Friendship Starts With You

Chapters

Prologue
Dealing With The Noise (Part 1)
Dealing With The Noise (Part 2)
1,000 Years Overdue
Hard Truths
Day (0)
Hearts and Hooves Special
Bitter Memories (Nick's Side)
Bitter Memories (Luna's side)
Author Update
Secret Report (0)

Prologue

"Princess, are you sure there's nothing else? I'm more than happy to help with anything you need!" the maid said. Celestia stood there with a thoughtful expression before her gaze became almost hungry.

"Anything? That is a very generous offer to make." As she spoke, she circled the now-nervous maid and took in her features. Once satisfied, she began to chuckle and shook her head.

"Forgive me, my little pony. I was merely joking. I am fine, but I do appreciate the effort you are putting into your work. Thank you." When the maid had finally stepped out of her room, Celestia let go of the smile she had. It was exhausting to pretend that she was the kind, and always-motherly princess of Equestria; although she did get to prank her staff every once in awhile.

She walked out upon her balcony and looked out to Canterlot and the land beyond it, giving a long and drawn-out sigh. It was days like these where she would think about the old days, when there used to be three standing there to watch the sky and just...talk. Just thinking about those memories brought a sharp pain to her heart.

"Time to raise the moon once more..." she murmured as her hands shimmered and lifted towards the sky. In an almost mechanical motion, she brought the sun down with one hand and slowly raised the moon with the other. Once she was sure that the moon was properly placed, Celestia let her arms drop, and gazed at the night sky.

These days, it was getting harder to raise the moon and make the stars appear; almost as if they knew she was not the one who should bring them out. The sigil on the moon itself seemed to glint in response to her thoughts, reminding her that she hurt not just one pony, but another who had trusted her with his life.

------------------------------------------------------------*FLASHBACK*-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Luna and another figure were standing on the balcony laughing, while Celestia had her arms crossed and was giving the two a sour look.

"Have you two no shame? We know that court may not be amusing, but was it really necessary for thou to scare them like that? One of the stallions wet himself!"

When that was mentioned, the laughter doubled in volume, causing Luna and the other to fall down with tears streaming down their faces.

"O-oh....mine sides....they....they hurt!" Luna wheezed. The other simply continued to laugh hysterically, pausing to cough from time to time. Eventually, Celestia herself gave a few small chuckles and began to relax.

Eventually, her smile faded and her eyes turned to the homes outside of the castle. "Nick....I must ask....have I been a good princess?"

Finished laughing with Luna, Nick sighed and brushed himself off before standing up. "We've been here before Cel; come on, what's really wrong?"

She turned to him with a frown before pointing to a scar he had on his arm. He only raised an eyebrow in response and in turn she grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "Thou......art always in danger, because of us. Always protecting us, and never a thing in return; do we truly deserve your friendship? Should we truly be a princess with such anger directed towards us?"

He took on a thoughtful and serious expression before pulling her in close and flicking her snout. "Now you listen good Cel, and that goes for you too Luna. Come'ere."

Luna froze, as she was trying to quietly walk out so the two could have their moment alone. A small smile spread across her face as she made her way back and stood next to him.

"Look, I got these BECAUSE I wanted to. Celestia, Luna, you two are GREAT ponies and princesses. Ponies first, because there aren't a lot who would do what you do. The both of you. The whole 'princess' thing is just a title. You have it 'cause they trust you and your decisions. So do I. With my life."

Both princesses were teary-eyed at that point and Nick hugged them both. "Now, no more moping, or else I'll make sure the chef gives you no cake for a week!"

Celestia whimpered at the thought and set off another round of laughter from both Nick and Luna that echoed throughout the sky.

------------------------------------------------------------*FLASHBACK END*-------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Soon....just a few more years, and I can fix everything...." she said. A small smile grew as she thought of all the good times the three of them had and what they would be able to do once more. Celestia walked back inside and began to change out of her clothes when something caught her eye. Making her way over to her dresser, she knelt down and pulled out a dusty set of purple and silver headphones.

Giggling, she began to brush the dust off and placed it on her own ears, before running over to her mirror and checking to see how it looked. "Hmm, a little too small, but I think I could make it work."

Her eyes twinkled as she remembered the times she had bothered him about the headphones and how serious he was that he never loose them or let them out of his sight. "You ponies would take them apart and I'd be left with nothing to keep my ears warm during winter" he'd grumble.

Finally taking them off, she put them on top of the dresser where she wouldn't loose them again. Celestia changed into her pajamas, set her alarm (even goddesses have trouble getting up on time), and snuggled into her bed, ready to sleep. A minute later, she shot back up and stared at the headphones with an expression of extreme worry.

"I hope he doesn't notice I have these......"

Author's Note

Hey!

So this is something I ACTUALLY put a lot of thought into and wrote down properly. Hopefully, this displaced story will work out pretty well. Thanks for checkin' this out and as always, comments and suggestions are welcome!

Cheers,
Indi3g

Dealing With The Noise (Part 1)

Author's Note

Hey,
So apparently this is getting a pretty good response and I hope I can keep that coming. I'm giving this chapter to hold over for now cause I'm attending a funeral for my uncle. He had ALS...but he fought it all the way to the end. So yea...enjoy

Indi3g

P.S.
You probably noticed, but I'm not going to keep the lines perfect. The important ones will be as close to the original as possible, but for the sake of the story (and the fact it'll take a lot of time to get the exact lines I want/need), it'll be different. Well that, and obviously things will play slightly differently with Nick in the picture.

P.P.S.
Also, could I get a volunteer for pre-reading? It's difficult knowing what you need to add or take out of a story yourself. Seriously. :pinkiecrazy: :twilightsheepish:

Dealing With The Noise (Part 1)

"The Night shall last.....FOREVER!" Nightmare Moon cackled. All the ponies, including the Solar Guard froze in horror from her claim. Taking advantage of the moment, she snapped her fingers and collapsed into a shimmering mist; with one more cackle, it gathered itself up and flew off into the sky. Instantly, the crowd erupted, with colts, fillies, mares and stallions alike screaming and shouting in blind panic.

While the guardsponies attempted to take control of the crowd, two different groups snuck away. One consisted of a mare and young drake, and the other, five mares who were following closely behind. Both sets of groups were determined to find the answers to the chaos, one way or another.

------------------------------------------------------------Within the Everfree Forest-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hidden away by layers of trees and vines, a statue that had rested there for over 1,000 years had begun to crumble. It was a figure of what appeared to be a spikey-maned, fur-less colt. His face was one of pure determination and his body stretched out to protect; clad in shorts and a sleeveless, high-color shirt, the statue was a life-like work of art. Cracks suddenly ran throughout it, and with a pulse of grey and purple light, it shattered.

"Oh man, that sucked..." a voice grumbled. The figure then stood up, dusting off bits of stone that were still attached to his clothes before stretching and yawning.

"Now, why the heck am I in the middle of the forest? Last I remember was Nighty trying to blast us and me getting a face-full of it." Scowling, he began to pull some of the vines down and try and make out where he was. "Screw it. Just gonna head back to the castle...hope it hasn't been THAT long."

With that in mind, he began to make his way through the forest towards what he would soon find, to be the ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters.

------------------------------------------------------------In Ponyville Library------------------------------------------------------------

After accusations and questions were thrown around (mostly Rainbow Dash getting into Twilight's muzzle and Applejack having to physically restrain her) , the group of seven were discussing their plans of how to deal with 'Nightmare Moon' and get Princess Celestia back.

"So I need to go to the Everfree Forest and get the Elements of Harmony! Spike, go get some things ready!" Said Twilight Sparkle. She was attempting to straighten her black skirt (with her cutie mark embellished upon it) and her purple dress shirt, from when Rainbow Dash had attempted to 'get some answers'.

The drake, Spike, was running around grabbing anything and everything he could think of to help them out in the forest. "You got it Twi!" He called out before trying to stuff everything into a bag.

"Now, jes' hold on a minute. Ya'll ain't goin alone into that forest." Said Applejack. It was obvious from the way the had handled things earlier that she could make her point pretty well

"Yea, not without us! We wanna kick that thing's flank too!" Whooped Dash. She was hovering in the air, shadowboxing enemies left and right. "Besides, I don't think you two could handle yourselves in there; the forest plays by its own rules."

Giving Dash a sour look, Twilight threw her hands in the air and made her way to the door. "Fine, but we need to get to the Elements, and fast. Nightmare Moon might try and get them before we do!"

------------------------------------------------------------Back In the Forest------------------------------------------------------------

Nick delivered one more hit to the cragodile before it finally slunk away. "Yea, keep moving ya stupid thing!" Once it was out of sight, he breathed a sigh of relief and started walking once more.

"What happened to this place? I guess all these plants are outta control, but the crocodile? Really? Somethin's not right..." Pausing, he dug into his pockets and pulled out a handful of pins.

"These things don't even work anymore! Well, not all of 'em anyway....." Glancing around, he spotted a stump and began to go through the pins, putting a large number into one pile, and the rest into another.

"Only this many? I-I can't even use most of these! Gah, Cel better have a good explanation for all this..." Taking a pin with the picture of a graffiti flame on it, he focused on the large pile of pins before they caught on fire and began to melt away.

Once he was sure that they were properly melted down, he began to walk again, keeping his eyes open for any sign that he was getting closer to the castle. Just when he was about to give up, he spotted some cobblestone sticking out of the grass that lead in a slightly different direction than what he was taking.

"Alright, almost there...."

------------------------------------------------------------Castle of The Two Sisters------------------------------------------------------------

"Darling, could you hurry up please? This place is ruining my outfit." Whined Rarity. She was wearing a slightly frilly white dress with her triple diamond cutie mark on its edge. "I thought you have everything you needed."

"Ooooh! This place is so BIG! If we cleaned a little, we could have TONS of parties here! Plus, those tapestries look really cool and castle-y!" Pinkie giggled. She was bouncing around, looking at every little thing in the room she could with the energy of a filly on a sugar rush.

"Ugh! This makes no sense! I have all five right here, so what's missing? Mabye...that spark is...?" Twilight was so busy staring at the stones in front of her, she failed to notice a shadow rising from behind her. Luckily, Fluttershy did and gave a shriek of horror.

Turning around, she saw the shadow and barely dodged out of its way, as it swooped down upon her. By the time she got back up, the stones were swirling within a massive amount of shadows and magic; before the rest had time to react, Twilight had dove into it and vanished with a loud ' BANG '.

Both Spike and Fluttershy began to panic, while Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash attempted to find where she had vanished. Once it seemed like their attempts were pointless, Applejack began to think of any way to track the lavender mare.

"Hey, you could track her with that fancy magic o' yours, right?" Rarity blinked a few times before turning to Applejack with a confused expression. It took a moment, but once she realized what was being said, flexed her fingers and closed her eyes in concentration.

"...........got it!" She cried out. With a grin, she began to follow the magical trail of Twilight, with the rest of the group following behind.

Twilight slowly pushed herself up, wincing in pain from experiencing forced teleportation.

"Are...are you serious? They sent a foal to get the Elements? Ha!"

Her eyes widened instantly and she tried scrambling away from Nightmare Moon. Once she was far enough, she took in the corrupted goddess in her full form. She wore dark purple and silver armor; a breastplate with a crescent moon, along with arm and leg guards. Her hands were in gauntlets, while her hooves were bare and the helmet giving her an even more sinister appearance. From the way Nightmare's cat-like eyes flashed, to the slight muscle that could be seen that wasn't covered by armor, Twilight could tell that trying to take her on was suicidal.

Which is why, when the Elements were tossed to her, she was more than confused. Staring at the stones, her jaw gaped like a fish, until a chuckle filled the air.

"Please, by all means, if they think you could wield the elements against me then do so. It will be...most entertaining to watch." With a smug look, she crossed her arms and waited.

Once Twilight had recovered enough, she grabbed the stones within her magical aura and began to focus on them. With a small flash, they rose and started to orbit the mare, picking up speed as more magic was fed into them. Nightmare simply watched to see what would happen.

Eventually, the orbs dropped and Twilight fell to the floor, exhausted and almost completely out of magic.

"What a shame," Nightmare Moon purred. "You seemed so close to making them work. Sadly, I have to destroy you along with them. It's a shame really; all that magical potential, going to waste. Ah well."

As a dark blue aura began to cover Nightmare's hands, Twilight couldn't help but think, ' If only I had a bit more time! '

In that moment, a loud crash and shattering of glass was heard. Both Twilight and Nightmare Moon turned towards the sound, but one of the two took a shoe to the muzzle. As Twilight watched, dumbfounded, and Nightmare, (who was on the floor), holding her cheek in both rage and shock, Nick stood between the two with a large grin.

"So. what'd I miss?"

Dealing With The Noise (Part 2)

------------------------------------------------------------Earlier -------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What. The. FUCK."

Nick could only stare in a combination of horror and fascination at the remains of the Castle of The Two Sisters. When he saw the condition of the stone path, he'd figured that it had been a few months- five to six years at the most- since being turned to stone. After all, it was hard to tell how much time has passed after being petrified.

This, however, was nothing like he was expecting. It was proof that he'd been gone for more than just a few measly years. Each step closer made that fact clear and slowly added to the growing sense of panic. 'T-this isn't possible. No way I've been gone that long. This'll be some prank that Cel and Luna set up...it has to be...

Inside of his pocket, a pin flared to life and started to send a small pulse of energy throughout Nick's body. The closer he got to the castle, the stronger it became. He finally noticed after a particularly strong one was let loose; temporarily pulling him out of the previously growing sense of despair.

"Noise? Here? But..... "

Reaching into his pocket, Nick pulled out the pin that had grabbed his attention. It was simply designed: a black background with a white, oddly shaped skull; as he stared at it in confusion, it continued to pulse in his hand like a steady heartbeat.

"Let's see if I remember how to do this.... "

Closing his eyes, he started to take deep and steady breaths, while clearing his mind of any stray thoughts. It took a few tries, but before long, his breathing had synchronized with the pin's pulse and he could activate its ability. Within his mind, he began to spread his awareness and quickly picked up on stray bits of noise floating around.

What caught his attention, was a large, blue noise symbol, shaped like an Alicorn's skull that was sitting in the center of the castle. In shock, he pulled his mind back and opened his eyes, staring at the ruins in disbelief. There was only one pony, or rather goddess, who had that signature and was corrupted by the noise.

"Luna.... she's still crazy huh."

A small smirk grew before Nick started to run towards the castle. Even though it pained him to know she was still corrupted, he had a chance to fix the problem once more. After that, the two of them could go to Celestia and get answers, especially why he'd been left as a statue for so long.

As he checked the ruins for any of the old entrances to the inner rooms, his body shivered from a small wave of magic being sent throughout the castle grounds. It reminded him of the Elements of Harmony, but slightly forced; that was enough to tell him that there couldn't be any more time wasted.

"Hope I've still got it, " Nick grumbled. Stretching for a minute, he took a deep breath and began to run towards a pile of stones before jumping unto them, then launching himself towards some broken ledges. As he flew in the air, he prayed he would make it, and he did; his upper body slamming into the ledge itself, while the rest hung in the air.

"Note to self- no fancy tricks after being stoned," he wheezed. Once he'd gotten his breath back, he continued running and jumping around the ruins, slowly getting more flexible and oriented with each jump. After a few minutes of making his way though, Nick stopped and grabbed his pin once more to focus in on the location of Luna.

Noticing that she was not too far from where he was, he opened his eyes and spotted a glass window right where he needed to go.

"Oh man, it's too good to pass up. Here we go!"

With a grin, he ran to the window and jumped, intent on making a crazy entrance.

------------------------------------------------------------Current Time -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nick stepped away from the broken glass and kept his eyes on Nightmare.

"Jeez, you're still wearing all that armor? Is it REALLY necessary? I mean, come on, that thing's gotta mess with all your fur."

Hearing the mockery in his voice brought the fallen goddesses out of her stupor. With an animalistic snarl, she leapt forward and swiped at him, intent on crushing him where he stood.

He snickered and simply stepped to the side, as he started to pull pins from his pocket. Once he had a handful, he clipped them to his collar and flexed his hand to make sure that they would respond. "Just like old times, eh nighty?"

Nightmare Moon clenched her jaw in irritation; she hadn't expected to deal with Nick after all this time. After all, most mortals would've died from the lethal spells she cast, much less even be alive after all this time. "How?! You should be dead by now! It's been over one-thousand years since we last fought!"

That made him pause for a moment; the pain inflicted by her statement was clear in his face. The hesitation was all she needed, and taking advantage of it, she threw him to the room's back wall.

Twilight finally moved when she heard him grunt in pain. Running over to him, she tried to check for injuries he might've received. "A-are you ok? You didn't break anything, did you?"

He gently pushed her away and pushed himself up and off the ground. "Nah, it takes a bit more than that to hurt me. Besides, shouldn't you be focusing on those elements?" Before she could respond, she was grabbed in one of his arms and pulled in close.

"What are you-" the question was cut off by the sound of an explosion right by her ear and the sensation of air blasting around them. When Twilight was finally able to pull away, she saw the remains of the stonework in front of her and an even angrier Nightmare Moon.

"Get to it!" Nick yelled at her, as he threw himself at the goddess. Swinging his arm at her, a line of flame surged into existence started to burn everything within its path. A shadow rose from between the cracks of the ground and stretched over the flame, before dropping and smothering it in response; once the fire was gone, it rose and thrust towards Nick like a cobra.

The two fought each other, trading blows through fire, shadows and loose pieces of stone flying through the air. Twilight could only stare in awe at the skill of the two fighters, before she could remember what she had to do. Scrambling around, she attempted to grab the stone orbs, only to be thrown back by a shockwave of magical energy and shadow.

"NAY! IF THOU SHALL STAND IN THE WAY, THEN THOU MUST FIGHT ON AN EVEN FIELD!"

The orbs were cloaked in shadow before the sounds of stone being crushed filled the air. The shattered remains of the Elements fell to the floor, and with it, a shout of rage filled the air.

A massive chunk of stonework lifted into the air and was flung at Nightmare, who barely got out of its way. As Twilight whimpered in horror, Nick raised his hand once more with an expression of complete fury.

Stones began to raise and fly towards the goddess; each one varying in size and picking up speed with each piece. Nightmare Moon's expression became worried as she continued to dodge each piece; before long, some of them started to clip her body, and her breath grew short.

"This - is impossible. THOU should be - straining to use - this much magic!"

Everything was interrupted when the room's doors burst open, and the five mares (plus Spike), stumbled inside.

Applejack glanced at Twilight, Nightmare Moon, then Nick before scratching her head.

"What tha' hay?"

1,000 Years Overdue

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Hard Truths

As soon as the accusation left Celestia's lips, her hands covered her mouth, as if the words had come out unintentionally.

The silence in the room was as if the world itself had stopped breathing in shock. The expressions ranged from outright confused to utter horror; the only exception was Nick, who had on a completely neutral face.

"I... see." he said in an even and calm voice. Without giving any of the ponies a chance to speak, he stood up and made his way to the library's door, before stopping to address those still seated. "Have yourselves a good evening everypony. By your leave, Luna, your highness."

Celestia's ears fell flat; she knew that last comment was directed towards her. Even though Nick looked fine, she could tell that what she said was like a slap to his face. As she tried to find some way to take back what she said, he had opened the door and closed it, leaving her to consider the consequences of what just happened.

"I.... believe there is something more than what we know girls." Rarity whispered. They could only nod in agreement, as their minds attempted to understand the meaning behind both Celestia's words, and Nick's.

"Thou art a fool, sister. He has no part to play, except that of a friend trying to save another. My sins are my own." Luna sighed. Seeing the distressed look on her sister's face, she went to Celestia and began to hug her. "Thou assume things too quickly Tia; 'tis thy greatest strength and weakness."

Celestia could only sniffle and bury herself into her sister's embrace. "I - I just thought... the way you changed... the things you said. It sounded like something he'd cause..." Before she could continue, Luna had reached up and flicked Celestia's muzzle in irritation.

"Art thou serious? Dost thou think he would do such petty things? Sister, for shame."

Spike cleared his voice, ready to voice his opinion since hearing everything that had happened so far. "Uh, princess, why'd you think that? Not to be rude or anything, but he seems like a pretty straightforward and chill guy. Maybe a prank or two, but make Princess Luna turn into Nightmare Moon? That's kinda a stretch." After saying his piece, Spike received a pinch from Twilight, who was unhappy with the drake's bluntness.

Luna began to blush and started fidgeting before responding. "W - we can answer that question, young one. We had a.... fling... of sorts. But we were both drunk! T'was nothing but the result of much merrymaking! A - a party! For my sister's day of birth!" The more she attempted to explain, the more flustered she got.

Eventually, she settled for an embarrassed silence, while the rest quietly laughed.

"Well, I thought that he was messing around with your magic because... well... he was upset that you called it a 'fling'." Celestia spoke up. Luna instantly turned to her sister with a serious and intense look in her eyes.

"What art thou talking about Tia? He could not have known, unless..." An ashamed expression began to develop once realized what might've happened. "We must make this right," she whispered. Pulling Celestia off of her, she got up and left, intent on finding him.

"I'm sorry, my little ponies. It seems like we will have to continue this another time. I would like you to befriend him, and help him get used to things. Nick may seem a little rough, but he is a good ma - stallion. I just hope that his anger towards me won't ruin the friendship he might have with all of you..."

With that somber statement, she flicked her wrist - dispelling the barrier, wearing her crown once more and once her ‘princess mask’ was back in place, left to pursue her own goals for the rest of the night.

------------------------------------------------------------Edge of Ponyville -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nick sat under a tree, gazing at the night sky. It looked the same as it had, all those years ago. Without looking away, he spoke up.
"Hello Luna. I'm guessing this is your sister's work? It doesn't have that... style that you did."

The mare pulled herself from the shadows of the tree and gave a small smile. "Thou were always one of the few that could always tell when we were nearby. We... are sorry that our sister lay the blame upon thy shoulders." As she spoke, she sat next to him, spreading the ends of her dress around her.

"It makes sense," he quietly replied. "She got too full of herself and after losing you, she needed somepony...or someONE to take it out on. The nobles probably egged her on to blame me; after all, we both know how much they hated my guts." Giving a bitter laugh, he finally turned and stared at Luna.

She wore the last dress he'd seen her in before changing into the Nightmare. It was of simple design, but had both beauty and grace; the edge of the floor-length skirt was silver, and the material of the outfit itself shimmered and appeared as different shades of blue with each move she made. Holding a portion of the dress and on one shoulder rested a crescent moon, with a pair of midnight blue gloves to complete the ensemble.

"What gets me, is that your dress still looks as good as the day you first wore it. I mean, seriously, over one-thousand years wearing that, and ponies wouldn't know unless you told them yourself! Magic sure is handy..."

Luna blushed and slapped his arm with a whine of embarrassment. " 'Tis rude to talk of such things! That is not why we have come to talk to thee, so do not pull the conversation to other things."

Taking a moment to breathe and focus, she cleared her throat and spoke once more. "We know that Tia was foolish in her accusations, but she only had best intentions in mind. So now, we ask of thy forgiveness for both her words and mine."

Nick turned himself from her and pushed himself off the ground, dusting himself off and refusing to look her in the eyes. "I forgive her of course, mostly because she didn't know better. It hurts, but I get it. It'll take time for me to call her a friend again though. But you Luna..."

One of his hands began to clench and shake, reflecting the level of emotion he felt at that moment. "What hurt me the most, was that for days after our... fling.... you refused to see me, much less talk to me. I found out what you felt by overhearing a MAID gossiping. Do you understand how that felt? I'm glad that you're alright, but for now it would be best for us not to see each other. Celestia's had time to get over this, but for us, this wound is still fresh. Take care."

He walked away, not looking back and focusing on remembering how to get back to the library he had just left. If he had turned around just one more time, he would've seen her reaching for him; tears running down her face and an expression of absolute sorrow.

Day (0)

"Finally! I'm at COMIC-CON!"

EVERYONE costumed, or in regular clothing, turned to look at the boy before going back to their business. After all, this convention did tend to draw some of the weirder people.

Nick flushed for a moment, then turned his focus on the building itself. The hall was decorated with posters and banners, proclaiming different events that would be going on during the week; vendors shouted out prices for their wares and groups took pictures together.

' I've been waiting all this time, and I can finally have some fun! ' Just looking at the different cosplayers made him want to do back-flips; seeing the amount of dedication and skill put into each outfit was awe-inspiring.

His own was nowhere on their level, but it could be called respectable in its own right. After all, this was his first time designing anything like it, and by himself to boot! It took time to think of what he wanted to go as, and settled on Neku Sakuraba. The few people who asked about the work seemed impressed as well, and that was more than he'd hoped for.

Walking into the building itself, there were more stalls with vendors and artists; cosplayers by the hundreds moving around like one massive wave from one area to the next. It was one thing to hear about this, compared to actually being there in person. Taking a deep breath, he slipped in and began to move.

At first, moving from one spot to another was a struggle and he ended up bumping into someone every few seconds. Eventually, he was able to 'read' the crowd itself, and go where he pleased with little to no problem.

What he was looking for, was the final pieces for his outfit. It wasn't too difficult to get a wig and style it the way it was supposed to look. The clothes were somewhat trickier, considering he had to buy pre-made clothing then cut and design it to match the character. Of course, the biggest issue of all, were the pins.

Checking the internet, talking to friends, even trying to make them himself did no good whatsoever. So, now he was stuck trying to look for a stall that would hopefully sell them.

Out of the corner of his eye, one stall stood out. It was decently-sized, but it seemed like it was being ignored by everyone that passed it by. Curious, he stepped up and began skimming over the wares.

"Hello there, Neku. What can I get for you?" A raspy voice spoke up.

Flinching, Nick looked around, followed by his eyes widening at the figure that stood off to he side. It took a moment or two to recognize the costume but nodded afterwards.

"That's.....that's uh 'Death Gun' from that anime right? Sword Art Online?" Nick was smiling, but on the inside, he was completely freaked out. ' I'm sure there wasn't anybody standing there before...'

With a small blast of steam rising from between the teeth of the mask, he nodded and gestured towards the area behind him.

"I believe I have some....things you were looking for. Pins, correct?"

Nick blinked in surprise, but nodded in careful agreement. The man gestured for him to follow, then turned and went into the deeper parts of the stall.

They both stopped in front of a medium-sized, glass-covered stand, filled with multiple pins from the game, including the boss and starter pins. It took everything he had not to hug the case and laugh like a child during Christmas.

"I'll give you the whole thing for.... $150."

Instantly, Nick turned and stared in suspicion. "What's the catch? I know there's no way you're willing to give it up that easily. There's over fifty pins in there, and they're good quality too."

Turning his head, the man seemed to stare through the red lens of the mask, before another blast of steam rose, and a broken laugh came from him.

"You took time to make that costume...and I have a feeling you'll use them well."

After looking back to the pins, he grinned and pulled out the money. "Deal!" Nick said happily. After handing the money over, he opened the case and instantly picked up the Player Pin.

Behind him, the man drew a gun from under his cloak and pointed it right at Nick, as he was looking at the pins. "Have a nice trip." He hissed.

"Wha-"

The last thing Nick saw, was a gun pointed right at his face, followed by a 'bang', and darkness.

------------------------------------------------------------ The Void -------------------------------------------------------------------------

The past few minutes were a blur. Some of the things he saw, made no sense, and hurt to even think about. The best he could do was close his eyes and hope that he would stop soon.

Nick eventually stopped and opened his eyes, finding himself floating in the middle of nowhere. Concerned, he tried moving around; finding out he couldn't nearly made him break down. Before he could, he was assaulted by a voice that seemed like it came from everywhere.

"You now have a choice. Either stay dead, and drift within the void forever, or be sent to a new world."

"What?! I-I'm DEAD?! I don't even know how I got here!"

"I am sorry for that. I would explain, but even I must abide by some rules. If I tell you more.....well...your mind would be broken.

"I don't even...just......why...?" *sob*

"........"

"....so..." *sniff* "Who are you? What happens if I choose to go?"

"....You will forget."

"WHAT?!"

"Be calm, young one. You will forget speaking to me, how you got here, and your life before this. All you will remember is your name."

"That...I....." *sigh* "To keep me sane, I'm guessing?"

"Yes, you are correct.....you seem oddly...accepting of this. Are you that resigned?"

"Kinda. I got shot in the face and saw some weird crap on the way here....but trust me, I'm freaking out right now. So, again, who are you?"

*chuckle* "That, shall be a surprise. I will not lie, things will be difficult...but before you leave, I will give you understanding of magic. It will be in a way suited for you, and you alone."

"Thanks...I guess. So what now?"

"Now, we wait. Rest child, I will speak to you once more before you leave."

".....again....thanks. Will....will anyone remember me back home?"

"....no. They will forget, as you will, but I will hold the memories, both yours and theirs."

*sob*

"Sleep. Dream of happier times....."

Author's Note

I have no excuses. I'm back though, and am gonna pump out two chaps per week, possibly more. By the way, that guy is Death Gun from SAO. Creepy as hell, if someone just popped up on you wearing that...urgh.

-Indi3g

Hearts and Hooves Special

Author's Note

Please note, this has nothing to do with the main story. Just thought it would be fun and in the spirit of the holiday. Happy Hearts and Hooves day to everypony!

Cheers,
Indi3g

Also: there will be a scene with a dress. Here's a little visual to give you an idea of what I was thinking of.

P.S. : Please forgive me for the problems earlier. Somehow the chap got cut in half, so I had to 're-write it. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, ignore this.

Hearts and Hooves Special

Pinkie Pie was humming happily, taking out and throwing baked goods into the kitchen ovens. Anypony who had not met her would be confused by the way she was moving; it seemed random and dangerous. To those who did know her would simply smile and continue with whatever they were doing: such was the way of Pinkie.

"Hey Mr. Author, aren't you supposed to be moving the story along? The readers already know about my amazing 'Pinkie Pie Physics™' silly!"

YES PINKIE I know. No fourth wall breaking for you; that ability shouldn't kick in for another few chapters!

"Okie-dokie-lokie!" With her usual giggle-snort, she bounced to the front and put the goods on shelves for the day. The inside of Sugarcube Corner was decorated with hearts and other Hearts and Hooves items; this was one of the busier holidays the store had to prepare for.

The Cakes came down from the steps that lead to their room's and smiled at the set-up. They had planned on waking early to do the decorations and start baking themselves, but their children stayed awake the majority of the previous night.

"PINKIE, you are best! You didn't have to go and do all of this, dearie," Cup Cake said. Her husband, Carrot Cake, glanced around and scratched the stubble on his chin in thought.

"Say....why don't you take the day off? It's only fair since it seems you took care of most of today's work," Carrot said after some time.

"Are you sure? I don't mind sticking around," Pinkie replied. "Besides, doesn't it get REALLY busy?"

"Normally, I'd be worried, but Nick offered to help in the kitchen today. Something about wanting to 'stay out of sight'? We'll be fine Pinkie." Cup Cake said.

With a *SQUEE* and a hug for each, the pink pony zipped out the door and down the road, intent on gathering her friends.

----------------------------------------------------------- :heart: Canterlot Castle :heart: -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Luna woke up with a yawn and stretched her entire body. Slipping out of her custom-made cloud bed, she stumbled into her personal bathroom and began her daily ritual. Taking off her dark-blue nightgown, she began running hot water for her bath, followed by different salts, herbs and liquids being put into the water to make it more enjoyable.

Soon enough, she was sitting in the water, enjoying the warmth and the effects of the things she had put in. As she washed herself, her mind began to go over what would be done for the day; in mid-rinse, an important detail came to the front of her mind and a predatory grin grew.

Jumping out of the water and running to her room door, she swung it open and spoke to the guard standing there with excitement.

"Tis' Hearts and Hooves day, is it not?"

The stallion, stuck somewhere between aroused, confused and scared, could only nod in reply. In turn, the door slammed shut, only to be opened again within minutes.

Luna stood there in a dark red dress, that hugged every curve she had, along with silver earrings that shone like miniature stars. Her hooves were in black slippers along with her mane being styled so it covered only part of her muzzle in a sensual way. Finally, there was a small amount of blush, eyeliner to bring out her eyes, and a small amount of lipstick.

Closing the door to her chambers, she turned to the guard and spoke in a clear, yet soft voice. "We are going to....meet...with an old friend. When we return, see to it that nopony comes to my chambers. Also, sister asks for me, simply tell her that we are on a...hunt."

The guard could only stare as Luna strutted away. He could've sworn that there was almost a purr in her voice....the way she had licked her lips, the look in her eyes and that....smile she had. There was no question: the Lunar princess was out for blood.

"......Celestia have mercy on the stallion that she's going after."

Shivering, he went off to spread the word to the other guards.

----------------------------------------------------------- :heart: Golden Oaks Library :heart: -------------------------------------------------------------------------

The girls sat around in the main room, each of them chatting with the other about random topics, as Spike and Pinkie were in the kitchen fixing snacks. When the drake and pony finally came out and passed out the treats, the talking turned to Hearts and Hooves day itself.

"So! I call to order, the Hearts and Hooves day mini-party!" Pinkie said with a smile. The rest smiled as well, with the exception of Twilight. She glanced around to make sure she was right, before speaking up.

"Pinkie, where's Nick? He usually wouldn't want to miss out on any kind of party you're throwing."

That made the pink pony slightly deflate and sigh in frustration. "Trust me, I asked him the same thing! He's helping the Cakes in my place, but I made most of the stuff for today! He did seem really, really twitchy though..."

Twilight hummed and after a moment groaned as well. "I have no clue why. Yesterday was our daily training session, and when I asked what he was going to do for today...well...."

The rest of the group leaned in and motioned for her to continue; letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding and continued. "He freaked out."

When she saw their confused expressions, she explained some more. "Nick just froze in place, like he was completely caught off guard. I asked if he was ok, but he just demanded a calender, so I gave him one. That look on his face, when he gave it back...it was like he knew something from Tatarus was coming for him."

Rainbow Dash blinked, then whistled in surprise. "Damn...it's gotta be pretty bad if he was that freaked out."

Before anything else was said, a flash of blue came from the center of the room, followed by a 'pop' and the appearance of Princess Luna. The group could only stare in awe of her figure before it occurred to bow in respect.

Waving her hand, she smiled and spoke in a happy, yet nervous voice. "Greetings, Elements of Harmony, and happy Hearts and Hooves day!"

Rarity, who had been holding in her excitement from the moment Luna arrived, let out a squeal of joy and began looking over every part of the lunar princess.

"I'm sorry for being so rude your highness, but you look AMAZING! The dress, your mane and make-up...it's perfection itself!"

Luna blushed from the praise, but before she could properly respond, Rarity gasped and gave her a knowing and giddy look. "Are you here to...pick up your special somepony by chance? Who is he?!"

The rest of the girls became just as excited (although Dash would deny it for days afterwards), and waited for the princess' response. Thoroughly embarrassed, Luna began playing with her hands before she started to speak.

" 'Tis true, lady Rarity. We have come to...As you say...'pick up' our special somepony. To be honest with thee....it is Nick, whom I am enamored with. He is kind, hardworking and loyal to a fault...."

At that, they let out a small chorus of 'aww' from the sheer cuteness of the situation. Spike on the other hand, stepped out, seeing that there was no place for the incoming mushyness. When the girls gestured for Luna to continue, she cleared her throat and looked at them with hopeful eyes as she finished her thoughts.

"To be truthful, he plays hard to capture on this day of all days....which is why we have come for thy aid. Will thou help us capture our stallion?"

The mane six huddled together for a moment before turning back to the princess with mischief and determination in their eyes. Twilight grinned and said, "If there's anypony who deserves to be happy on Hearts and Hooves day, it should be you princess! He won't come willingly though, so here's what I have in mind...."

----------------------------------------------------------- :heart: Sugarcube Corner :heart: -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nick put the tray of cookies into the oven, before a shiver went through his entire body. When Twilight had brought up the topic of Hearts and Hooves day, It took everything he had not to go flee into the Everfree forest. He'd forgotten all about it since training the elements to defend themselves took up most of his time.

The first Hearts and Hooves day he had spent with Luna was terrifying. He didn't mind spending time with her, but when they got to her room......Sweet Faust, just thinking of it brought back old pains and terrors to his body and mind.

What was worse, was the fact that nothing had happened to him yet. No magic to try and trap him, and no Luna in sight to try and grab him...and that scared Nick more than anything. There was no way she'd forgotten today, and if she wasn't taking a direct route for him, that meant she was planning. That usually meant worse things were going to be coming if he wasn't careful...

"Heya Nick! How's the baking going?!" Asked Pinkie Pie from right behind him. Without thinking twice, he dove to the side and under one of the many counters in the kitchen before looking where he thought he had heard Pinkie from.

"Ooh, who are we hiding from? Are we super-spies? Huh,huh,huh?" She said, giggling right next to him. Holding back a scream of shock, he took a few deep breaths before giving her a shaky response.

"No Pinkie. I was freaked out when you came from behind me just then. I was thinking of a....scary memory, when you popped up. Nearly gave me a heart attack...."

The pink pony pouted and looked guilty for a moment before brightening up and pulling out a blue-frosted, heart-shaped cookie from the air and holding it out to him.

"Sorry for that Nick-nick, but eat this cookie as an apology! It's super yummy, I promise!"

He sighed and took it with a smile before nodding. "I forgive ya Pinks. No harm done. Though, why is it blue of all things? Kinda against the whole Hearts and Hooves thing...."

With a bigger smile, she pulled him out from under the counter and began bouncing around to check on the other goodies baking before responding in an off-handed manner. "Oh, that's cause Princess Luna came by and asked me to give it to you. Said it was special, just for....oops! I said too much!"

By the time she turned around, the cookie was on the counter, uneaten, and sitting next to the apron Nick had been wearing. The kitchen's back doors were swinging, indicating that he had ran through, intent on escaping as far as possible.

"My job's done, just like Twi-twi said! Now, I've got some sweets to taste..."

~ :heart: ~

Nick was in a full-on panic. Luna had come looking for him, and recruited Pinkie Pie of all ponies, to help her out! There were a few places he could hide for a short amount of time, but first, he had to warn the other ponies not to reveal his presence in Ponyville itself.

Glancing over at the Carousel Boutique, he shook his head and kept running; no point in visiting Rarity. She'd be on Luna's side if she caught wind of this, and that was one risk he wasn't willing to take. As he ran through the market, he spotted two of the most reliable ponies he knew: Applejack and Rainbow Dash. The two were by the apple stand, and when Nick ran up to them, had expressions of concern.

When he finally got enough air, he gave an explanation as simply as he could. "Help...hiding....can't Trust...Pinkie or...Rarity. Yes?"

The two glanced at each other, before Dash touched his shoulder and gave a sympathetic look. "Hey, I've got your back bud. If you need to hide, cool. Just remember that I'll fight whatever if you need that too."

"Thanks Dash," he replied with more air running through his lungs. "If anything, I think that AJ's barn should be a....good place..to...." At that moment, he had seen Applejack's face scrunch for a quick minute before going neutral again, but the damage was done. Just from that alone, he knew the both of them were with Luna as well.

AJ saw the look on his face, but shook her head and gave him a stern glare of her own. "Now listen here par'ner. She loves ya a whole darn lot, an' I promised her mah help. Jus' stay there an' she'll come pick ya right up." At that moment, Dash slightly tightened her grip on his shoulder, as if to remind him that she would catch him if he attempted to run.

In a blind panic, he pointed in a random direction and blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Look! Spitfire and Soarin are throwing perfectly good apple pies at each other!"

The two were instantly distracted: one in rage of said pies being wasted in such a manner, and the other in fan-mare mode. That moment was all he needed to twist out of Rainbow Dash's grip and run off for the last place he could get help.

As he ran, he couldn't help but think, 'That actually worked?'

Oddly enough, If he had turned around, he would've realized he was actually correct about the two Wonderbolts throwing pies at each other.

~ :heart: ~

Throwing the library's door open, then shut behind him, Nick sat down heavily, wheezing from the amount of (sadly) unnecessary zig-zagging to escape Rainbow Dash's chase. When he heard a small cough in front of him, his eyes met Twilight's, which were amused and slightly annoyed at the same time.

Holding a hand up to indicate he was still getting his breath back, she shook her head and went to get a chair. By the time he had calmed down, she was sitting in front of him with a glass of water in hand.

"Thanks Twilight. I'll explain in a sec." Taking a few sips of water, Nick closed his eyes, before opening them and giving the unicorn a wary look. "I know you're the most reasonable of the group....so I really hope you can help me out."

She merely raised an eyebrow, and motioned for him to continue; within minutes, he explained the 'betrayal of Pinkie, AJ and Dash' in trying to give him up to Luna. "I don't mind spending time with her, but she gets a bit too touchy on Hearts and Hooves day. So, think you can help?"

Twilight got up and began to pace for a few minutes before breaking into a wide smile and clapping her hands.

"I've got an idea! I've been practicing long-range teleportation, but I don't have enough energy to do it by myself. If you can help me out with that, I can teleport you someplace safe!"

"I'll do it! I knew you wouldn't let me down Twilight! If anything, send me into the Everfree, I'll be fine in there."

Nodding, she began to focus on the spell, and within minutes, her horn began to spark, followed by her hands glowing with a lavender aura. "Gonna...need...that boost....now..." She grunted out. Nick took one of her hands in his, and his body started to shine with a grey aura, next to her lavender.

"Back up, quick!" Hissed Twilight. He let her hand go and let his aura fade, while the color around her hands grew brighter. When he could no longer look without squinting, the spell hit his body without warning. As he began to fade, the last thing he saw was her giving a tired, yet satisfied smirk, and mouthing the words, 'have fun'.

~ :heart: ~

When his vision began to clear, he let out a happy sigh, thinking that he had successfully escaped from Luna for another year. That thought vanished the moment he realized that it was too quiet to be the Everfree forest. Not only that, but with his eyes adjusting to the dark, he realized he was in the last place he wanted to be in.

"Hello, my beloved," a voice whispered in his ear.

Nick's body froze in an instant, as his mind began screaming a loop of 'No, no, please no'. Slowly turning around, he came face-to-face with Luna, who had a smug, yet lustful expression across her muzzle.

"We are pleased to find thee within our chambers once more, and on Hearts and Hooves day, too. There is...much...we have to do today."

Each time she stepped forward, he took a step back, until his back was against the wall and she was pressing against him.

"Dinner....a bath together....and cuddling among other things." As she spoke, her fingers traced patterns in his chest in a slow, but playful manner, before she stared into his eyes with absolute lust. "We must see if thy body is still in shape as well. We were both strong and had endurance for days once upon a time...but now would be the perfect time to see where we stand."

Giving his ear a playful nip, Luna pulled away and began stripping her dress in a slow and provocative manner, as she continued to speak. "Furthermore, we desire to see thy spear. It has been some time since we have seen it, but we have no doubt that it has not lost its edge...nor power."

Nick could only whimper, as he was stuck between two awful decisions. Either go with what Luna was doing and suffer in the hospital for weeks after, or attempt to escape, with a good chance of things going on longer if caught.

He had no chance to decide when she slipped the last bits of her outfit off and stood before him in her full glory. Sauntering towards him, she raised a hand, glowing with her blue aura before speaking once more.

"I have told the guards to leave this section of the castle empty, so we can be as loud as we want. Now then, there is a long night ahead of us Nick, and I will enjoy every...single....minute."

Before she cast her spell, Nick let out one last cry that could be heard from Canterlot all the way to Ponyville, before there was silence from the castle for the rest of the day.

~ :heart: ~

Twilight and the rest of the girls were sitting in Sugarcube Corner, enjoying the Hearts and Hooves day treats, while congratulating each other for tricking Nick so easily.

In the middle of their conversation, their ears twitched, as they and every single pony heard a cry come from the direction of Canterlot. All of the stallions that heard the cry that day, gave a short prayer, because they had a pretty good idea of what had happened for a male to sound like that.

It was a voice filled with wrath, fear, resignation and a hint of determination to survive.

TWWWIIIIIILIGHHHTTTTTTTTTT!

Bitter Memories (Nick's Side)

Author's Note

Back! Hopefully this will be the start of a chapter-writing streak! Not sure if anyone noticed but I changed/edited some of the earlier chapters to make it flow a bit better.

All that while being half-blind in my right eye! Yay corneal abrasions!

Hope you enjoy, and let me know what you think!

Cheers,
Indi3g

Bitter Memories (Nick's Side)

When Fluttershy had finally stepped out of the library, she found Nick standing off to the side, humming what sounded like a song under his breath. She tried getting his attention a few times, but it took a good five minutes before he finally noticed her.

"Oh. Hey, sorry about that, didn't realize you were there. Kinda got lost in my memories..."

She blushed and shook her head before replying in a soft voice. "I-it's ok. You did seem lost in your thoughts. Um, are you ready to go now?"

With a smirk, he gave a slight bow and spoke in a 'proper manner'. "It would be my pleasure, madame, to escort you to your home. That is, if you do not mind me doing so."

Her blush grew, and Fluttershy let out a small giggle, before dropping into a small curtsey. "If you please. I would be oh, so grateful."

After holding their positions for a minute, they both broke out into a small fit of laughter, and made their way through the streets of Ponyville. As Fluttershy led the way to her home, they both took in the night sky, and the sounds of the night that was going on around them.

"If....if you don't mind me asking....are you ok? You seemed a bit upset earlier....."

Nick looked at her, surprised at the amount of concern she had in her voice, and in her expression. After a bit of thinking, he shook his head and gave her a half-smile in response. "Yeah. It's been a long night for me, and I just got a lot dumped on me. Might take some time to get over it, but I'll deal. Actually...."

Nick stopped walking, gave her a confused look and asked, "Why aren't you afraid of me? I'm no pony, and...uh, no offense, but ya seem kinda...skittish."

Squeaking in surprise, she stumbled and nearly fell, but used her wings to regain her balance. Once she was slightly settled, Fluttershy began to fidget, and hide most of her face by using her mane, as she gave her answer.

"W-well....like you said.....I'm not that good at dealing with things like this. You aren't a pony...and kinda scary...but I think you're a nice.......being?" She looked at him I'm slight confusion, but seeing him nod gave her the strength to continue. "You were really gentle helping Princess Luna earlier...and you didn't attack Princess Celestia when you got upset....so I think I can...maybe trust you. And maybe become friends....If that's ok with you....."

The way she was being so shy, yet hopeful, pulled on Nick's heartstrings hard. Then, she looked at him.....and his heart exploded. Or at least it felt like it. In that moment, those eyes were full of so much innocence, so much kindness, it was hard not to want to hide her away and prevent anything from trying to hurt her.

When they started to tear up, he realized he had taken too long to respond....that and he felt horrible. Like everything in the world was saying, 'Look at what you did. Fluttershy is crying and it's all your fault. SHAME ON YOU.' In a full panic, he hugged her tight and made soft shushing sounds, not noticing her squeak of surprise or heavy blushing.

"I'd love to be friends with you Fluttershy. I just hope I can be a good friend to you as well....please, please don't cry."

She only squeaked again, but this time, in a higher pitch. The fact that he wanted to be friends with her was nice, and he was very warm and comfortable, but this was the first time any male besides her father had held her so affectionately. If Nick held her any longer, there was a good chance she'd pass out from overwhelming amount of emotions.

As if he'd realized what she was feeling, Nick let her go and looked away with a slight blush. "Sorry about that...I can get kinda...'huggy'....at times." Clearing his throat, he looked around and pointed to a shadow in the distance. "That's your house over there, right?"

Fluttershy blinked a few times before the question registered, and looked over to where he was pointing. "Y-yes. I hope you don't mind..but...I have a lot of animals staying with me....I should've told you before. I'm sorry..."

He gave a smile and shook his head before replying. "Relax Fluttershy. You were kind enough to let me stay for the night, so being around a few animals won't be a bother." With that, he began to walk once more.

The mare, on the other hand, watched him walk away with a happy smile, and started following Nick. 'He....he really is a nice stalli-being. Oh dear, I should catch up, so the animals don't try and attack him. That would be horrible...' Unknown to both of them, she had given off a faint pink glow when she had offered, and he accepted friendship between the two.

------------------------------------------------------------ Hours Later, On the Cottage Roof -------------------------------------------------------------------------

When the pair had reached her home, Nick was greeted by a group of animals, glaring at him and ready to attack. It took some time, but Fluttershy had been able to calm them down and make it clear that he was a friend, and had done nothing to harm her. That satisfied the majority of the animals, with the exception of a single white rabbit. The little demon, or 'Angel' as she had called him, kicked his leg multiple times. It was clear that he had no fondness for the human, and would do everything to make sure Nick was aware of that fact.

Eventually Fluttershy had shown him where the bathroom and the guest room were, before wishing him a good night and heading to her own room. Nick had simply thrown himself upon the bed and tried to rest, but his mind kept returning to what Celestia had accused him of, and the conversation he had with Luna.

Resigned, he had decided to go and get some fresh air, in hopes that it would clear his head and leave him tired. It took navigating (and too many close calls), to get past the sleeping animals, and out the door. In a few jumps, Nick found himself upon the cottage's rooftop, and staring into the night sky.

As the wind blew past, and he stared at the moon, his mind brought back the last memories he had, between himself, Luna and Celestia...

------------------------------------------------------------ Castle of The Two Sisters (1000 years ago) -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nick yawned and stretched, hearing his joints pop into place, as he walked through the castle. He'd just returned from being in the Badlands, and meeting with Queen Thorn of the changelings. The first time he had met her, was during one of his travels across Equestria to understand the land itself. She had been fighting off a combination of noise and sand worms, all while bleeding out. Concerned, and slightly impressed, he stepped in and had helped her fight them off.

The queen was in shock, not only because of how he looked, but because he had helped her in the first place. Although she was suspicious and ready to attack, he was able to convince her to help her get to her home in one piece. She was reluctant to agree, but it was hard to argue when bleeding out in the desert. He was almost overwhelmed when they had finally arrived on her hive's front door, but was spared temporarily, because of his willingness to help.

When her identity was revealed, she was shocked once more, by his acceptance of her and how calm he seemed to be. The pair talked for some time, and before he left, she made him swear to tell none of their meeting. The two met a few more times over the years, becoming more friendly and trusting of each other, until he was able to convince her to meet with Celestia and Luna. From that point on, the changelings and ponies had a (somewhat stable) agreement with each other. In exchange for better weapons, armor and freedom to walk around in their normal forms, the changelings would act as guides and guards for those passing through the area.

The most recent meeting was to get an update on how the hive itself was doing; problems between the chagelings and ponies, suggestions for improvements for their agreement and being introduced to Queen Thorn’s heir, Chrysalis. Meeting that mare was an interesting experience, considering how excited she was to meet him. Almost as if she’d idolized him or something more...

Shaking that thought out of his head, Nick stopped in the kitchen to get some fresh fruit, only to be stopped by a sense of wrongness washing over his body. No longer concerned with food, he gripped the skull designed pin on his collar and began to ‘ping’ the entire castle.

Getting an odd reaction from one of Luna’s (Princess Luna he reminded himself somewhat bitterly) many rooms, he ran as fast as he could; often jumping over or dodging around other ponies in his rush. By the time he arrived however, the reaction had lessened.

Cautious, Nick knocked on her bedroom door before opening it and stepping inside. “Everything alright? You don’t have guards posted and something felt...weird just now.” The princess was sitting on the edge of her bed, facing away from the door and fiddling with something around her neck as if she hadn’t heard a word he had said at all.

“Thou...would be honest with us, regardless of how we might feel correct? If it were to better us as a ruler...and a pony?” She murmured, slowly standing from her seat. Before he could even respond, Luna’s voice rose and began to sound angrier with each word spoken.

“What would it take? We have given again, and again to ensure ponies sleep in peace. And yet, they SHUN me! FEAR me! HATE ME FOR KEEPING. THEM. SAFE! All I wanted was some love and respect, is that too much to ask for?”

When she finally turned to face him, her face was a mess. Eyes red and dripping tears, makeup running and messily spread- all while the rest of her muzzle showed just how much pain she felt. As Nick took a step towards Luna to try and comfort her, his eye noted a crystal on her neck beginning to spark and let out small pulses of magic and the energy he had felt earlier.

“No, it’s not. You have every right to be upset,” he said trying to calm her down. “They fear what they don’t understand. They know that all the bad things come at night, so they don’t want anything to do with it. If we talk with your sister, maybe we can convince a few to learn...”

Without warning, her expression changed to something unhinged mixed with pure joy. “Yes! We should talk to her together! She’ll have to listen to the both of us right?!” Luna giggled and pulled Nick in for a tight hug, with the crystal starting to glow and spark more violently than before. “With your influence and the power I now have, she won’t have a choice AND WILL FINALLY TAKE ME SERIOUSLY!”

“Luna, slow down! You’re getting too worked up; we can do this but not with you threatening her!” He started to struggle within the hug, caught off guard by her reactions and trying to get a better understanding of what was happening.

Falling silent, the lunar princess let him go and stepped away; the crystal was constantly pulsing and glowing with a steady black light. “....he was right. I really am alone. Alone, alone, alone, alonE, AlOnE, ALONEALONEALLONMYOWN!!!”

With a scream of rage and sorrow, Luna let loose a blast of power. The entire room started to fall apart, with Nick thrown into a corner and the stonework crumbling Into pieces. The last thing he saw before passing out, was her body being covered in the dark light of the crystal, and the sound of malicious laughter.

Bitter Memories (Luna's side)

When Nick stepped back into the Library, the awkward air was still there.

Twilight looked like she wanted to ask more questions, but was stuck between possibly bringing up something painful, or gaining new knowledge. Fluttershy was whimpering in a corner, looking at him in pity, but afraid of him. The others refused to even look in his direction.

"So, I'm gonna go, since all of this..." He paused and waved in their general direction before continuing. "Is full of awkward feelings. See ya."

As he turned to leave again, there was the sound of movement, followed by a soft voice. "W-wait!"

Turning back, he was surprised to see Fluttershy out of all of them, walk forward, looking at him with concern and determination.

"Um, w-where are you going to stay? If you don't mind me asking..." The moment he had begun looking at her, she started backtracking and getting softer in tone.

'That is just too cute' he thought to himself.

"Uh, the Everfree. I have...or had a home there. Pretty sure there's some gold or something there I can use, and get a hotel room for the night. If not, well..."

"That's just horrible, darling! Nopony would sleep in that place!" Rarity squealed, with a disgusted expression.

"Ah, but I'm not a pony, am I?" At the annoyed groans, he grinned and shook his head. "I get what you mean though, and thanks. I don't want to rely on any of you though."

"Y-you could stay at my house," Fluttershy spoke up. When she realized that everyone's attention was focused on her, she squeaked and hid her face behind her mane.

"Tha's mighty generous of ya 'shy. Gotta ask though, can ya handle it? Ya get spooked easier than a cow seein' a snake." Applejack piped up.

Rainbow spoke up as well, saying "Yea 'shy! I mean, I'd keep him at my place so I could keep an eye on him..." she paused, giving Nick a stink-eye before continuing. "But he can't fly. I don't even know if he could stay on the clouds!"

"I...I live closest to the Everfree. That and, um, well, I think he'd like some time alone. No offense."

The rest of the girls nearly protested in denial, before sighing in resignation. She was right, and they all knew it. Rarity would try and harass him about his clothing and the styles from back then, Rainbow would be suspicious and try to provoke him, Twilight would ask him too many questions in general, Pinkie would constantly bother him with her personality and Applejack....well her family would freak out.

After another long and awkward pause filled the air, Nick raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "Ooookay? I guess that's fine. Tomorrow, we need to talk about the elements. I'm sure you'll need training..."

Trailing off, he stared at each of them, though his attention focused on Pinkie, Twilight and Spike the longest.
"Meh. I'll be outside whenever you're ready Fluttershy." With that, he stepped out the door, leaving the group confused at his words."

"Training?!"

------------------------------------------------------------ Canterlot Castle -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Celestia gave kind smiles and nodded to her guards as she made her way to her room. Although she had just arrived after storing the elements (there was no way she'd leave them with the ponies, especially Twilight; there were some things that should not happen), word had reached her ears that Luna had gone and locked herself away.

After dismissing the guardsmen from her room's doors, she stepped in and cast two spells: one to fool any eavesdropping ponies into hearing a normal discussion, and a second to repair anything that would be destroyed in the next few minutes.

Luna was sitting at the edge of Celestia's bed, cradling Nick's headphones with a blank expression. However, there were parts of her muzzle that had tear tracks, so the solar goddess knew she had to approach this carefully.

"Lu-Lu, I -"

"He hates me."

'Sweet Faust, Luna's not speaking archaic' Celestia thought. On the outside, she appeared calm, but inside, Celestia was TERRIFIED.

What few ponies knew, was that Luna could speak normally, but preferred to speak archaic. The problem was, the only time her words were normal was when she was truly angry, or very depressed.

The lunar goddess looked at her sister with agony and fear in her eyes as she continued speaking. "I really hurt him Tia. I don't even know if he'll let me try and make it up to him..."

Sighing, Celestia sat next to her sister and gently squeezed her hand. "You have a better chance than I do. I left him in stone...and kept his headphones here with me."

Luna gave a wry smile and looked at said object before replying. "True. He doesn't like to go around without them for too long."

"Well, you can deliver it to him personally. It would make things easier between the two of you." Giving a small smile, Celestia paused, as if she were hesitant. Sitting somewhat straighter, she took a breath and asked the question that had plagued her for the past thousand years. "Luna....what really happened?"

The younger princess froze, then began to tremble as the memories came back to the surface. "I......Tia....it's better to....show you..."

With trembling hands, Luna began to cast the spell and focus on the memories of that night. Her hands, now covered in a light blue aura, touched Celestia's and within minutes, the two 're-lived’ the night that everything changed.

------------------------------------------------------------ Castle of The Two Sisters (1000 years ago) -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Luna sat at the edge of her room's balcony, staring at the moon and lost in her thoughts. Celestia was finishing paperwork, and Nick was still off in the Badlands talking with Queen Thorn. She was the only one with nothing to do, since it was the weekend and there were no emergencies.

Nick had suggested for the two to keep weekends court-free years ago, to give the sisters time to take things slightly easier and complete things without rushing. It took time to implement, but it seemed everypony was happier for it.

Her mind then began to focus on her friend, and current lover with some concern. Nick had grown close to the two after their first meeting, and became somepony (or someone he insisted on using) they could rely and be themselves around as time went on. Only recently, had the relationship changed between Nick and herself, but it seemed like he was avoiding talking with her for too long these past few days.

"Did I do something wrong? Maybe I should corner him when he gets back..." she muttered to herself.

Stretching and letting her wings flare for a moment, she slipped off the edge and back through the balcony doors. Instantly, she went on guard: there was a stallion standing by her bed with an easygoing smile.

He was a tall and slightly thin, with dark-grey fur and a mane the color of rust. His clothing was simple: a charcoal slacks and blazer, shiny black shoes and an untucked white shirt. His eyes, however, were covered by a pair of black shades, although one could sense there was something unnatural hiding behind them.

"Who art thou to come into our royal chambers?! We shall have their DESTROYED for such DISRESPECT!" Luna roared. Just as she began drawing on her magic, the stallion shook his head and smiled wider, before lifting one hand.

In that instant, she found herself unable to call upon any kind of magic, no matter what she tried. Before she could try and run, the balcony doors shut and locked themselves, and the stallion spoke in a polite and even time.

"I mean no harm, Princess Luna. I just want to talk to you. I have an...offer, if you will. Just hear me out, and I'll leave without a trace."

She looked at him, skeptical, but gave a slow nod. After all, there wasn't much she could do at that point; since he was already there, she'd have to assume her guards could not stop him either.

"That's all I ask." Folding his arms behind him, he began to explain why he was there, and everything he knew. Luna on the other hand, listened with her face darkening by the minute. When he finished, he reached into his blazer pocket, and pulled out a necklace with a small black crystal on it.

"So. You've heard me out. Now, comes the offer. I would like you to wear this, when you confront your 'lover'. If he really is as supportive as you think, he'll have no problems with it. Not only that, but you'll finally have the power to get those nobles and your sister to listen to you."

Her eyes focused on the necklace before staring at him and responding in a tired voice. "What price shall I pay for wearing such a thing? Things like these never come for free."

"Ah, that's the question, isn't it?" Holding it up, so the moon shone on it, he sighed and a hint of sadness entered his voice. "You will be alone. There is a chance you will be betrayed, but after, you WILL win and be heard."

Placing the necklace on the bed, he spoke one last time. "It's all up to you. Take the chance, or destroy it. Completely up to you Princess Luna. Think about it."
With that, he walked to the chamber doors and slipped out, leaving the princess with information and a painful choice to make.

Author Update

Heya!

So thanks for all those still checking in on this after all this time.

I’ll be blunt- there will be NO SCHEDULE FOR MY UPDATES! Not just due to work, but when the muse hits me, I’ll pump as much as possible.

I still have my notes for the original story, but I’ll be changing things up. As a heads up, things will roughly follow SOME of the episodes, but instead of sticking with my first idea of just adding a few changes, things will take on a closer...thread...to the game.

Also! I’ll be messing with adding music to some of the scenes to give it more feeling! Or suggests some links anyway.

I will NOT be giving this up anytime soon, cause I put too much thought into this story and am loving how it’s coming to life!

Cheers,
Indi3g

Secret Report (0)

-Date: Not recorded-
-Subject: Unknown ******-

Report:

Unknown ******** was found within the **** ******* sections of the ******** by *** ******** *******. Steady breathing and no signs of **** ***** upon testing in secured medical bay. Signs of ************* from ******* ******** was confirmed. When ***** attempted, scientists were '***********'. Statement was given as follows when interviewed for further details:

Interviewer: ****** ******, ******* of ***** Guard under *** **** *****
Interviewee: Scientist under command of **** ********* ****** *****

S.N.- Good afternoon. Do you know why you're here?

???- .....the stars, the *****, life, *****..they're all *********...

S.N.- When you were working with your fellow scientists, under orders from *** ******** and passed down to your leader, ****** *****, it was to try and ***** *** ******** ******** of *** ********. What happened?

???- We...we did as ordered. Listen, each and every one of us has * ******* *********. Ponies, animals and all creatures that lives share * **********. *** *** ****** we know deep down, exists and ***** ****** ***** *** *** ** ******. It gives us different ***** ** *********. The unicorns can *** **** **** ** **** ********** ** **** ******. The Earth ponies are ****** ** ****** **** **** ***** *******. The pegsai, *** ***...you get the idea. That..that *****...it didn't have any kind of **********! ** felt WRONG! When we tried to find the ****** ** *** ********...it was too much. Like we were staring at *** ****** ** ********** ******!

S.N.- And then?

???- Nothing. We felt pain and then ** ***...****. Like that ******** had been ****** ***** ** *** ** *** ****. *Shivers* Never again. Please, please don't make any of us try again. I...I don't think we could handle it.

End of Interview

When this information was brought to both *** ******** *** *** ****, we were instructed to drop any further investigation. It is of my personal opinion that **** *** **** * ****** ************* ** *** **** ****** ****** **** ******** *** **** ** ********** *** *** ******. Although this report may never see the light of day, it will be a record for when the truth may eventually come out.

**** ****** *** *******
R**** ********
Ad***** ** *** *** ****ers
Researcher ** ******* *** *****

Author's Note

I'll be putting these in now and then. Maybe even have the unedited versions After all this is done? Not too sure yet....