reminder that he managed to trick me” Her tear filled eyes made Nurse Redheart sit down “I don’t want to have Odio’s child… please” she begged the nurse as she began to cry “Please help me”

Nurse Redheart slowly shook her head “It isn’t the child’s fault and you aren’t going to have a choice in four months” She dropped the scan images and calculation, “I’m guessing because you are an alicorn that mating is only for emergencies”

Celestia slammed her eyes shut as the faint image of a child inside her body came into view “Please stop”

“No” Nurse Redheart held strong “So your body must allow any genetic material to join with your eggs, thus producing another alicorn” She tapped her calculation “And due to your limitless energy your child can grow at an incredible speed”

Celestia’s lips quivered as she climbed off the table and collapsed to the floor “Please… I can’t live with it… help me”

Nurse Redheart picked the princess up in a hug and they held each other as Celestia’s tears fell into the smaller pony’s mane

Meanwhile…

Dave wandered through the dark, foreboding forest humming quietly “Now I think about it… how would it be possible to get Celestia pregnant? I mean we are different species”

“You know Mass Effect?” Odio waited for Dave to nod “You know the Asari?” Again Dave nodded “Yeah the alicorns are basically them”

“Fair enough” Dave continued to walk happily but stopped when he heard a low growl. He turned to see a large lion like creature except it had large bat wings and an intimidating scorpion tail

“Only a manticore” Dave and Odio rolled their eyes before continuing “Anyway I was probing your mind and I found some trailers for games we could get when we go back to Earth”

“Oh yeah what games did you have in mind?” Dave scratched his nose as he walked

“Well there is this violent game called Sleeping Dogs and I…” Odio was cut off as Dave was knocked to the ground by the manticore, its large fangs reached around Dave’s head but were stopped when a tick fog held his jaws open

Dave stood up and glared at the manticore “Listen here you wild fuck” Dace poked the manticore in its chest “If you don’t go back to what ever tit you sucked as a kitten then I will break off that tail and make you feel like a cheap whore”

“Maybe Braeburn could help us out with that” Odio and Dave laughed loudly as Odio threw the beast into another part of the dense forest “Anyway we are almost out now” He smiled as his fog returned to Dave

“Already? We are making good time” Dave thought he had seen Zecora’s house along the way but dismissed it. His pace quickened until he reached the edge of the forest, he could clearly see his house and luckily he had not left near Fluttershy’s cottage

He stuck to the forest for as long as he could before rushing to his house, he reached the front door before a noise from behind made him freeze

“DAVE!” A voice screamed, causing Dave to curse his luck “We were lookin all over for ya”

Dave rolled his eyes but stopped mid roll, the voice had the western accent but Applejack would not be looking for him. He turned just in time to catch the Cutie Mark Crusaders in his arms

Scootaloo looked up from the hug “We are really sorry that we bucked you the other day” The Pegasus smiled happily while her eyes showed her regret. Dave smirked as Odio pulled his fog completely back into Dave

“It’s ok” Dave smiled as he hugged the girls back “Listen I want you girls to do a favour” He put the fillies down as they bounced around his feet “Princess Celestia is going to be a mother soon and I want you to make sure her child has friends, ok?”

Sweetie Belle gasped, “You and Princess Celestia are going to have a baby?” She squealed happily as she hugged Dave’s leg “Of course we will be friends with him or her!”

“Listen when this is all over and we leave… there is going to be some noise” Odio spoke in Dave’s mind “It will be kinda loud”

Dave nodded “And one more thing” Dave kneeled down and smiled at the giddy fillies “Tomorrow I want you all to put your hooves in your ears ok?”

Applebloom cocked her head “Why’s that Dave?” The other two fillies also looked with confusion

“Just do it please” Dave hugged the fillies again “I’m going away for a while and it is going to make some noise that won’t sound very nice”

Sweetie Belle was the only one that looked at Dave during the hug and saw his teary face “When will we see you again?”

“I don’t know” Dave sighed, in his mind Odio also sighed as they both knew they never intended to return, “Will you keep those favours?”

“We sure will Dave!” Applebloom cheered “And when ya come back we can get Pinkie to throw ya a big welcome party! We will help with the decorations wont we girls?”

Sweetie Belle followed her earth pony friend while Scootaloo held Dave for a few more moments “I would have loved a dad like you” She smiled as she wiped Dave’s tears away before following her friends

Dave remained on his knees for a few more moments, Odio returned with his eyes slightly smaller “They don’t deserve to know what is going to happen” His eyes looked back to Dave “Come on… you can jump on the train and ride that into Canterlot”

“No” Dave sighed “We ride it partway before getting off and going in through the main gates, no sneaking around like criminals” His gaze followed the fillies before sweeping his eyes to the distant city

Odio joined Dave in looking at the white castle on the horizon “Almost there Dave, our plan is almost complete”

Chapter 73

Spike grumbled angrily as he collected the apples from Applejack… He avoided talking to her as he was still angry at everypony. Both the dragon and pony’s attention was caught by the sound of giggles and cheers.

They both turned to see the Cutie Mark Crusaders happily playing as they made their way over. Applejack returned to resting her head on her hoof and Spike continued his angry shopping

“Why are you three so happy?” Spike growled as the fillies got close. They returned with happy smiles, ignoring Spike’s sour attitude

Applebloom jumped next to her sister “We get ta be best friends with Dave and Celestia’s baby!” she beamed at her friends as Applejack groaned

“Girls I take it ya haven’t heard” She rubbed her eyes as the fillies suddenly became curious “Dave was actually somepony called Odio, he’s… gone” She said the last word with a hint of joy, causing Spike to growl

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow “No he hasn’t” She smiled again “Dave’s fine!” the small Pegasus began playing a small chasing game with Sweetie Belle around the apple stand

It was Spike’s turn to ask a question “What do you mean he is fine? The elements turned him to stone and they threw him into the badlands. The fillies began laughing loudly as they rolled on the floor

Sweetie Belle managed to stop laughing to speak “You two are funny, we just saw Dave at his house” she smiled at her friends while Spike and Applejack gasped. Applejack turned to run but Spike grabbed her neck

“NO! I won’t let you tell the others,” Spike yelled as Applejack attempted to shake him off “You will send him away again!”

The earth pony shook the dragon off her back with ease “Ah gotta do this Spike” she frowned at the fillies before galloping away towards the library. Spike groaned as he climbed out of the apple basket he was thrown in

“No, no, NO!” He dropped his head as he punched the apples “They are gonna get him again!” He took a few breaths to calm himself “We have to slow them down… somehow”

As the Cutie Mark Crusaders helped Spike out of the apples and onto the ground, as they exchanged worried faces their ears were filled with a loud screech. They all turned and gawped as they saw the cartridges of the train rolling down the street, ponies narrowly avoiding the carnage

Spike ran towards the library, avoiding the rubble that sprayed into the air, his short legs moved quickly until he was well in the doorway. He panted as he saw Twilight and Applejack exchanging scared looks. Twilight added something to the bottom of her scroll

“Spike can you send this letter?” Twilight passed the scroll to the dragon but he swatted it away

“No! Dave did nothing wrong” Spike held his mouth shut and his arms crossed “I won’t let you hurt him again”

Twilight frowned “Spike look outside” She indicated to the broken cartridges outside “We both know who did that, he isn’t the Dave we used to know” She levitated the letter over to Spike again. Spike groaned as he reluctantly blew the scroll away before helping anypony outside

Meanwhile…

Celestia sat on the edge of her bed, her royal regalia were still strewn around the room and her mane was not flowing as peacefully due to it being drenched in tears multiple times. He gaze remained on the floor as her door opened and Luna stepped in

“Are you proud of yourself?” She said as she sat next to her sister “Are you proud you tried to have your child removed?”

“No and I can’t have it removed” Celestia sighed, “I feel like such a failure,” she sobbed again as Luna held her in her comforting hooves

The princess of the night rocked slowly back and forth “This isn’t the Celestia everypony knows” She smiled “You can make it through anything, I know because you are my big sister”

“A sister that stole your coltfriend that turned out to be the reason I sent you to the moon” Celestia hated herself and sobbed into Luna’s chest “I’m sorry, please forgive me,” she pleaded

Luna smiled “You have nothing to be sorry about, you have to…” She was cut off as a scroll appeared in green flame, slowly she unravelled it and Celestia shuddered

Dave has been sighted and the train has gone missing, I thought I should warn you. We will be ready to act at any moment

Twilight Sparkle

P.s. He is on his way

Celestia snarled, “I want all the guards at every post and to prepare for anything” she stood up “Get Adamas to get the elements as I fear Odio may suppress our attempts at teleporting”

Luna nodded “We will have to help the elements this time, if he broke out then his magical resistance is still holding out” She used her magic to clean Celestia and put on her regalia “With all of us together and if we strike at the right time, we should do it”

The white alicorn walked over to the window and glared out “We will make him suffer, we will make sure he remembers that it is the princesses that defend Equestria” she turned and nodded to her sister

Luna stood “I will make sure he can never hurt us ever again” she nodded “Don’t worry sister, we shall end this… together”

Meanwhile…

Dave snapped the brake leaver as Odio forced as much coal into the furnace as possible “Alright I hope the driver doesn’t mind us stealing the train” Dave chuckled as he watched the town’s train station move away, the driver tied up in rags

“Nah, it isn’t stealing it’s just… borrowing for an amount of time it is likely it will never be retuned” Odio forced the lid shut on the furnace and pulled the whistle “I always wanted to do that”

“Its strange that I am having so much fun doing this” Dave sighed as the speed of the train picked up beyond safe limits “I never thought that this was how it would turn out for me… attacking a city with a giant, evil fog”

Odio moved back into his new position around Dave’s chest and arms “Well what is the worst that could happen? You turn to stone and we break out an hour later”

“Yeah I suppose,” Dave shrugged as he climbed up the small pile of coal and stood at the back of the speeding train “Tell me when” Dave sighed as he braced himself

Odio’s fog engulfed Dave’s legs “Alright…three” Dave took one final deep breath as he felt the fog grip his legs and flow into his muscles “Two…” Odio saw the tunnel approaching and moved his eyes to look up the rocky mountain face “one” He fully moved back into Dave’s body, flooding him with energy

“Go” Dave smiled as he jumped, the energy from Odio sent him upwards while the momentum from the train helped him soar up the mountain. He only had to use his feet to push himself the final few feet before he began his decent the other side, his running kept him on the path for the large road leading into Canterlot’s main gate

He pushed off the mountain, giving himself time to see the train crash through the train station. The guards quickly assisted everypony from the platforms and made sure nopony was injured. One Pegasus guard noticed a set of scratches across the side of the train

“Knock Knock motherfucker?” He read aloud to his fellow guards, his eyes opened in realization as the alarm from the main gate sounded

He took flight and landed on a section of wall above the closing gate, his face gawped at the human marching towards the city, a large black fog slowly expanding upwards and outwards from his back. The fog quickly hid the city from the outside world, red lightning striking the ground as Dave continued his hate-filled march. The guards noticed the large dragon fly over the rising wall as it headed for the castle, its arms crossed as it held something precious

The guard shuddered as the black fog grew, the unicorns near him began to charge magic and closed the gate, the giant door was reinforced with two large metal beams that took ten unicorn guards to lift each. One was golden and was designed to look like a solar flare, the other was silver and looked like a shooting star

The Pegasus flared their wings, the unicorns brought their horns down, aiming at Dave. The earth pony guards were helping the ponies on the streets get into homes or shops. When the streets were empty they began to help prepare defences at the castle gate and the castle interior

Shining Armour walked along the wall and stopped in the centre “Guards! Pegasi, unicorns and earth pony alike. This enemy has a way of beating each of you but together he cannot defeat us” He allowed himself a glance at Dave “We are not a group of guards, we are the greatest force this world has ever known!” The guards slammed their hooves repeatedly “This enemy wants to hurt the princesses, the ponies of Equestria, your families! Will you stand for this?”

“NO!” The guards said in unison as they glared at Dave, each with the intent on making him suffer. Shining Armour nodded as he put his helmet on

“Then let us drive this foe back into the abyss in the sky!” He yelled as the guards cheered, he dropped his horn as he awaited the princesses’ order. He could see Dave clearly as the human chuckled.

Odio’s fog crackled loudly and the noise made a thunderstorm sound like a cough “Cute speech” Odio chuckled into Dave’s ear “I take it you are gonna keep yours short”

“My name is Dave Shield!” Dave bellowed, the fog amplifying his voice “Don’t worry, everything is going to be over soon. Move now and you won’t be harmed” His smile dipped sadly before it took on a slight snarl as he saw the white princess fly from her castle, she yelled something before flying back to the castle. Dave sighed as he saw the volley of magical missiles fly towards him and Odio’s fog, the black smoke flashed lightning as the first fight for Canterlot began

Chapter 74

The white magical orbs rocketed across the sky, like rain they pounded into the dense fog that inched towards the gate. The unicorns kept up their attack even as exhaustion began to seep into their minds and body

Dave had to sidestep occasionally to avoid some of the blasts, he smirked as he knew it was Shining that was aiming for him

“Well so far everything is going alright” Dave chuckled “But oh no what a shame… they locked the door” He smiled as he talked sarcastically. The bolts continued to rain into Odio’s fog as Dave watched the valiant attempts to destroy the black abomination

“Don’t worry Dave” Odio whispered as the fog engulfed Dave “I have a key” the fog shrank, the fog flooded around Dave and the magical bolts focused in on the small swirling orb

Shining Armour held up his head “Cease fire!” He called and the guards gladly allowed themselves time to rest. The captain of the guard looked over the edge, staring down at Dave’s position

The black fog pulsed as a large bolt of red lightning struck the city’s gate, the wall shook violently causing the guards to stumble. The orb fired itself at the cracked door and burst through, sending small pieces of the once grand wood everywhere

As the fog thinned and settled as a mist on the floor, Dave pushed himself up of the city’s cobblestone floor “Please don’t use me as a battering ram again” he groaned before turning around. He winked up at Shining Armour before firing two blasts into the wall supports, shaking it further until it began to tip

“GET OFF THE WALL!” Shining yelled as he leapt from his position and crashed onto the roof of one of the buildings below, the pegasi guards flew off, carrying a unicorn guard if they could whilst the others followed their captain by jumping onto taller buildings

The captain of the guard began to slide down the roof, he fell into the back street below and landed on his chest, his armour did not help as he looked up and saw Dave stroll past, the fog close behind. He pushed himself to his hooves as he slowly chased Dave down

“Stop Dave!” Shining yelled as he stumbled, he looked at his rear hoof and saw his armour had crumpled, preventing his leg from moving. He looked back to Dave regardless

Dave turned with a slight smirk, his eyes narrowed at the guard “well it is good to know somepony remembers my name” Dave allowed the fog to continue spreading through the streets, it reached Shining Armour’s hooves and he shivered. He felt the fog was analyzing him, watching, he shook the feeling off as he looked back to Dave

“If you stop this now I’m sure the princesses will sort everything out” Shining shuddered again as the fog around him rubbed painfully against his hooves “What is this?”

“Sorry that’s me” Odio’s eyes appeared beside Dave “I was just making sure that if you tried anything then I could tear you in half” Odio’s eyes shook as if he was shaking his head at Shining’s shocked face

“Dave… wait” Shining thought “I was told you were a being called Odio”

“That’s him” Dave indicated with his thumb “he was living inside of me to hide from the princesses because they want him destroyed, when I used his energy they assumed I was him”

Shining gasped “Well this changes everything… we can tell the princesses and they can…” The unicorn was cut off at the fog wrapped around his body and shut his mouth

Dave shook his head “Odio has been the only one looking out for me, I am going to make Celestia see that I loved her and then I am gone, with Odio” He snarled as Shining’s eyes stared at him “Celestia betrayed me… she will get what she deserves”

“That was exactly what I was going to say” Odio chuckled as threw Shining through a window, the fog returned around Dave’s body as he continued through the street. Shining passed out as he watched Dave walk away

The human/fog combo seemed to slide as he moved from one side of the street avoiding blasts from the five unicorns ahead. The fog turned into three separate balls that floated towards the small cluster of guards. They attempted to move away but the balls easy closed the gap between them

Dave appeared from one ball to elbow drop the unicorn in the face before the ball reclaimed him, he shot out of another to drop kick two more in the horns, his magical resistance to the unicorns powered horns sent them flying into a third

The final unicorn attempted to fire at each of the black, swirling fogs. He froze as he felt something tap his shoulder, he turned slowly to see Dave shaking his head

“Bad move dude” the human sighed as he walked away “don’t be too hard on him now” he waved over his shoulder as the fog followed him. The unicorn looked back to a pair of burning eyes before gulping

Dave turned onto the large road that took him to the large castle gate, a long row of unicorns stood between him and the courtyard. He held his arms out and the fog shot out and raced along the city streets, leaving him alone

“I shall give you another chance… stand aside!” Dave called as he walked slowly towards them. The unicorns responded by flaring their horns “alright then” Dave muttered as he brought his arms to face the guards.

The guards smirked but were quickly engulfed by the fog that swept from their sides and dropped them onto their heads. They all passed out as Dave walked past and Odio smashed the door open for him, the fog returned around his body as he strode across the courtyard

“The castle looks less welcoming… considering the situation” Dave sighed, a shadow appeared over head. As Dave looked up, he groaned as a group of pegasi bombarded him with rubble from the outer wall

As the guards pounded the ground where Dave stood, they grinned as everything was buried and the rubble continued to shake the ground. Their smiles faded as the larges piece of rock was thrown back at them, most quickly avoided but looked down to see the fog pick up the other pieces

“Now that was not very nice” Odio chuckled “let’s see if Celestia’s guards can handle a bit of old school magic” His smile turned to a snarl as the rocks cracked and began to bleed lava. Odio spun and fired the rocks rapidly, the rocks that missed scorched the pegasi and their wings

Dave clambered out of the rocks and brushed himself down “Well that is a welcome back gift and a half” he cleared his throat as he reached the castle gate “Hello? Anypony home?” He knocked and heard the shuffling and clanking of armour on the other side

Dave shrugged before he kicked the door open, the flashes of magic from the guards were repelled by Odio’s fog and he retaliated with red bolts of lightning, the guards were blasted against the roof and walls

Dave walked in, weaving between the earth ponies, applying punches and kicks wherever he could. Odio roared as he sent a pulse of energy down the corridor, the air turned red and the ponies began to float off the ground, the pegasi used their wings to navigate whilst Dave used the helpless guards to bounce around the room

“Nice touch” Dave complimented as he elbowed a pegasi to the floor, only to kick him as he bounced back up. The redness suddenly ceased and Dave landed on his feet whilst the remainder of the guards landed awkwardly and groaned as they failed to get up again

The resistance throughout the rest of the castle was relatively weak as Dave reached the throne room. He sighed as he stared at the door “Alright Odio, this is it” He closed his eyes as the fog disappeared and he stepped forwards

The door swung open, Celestia and Luna stood either side of the elements. The six mares floated into the air, the powerful jewellery they wore glowed brightly. The princesses also levitated as glows surrounded them, Celestia’s eyes held a mixture of hate and regret

Dave sighed as he looked at Celestia, he mouthed, “I’m sorry” before the room was adorned in shadows. Luna turned her head to see the massive fog float outside. The fog smashed the large windows behind the golden throne and flooded into the room, the ponies were caught in the wave of black fog and they were separated from each other

Dave marched calmly through the room as the fog avoided him, the ponies attempted to swim but red tendrils grasped them and dragged them in. Rainbow Dash managed to fly to the roof but a large blast smashed her against the roof before yanking her down. The princesses fired blasts that separated the fog, their power bought them time before Dave held his arms up and exposed his palms

Odio cut his palms and drew out some blood, the fog merged with the blood and formed dark, red bonds that whizzed around the room and latched onto horns, wings, hooves and restricted any other form of movement before the fog thinned and turned back into the humanized Odio that resided in Dave’s mind

As Dave reached the top of the stairs where the throne was he sat down on the top step and looked at the sight. The elements of harmony were resting on the bottom of the steps whilst bright red bonds restrained their users, their movement held back by the mixture of blood and hate

Celestia and Luna were held either side as they struggled to move, a ring of red wrapped tightly around their horns. As they attempted to use magic, a large shock was sent through their bodies. As the prisoners settled into their restraints and glared at Dave

Dave cleaned his fingernails before realizing the muttering had stopped “Oh so sorry, forgot I was winning” He sighed as he bounced the steps “Right now that I have everyponies attention I want to sort out a few things”

“Don’t waste your breath Odio” Celestia spat “We don’t care what you want to say” She turned her head as far away as she could. Dave looked at Odio with a shrug

Odio whirled around the room, inspecting the throne and the various painted windows “I told you she wouldn’t listen” he sighed

Dave walked over to Celestia and used a finger to bring her face back to his, she pulled away but she slowly looked back when she noticed Dave’s sad face

“Celestia… you have met Odio right?” Dave looked over his shoulder at the waving fog “I am going to say what I tried to say before… I am Dave and Odio has been inside of me”

Odio floated over “Not in a gay way, just spiritually” he smiled at the ponies before turning to enjoy the view of the broken city “I think I did more damage than intended… no deaths though”

“That’s good” Dave responded before he looked back to Celestia “Odio… doesn’t like you or Luna” He scratched the back of his head “I love you… strangely” He stood and turned away “But I came here to tell you I am going”

Celestia looked between Dave and Odio as the penny dropped in her mind “Oh… oh no, Dave I’m sorry I…” Her mouth was temporarily closed by Odio’s fog as he allowed Dave to continue talking

“I am leaving because I can’t be with somepony who only wants to use me” He dropped his head “Well that’s me done” he walked over to the window and rested his head against the glass “How long before we can go?”

“Anytime” Odio looked back at the princesses “But I would quite like to hear their excuses” He looked back to Dave who nodded in acceptance as he walked back to the stairs to sit down

Chapter 75

Odio released the bonds around Celestia’s mouth, before joining Dave in sitting on the steps. Celestia looked at Luna and the other ponies before looking back at Dave.

“Dave… I am so, so sorry” The white alicorn dropped her gaze “When I saw you use Odio’s power I just assumed that…” she was cut off as the fog rushed towards her, stopping inches away

“You always assume don’t you?” Odio chuckled until it turned to a snarl “When I was around you always spied on me, waiting for an excuse to send me away” He turned to Luna “I’m sorry for what I did but you are both responsible for my suffering”

Dave rubbed his eyes “Odio, sit down” He stared at the fog until he reluctantly did so “Celestia… you had me chained to some strange devices that burned like the sun” He shook his head “Not to mention the other things you did to me”

Odio cleared his throat as he pulled out some glasses and a sheet of paper, both made from his fog. “Let’s see… Celestia you killed Dave, forced him into a relationship with five mares and a princess without his willing, proceeded to become intimate with him during his relationship, killed him trying to make him better for you…” Odio trailed off “There is quite a lot”

“Whatever” Dave grumbled as he looked away from Celestia

“Continuing… When Dave left you had his father imprisoned and fired because he had information on his whereabouts, you repeatedly hit Dave” Odio was cut off by Celestia this time

Celestia blushed slightly “But in all fairness it was followed with some… intimacy” she avoided looking at Dave who was also blushing

Odio groaned in disgust “Yes I recall a certain day of lust which was almost torturous by the end” He shook his head as he looked back at his list “You sent Dave into a cave that housed an angry dragon, you allowed Dave to train with the same dragon and he was continuously in harms way and you did nothing”

The group was silenced as the door creaked open, Strong Shield walked in followed by Spike. “Do you ever consider the good points that Celestia did?”

“Ah Strong Shield, nice to see you again” Odio sighed “You have done nothing wrong overall” Odio looked at Dave before rolling his eyes “fine say what you want to say”

The unicorn paced into the middle of the room whilst Spike was yanked into his own bonds between Twilight and Pinkie. Strong Shield marched past Odio before standing next to Dave

“Celestia has given Dave more than he could ever ask for, she loved him and welcomed him to this world” The stallion’s eye stared at the white princess “Yes she did some pretty stupid things but then again so did Dave”

“To be honest with you dad… I am probably going to Earth after all this” Dave sighed as he looked at the pony “Celestia said I’m the greatest asset Equestria ever had… Odio was right all along and so far has been the only one on my side one hundred percent”

Strong Shield glared at Odio, who simply replied with a smirk and a shrug “Well I know that you don’t entirely want to leave do you?” The ex-guard’s eye moved back to Dave “You talk to Celestia alone”

Odio moved forward to protest but Dave held up his hand “Odio… can you give me a minute?” Dave pushed himself to his feet and wandered over to the princess, stopping a few feet away. He kept his voice quiet so the others had trouble hearing “So… what are you going to say?”

“I know what I said must be unforgivable but I assumed you were Odio not… he was inside of you” Celestia dropped her head “I never meant what I said, you were never an asset and I felt devastated when you turned to stone”

Dave sniffed “So you thought you fell for Odio?” He looked over the princess at the others that were held by magical blood bonds “You thought they all did?”

“No I fell for a disguise that Odio made” She smiled weakly at the floor “I am so happy that you aren’t just a mask” She shivered as Dave took a few paces until he was beside her

“So… you had your second scan?” His eyes looked along her belly. He could not make out any bulges or bumps “Do you know if?”

“Yeah” Celestia sighed happily “I am due in four months apparently” Celestia smiled as Dave chuckled

Dave knelt down and held out his hand “Is it ok if I…?” He looked at Celestia’s face as she slowly nodded. He moved his hand closer and rested it against her stomach. Celestia welcomed the touch as her smile grew. Dave could not suppress a smile of his own when he felt the warm body of the alicorn

“Oh come on” Odio groaned, “We knew she was pregnant, this is just another trick to get you to stay” the fog walked into the centre of the room, between the throne and the ponies “And I would really appreciate it if we did something about this”

Dave stood and returned to the steps, smiling to Celestia along the way “Odio just leave it”, He groaned as the castle shook and one of the broken windows was filled with Adamas’ head

“So it has reached that time?” The dragon sighed as he perched himself on the throne room balcony “Do you still intend to carry out your plan?”

Dave opened his mouth to respond but Odio beat him to it. “Yes, now be a good dragon and stay out the way, if you are lucky adjustments wont be made” Odio smirked as Adamas sat down with a sigh

“What does the elder know?” Strong Shield yelled at the window where the dragon rested on the other side “Tell me Adamas, I know something is wrong”

“Strong Shield” Odio shook his head as he looked at Luna “What does the princess of the night know about dragon magic?”

Luna looked around in surprise “Well Adamas told me it can be used by generous dragons and it works differently from pony magic” The ponies all jumped as Odio whizzed around cheering

“Correct you are Princess Luna” Odio said in a happy tone “So when a certain dragon elder used magic to search through Dave guess who he found?”

“You but…” Dave rubbed his forehead “I thought you hid yourself” He looked at the fog as it paced around the room

“Well I didn’t know that dragon magic was more… forward than pony magic” Odio sighed “So when the elder found me he searched me as well” He looked over at Adamas who was peeking in through the window “He told Adamas and the other enlightened as well”

Strong Shield turned to Adamas “Why didn’t you tell us? We could have prevented this entire thing!” The pony growled at the dragon but his attention was brought back to the fog

“Because the dragons know what I have planned” He smirked at Dave “Like I told you, I plan for everything” Odio’s claw pointed at Celestia and a red glow travelled down his arm “I also said that everypony would get what they deserve”

Dave stood up and glared at Odio “Stop it Odio, we aren’t going to hurt her” he growled as Odio smirked

“Well I came back to Equestria for revenge” Odio’s smile turned to a snarl “I plan to get it” the redness pulsed and a thin spike raced towards Celestia, everypony gasped as it was intercepted by Dave. The spike pierced his shoulder and sent him to the ground

“I said no,” He snarled as he stood up “You even pinkie promised not to kill her, harm her or trap her permanently” his frown wavered as the spear was soaked into his body and the wound healed. Odio smiled as he pointed at Pinkie

“If I intended to break a pinkie promise she would be after me wouldn’t she?” Odio chuckled at the confused looks around the room “It also seems like history repeats itself after all”

Dave shook his head “What are you getting at?” His lips curled to a snarl as he stood between Odio and Celestia

“Think Dave” Odio motioned his claw over the six normal ponies “These ponies, excluding the pink one, all grew to love you” He chuckled “What didn’t they do?”

“Have common sense?” Dave shrugged as Odio stared “I don’t know!” he yelled irritably “All I know is that they all fell for me and no matter what I did they never got mad at me they never…” Dave’s face dropped as the obvious suddenly clicked in his mind “They never hated me”

Odio walked over to Dave and whispered in his ear “Bingo, I made it impossible for them to hate you, so of course they would love you” Odio glared at Pinkie “Except her, she never hates anypony”

“So that’s why she didn’t want to be part of the harem” Dave sighed “But why did they suddenly hate me again?”

“I allowed them to catch up on all the hate they should have aimed at you” Odio turned Dave’s head to the elements of harmony “They used the elements whilst they hated you”

Dave shuddered “And that made you stronger” He pulled away from Odio “But we put some of your energy in that gem that Spike ate”

Celestia turned her head to look at Luna “When did this happen?” her panic obvious in her voice

“A few weeks ago back when we started the harem” Luna drooped her ears in sadness “I shrugged it off, I was too busy with Dave and the others… I’m sorry”

“Don’t be!” Odio laughed, “With the boost of energy Dave received I made a few changes” He grabbed Dave and lifted him into the air “I made our link stronger and allowed him to use that sponge in his head to better use”

Dave struggled to breathe as the fog tightened around his neck. Celestia attempted to use her magic but her restraint shocked her body. Odio chuckled as he slammed Dave into the floor “I made it so as Dave absorbed energy, he healed himself”

Dave coughed and gasped for air as he pushed himself to his knees “So you could get more energy for yourself” Dave shook his head. He looked at Celestia with apologetic eyes before he looked away

“Well done Dave” Odio smirked “Now when Celestia assumed you were me, you began to do everything I said because I was right all along” His tentacle slammed Dave against the wall “You helped me break into Canterlot and capture everypony I hate”

Dave groaned as he sat against the wall “Well why don’t you want to kill Celestia?” he shuddered as Odio walked over to Celestia and grabbed the bonds that held her to the roof

“I am not even sure Celestia can be killed” Odio sighed “But she ruined my life, forced me to spend my entire existence as a reject and alone” Odio tore the bonds and wrapped her up so she couldn’t move “I want her to spend the rest of her existence alone”

Dave climbed to his feet “Odio, let her go” he kept his voice calm and his face blank “You don’t have to do this, you don‘t have to be evil”

“She is evil,” Odio growled, “Queen Chrysalis wanted love so she could feed her people and her sister” He began to walk across the room “Nightmare Moon was a princess that wanted equality, the ponies rejoiced the sun more than the moon”

Dave followed Odio “But what about Discord? He was evil and Celestia and Luna stopped him” his pace escalated from a mild limp to a short jog as Odio stepped out onto the balcony with the restricted Celestia

“Discord is the natural embodiment of chaos,” Odio snarled at Celestia “Chaos is just another word for random… how was life created?” Odio glared at Adamas out of the corner of his eye

Dave shrugged “Life in general?” Dave shook his head until his eyes dropped again “Random chemical assortment? Random genes create a child from two parents?”

“Right you are” Odio smirked “Chaos is natural, hate is natural and do you know what else is natural?” Odio held Celestia over the balcony edge “Gravity!” he laughed as he released Celestia. Dave’s eyes shot open as he raced to the edge and dived off

Celestia struggled against the bonds that held her wings in place, she gasped as Dave came alongside her. “Dave! What are you doing?” she watched Dave pull at the bonds around her body

“My magical resistance must still work against him” Dave growled, “I’m sorry” he managed to snap a bond, he looked down to see the castle courtyard rushing towards them “If I had know that Odio was going to do this I would have fought him”

Dave managed to free the bonds around Celestia’s wings and her hooves. She grabbed Dave before opening her wings and slowing her decent. As they touched the ground, Dave quickly set about removing the bond from Celestia’s horn.

Guards quickly surrounded Dave but Celestia held her head high “No, Dave isn’t the enemy” She sighed as she looked at the guards “You can’t fight this enemy, but you can help the ponies in Canterlot, get them to safety”

Celestia moved towards the door, Dave followed but she raised her wing “No Dave, you can’t fight him” she turned and smiled “I can’t see you hurt because of me”

The castle door slammed shut and was surrounded by Odio’s fog. The windows around the castle also became shrouded by darkness. Celestia called to two guards “Make sure Dave gets out of Canterlot… whether he likes it or not”

Dave’s face dropped “But Celestia… I can help, I can…”

“No, Dave” Celestia shook her head as she flapped her wings “I can’t lose you again” she held back tears as she took flight into the air. Dave shook his head but was wrestled to the ground before being dragged across the floor

Celestia soared into the air, her horn glowed as she glowed like the sun. She dived towards the throne room, the heart from her body burned the air as she flew. As she entered, Luna was placed in her path, she avoided but crashed against the roof. Odio took the mistake to his advantage by capturing Celestia again

“Wow” Odio shook his head “I wasn’t even sure if you would avoid her to be honest” Odio chuckled as he put everything back in their place “But at least the next stage will commence”

“You have me,” Celestia growled, “What else could you possibly do?”

Odio smirked “I am going to make sure you are alone for the rest of time” Odio tapped Celestia’s stomach “This being inside of you is going to torment you, long after I leave”

“You can’t corrupt it,” Celestia snapped “we will find a way to stop you” She silenced as Odio started to laugh hysterically

“My original plan was to get you like this and burn this world and its inhabitants” Odio sighed “But Dave managed to do the impossible… he fell in love with you and you returned his feelings”

Celestia’s eyes froze in terror and the other ponies gasped “No… Please don’t do that, anything but that,” she begged but Odio smirked

“Strong Shield and Adamas are going to help Dave get back into the castle, he is going to fight me and I will kill him” Odio chuckled in pleasure as Celestia began to cry “You will bring up a child that belongs to the only thing you ever loved, it will be a burden a constant reminder that you live alone”

“No please I can…” Celestia was cut off by Odio’s voice yelling angrily

“I WILL WIN” He bellowed “EVERYPONY WILL GET WHAT THEY DESERVE!”

A/N: No alternate endings, I know I write fast but I am not changing my original idea. Sorry if you were hoping for it but if i did write alternate endings then making a sequel probably wouldn't happen

Chapter 76

Dave did not fight the guards dragging him as he stared up at the castle, the movement in his head that Odio was normally responsible for was no longer there. He sighed as he realized how alone he was

The guards gasped and dropped Dave to the floor. “Let him go lads or my friend here will burn your manes!” Strong Shield ordered as he jumped off Adamas’ back. The guards ran to help the evacuation of the rest of the city whilst Adamas helped Dave to his feet

“Come now human” Adamas said reassuringly “The true foe has revealed itself, now we fight”

Dave shook his head “I’m out, if I go back… Odio was right” Dave fell to his knees as he held his head “He showed me a prediction that I would die… soon an in twenty two years time Celestia would stare at my grave”

“Fuck the future” Strong Shield snapped, “Do you love Celestia?” The unicorn glared at the broken human

Dave craned his neck around to look at the castle before finally responding, “Yeah… yeah I do” He smiled slightly before his gaze was brought to the black fog that phased around the walls

“If you even had a drop of decency in that body of yours I suggest that you turn your flank around and follow me” Strong Shield marched past Dave and towards the walls of the city with Adamas close behind

“But I can’t do anything!” Dave protested as he reluctantly followed “I always used Odio’s power, I don’t have any” Dave never felt so weak before, following a dragon and a unicorn and he still felt alone

Strong Shield shook his head “Odio did something to you which allows you to absorb power, if you can get to the bonds holding the princesses and absorb them, the princesses can sort everything else out” He stopped at the wall as Adamas rested a claw on the large stone wall and looked down at Dave

“But Odio will stop me, I can’t get them both and he has already planned in case they get out” Dave groaned, “I wish I could do something but I CAN’T!”

“You can try!” Strong Shield snorted, “Odio managed to beat everypony because he worked with you, but now he is alone” He climbed into Adamas’ outstretched claw “Now are you going to try or not?”

Dave sighed as he looked at the castle “Assaulting a castle being held by an evil spirit that has captured two princesses, a baby dragon, six mares and has the elements of harmony” Dave chuckled as he looked at his two friends “While we have a average human, an old guard and a friendly dragon”

“Basically” Adamas grinned as Dave jumped onto his claw. The human shook his head as Adamas climbed over the wall and glided along the mountain. Grabbing just above a small hole I the side “Here you go” He placed the two passengers inside “I will wait outside until the defences fall”

Dave looked around the gemstone walls “So what is this?” he followed the unicorn as his horn lit the way

“This just happens to be a secret entrance into the castle” Strong Shield held smug grin “Good thing I found out about this when I did” He led Dave along a broken mine cart track and along a few narrow passageways

Meanwhile…

“Ah am so sorry girls” Applejack sighed, “I can’t believe we didn’t see this sooner” she looked at her friends from her restraints

Twilight smiled reassuringly “It’s ok… we all fell for it” The unicorn shook her head “there has to be something we can do” She struggled against her bonds as much as she could before giving up

“We have to get the elements!” Rainbow Dash groaned as she struggled against the bond that held her wings down. The girls all stared at the weapons across the room, they exchanged nervous glances with each other as Odio floated towards Luna

Odio stopped opposite Luna “Hello princess of the night” He said in a cheery mood “So how have you been?” He smirked as Luna looked away from him and towards Celestia

Celestia’s eyes were vacant apart from the tears that stained her face. Luna took a deep breath before talking “Tia… everything will be ok, and we will be happy again” she smiled reassuringly as Celestia’s eyes moved over to her “We will make it through this”

“We can’t” Celestia shuddered “If we make it out it means Dave’s demise” The white alicorn shook her head “I will never let that happen,” she vowed

Odio chuckled “That isn’t your choice Celestia, it is my choice” The spirit of hate paced to the throne “I will miss Equestria but it will be nice knowing that you will be suffering”

Luna shook her head “You came for revenge and you talk about everypony getting what they deserve” The dark alicorn looked at Odio “But what about Dave? Does he deserve to be used in such a way?”

The fog stopped for a brief moment before turning with a smile that unnerved everypony “Don’t worry… Dave will get what he deserves too” Odio’s smile disappeared before he even turned around “If he gets his ass up here he might,” he mumbled to himself

Meanwhile…

Dave followed Strong Shield up the vertical tunnel “So this was originally an escape route?” Dave asked as he searched for another place to put his hand. He had climbed up so high the tunnel below him was pitch black

Strong Shield was slowly levitating himself up, he had used two bits of wood to stand on while his magic lifted them “Yes years ago but the information was lost” the unicorn avoided the sharp walls “We should almost be at the entrance

Dave’s foot slipped and the gems that made the wall cut into his hands “Argh but how are we supposed to free Celestia and Luna?” Dave groaned as he pulled himself up again, his hands grazed and cut “I can’t be in two places at once”

“Would you just focus on not falling to your death?” Strong Shield rolled his eye “We can figure something out when we get into the castle, until then will you shut your…”

Strong Shield paused as his horn hit something metallic, the clanking noise echoed down the tunnel the pair had escalated. Strong Shield looked up to see a metallic grating, he smiled as he levitated it open at squeezed through

Dave poked his head through and looked around “Where are we?” He asked the unicorn as he climbed up after him. The room was actually the guard’s barracks, the pair climbed out of the empty fireplace and rested for a moment

“Alright, good to see nopony noticed the hole under the fireplace” Strong Shield grinned as he got to his hooves “We shouldn’t be too far from the throne room” he helped Dave to his feet before peeking out of the door “It’s clear”

Dave and Strong Shield darted from cover to cover, checking for signs of fog everywhere they went “Hey dad” Dave sighed as he rubbed his eyes “I have been so stupid”

“Yes you have” Strong Shield crept into an empty store room with Dave while they talked “But we can wait until later, you have to save everypony, including that child of yours”

Dave’s eyes fell shut as he banged his head against the wall “The grey alicorn” Dave sighed “The grey alicorn is my son”

“What are you on about now?” Strong Shield frowned as he kept his voice quiet, his face encouraged Dave to do the same

“In the vision Odio showed me” Dave held his head “Celestia was with a grey alicorn… my son” Dave groaned loudly “I should have seen it sooner” Dave pounded his knee with his fist in anger

Strong Shield tackled Dave to the floor and growled as he stood over him “Will you put that attitude somewhere else” Strong Shield glared at Dave “You messed up, we get it” the unicorn paced to the door “But you are the only chance we have of fixing this and I am not letting you lose to Odio”

Strong Shield left the room while Dave rubbed his face. He pushed himself to his feet and followed the ex-guard “Listen I want to ask you something before we get there” Dave followed the guard as they silently jogged along the quiet castle corridors “Can you look after my son after I’m gone?”

Strong Shield groaned, “That vision was probably nothing” He looked over his shoulder briefly at the human “Don’t you dare think that you are going to die, you hear me?”

Dave rolled his eyes “yeah to be honest I am more concerned with trying to be in two places at once” the human eventually matched his pace to Strong Shield’s as they stopped outside the throne room

“Alright Adamas should be attacking any moment now” Strong Shield stretched his limbs “When he does you run for Celestia, get her free and then get Luna” Strong Shield watched as Dave shook himself down as well “Celestia and Luna together should be able to break the bonds around the elements and keep Odio still long enough for the elements to work”

“Sounds like a plan” Dave nodded to the unicorn “You ready?” he smirked as Strong Shield nodded with determination. As they braced their smiles wavered as a loud roar was drowned by a loud cracking noise

Odio laughed loudly “Alright you can come in now!” He called out as Dave sighed. The human and unicorn walked in calmly as they saw Adamas’ head by the end windows, a large bond held him against the side of the castle “He almost made it, until he opened his mouth” Odio chirped

Dave smiled weakly to Celestia who only replied with a scared expression. “Ok Odio, what do you want?” Dave walked past all the ponies and stood in front of the large fog

“I want everypony to get what they deserve” Odio smiled down at Dave “Even I will get what I deserve, so don’t worry if you think I will miss out on all the fun” Odio’s smile turned to a snarl as his tentacle picked Dave up and slammed him into the ground “You can’t stop me Dave, I have absorbed more than enough energy to accomplish my plan”

Celestia wrestled against her bonds and the ring around her horn shocked her body. She opened her mouth to scream but the ring shocked her again.

Odio kicked Dave against the wall and smirked at the curled human “Oh this is amazing” Odio chuckled as he smirked at Celestia whilst his claw aimed at Dave “The mighty princess Celestia cares about a simple mortal”

Dave pushed himself to his knee and glared at Odio “Listen here you foggy fuck” Dave growled, “You leave her alone or you will regret it” his snarl only made Odio chuckle

“Oh, Dave… you were so much fun” Odio sighed, as his claw glowed. Dave braced himself as the spike left Odio’s claw, Dave did not have a chance to avoid but he didn’t have to as a black blur intercepted the spike

Strong Shield groaned loudly as the spike pierced his side and sent him out the window. The ponies gasped and Dave rushed to the window. He saw Strong Shield land on the training ground a few floors below, the spike had faded but left a wound in his side as he rolled across the ground

Dave dropped his head “I have put up with you Odio,” Dave growled as he looked at his hands, the palms cut on the broken glass. He walked over to Luna and stroked her horn “I’m sorry I hurt you Luna” He sighed as he headed to Celestia “And I am so sorry I put you in this” He held Celestia’s horn as he kissed her cheek

Odio chuckled at Dave’s torture “Well Dave you are all alone and were used as a tool from the very beginning” The fog stood at the top step by the throne “What could you possibly do now?”

Celestia looked from Odio to Dave and finally to Luna who was staring at her horn. Celestia looked at her own white horn and saw a few drops of blood travelling down towards the bond that restrained her power. She stared at Dave in a panic that stopped at the bottom of the stairs, next to the elements

“I am not going to do a thing anymore” Dave sighed “You win Odio, all I ask is that you send me home” He looked over his shoulder at Celestia “I can’t protect her… I am no use here”

Odio chuckled “Well Dave I wouldn’t say that” Odio smiled sympathetically at the human “You managed to free one of the most guarded hearts in the universe” Odio looked out the window “I just hope you don’t let me down” he muttered to himself

The drops of blood finally reached the bonds and the energy supporting them fluctuated, giving the princesses enough time to force their magic through the gap. Luna’s magic instantly blasted her bonds apart and she began firing magic at the bonds holding the ponies and the dragon. Celestia roared as she fired a large beam at Odio, the light filled the room to an extent where Dave sheltered his eyes

Dave dropped the floor, sweeping his leg so he kicked the elements towards their users. As Twilight was freed, she used her magic to grab the attire and give them to her friends. Odio snarled as he lashed out with his tendril, it cut Dave’s side and he drew out some blood before throwing him away

The elements of harmony were already in the air as Celestia stopped firing her sunbeam, the walls were burned and the metal on the throne glowed with heat. Odio looked up to see a rainbow wrap around his arms and body. He growled and squirmed as the rainbow began to cover his entire body and squash him

Celestia rushed to Dave’s side and turned him over. His face smiled at first before his gaze moved to the shrinking ball made of rainbow. The rainbow faded and left a large blood red gem floating in place, it fell to the floor and bounced down the steps before coming to a rest at the bottom

Dave pushed himself to his feet, nursing the wound in his side, he wandered over to the gem that held Odio. He smiled as Odio roared in rage, his eyes shook violently as he scowled at Dave

“We did it,” Dave said happily but his face turned to horror “Dad!” He tried to run but he collapsed to his knees “You have to help him!” He pleaded to the six mares. They nodded as Spike climbed onto Twilight’s back and rushed for the training ground. Adamas nodded as he glided down to the training ground to lend his assistance

Luna and Celestia dragged Dave past the gem containing the spirit of hate and sat him down on the steps. Celestia held Dave’s head as she rocked gently back in forth “It’s ok Dave, Strong Shield has survived much worse”

Dave managed to chuckle weakly “Yeah well…” Dave mumbled before pulling his head away from Celestia “I’m sorry I put you through this… both of you”

Luna managed a weak smile at Celestia before a cough made them all turn their head to the gem. Odio’s eyes were unnerving as they stared with a strange calmness

“Well I wouldn’t say you out of the woods yet” His growl turned to a chuckle as the gem shook and small shocks bounced across the surface “Too much energy in such a small space” His smile managed to appear below his eyes “Everypony WILL get what they deserve”

Chapter 77

A/N: Here it is... the end. I hope you enjoyed this story half as much as I did writing this. Thank you all for reading and i hope i can produce some more fics that will strike your interest. Anyway here you go the final chapter in Trips into the Unexplored...

Chapter 77

Dave roared as he ran to the gem and kicked it. The stone barely moved as his toes met the hard gem, he fell to his knees with a groan

“Why can’t you just leave us alone?” Dave yelled at the rock “Why do you keep finding another way to stay in our lives?”

Odio scoffed “Aww come on, you used to love me so much” Odio chuckled “But the goal hasn’t been achieved” the gem shook again “But it is going to happen soon”

Dave placed his hand on the gem but yanked it back as he looked at his burnt hand “What the fuck are you doing now?” Dave growled as he climbed to his feet, the wound in his side stabbing him with pain

“I stored enough energy so that when I became like this, I could release that power and detonate” He chuckled slightly “I’m da bomb” he joked but did not gain a smile from Dave

Celestia attempted to use her magic to lift the gem but the gem refused to move “He took some of your blood before he changed” Celestia dropped her head “We can’t move him” She looked at Luna with sad eyes “We have to evacuate”

Odio hummed “Well a certain human can carry me” He rolled his eyes to Dave “but how can the resourceful being get me away from Canterlot in enough time?” he shook again and he groaned “Believe me I am trying to hold the energy in”

Dave looked up at Celestia “I have to get him somewhere where he can’t do any damage” Dave rubbed his head “Can we drop him into the cave I came up in?”

Luna shook her head “The blast will destroy everything in a certain radius… no matter what is in the way” the dark alicorn moved next to her taller sister “We can’t teleport Dave, we could get Adamas to carry him”

“No” Dave declared as he climbed to his feet once again “I wont let him destroy your home and there are definitely going to be some ponies left in the city” Dave moved close to Celestia and wrapped her in a hug “We have to try something”

Luna sighed “I will go see if I can get the elements and Strong Shield out of here” the dark alicorn flew out of the window before pausing as an idea shot into her mind “The launchers… THE LAUNCHERS!” She cheered

Dave looked confused for a moment before his eyes opened in realization “Of course” He smiled at Celestia “We put him on one of those things at max power and send him into the sky before he detonates!”

Celestia smiled as well but her eyes showed her concern “But you will be hurt having to carry him all that way” she placed her hooves around Dave’s neck “I don’t want to be the reason you are hurt again”

“If I don’t try then you could be hurt” Dave ran his fingers through Celestia’s mane as he took in her unique scent “If he has my blood then that means that the explosion could hurt you” He held Celestia tightly before releasing “Just get the doors for me please”

Dave took a breath as he placed his hands on the gem, the scorching surface attempted to force Dave away but he tightened his face as he picked it off the ground. The gem felt light but the pain weighed heavily on Dave’s mind

Dave staggered to the throne room doors, Celestia and Luna opened them before he reached the large doors. The wound in his side stopped bleeding but it still shot Dave a jolt of pain as he staggered against the wall. He groaned loudly, sending a reassuring smile to Celestia before pushing through the pain and continuing his march

“Funny how you used to carry me for without any problem” Odio sighed “You welcomed my gifts and accepted me”

Dave reached the steps. He slowly took each step with care but tumbled down the final few and landed on the gem with his leg. The side Odio showed Dave in the vision. Dave merely groaned as he got up and continued his journey

The princesses both exchanged worried looks, Celestia rushed to Dave’s side and nuzzled him continuously every time he took a break. Dave simply hugged the alicorn before picking the gem up again

The group rounded the corner and saw the elements and Spike huddled around Strong Shield. He had dragged himself inside and a long bloodstain travelled from the training yard to the door

“Well…” Strong Shield coughed blood which Fluttershy quickly wiped up “Nice to see that I’m not the only one with a battle scar” He smirked at Dave as Twilight attempted to seal his wound

The purple unicorn turned away to look at Dave “The wound can’t be healed, there are traces of your blood… it doesn’t look good” Twilight sighed, “What do we do?”

Strong Shield groaned loudly as he sat up “Dave come here” He barked. Dave gladly dropped the gem as he knelt close to the unicorn

“Yeah don’t mind me” Odio sighed, “I’m just a fucking bomb but yeah drop me onto the hard floor” He rolled his eyes to look at Luna “I had a lot more respect than this at one point you know?”

Strong Shield moved his mouth to Dave’s ear “You know what you have to do” He moved his head away to cough before moving back “Save the princesses Dave… do me proud” His eye fluttered shut before he slid down the wall

“D-dad?” Dave placed his fingers on the unicorn’s neck and felt a very weak pulse “I will dad” He growled “I will make you proud” He stood with determination, the pain pushed from his mind as he grabbed the gem and darted for the launchers

Three stood in a row, they were prepared and ready. Dave placed Odio on the first launcher as he pulled the lever that controlled the strength of the launch. He groaned loudly as he pulled the lever until it ceased to move. Dave moved over to the launch lever and glared at Odio “See you later, you piece of shit”

As Dave began to pull the lever, Odio groaned as a few large bolts shot randomly around the gem. One found its target and shattered the launcher and the one beside it

“Oh wow that was some later Dave” Odio chuckled “Anyway it is nice to see you again, how are you?” Odio’s chuckle was cut short again as the gem shook and fell to the floor

Dave picked up the gem and slammed it onto the final launcher. He stomped the strength lever down as far as he could before he reached for the lever. He collapsed in despair as the sound of shattering wood met his ears again, closely followed by Odio’s laughter

The human could not move, could not look up at the slowly dying body of Strong Shield in failure. He sobbed, he did not care anymore, and he sobbed even as Celestia rested her head against the side of his head

“It’s ok Dave,” She whispered, “You tried… that is all that mattered” She held Dave as he sobbed. Her eyes looked to Luna who simply nodded

The dark alicorn looked at the elements. Her horn glowed, they opened their mouths to protest but she teleported them away regardless. She turned to see Adamas staring down at Dave, his eyes full of sorrow as Dave stopped crying

“T-there is another launcher” Dave looked around frantically “There were four delivered, I was there” Dave pushed himself to his feet again “Where is it?”

Luna stood close to her sister as she glared at the gem “The guard tower… but by the looks of the energy fluctuations, we don’t have much time”

Dave grabbed Odio and marched into the castle, Luna and Celestia quickly followed as they left Adamas and Strong Shield alone. The large dragon moved his head to the body of the unicorn

“You aren’t going to die just yet” Adamas sighed as Strong Shield cracked open an eye “You are the only one that can do it” the dragon pulled his head away “Either Dave dies or many ponies will”

Meanwhile…

Dave entered the guard tower, allowing Celestia to open the door for him as he stepped out onto the windy balcony. The guard tower was a large platform with a roof, the launcher was decorated gold and was polished to a mirror shine

Dave walked over and placed the gem on the launcher as Luna used her magic to pull the strength lever all the way down to the max setting. Celestia moved for the launch lever but Dave held out his hand

“No… not yet” He shuddered as he picked up the gem and sat on the launcher. The princesses exchanged fearful looks as Celestia approached Dave

“What are you doing?” Celestia shuddered as tears formed in her eyes, her breaths began to speed up as Dave closed his eyes “Please… don’t do this”

“I have no choice” Dave sighed “So long as I hold onto him, Odio can’t stop the launch” Dave looked at the gem he cradled “he planned this well”

Odio looked at Celestia “That is the ultimate torture, watching as your true love sacrifices himself to save you and his child” Odio looked back at Dave “And you will accept this because if you don’t… worse things would happen”

Celestia moved closer to Dave “I am not going to pull that lever” Celestia sighed, “I am not going to make the mistake of letting you go again” She looked at Dave through her tear filled eyes

“You have to let me go Celestia” Dave’s voice wavered but he held it firm “if you don’t then you could…” Dave couldn’t finish as he closed his eyes and leaned forward, his head hung low

Celestia used a hoof to lift Dave’s chin “It’s ok… we were together… that is all that matters” She pushed her lips against Dave’s, just enough to relay all the emotion they shared for each other. Dave opened his eyes in sadness, his gaze was brought past Luna as Celestia pulled away

“Alright… this is it” Dave sighed as he held Odio “I hope I made you proud” he smiled

Celestia opened her mouth to say something comforting but a weak voice beat her to it. “You always did… Dave” Strong Shield smiled to Dave as he collapsed onto the launch lever. Celestia’s eyes opened in shock as she lunged for Dave, only to be held back by Luna

“NO!” She screamed as Dave was sent skyward, she attempted to flap her wings but Luna pinned her down. She kicked and screamed as Dave became smaller and smaller. Her tears flowed as her emotions drained her body and left her crying on the floor

Dave held back his own tears as the wind rushed past his ears “Well there you go Odio… you’ve won” his voice was quiet as his grip slowly loosened

“Dave… now that we are alone I have to tell you something” Odio’s voice sounded different, more sympathetic “I’m sorry for having to put you through this… it was the only way”

The human shook his head “Why are you sorry? You got revenge… you beat Celestia” Dave looked back down at the castle “Everypony got what they deserved?” Dave sighed

“As far as I will know, yes” Odio rolled around his gem “Celestia was punished for sending me away and Luna will have the burden of being more responsible” he looked at Dave “But what you deserve is going to take a while… depending on how well you cope”

“Yeah well…wait…” Dave’s sadness was pushed aside as curiosity crept in “What the hell are you on about?”

“Do I have to spell it out?” Odio sighed “I edited the thing in your head so you could absorb energy and heal yourself” The spirit of hate groaned at Dave’s blank expression “I am leaving and this explosion is going to have so much energy your mortal body can’t contain it”

“And?” Dave yelled slightly frustrated “I’m still going to be vaporized”

Odio rolled his eyes “You know what figure it out yourself” the spirit growled as his eyes burrowed out of the gem leaving it a pure white. The eyes were surrounded by a dense black fog that released Dave’s blood “I was the greatest good you will ever know… kinda” the eyes winked at Dave “See ya around”

Meanwhile…

Celestia laid staring up at the spot where she could faintly make out Dave, high above the clouds “Dave, I wasn’t perfect… nowhere near” She closed her eyes as she pictured his face, hoping he could her “I never said this enough but… I lov…”

BOOM

The faint black dot expanded into a swirling mass of flames and lightning, the energy surged towards the castle. Luna’s face was full of panic but Celestia kept her eyes closed as she awaited the pain.

The flames stopped, frozen in the air a few meters before they hit the castle before they suddenly spun back into the centre, sucked into a small gleaming white light. It flickered as Celestia opened an eye to look at it, her mouth let out a breath as she stared

The light finally flickered out and was replaced by an expanding shockwave, it spread out in all directions, the castle shook before the blast was even close. Luna laid down next to Celestia as the looked up at the sky

As the shockwave almost reached them, the princesses were distracted by a loud roar. They looked up to see Adamas land next near them, his wings protecting them and Strong Shield’s limp body. He closed his eyes in hope as the shockwave smashed against his back, cracking his scales

As the shockwave passed the dragon, it weakened as it shook the city and the loud noise echoed along the land. In Ponyville, three fillies already had their heads under some pillows as the sound ran down the streets

As the castle stopped shaking, Celestia and Luna both got to their hooves, looking up at the dragon. His eyes were closed and his body was limp. They sighed sadly but stopped as the body folded and crumpled as it was lifted up

“So that was spontaneous generosity?” Adamas realized as he removed his old green scales from his new diamond body. His scales were bright and his wings were like giant mirrors that reflected the sun without effort

Luna smiled “Dragon magic… so that is what you aimed to achieve?” She smiled as Adamas excitedly checked out his body. His smile dipped as he saw Dave’s trench coat fall from the sky, moving in the wind

“My elder would be proud” He sighed as he looked at Strong Shield “Is he?” He leaned closer and took a sniff “He is weak… he won’t last unless he his treated right away”

Luna nodded “We owe it to Dave… we wish you a safe journey” she smiled as the dragon flew away, his scales brightened everything he flew over. Luna looked at Celestia from the corner of her eye, she saw her dropped wings and empty face

The dark alicorn sighed as she picked up Strong Shield and took him back into the castle, leaving her older sister to grieve. Celestia sat on her flank as she looked up at the sky, her eyes closed as she shuddered

A few hours went past and Celestia never moved from her position on the guard tower. Luna returned briefly to sit next to her bigger sibling

“Dave did what had to be done” Luna said sadly as she held back her own tears “I know that you hurt much more than I do” she looked back up at the clear sky “But he wouldn’t have wanted you to be happy”

“Happiness” Celestia shook her head “And what makes you think that I can achieve happiness after what has happened?” She looked at Luna with tear-filled eyes

Luna did not say anything as she placed a hoof on Celestia’s stomach “This one will certainly try” Luna smiled “I know you won’t let Dave die in vain”

Celestia rested her head on Luna’s shoulder as she sobbed again. The sisters held each other as Canterlot was slowly being filled with the population.

Canterlot Castle: hospital wing

Shining Armour stood by Strong Shield’s hospital bed, sitting amongst various machines “So what are we supposed to do now?” He sighed to the usually nervous guard beside him

“I don’t know sir,” Private Barrier said in a low tone “He is in a very… unstable condition” he pointed to the machines “These are keeping him alive but they are also slowing his recovery”

“So if we turn these off” Shining Armour shook his head “there is a chance he could survive?” He looked at the guard next to him as he nodded “Regardless of what happens… I want him to be known in the room of remembrance… he did what the princesses could not”

Private Barrier sighed, “I suppose he would like to be forever remembered as a good guard”

Dragon Mountains: elder cavern

Adamas crawled through into cavern and looked up at the elder’s eye with a smile but it slowly disappeared as he saw another member of the enlightened sat next to the eye

The elder coughed heavily “So, you made sure Odio’s plan was achieved and learnt about generosity” the mountain shook as the elder chuckled

“When I protected the princesses… this happened” The diamond dragon looked at himself “is this what we strived for?”

The elder’s eye watered slightly “I am so happy I saw a dragon make it” The elder’s eye began to drop slowly “They are your enlightened now… Adamas” his eye closed and the mountain turned unnervingly still

Adamas shuddered as the white dragon walked over, she was a female and placed a claw around him “He has been sick for sometime… he held on to see if you achieved your goal” she left the cavern and left Adamas to hold his head

“All this time you said you were teaching us” The dragon sighed “You were just trying to find someone that could take us further” Adamas patted the closed eye “I will make us great… for a good purpose”

Adamas crawled out of the cavern and looked down. The enlightened were all grouped at the bottom of the mountain, their gazes moved up to look at Adamas. He sighed once more before spreading his wings wide and allowed the sun to reflect off his wings and bathe the enlightened in the warm glow of the sun

“So that’s it?” The therapist put down his notepad “That certainly is an interesting story” his gaze moved to the sofa where his customer lay

“Yeah… Odio made Strong Shield a legend, Adamas an icon, Luna stronger” The client chuckled “But I hope Dave manages to cope”

“But you said he died” The therapist paused “So when is the next book coming out?”

“Book? This is no book” The client turned to look at the therapist “And I said Dave’s mortal body couldn’t cope, so the energy absorbed allowed him to transcend that… become immortal”

“So he could be with Celestia and his son forever?” The therapist smiled “So he just has to find a way to turn from a spirit back into a physical form”

“Yeah that is what they deserve” The client smirked “Celestia and Dave can suffer in each others company… I certainly couldn’t stand them”

“So the punishment was actually a blessing in disguise,” The therapist scratched his head “So what about this Odio… did he get what he deserved?”

“Oh yes, he pretended to be evil so he could be good to everypony, besides… somepony had to go to Earth” The client held up a bag “Also I bought Halo 4 limited edition!” he smiled as his eyes shone red

Author's Note

Sequel here: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/54104/unexplored-paths
Just saying

Chapter 1

The lone soldier stood in the centre of the room. His rifle trained at the door a wisp of smoke leaving the barrel. He had missed the blur that sped past the doorway. His radar was showing red dots moving round his position like flies. Every now and then one would break away from the swarm and towards him. He knew they were making him waste ammo.

Then as he looked at his radar again he saw one come straight from behind. They had found the back way. As he turned he saw the glowing blue sword in the hands of a dark green soldier in a similar armour to his own. As he brought the gun up to meet the new threat all the other soldiers ran in with glowing blades. The lone survivor barely managed to dodge the tip of the first blade before having another being rammed into his spine.

“Game over,” Said a booming voice through the TV.

“Damn almost won that,” sighed a boy removing his headset before running his hand through his brown hair. Placing his headset back on he herd a voice come through.

“Well Dave you didn't believe I was going to allow you to win did you?” joked the voice on the other side.

“Anyway I was about to go on something else, care to join me?”

“Sure what do you want to do?”

Removing Halo: Reach from his X-box 360 and looking over his other games, Dave scratched at his head, “To be honest I don’t know.”

“Well how about…” there was a silence from the headset.

“Hello Richard… you still there?”

“Yes im here just changing disks… thought of anything?”

“To be honest I am going to go offline now,” Dave replied as he started to reach for the power button. “Speak tomorrow?”

“Yeah of course, speak tomorrow,” Richard replied.

“Bye”

With a slight push on the power button everything went quiet. Dave stood up placing his controller and headset down next to his TV. His stomach then started to growl. Walking downstairs and into the kitchen he stopped next to a mirror. Looking into it he looked at his messy brown hair that was starting to touch his eyebrows. Gonna need cutting soon, he thought to himself before looking at his other features to see any other effects of playing video games all day. His light blue eyes felt sore but didn't show it, he stood to his full height he was a bit taller than most other 17 year olds he has ever met and stretching his back with a small ‘crack’ before continuing with his quest to the fridge.

As he arrived he pulled open the tall white box of treasures to be disappointed. Has mum not gone shopping again? thinking to himself, butter, milk and an egg. Really full of variety, quietly giggling at his own joke he started closing the door and his stomach growled louder. Looking at his watch it read 7:30 I have got time to hurry to the shop I guess.

Running back upstairs to his room he grabbed his mobile, keys and wallet before rushing back downstairs and out the front door.

Looking up at the sky he saw some grey clouds heading his way. A cold breeze brought his attention back. “Maybe I should have brought a coat,” Dave mumbled to himself grumpily to himself before walking across the street. A wooden gate stood between him and a large field and on the side of the field the shop. It was certainly quicker than walking around and he was starting to feel the effects of hunger as his stomach growled even louder.

“Would you be quiet for one moment please?” He whispered at his angry belly. Sighing he vaulted over the fence and put his hands in his pockets of his jumper as he started to walk his way across the field. Three minutes passed as he was heading to his destination and his mind started to wander.

“This has been the first time I have gone outside in a week,” Dave muttered in a slightly shocked tone. “Man I wish my life got a bit more exciting than school and TV.”

Dave then came to a low stone wall that he carefully climbed over. He then walked across another road stopping for a moment to let a car drive by he strolled into the shop and towards the pre-made foods and looked at the sandwiches. Lettuce and tomato no, prawn cocktail pass, ham and cheese bingo, he thought as he grabbed the solution to his problem. He then quickly paid so he could get outside and finally eat.

Stepping outside he ripped the packaging off and threw it into a bin. He crossed the road whilst stuffing as much of the sandwich into his mouth as he could. The taste of the ham was slightly let down by the cheese but he ignored this as he hopped over the wall.

A loud crack of thunder filled the air and Dave stopped and held out his hand as a large drop of water landed in his palm then another and another. Typical English weather, he thought as he stuffed what was left of his meal into his mouth and began to jog across the field.

“Really should have brought my coat,” He moaned at himself as he was pelted by an onslaught of rain drenching his jumper. He than began running back home. Why did I even bother leaving? As he ran he failed to notice a large stone poking out of the dirt. Dave tripped over and started to fall towards a large ditch in the ground full of dark brown water. Crap was the only thing that passed through his mind as he slammed his eyes shut.

Dave then started falling faster and faster. I should have hit something by now. Still with his eyes shut he felt a thick mist of water across his face and hands. That didn't feel right, He turned his head up and towards where the mist was and opened his eyes. What he saw surprised him.

“A CLOUD!?” Dave shouted in disbelief and shock. A small hole in the cloud showing where he had passed through with a shrinking black swirling hole behind it. Fear grabbed him as he turned and saw the ground rushing towards him. He opened his mouth to scream but nothing came out. He was also shocked by how close to the ground he was. Clouds were supposed to be higher up.

Dave collided with the far side of a hill which kept him moving but didn't stop the pain which tore through his left shoulder. As he rolled he caught glimpses of the ground covered with bright green grass and the bright blue sky with a few clouds doted around. His body was in pain from the impact on the ground and the rolling wasn't helping.

With a loud THUD his stomach collided with a tree and all his breath was knocked out. Coughing Dave pushed the himself away from the tree and laid on his back closing his eyes again. “Argh what the hell happe…” another thud landed on his forehead shooting pain through his already beaten body. He felt it roll off his head to his right. Moving his head slowly he cracked open his right eye to look what hit him there sat a smug bright red apple and above that a long row of apple trees.

“What. The. Hell.?”

Dave then tried to push his hands behind him and sit up. His right arm was sore as he pushed down but his left arm did nothing. Angrily he used his right arm to push his entire body and adjusted himself so he sat against the tree.

Looking down at his left shoulder he saw it was dislocated. “Ouch,” He winced in pain as he carefully removed his jumper and set it aside to get a better look at his arms. A dislocated shoulder, cuts, scrapes and a heap of bruises. “Lucky I hit this side of the hill,” he chuckled this sent a pain through his chest.

Looking at the hill he had just rolled down he saw where he had impacted and left a series of long brown marks in the grass towards the strangely large apple tree that had stopped him. Dave then looked at the sky where he had came down from and the small black hole had completely gone. And he relaxed his head against the tree as he gaze moved over towards the large bright moon.

“The moon?” Dave rubbed his eyes, still coping to terms that he had survived falling out of the sky but this was beginning to get ridiculous. He tried to look at his watch but it was on his left wrist so he took it of with his good hand before holding it up.

A large crack had appeared across the face and broken most of the internal clockwork. “Brilliant. Just bloody brilliant” angrily he stuffed the watch into his jumpers pocket.

He then noticed the apple that had dropped from the tree sitting next to him. Grabbing it he pulled it under and took a sniff. It smelt sweet just begging to be eaten. Biting in he felt the taste just explode in his mouth.

Pulling it away from his mouth he let out a gasp and a, “wow!” Biting as much as he could off before dropping the skinny core to the ground. Looking around he saw more apples on the ground around him.

“Heh looks like my luck is picking up,” he whispered to himself as he devoured all apples within reach.

Finishing off his sixth apple he added the core to a small pile. Looking around on ground level he looked back along the rows of trees. Was he in some kind of orchard? He then saw a house and a big red barn over in the distance behind him. Civilization. Maybe someone there could help him.

As he began to stand up pain raced up his body. Maybe in the morning, He thought as he pulled the jumper over himself and allowed himself to slip into a restless sleep.

5 hours later…

A cockerel greeted the rising sun which woke Dave from his slumber. “Argh,” he groaned as he opened his eyes.

He stood up and stretched his arms up in the air letting out a long yawn. As he rubbed the sleep from his eyes he slowly pulled his hands away from his face looking at his left arm. “Weren't you bust up last night?” looking down he checked his arms. The cuts were smaller and all the bruises were definitely healing but there were still lots of both. “That’s strange… well with what has been going on this should not really surprise me.”

Scratching his head he felt… good considering he fell out of the sky. He looked up at the tree he had a close encounter with and looked at the lowest branch. Even though this was an apple tree it stood high above him. Jumping up he easily touched it. A smirk spread across Dave’s face as he looked at another tree a row down. Taller with a higher branch. Bracing himself he jumped and grabbed the branch and pulled himself onto it.

Laughing he stood balancing on the branch he stuck the top of his head through the thick leaves and looked into the distance. He saw a town. Pulling his keys out of his pocket he grabbed a small compass from the bunch. Dave liked to collect odd things that have a very obscure use so he was prepared and he had keyrings for things he might never need. The town was north from his perch. As he placed the keys into his pocket he pulled his head back into the tree.

Sitting down on the branch he braced to drop back down but as he started to move he stopped. He heard something. Female voices coming nearer from the direction of the house. Dave carefully moved a few leaves so he could see what was coming.

Two ponies were walking towards his landing spot. One a purple with a strait darker purple mane and a horn with marking of some stars on its flank. A unicorn?. It also had saddlebags containing some books. The other pony was orange with blond mane wearing an old fashioned cowboy hat, this one had three bright red apples as a marking instead of the stars the other one possessed. But where had the voices came from?

Just as the thought entered his mind the orange pony turned to the other and said in an old west accent.

“What do ya mean you saw some thing fall outta the sky?” the orange pony looked puzzled as she trotted along side the purple unicorn.

“For the last time Applejack.” the purple unicorn started to sound annoyed and out of breath, “I was stargazing last night looking for Orion and than there was this flash of light and as I moved my telescope over all I saw was a blur land somewhere near here.”

“Well what the hay was it Twilight?” the orange pony… Applejack asked.

“I don’t know,” Twilight replied sadly. “ I didn't get the chance to focus in.”

Dave quietly sat back on the branch, That pony saw me and now it’s looking for me? I had better stay hidden until I know what is going on. He scratched the back of his neck while he thought, Well at least all I left was some marks in the ground, some eaten apples and… his eyes widened as he peeked through the leaves down at his sleeping spot. His jumper lay next to the tree the markings in the ground led to. CRAP

The ponies were already walking towards the tree looking at the dents he had left in the ground. The purple one Twilight was some how taking notes with a floating book and quill surrounded by a purple glow. Her horn was also glowing the same faint purple.

Dave looked on as they moved steadily closer to his jumper knowing that if he tried to get it he would surely be seen. Deciding to leave it he watched with a mix of curiosity and dread. What will they do if they find me? He didn't know how they would react to him. He was larger than them and he was worried that would be intimidating.

As the ponies came to the tree Twilight was furiously scribbling into her book every last detail while Applejack went over to the pile of eaten apples.

“Now what in tarnations has been eating ma apples” Applejack looked angry.

Her apples? Oh brilliant I've stolen food from a pony, Dave put a hand to his face. She must own this place.

“More importantly,” Twilight said as she levitated the strange clothes “What is this?”

Dave’s heart was beating furiously as she started to unravel the jumper and take notes on it. Please drop it and leave. He begged.

“Is that some sorta fancy dress?” Asked a puzzled Applejack looking at the curious design.

“To be honest I don’t think it is for a pony,” replied Twilight. “Look how it is shaped.”

Both ponies sat staring at Dave’s jumper before Twilight looked around.

“What if this belongs to somepony and they are still near by?” Twilight said to Applejack before continuing to search.

Applejack then yelled out, “IF ANYPONY IS OUT THERE WE HAVE YER err… THING!”

Dave considered replying and walking up to them and taking it back. No I have to stay hidden until I know what’s going on. He made his plan and he was going to stick with it as best he could.

“What if it is hurt?” Twilight asked with a worried tone in her voice. “It looks like it hit the tree quite hard” pointing with a hoof at a crack where something had hit it.

Applejack started to head towards the town, “I’ll go get help, you just wait here in case whatever it is comes back.” She then started racing towards the town.

Twilight then sat down and started reviewing her notes, “Hmm if it landed with that force it is either is badly hurt or extremely tough.” The rest of the words started to turn into a mumble.

“Wow see talks to herself as much as I do,” Dave chuckled before quickly shoving his hand over his mouth.

Twilight stopped and looked around carefully she knew she herd something, “Hello, anypony out there?” she continued to search, “I’m not going to hurt you I just want to help.” She then started to look at the trees.

Crap crap crap if she looks this way she will be sure to notice something, Dave held his breath as her gaze started turning towards his hiding spot.

The sound of hooves brought Twilight's attention away from the trees and over towards her friends. Dave also peeked at what was coming. He saw Applejack, a bright pick pony with a pink fluffy mane with balloons as it’s mark and a white unicorn with neat purple mane and diamonds as it’s mark. What do these marks mean? As he started to lean back he noticed two flying ponies there are Pegasus here as well? one was Cyan coloured with a rainbow mane and a mark of a cloud with a rainbow coloured thunderbolt coming out of it. The other a bright yellow with a long pink mane that covered some of its face and the mark of butterflies in the same place as the marks the other ponies had.

“Hi girls,” Twilight stood to meet them. “We have problem.”

More girls? Dave thought, what the hell I was expecting some form of rescue team if they thought someone was hurt.

The white unicorn walked over to Dave’s jumper, “I’ll say just look at this crime against fashion!”

Thanks, Dave thought sarcastically.

“Rarity why is it always fashion that is your only concern?” Complained the rainbow-maned pony.

“Well excuse me Rainbow Dash if I happen to have a talent for letting ponies look their best every day,” Rarity looked over at the Pegasus.

“Whatever. So what do you need us for anyway Twilight,” Rainbow Dash turned her attention back to her.

“I think that this belongs to somepony and that they are in need of our help as they could be very badly hurt,” Twilight's voice was full of concern again.

“Oh no that’s dreadful we have to find them before anything else happens,” Came the quiet voice of the yellow Pegasus “I would hate to let somepony get hurt because we couldn't find them.”

“Don’t worry Fluttershy as long as we work together we will certainly find them likidy split,” Said the upbeat voice of the pink pony bouncing up and down.

“Pinkie is right if we work together we should be able to find who this belongs to,” Declared Twilight with the sound of determination in her voice. "We should be able to find whoever or whatever it is before midday and if they are hurt we have to help.”

All the ponies cheered and Twilight told them all what to do.

“Applejack you run around all the trees and see if you can find anything.”

“Ya can count on me Twilight,” she yelled as she sped away.

“Rarity check the barn and anything near the house.”

“But the mess…” Rarity started to protest.

“What if this injured creature is a handsome stallion?” Twilight played on Rarity’s feelings a bit but she knew she needed the nudge.

Rarity‘s eyes lit up. “Well of course I would be happy to lend my assistance. I mean it is only right.” Rarity started to daydream as she happily trotted towards the barn.

Don’t make me sick, Dave thought.

“Pinkie go round the outside to see if it has tried to head for Ponyville.”

“Okie doki loki!” smiled Pinkie as she hopped away.

“Dash you fly around and look from above and report to me how the others are doing.”

“You got it!” Dash saluted as she raced upwards.

“Finally Fluttershy you look in all the trees to see if they have climbed in to hide.”

“Um.. Ok.. Of it helps,” Fluttershy then started to poke her head into the trees and whispered. “Hello is anypony in here… could you come out please… that is if.. You don’t mind.” She did this for every tree and was slowly making her way towards Dave.

And I am going to crap myself, Dave started to panic. That Twilight has them so well organised. If I stay then the yellow one will find me. If I run I’ll be seen by either the rainbow one or the cowgirl. Even if they didn't see me I cant get past the pink one or I run to where the posh one is going. His options were closing fast. He had to think of something fast. He sat back and put his head in his hands. Think!

Twilight looked up at Rainbow Dash who kept sending the occasional shrug her way. Hope was still strong that they would find whatever owned this strange clothing. Looking down at it she noticed something in the ground. A strange hoof print longer than her own. Following the print she saw another and another until they stopped at a tree nearby.

“Fluttershy?” she called.

“Yes Twilight?” quietly spoke the timid Pegasus.

“Can you look in that tree?” she whispered as she pointed it out.

“Um.. Ok,” Fluttershy flew gently over and put her head into the tree. “Hello is …” She saw a strange tall creature with dirtied clothing over its body and a brown mane on top of it’s head. It turned to look at her and it had two blue eyes that stared back at her. It’s claws reached up. She screamed and ducked out off the tree.

“AH HA I knew it,” said Twilight proudly now the pony or creature would have to come down to the ground and she could then solve this great mystery. Dash and AJ had came over when they heard Fluttershy scream.

Oh shit! Dave had tried put his fingers to his lips as too say, "Shh.” But obviously she was scared way too easily. He stood and jumped for the next tree as to stay in the protection of the leaves.

Twilight saw something leap from tree to tree staying hidden behind the leaves, “Oh no.”. She gave chase with Dash and AJ in tow following the rustling of the trees.

Dave knew he could not out run them like this but he wasn't sure about his chances on the ground either. Looking back briefly between trees he saw them struggling to keep up he wondered if his speed had been increased as well . The yellow one has seen me already so it’s only a matter of time before everything else does.

They chased the creature through most of the orchard heading towards the barn Twilight knew it was going to run out of trees soon. An idea popped into mind, I don’t know how this spell will work on it but I have to try. She started charging up her magic.

Ok screw this I’m going to run on the ground this is getting me nowhere, Dave finally made up his mind he was going to drop and sprint like there was no tomorrow as soon as he ran out of trees.

The final tree lay ahead Dave did one final leap before hitting the ground. He rolled to keep momentum and as he stood he sped up. he was going at speed he had never ran before so he had no chance of changing direction quickly enough as the white unicorn stepped out in front of him. They he stared in shock at it as he knew he was going to crash into her.

A blast of purple light rushed into the back of Dave’s head as he felt himself falling become suddenly drowsy and losing control of his body. what the hell was tha…

Twilight's sleep spell had hit its target as it fell over face planting some mud in front of Rarity splashing a few drops over her pearl white coat.

“AAHHHH” Rarity screamed as she looked down at the most revolting thing she had ever seen “MUD! WHO WOULD DO SUCH AN EVIL AND VILE THING AS TO SPLASH THIS DISGUSTING SUBSTANCE AT ME!?” She screamed angrily at the top of her lungs. Looking down she saw the creature Twilight was looking for face down in the mud. “YOU!” she flipped him over using her magic so it was facing her. Its eyes looked at her before they slowly closed. “YOU, YOU, you umm have strangely enticing eyes,” she quickly placed a hoof over her mouth. Did I just say what I thought I did? It must be because the look like sapphires. Wait that isn't any better!

The others all slowly crowded around the creature when the heard Rarity yell at it.

“What the hay is that thing?” Applejack asked tapping it with a hoof.

“I don’t know,” Replied a shocked and confused Twilight. “I haven’t read about anything like this.”

“What did you do to it anyway?” Rainbow Dash asked looking at the mud covered creature

“A simple but effective sleep spell,” Twilight had a sense of confidence in her voice. “It won’t be going anywhere until at least this afternoon.”

Pinkie and Fluttershy came over to the barn. “Aww did I miss the game of hide and seek?” Said pinkie sadly, “What is this thing anyway?”

“I don’t know Pinkie,” Twilight gathered all the girls around her away from the strange sleeping creature. “But I must study it. I mean in all the books I have read I have never heard of anything like this. I will take it to the library.”

“Well what are you going to do with it when it wakes up?” Rainbow Dash said in a slightly cautious tone. “No offence I don’t think you can handle it all night by yourself.”

“Dash is right sugarcube, what you gonna do if it gets angry?” Applejack sat down as she was still tired from running around after the thing. “I mean I would be angry if somepony knocked me out and took me somewhere strange.”

“Well if some of you could stay over tonight until I get better prepared I would be vary grateful,” Twilight looked at all her friends as they all gave smiles back at her. “Thanks girls. Who knows this might actually turn out to be quite fun.”

“YAY A SLUMBER PARTY!” pinkie screamed as she pulled all her friends in for a group hug.

Dave heard a loud scream as his eyes shot open. What the hell? He sat up and looked for the scream and he saw all six ponies hugging each other. He quietly stumbled to his feet and tried with difficulty to quietly creep away. He tripped occasionally from still being very drowsy.

“Ok girls we will have to sneak it in as to not panic anypony. Applejack have you got a cart we could borrow?” Twilight was already excited for tonight.

“Sure do,” Applejack dove into the barn and came out pulling a small cart normally used for carrying apples but this would do for now. “load it on and we can get ourselves a movin.”

Twilight turned to where the creature was sleeping to find it gone. Panicking she looked up and saw it stumbling trying to get away. “But it was asleep,” She gawped in disbelief. Regaining her composure she had to up the power.

Hey I might make it, Dave thought as he started to walk normally again. Lets just hope they haven’t seen me ye… Another wave of purple waved over him. Aw come on He thought as he fell over again asleep.

15 minutes later at Twilight's house…

“Ok, I’ll lock it in the basement for now,” Twilight said to her friends as she levitated it down the stairs and onto a small mattress. Stepping back she used a key to lock it and hung it on a small hook next to the door. “There safe and secure. Now who is for pin the tail on the pony?” She asked as she trotted over to her friends as they all cheered.

Dave woke up again but this time he waited before he was fully awake before standing up. Looking around he was in a dark room with a small light attached to the roof lighting the room with a dim orange glow. “Oh this is great now I have been kidnapped by ponies,” Sighing he rubbed his face. “Well first time for everything,” He looked around and saw marks where equipment of some kind had been standing for some time. Looking around he found some stairs leading up winding up and around the walls of the circular room.

Quietly accenting the wooden stairs he looked through the key hole to see what was going on. He saw the pink pony blindfolded with a fake tail in it’s mouth walking slowly towards a picture of a pony with a small target where it’s tail should go. They are playing party games? And they left me out, Dave chuckled at his own joke. The other five ponies were all there playfully chatting but he heard footsteps coming his way. A big purple lizard with green spikes came into view holding a parchment.

“Hey Twilight I have the message for the princess ready,” It said in a childish tone. It was just a boy by the sound of things.

“Thanks Spike can you send it for me? With this please?” Twilight asked as she handed over a quickly wrapped package.

“Sure thing,” It held the parchment and package up and breathed a bright green fire which sent the items away in a wisp of smoke out of the window.

A DRAGON! Dave screamed in his mind rushing to stand up he bashed his head on a low beam above the door. Rubbing his head he heard silence come from the other side of the door. Uh oh.

Spike burped out a reply letter from the princess and passed it to Twilight. “Twilight what was that noise?”

“Oh that’s probably the creature waking up,” She replied casually as she opened up the Princess Celestia’s letter and began to read aloud.

Dear Twilight Sparkle

I hope the creature didn't cause much trouble or any harm to anypony.

I am confident in your abilities as well as the assistance of your friends to keep the creature calm and safe.

If the creature understands you please try to gain it’s trust as it may help future relations with it’s species.

I agree with your assessment on the creatures clothing. It is rather strange.

I shall be available sometime soon and shall send a letter when I depart for Ponyville

Please keep me updated every night or if anything important happens

Your teacher
Princess Celestia

“We are supposed to keep that thing safe? What about us?” Dash pointed at the door where Dave was peeking through.

Hey that Princess Celery or what ever has my jumper! Dave began to frown as he looked back through the key hole to see a green eye staring back.

“AHH that thing is at the door. It looked at me.” Spike jumped back and hid behind Twilight, “Is it dangerous?”

“Come on Spike it is behind a locked door we are completely safe,” Twilight reassured him. “Unless it can figure out how to get the key it can’t get out.”

Challenge accepted Twilight, Dave thought to himself as he pulled his keyrings out. He pulled the keyrings off and looked at his equipment. A compass, a small knife, a magnifying glass, his house key and the ring itself. Using the small folding knife he poked it under the door getting a few gasps from the ponies and dragon from the other side. Heh just wait, He thought as he looked in the reflection for the key which was hung up near the keyhole. That’s convenient, He thought as he pulled the key ring straight with a small hook at the end and a 90° bend where his hand held.

Putting the hook through the keyhole he noticed the ponies and dragon on the other side looking scared. Apart from Twilight who was looking more confused than anything. impressed? Dave thought as he snagged the key and dropped it to floor just before the door and used his makeshift hook to drag it under. Gotcha haha win for Dave! As he put the key in the hole and unlocked it.

The ponies all looked ready to run or fight as they heard the door unlock.

Dave was staring at his end. What had he achieved? Getting the key to his makeshift prison? The ponies were on the other side and ready and he was outnumbered. Really should have waited for them to go to sleep so I could sneak out, Holding the key in his hand he really didn't want to open the door now.

The ponies all waited for something to happen. Carefully Fluttershy walked over to the door and quietly tapped it.

“Excuse me I was wondering if we could have our key back please… if its not to much trouble?” Surprisingly the key slowly slid out from under the door. Twilight quickly levitated the key over towards the keyhole but Fluttershy stopped her. “Umm I was wondering if I could go in and see it? That is if it is ok with you?”

Dave sat back downstairs on the mattress knees to his chest and head down. What the hell did I just do? Just because some random pony said please I have to oblige, now they will move the key away and I’m stuck for good now.

Slowly Fluttershy opened the door and peeked in before walking through and quietly closing it behind her. She looked down the stairs and saw the creature curled up in a ball on a mattress too small for it. Poor thing it’s just scared, She thought as she flew down and gently landed next to it.

Dave heard a small noise from the door. Locked, brilliant now I have to wait for the royalty of this land to be bothered enough to travel all the way down here..

He slowly began to notice something was rubbing his head softly. Moving his head up a little he saw the bright yellow Pegasus stroking his hair with a caring look on her face. It felt strangely comforting.

“It’s ok I’m not going to hurt you and neither are my friends,” She continued to stroke the creature noticing it getting more relaxed. “I'm a friend and I am here to take care of you.”

Dave started to feel really comfortable as Fluttershy talked to him. He slowly started to reach out with his right hand towards her head. She looked at his strange hand but let him touch her gently on the head. Dave then started scratching gently behind her ears. He figured it was like any other pony back home.

Fluttershy liked the feeling as he scratched the top of her head. She slowly let her own hoof drop down. It felt really good. Suddenly she blushed as she started to notice her wings starting to spread out. Blushing she stepped back before the thing could continue.

“Oh my…” she noticed the look on the creatures face as if it had done something wrong. “It’s ok… um… do you want to come upstairs?” The creature nodded as it understood and got to it’s feet. Fluttershy flew up the stairs to get her muscles relaxed before she went back out. She knew Rainbow Dash would notice. Stopping at the door she looked down at the creature as it looked back up.

I wonder if I can jump up there? Dave eyed the edge of the top stair. Higher than the tree he had leapt into. Giving a strong push he jumped a bit higher than he meant to and grabbed the handrail before pulling himself over. Looking back down he smirked. I'll have to push my self at some point.

Turning his attention back towards Fluttershy she looked back at him smiling, “Ok you just wait here a moment while I talk to my friends.” She then walked through the door leaving in ajar behind her.

“Ok I think it would like to come out and meet you all” she noticed how her friends were still a bit scared. “It’s ok it is probably a bit scared of you all as well.”

Slowly the ponies all nodded to each other and Fluttershy opened the door to let the creature out.

Dave slowly walked through the open door to receive a variety of stares from each of the ponies. Twilight looked puzzled, Rainbow and AJ both looked ready to take Dave down if he tried anything, Pinkie smiled at him, Spike was looking at him in awe whilst Rarity was trying to avoid eye contact as much as possible.

“Wow it’s tall,” Spike let his worries leave him as he was the first to approach the giant. Gulping as he stopped just in front of it and held out his claw. “Hi I’m Spike,” The creature crouched down and started to reach out with it’s own claw like appendage. Spike covered his eyes with his other hand remembering the size of it. But to Spikes surprise he shook his claw and with a smile on it’s face it replied in a friendly tone.

“Hi Spike, I’m Dave nice to meet you.”

Chapter 10

Dave and Spike both sat down on the floor and fell onto their backs exhausted for their little journey as the ponies surrounded them.

“Now where the hay have y’all been?” Applejack asked as her gaze was brought to the claw mark on Dave’s chest and wound on his arm

“Everfree forest… attacked by… um… oak wolves?” Dave panted

“Don’t you mean timber wolves?” Twilight giggled “oak wolves is just silly”

“Yeah wolves made of timber is perfectly normal but oak, haha how could I have been so ridiculous” Dave whispered to himself sarcastically

“Well how did you make it out?”

“A zebra… rhymed a lot” Dave sat up and cradled his injured arm

“Zecora? I suppose that makes sense” Twilight helped Dave and Spike sit up again “How did you get here?”

“Walked through town… how else?” Spike responded as he helped himself to his feet using the table

“So you were seen?”

“Well duh” Pinkie butted in “Didn’t you see the crowd on the street that Rarity yelled at?”

“Rarity yelled?” Twilight looked puzzled from Pinkie to Rarity

Rarity played with her mane as everyponies gaze turned to her “Well I was slightly annoyed at how they all were staring at Dave, I just wanted them to give the poor guy some space”

Dave had pushed himself to his feet and steadied himself against the wall “Well thanks, I guess” he looked at his bloodied shirt “Aww I liked this shirt” He pulled it over his head using his good arm and let it drop to the floor “I am not good with shirts recently”

“It appears I will have to make you some more when I get home” Rarity looked from the ruined shirt and then at Dave’s chest “But I still don’t see the point in you wearing clothes ALL the time”

“Yeah summer has jus’ come around, and it gets mighty warm” Applejack was also distracted from Dave’s injuries and over to his muscles “Yer don’t have to be ashamed of yer body”

“I would still prefer to keep my clothes on thanks” Dave ran his finger over the three long claw marks “And for your information I am not ashamed of my body”

“Well what’s the deal then?” Rainbow Dash flew slightly above his head

“I have to keep my privacy you know” Dave moved a hand slowly over to hold his trousers up just in case

“Fine if you want to roast in the sun that is your problem” Twilight sighed “Is anypony hungry?”

They all agreed and a few stomachs rumbled from the group, Twilight and Spike went into the kitchen to start on dinner while everypony else and Dave was left in the main room.

“Hang on, hang on” Dave waved his hand in the air “Were am I going to stay tonight?”

Rarity beamed at him “Well Sweetie Bell is still staying at my parent’s home for another day, so you can come round mine and stay with me” she said warmly flicking her eyelids gracefully at him

“I have already stayed at yours and I don’t want to impose” Dave knew what she meant by ‘stay with me’ and liked to avoid waking up with the unicorn on top of him again

“I umm…”

“Ya can sleep in mah barn if you want to” Applejack suggested

“Yes please thank you” He looked over at Rarity “Allows you more time to make even more stunning clothes for me” He suggested

“Hmm I suppose” She tapped her chin “and I could make something… unique for myself if I have time”

“Great, so I’m staying at Applejack’s” Dave said cheerfully ‘Finally some alone time, in a barn, at night… on Applejacks farm’ Dave realised what he had just agreed to ‘crap, I kissed AJ and now I will be staying in a barn while her family and everypony else will be asleep… why did I just arrange perfect alone time?’

Applejack smiled at him “Good to hear sugarcube, it’ll be fun” She gave him a cheeky wink as Dave gulped

“Heh… yeah… fun” Dave rubbed his wounded arm and flinched ‘wait… I have an excuse, I’m too injured’ He smiled as he had his backup plan, but his smile quickly faded and his plan was thrown strait out the window as a familiar pain shot through his body, the squelching noise returned

The ponies all watched as the cuts on Dave’s chest zipped up and the skin healed over, and as the bite in his arm slowly filled out until that healed as well. ‘Oh brilliant’ He thought as he was only left with dried blood on his arms.

Twilight walked in as Dave fully healed before her eyes “Wow you don’t waste time do you” She looked around the room at the ponies that all looked at where the injuries used to be “dinner is ready”

“Do you have a bathroom I could just wash my hands in?” Dave showed his arms to her

Rarity talked before Twilight had a chance to respond “Ah good hygiene means good health, I like that” She walked past Dave “I’ll show him to the bathroom Twilight, I need to wash my hooves too, you all go on ahead”

Dave reluctantly followed Rarity into a bathroom that had a large sink, bathtub, some shelves with various towels and shampoos and finally a toilet over in the corner. Every thing was in a clean white and looked completely different from the rest of the house.

Rarity closed the door behind her, Dave walked over to the sink and started to wash his arms clean under the large tap “You’re too kind, you know that?” Rarity sighed happily as she joined Dave in washing her front hooves

“How so?” Dave asked as he grabbed a towel and wiped his arms dry, Rarity started using it at the same time

“You staying at Applejack’s so I could relax” She allowed Dave to kneel down and place the damp towel on a small rack that sat below the sink “Don’t worry though I will make something for us for when you come over”

“Ok thank you… did you just say for US?” Dave looked at her bewildered, he was still on his knees so he was eye level with her “listen Rarity…” He was cut off as Rarity wrapped her hooves around his neck, giving him a deep kiss

Pulling away she kept her hooves around him and kept her head close “When you fell on that glass I thought I was going to lose you, and again when you didn’t appear with me here” She gazed into his eyes as she gave him a worried yet relived look “I don’t want to lose you and I want us to have something special before something like that happens again”

“Don‘t worry you aren’t going to lose me” Dave watched as she smiled and pulled her in for an intense kiss ‘WAIT DID I JUST SAY WHAT I THINK I SAID?!’ he yelled in his own head

Dave pulled away from her as she let her hooves fall to the floor “I’ll go out first, you just wait a moment” She walked over to the door but stopped and looked back a Dave “We are going to have such fun together you and I darling”

Dave watched as she departed before slapping himself “Dammit now all I need something else to come along and make things weirder” He grumbled to himself as he followed after the unicorn

As Dave walked into the kitchen he saw the ponies and Spike all sitting around a large round table each with a plate in front of them, Dave sat at the empty space between Fluttershy and Applejack

“Hey everypony what’s for… dinner?” he started off happy but then his voice quietened as he saw his food. Hay.

Rarity looked at Dave’s depressed face and then at his food “Oh my, Twilight I am so sorry to be a bother but I forgot to inform you that Dave doesn’t eat hay”

“Oh I’m sorry Dave but I’m afraid I haven’t got any other food in the house at the moment” Twilight explained as she levitated the food from Dave’s plate

“Nah its ok” Dave looked at the now empty plate “I’ll be fine for now” he sat back and watched them all eat their dinner, his gaze was brought to the shy yellow Pegasus beside him “We haven’t really talked much, have we Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy his behind her pink mane “no, we haven’t” she continued to eat

“So… what do you do?” Dave felt like he was the only one wanting to talk

“Oh I-I um… look after animals” she almost seemed to whisper

“That sounds nice” he watched her slightly shuffle away “are you ok?”

“I’m fine”

“You sure?” Dave wondered what could be wrong ‘she was more than fine around me when I first came here, maybe it was the incident with the guards’ Dave’s face showed his concern “are you… scared of me?”

Fluttershy didn’t answer and Rainbow Dash looked between them both “Fluttershy gets really sick sometimes when she gets teleported” she quickly said as she filled the awkward silence

“Oh ok” Dave looked at Dash then back to Fluttershy “Well I hope you feel better soon” he turned to look at Applejack on the other side of him “so who is up at the farm tonight?”

“Jus’ Granny Smith, Applebloom, Big Macintosh and I think Scootaloo is sleeping over tonight” Applejack stuffed some more hay into her mouth

“Scootaloo? Who’s that?”

“Jus’ a friend of Applebloom and Sweetie bell” She swallowed her mouthful “They have a club together”

“What kind of club? Are you in it?”

“No and I can’t because I have mah cutie mark” she tapped her cutie mark and chuckled as Dave’s eyes were brought down “Like what ya see?”

Dave stared at her flank “yeah…” he quickly grabbed a hold of himself “the cutie mark I mean”

Applejack gave him a wink before continuing “The club they have is called the Cutie Mark Crusaders”

“Three guesses for what they are after” Dave chuckled

“Oh I love guessing games!” Pinkie squealed in delight “Are they… trying to get their cutie marks?”

“Pinkie you already know what they do” Twilight rolled her eyes

“But did I get it right?”

“Well yes but…” Twilight was cut off by Pinkie jumping on the table

“YAY I WON!” She screamed happily as she did a little dance only to get placed back on her chair by Twilight’s magic

“Congratulations Pinkie, were are all very impressed” Dash said sarcastically as they all started to finish their dinner, Spike took the plates away, washed them and Dave quickly walked over and started to dry the plates

“Listen Spike, I’m going to be at Applejack’s tonight… Do you want to come?”

“Nah I will stay here tonight” Spike yawned obviously the day’s events tired him out “you have fun though”

‘Yeah WHOSE fun though mine or AJ’s?’ Dave thought to himself irritably as his second back up plan was ruined

The group all spent the next hour talking about their time in Canterlot, Dave stayed silent throughout the conversation and everypony started to say their goodbyes to each other as the sun began to descend, Applejack told Twilight where Dave was staying, much to Twilight’s disappointment.

“Don’t you fret none, I’ll keep an eye on him” Applejack assured her as she took Dave out the front door and onto an empty street “come on big fella lets get you home”

Dave walked beside Applejack and only noticed where Twilight lived “She lives in a giant tree that happens to be a library?”

“I thought you knew that” Applejack looked over before remembering that Dave spent his first few days in a cart “oh yeah ya only walked here today and I guess ya were in a hurry”

“Yeah something like that” Dave felt a cool breeze against his chest ‘crap my shirt… oh wait it’s ruined, guess I will have to wait until tomorrow’

Applejack noticed Dave shiver slightly when the wind picked up as they were leaving town “Listen sugarcube, it’s gonna be cold in the barn tonight” She looked up at his arms then his face “why don’t ya sleep in mah bed?”

Dave smiled at her “Thanks Applejack but the barn will be fine” He chuckled slightly “besides where would you sleep?”

“In mah bed of course”

“Ok… wait but didn’t you say…” Dave was cut off as Applejack continued to speak

“Well mah room gets chilly at night sometimes” She rubbed her head against his arm “we could keep each other warm”

Dave smiled at her but inside he was horrified ‘KEEP EACH OTHER WARM? She has fur and I am half naked! I have to shut her up some how before this gets worse’ Dave quickly kneeled down and picked Applejack up in his arms and continued to walk with the mare laying on her back with her face close to his.

“Ya sure know how ta sweep a girl off her hooves” instead of kissing him, Applejack decided to press her head against Dave’s exposed chest and enjoy the moment “ya too kind ya know”

“So I’ve been told” Dave wanted to facepalm but Applejack being in his arms prevented this ‘How did I think this was going to get her quiet?’

Applejack snuggled her face into Dave’s neck and gave him a small lick “I didn’t realize how comfy ya are” She said happily as she made herself more comfortable “so is this a part of the keeping warm?”

“I’m afraid not, just thought I would repay you for pulling me around town in one of your carts” Dave didn’t look at her but at Sweet Apple Acres in the distance “The barn will be more than fine”

“Aww are ya sure sugarcube? I don’t bite…”

‘Please don’t say what I think you are’

“…much” she whispered with a seductive grin

‘AH I KNEW IT!’ Dave looked down at her “What if Applebloom or her friend Scooby-do walk in?”

“It’s Scootaloo and I can put mah hat on the door” She took her hat off allowing her blond mane to flow better and placed it on top of Dave’s head “Everypony in mah family knows that when mah hat is on the door, I need alone time”

“Wait how many stallions have you been with?”

“There aren’t that many stallions around, its strange mah brother doesn’t get a lot more attention than the few others in town” She looked back to Dave “But the answer to yer original question is none… I haven’t actually done this before” she whispered nervously

“So why the hat on the door?” Dave saw Sweet Apple Acres drawing nearer and could just make out some ponies outside the front door, he couldn’t see for sure but they looked young

Applejack avoided looking at Dave “well I have been known to be quite stubborn, so I just sit in mah room when I’m feeling down”

“Do you feel down a lot?” Dave’s voice took on a tone of concern

“No hardly ever it’s just… noticeable” Applejack snuggled her head under Dave’s chin “At least I won’t be feeling down tonight” she whispered softly

“I still haven’t said no to the barn yet” Dave reminded her but felt his heart tighten as she gave him a sorrowful look and slowly looked away from him ‘ARRRRGGGHH’ “Fine I’ll stay in your room, but I will be staying dressed”

Applejack smiled at him “Won’t that make everything a bit harder?”

“How do you mean?”

“Well after we kissed last time I said, I would find us some alone time” Dave looked at her with a blank stare “to continue where we left off”

“Oh right… I didn’t say we were going to do that” Dave quickly responded in a nervous voice

“Ya haven’t done it either have you?” Applejack could tell he was nervous “And don’t bother trying to deny it”

“well… ok fine, no I haven‘t” He looked up as he turned onto the final path that lead strait to Applejack’s house, he could clearly see Applebloom and an orange Pegasus with a purple mane “can we talk more inside?” Dave let Applejack down gently and replaced her hat

“WOW WHAT’S THAT?” The pony Dave assumed was Scootaloo gasped in amazement

“Oh Scootaloo, that’s Dave, ya know I told ya he is the one who saved mah life” Applebloom bounced over to Dave and gave him a tight hug and Scootaloo quickly followed

“Thank you for saving my two best friends Dave” Scootaloo grinned at him

“Heh no problem really” Dave gave them both a quick hug before allowing them to continue their game

“I told her not to tell nopony about ya” Applejack mumbled irritably

“Well everypony is going to know about me in a day or two anyway” Dave followed Applejack into the house “Besides they’re children, they make mistakes”

Sitting in the main room was Granny Smith and Big Macintosh, Granny Smith was sleeping in a large rocking chair and Big Mac was sitting in another large chair, obviously to support his large body, reading a newspaper

“Hey Big Mac, You alright?” Dave asked happily

“Eeyup” the large red stallion replied looking up from his newspaper

“Have y’all had any problems since I been gone?” Applejack sat down on a long cream sofa that ran along beneath a large window

“Nnnope”

“That’s good to hear” she noticed Dave standing oddly in the middle of the room “you ok sugarcube?”

“Yeah I’m fine, actually I am a bit tired, do you mind if I went to bed early?”

“Not at all, go upstairs and last door on the left” Applejack pointed to some stairs at the end of the kitchen

“Thanks” Dave walked up the stairs and went into Applejacks room.

Her room was larger than Dave was expecting for a house that looked small outside, there was a double bed, desk, some shelves with various items and photos and finally a window that overlooked the long rows of apple trees.

Sitting down on the bed Dave looked at his room for the night “right if I get to sleep, hopefully she won’t wake me up” He looked out the window to see the sun had fully set and shuffled into the bed, staying as far from the door as possible and not taking up too much of the sheets, Dave shut his eyes and forced himself to try and sleep.

After a few minutes of laying motionless Dave was still awake and heard hoof steps coming his way, the door gently opened and Applejack quietly walked in

“Now don’t pretend to be asleep” she climbed into the bed, rolling Dave onto his back and then sitting on top of him “come on stop messin me around”

Dave reluctantly opened his eyes to look at Applejack, who sat on his stomach “Can I help you?”

Applejack took her hat off, threw it across the room and allowed her hair to flow loosely “well I can think of something” She leaned down and kissed Dave’s neck

“listen I’m tired” Dave heard some loud hoof steps coming towards Applejack’s bedroom door ‘must be Big Mac, heh this would look awkward if he walked in, at least Applejack said she would put her hat…. On…. The…. Door’ His head shot up and saw Applejack’s hat on the floor “Oh crap Applejack stop”

Applejack brought her face to Dave’s “Don‘t worry I‘ll make sure ya enjoy yourself” She slipped her tongue into Dave’s mouth as the door swung open.

Big Mac walked in with a small tray with two glasses of apple juice and saw his sister on top of Dave, both embracing each other in a kiss. His jaw dropped in disbelief and the tray dropped to the floor.

Applejack slowly pulled her head up and nervously looked at her brother “oh… hey Big Mac” she looked down at Dave before looking back at her brother “now this ain’t what it looks like” Macintosh’s face grew angry as he glared at Dave

Applejack climbed off Dave as he got off the bed and backed away from the angry stallion “What were ya doin to mah sister?” Big Mac took a couple of paces towards Dave

“Now listen Big Mac I make my own choices” Applejack tried to stand in-between the boys but Big Mac held out a large hoof stopping her “now what the hay do ya think ya gonna do?”

“I’m gonna hurt ‘im” Big Mac didn’t take his gaze from Dave

“No you are not!” She protested “you haven’t got it in ya”

Dave shut his eyes ‘not the best move’ he held his hands out in front of him as Big Mac started to get angrier “Ok Big Mac listen, I can explain, just calm dow…”

Dave was cut off by the large red stallion as he quickly turned around and put all his strength into a strong kick to Dave’s chest, which smashed him strait out the window.

Chapter 36

Celestia and Luna trotted side by side into the large cartridge, Strong Shield poked his head in after them

“Will you see Dave?” He asked, his voice almost hinting concern

Celestia smiled “I guarantee it” Strong Shield nodded as he turned to leave “Actually sergeant!”

Strong Shield returned and saluted “Yes your majesty?”

“Come in here” She glanced at her sister “He is Dave’s umm… father”

Luna nodded “Yes he should be there too”

Strong Shield stood confused until the princesses beckoned him in “Should I be informed on something?”

Celestia smiled weakly “Let’s just say that you will be shocked” she nodded to the chief Pegasus

The pegasi reared before flapping their strong wings, they carried the large cartridge into the air and began to fly towards Ponyville

Meanwhile…

Dave walked downstairs and into the kitchen, the ponies and Spike all sat around the large wooden table

“So?” Rainbow Dash tapped her hooves together “What are we doing?”

Twilight looked away from Dave “We are going to keep Luna company while Dave and Celestia go to the hospital”

“So are we going to town now? I imagine the princess would want to get here early” Applejack gave a concerned glance at Dave

Dave sat down and bumped his head against the table “What am I going to do?” he moaned

“Hey cheer up!” Rarity tapped him with a hoof “I’m sure whatever happens you will pull through”

Dave smiled at the reassurance “You’re right I can do this” he looked at his friends “I know this must be awkward for the rest of you”

The girls all smiled “It’s ok we can wait” Applejack chuckled “Ya got a responsibility to deal with first”

Dave nodded “Yeah… well let’s go!” he said eagerly as he headed for the door

“Wait!” Pinkie called “You haven’t had breakfast”

Dave shook his head “I’m not hungry I’ll get something later now come on!”

The girls hurried after and Spike climbed back onto his usual spot on Dave’s shoulder “So what are you going to do if Princess Celestia is pregnant?”

“Umm… Panic” Dave nodded “Definitely panic”

Spike rolled his eyes “And then?”

“Well I suppose I would have to find a way to be closer to Celestia just in case she had the baby” Dave scratched his chin “But that would mean leaving Ponyville”

As the group walked down the road towards Ponyville, Spike watched the skies “I can’t see any cartridges or alicorns”

“What if we are late?” Fluttershy whispered nervously

Dave scratched his head “I might as well head straight for the hospital” He looked at Spike and the others “You all go join in with whatever the mayor has organised”

The girls nodded and Spike jumped to Twilight’s back “Good luck!” the dragon called as the girls headed down a different path into Ponyville

Dave walked around the outskirts of the town until he reached the hospital, a small bench sat outside so he sat himself down, tapping his feet nervously

Meanwhile…

Celestia felt the cartridge tip forwards, her and Luna slid forwards slightly, Strong Shield remained in place

“So you are telling me that Dave might have gotten you pregnant?” His nostrils flared “I’ll kill him!”

Celestia smiled “Now that wouldn’t look good on your record will it?”

“Besides you might have a symbolic grandchild on the way,” Luna said happily

Strong Shield shook his head “I don’t feel right about this”

They all bumped slightly as the cartridge touched the ground, it bounced before the wheels began rolling and the pegasi began to trot slowly

“Can you get the doors?” Celestia smiled to her sergeant

He rolled his eyes as he stepped out first, he looked over the large crowd their beaming faces attempting to look past him

“Ladies and Gentlecolts!” He bellowed “The royal princesses!” his horn glowed and the cartridge walls opened, the walls fell and became steps, the roof stood upright and revealed the royal insignia in a pure gold

The crowds gasped as the cartridge became a small seating platform for Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, they both waved and the crowds cheered

“Hello everypony” Celestia quietened the crowds “My sister and I thought that it would be nice to visit Ponyville and see our subjects”

Luna stepped forth “We are also making time to speak with all of you individually” she smiled as the crowds muttered, “Any problems you can think of we shall address fairly and immediately!”

The crowd’s cheers were deafening, Celestia spotted the elements of harmony joining the crowds, and their reassuring smiles were a welcome sight

“Princess Luna will start meeting you all as I have a small… matter to deal with” She smiled at the crowd “But I will return shortly”

Her horn glowed as she teleported leaving her sister behind to deal with the sudden attention, she appeared behind Dave

“Hello daddy” she teased and Dave rocketed off the bench

Dave held his head tightly “Celestia!” he growled, “I am a little on edge at the moment”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t resist” Celestia’s smile fell slightly “And I am a bit nervous going in”

Dave sighed as he grinded his teeth together “Don’t worry I’m sure everything will be ok”

They slowly walked into the hospital side by side, they approached an empty front desk and Dave rang the bell

“Hang on!” a mare called as she hurried through “Sorry I have been left alone while everypony goes to see the PRINCESS?” she gawped as Celestia smiled

“Hello nurse?” Celestia held out a hoof

“Redheart, your highness” Nurse Redheart bowed deeply “H-how can I help you?”

Celestia blushed slightly “This is slightly embarrassing so I appreciate if you could keep this quiet”

“Why of course” Nurse Redheart bowed again

Celestia smiled at Dave “We need to have a scan to see if I am pregnant”

“WHAT?” Nurse Redheart gasped and Dave lunged and covered her mouth

“Listen we need to know NOW!” Dave slowly released the mare’s mouth “it is very important”

Nurse Redheart nodded “Yes right away… follow me” she lead the odd couple down to a small waiting room “If you both sit here I need to make a few adjustments to the machine”

“Why?” Dave sat down beside Celestia as he held her hoof “Is it faulty?”

“No not at all” Nurse Redheart smiled nervously “It’s just that it has never been used for a pony the size of Princess Celestia”

“We understand but please be quick” Celestia smiled as Nurse Redheart hurried into the room “How are you Dave?”

Dave was already rocking back and forth again “I’m fine,” he said quickly “How are you?”

“As nervous as you are” Celestia kissed Dave’s cheek “Everything will be ok”

“But what about my harem?” Dave turned to the white alicorn “I had just sorted it out and then this!”

“I admit if I am pregnant it may affect the plan I had of you keeping them as friends by spending time with each of them” Celestia hummed

“Affect it?” Dave said irritably “It will have to go! I gave you up to make you happy but I am not giving this child up!”

Celestia sighed, “I know it was tough for you to leave me but know that I love you”

“That’s helpful” Dave fell back into his chair “The one that I love that might be pregnant also loves me, but I was forced into a group relationship with passing flings!”

“Listen I might not be pregnant!” Celestia almost raised her kind voice “And I know you must have had some attraction to the others if you were going to mate with them!”

“I tried to fight them off” Dave pleaded

Celestia chuckled “What with? Your d…” she was cut off by Nurse Redheart returning

“Umm… you can come in now Princess Celestia,” Nurse Redheart said nervously

Princess Celestia sighed before standing up, she smiled reassuringly at Dave “I will see you in a moment” she trotted in and the nurse closed the door behind them

Dave sat alone staring at a clock, he twiddled his thumbs and tapped his feet on the clean floor, and his attention was drawn over to a pile of magazines

He picked one up at random and looked at the front image, it showed a mother and father smiling happily at a newborn that slept in a crib

Annoyed Dave threw it down and picked up another, the title said ‘family matters’, Dave opened the magazine and skipped to an article halfway through

“The average family is normally a mother, a father and at least two children or more…” Odio read aloud in Dave’s head “Hmm… could be twins”

Dave hit his head with the magazine before dropping it back on the pile “This is insane”

“You’re telling me, I would have never guessed that Celestia could get pregnant” Odio chuckled “Or she might not be, who knows?

“You do!” Dave growled as he glared at the clock, the seconds ticked past like minutes

“Oh yeah so I do” Odio laughed but then he turned serious “But she will say she isn’t”

“Why would she say that?” Dave frowned at the door

“Think! If she is pregnant you will say ‘fuck the harem’ and the elements of harmony will stop being friends and then Equestria is in danger” Odio swirled in his own genius “If she isn’t then she can keep avoiding you”

Dave tapped his fingers together “I see what you mean”

“From what I learned from the elements and their memories it almost worked before” Odio tickled Dave’s mind “A being called Discord reversed their minds and they fell out”

“What happened?” Dave’s attention was slightly distracted from the door

“Friendship prevailed” Odio gagged at the words “the elements always find a way and Discord didn’t do it right… he never did”

“You sound like you know him” Dave leaned forwards “Were you friends with this… Discord?”

Odio roared with laughter “Oh no… me and Discord never met” he chuckled a little more “I do have a curious tale to tell you at some other time”

“Fine but can you keep quiet I am really nervous” Dave wiped a drop of sweat from his head

Odio laughed slightly “Why are you worrying? It’s not like you want to be a dad with Celestia…” Dave rolled his eyes awkwardly “Oh my… YOU DO!” Odio yelled in shock

A flash of light beside Dave caused him to fall out of his chair and Odio to retreat into his mind, Luna stepped forth and sat in a chair

“What has happened so far?” she asked as Dave crawled back into his seat

Dave looked at the clock “She went in a few minutes ago” he looked at the dark alicorn beside him “Where are the crowds?”

“Oh I said I had to use the little filly’s room” She chuckled weakly “I left Twilight Sparkle in charge”

“Fair enough” Dave shrugged

“I hope everything is ok” Luna placed her hoof on an armrest

“Listen Luna I have to ask you something” Dave picked up her hoof “If Celestia is pregnant… are you out of the harem?”

Luna gazed into Dave’s eyes “No… I will stay, granted things will be a bit harder but me and the others will all help”

Dave kissed Luna gently “Thanks that means a lot… considering I may technically be related to you but… meh”

Dave felt something strike him over the head and he turned to see a frowning Strong Shield “Hello son” he growled

“Oh… hey dad” Dave smiled nervously as Strong Shield sat the other side of him “How are you?”

“Angry” He frowned harder at the door than anypony could hope to rival “That I might be a grandfather and not know about it”

Dave placed an arm around the cross unicorn “I know you are happy really”

Strong Shield cracked a smile “Alright I am a little excited” his face frowned again “But if my position at work gets affected because I am the father-in-law to Princess Celestia”

“Father-in-law?” Dave frowned in confusion “Why would you be that?”

“Well you can’t have a child outside wedlock, especially with Princess Celestia” Strong Shield chuckled

Dave’s mouth dropped “If she is pregnant I have to get married?”

“Yes… You didn’t think that far ahead did you?” Strong Shield stared disappointed at him

“Oh bollocks” Dave sighed as he buried his face into his hands again, Luna and Strong Shield shrugged

All three gazes were turned to the door as they heard it unlock, Nurse Redheart opened the door and Princess Celestia stepped out

“Thank you for your assistance” She smiled to the white nurse before turning to see Luna and Dave’s eyes and Strong Shield’s one eye fixed on her

“Well?” Luna said excitedly as Celestia took a few deep breaths

Chapter 42

“FOUND YOU!” a shrieking woman’s voice called waking Dave from his slumber

He looked to the sky to see Celestia flying down “Wha? What are you doing here?” Dave asked as he stood up

Celestia’s face turned to a wicked smile “Well I couldn’t have my slave running free can I?”

“Slave?” Dave barely had time to breathe as a large golden collar was forced around his neck “Argh… Odio what is going on?”

Dave was met by an eerie silence, Celestia continued to shriek and laugh madly “Ah I was so disappointed that you tried to escape me”

Dave attempted to fight as golden snakes wrapped themselves around his arms and legs, his attempts were futile as they tightened and held him before the twitching alicorn

“Let me go!” He yelled, his chest was pushed forwards towards the princess

“I believe this belongs to me” she stabbed her horn and cut a large hole in Dave’s chest “After all you didn’t really think that I cared, did you?” She snarled as her horn glowed

Dave screamed in pain as his heart was dragged from his body, Celestia laughed as tears began to roll down his face “Why are you doing this?” he managed to groan between gritted teeth

Celestia licked the still beating heart “I’m a princess” she smiled wickedly “I can do anything I like” she bit into the heart and Dave’s world turned to black

...

Dave awoke screaming, his body drenched from the rain and sweat “Holy shit that was a nightmare and a half” he rubbed his face

“Tell me about it, Celestia was smiling and shit” Odio panted “At least she isn’t here”

Dave stood and stretched his arms above his head, the rain had died down and the base of the mountains still rested nearby

Dave picked up his bag and made sure it was securely attached as he began to walk to the closest mountain

“So what kind of creatures live near here?” Dave scratched his head “Didn’t you say a migration or something came here?”

“Hmm?” Odio regained his attention “Oh yeah a migration stops here”

“Migration… probably some birds or something” Dave shrugged as the hard ground eventually became steeper

Odio chuckled “Heh… yeah birds” he sighed loudly “I’m telling you that this is quite nice, the whole ‘Fuck you pony world’ idea”

“It is what she would have wanted” Dave said sadly, he didn’t have to say her name for Odio to groan

“Listen can you stop bringing her up? It is really getting on my nerves” Odio gasped “DIAMONDS FUCK YES!”

Dave paused “Um… you may want to be a little careful because there is normally”

“LAVA? FFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUU!” Odio bellowed and the stones on the ground around Dave shook violently

Dave sniggered slightly “so… I take it that you don’t want to talk?”

“No” Odio spat “Just climb this fucking rock before I kill myself… and you”

Dave chuckled at the hollow threat as he jumped and grabbed a bit of rock that poked out from the mountain

Meanwhile…

The girls and Spike all sat together at the barrack windows, they looked down at the lightly populated streets of Canterlot, the rain came down heavily on the windows

Luna Sat next to Celestia, she leaned over and whispered “Are you going to tell the elements that you want Dave for yourself?”

“Not yet” Celestia sat fuming as she glared at the dungeon door “Captain Shining Armour” she said angrily

Shining Armour marched over and saluted nervously “Yes your majesty?” he looked at the other furious ponies around the barracks

“I want to know where Dave is” She snarled slightly “Get him to tell me”

“But princess Sergeant Strong Shield is…” Shining Armour was cut off by Celestia glaring at him

“He is no longer a member of the guard” Celestia’s eyes almost twitched with anger “So torture is allowed”

Shining Armour’s jaw dropped slightly “Torture? Princess but that is…” he was cut off again

“I am not losing Dave, not again” She snarled at the door “Either you or me”

Shining Armour stepped towards the door “A-as you wish” he stammered as he stepped into the dull room

Strong Shield was restrained to the wall by four chains that were held by thick locks around his hooves, a large ring was clasped around his horn that prevented him from using magic, a long wooden table was covered in rusty tools

“You’re not getting anything from me” Strong Shield smiled “but I want to know what you are going to try”

“well this is my first interrogation so…” Shining Armour shuffled nervously as he looked at the various tools

“we had a nickname when I was your age for the guard taught in interrogation” He smiled wickedly “He was called ‘The Farrier’”

Shining Armour chuckled nervously “Who was trained in interrogation?”

Strong Shield’s smile faded “I’ll give you a clue” he hummed slightly “If you take that sharp metal spike, rammed it under my hoof and used the large metal file as leverage to snap it off, I would be unconscious for five to twenty minutes”

Shining Armour looked at the sharp metal spike and levitated it using his magic, a bead of sweat ran down the side of his head as he nervously began floating it over to the black hoof

Strong Shield smirked as the metal made contact, as it touched him he whipped his hoof, catching the spike inside the lock of the restraint, Shining Armour instinctively tried to snatch the spike back but it resulted in breaking the lock from the captive guard

“Thank you captain” Strong Shield punched the shocked Shining Armour in the throat, he collapsed to the floor as the sudden lack of air caused him to pass out

The ex-guard removed the magical shackle from his horn so he could levitate the spike to break the other locks “Oh that felt so good” he sighed at he checked Shining Armour for a pulse “You will be fine”

Strong Shield looked around his small prison “time for testing” he sighed as he opened the door and concealed himself from the busy room, he levitated the unconscious captain and threw him into the barracks

The ponies all followed the path of the unconscious guard as he crashed over the table, the girls and guards all gasped as he didn’t get up, Celestia turned back to the small prison and found it empty "A distraction" she muttered angrily

“I never thought my career would spiral to this” Strong Shield sighed as he stood by an open window, everyponies gaze turned as he leapt out

“Get him!” Celestia ordered and four pegasi guards darted out of the window after the falling unicorn

Strong Shield aimed headfirst for the ground, he heard the telltale sound of wings flapping as he picked up speed “You forget Princess” Strong Shield smirked “I trained them all”

His horn glowed and he teleported between the pegasi, he kicked two with his back hooves into the castle and the other two in the throat causing them to spiral away “Classic pursuit formation” he chuckled as he teleported again

He appeared in the barracks, still flying at his falling speed, he tackled Celestia before vanishing again in a flash of light

“What the hay was that?” Applejack stood from Shining Armour’s side

Luna growled angrily “That was a professional at work”

“Well let’s go after them!” Rainbow Dash jumped into the air

“Where? Strong Shield has safe houses all over Equestria it would take longer to find him than it would to find Dave” Luna sat down irritably “We have to wait”

Twilight returned to holding Shining Armour’s head until he snapped awake, he coughed slightly as he rubbed his sore throat

“I don’t think he wanted to retire” He groaned as he sat up

Meanwhile…

Strong Shield released Celestia and rolled to the side as she fired a blast of magic where he was, “Where am I?” she growled

Strong Shield wiped some dirt from his chest “Your old home, Everfree forest”

“Why here?” Celestia rose an eyebrow

“Furthest I could teleport us both with out me passing out with effort” Strong Shield looked around the ruins “I need something from you”

“What’s that?” Celestia didn’t retreat as Strong Shield stepped over

“I need you to promise that you will put Dave first, and that if you wont make him do anything that he doesn’t want to” Strong Shield snarled slightly “like that ridiculous harem”

Celestia sighed as she nodded “I promise”

“Good because” Strong Shield brought his head close to Celestia’s “If he gets hurt again I will make sure you suffer”

Celestia frowned, she didn’t fear the old guard but she didn’t want to find out what he could do, after all he had just broken out of a secure prison, kidnapped her away from all her guards and her sister with out much trouble

Meanwhile…

Dave wiped the sweat from his forehead “So what are we gonna do when we get to the top?” he asked as he found another few gaps he could place his hands

“how should I know? You chose this path” Odio sighed happily “I am quite liking this whole arrangement of me sitting inside you, playing games”

“Woo hoo” Dave cheered sarcastically “I think I’m making good time”

“Yeah so long as Alduin doesn’t knock you down again” Odio chuckled as Dave heard a roar

Dave turned to see a blue dragon flying at him, he threw himself upwards and the dragon crashed into the rocks where he once was

“A DRAGON MIGRATION?” Dave gasped in horror “Fuck this”

“It’s a long way down, at least at the top you can fight back” Odio suggested as the dragon pulled it’s head from the rock and roared loudly at Dave

“Well shit” Dave sighed as he began to climb quickly, the dragon managed to close the gap between them easily

The dragon swiped at Dave, he let go of the mountain to avoid the claw and landed on it’s face, the dragon attempted to snap at Dave but he fell further and grabbed onto one of it’s spikes on its back

“Whoa… that is a long way down” Dave whistled as he saw the long drop

The dragon spread its wings and took to the air, Dave held on as it flew up the mountain and barrel rolled

Dave lost his grip and was thrown to the ground, he pushed himself up as the dragon landed, it wasn’t as large as the one Dave met near Appleoosa but it still towered over Dave

Dave looked around, the top of the mountain was wide and it dipped in places making this perfect for dragons to take shelter with their loot in the various caves

“So I take it that I’m not welcome” Dave sighed as the dragon paced towards him “Listen I’m gonna make this simple, you fuck off and I wont hurt you” he smiled sweetly

The dragon roared as it charged, Dave sighed and began running forwards as well, as the dragon lunged, jaws open, Dave jumped and stomped on it’s eye

The dragon groaned as it charged blindly into the rocky wall and Dave laughed as it slammed heavily against the rock

The dragon turned and snarled, it stood to it’s full height and opened it’s jaw, the back of it’s mouth began to glow as a fire began to emerge

Dave stopped laughing and looked around for cover, when he saw none he gulped, “This is gonna hurt” he braced his arms in front of his eyes

Dave heard a roar then a loud snap followed by a loud moaning of a dragon, Dave slowly opened his eye to see the blue dragon clutching its jaw and the large green dragon glaring down at it

“I would never had expected to see you again” a familiar green dragon looked down at Dave

Dave smiled “Hey how’s the diamond?”

“It… is a long story” The green dragon snarled before taking a few calming breaths “So what are you doing here?”

“Getting some fresh air” Dave shrugged “Actually I am just leaving the pony civilization behind and I was just walking in a random direction”

“Well the strings of fate seem to have become tangled in your claws” The dragon fell to his four claws so he could look at Dave better

Dave thought about what the dragon had said before going “What?”

The dragon rolled it’s eyes “You seem to have a lot happening to you at the moment”

“Heh no kidding” Dave chuckled as he scratched his head “so what have you been up to since I left you?”

“After I told the elder of what happened I was… encouraged to give the diamond away” The green dragon snarled

Dave looked around at the other dragons that slept around the mountain peak “I thought that dragons were greedy… no offence”

The green dragon shook his claw “None taken… some of the older dragons learned that those that can cast aside their greedy ways can serve a higher purpose”

“So have you been chosen to become generous?” Dave removed his bag from his back and used it as a seat

“Yes they are called the enlightened” The dragon rolled his eyes “I am only six thousand years old and apparently because I have witnessed true generosity I have potential”

“I just gave you the gem so you would leave” Dave chuckled “So if I offered you a biscuit would you become a religious icon?”

The dragon yawned, it’s hot breath rolled over Dave “It doesn’t work like that but the oldest one is about seventy thousand years old, his siblings have started to die so he is recruiting”

Dave shook his head “Sorry to interrupt but what is your name?”

“Name? I have had no need for a name” The dragon scratched his chin

“PAARTHURNAX!” Odio screamed “Please for me suggest that name”

Dave facepalmed as he regretted giving an immortal being video games “how about… Adamas?”

“FUCK YOU!” Odio yelled and he mumbled quietly in an angry mood

The dragon hummed “That will do… Adamas” he repeated it a few times before finally laying his head down again “You may roam around as you wish, I will find you when I need to go see the elder”

“Yeah it can’t be too hard finding a hairless ape amongst dragons” Dave groaned as he stood up “Can I leave my bag with you?”

“Hmm… yes” Adamas closed his eyes “actually I can smell you pretty easily… no offence”

“Yeah I’m gonna put that down to dragons have good senses” Dave waved over his shoulder as he walked away “See you in a bit then”

Some of the dragons looked between Dave and Adamas, they returned to their coiled slumbers as Dave walked towards one of the lower sections of the mountain top

As he walked Dave began to hear cheering, loud, aggressive cheering “Well it sounds like someone is having fun” he smiled as he turned a boulder and saw a group of dragons, the smallest being a little taller than him

“Hang on didn’t Spike mention something about teenage dragons?” Dave scratched his head as a tall red one began wrestling a skinny grey one

Odio grumbled “Yeah something like that… I am still annoyed about the dragon’s name”

“Well I thought it would be a bit lazy to just rip off a game” Dave chuckled “you know? Like what you are doing with every other word out your foggy mouth”

“At least when I talk it is funny!” Odio sighed “Besides you’re just mad that I can play them and you can’t”

“Whatever” Dave groaned, he rubbed his eyes

“Hey what’s that?” a fat dragon yelled as he pointed at Dave

Dave looked up, the dragons all gave quizzical looks, Dave rolled his eyes as he walked over “Hey I’m Dave, human, seventeen so odds are I’m your age and I have freaky ass super strength and healing”

The dragons laughed “Wow strength?” the red one wiped a tear from his eye “I want to see that”

He leaned forwards to poke Dave, he smiled as he grabbed the claw and twisted it violently around, the dragon yelped and Dave kicked his legs from beneath him

“Point proven?” Dave raised an eyebrow at the panting dragon “Or do I need to break it?” he twisted the claw slowly to exaggerate his point

“Ok, ok I get it!” The red dragon said quickly and Dave released him “I guess you are tough, where are you from?”

“Another world” Dave chuckled “needless to say I don’t think I’m going anywhere”

The lanky dragon stepped beside the red dragon “So what are you doing here? Amongst dragons I mean”

“Well I guess I’m visiting a friend” Dave scratched his chin as he looked back the way he came “besides that I am just looking for somewhere to stay”

“Well you seem cool enough” The red dragon crossed his arms “If you like you can crash with us”

Dave smiled “Sure thanks” he chuckled as the red dragon rubbed his knuckles heavily on Dave’s skull

“Up for a game of king of the hoard?” The fat dragon began running towards a big pile of gems

Dave gawped at the large tower of sparkling gems “well this looks good so far”

A few hours later…

“Fuck you, you son of a bitch!” Dave growled as he held the fat dragon’s head under the lava, the droplets splashed against Dave’s skin but was quickly healed

“Well at least this hate is giving my batteries a charge” Odio sighed as he continued to let Dave drown the dragon

“Dude he said he was sorry!” The red dragon held his hands up in innocence as Dave glared at him

Dave pulled the dragon’s scaled head from the lava and it took a deep breath of air, followed by Dave’s palm

“I passed this fucker a gem and he ate three of my fingers!” Dave reached up to his shoulder before three loud cracks ran out “Bingo!”

Dave removed his sticky arm and punched the fat dragon with his healing hand, the red dragon and the skinny one exchanged nervous glances as Dave’s fingers twisted back to normal

The fat one crawled away and Dave frowned at him “Next time look first before you eat you fat fuck!” Dave shook his head as he massaged his healed hand

“So… I take it you don’t want to spy on the girl dragons the next mountain over” The red one chuckled

Dave rolled his eyes “Nah you can… I’ve had enough of females”

“You’re going gay?” Odio gasped

“No it’s just… I kinda… you know what I mean” Dave facepalmed “I am just trying to get Celestia off my mind and all this talk of women isn’t helping”

“You know what you need?” Odio sighed “to respawn”

“Wow you really are obsessed” Dave paused “Well technically I already have but that doesn’t change anything”

“Last time you ahem… died” Odio cleared his imaginary throat “you had a serious revamp and now look! Nopony is telling you what to do!”

“Except you” Dave groaned

“Hey!” Odio yelled “I offer helpful suggestions”

Chapter 57

Luna continuously journeyed from Dave to the surface and then back again, relaying the air down to him. During her stops at Dave, she spent a moment trying to remove his feet from their resting spots. After a few minutes of struggling, she managed to get both his feet free. She froze as he lifelessly floated upwards and bobbed on the surface.

Luna looked up at shuddered at the sight of Dave’s silhouette hanging above her and she quickly swam up to the surface. She pushed Dave over to the edge of the bath and pushed him onto the cold bathroom floor

“Dave?” Luna panted as she rolled Dave onto his back and silence greeted her “Dave I’m so sorry”

Again, Dave remained on the floor as silent as the water that filled his lungs. Luna held back her tears as she stood up and looked down at him

“Wake up” She commanded in her royal tone “Wake up… please” her tone dropped and became a beg rather than an order. When Dave continued to remain still she allowed herself to break into a sob “Why did you do that?”

Dave responded with silence

“I didn’t want you to do that for me you… you stupid human” Luna yelled as she slammed a hoof on Dave’s stomach, causing him to bolt upright and release the water in his lungs

“Holy shit that felt weird” Dave gasped for air and began coughing

Luna’s face lit up and she threw her hooves around Dave “Don’t you ever do that to me again” Luna cried into Dave’s neck

“Now you know how Celestia felt,” Dave snarled

Luna slowly released Dave “What?” she whispered

“Celestia killed me and now you have too” Dave massaged his throat “See why Celestia never wants to leave my side?”

Luna’s mouth hung open “You did all that to… prove a point?”

“Basically” Dave groaned as he climbed to his feet and retrieved his shoes from the edge of the bath “I wanted you to feel what Celestia felt when she was forced to watch me die”

“B-but I…” Luna was lost for words as she looked at Dave “I just wanted to…”

“You made it clear you wanted to be equal with Celestia” Dave brushed past the princess “well there you go”

Luna turned and hurried after the drenched human, blocking his path to the door “No Dave I can’t let you go”

“Why not?” Dave rose an eyebrow “You got what you wanted”

“I wanted you to be honest, not kill yourself” Luna’s eyes began to fill with tears “Would you rather die than love me?”

Dave sighed as he stepped around the princess and left her alone in her room. Dave let the door slowly shut on it’s own as he walked through the castle

“Don’t you dare do that again” Odio growled “Reviving you that close to Luna was a massive risk”

Dave shook his head “I don’t want anymore relationships other than the one I have with Celestia”

“By showing you would die for Luna?” Odio chuckled “No offence but that was a pretty shit idea”

“She thinks that I am over her and that is exactly what I want her to think” Dave grumbled, “Besides I am really getting pissed off”

“Wow you are getting pissed off?” Odio clapped “I just risked my entire existence by bringing you back alive so you could prove a point to a princess”

Dave snarled, “Well your existence is pointless anyway!” Dave yelled, “All you do is play video games and make stupid comments about me and my choices!”

A guard that was carrying some metal chains stopped and looked over at Dave “Are you ok?” he asked

Dave turned to the guard “No and I suggest that you fuck off right now before I cave your fucking head in!”

“Shut the hell up Dave!” Odio ordered as the guard reluctantly left “Keep this up and you will reveal my position”

“TO HELL WITH YOUR POSITION!” Dave yelled louder “Why the hell am I stuck with you anyway?”

“Shut up Dave” Odio growled angrily “And I mean it”

“NO!” Dave clutched his head “I end up on some random world and all I get is hate with a voice! Why the fuck didn’t you chose somepony else?”

“BECAUSE I NEEDED TO GET BACK TO EQUESTRIA AND YOU WERE THE BEST OF A BAD SITUATION!” Odio yelled

Dave’s mouth hung open “What?”

“ARGH look what happened Dave!” Odio screamed to himself “I was on my last bit of energy but I needed a vessel to travel in and I found you!”

“You took me from my home? My family?” Dave held his forehead as a headache set in

“Yes” Odio growled “I was almost out of energy and if I had any less I would have never made it back here”

“So you used me as transport” Dave collapsed to the floor in his wet clothes “You tormented me with your voice inside my head”

“Yes Dave” Odio grumbled, “I was going to let you die but…”

“But what?” Dave spat

“I felt sorry for you” Odio groaned “I only felt it once before in my life and all it got me was a one way trip to space”

“Sorry for me?” Dave laughed, “Why the hell would you feel sorry for me?”

Odio growled at himself “I was weak once and I tried to be nice but as a spirit of hatred I didn’t work out”

“What did you do?” Dave allowed himself to drop his hands from his head

“I caused was an accident that I couldn’t fix” Odio’s voice almost sounded sad “I was young and weak… I couldn’t control myself”

Dave climbed to his feet “Listen Odio… thanks”

“Thanks? What for?” Odio’s voice sounded tired

Dave smiled slightly “For bringing me here, for giving me the chance to meet Celestia”

“Y-you’re welcome Dave” Odio sighed, “I need to… I need to think about things”

“Take all the time you need mate” Dave began to walk up the stairs to Celestia’s quarters “I need to think about things too”

Meanwhile…

The guard carrying the chain stopped at the training grounds and dropped his cargo “Alright Strong Shield, here is the chain you wanted”

“Thanks” Strong Shield weighed some of the chain in his hooves “This will do nicely”

The guard looked around the empty training ground that was normally busy “What do you plan to do?”

“Just a small tug of war” Strong Shield smirked “If you see Dave can you tell him to come here please?”

“I just saw him” The guard shook his head “But he was acting weird”

Strong Shield looked up from the silver chain “How so?”

“He was yelling at himself” The guard shuffled nervously “And I have never seen anypony that angry before”

“Why was he angry?” Strong Shield placed the chain on the ground “I admit when he got wounded make have been annoying”

“He was soaked and extremely angry” The guard shrugged “That is all I know”

Strong Shield nodded “Thank you for telling me this”

The guard nodded and returned to the castle and to his duties. Adamas flew down and hovered above the unicorn “What is happening?”

“I am not sure” Strong Shield rubbed his chin “And that is a first for me”

Adamas groaned “Should we check on Dave?”

“No let him calm down first” Strong Shield looked up at the dragon “But can you find him for me?”

Adamas nodded before flapping his wings to fly back into the skies around the castle

Meanwhile…

Dave dragged his feet up the stairs in silence, no Odio, no friend. Only the sound of wet feet walking up stone steps. As Dave reached the golden door he stopped, the guards looked at Dave’s sad face

“Are you alright?” the taller unicorn asked, “Do you want to go in?”

Dave stared at the door, his hand moved to knock but his arm fell “Do I?”

The guards looked at each other before one knocked and entered Celestia’s room “Princess Celestia… Dave is here”

“Send him in” Celestia had to put a lot of effort in to hide her smile

Dave wandered in through the open door and stopped as it closed behind him. Celestia’s anticipation was replaced with concern as she saw Dave, soaked through

“Dave what happened?” She asked in a worried tone as she trotted over, her pace quickened as Dave fell to his knees “Dave?”

Dave merely sighed as he stared at the ground “What would you have done if I had never shown up?”

“Dave are you feeling alright?” Celestia sat opposite the human as he looked up at her

“Can you answer the question please?” Dave’s face was still wet, which hid the tears forming in his eyes

Celestia shuffled uncomfortably “Well I suppose my life would have continued as normal”

“Ok, that’s all I wanted to know” Dave smiled as he stood up “I made your life better right?”

“Of course” Celestia stood and gave Dave a powerful kiss “Now I have something to ask you”

“Can I dry myself first?” Dave asked as he looked towards the bathroom

Celestia’s smile dropped again “Yes, you don’t have to ask for something like that”

Dave did not respond as he walked into the bathroom and grabbed a towel, the words Odio said to him still echoed in his mind. Celestia watched Dave as he slowly dried himself and held his face into the towel

“Dave… do you love me?” Celestia asked out of curiosity

Dave looked up from the towel “Of course I do” he sighed

Celestia sat on her bed “Then why do I get the feeling that you are about to say you have to leave?”

Dave chuckled “I suppose I’m just tired after the training session”

“Oh… so do you want to sleep then?” Celestia’s heart sank as she held back the question that burned her mind

Dave left the bathroom and sat next to the white princess “No, not really”

Celestia looked at Dave out of the corner of his eye “Dave you know I want nothing but our happiness”

“As do I” Dave sighed as he dropped his head into his hands “I want you to be happy”

“Well I want you to know that I will always cherish what we have now and will never let it go to waste” Celestia shuffled closer to Dave “Do you remember when I said that ‘I want to experience it all’?”

“Yeah” Dave sighed, “I remember”

Celestia allowed a small smile to creep across her face “I want to experience something I never thought I would want to”

“What’s that?” Dave’s curiosity overwhelmed his depression

Celestia smiled at Dave as a small blush spread across her cheeks “I want to have a child with you Dave” She smiled at Dave but it wavered as his head dropped to his hands again

Dave groaned into his hands “Why now?”

“Dave I’m sorry but I thought is was the right time” Celestia retreated away “I’m sorry if you don’t want to try just yet, I understand”

Dave looked up at Celestia “You’re going to hate me”

“I could never hate you Dave” Celestia moved back to Dave and wrapped him up in her hooves “No matter what it is you did I could never hate you”

Dave took a few breaths to calm himself “I went to see Luna before I came here”

“Ok” Celestia said in a reassuring tone “Then what?”

“She was upset about me thinking lesser of her than I used to” Dave stopped his voice from shaking as he continued “she thought that I was pushing her away every time I got closer to you”

Celestia sighed “So she must have thought us having a child would remove her completely”

“She tried to get me to confess feelings for her, to prove she was the same as you” Dave held Celestia tightly “so I made her feel how you felt”

“What feeling?” Celestia shuddered at the thought of Dave giving himself to Luna before meeting her

“She kept bringing up how I died” Dave shuddered “She kept saying how you murdered me”

Celestia looked down at Dave “What did you do?”

“I drowned myself in her bath” Dave sobbed “She kept trying to give air to me but after a while…”

Celestia gawped down at Dave “You did that to my little sister?”

“I’m sorry” Dave begged, “I just wanted her to stop saying all those things, I got so angry that I just wanted to shut her up”

Celestia released Dave “I couldn’t stand the feeling of having you gone because of me”

“I’m sorry” Dave reluctantly let go of Celestia “now do you hate me?”

Celestia looked at the emotionally broken human “No Dave”

“Y-you don’t?” Dave looked up at Celestia

“No” Celestia smiled “It changes nothing”

Dave smiled but a white hoof smacked him across the face and forced him to fall onto his back “OW! What the hell?” Dave rubbed his face in anger but the feeling soon disappeared as Celestia climbed on top of him

Celestia smiled “Isn’t this how we always work? I slap you then we make up”

“I suppose but that seriously hurt” Dave’s nursing of his face was stopped by Celestia pinning down his arms

A cheeky smile spread across her face “Because we are seriously going to make up”