Lonely Yhorm became a Lord of Cinder to put the Profaned Flame to rest, knowing full well that those who spoke of him as lord were quite insincere. ~Cinders of A Lord
Yhorm howled at the human attacking him, using not the Storm Ruler but a rather large sword, swinging and chopping. Yhorm knew his destiny, to become cinders for the true heir, but he felt it would be too easy. He was the one of the first Lords to awaken, and while he sat his throne at the shrine, he felt himself yearning. He knew he had a duty, a duty that must be fulfilled. A path had been laid out for him, but despite his massive strength and virtue, he was scared of the path. Yhorm had many friends in life, but after becoming a Lord, the Profaned Flame suddenly sprung to life. His home was burned, charred, and twisted. Yhorm himself did not leave unscathed, his flesh burning like ash in an old worn log. Retainers and acolytes turned into monsters, stone gargoyles took the mantle of guard, and old handmaids turned into cultists, worshiping the flame as if it were their deity.
Yhorm lost everything when he became a lord, had everything stripped away when he returned home, and now in this joke of an afterlife, he watched with lonely eyes as his empty hall, piled with melted gold and charred bodies of the people who once called him 'monster', echoed with sparks and howls of pain and anger. He knew his end was near, but he knew the true lord was on his last rope as well. All that mattered was who pulled out in the end. Then something unexpected happened.
A blade of wind slammed into Yhorm's back, causing the giant to stumble. On his knees, he looked to see a peculiar knight, dressed as an onion of all things. Despite his pain, he felt a relief. He felt as if he knew this knight, and seeing him use this sword was a well thought.
"Yhorm," the knight said, lamenting, "I kept my promise." He said piercing the sword into the stone floor, he no longer needed it. He sat and watched as Lonely Yhorm began to fade into ash, while he pulled a mug and a homemade brew. He gave the fading giant the whole swill, and the true lord made to stop him. The knight just raised his hand and turned back to Yhorm. In final seconds, the giant had took the small drink and gulped in one go, but the moment the drink hit the back of his throat, he knew who this onion knight was.
"Goodbye old friend." Siegward said. Yhorm smiled, in what felt like many an age, as he vanished in a cloud of ash.
"Thank you, dear friend..."
In the Void, a being stood. A being that made had been causing a ruckus all over the multiverse. The Merchant sat with his large backpack looking in the void and reaching for items, seemingly to have lost their purpose. A power crystal with a red lion inside of it, an old, battered hockey mask, but something most peculiar, even to him came across his sight. A large crown, seemingly made of bone, or quite possibly...
"Hardened ash..." The Merchant said to himself as he reached out for the crown. "It's been a while since I last visited Lothric, who did you belong to, I wonder?" He said has he examined the giant crown. "Hmmm... oh, what's this?" He said as another item hovered, looking like a small beer keg. "Haha, I love it when food gets lost in here..." He said reaching for the keg... only for a loud howl to emanate from the crown. The howl pushed the merchant back and when he gained his bearings, he looked to see the flaming face of a giant holding the keg in both of his hands.
"Hahahaha! Still got some fight in you huh? Well no matter, I know how to deal with pesky souls like you..." He said pulling out a small dagger of a strange design and metal. The remnants of Yhorm considered the dagger, and with one arm swiped the Merchant away, letting out a howl that seemed to echo in Void. To Yhorm this place was akin to the Abyss, pure darkness. Yet his flames did not get snuffed out, in desperation to escape the dark he looked around his 'surroundings'.
The peddlers rug was in front of him, behind seemed to be a gate of some kind. Taking no chances of being corrupted by absolute dark, he ran towards the gate. The Merchant having regained his senses, saw Yhorm running for a gate. "WAIT YOU STUPID GIANT! YOU HAVEN'T FULLY FORMED YET!" This gave the giant pause. He turned back, to see the peddler motioning for him to come back. Yhorm wanted to flee from the dark, but if this human survived for so long in here, it could have some useful information.
"Now, I know this is a shock to you, your kind have always been afraid of the Dark." The peddler spoke, holding a golden orb now. He fiddled with it as he spoke, "So, (hmm) what I said was true, if you leave now (oh, that's nice.) you will be turned to dust. The last one to that was creature calling itself 106... Don't he was a frightening old man, but universal law in the void says you cannot leave until you are completed loaded in." He put the orb on a small pile, and pulled a rather large sword out seemingly thin air. He was silent for a bit before chucking it back into the dark, where it disintegrated into nothing. "You are still loading, and you will be for a while. Someone as big as you, anyways." He said, going silent again as he examined what seemed to be a spear with two coiled heads. His face cringed at the spear and he promptly threw it into the dark where it shone a brilliant red, then disappeared forever.
Yhorm was in a hard spot. Seeing these weapons and objects being destroyed by the dark wasn't doing a lot to make him cool down. Seeing the peddler examine these objects and decided what stayed and what was garbage...
"Peddler," Yhorm said, catching the Merchant off guard. "how do you choose?"
The merchant blinked, and then sighed. "It's a fine process: Object comes in," He said pulling a ring out. The ring itself was nothing special, but the engraving had the picture of hawk. "I evaluate them," He said bring it closer, looking at every nook and cranny on the ring. "If it's good, I keep it to sell to others. If not," He then pulled out pair of matching pistols, one reading "To Feed" the other, "To Maim". He took one good look and tossed them aside where the darkness pulled them in. "Then it goes back to the main portion of the Void, the Emptiness." Yhorm listened with caution, but did not act on his cautious behavior. The peddler seemed to notice his staring and turned away for a moment.
"Here," He said, giving him a small hammer. Yhorm found it odd for him to give him such a small--
*FWUMMP!*
Yhorm's arm was nearly ripped off from the shear weight of the tiny hammer. Even his own blade was not this heavy."W-What is this weapon?" He asked, struggling to lift the hammer off his hand. The Merchant walked to him and lifted it with ease, freeing the giant.
` "Mjolnir, said to be the weapon of Thor, God of Thunder. However, seeing as the Hammer is gone, it but a memory. In fact, that's where most of these objects come from." He gestured at the steady stream of seemingly random objects, "These streams of objects are called Memory Streams, and it's here is where most of my merchandise comes from. However this not the only stream, there many more, thousands, tens of thousands! Yet for some reason or another the main streams have gotten... clogged for a lack of a better term. I'd do it myself, but I'm running behind on a deadline." He explained, reaching for a white prosthetic arm, he pressed a button the thumb and small wakizashi dripping with poison popped out. He smile and put it in his pile. "Now, I have a proposition: You undo the clogs, allowing me to do my job faster, and I can help you out into getting loaded faster. That way you'll leave quicker and you'll be out of this place. Even I know giants and dragons fear the dark..." He said, a sly smile coming to his face.
Yhorm grunted in frustration. For a Lord to be reduced to an errand boy, it was most embarrassing... However if it meant he could leave this place... "Fine, point me in the direction of these steams, ad I'll break down the 'clogs' as you call them." He said reluctantly. The peddler hopped up and down, and thanked him.
"Oh! Before I forget... A couple of things of interest came with you... I had figured they were yours, so take these." He said, before showing--
"My shield! But I thought..." He threw it away, after his dear friend became hollow. He walked forward and grabbed the strap in his hand. Even though his arm was not materialized all the way, he could still feel the heft of the shield. A large thing it was, practically a tower in it's own right. Behind his shield a mighty boom echoed off the blackness of the void. His weapon, a large greataxe with his signature hand notch. He grabbed it, and felt his power return to him, yet it didn't make him anymore whole. He sighed in regret and set the shield down, and as soon as he let go, the shield shrunk to that of a normal human. The Merchant look back at the shield, then to Yhorm.
"You sure you want this? I can keep it for ya, but if you really wish it gone, then I will cast it back into the Emptiness." He said plainly. Yhorm did not answer but instead took the shield and threw it far into the inky blackness of the Void. Soon, the shield began to break down, and was consumed by the darkness. He felt his hands shake, and his breath began to quake, but he still held fast. That shield... meant everything to him. It was his wall, his fortress, but it was his weakness, his failure, his reminder of why he was known as Lonely Yhorm. He took his greataxe and hefted it up on his shoulders and started off on the path to his freedom.
Clangs of metal echoed in the dark of the Void, closely followed by roars of frustration. Yhorm was by far the strongest of his fellow Lords, yet this blockage was proving its salt. The large, rock hard clog was being stubborn, not moving and inch even after Yhorm entered his Embered state. His power twofold was not enough to knock loose this great boulder of pure dark. While he wished there was a bonfire to rest, he had to try again. He charged forward, grabbing the notch and slammed down with all his might, the blade of his weapon simply bounced off, as if it were made of wood. Yhorm had tried everything that came to mind: Punching, smashing, slicing, none of it worked.
He huffed and sat down, his fires going out and he himself was getting exhausted. He looked at his still incomplete arm and sighed. He noticed how humans came to the Dark so easily, but that was because humans were inherently dark. Giants... he didn't know if Giants had dark within them of not. He got up with an idea, one that would answer his question, and stood in front of the black boulder. Gently he reached out, as if lighting a bonfire, and soon the darkness around the stream was beginning to fade, running up Yhorm's incomplete arm. Yhorm at first tried to wipe away the darkness, soon found himself feeling a little more whole. His arm was their now, not just a phantom feeling. The darkness did this, and maybe the other ones could help make him whole. Turning to the next clog he repeated the process, yet the dark did not react. He 'hmm'ed in thought about why it wasn't working.
The first one he tried beating to pulp, that didn't work, so he tried a more gentle approach. He tried a gentle approach with this one, only for it to not give way. He felt the pattern and raised himself and his weapon. With a resounding clang he slammed his axe on the darkened clog, only for it to bounce off with a force so strong it nearly ripped out of his hand.
"By The Power Divine, both Heaven and Hell may unclasp my grasp."
The voice was directly inside of Yhorm's head, yet it sounded as if it were everywhere. Looking closer, he noticed a small, yet extremely strong stone figure holding the clog in place. He reached for the statue and as soon as he came close enough to feel it, the powerful force pushed him aside again.
"Unyielding Lord of Cinder, We cannot move. The only one to free us must have the Devil's Hand. Until then, We remain unmoved."
Yhorm pondered on this thought. The Devil's Hand? He needed to ask the Peddler.
"So, you say there's a statue holding the blockage, and that it said only the 'Devil's Hand' can move it?" The Merchant looked down in thought. "Hmmm... Nope, sorry nothing that I have could be the right thing... Although I know what kinda statue you're talking about. I've had my fair share of them in the past." He said, pulling out a strange look device. "Alright, this little bad boy here can make short work of them. You're too big to operate it, so just bring me to the blockage and I can work my magic!" He said standing up.
Yhorm didn't detest humans, but he always had an odd feeling about them. While not disgusting, knowing he could crush them in his hands was unsettling enough. Quickly coming to the unclogged Memory Stream, he ventured to the blocked one close by. He held the Peddler closer to the statue and the Peddler tried to touch it, only for a small gust of wind to push him away.
"Lord of Cinder, I thought you better. Bringing this interloper is a stain upon your honor as a Lord."
"Yeah well, I made the big lug a promise." The Merchant said placing the purple amulet around the statue. The face of the statue contorted into pain, as the flames slowly faded out of it's alter. "Hey, move out the way so we don't get mauled by the junk that'll fly though yeah?" The Merchant said pointing away.
"Uncouth betrayer! To use such magics against us is-- AHH! No! We must not... bReAK..."
Soon the statue and alter broke and a flood of both darkness and objects came falling though. Yhorm was quick to stick himself into the dark, and soon his waist and right leg were restored. "I'll be damned... The Void is helping you back on your feet! Well, just one more stream, then you should be golden!" The Merchant said giving two thumbs up. Yhorm nodded and made his way to where the next stream was.
However as he got closer, he noticed that the dark felt as though it was thicker and sticky. Suddenly a loud screech echoed from above and a large spider like being descended from the dark. The Peddler froze and used his cloak as a sort of glider to make it to the ground.
"She's AAALLL your's Jolly! I'm not messing with her!" He shouted as he ran though to the first Memory Stream. Yhorm looked back at the spider, and according to his soul vision it was called a Memory Spider. He howled at the spider and it screeched back at him, baring fangs that shined like a fresh blade. He could see venom dripping from its maw and noticed it's hungry eyes. To her, he was a feast and half.
Yhorm made quick work of that thought as he slammed his axe into the tough hide of the spider, and began to grapple with the titan. They both rolled onto the floor, fangs and blade clashing together, droplets of the venom burning his charred skin. Yhorm threw a punch that rippled through the web of blackness and the whole web reverberated the force of the punch. The Spider was stunned long enough for the giant to toss it on it's back, exposing the softer underbelly and with a raging howl, he cleaved the spider in two. The two halves went limp and Yhorm nodded before turning around to cut the webbing, only to stop short. Cautiously he turned back towards the two halves... only to find them gone. He breathed heavily through his nose and looked around for any sign of the possibly two Memory Spiders. His eyes shifted all around, in front, behind, above: nothing to be found.
"Hmm, maybe the Void devoured them?" He questioned himself. Turning back toward the blockage, he raised his axe high in the air a slammed down with force. The webbing gave way some, but not all the way, raising it again he put all his force into this next strike, only for something to stop his blade halfway through the motion. He turned and saw the two, now fully formed halves struggling to keep the giants arm from falling. Yhorm huffed and wrapped his free hand around the webbing and ignited his hand. The fires of the First Flame still lingered within his flesh, and the fires made quick work of the webbing that held his axe.
With the force of his dropping arm and weapon, he cleaved straight through the blockage and slammed the spiders in the edge of his blade. With his strength and the remaining force of the fall, he cleaved them both in two... again. This time, both seemed to die this time, as they squirmed and grasped for life. The inky blackness of the Void took hold of them, and ate their bodies whole. Soon, Yhorm felt the darkness of the Void repairing him for the last time. He could see out of his let eye again, but...
"Peddler, I know you're still here." Yhorm said and a small flinch from behind the pile of random junk. The Merchant came out, and looked up at Yhorm for the first time.
"Ah, there we go, the Void has given you your body back," he said, clapping at the true form of Yhorm. He looked up to Yhorm's handiwork and saw the burning web of the Memory Spider. He had heard of them being big, but never that big. Something in the stream must've been given the spider a really big boost. The stream began to trickle to life, and the very first thing that fell out was a silver orb. "Oh! Grab that, grab that!" He yelled and began sprinting towards the orb. Yhorm held out his hand and the tiny orb landed in it, but as soon as he touched it, he could feel it. A power so strong, it could probably destroy everything in its wake. The Merchant grabbed the orb in his hands held it close to him. He sighed in relief, and stored it in his cloak. Yhorm had manged a quick glance, seeing a strange looking red liquid that seemed to be almost alive.
"Hmm, two down, four to go..." He said to himself. "NOW! Let's get you out of here! You remember where the exit is?" He asked and Yhorm nodded. "Good, so be on your way, just be careful with the locals, they don't take newcomers that easily."
Yhorm raised a questioning eyebrow, and turned back towards the glowing portal. He stepped up to the threshold, and turned back to the Merchant, who gave him a small wave of his hand. He suddenly shot up, and ran towards Yhorm. "Oh! Wait! I forgot to tell you something!" He yelled, huffing at Yhorm's feet. "Here, take this with you too," he said producing a small white stone. "I... *huff* I assume you still use soapstones yeah? Take it with you, assuming that the landscape is the similar, you should be summoned by other people like you... Kinda like you, it'll take too long to explain." He waved off the awkwardness, "BUT! You can summon them too! You can give them clones of your soapstone, just give them one you have, and when you return you'll have it another one in your inventory."
Yhorm stuck the small stone on his belt, stabbing it through the worn leather. Turning back to the portal he took a deep breath and stepped through.
The Merchant himself watched with interest, before he chuckled and looked back the three giant memory streams. He looked back at the orb and the lantern.
"Two down," he said again. "Four to go... Hehehehe..." A chuckle darker than the Void itself rang through it, and soon a bright blue glow shone on the far side of the Void. "And that's going to make three."
The land of Equestria was filled with all sorts of friendly people. Wizards and Witches, Valkyries, and Earth Singers populated the lands of this world. Here in this world, they are ruled by not one, not two, but four (soon to be five) benevolent rulers: Princess Celestia Mane Solis, ruler and mover of the Sun. Her power is unmatched by even the most powerful of foes. Her sister, Princess Luna Noctis Tenebri, The mover of the Moon and the Stars, and protector of dreams. What she lacks in power, she makes up for in cunning, turning enemies and foes around, confusing them and turning the tides. Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, a princess of love and compassion, abstaining all things violence except for when it is unavoidable. All of them are a combination of all three races, and these extremely powerful beings are called 'Seraphim'
And of course, the newest Princess. Princess Twilight Sparkle, the princess of the most valued thing ever in this world: Friendship. Here, in this town simply called 'Ponyville', this princess lives.
*CRASH*
"Come on everyone! We gotta drive this monster back before it gets into town!" Rainbow shouted, thrusting her spear in the the monsters hide. The Timber Wolf roared and snapped at her spear on the next thrust, swung her around and slammed her into the ground. "Gah! Damn it, I think my wing's broken..." The clicking of heels and the clinking of spurs followed behind her. Applejack and Rarity stared at the giant wooden beast and looked down at Rainbow Dash.
"So," Rarity began, "Where's all that bravado from before deary?" She said, chiding the injured Valkyrie. Applejack reached out to pull her friend up and all three of them looked up at the giant wolf. Rainbow, despite having a broken wing, got into position along with Applejack and Rarity who took fighting stances themselves, Applejack with a gauntlets made of knotted tree roots and Rarity with a small crystal wand and hand mirror in her hands.
The Timber Wolf looked at all three of them and growled before letting out a massive roar. As it charged at them, an explosion rocked its side, as its leg fell and rebuilt itself. "Nice timing Pinks!" Rainbow Dash called out as a glider came zipping down and landing near them cannon barrels smoking.
"Time to take this baddie down! PINKIE PIE STYLE!" She shouted before getting a running start and lifting off again. Her cannon turned to the Timber Wolf but the roar that came from its gullet rocked her glider and she crashed in front of her friends. Applejack chuckled.
"Pinkie Pie style, huh? Well I hope that's not it, otherwise we need real power to bring this puppy down!" She said rushing forward and with a mighty punch snapped the bark of the Timber Wolf's leg. It recoiled from the hit, and sharp rocks and diamonds stung at its face, as Rarity used her wand and her mirror to launch stones from the ground. "Hey Rares!" Applejack said, punching out good chunk of stone and tossing it with all her might towards her. Rarity smiled and flashed the mirror out in front of her and using her wand, the stone flew back at twice the power. The stone tore through the chest of the giant Timber Wolf and it stumbled back.
Despite the damage it took, it roared with all its might and began to rush after them. Applejack stumbled back and Rainbow stuck her spear into its side but was only taken along for the ride. Pinkie, now with the cannon off the glider barreled straight into Rarity knock her over and slamming onto the ground. With a shake of its wooden hide it launched Rainbow off and towards the rest of the girls. The hole and broken leg now almost fully healed, it snarled and roared at them with the intent of finishing them while they were down.
Then just as the roar began, it quickly turned into a loud yelp. The four girls looked to see what seemed like a mountain holding onto the giant Timber Wolf. They followed the giant hand to see it stopping at a pair glowing red eye, along with a face, seemingly made of stone. The cracks on the hand began to glow, and the Timber Wolf suddenly began to panic, all too late for the monster it seemed though, as soon the hand was covered in flames. The flames quickly consumed the bark hide and the wooden skin the giant Timber Wolf as it let out a pained howl and burned into cinders. The giant figure, coming out of large white, glowing circle dropped the smoldered pile of wood and crawled out of the ground.
The giant slammed an equally giant cleaver into the ground, shaking the foundations of all the houses and buildings around and pulled itself up, fully erect and looked down at the humans. Tearing away its sight from the strange humans, it looked to mountain. "A place destitute of that cursed flame..." It rumbled looking down at its still burning hand. "A perfect home for me..." Taking a large step, it made its way towards the Foal Mountains.
"Hey, what in the seven pits of Tartarus was... Holy..." A Witch, Starlight Glimmer stopped in her tracks to see the smoldering bark of the wolf.
"Starlight what is... Oh my, girls! Are you OK?" Another Valkyrie, Fluttershy, came rushing forth with a large first aid kit, tending to Rainbows broken wing.
The last arrival was Twilight Sparkle herself, a Witch turned Seraphim by the three Princesses. "Rainbow, AJ, Rarity, Pinkie Pie. What was that giant... thing, that just walked towards the mountains?" Normally, she would not be this serious, however a stranger that can burn a giant Timber Wolf like it was trash is nothing to scoff at. "Did it hurt you, or anything of the sort?"
"Nah, everything's alright Twi," Applejack said, hissing as Fluttershy put her arm in a splint. Pinkie, normally a ball of energy, spoke normally.
"We're fine Twilight, besides, had it not been for that giant coming out of no where we would've been kindling! Hehe-- Ah! Ow ow ow ow..." Pinkie grabbed her back in pain, and slowly sat back down. Rarity was coming to, and Fluttershy quickly bandaged her head, while giving Pinkie some medicine.
"Hmmm.... Starlight," Twilight turned to her student and Starlight snapped to attention. "Normally, I would never do this, but I want you to use Time Magic to pin point where this giant came from. It made no sound getting here, but yet it came here somehow. Starlight nodded, and thrust her staff into the ground, and large clock like symbol appeared on the ground. Then time in that little bubble reversed as the sounds of the battle played backwards and Starlight saw in her vision the very moment it came into being. A very, very small insignia was found on the ground, near Applejack's foot, where it was punched out of the ground and tossed away. The symbols flew straight through the wolf, and sat there until Rainbow fell off the wolf and her hand brushed up against it.
With her magic, she reached out for the symbols-- A sudden cry made her loose the connection and she pulled her staff out of the ground to sever it completely. She knelt on the ground trying to clear her vision as that name kept rolling in her head.
"Yhorm."
"Hmm?" Twilight cocked her head to the side, Starlight didn't even notice that she was being picked up.
"His name is Yhorm... and as to where he came from..." She pointed due west, past the ocean. "He came from that way."
"....Yeah, sorry to burst your bubble Starlight, but last I remember, their aren't any giants in Griffonstone." Rainbow said, nursing her wing.
"Not in Griffonstone, you dolt." Using both hands, she used an illusion to magnify the sky, enough so to make the stars show. She pointed at the blackness of space. "He came from there... Or, relatively speaking. Not there per say, but he came from the darkness. At least, that's what my magic is saying."
"Well, if he's an alien, cool, I don't rightly care at the moment." Rainbow said standing and limping her way to Starlight. "What matters to me... IS THAT HE KILLED THE TIMBER WOLF AND WE WONT GET THAT BOUNTYYY!!!" She said yelling to the sky and collapsing on the ground. "Please Fluttershy, just put me out of my misery, take me out back and put a bullet in me... I'm gonna starve without that money..."
Applejack deadpanned at the Rarity-esque drama queening going and gave Rainbow a light kick in the stomach. "Oh hush up you greedy snake, we might ALL get jibbed from the pay, remember that. But Rainbow's right, we signed up on this quest together and we had outside help, and according to Starlight it's REALLY outside help." Applejack kicked the dirt in frustration.
Pinkie and Rarity both made agreeing sounds, as the both nursed their injuries. Twilight looked down in though before snapping her fingers with an idea.
"...And with the help of these four brave people, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity Belle, and Applejack lured the giant Timber Wolf into a large fire trap they had layed early that day, and put their lives at risk to kill the beast!" Twilight said getting cheers from the crowd and claps from the other Princesses. Princess Celestia walked up to them and presented them with 70 gold pieces each.
"As promised from the Crown--" She cut herself short and looked back Luna, who wore a light glare. "ahem, CROWNS," Luna smiled and nodded back towards her, "we happily give this reward to our bravest adventures, who vanquished the giant Timber Wolf with the clever planning of a fox, and the swiftness of an eagle. Three cheers for them! Hip hip!"
"HOORAY!"
"Hip-hip!"
"HOORAY!"
"Hip-hip!"
"HOOOORAAAAY!!!!" The crowd cheered and soon the festivities were underway, with many drinking and socializing together. The four adventures shared a hollow victory, knowing the truth and that they would've never had a fire trap in place for it to work. With Twilight's quick white lie, they too shard in the merriment, however empty it my be.
"Twilight, a word please?" Luna said, beckoning Twilight from her chair. Soon in other room, empty and away from the party the four rulers sat down. Luna looked at her sister and niece, then back at Twilight. Cadence was the first to break the silence.
"We know you lied, Twilight. Albeit for the sake of your friends, you know the consequences." Cadence said, holding onto step-sisters hand.
"The ramifications of lying to the crown, is a two day sentence in the Liar's Room, and a fine of 200 silver pieces. Yes, I know this rule." Twilight said, expecting her punishment.
"Good," Celestia said, getting up and placing small bag in front of Twilight. Inside was 200 silver pieces?
"I... I'm confused, why are giving me...?" Twilight said head cocked in confusion.
"Because, I had lied to the crown. I told everyone in that room that those four had gotten 70 gold pieces each, but that wasn't quite true: I gave them 80 pieces." Celestia said, shrugging. Twilight stared before uttering a small 'What?'
"I suppose," Luna suddenly said, giving her another bag of silver pieces. "I too also lied, I honestly didn't know you had lied to us straight in the face, and just followed Celestia's lead." She said leaning back in her chair.
Cadence held a small blush before giving a bag of silver as well. "I'm not sure it counts but... I never got the Ladybugs awake song from my grandmother, I made it up on the spot and hoped it would get you to go do homework." She said with a guilty smile.
Twilight couldn't believe what she was hearing. She looked down at all the silver and pushed them back to everyone. "Luna, I'm sorry but while I was playing around in your room I knocked over an original Prance vase and blamed your pet, Cadence, I took one of your copies of Wings magazine and used it to buy horn creme under your name when I was younger then blamed Shining for it. Celestia, before you called me to meet you that fateful day, I ate the last piece of cheese cake in the pantry and said that rats got to it."
Luna, Celestia and Cadence looked at Twilight, then back to the bags before all three cracked up with laughter. Soon, even though she didn't know why, Twilight began to laugh just as hard. Soon as all four them were laughing up a storm, someone got curious.
"Uh, your Majesties," Applejack said knocking on the open door. "Party's over, everyone went home, now the guards are in a fit cuz they can't find y'all." She said pointing over shoulder.
"I guess this is goodbye for now, Twilight. May you have a pleasant dream and wonderful morning." Luna said following her other princesses. Twilight waved at them goodbye and made of for her own castle... yet something bugged her.
"Why didn't they ask about the real reason about the fire?"
Soon in the cave far above at the peak of the mountain, Yhorm sat there, huddled on the wall. His axe leaning against him as he slept and his snores shook the loose pebbles around him. Soon though, this sleep would be interrupted, by the clicking of heels against stone, and wicked smile lurking in the shadows.
Author's Note
This.... Took along time, I started this back in 2017, and finished the FIRST CHAPTER now. I normally don't write long chapters, because the last time I did that I didn't turn out so good. So crossing my fingers, and hopefully this little change will give it a slightly more fresher look than before.
