Royal Ties

Celestia had laid out across Twilight's throne, though opposed to her usual demeanor she was stark naked, "Ooh, this feels so good... now I know why you don't wear clothes." She joked.

Ash slithered into Spike's seat and leaned off the side, folding his arms on Celestia's armrest. The playful look on his face made it difficult for her not to smile. "Now that we have arrived in the meeting chambers, what is our first order of business, my Princess?" He inquired, snaking his head a little further and kissing Celestia's hand.

"Besides you?" Celestia teased, letting out a small yawn, "Hm, I could go for something to eat."

"As you wish." Ash attempted to climb out of the small chair, noticing he was wedged between the armrests. After a momentary pause, he looked up at Celestia. "Does this chair make me look fat?"

Celestia covered her mouth, but even that couldn't stop her laughter. "Oh my... you really should have pulled up a chair you silly stallion." She laughed, slowly standing up. "I guess I have to help you up." She leaned down, and grabbed both his hands, slowly helping to pull him out of the small chair.

Ash took hold of both her arms, but made no attempt to pull himself up. Celestia stood at a 90 degree angle, and he wasn't making it easy to help him.

"You're going to have to make an attempt to get up." Celestia sighed.

Neither of them took notice of the door opening up. "Alright, you can all wait in here, while I go geeeeeeehhhhh..." Twilight's voice trailed off as she saw the sun in it's full glory in her throne room. "Uuuh, j-just stay out there for a few moments..." She quickly said.

Ash's head tilted to the side to look around the towering alicorn. "Oh hey Twilight!" He called happily, still holding on to Celestia's arms.

"W-what are you both... doing naked in my throne room?" Twilight asked, her face turning red.

"You know what I'm doing naked. The real question is, what is she doing." Ash motioned to the bent over princess.

"Ash... Let go of me right now." Celestia said calmly, glaring down at the stuck stallion.

"Please tell me I won't find massive puddles of cum all over the room." Twilight said.

Ash had planned to keep the joke going as long as possible, but what he saw when he gazed into Celestia's eyes made his ears fold back. "Sorry." He said, releasing her immediately.

"I'm not mad." Celestia said quickly, hugging him tightly.

"No no! It was immature of me." Ash spoke softer, cupping her cheeks and returning a gentle smile.

"Still, I'm not mad." Celestia said, smiling down at him. "Now, I'm going to get dressed... you should at least cover up your cock." She suggested, "At least for a little bit." Celestia let go of Ash and teleported back to the room she and Ash had used last night.

Twilight was left staring at the stark naked stallion, her face still a bright crimson. "Well... first there's last night, now I find you both naked in my throne room, what's next?" She asked jokingly.

Ash stood up from the chair he was stuck in effortlessly. As he stood, countless strands re-clothed his body. Or rather, re-clothed the bottom half of his body. The silky green pants hugged his shape perfectly. "Hey." He replied casually.

"Hi." Twilight responded, glancing back at the door, "It's safe to come in now." She said, all of her friends walking into the throne room. They all stopped and stared wide-eyed at Ash for a few moments.

"Aweeesoooome!" Rainbow Dash said giddily as a wide grin came across her face.

"He looks so cool!" Pinkie bounced up and down.

"Alright, girls this is Ash." Twilight introduced him, "Ash, these are my friends, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Applejack." She pointed to each mare respectively.

Ash's eyes scanned the group, seemingly in disbelief. His gaze finally returned to Twilight, like he had just made some kind of discovery. "Really?" He said aloud to nopony in particular.

Twilight's eyes narrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?" She asked.

"Tell me Twilight, when did you get your cutie mark?" Ash inquired out of nowhere.

"When I went to try to become Celestia's student..." Twilight said. "Why is that important?"

Ash let out a quiet gasp. His hands shot up to his head , and his eyes were so wide they looked on the verge of falling out. "You... but I..." He started to hyperventilate.

Twilight was instantly by his side, her arms wrapping around him, guiding him to sit down. "Ash, what's wrong?" She asked quickly, the fear evident in her voice.

Collecting himself, Ash snapped his eyes back to the violet alicorn. "What is your name?" He inquired, staring right at her with mixed emotions.

"Ash... y-you know who I am... I'm Twilight Sparkle..." Twilight said uncertainly, her eyes now wide.

Ash's ears perked up and he glanced down at her hips. "Show me your cutie mark. I need to be sure of something..."

Twilight stared at Ash for a moment before showing him her cutie mark, "Alright..." She said, raising an eyebrow. "There you go?"

"H-how... how old are you?" Ash's questions became more illusive by the second.

"Twenty-four... Ash, is something wrong? D-do you need me to go get you anything?" Twilight asked quietly, still worried about him.

"How did you become an alicorn?" Ash quickly followed up, his gaze as serious as she'd ever seen it.

"I finished a spell that Starswirl the Bearded had started. And after... a huge, HUGE mix up with a lot of things, I became an alicorn." Twilight said, tilting her head slightly.

Ash's eyes wandered for a long moment as he became lost in thought. "One last question." He uttered almost reluctantly.

"How many Elements of Harmony are there...?"

“Six.... well now they’re back in the Tree Of Harmony...” Twilight said.

Ash's hands shot back to his head, and this time he let out a scream that resonated through the crystal castle. Everyone was forced to cover their ears. The sound traveled far and wide, stopping the entirety of Ponyville in it's tracks. The walls of the map room began to crack and splinter as the entire castle began to shake.

“OH MY GODS!” Twilight shouted, barely stumbling back onto the floor. Celestia had teleported back into the room, and quickly cast a spell to muffle the sound, at least as long as her magic would hold the scream back.

“What the hell happened?” Celestia asked quickly.

“I don’t know! He was just asking me questions, and after I told him there were only six Elements of Harmony, this happened!” Twilight responded just as quickly.

Had Ash merely been screaming, it may have held. But his clothes once again disassembled, countless tendrils of all sizes flailing wildly in every direction. Every time one hit the barrier, Celestia cringed, attempting to maintain it.

“EVERYONE OUT NOW!” Celestia shouted, the six other mares rushing out of the room. Celestia barely managed to teleport herself out before the barrier broke, leaving all of them with only the world shaking sound of Ash’s scream.

"The audacity!" Ash's screams grew more syllogistic by the moment. More words able for the group to comprehend. "During MY IMPOTENCE! " He shrieked through gritted teeth. "Churlish!"

“W-what’s he talking about?” Rarity was the first to ask, looking to Celestia for any answer.

“I don’t know!” Celestia said, sounding incredibly scared. Her fear rapidly spreading to the others.

All they could do was watch his rage unfold. There were plenty of his tendrils still slashing and breaking apart the room, but most of them began to stitch together in the same manner as when he clothed himself. Only this was different. The patterns of the outfit that was slowly forming was reminiscent of a dragon's scales. Fully formed, it looked as if he was in a full suit of armor. What they assumed would be the helmet formed around his head. At once, the entire suit he had formed tightened around him, going from looking like a royal knight, to looking like a creature from the deepest recesses of the Evergreen Forest. It looked more like his actual skin than something he wore. The head piece left no room to breathe (or so it appeared), leaving only a visor for where his eyes would be. After it tightened, his face looked smooth, featureless. The only noteable thing were his unchanged, white eyes.

All of them felt nothing but incredible fear and uncertainty. Twilight and Celestia acting as a protection for the rest of them as they hid from the sight.

“No...” Celestia muttered quietly, her heart threatening to pound out of her chest. “Please... Ash...” She said quietly, her horn lighting up forming a protective barrier over all of them, Twilight’s magic adding to it, making what they could only hope was a near indestructible defense for them.

“W-what... the hell is going on...” Twilight mumbled quietly, trying her hardest to keep what little composure she could, Celestia struggling to do the same.

Then something happened that made all their hearts sink. Ash looked at them…

“Ash!” Celestia shouted, trying desperately to bring him back. The only thing she had left was hope, and it was all directed at saving everyone. “Please! Ash calm down!”

All the remaining tentacles froze, then aimed at the group. Each tendril grew uniquely dangerous. Some forming spear-like tips. Some growing barbs that dripped a fuming, crimson liquid. Others had line after line of razors jutting from them. Nopony had time to react as a barrage of jabs and attacks swarmed the barrier from all sides.

All of them screamed, near panic coming across all of them. Celestia’s heart truly sank as for the first time in centuries she felt the most primal version of fear, the fear of death. It felt like nothing was going to stop this barrage, and they were doomed to die in here... and who knows how many others would follow.

Applejack grabbed Rarity and yanked her aside as a tendril pierced the shield. The limb slashed at anything it could reach, but there was a certain pattern. Not long to analyze, Twilight flashed her magic into the barrier. The gaps reformed, cutting the tendril that broke through in half. Ash cringed, and all the extra weapons slashing around froze, shaking as if trying to hold in a scream. In a sudden gasp from Ash, everything about his body, tendrils and all, seemed to freeze like a statue. Saying his eyes would be blank would be utterly nonsensical, but something was off about them. Like he was remembering something. Slowly returning to a non-catatonic state, Ash’s entire focus turned to Twilight.

“Th-that… may h-have made it much worse…” Celestia could barely utter out.

Ash’s eyes narrowed. What was a once raging beast turning in an instant to a sinister, calculating gaze. Everypony in the room could feel the air shift as he did nothing but stare.

All of them were scared to so much as even breathe, it was as if the truest meaning of fear was now staring them in the face and there was not a single thing any of them could do to stop it.

A quick flash seemed to permeate the room. Everpony saw the mask vanish for only a split second. They all were stunned, unable to move. The image they saw was like a photograph. One they saw every time they closed their eyes. Those white eyes, and his razor sharp teeth in a menacing grin that made their skin crawl. Slowly, Ash descended to his knees and folded his arms. The tendrils then began to act strangely. Each of them moved slowly, waving at different speeds, in different directions. It was as if a million snakes were staring at their prey, searching for a weakness, waiting for the right moment. But something didn’t feel right.

“There… were more tendrils when he attacked. Why isn’t he using more?” Celestia droned in the most serious, barely perceptible tone anypony had ever heard from her. The princess looked as cold as Ash did, as if waiting for a counterattack. While her friends were still petrified, Twilight felt calm. Scarily so… as if her old mentor was giving her the same courage she had. Furrowing her brows, Twilight turned her gaze back to Ash. Again, the image flashed in her mind, trying to distract her. An occasional flinch would come from Twilight as the image grew closer every time, like a bolt of lightning hitting the window of this very room. Deception was the game being played, and Celestia wasn’t falling for it, neither was Twilight.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, Twilight spotted something that stopped her train of thought. There was something behind Ash. But she couldn’t quite see it. Every time she tried to get a closer look, that nightmarish image screamed in her mind. But she wasn’t going to play this waiting game. Balling her fists, Twilight disappeared in a flash of violet light, and reappeared beside Ash. The calm embodiment of nature, for the first time, looked surprised. His gaze was locked on her, while she was prepared. Ash was busy thinking of what to do, while Twilight already was two moves ahead. Slithering just behind Ash’s legs were many small tendrils that went missing. They were burrowing into the ground.

Twilight’s heart sank, her head snapping to her friends and letting out a guttural cry to warn them. The shout was cut short as a vine wrapped around her neck, silencing the alicorn. At that moment, Celestia had the same realization, but too late. Below the ponies feet, tendrils came from the ground and snapped around every limb, binding them. The shield flickered and died, leaving them all paralysed in his barbed bind.

“Don’t move.” Celestia announced in a stern tone. All five of Twilight’s friends stopped before they even began. They hadn’t noticed, but every tendril had tiny nettles lining them. Holding still, they were fine. But should they move, it would tear into them all. Ash’s eyes casually wandered to the bound solar princess. Any essence of seriousness had left the deranged pony. There was an utterly bizarre sense of calm about him now that everyone was trapped.

Turning back to Twilight, Ash began to approach closer. Twilight attempted to teleport, only for the spikes around her to tighten. Each time even an ounce of magic surged, she could feel the barbs getting closer to piercing into her throat like a masochistic dog collar. A scream was uttered that stopped everypony’s hearts. The entire room turned to Celestia. The alicorn’s horn was flaring, even as blood ran down each vine holding her. Ash’s eyes widened, but not out of surprise… out of fear. With a stumble, Ash stepped back and quickly released the vines from around Celestia.

Celestia’s entire expression changed back to her angry look. The feint worked just as she planned. Before Ash could react, a paper thin wave of magic flew between him and Twilight, severing every tendril binding the purple alicorn. Ash let out a pained scream, falling down to one knee. Every tentacle he had retracted, freeing everypony. Ash’s eye twitched as he fought through the sea of agony colliding with every nerve in his body. His gaze was transfixed on Celestia, but his stance was hesitant. From the corner of his eye, a purple aura began to flicker in his peripheral. Time seemed to slow as he turned to Twilight, preparing to teleport everyone from the castle. In an instant, Ash’s stance changed, looking as if he was about to pounce.

Twilight and Ash’s eyes were locked in a stare that seemed to last an eternity. Her attention was on him, but also focusing on her spell. As each second ticked by like minutes, more of his bladed arsenal was coming from every direction, yet Twilight didn’t move, nor flinch. Closer they grew, the spell was not nearly fast enough. But right before they made contact with the pony, they simply stopped. But not as if he had gotten second thoughts, but as if something was holding him back. Ash’s gaze shifted back to Celestia, but she wasn’t doing anything but watching. His mind was racing. Nothing made sense to him. Why was he halted?

Finally, Ash traced a strange teal line floating in the air. As his eyes followed, it seemed to trace through the air into a circle. It was making more and more sense the longer he stared. That circle was vertical, and standing between him and Twilight. Picking up the glare of the rising sun in the window, Ash looked stunned. The circle slowly filled in like a window was there separating the two. The more light that shone on the magical wall, the more color filled in. A bright teal aura was nothing he knew anypony around to have. It wasn’t Twilight’s magic, nor Celestia, not even Rarity.

“Starlight!” Twilight’s voice broke the silence. Ash’s attention snapped to the doorway of the room. There stood a pony he had never seen before. Unbeknownst to him, her name was Starlight Glimmer.

“Leave them alone.” Starlight glared at the slithering cache of living weapons.

Ash didn’t hesitate. A dozen of his tendrils launched out in every direction, all gravitating toward the newcomer. Starlight stood there motionless. Each time one tentacle was about to hit her, a miniature shield flickered to block. The first tendril that hit the smaller barrier instantly disintegrated. Ash let out a gasp, pulling everything back and returning his appendages to his body. The armor around him seemed to become denser with every tendril that returned to his body. Blades and spikes grew around the protection, making him look that much more threatening.

“H… how is she… managing that?” Rainbow Dash asked, still absolutely trembling.

“When she wasn’t on our side, I was the only one that really saw her fight. In all honest, not even I can beat her.” Twilight smiled for the first time since all of this started.

Ash’s gaze turned menacing once more, his attention returning to Twilight. The aura in the room changed once more. The cold calculated mind that once stared through his eyes faded, and the raging beast from earlier took hold. This time, Ash seemed to shift in appearance. The white eyes everyone knew him to so proudly display turned a deep yellow. Ash lunged at Twilight, his claws slashing wildly. Another teal flash graced the room, this time it sounded like a bolt of lightning. One second Ash was in the air, the next he was against the wall. The crystal wall he landed at cracked as he hit it, knocking the breath from his lungs.

“This is between you and me freak.” Starlight stated with another glare.

Those yellow eyes are definitely familiar. The last time they felt this aura was when he first went mad. It didn’t seem like it was Ash at all. Then, Ash paused, straightening up. His right eye turned from yellow, to black. He stood there, glancing down, tilting his head, and mumbling inaudibly. It was as if he was talking to himself. Looking at the black eye, everyone got a chill down their spine. For everypony except Starlight, they recognized it as the same feeling as when his calmer, calculated side took hold. It wasn’t hard for them to put the pieces together. Whatever was in front of them wasn’t Ash. It was only using him… ‘they’ were using him.

“Don’t… don’t kill him…” Celestia pleaded, the uncertainty clear in her voice, “W… We c-can still get him back…”

“All I see is a monster trying to kill my friends.” Starlight didn’t even give Celestia a glance, her gaze never leaving Ash.

“There’s something controlling him!” Twilight quickly added. “This… this isn’t him…”

A split second was all it took. Starlight’s eyes transfered to Twilight. A blur passed by the violet princess. Starlight snapped to attention, attempting to shield herself. Another bolt of magic, this time glowing of gold energy, struck Ash. By the time everyone’s mind had caught up, Ash was in front of Starlight, his claws stopped mere inches from the unicorn’s throat. Twilight and Starlight turned to the source, seeing Celestia standing taller than ever, her horn brilliantly illuminating the room. Ash was shaking, electricity coursing through his body like a thousand tasers were pointed at him. Slowly, Ash again fell to one knee. His eyes shifted to Starlight, painfully slow in his attempt to reach toward her. Another golden arrow struck the dazed Ash, his back arching as his muscles locked. Finally, he fell back, collapsing to the floor.

Ash was still wide eyed, his eyes flickering rapidly between black and yellow. A bright flash of Starlight’s magic encompassed Ash in a cell made from her blazing energy. Ash’s body relaxed as the electricity left his body. His chest was heaving. His eyes closed, and Ash seemed to pass out.

“I… is i-it over?” Applejack could barely get the words out. Celestia snapped her gaze to Twilight’s friends.

“Leave. Find Spike, get a message to my sister.” Celestia commanded in a voice that shook the room. The five mares couldn’t have gotten out of there faster, leaving Celestia, Twilight, and Starlight alone with Ash. Starlight maintained the prison around Ash, but turned her attention to the royal duo.

“Somepony explain what is going on.” Starlight looked more concerned than angry now.

“We… really don’t know, he was fine one moment then… something just took hold of him and he started attacking us.” Twilight explained, giving Starlight all that they really knew about the situation.

“Where did he even come from?” Starlight’s brows furrowed. “That’s the one thing I don’t understand.”

Twilight and Starlight turned to Celestia for answers. Though something was off… Celestia wasn’t looking at them anymore. Following her gaze to the magical cage, Ash was gone.