Chapters A New Princess, A New Visitor
Heaross finally awoke in a forest, at nighttime, no sign of Warlic around, and with a massive amount of ambient magic floating around. This day was going swimmingly... And then there were the wolves he was now hearing. Yep, this day has just been peachy. Absolutely perfect. Dammit Warlic...
Remembering his Guardian training, Heaross took stock of everything. His body and armor were still entirely intact, nothing changed there besides the slight headache he was now feeling. That was possibly due to the unfiltered mana floating around, but a potion may help. The second thing he checked were his followers. Fortunately, the 2 he had following him were still intact, apparently unharmed, but currently unconscious. Fred and his Mau of Osiris. Fred, his loyal pack mule, always carrying his armor and equipment, was someone that was rarely remembered, unless the situation called for him. The Mau of Osiris was his, for lack of a better term, battle cat. She - yes the Mau was a she - was a Persian breed of cat, hairless yet fierce. The Mau also had a curse on her that she sometimes used for battles to scare his opponents. Heaross thought it looked kind of cool, when not being targeted by it. They were both fine, if maybe a little startled when they woke up. He should probably grab the treats for his cat.
After checking his equipment and items, making sure everything was still there, Heaross looked around where he was, trying to figure out if something wrong had happened with the spell. It was midday when he went to check out the flux, but by the looks of it, it was somewhere past dusk, maybe near midnight. The moon's position told him that yes, it was close to midnight. Looking around further, he started seeing very bright lights coming from somewhere off in the distance, away from the woods. It might be another temporal anomaly, or it could be a mage battle. Neither one of those sounded good right about now. But, if someone was in danger, then his code of Guardianship forced him to protect whoever was in danger. But he couldn't leave Fred and Mau, they could be in danger if left alone. He thought quickly about what he could do.
Wait, he thought, I have that pocket dimension for my pets! I can just put them both there, and get them when they wake up. Quickly opening the controlled portal, he carried both to a bed he had placed there, and laid them upon it. Satisfied they would be safe in there, he closed the portal and set upon the lights, which were a considerable distance closer than he originally thought. As it was, it took him less than a minute to reach it, where the light was also centered in the middle of a rural town, not altogether unlike his hometown of Battleon. Though, instead of humans or the other bipedal races there, he found lightly colored ponies. Some of them were what appeared to be unicorns, while others were pegasi, while some had neither wings nor horn. As the situation went, practically none of the small horses noticed Heaross, currently too busy watching the strange light manifesting. There was one pony who had noticed him though, colored an almost cyan color, who was doing the most adorable squee he had ever heard.
Ignoring whoever it was for the time being, Heaross could see some shapes inside of the ball of magic starting to form. There was a strange 6 pointed star, with some smaller stars being formed around it, and a shape most like the little ponies here, but almost blindingly white. It lowered to the ground and formed entirely into a lavender colored unicorn. The most striking thing about the pony were the sudden wings flared out to the sides of it. A winged unicorn? A horned pegasus? Heaross was unsure what to call the strange creature, but his question was shortly answered by another pony near the lavender one, colored a light orange, who called out to it, "Twilight? Is that you?"
So its name is Twilight? Strange, but he has seen weirder names. Just as he was about to approach, another 5 ponies rushed towards Twilight, one of them being the orange one from earlier. They crowded her, sharing hugs and apparent relief for something. Maybe she had disappeared before Heaross arrived, and was just now reappearing. Finally thinking it an appropriate time, Heaross made his presence known by simply walking towards the group of 6, and handing one of his health potions to Twilight. Needless to say, the following freak out by other 5 was somewhat expected. Giving a tired sigh, Heaross said, "Drink this. You should feel your strength return and your mind cleared. And don't think I'm here for conquest or to hurt anyone. My name is Heaross and I am a Guardian. My first and foremost priority is to make sure any and all beings are safe and in good condition. From the reaction of your dear friends, I'm going to guess the wings are new?"
Twilight seemed very taken aback, yet managed to keep her calm in the presence of this tall, armored guardian, as he called himself. After a moment, she replied, "Umm... yeah the wings are new. My name is Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends." After noticing the strange bottled liquid, she asked, "What's in this? You said it could heal, but I'm a little unsure. I don't mean any offense, but you did just show up."
"No offense taken, Twilight Sparkle. I'd be wary if some tall stranger just showed up and started talking about protecting people as well. This, Twilight, is a potion. More specifically, a healing potion. It can heal most injuries almost instantly, and give a boost to spent reserves of energy. Counting that one, I have 35 stored for use. Normally for use in a fight, I will give one to another if needs be. Drink it and you'll find yourself at your tip performance in seconds. Drink it slowly, the energy boost is quite substantial."
Taking his word for it, the lavender colored pony takes a small drink of the strange red potion, quickly drinking the small amount. After a moment of looking surprised, she drunk the rest of the potion slower than the first sip. After downing the entire potion, she says to Heaross, "By the Maker, that is hard to swallow! How can you drink 35 of those?"
Heaross gives a hearty chuckle and smiles, replying, "Yeah, the first time is always hard on the mouth. My first one I almost threw up. Drink a few more and you'll find it isn't that bad to drink. Almost like a strong wine." After giving a thoughtful look, he says, "I don't mean to alarm you, but I think your friends over there are terrified of me." A loud hiss was heard from a pink pony, further proving his point.
"Pinkie, I don't think its appropriate for right now to be scared. Heaross seems genuinely concerned for my safety. The same goes for the rest of you." Soon realizing that she hadn't introduced them to Heaross, she spoke, "Heaross, as you can tell, these are my friends."
Pointing to an orange pony with an orange stetson hat on her head, "This is Applejack," pointing to a blue pegasus with a vibrant rainbow mane, "that's Rainbow Dash," pointing to white unicorn with a lustrous purple mane, "there's Rarity," pointing to the pink pony that had hissed at Heaross, "she is Pinkie Pie," and pointing to the last pony, a very shy looking yellow pegasus, "and this is Fluttershy. Normally, they're all good natured and very nice, but I guess the same thing that happened with Zecora is happening again now."
"Xenophobia?"
"You know what that means? We are going to be the best of friends, if mine here can get over themselves and not be so rude."
"Just give them time Twilight. I would be willing to bet that my first impressions probably weren't that good." And just to prove his point further, suddenly a great white mass slammed into Heaross knocking him away from Twilight and the others. Quickly flipping himself right, he landed on his feet and prepared for what could be a very long and hard fight. While the blow he received didn't hurt, he couldn't tell what element his new foe was using, so he stuck with the Ultra Guardian Armor, preferring its strong earth, fire and darkness resistances.
"Get away from my ponies, human! I won't let you hurt them!" The new player in the game certainly didn't like him, so he prepared himself for a good fight, steeling his nerves and drawing his sword and shield.
"And just might who you be, ruler? I warn you, I don't want to fight you, but if you force my hand then I will be forced to subdue you," said Heaross, not one ounce of fear showing from his eyes, but rather a conviction of a fight, and the excitement it brings.
"I am Princess Celestia, and I know of what your kind bring. Death, disease, war, just to name a few. And don't start thinking for a moment that I will let you hurt my subjects, for you will have to go through me first!"
Well, this might not end well. I really don't want to kill a princess, and this entire thing seems to be a misunderstanding. If I have to, I'll fight, but I don't think killing the ruler would help me out, so nonlethal take down should suffice. I don't know what she would be using to fight, though I think its a safe bet to wager magic, considering that long horn she has. Let's try for a bit of peace first off though. His internal monologue done, Heaross starts by saying, "Princess Celestia, I think we may have a misunderstanding here. I don't come in the name of my people, or to start some war. My name is Heaross, and I am of the Guardian Order. Our mission to maintain peace and protect those who cannot protect themselves. I was transported here after a teleporting spell was blasted with a high concentration of pure mana, emanating from a temporal flux that I was sent to investigate. I am here at this town because I had noticed a strange light coming from some point here. As it turns out, the strange light coalesced into the form of Twilight Sparkle. I have given her a health potion for any fatigue and wounds she may have sustained while being in whatever realm that she was in. As you can see, she is in good health and bears no ill will towards me nor I her. She has introduced me to her friends and herself, and I see no threat here that requires my services, aside from yourself."
Not quite believing Heaross, but willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, questions Twilight about his words and and truthfulness regarding his actions. After supporting and confirming what she has seen and said, Celestia says to the Guardian, "While I may not trust you or your kind, I will reserve judgement until a later date so as to question whether you are truly trustworthy or not. Don't think though that I will not fight you. If you dare harm my ponies in any way, then I will blast you with the force of the sun itself."
"I thank you for your willingness to not attack me Celestia, though I must warn you as well that attacking me would not end well for you. You may have the power of the sun at your command, but I doubt even someone like you would be able to defeat me. I have faced foes of such strength, that they have destroyed mountains in single blows. You cannot best me."
"We will see about that. For now, I have matters to attend to, like helping dear Twilight Sparkle adjust to becoming an alicorn." Keeping true to her word, Celestia began to speak with Twilight about her wings, and helping her adjust. After a moment, Twilight began to run and jumped high, testing her new wings. Amazingly, she managed to take flight, despite being completely new to it. Sighing, Heaross opened the portal to his pets and called out his Sphinx.
Once she had come out, Heaross closed the portal and gave her instructions to tail Twilight and catch her when she starts to inevitably fall. After pointing out who was Twilight, the sphinx took flight and followed her, who was whooping and cheering for her new wings. After about 3 minutes of sustained flight, quite impressive considering how new she was, she started dipping, her energy drained from using her wings so much. Following Heaross' command, the sphinx caught twilight on her back and gently touched down, allowing the new alicorn to step off, seeming quite tired after flying so long. Coming back to her master, Heaross fed her a fresh rat he found while they were flying and fed it to the sphinx. "Thank you Heaross. I will rest for now, unless you have need of me again."
"Thank you, Sphinx, for catching Twilight. I don't have need of you now, so you may return." Opening the portal, the lion-eagle hybrid creature walked in, preparing for some well deserved rest. Closing the portal, Heaross walked over to Twilight, making sure she wasn't hurt from straining herself so much in the first time flying. Aside from being tired, Twilight was fine, her wings still in good condition, if a bit strained.
Rainbow Dash came to him then and said, "If you're so new here, why are you acting like we're such good friends and trying to protect us?"
"For 2 reasons, Rainbow Dash." the hardened warrior replied, "1 is because of my Guardian Code. I have sworn an oath to protect and care for any beings I see that may need any help, and maintain peace throughout all lands. The second reason is are we not friends? And things like this are what friends do for each other? I mean, I could be entirely wrong and your instead supposed to slap your friends every time you see them, but that doesn't seem like something very friendly to do."
Seeing the smirk and detecting sarcasm just dripping from his voice, Rainbow decided to let the matter drop. Finishing up with making sure Twilight was healthy, he noticed the shy little Fluttershy approaching him, if a bit nervously. With just the most cutest little voice, and almost cowering in fright, she simply asked the big man, "Can I please see your pet again?"
"I swear to god if I ever find a cuter thing than that I will eat my own sword. Yes, Fluttershy, you can. I have a better idea though. Would you like to see all of my pets?" With the most genuine smile, she nodded yes. "Okay then, follow me." Opening the portal to where he stored all of his pets when they weren't helping him fight or keeping him company, he led Fluttershy inside, showing her a world of animals and exotic beasts, tamed and trained. "You may want to stay back for a moment." Stepping back, though with some question, she simply watched as Heaross raised his arms wide, steadied himself, and shouted, "COME GIVE ME A HUG!" Suddenly, the massive wave of animals barreling over him entirely engulfed Heaross, blocking her sight for about 30 seconds. After he had finally come up for air, smiling, he introduced all of them to Fluttershy, and her to them.
Her squeals of enjoyment at seeing so many animals almost gave Heaross a heart attack from adorableness. "Oh my, there are so many! And they're all so cute! I can't hug enough of them!" Despite her attempts at it.
After about 10 minutes of nonstop hugging and praising each of the animals, Heaross decides that she's been here long enough, and that any more would legitimately give him a heart attack. As strong as his potions are, they don't stop heart attacks. "Come on, Fluttershy. Your friends might get worried if you're gone too long. Maybe when we have some time I'll let you come back here." Even after hearing the many groans and complaints about her leaving, Heaross was resolute in the fact that if they were gone any longer, someone might get worried and jump to conclusions.
Opening the portal and promising to his pets and to Fluttershy that she would be able to come back some time, they left the pocket dimension, Fluttershy intent on going immediately to her friends and relating her experiences with the many animals of Heaross' world. The warrior, meanwhile, set about the town, intent on exploring and becoming familiar with his surroundings. He saw many things there, the most notable of which were a large tree holding a Library, a pink candy covered building which he found to be a confectionery shop, and a clothing store with a carousel on the top. This is certainly a world Aria or Robina might enjoy, being the embodiment of every young girl's dream. Warlic would be too fascinated with the magic and all of its properties, while Artix... Heaross was genuinely unsure what Artix would think of this world. He hadn't found any malicious or otherwise evil people here, so he would probably just be bored, wanting something to fight. The wasabi loving paladin always treasured a good fight. That's what made him such a good sparring partner.
...damn, its only been a few hours and I'm already missing Battleon. I really hope Warlic remembers our interdimensional protocol, I don't want to be stuck here any longer than I have to. Maybe I should summon Dunamis and see what he says. I don't even know if I can summon him... The bad part is the same would apply for the Sisters of Mercy... Oh shit, if I can't summon them then I can't summon the Guardian Dragon! Maybe I could still summon Death... Death has said before that all domains are his to collect souls from... That would be the smartest move... Yeah, once I get a chance, I'll summon him and see what he has to say.
Exceedingly annoyed now, Heaross stops, turns around, and calls out to any listening, "I know you're following me. If you have a question, I'm more than happy to answer it, otherwise, leave me alone." After a moment, not entirely satisfied that whoever was tailing him left, Heaross continued on his exploration of the town and its surrounding areas.
...okay who is following me and why? I understand I'm a new site for everyone here, but that doesn't mean its okay to follow me around like some spy. Now very thoroughly perturbed, Heaross stops again, but decides to switch to his Fujin equipment to use the power of winds to ascend high into the air and see who it was that was spying on him. Easily locking onto them, he silently touches down behind them and walks right to their back. "So, who you spying on?"
The very high pitched scream tells him that this is either a girl, or a boy going through puberty. Due to the size of said pony, he goes with girl. "How did you get behind me, and how did you know I was following you?" Yep, that squeaky voice definitely belongs to a girl.
"I'm a Guardian, and I'm a Guardian. The better question here is why were you following me? And who are you?"
Taking a deep breath of air, the girl, despite now being at the mercy of Heaross, says very levelly, "My name is Lyra, and I've been studying humans for a long time. You are a human, right?" After a nod from the Guardian, she continues, "I want to learn more about humans, and how your people work. I thought the best way would be to follow you and learn from your movements and mannerisms."
Taking a deep breath, exhaling into a long, drawn out sigh, inhaling again, Heaross finally speaks, "And you really thought that would work? Little lesson for you, if you are curious about someone or where they're from, it's not considered rude to ask them about it. What is rude is following them around, thinking they won't mind. It's also less effective at learning about them. I'll teach you some things, but later. I have a lot on my mind right now, and it's been a really tiring day. If you'll excuse me now, good night. And if I find you following me again, I won't be as merciful the next time."
Taking his words to heart, Lyra rushed off to parts unknown, probably in fear of what would happen if she stuck around. Finally... God, today has been really exhausting. A potion may help restore my energy, but that doesn't mean that it's better than a good night of sleep... Question though, where the hell am I gonna sleep tonight?
Ooh... Now that is a comfy bed to wake up in... When I get back home, I am totally gonna get one of these mattresses... Having to force himself out of bed, Guardian Heaross performs his normal morning routine, which consists of an extensive workout, sword and axe practice, and checking on his pets and their supplies in the Petverse (Fluttershy came up with the name, and Heaross loved it).
Fred and the Mau had woken up after long enough, and he explained to everyone in the Petverse (he is totally gonna copyright that when he gets home) that due to a magic flux, all of them were now in a different time of existence. Still learning himself, he explained what he could, including the name of the land, Equestria, its inhabitants, and the rules Heaross was setting for each of his pets. Fred was to stay in the Petverse for the time being, until Heaross could make sure of the safety and rules of the land. The same was true for the rest of his pets, but because he also didn't want to scare any of the local ponies by the strange and exotic creatures. As much as he hated to admit it, it was less for the pet's safety and more for the normal inhabitants.
Exiting the portal, Heaross was surprised to find a black and navy blue alicorn mare staring at where he had entered back into the room from. She was comparable to Celestia, but a little shorter and seemed a bit nicer, especially when she said, "My name is Luna. I am sister to Celestia and Princess of the Night. Consider this an official welcome to Equestria."
"Hello, Luna. My name is Heaross, Legendary Adventurer and Guardian at your service. I am glad to find out that being rude to newcomers doesn't run in the family."
Seeming a bit surprised, Luna asked politely, "Rude? Has Celestia done something to give a bad perception of herself?"
"Let's see, jumping to conclusions, threatening me after she had just knocked into me on purpose, and overall a bad temperament regarding me or my kind. Not very good first impressions, if you ask me."
"That sounds strangely unlike my sister. Normally she is kind and welcoming to any who are new."
"If you don't believe me, ask Twilight about it. She saw the entire thing happen, and even supported my story. If not for her, Celestia may be unconscious and locked up."
"Oh really? And why would that be, 'Legendary Adventurer?'"
"Because then I would have been forced to defend myself, and killing the ruling monarch doesn't seem like something that would get me into any good books with people."
"Equestria actually has a diarchy system of ruling. Celestia is one ruler, and I am the other. But I would agree that killing essentially half of the government would be bad. Though I do have doubts you could."
"During Guardian training, one of the requirements to pass was being able to sense magic, the amount currently of, and express knowledge in its use. While there were no requirements stating that you had to use magic in some form, you did have to demonstrate that you could. The amount of magic I am sensing from you currently is about on par with the warlock, Warlic, a good friend of mine and strongest spell caster in the lands. Celestia has a small amount more than you. Warlic could very easily combat both of you and win. He and I have sparred on more than one occasion, and it has been fully proven that even he cannot best me. Unless, of course, you wish to test my words and your luck? I'm always up for a good sparring match." An almost devilish grin showed that he was ready for a good spar. Just because he was a Guardian didn't mean that he didn't enjoy a good fight.
A grin crossing her lips, Luna replied, "Maybe. I do enjoy a chance to cut loose a bit. But I don't think here is a good place for it. We don't want to destroy the tower do we?"
Ah, I knew I was forgetting something. We're in Canterlot, the capital right? More specifically, in the royal castle. I do hope there is somewhere we can go if we are going to fight. Gotta make some good first impressions somehow, and I doubt destroying the room they have given me would be a kind way to repay the favor. "That we do not, Princess Luna. Though, what with everything going on today, I doubt now is a good time. Maybe in a few days after celebrations have died down?"
"That sounds favorable to me. Speaking of which, we should be getting ready to attend the ceremony. Do you have a formal suit to wear?"
"I... don't." Of all the things I would need, why is a formal suit one of them? Oh right, because I had no idea that a temporal flux in a random forest that was told to me by Warlic would SEND ME TO ANOTHER UNIVERSE. "I think I'll just wear my Ultra Guardian Armor. Besides being one of my strongest armors, it is the most formal." Putting on the entire suit, straps and plates all correctly aligned, Heaross proceeded to give a small model show for Luna. "Do I look good? Do I look dangerous? Am I someone you would swoon over to protect you, hair flowing freely, staring into a sunset?" Giving a dramatic pose, Heaross tried his hardest not to crack up laughing.
Luna was currently failing at not laughing. "BWAHAHAHA!" After a solid minute of laughter, and another few of just trying to compose themselves, Heaross and Luna finally calmed down enough to resume normal conversation. "Oh, thank you for that. I have not had such a good laugh in ages."
"Hahaha... Don't mention it. If you need another just look for me. I'm happy to entertain. Now, in all seriousness, does my armor look good? Are you seeing any scrapes or rust that need to be fixed?" Spinning around so she could get a good look, Heaross was having a hard time noticing anything out of place himself. The black accents marking chain or plate linking were clean, his golden spikes for limb attacks and defensive wariness were intact, shining too, and his solid black cape - which he had yet to put on - was immaculate of any dust or dirt, and no tears were present in the fabric at all.
"I am not seeing anything wrong with your armor. Though I may express some distaste at the name of your armor. A little unoriginal, is it not?"
"It's more for classifying the armor instead of making it sound cool. It's essentially a much upgraded variant of the standard issue Guardian Armor. If I had my way, it would be named the X-Guardian set, but I didn't get to name it in creation." Oh man, if only she knew what I was making a reference too... Now there's something that would make a good impression. Too bad the order is set in secrecy, it might really set me in their good books. Guess just being a Guardian will have to do for now.
"X-Guardian? While it does sound more respect commanding, it is just an X placed before the name right?" Luna gave a questioning look, not quite understanding the importance of it.
"Eh, it just sounds cool to me. In any case, the official name is the Ultra Guardian Armor. It, quite unfortunately, is not going to change any time soon, if only for respect of its creator. Enough time tarrying here, we have a new princess to celebrate! And I'm hungry. I need food."
Giving a chuckle, Luna smiled and said, "Well, let us see if we can't solve both of those problems. Follow me Heaross, I'll make sure that no one will bother such a strong, handsome, and courageous warrior such as yourself!" Again laughing, Luna and Heaross made their way to the kitchens, where preparations for the feast were heavily underway. Luckily that Celestia and Luna had larger doorways fit, considering their taller size compared to the other ponies, it made getting through rooms easier for the tall warrior, considering that he was about 2 feet taller than most of the residents here.
Luna went to talk to a cook regarding where they could find something to eat for breakfast, while Heaross subconsciously noted windows and possible weapons, plans if someone was to come in and attack. ...maybe that center island could provide cover from a bow or magic bolt, and those knives on top I could throw to provide cover to any trying to escape, or maybe I can simply use the Spiral Carve ability from the Blade of Awe to discourage wannabe attackers. The smartest choice for armor would probably be the Fujin armor, considering its high speed and wind resistance, though maybe- Realizing what he was doing, Heaross shook his head, trying to enjoy himself for the day. Though his armor rarely comes off, the warrior does like to relax every once in a while. Maybe a day without being attacked isn't so bad. I don't think being bored is in the schedule today, so lets just have some fun for once.
Noticing Luna returning, Heaross smiled, hoping that she had managed to procure some food. A hearty breakfast was just what the warrior needed. "Any luck on finding some food?"
"Most of the cooks are busy," Luna said, "but a few of them can make something for us to eat quickly. It should be about 20 minutes or so until they finish with our meals, so care for a bit of exploring?" Feeling reassured that his morning won't be missing the most important part, Heaross easily agreed, thinking that a walk around the castle could help him relax a bit.
As they walked around, they passed many a pony preparing for the celebration and getting things in place for it, most commonly in the courtyard. In fact, the courtyard was where most of the activity was taking place, so taking a walk around there was a bit out of the question. As they passed many halls and rushing ponies, they did happen across a white stallion with a blue mane, wearing a red vest with a shield containing the same 6 pointed star Heaross saw upon Twilight, which he had learned were called 'Cutie Marks.' Maybe they're related? I do remember hearing a few guards saying the captain was proud of his little sister, and this does look like someone who would be a captain of the guards.
"Halt! Sir, what are you doing with Princess Luna? And how come I haven't seen you enter Canterlot or even around the castle?" Oh yeah, this guy was definitely the captain of the guard. Time to give him a little wake up call.
"Ah, you must be Shining Armor! Captain of the Guard, and sister to dear Twilight Sparkle! I have heard about you and your fearless leadership, how you and your bride, Cadence, Princess of Love, managed to defeat an entire army of changelings with just the power of your love for each other. Quite impressive, I must say!" If Luna's reaction was any indicator, nobody expected this stranger who had showed up just the day before to learn that much in so little time.
Shining Armor, on the other hand, wasn't showing any emotion besides a battlefield shell, ready for combat. "Who are you, how do you know my name, and what are you planning here? Speak now, before I blow that smug grin clean off your face." Ooh, someone was feeling feisty.
Trying very hard to not crack up laughing, Heaross responded, "My name is Heaross, Legendary Adventurer and Guardian at your service. I learned this much through some sources I have managed to protract, and my plan? Well, you won't see it in action until later today, but I promise you, it will be quite surprising!" Smirking quite widely now, and trying his damndest not to laugh very hard, Heaross left with Luna to continue exploring the castle, leaving a very stunned and confused Shining Armor in his wake.
"...okay, I have to ask. What is your 'surprise' for later today? You aren't planning on hurting anypony, are you?"
"That, dear Luna, would ruin the surprise! And as much as I like spoiling fun things, this one you'll just have to see for yourself. Don't worry though, I have no plans to hurt anyone or anything during it. Could you perchance watch Celestia while I deliver it though? I have a feeling that her face will be a monument to laugh at for centuries." The entire time, his grin never left, leaving Luna a slight bit worried, but taking his word that he won't hurt anyone.
After walking for a time more, the 2 eventually made their way back to the kitchen in hopes of receiving their breakfast they had commissioned earlier. As it was, fortune was on their side, for as they arrived the cook holding their orders came out of the kitchen, prepared to search the castle for them. "Ah," Luna said, "it smells wonderful. Thank you, cook, both for your fortuitous timing and wonderful expertise in the culinary arts." It appears Heaross wasn't the only one feeling quite hungry.
Feeling generous, Heaross stopped the cook and handed him both a healing and a mana potion. "Take these, and hand them to your supervisor. Tell them to add these to the cake batter for the party later today. It will make the festivities much more... interesting. If they express doubt whether or not to add the 2 potions, get them to take a small sip. It will very easily change their mind. Now go and get a raise." Smiling, Heaross rose from talking to the pony, accepting his morning meal. Feeling confident he just made the day that much better, he walked with Luna to where they would eat and enjoyed his meal. Sunny side up eggs, jellied toast, and warm hash browns, while in a vibrant garden. Today is going to be a good day.
...that is, until Celestia decided to join the 2 for breakfast as well. Sighing, Heaross put on a mask of indifference, deciding to show no emotion while Celestia had deigned to interrupt such a beautiful morning. "Hello, Princess Celestia. To what do we owe the nature of this visit?"
For lack of a better word, Celestia seemed a bit crestfallen. "You can drop the fake niceties, Heaross. I know you aren't pleased by my presence. I came to apologize for my actions last night. I acted rudely and jumped to conclusions, barely giving you a chance to explain yourself. I am dearly sorry for treating you like such."
This... was a very different response to what Heaross had expected. Giving a heavy sigh of relief, Heaross let his mask drop. "I accept your apology Celestia, on the condition that you don't let what had happened in the past color your outlook of me now. I may love a good fight, but I do not intentionally seek to harm those who do not wish it. I don't have many plans to stay for the longest of times either. My coming here was an incident, but so far, one I don't think I'll regret. Let us start again. My name is Heaross. What is yours?"
Smiling, she said, "My name is Celestia. May I enjoy breakfast with you and my sister?"
"It would please me for you to join us." Yes, today was going to be a good day.
...oh, for fucks sake! Rising from his delicious meal, Heaross drew the Blade of Awe, and using the Spiral Carve ability, cut down a large tree branch. Celestia seemed more than a little angry. "Heaross! What is the matter of this?"
Ignoring her, he went over to the branch where a certain cyan colored unicorn was laying on the ground, dazed from falling so suddenly. "I thought I made myself clear, Lyra." Lyra, for her part, was still laying on the ground, a quill and notepad beside her. "I said I would answer your questions later. And now, you have not only interrupted an amazing morning, you also disturbed mine and the Princess' breakfast."
Celestia stepped in then, deciding that today was not a good day for someone to die. "Calm down Heaross, she was just wanting to learn more about you."
"That doesn't excuse her actions, nor does it permit interrupting our breakfast. This is the second time." Taking a moment to control his anger, Heaross let himself be very clear to the young unicorn. "This is strike two. If you follow me again, I will make sure you can't follow me again. Now go home, and don't bother me again."
The entire time this exchange was taking place, Luna just continued her breakfast.
Twilight is so going to freak. Then again, so is everyone else. I bet she'd probably keep the most level head, especially since she'll be right in the center of it all. Celestia and Luna though, they will freak out, probably the most, considering they'd be the only ones to understand what I'm going to do. Shining Armor is going to be so pissed...
As Heaross practiced his lines to himself, and steeled all of his courage, a pony, once again uninvited, walked into his to room, presumably to converse. "You really are insane, you know that right?"
"Ah, a mind reader! I was wondering when I would find one of you." Heaross looked to the source of the voice to see yet another alicorn, this one pink with several different accents of colors going through her hair. Her cutie mark was a - sapphire? blue diamond? some light blue gem - in the shape of a heart supported on both sides by an ornate golden stand. "Princess Mi Amore Candeza, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"
Detecting his fake niceties and blatant sarcasm, Cadence satirically responds, "For thou to know the name I wish not to use, one must be quite informed. I hope this not to be some poor attempt for ending thine life! For sooth, dear warrior, I am helpless at your sword."
Okay, you're different from the other mind readers I've met. I would prefer it though if you kept your thoughts away from mine. I have been trained to withstand mind control, and any attempts will end very poorly for you. And not just because I can end you with little more than a strike of my hand.
"Your privacy is to yourself Heaross. Though, I am curious, while I did detect what you were going to do, I didn't see a reason why. Care to explain?"
Finally feeling her tendrils of thought peeling away from his mind, he let his guard down so he could relax without sounding like he was waging a war. Of course he was doing that, but with his own mind. "I have thought about it for quite some time, and no other course of action I have extrapolated on would lead me to the greatest scenario possible. My plans, even if this were to fall through, would be to go to Ponyville and watch the town for any dangers. I have seen a few maps, and the small town is the least protected, with practically no guard presence. Besides giving me a more official reason to go, it certainly will net me into quite a few ponies good books. I do aim to please, and I'm more than certain a fledgling princess will need all the help she can get."
"That is true," said Cadence, "but are you certain you wanna go through with this? You know you can't take back an oath like that."
"I have seen my other options, and this is the best one, both in short and long term. It will make an effect and give the impression that if someone like Twilight Sparkle can command a warrior like I, then the respect she would have gained will be tenfold. If there is one thing that always ruins a starting kingdom, it's dissent and disrespect. While I doubt it would happen to Twilight, even if I don't go through with this, it just seals the deal that she is not someone to run over like a coward king. Or I suppose queen in this case."
Cadence was silent for a few minutes, pondering what the Guardian had said. Said Guardian, meanwhile, was preparing for the coronation. Giving a small start, she eyed Heaross warily.
"Is there something on my armor? I'm not missing anything, am I?" Heaross didn't even need to look to tell that Cadence was watching him carefully. "Or," he turned to look directly in Cadence's eyes, "am I just that enrapturing?" The snarky smile just confirmed that he was simply playing around.
Cadence didn't take her eyes off of him though, for she said, "Did you scare my husband? Earlier today he came to me and asked if he had placed enough guards around the castle and near Twilight. Said something about someone having a surprise ready."
Heaross just laughed, his amusement easy to see. "Unless he saw me give those 2 potions to the cook that delivered mine and Luna's breakfast, he should be pretty clueless. You already saw what I was planning, so tell him he doesn't have to fear anything. Though, can you tell him to stay away from the cake? Unless you're planning on staying awake all night. I mean, I don't know married life, so maybe you do."
Visibly relaxing, Cadence chuckled, her fears assuaged for the time being. Afterwards, the 2 had some small talk while waiting for the ceremony, finishing up any preparations to be made. When the bells rang out across the castle, they made their way towards the royal cathedral and the high set balcony where Twilight was to give a speech after officially receiving her title of being a Princess from the other 3. Heaross fit into this schedule as working as a personal guard for the royalty, until after Celestia placed the Element of Magic atop her head, where he would go and present his surprise for all of Equestria to see.
Everything set in place, the only thing to do was now wait until Celestia had finished her speech of Twilight's accomplishments and her pride of her former student. "Fillies and gentlecolts, may I present for the very first time, Princess Twilight Sparkle." Then Twilight walked in, adorned in a gown of pink with gold accents, her wings flared for all to see. Banner mares followed her, them flanked by royal guards, all singing in chorus. She came to the altar where the 3 Princesses, the other Elements of Harmony, and Spike carrying a pillow with the crown holding the Element of Magic all waited. Spike presented the crown, Celestia took her magic and lifted the Element atop Twilight's head.
Cheering rang out all through the halls of the cathedral, until Heaross raised his voice above the crowd, calling for a hold in ceremony. Many were confused, some seemed agitated, while others were downright furious for him interrupting such a momentous occasion. "Ponies of Equestria, I do apologize for the hold in such a glorious day," Heaross' voice boomed out, "and I too hold in my heart that this day will go in history. My name is Heaross, and while I have only arrived to this wonderful land yesterday, never in my 31 years of life have I met a more hospitable and respectful world of enjoyment. I wish only to take a moment of time here, for what I have to say is of negligible importance compared to Princess Twilight Sparkle ascending to a realm of fantastical desires that many have only dreamed of." Turning to Twilight, "Your highness, Princess Twilight Sparkle, you were the first to meet me in this land after I arrived through rather strange circumstances. For lack of a better word, you showed this stranger from a dangerous world kindness and I can never repay the debt I am now sworn by. I wish to start on that fruitless task now, by swearing my name, sword and shield to you."
Drawing his shield and the Blade of Awe still in the scabbard, Heaross walked to Twilight, carrying both in his arms as one would a harmed princess. He drew the Blade of Awe from the sheath, placing his shield upon the ground, and knelt before Twilight, presenting his sword with both hands outstretched, bearing its weight. "I, Heaross Archer, Guardian of Battleon, Legendary Adventurer of my home, and chosen wielder of the Blade of Awe, pledge fealty to you, Princess Twilight Sparkle." Upon his proclamation, many gasps were heard, quite possibly the loudest from Celestia herself. "Do you, Princess Twilight Sparkle, take me as your vassal, to protect you from all threats, serve in whatever manner you may need, and have complete responsibility for my actions as your own, until the day I return to my homeland?"
Twilight, quite understandably, was very taken aback. Not even 5 minutes as a princess and here someone already was, pledging oath and name to her. She had heard of pledging fealty before, having researched it multiple times, so she knew the 2 options she had. She could 1. Take Heaross' sword and place it upon his shoulder, declaring him fit to be her vassal, binding the both of them until terms favorable to both of them were met, or 2. She could declare him unfit to be her vassal, shaming him and ruining what reputation he may have had. Twilight was visibly stunned, but that could only cover her thoughts for so long. Deciding to play his game, Twilight took the Blade of Awe in her magic, and placed it upon the nape of his neck.
Wow, that's a headache, crap, where are my mana potions, SHIT THAT WAS MY SWORD.
Heaross currently was dealing with the effects of a hangover. He knew the potions in the cake were a good idea, but maybe spiking the punch bowl with 3 mana potions wasn't one, especially with 4 alicorns being rather thirsty. Somewhere through the night, he had switched to the Overlord set, most likely after spiking said punch bowl. He just wondered who put vodka in it, before he had gotten there. Whoever it was, he wanted to both thank them and rip their head off.
So the party was great. While he doesn't remember the last quarter of it, he does remember several "noble" ponies having a little too much cake and punch, ending up in some rather fond memories. Like when Celestia had 3 cups and tried to challenge Heaross to a duel. His honor at stake, Heaross took the duel, and subsequently finished it in less than a second. Primarily by tipping over Celestia, who had fallen asleep standing up. Or when Cadance "proposed" to him an offer of a "fun night." That's when Shining Armor tried to duel him.
Finding his potions, Heaross grabbed one blindly and downed it. He was rather lucky he grabbed a mana potion and not a healing one. After spending a moment trying to remember where he was, he saw a balcony outside and a certain black and blue mare standing, staring at the stars. Heaross decided to join her, but after peeling his armor off. Feeling rather glad he always kept a spare change of clothes in the Petverse, he joined Luna, deciding that some fresh air might do him good.
He opened the door to the balcony, not bothering to hide his presence. Luna didn't turn around, she just kept staring at the stars and moon. "Feeling a bit remorseful?" A rather cheeky Heaross asked.
"If only you knew how much that were true."
"You know you shouldn't bother saying something like that when you know the actual answer."
"Hmm. True. But I think the better question is what were you doing in my bedroom? Feeling rather naughty?"
"Frankly, I have no idea. I just woke up 5 minutes ago. While I have no idea who spiked the punch bowl with vodka, I will admit to spiking it with 3 mana potions. That was a very fun night."
"I suppose it was," replied a tired Luna, "but may I ask why you took the duel Celestia wanted? You saw how drunk she was."
"That was for 2 reasons. One, I am honor bound to accept any duel. My pride as a warrior won't let me refuse a fight. Two, I could see she was drunk, and if I didn't she probably would have done something very bad. Like annoy me until I did accept the duel."
"I suppose that would have been quite bad."
"Very." The pair stood in silence for a time, that is, until Heaross went inside, grabbed his sword, came back out, and proceeded to throw it a wall. Suddenly, a cyan blue unicorn appeared, stuck to the wall by her tail because of the blade Heaross threw. "At this point, I am very tempted to chop her head off. The only reason I'm not is because her girlfriend came to me and asked me not to. That, and I don't want to make enemies of the people I just made friends with."
Luna looked somewhat relieved upon hearing this. After a moment, she and Heaross went inside to continue their conversation without any nosy ponies listening in. They sat in fairly comfortable silence for a time, simply enjoying each other's company. "You are going to let her down?" Asked a questioning Luna.
"After long enough." Heaross easily replied. "I'll take her down tomorrow morning, when she no doubt will have passed out from blood rushing to her head. Then I will contact her girlfriend, and proceed to give her the heaviest chains I can find."
Laughing quite happily, Luna enjoyed this strange warrior. Besides being a loyal protector and friend, he wasn't afraid to do what needed to be done, whether the outcome was having a good time, or ensuring the safety of his friends. She was rather curious about how he sometimes just ceased laughing a little too quickly, or sometimes looked forlorn coming from his Petverse (Luna loved the name as well, and can never get over how cute it sounded). Her curiosity peaking, she asked why this was.
Instead of answering immediately, as was his norm, Heaross drummed his fingers against the chair he was in. He sat in silence for a few minutes debating something. Then, he got up and found a mirror. He sat beside Luna, his message requiring the close quarters. "I have a little lesson for you Luna. It's something I learned too late, too long gone. This lesson is the story of The Mare in the Mirror. Do you see the mare staring back at you when you look in the mirror? Follow her eyes, the way she always sees yours too. This mare sees everything you do and is always judging you and your actions, no matter how small. Even the most minute of things can change her opinion of you. The lesson is thus: When you find yourself unable to stare her in the eyes, then you have finally become what you most fear."
Luna was somber for a moment before realizing something. "Heaross, what do you see when stare into your eyes?"
"...regret."
Trains. They may not be as fast as a teleport spell, or even me running, but they do seem rather good, if costly, for extreme distances. I may be slightly biased because I am impatient, but it matters little how we get to the Crystal Empire, just so long as we do. Though, I am curious as to why all of Twilight's friends had to come. Is it because they're all Elements of Harmony? Or did Twilight just not want to be separated from them? Whatever the reason, I'll just ask her later, we're approaching the Crystal Empire.
Giving a tired sigh, Heaross turned his neck, popping it as much as he can. The very satisfying crack he felt elicited a small groan from him, and he repeated by turning his neck the other way. Twilight noticed this and felt slightly worried for the warrior, considering the extremely loud pops coming his spine. "Are you alright Heaross? Those were some rather loud cracks."
"I'm fine," replied the Guardian, "just a little wound up I suppose. Once we get to the Crystal Empire, I'll see if I can't steal the royal chiropractor for a few minutes."
"Alright, but make sure you don't stress yourself too much. I don't need my protector down because of a back injury, now do I?"
"You should know about stress, Ms. Anxiety. Besides, I'll be fine. You fight in a war wearing this heavy armor, and nothing can make you strain yourself too much."
"If you say so..." Twilight did worry about his health wearing said heavy armor, but if he actually does wear it everyday, then he should be fine. Didn't stop her from worrying, though. Finding the train stopped at the Empire Station, the 8 disembarked, getting ready for the royal summit that was to take place later in the afternoon. As they were walking, Heaross very suddenly pulled Twilight to his side, coming to a very abrupt stop. "Heaross, what are you-"
"Shhhh..." Heaross listened closely, his eyes darting seemingly everywhere. "THERE!" He shouted, pointing to a rooftop. Acting quickly, he jumped to said rooftop, and gave chase to the mystery pony who almost attempted an assassination on Twilight. He ran quickly, easily catching up to the hooded figure, and caught whoever it was by the cloak. As the cloak was rather strong in it's material, it slowed the pony for a moment, but for only long enough for Heaross to pull it off the pony. It revealed a black and green stallion, with blue eyes and a cutie mark showing a green potion that was steaming. With a loud gasp, the mysterious assassin ran again, attempting to outrun the warrior on his trail. Heaross didn't give in his chase though, simply packing the cloak in the Petverse for later inspection, and resumed running. Bastard is fast... If I don't end this now, he'll try and run out of the Empire. I could no doubt catch him even if he did, but I might get lost in the massive blizzard outside the magical dome here. Let's see if I can't use Twilight's Mantle to catch him. Switching to said Mantle, Heaross equipped a dark robe that shadows all of his features, even making his arms look like black skeleton bones. Using the great speed boost and added shadow flight, he easily caught up to the stallion and grabbed him, carrying the assassin high above the ground. He flew slowly to where Twilight and her friends were, the smart mare casting a large bubble around them for protection.
Heaross switched back to his Ultra Guardian Armor, still flying, and fell to the ground rather fast, causing the stallion still held in his arms to scream very loudly, obviously scared for his life. Heaross crashed to the ground, causing small craters to appear around his feet, and releasing a plume of dust. "My Liege, I have an assassin. What do you want me to do with him?"
Feeling scared, but forcing herself to be brave, Twilight responded ignoring his formal use of title to him, "Bring him with us to the castle. I want Celestia's opinion on this."
Nodding, Heaross let Twilight cast an immobilizing spell on the assassin, who he carried over his shoulder to the castle. Twilight also sent a quick letter to Celestia who was waiting on them that they were bringing said assassin, and to prepare a dungeon cell. Needless to say, this visit was very ruined.
"Ahh, right there Heaross... A little harder, oh yes... more, please... oh, that feels so good... Fingers are amazing..."
Twilight Sparkle, Element of Magic, newly ascended alicorn, and liege lord of Heaross was currently little more than putty in the warrior's deft hands. One of the requirements for Guardian Initiation is learning damage control in a tense situation, including dealing with a traumatized or overly stressed victim. Strangely, another requirement was learning how to give a very relaxing massage. Heaross was putting both of those skills to work at the moment, giving the young alicorn some much needed chirapsia.
As he gave his liege a rest from the tiring day-to-day politics of being a princess, he mulled over the day and the strange assassin's sentencing. A long and strenuous interrogation revealed that his name was Hidden Blade (Heaross almost lost his composure at the name), he was payed a very hefty sum of bits, and that he didn't know his buyer's name. Just that whoever it was is a unicorn mare, had a mane colored red with yellow-orange highlights, and had a cutie mark like a blazing sun. Celestia seemed rather taken aback at the description, but didn't tell anyone what the pony meant to her. Heaross had full intentions of questioning her about this matter later.
For now though, Twilight was his main concern, as she was the one targeted by Hidden Blade. She didn't let it show until they got to a private room, but she was absolutely terrified. Had her warrior not been there, she could have been killed, or might have broken down in fear. Now was bonding time, where Heaross was helping her relax by a few different methods. His first one, the one he was doing now, was giving Twilight a massage. His second method if she hadn't escaped from her fear was for him and her to go into his Petverse, where if safety wasn't a thing there, then it didn't exist. His third method was to simply incapacitate her until such time as he could ensure her safety, despite it never truly being in question. It seemed his first method was working though, given the rather pleasurable moans by the Princess.
Heaross had found that a pony's anatomy was quite similar to cats from his world, rather ironically. Besides making it easier to work on muscles he knew the places of, he also found that the nerve in the scruff of the neck was also there, so he could simply incapacitate a pony just by picking them up by the central nerve found there. Useful information, but not at the current moment. Turning his attention back to his liege, Heaross pressed on a particularly tensed muscle, causing Twilight to almost cry out in pain and relief. Continuing to press on tense muscles and relieve their tension, Heaross enjoyed the work, mostly because it gave him something to do with his hands, but also because it allowed him and Twilight to bond together. Though, with the moans that she's exclaiming, someone outside the door might think that a bit more than just a massage was going on.
Almost perfectly punctuating his point, Applejack and Rainbow Dash burst into the room, yelling for Twilight. "Twilight! Are you..." Rainbow started, but left the sentence hanging as she saw the handwork going on.
Popping a joint, "Do you 2 need anything," Heaross asked, "or are you just paranoid? Because if this is anything less than an emergency, then I'm going to get a pet to ensure some privacy." All the while, he continued his massage on the alicorn, her moans still ringing around the room, and also into the halls.
Applejack answered his question, "We heard Twilight's yells, and thought ya were hurting her." POP! "Yowch, just like that. What are ya doin' anyways? It seems mighty painful..."
Twilight managed to answer her question, showing that she was still fully conscious, however relaxed she might be, "Heaross saw me terrified by the assassin, so he offered a massage. Ooh, right there... He wanted a private room so I wouldn't be stressed by anything, but," looking at her friends now, "it appears some people just can't wait for me to get finished with destressing."
"Relax, Twilight, I'm sure they meant well," giving AJ and Rainbow a very stern glare, "even if they were overly rude. Now I am going to ask you two to leave so that we may finish in relative privacy here."
Hesitant, but ashamed of their rudeness, the pair left the room just as a rather loud moan from Twilight echoed into the halls as well. They shut the door before starting a whispered conversation about if Heaross and Twilight could be dating, or even had crushes on each other. Hearing their talking, Heaross opened the Petverse and let 2 of his dragons come out, Scorch and Frost, Fire and Ice respectively, to guard the room from any further intruders, and to discourage the gossiping mares from sticking around any longer. The resulting screams of fear from the hallway made him chuckle.
Despite the rude interruption, Twilight relaxed well enough until she was about to fall asleep. Noticing, Heaross carried her to the bed that she would be staying in so she could be set to sleep. Just as he set her down so he could inform his dragons more, and to personally give a patrol of the hallway, Twilight stopped him, saying, "Don't leave me, please. I don't feel safe without you here." Despite the clarity with which she said this, her fear and weariness broke through her voice, showing that she wasn't lying and wanted him to stay there.
Heaross felt more worried for her than he logically should have. Maybe it was his oath binding them, but that just didn't feel right to him. He'd figure it out later, for now his liege was scared and needed him. "I'm here, Twilight. I'm just going to step outside for a moment. A few minutes at the most, alright? I promise I will come right back."
Her sniffles almost broke his heart, the poor thing was so scared. "Just for a moment?"
"Just a moment. Here, let me get you a more personal guard you can hug." Reaching into the Petverse for a moment, he pulled out a pillow with a picture of a pug breed of dog. "This is Mr. Puggleton. He helped me a lot when I got scared. Just give him a good hug."
Heaross set Mr. Puggleton in Twilight's arms, and following his advice, gave the pug pillow a good squeeze. "Thank you. Please hurry, though, I'm not sure how much of a deterrent a pillow could be."
Giving a warm smile, "I will Twilight. Just a moment." He left the room then to talk to his dragons and give an inspection of the hallway. "Scorch, Frost, I want you 2 to remain here through the night. Guard this room, and make sure no one enters unless given permission by me or Twilight. If someone wants to enter, roar for us and I'll come out. Remember, do not eat anyone unless they try to get in here without permission from us. I'm going to take a look around the halls for just a moment. Stay here, above all else. Got it?" Realizing just how rude he sounded, he gave a tired sigh. Heaross gave both of his dragons good scratching on their necks, "I'm sorry if I seem a bit tense. Today has just been a bit tiring. We're fighting a different battle this time, and our claws and teeth can only get us so far in this one." They nuzzled him then, Scorch rubbing his neck against Heaross' chest, Frost rubbing hers against his arm. "Thanks you two. I'll make sure to reward you in the morning, alright? Good night."
Heaross left, intent on walking the halls to ascertain if it was safe to sleep at all tonight. The assassin had him on edge since the attack, considering that in his world, assassins were very rare, and if one got called on you, then you must have fucked up hard somewhere, as well as the fact that this strange world had such peace and prosperity that something like that was bound to set people on edge, him included. Besides a few strange closets that he couldn't detect any mana from, there really wasn't anything of major note in the halls.
As he walked, Heaross mulled over his and Twilight's friendship. We are friends, but what was that feeling earlier? I don't think I've felt that worried for someone since Dekio, and that was years ago! And what she had said, "I don't feel safe without you here," could that have more meaning than just face value? I know that she has been scared out of her mind, but she doesn't quite strike me as the mare to say something like that without being genuine. I need to get back to comfort her, but my heart is beating so fast, like I'm fighting Artix again. Oh shit, am I actually blushing?
Quite suddenly, a loud roar was heard, almost in pain, coming from Twilight's room. Oh fuck, that was Frost! Who needs to get in that bad?! Now even more worried, Heaross ran towards the direction of the roar, intent on decapitating whoever had hurt his dragon. Frost and Scorch were very strong, only matched by a select few of his other pets. When working together, the pair of dragons were practically unstoppable. If someone could hurt Frost while Scorch was with her, then whoever it was had to be exceedingly dangerous.
Quickly making it to the makeshift guards for Twilight, Heaross saw Frost and Scorch in battle against a unicorn, who almost perfectly matched the description Hidden Blade had given them. By looks alone, anyone would say that his dragons were hard pressed to match the unicorn, but Heaross could see they were holding back, for fear of destroying something or letting the unicorn past them. "Scorch, Frost. I want you to eat this pony alive." The unicorn blanched then, realizing that the dragons had been with holding their true strength. Suddenly now scared, she cast a teleporting spell to get away from them, barely missing getting ripped in half by the pair of beasts.
Grumbling, Heaross made his way into Twilight's room, intent on finding the pony. He saw the mysterious pony trying to take the Element of Magic from it's glass case, while Twilight was pressed against the wall, surrounded by a magical aura. Deciding now is a good time to stop fucking around, Heaross silently went behind the mysterious pony, grabbed her horn, and squeezed. Feeling a very satisfying crack, he let go, letting the pony fall to the ground, writhing in pain. The magic surrounding Twilight and the glass case disappeared, dispersed into the surroundings. Twilight slowly slid to the ground, crying in fear. Heaross could just feel his heart breaking at such a cute thing crying, especially with his rather confusing feelings.
Thinking quickly, Heaross knocked the top of the mare's head, maybe a little too strongly, knocking her out. He then went to Twilight, and started trying to calm her down. He went and picked her up, carrying her in his arms. Instead of trying to scurry away, she clung to her warrior, crying even harder. Heaross went to the bed that she was supposed to be in, and cuddled her there for a lengthy time. Twilight continued to cry for several minutes, but Heaross was prepared to stay there the entire night if need be. Thankfully, the terrified alicorn finished crying after a long enough time, and was now just sniffling and occasionally sneezing. "I suppose Mr. Puggleton didn't really help, did he?"
Giving a wet laugh, Twilight shakily responded, "No, I don't think he did. I'm not even sure where he is right now."
"Don't worry about it. I'll find him later. For now though, how are you? Stupid question I know, but what are you feeling?"
Taking a moment to collect herself, "Scared. I'm trying to not break down again, but you hugging me is really helping."
"Take as long as you need, Twilight," Heaross truthfully responded. He had hit the mare harder than was probably needed, so whatever her name was would be out for hours, at the least.
"Can you do me a small favor?"
"Anything, Twilight."
"Can you take off your armor? It's really hard, and uncomfortable."
Blushing slightly, considering he forgot that he was even wearing it, Heaross took off his armor, packing it off to the side for later. Afterwards, he resumed cuddling with Twilight, trying very hard to keep calm in the situation. Besides wanting nothing more than to drive the mare who had hurt Twilight insane, his heart was also absolutely pounding in his chest. After a moment, Heaross finally let himself relax and embrace the hugging. A moment later, he realized something.
I've fallen in love with Twilight Sparkle.
"Sunset Shimmer, you are accused of the following charges: Attempted assassination of a ruler, Attempted theft of an Element of Harmony, Assault of a ruler, Harm of one Heaross' pet how in the fuck is a dragon a pet... and a case of breaking and entering."
It was the next day, and the court case was being presided by Cadence, who was the most neutral princess aside from Luna, who was nocturnal and couldn't attend due to being asleep. It was discovered that Celestia was the former teacher for Sunset Shimmer, and that Sunset had used a mirror to escape to another realm. The reason that Heaross and Twilight couldn't be judge was that they were directly involved in the incident, and Celestia had personal history to Sunset. Cadence had no prior knowledge of Sunset, and had no direct interaction with the case. Most impartial judge possible, maybe not, but she was the most impartial princess, despite having clear relations to everyone who isn't Sunset.
"How do you plead?" Cadence was doing a marvelous job of being a judge, despite this being her first time. She had even told Heaross that she was nervous.
"I... plead guilty."
...really? All that hard work, and she just gives up. I would have expected a bit more resistance, but maybe she's afraid of me being able to choose her sentence. If we were playing by my world's rules, then the minimum sentence would be life in prison. The most she could get would be a death sentence. I don't know this world's law rules though, so I'll just have to play it by ear.
"Attempted assassination of a ruler would already sentence you to life in prison, and so would Assault of a ruler. Harm of Heaross' pet condemns you to his punishment, considering his status as advisor and protector of Twilight Sparkle. Breaking and Entering just pushes things over the edge, so in minimum, you would face banishment. This is, of course, if Heaross wills it. His involvement also includes his world's laws. Put simply, he has control over your fate."
Okay, this was not what I was expecting. Equestria takes its laws extremely serious. I have control over her? Well, I can certainly think of a few punishments that would be quite entertaining. Maybe... Okay, yeah, doing that. Sunset looked in fear at the Warrior, genuinely scared now. Heaross had a very evil smirk, ecstatic at what he had thought of. "I have thought of an appropriate punishment. In my world, the maximum punishment one can receive is a fate worse than death. I have an alternate punishment, considering how gruesome my world can be. She harmed Frost, my pet Ice Dragon. Needless to say, she and Scorch, her mate, are very angry at her. My punishment is that she would be the personal servant to my dragons. All of them."
Many gasps were heard, considering how dragons were the most feared creatures in all of Equestria. Being a servant to one? Suicide, at best. "I have a total of 8 dragons, one of each element of my world. Fire, Water, Wind, Ice, Earth, Energy, Light, and Darkness. I have trained my dragons to only kill on command, or when their death is the only other result. I will command them to do with her as they wish, short of killing her, unless she attempts to harm them or any other of my pets." Sunset Shimmer looked terrified at this point. Being a slave to dragons? She'd rather take death at this point. That did make her curious as to what the actual worst punishment his world had, because if that's supposed to be his mercy, then what was the worst? "Just for reference, the actual worst punishment my world has is something you might be able to relate to, Celestia. Insomnia, Immobility, Immortality." That... didn't sound too bad in all honesty.
"Your world is terrifying, Heaross," Celestia all but screamed.
Sunset took to her new job quite well. She had already cleaned out the poo pen, and had fed all of the dragons in an hour. Quite impressive, but Heaross could do it in 10 minutes. Normally, a new servant would take at minimum 2 hours just for the pen, and another hour for feeding. Needless to say, the pets were quite happy, especially Frost when she heard the news.
As Heaross left the Petverse, and Sunset to do her job, he found Twilight back in her room, again cowering in fear. Despite the fact that no one in their right mind would attempt to hurt Twilight again, especially with Heaross there, she was still scared. Heaross also had trouble, but with his own emotions regarding the young alicorn. Getting a feeling, he checked under the bed and found Mr. Puggleton there. He grabbed the pillow and handed him to Twilight, while Heaross sat on the edge of the bed. Wrestling with his inhibitions and feelings, "Are you okay, Twilight? Sunset is now in the Petverse, away from you."
Looking up with tears, Twilight responded, "It's not that, Heaross. It's just the concept of someone wanting me dead. I know that being a Princess can come with a lot of hardships, but I didn't think that people would hate me that much." Sitting up, she hugged Mr. Puggleton tightly, taking comfort in his softness and toy ears. She was breathing heavily, trying not to break under the stress.
Heaross thought for a moment on how he could help. The most he could think of was unhooking his breastplate, and placing Twilight there while he relatched the straps. "Feeling protected now?" A cheeky grin and warm hug told Twilight that he was serious about protecting her, even her mental stability.
Laughing, "Yes, I do. Thank you, Heaross." She took comfort in the warrior's warm chest and abs, then she looked straight at him. "Can you do me a favor?"
"At your service, my liege."
"Okay, 2 things. One, can you please not call me 'liege' anymore? We're friends, and I don't want us to be so formal when we're talking." She seemed rather annoyed at this, but quickly brightened when Heaross chuckled, nodding his confirmation. "Thank you. My second thing..."
Hey, is she blushing? Hard to tell with the purple coat, but she definitely looks redder than normal. "...never mind. It's not important."
"What is it, Twilight? You know you don't have to be scared to confide in me. My oath already binds me to secrecy. Us being friends just reinforces that." Okay, yeah, she is definitely blushing now. Wait, my face feels warm. Shit I'm blushing now too!
"Can you... could you please kiss me?"
Her voice had shrunk down to where Heaross couldn't hear her, even with his Guardian sense of hearing. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you. Can you speak up a bit?" If that was genuinely what Heaross thought that he had heard, he was going to have a stroke. Instead of repeating herself, Twilight just stuck her face into his chest, muffling her sounds. She had said something while like that, but Heaross didn't entirely hear it again. "That tickles, and I still didn't quite hear you."
Moving her face right in his, full blush activated, "Kiss me." It was not a question.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH Moving his head down, Heaross lightly kissed the top of Twilight's head. "There. You happy?" FUCK I'M BLUSHING WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME WHY IS SHE SO FUCKING CUTE
Twilight's voice was quiet and shaky, but the conviction in it spoke leagues. "No, I'm not."
FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK "Oh really? Is there anywhere else you want me to kiss you?"
As Heaross was laying down, Twilight just let herself fall, not holding her neck up anymore, letting gravity take care the job. "Please stop torturing me..." Her sad frown really drove itself into Heaross' stone warrior heart.
WHY AM I GOING ALONG WITH THIS WHY AM I FEELING THIS WAY I AM FUCKING BLUSHING AND SO IS SHE FUCKFUCKFUCK WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY MR. PUGGLETON I NEED YOU "Is it your ears? Or your nose? Maybe on your horn?"
"Please, stop Heaross... I'm embarrassed enough as it is..."
FUCKFUCKFUCK I'M ABOUT TO DO IT WHYWHYWHY SHIT I CAN'T STOP MYSELF Reaching over to her, Heaross grabs Twilight's chin, and pulls it slightly up and towards him. He moves his head closer with the greatest smirk to ever have smirked, blushing, "Or maybe... Would you like it right about..." Their lips connect, sending sparks of magic and feelings going everywhere, despite the fact the kiss only lasted a second, "There?"
Twilight was almost hyperventilating. "Yes, please." Heaross was chuckling now, despite the war his mind was waging against his body and feelings, though it was losing.
"Would you like another? Careful, I may just have to assume that you actually like me." Heaross was still blushing, though he knew that the pony cuddling him in his armor was absolutely at his mercy. Or maybe it was the other way around? He wasn't sure anymore, but he did know that he rather enjoying himself, despite everything his logical side was telling him.
Twilight was very submissive, considering her bookworm nature. Heaross was no beginner to romance, but neither did he have much experience in it. He wasn't sure what to expect at this point, besides maybe more kissing. He wasn't a virgin either, but he'd be willing to bet one of his swords that Twilight is. Deciding to just follow his instincts, Heaross kissed her again, holding the contact for longer this time. The whimpers following after were sure signs that Twilight was just as-if not more-embarrassed than he was, but still enjoying it. A low chuckle escaped him, and they simply cuddled for a time, enjoying each other's presence.
Eventually, Heaross said, "You know what everyone is going to say, right?"
"I don't think I really care at this point. Let them talk." Twilight was very relaxed, almost sleeping at this point.
"Hehehe," raising his voice now, "well I think it's about time someone stopped listening in to us before I get Artix to blast those persons away!" Muttered curses and frantic clops were heard right outside of the door, signaling that someone was indeed listening in. Heaross laughed heartily on hearing the curses, and Twilight even enjoyed a few chuckles.
Realizing something, Twilight curiously asked Heaross, "Isn't Artix that paladin friend of yours? How would he blast them away if he isn't here?"
"Oh, yeah, I haven't told you the names of all my pets. Yes, Artix is my good friend, the paladin, but I actually named my light dragon after him," Heaross explained, "When I said Artix, I was referring to my dragon, not the wasabi loving punnist. Artix shows the same disdain for undead and evils that the real Artix does, so that's where the inspiration comes from. He's primarily the reason why I can't have a dracolich."
"Ahh, I understand now." Twilight and Heaross resumed their cuddling, but after he had removed his armor and they got comfy in the bed. Cuddling with a pony isn't as hard as one might think, considering the long length of their back runs almost perfectly the distance of the collarbone to pelvis. "So you don't really care what people think either?"
"Trust me, as a Guardian, you see a massive amount of adversity. People not learning to deal with it is the third most common reason why people quit being a Guardian. I've been a Guardian for 8 years. I've learned to deal with harsh opinions on more than one occasion."
Again, Twilight looked a bit perplexed, "Third most common reason? What's the first 2?"
"The second most common is disability due to limb or mind loss. Guardian's do live a dangerous life, considering all that we protect the world from. The first most common reason is due to the second most common. When people see someone who has just lost an arm, or a leg, many new Guardians would feel sick, or lose their faith in the order. While admittedly, it is rare, the few times that it has happened is more than enough reason for some to not want to risk their life like that. Truthfully? I don't blame them. It is terrifying going into a battlefield, and not knowing if you may come out entirely intact. It could happen to anyone, even me. If luck is not on your side, then you may lose more than just a little blood, or an armor piece."
Twilight thought about this for a moment, but decided to let the matter drop. The conversation had turned grim enough already, and she just wanted to enjoy herself. And Heaross. After a time, she turned in the warrior's arms, and settled herself in having her muzzle right in his chest. Their legs tangled, and they cuddled even harder than before. Smiling, still keeping the blush for so long, Twilight quietly said, "Thank you."
"Hehe, I think I should be thanking you," Heaross replied, just as soft.
"Why? You're the one that started all this, so why do I have to take credit?"
"Because, the life of a Guardian is rather lonely. My original intentions back at the cathedral were to just say the lines, and try to figure out a way back home. Trust me, even right now, this is very abnormal for me. When that assassin attacked, seeing you so scared just... Awoken something in me. Something I thought was gone. That massage may have been part of damage control, but Scorch and Frost? I normally would never have done something like that. I don't like putting my pets in harm's way, even though I know that they would never die against, well, anything. You make me feel... content. Happy. It's like, for once, I finally have something to fight for, instead of just against. So, thank you."
Twilight was actually crying now, but tears of joy instead of fear. Surprising Heaross, she quickly moved up and kissed him, just showing what she was feeling. She held that position for awhile, until they both needed to stop for breath. Blushes in full force, they chuckled a little, and kissed again, though not as forcefully. They continued like that for several more kisses, surprising the other, until they were both very tired. Twilight physically and emotionally, Heaross emotionally and mentally.
Twilight yawned, being the first to show her exhaustion. "Sorry, today has been wonderfully weird. Do you want to go to sleep now, or do you need to do something?"
Heaross gave a smirk, causing Twilight to now start having a few doubts. "Just one thing before we do. Wait here." Heaross disengaged from the alicorn, and turned to the side of the bed. He arose and stretched for a moment, before opening another portal, but not to the Petverse. He gestured for Twilight to follow him, and stepped inside the portal. Twilight got up a moment later, yawning again. She followed the Guardian, stepping through the strange barrier. She looked towards him, and where he was standing, gesturing to the entirety of the space. "This, Twilight, is my personal room. I have entirely outfitted this space with many enchantments, and several facilities to see to any needs one may have. I have a food bar, with any kind of edible substance you may want, a bath with the most fragrant of soaps, and even a bed softer than air. The most useful thing this space has," he went to close the portal, sealing them inside, "is that when all openings are closed, time stands still."
Twilight gasped, shocked at the potential of a place like this. "You mean, we could stay here forever?!"
"As long as you may wish. Another enchantment placed entails that any time spent here will not waste away your life span. You could, quite literally, spend eternity here. And, there is even an infinite bookshelf. Follow me." Twilight did, gasping at almost everything the space had for use. She saw the food bar, a science and magic station entirely fitted with tools of all kinds, a practice range for any type of combat, a med bay that could heal any and all injuries, several beds with many different designs and comforts, and even a hall of Heaross' most valuable possessions. "If I sold everything in here, the total would be more than 2 billion gold. Of course, I don't need that much, but it is reassuring for a particularly rainy day."
Continuing on, they reached the bookshelf that he had spoken of, which had a rotating mechanism and several shelves worth of books. When she rotated the shelves, Twilight found more and more books than should logically fit in such a small space. "Drakel Magiscience. This bookshelf cost me a massive 30 million gold to trade, but never have I regretted the decision. It can hold any book known in the Universe. It even... where is it... Ah!" Flipping to another shelf that had a book that stretched the entirety of the shelf's length,"It holds this marvel of literary work. This book holds the entirety of all the science and experimentation that the Drakel have ever done. If you ever have a question if something will blow up, chances are the Drakel have done it first. And replaced what had been blown up."
Looking around in absolute awe, Twilight asked, "Did you do all of this yourself? How could you even afford it?"
"I actually didn't make all of this myself. Most of the things here were bought, and the things that weren't were either built specifically for this realm, or moved here from another place. Warlic and Valencia helped me make this place. It was quite a project for us 3. Warlic could handle the magical side of things, Valencia could handle placement and decorations, and finding many things we put here, and I could cover the costs for things and move the items here. It took us 3 months of nonstop work to build this entire place." The pride in his voice shone through, saying just how much work him and his friends put into this place. "The total cost was about... 150 million? 200? Somewhere around that price range, the main thing is that it was hard to do. Only Warlic, Valencia, and I can come here. We of course can invite people in, but only us 3 know how to open the portal."
Twilight, yet again, looked perplexed, but was answered before she had even asked the question. "No, I can't try and make my back through here. The opening stays where it was last closed if someone is inside, and trying to coordinate a time when multiple of us might be in is extremely hard. Besides the enchantments essentially forcing us to keep the doors open if we want time to pass, Warlic and Valencia don't visit here much. They do come here, but not as much as I normally do. They generally are much busier than I am, so trying to get a good time is hard unless we actually come together to join in. And we can't just leave notes for each other, or leave the portals open. Enchantments placed regularly clean, and close portals if left open. As sad as it is, this place is only meant for rest and relaxation, or a hideaway if things get too bad."
Twilight looked a bit crestfallen, sad that Heaross wouldn't be able to go home so easily. She simply told herself that it meant more time with him, and cheered up as much as she could. "Well, even if you can't go home yet, I'll keep trying to find a way. In the mean time, I'll try and make your stay here as enjoyable as possible." Her resolve set, she flew up to Heaross' height and kissed him again.
When she did this, Heaross quickly grabbed her, and held Twilight against his chest, saying, "You already have."
Twilight nuzzled him, wrapping her fore-hooves around his chest. Looking up at him, she asked, "This is all very impressive, and I must admit I'm jealous you have something like this. But why did you bring me in here?"
"Well, it's bedtime, isn't it?"
"I think it's actually about 7. I normally go to sleep about 9 or 10." Another yawn. "Though, maybe going to sleep a bit earlier might not be a bad thing."
Heaross chuckled, "Well, how about a bed softer than clouds? We spared no expense, and the beds here are the actual greatest ever." He then walked over to the beds, and set Twilight down upon his, taking care not to disturb Warlic's or Valencia's bed. As Twilight was settling in, Heaross quickly moved over to the food bar, grabbing a warm glass of chocolate milk with a straw. He walked back, surprised to see Twilight already under the covers with her head on a pillow.
"Mmm... You were right, this is the softest bed ever..." Heaross quietly laughed, and brought Twilight the chocolate milk, advising her to take a sip. She did, and her eyes brightened widely, starting to take larger mouthfuls of the sweet drink.
"Slow down! You drink too much and you won't be able to sleep. I know, it is very good. Small sips, alright?" Laughing, Heaross took the half-drunk chocolate away, having no intention of letting Twilight get too hyper. The ponies here were much like children, he had noticed. Too much sugar, and they get hyper. Too much excitement, and they crashed easily. Even some of their behaviors were like unsupervised children. Twilight, despite being an alicorn, and being a heavy introvert and bookworm, even displayed some of these traits. Like the chocolate milk. He set said chocolate milk on a night stand away from Twilight, and cuddled up with her, intent on going to sleep.
Twilight huffed a bit on getting her drink taken away, but her logical side said that he was right. Too much sugar and she wouldn't be able to sleep. When Heaross cuddled up to her, she let herself be encased in his warm grasp, tired and very comfy in the bed. They both settled, comfy and drew the blankets up, covering each other. As a dreamless sleep was about to take her, Twilight thought, Huh. So this is what being in love is like.
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Introduction to Ponyville
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Life in Bandages [Crossover]
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Hearth's Warming Preparations
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Interlude: A Playdate With a Fox
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. The (possible) end of Guardian of Equestria
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Prologue: Warlic's Blunder
Why is it always me that has to do the lazy people's work around here? Why isn't Warlic himself doing this?
Heaross, Legendary Adventurer by trade, thriving estate owner, Guardian of Battleon, home of Adventurers, and personal pack mule to everyone who needs something arbitrary or time wasting done. He truly was getting sick of everyone's crap. Wearing his standard Ultra Guardian Armor, he trekked through the forest close to Battleon, wary of monsters, though with the close proximity to the town of adventurers, it would be surprising if there were any. The fresh meat always coming into the town, thinking they were hot stuff, normally kept the surrounding woods clear of most monsters, save the stray highly trained drakel or necromancer coming to take over town again.
Warlic had gotten his time this day, informing him of a temporal anomaly taking place near the woods of Battleon. Fearing magic outlash, he had sent Heaross in his stead, deciding to stay in his shop and monitor things without fear of magical interference. Being well experienced in temporal events, the warrior himself knew the side effects of leaving a rift unsettled. If Warlic was wary of its power, then it had to be big.
Aside from the stray BURP or Zard, Heaross met little resistance on the path to the strange magical flux. Soon enough, he came across the temporal anomaly, pure, unfettered magic lashing out against the surrounding area. Yeah, Warlic definitely had reason to fear something this powerful...
Using the magical spell Warlic had cast on him, Heaross sent out a thought to establish communications so he could report back to Warlic what he was seeing. "Testing, 1 2 3, testing, Warlic can you hear me?"
"I can hear you, Heaross. Are you at the anomaly?"
"Yeah I am. This thing is massive, Warlic, definitely bigger than anything we've seen before. Remember when the Devourer caused that rift?"
"How could I not? It was the size of my shop."
"Think that, but with a lot brighter colors, and about twice the size."
"By the elements... How are you not freaking out? Don't you normally hate rifts?"
"I'm... not entirely sure, Warlic. I'm just feeling much calmer than I think I would. Not quite at peace, but definitely at normal non-war times. I'll try running some scans with the spells you gave me. See what I can find out."
"Roger. Report to me if you find out anything surprising or dangerous."
"Got it. Keep monitoring the surrounding area. I don't want to be in the blast range if this thing goes off. "
"Will do, I'll keep a teleportation spell at the ready. Be safe out there Heaross. We haven't dealt with something this big before." With Warlic's warning sounding in his ears, the brave warrior set about casting the monitoring spells the warlock taught him, making sure to keep track of each line of info he was receiving.
...holy shit, that is a massive amount of magic pouring out of this thing. And it's pure mana, too? Better switch to the Overlord set, the magic here could hurt me if it hits. Quickly switching to his more magic (and fire) resistant armor, Heaross continued setting the spells and monitoring what the flux was doing, all with that same sense of calm overriding his normal feelings of curiosity and wariness he normally felt when near such a massive amount of magic.
The primarily melee based fighter was glad he wasn't a mage or the like. He had heard from a couple fellow adventurers that mages could sometimes get overloaded with mana if they were near an unlinked source as large as this. The last thing he needed happening at this point was blowing up from mana overexposure. Even with his magic senses weaker than some other of his friends, he could practically feel the ebb and flow of energy rushing from this thing.
After about 30 minutes of watching the rift and its magic output, Heaross decided he had garnered enough information to report back to base and inform Warlic of his findings. Restarting the Comm Link, as Warlic had named the spell, he called out to the wizard. "Warlic, I've found a lot of stuff in this thing. Some of it is alarming, but mostly its just really weird."
...The hell? He wasn't responding. "Warlic, do you read me? I repeat, this flux is massively different from what we've encountered."
"I can hear you Heaross, I'm just busy reading what it's doing to the surroundings. Come back to base soon, I'm getting some strange messages from my spells."
"Alright Warlic. 2 things you should know now though, is that for one, the flux is spewing out pure mana. Unshaped and undirected. The second thing is that it's more than a simple flux. It's a rip in the continuum. I repeat, it's not of this world. The readings I'm getting are pointing it to way forward than where we are." This would be alarming, were it not the ambient magical calm forced by the portal.
Just as the adventurer was about to leave the area, and try purging the massive amount of mana he had no doubt absorbed during his time there, all of his spells feeding him data started sending off massive warnings, while simultaneously Warlic contacted him, sounding very panicked.
"HEAROSS GET OUT OF THERE NOW! THE PORTAL IS GOING TO BLOW!"
"Warlic, stop yelling in my ears! I'm getting the readings from the spells right now, and it's not looking good! Do you still have that teleport spell ready?"
"I do, but I still recommend you start running! It will take a small moment to get it charged, and the flux will blow the entire forest to pieces!"
"Dammit Warlic! This is why I never like going on any missions for you!" The very brave warrior, now scared shitless, starts running as fast as he can, very quickly escaping the immediate area of the blast, but the forest is a massive maze. Weaving through the trees, trying to find a way back to town would take much longer than he had. He just hoped Warlic could get that teleport spell ready.
"Heaross, I have the spell prepared! Stand still and you'll be directed to my shop!" Following Warlic's orders, Heaross stands stock still, hoping to every deity out there that the portal doesn't blow quite as fast as he was reading. Unfortunately, it appeared he must have especially pissed someone off, because as the teleport spell started taking effect, the portal from earlier blew, taking the surroundings with it.
The way that Warlic had explained his teleport spell was that it took the current form of whoever was being teleported, as well as any followers they may have, and assimilated them into the spell to reform at the chosen location. The window of time is very brief, less than even a tenth of a second, but if timed correctly, an outside influence can change the destination of where the user was being teleported to. While this very rarely occurred in someone's death, there have been instances of being dropped into bottomless pits, spike traps, or, if the rumors were true, once even into a volcano. So, when the blast from the portal made contact with Warlic's teleport spell, the destination of poor Heaross changed dramatically.
Where? Well, dear reader, let's take a look.
A Thorn of the Mind, A Thorn in the Side
At the guest bedroom he was given, Heaross was preparing to bed down for the night to continue his activities the next day. He had just checked on the Petverse and was surprised to find Sunset Shimmer, who was still servant to his dragons, alive. He had made a wager with Celestia on how long she would last there, where he had bet 100 gold that she wouldn't last until the end of the week. Celestia bet that Sunset would be gone by a month's time, with 100 bits, respectively. Luna had gotten into the bet, and bet it would be 3 months before her death. Heaross' sentence was to last 8 months, if she could make it, where she would be officially reintegrated with society. If she hadn't been driven insane, that is.
After finishing with his checklist on pets, and finding them to be alright, Heaross continued with his nightly routine, which generally consisted of cleaning and stowing away his armor and weapons, and a calisthenic routine. After that, and cleaning himself in the guest restroom, Heaross bed down, preparing for sleep. Meditating himself to the dream world, Heaross found himself in a strange hallway, lined with doors of all sizes and colors. Looking down and around gave him a headache, as the floor and walls were ever changing, providing a confusing and migraine-inducing view. Deciding to focus on the doors, he walked down the hall, until something had stopped him.
Tearing his vision away from the doors, Heaross found that he had bumped into Luna, Princess of the Night. "Hello Luna. Might you be a figment of this strange dream, or have I found myself in another dimension altogether?"
Luna, for her part, was wearing a strange expression, like she hadn't expected him. "You find yourself in the Dream Realm, Heaross," Luna wearily answered, "but I express curiosity at how you managed to find your way here. Only I know the way in, and here I spend my nights, walking the halls and remedying nightmares and bad dreams caused by the unrest of the soul."
"Hmm," Heaross replied, "I seem to have a strange knack for dimension hopping, don't I?" His small joke lightened the mood, if Luna's chuckles were any indicator. "In all seriousness, I have not a clue on how I made my way here. Maybe some other cosmic force sent me here to do what you might be unable to. I am just as unsure as you. If matters allow, may I explore a few dreams?"
"You may," Luna granted, "But don't hurt anypony you meet. Harm in the dreams can sometimes extend to harm in the real world. Also, stay away from Pinkie Pie's dreams. Terrors are nothing compared to that strange mare's night visions..."
"Thank you Luna, I won't hurt anyone while I am here." Heeding her warning, knowing that the cupcake loving pony was extremely strange, "I won't deign to bother Pinkie, if my continued sanity is of any measure of worth."
Relieved, Luna wished the Guardian a well night, and continued on her way. Heaross, rather curious, decided to find his friend's dreams and take a peek into their inner thoughts. As he made his way, the warrior found Applejack's dream first, and Rainbow Dash's beside it. Taking a peek, Heaross found her and Rainbow at a restaurant. Just as he was about to leave, he saw the two kiss, and more than a little steamy. Taking another peek, this time at Rainbow Dash, he found the same thing, but at Sweet Apple Acres. Oh, tomorrow will be very fun.
Finding Rarity's dream next, Heaross took a peek and found her designing dresses, even in her dreams, but the dresses were for him. Despite going against his masculinity, he had to admit they would look good on him. Oh god, I hope she doesn't take inspiration from this.
Heaross found Twilight's door next where he found himself and Twilight in a rather compromising position. Even though it was strange seeing himself in that light, Heaross was rather intrigued. I wish I was that flexible... Wait is that Valencia's... OH MY GOD NEXT DREAM
Blushing heavily now, Heaross continued onto Fluttershy, where he found, instead of something exceedingly raunchy, a simple tea party with all of their friends, and some other ponies that he hadn't met. At least Fluttershy is relatively normal. Though I'm not sure if I'm a good judge, considering my daily life.
Heaross found Pinkie's door next, but decided not to enter. As much as he would love to find out the inner workings of her mind, Heaross rather enjoyed being sane, even if it was at the price of not finding out who's screams were behind the door.
Moving on, he found Celestia's door, where the warrior found something a bit more disturbing. Instead of seeing something like a land entirely of cake, or subjects praising her, Heaross found Celestia watching events fold out from her past, no doubt the ones where Luna had turned into Nightmare Moon and was subsequently banished to the moon. As the Dream Celestia was doing battle, the real Celestia was on the ground, crying.
Instead of rushing to comfort the sobbing princess, Heaross simply took a seat to her side and watched the events unfold, all the way until the Dream Celestia took the Elements of Harmony and blasted Nightmare Moon to the moon, trapping her for what would be 1000 years. Knowing the pain of losing a loved one, Heaross used his own control over the mind to change Celestia's Dreamscape to a flourishing meadow, full of blooming flowers and growing trees. Letting her sob for a few minutes, the Guardian took a flower from its stem, smelled it, and threw it to pick another until he had found just the right scent. Ah, that's the one. Smells just like her too...
Taking the beautiful flower, which he learned was called Dragon's Tongue, Heaross placed the bell along Celestia's flowing mane, along her ear. Just sniffling now, Celestia took a look around, confused to see a vibrant garden instead of the stone castle that had been hers and Luna's. "You remind me so much of her." Surprised to find another there, Celestia looked around until she found the source of the voice, confused to see Heaross, and not her sister.
Sniffling, Celestia took a seated position facing Heaross, "I'm sorry, remind you of who?" Celestia curiously asked.
Heaross had a very aged and crestfallen expression. "My sister, Aytheri. You are so much like her. The way she never let anyone know that she wasn't always happy, or how she always put on a tough exterior for those that need it, or even simply her laugh. When you laugh, I can't help but see her in you."
Giving a small chuckle, Celestia replied, "Well, wherever she is, I hope that she is proud of you. If she's anything like you, I would guess that she very much enjoys her brother."
Heaross didn't let his tears fall, too determined to not get obstructed in his past. "Yeah, I certainly hope she does. Her and Dekio were always looking up to me."
"Dekio?" Celestia had heard this name, but never questioned its importance.
"Yeah, my brother. Dekio and Aytheri were twins. I miss them dearly."
Celestia chuckled again, "Well, you have friends here too, so you don't quite have to worry about being lonely."
Just as Heaross was about to reply, everything around him went dark and Celestia appeared to be surprised by something. As he tried to regain control of the Dreamscape, it occurred to him: He wasn't losing control, the realm was shutting down on itself.
Heaross awoke in his bed moments later, finding the time to still be night. Acting quickly, he used a spell to call his armor on, and rushed to Celestia's personal quarters. Barreling past many guards, and even crashing into a few, he eventually made it the room, set at the second highest tower. Bursting open the doors, Heaross was met with a struggling Celestia being pulled underground by thick, spiky vines. They had gagged her, making it impossible for her to sound any alarm to her guards outside. Just as the vines were about to seal the hole around Celestia's horn, Heaross reached in quickly and grasped at the vines surrounding the princess, pulling with all of his might. Instead of pulling Celestia out of the hole, he was met with strong resistance, and found himself being pressured to keep her from getting plant-napped.
Deciding now was the time, Heaross let his full strength loose, roughly grabbing onto the vines surrounding Celestia's barrel, and heaved. Slowly, ever so slowly, the princess started rising again, coming out of the ground. Pulling for what had to have been more than 10 minutes, Heaross managed to fully surface Celestia, still wrapped in vines trying bring her down. Quickly swinging the Blade of Awe, Heaross cut all of the vines off, taking care not to strike the alicorn. In response, the vines retracted from the awesome sword, steaming at the potent magic it wielded. "Never in my life have I met a plant that strong. And I have seen plants large enough to destroy cities." Heaross was panting, tired from exerting himself fully.
Celestia was shaking, covered in many cuts and bruises from the vines and Heaross' close rescue. As she was catching her breath, a startling thought took her mind. "Heaross! If they went after me, do you think they might go after Luna as well?"
Fear gripping his mind, Heaross' thoughts raced. Dammit, Luna could be in danger, and if she is, then Twilight might be as well. Why did my day have to start out like this... Acting quickly, Heaross opened a separate pocket of his Petverse, calling out, "Dekio! Aytheri! Come here! There you are, there's my little nerfkittens." Grabbing the 2 small, adorable blue cats, Heaross lifted them to his cheeks and let them lick him. "There you are! There's some good creatures of death! Okay, Dekio, Aytheri, I have something I need you 2 to do, okay? I want you to follow Celestia here, the tall white pony, and make sure that nothing comes to harm her, or anybody around her. I'll meet back up with you 3 at another room, where a smaller, purple one of her is, okay? I want you 2 to be on the lookout for this," holding up a cutting of the vine that had come off of Celestia, "it's a vine that attacked her, and might attack other people like her too. Can you do all of that for me?" The nerfkitten pair nuzzled Heaross then, showing their understanding. "Good nerfkittens! I'll have some treats for you when I meet back up with you, okay? Now follow Celestia!"
Said alicorn was very confused, both at why Heaross was making orders, and why he had assigned 2 small kittens to be her 'protectors' when she could defend herself. "Heaross, I'm not sure what a couple of tiny kits could do to protect me."
"If you want to remain alive, do not insult those 2, do not attempt to harm them, and do not get in their way. Even if I was forced to, there is no way I could kill them single-handedly. They will protect you at all costs, and will escort you to Twilight's room. I will go to Luna's room, and escort her from there to Twilight's room as well."
Not taking no for an answer, Heaross used a spell to switch from his Ultra Guardian Armor to the Twilight's Mantle easily, and used the shadow flight to go to Luna's tower, where he found the mare trying to escape from the vines attacking her. Using the shadows, Heaross cut the vines at the stems coming from the ground, where they retreated and thrashed the ground for minutes after. Luna decided to not ask questions and followed Heaross to Twilight's room. As they ran, Heaross switched his armor back to the Ultra Guardian Armor, and explained the situation to Luna, who didn't ask questions until they reached Heaross' liege's room. Inside they found Celestia, Twilight, and Heaross' nerfkittens safe and sound, if rather spooked.
"Dekio, Aytheri! Come here you 2, there you are, there's some good kittens! I promised you a treat didn't I?" Aytheri burped up a black spiky vine then. "It appears someone might have already had a treat... Celestia, were they good?"
"GET THOSE DEATH CATS AWAY FROM ME!"
"I'll take that as a yes. You 2 deserve a little reward!" Pulling out a couple rats, and setting down the nerfkittens, "Here you 2 go! Catch it!" Heaross then threw the rats into the air, which was responded by Dekio and Aytheri jumping several feet to snatch the snacks out of the air. The rats were eaten in single gulps, and the cats went to nuzzle Heaross. "Good kittens! Okay, now I need you to go back in the portal alright? I'll come in a bit okay?" Soft mewls showed acceptance. "Good. Okay you 2, I love you! I'll see you in a bit." Opening the portal, Dekio and Aytheri obediently walked in, Heaross shutting the portal moments later. "I swear... I raised those 2 from birth, yet I still can't get over my fear of them. Dealing with nerfkittens is never easy."
Twilight spoke up at that point, making her inquiries known, "I'm sorry, but nopony has told me anything of what's happening. Is there a situation at hand?"
"Unfortunately, yes," Heaross responded, "Luna and Celestia have just almost been kidnapped by thick spiky vines erupting from the ground. I was made aware of the situation when Celestia's Dreamscape started shutting down. I ran to her room and found the vines attempting to 'plant-nap' her, as it were."
Twilight face-hooved then. "I haven't even been a princess for a week... Is there anything else out of the ordinary?"
"Just the fact that the vines managed to climb through the entirety of the castle without being noticed by anyone, and reached to Celestia and Luna's private quarters. If it weren't for the danger these vines show, I would recommend a test of the castle's structural integrity. Vines that thick, and that many would inevitably cause some foundation and structure damage." Referring back to the situation at hand, "Let's worry about that later. For now, Twilight, what would you recommend doing?"
Twilight was understandably stunned. Why would Heaross want her to start giving orders? Just go with it, Twilight. Figure out his games later. "Umm, let's start by getting the Princess' to safety, then figuring out where the vines are coming from. We can fix the problem at the source."
Heaross was glad to see her able to reason, but she had forgotten a possibility. "Twilight, what if this isn't only affecting Canterlot?"
Twilight rolled with the punches, despite realizing she forgot that important aspect. "Then we find any towns or residences affected, and mitigate the situation there. We focus our resources on ending this at the source though."
Heaross smiled, relieved to find that Twilight wasn't incompetent in giving good orders. "Excellent, Twilight. Remember to consider the possibilities of what a situation may contain. Play the 'what-if' game to see if you forgot anything. For now, how would you recommend we follow these orders?"
Celestia spoke up then, rather peeved at being ignored, "Shouldn't I be the one in charge? Twilight is just learning how to be a ruler."
"This is actually good training for Twilight." Heaross responded easily, "By having her be in charge of an emergency situation, she can learn quick thinking in a stressful environment and quick reactions to sudden changes. Think of it as lessons for being a ruler."
Celestia was momentarily stunned, not realizing that Heaross had a motive behind his actions. If he asked someone else for advice, it was because he had a thought going and needed that person to perfect it. "I... hadn't thought of that. You're right, we should focus on training Twilight."
"Glad to see you find things my way." Turning his attention back to the purple alicorn, "Okay Twilight. What do we do now?"
Twilight was silent for a moment, pondering her options. Finally, she chose, "Currently, we're the 4 most powerful beings in Equestria." Heaross gave a small chuckle. "We might be able to draw the vine's attention by staying close. I'd bet that those vines emit some kind of magic trace, so if we can follow it, we might be able to find the source of this all. For now, let's head to Ponyville and gather my friends. We may need the Elements."
Heaross nodded, "Smart plan," to the 2 bigger alicorns, "Celestia, Luna, can you teleport us directly there? Time is of the essence."
"We can," Celestia confirmed, "everypony gather closely." As Heaross and Twilight moved closer, Celestia's horn started to glow. In a blinding flash of light, the 4 were instantly transported to Ponyville, where the situation hadn't reached ears, considering the time of night.
"Okay," Heaross started, "let's split up and gather the other 5. I'll go and get Fluttershy and Applejack."
Twilight responded, "I'll get Rainbow Dash."
Celestia then, "Then I will get Rarity."
"And that leaves me with Pinkie Pie." Luna finished.
"Then let's meet back at Town Hall in 10 minutes." Twilight ordered. As they all split, going for the necessary mares, each had their own thoughts. Twilight thought, Heaross might not have made the smartest decision in letting me lead this... That human is SO going to pay later... Especially for waking me up. That was a good dream... Twilight blushed then.
Heaross sneezed as he was running towards Fluttershy's. Where could the vines possibly be coming from? And how could they be so strong? When I get back, I'll ask Luna and Celestia if they know anything about the vines and where to learn more of them. Why do I have a feeling that it has something to do with their old castle?
Celestia was flying towards Rainbow Dash's cloud house when she had the thought, Heaross better know what he's doing. We'll check the old castle first, checking the library and the Tree of Harmony underneath, then we'll find Discord and question him. Wait, does Heaross know about Discord?
Luna was racing towards Sugarcube Corner, when, First, I meet Heaross in the Dream Realm. Then, I almost get kidnapped by plants! What's next, the Tree of Harmony being attacked?!
Each of the 4 gathered their respective charges and raced towards Town Hall. Twilight took the time to explain to her friends what's going on, while Celestia, Luna, and Heaross made plans of their next course of action. Just as Twilight finished story time, the other 3 came to the decision to check on the old castle.
Heaross informed Twilight of their next move, but Twilight interjected, "Shouldn't we get the Elements first? We're kinda useless without them."
"That's... A very good point, Twilight," Heaross admitted. "We should get those. They're in the Library, right?" Twilight nodded. "Alright. I'll be back in a moment." With that, Heaross ran towards the town Library, acquired the Elements of Harmony, and hurried back to the pony group. Heaross also brought out one of his pets, a raven named Twilight, to carry the case containing the mystical artifacts.
Elements in hand (claw), the group of ponies (and human) head towards the Everfree Forest, and the castle contained within. On the way, several perils were found, but most were dealt with by Heaross and his combat expertise. That is, until a Cragodile (as Heaross was told the name of) launched a surprise attack at Twilight. Heaross was quick to act, bringing his sword up to the beast's mouth and blocked it, using his sword's leverage to bash the Cragodile back, and knocked it on the head with his shield. Stunned, the beast withdrew for a moment to prepare another assault, but was met with a blade tip at the snout. Frightened, the beast ran deeper into the swamp, not daring to attack again.
As Heaross was wiping his blade clean of spit, he overheard Applejack talking to Twilight, "Sugar, I don't think that it's safe for you to be here, even with Heaross protecting ya. Ya saw how close that beast came to eating ya!"
To his surprise, the others, aside from Celestia and Luna, who were currently scouting the areas ahead, agreed. Rainbow Dash concurred with, "Yeah, Twilight. If something happens to Celestia and Luna, we need another Princess to take their place. As much as we need to find out what caused those vines to attack, if you got hurt, none of us could live with it."
Twilight had tears in her eyes. Trying to blink them away, "I thought you guys trusted me to help. I'm just in the way here then. Fine, I know when I'm not wanted." Twilight would have run off then, if it wasn't for Heaross scooping her up into his arms.
Instead of struggling, Twilight held onto Heaross, wrapping her hooves around his neck. While this confused the other mares, the warrior she was clinging to said, "I swear, sometimes you ponies have absolutely no sense of forethought or empathy. If Twilight left, then what's the point of the Elements of Harmony being here? And if they aren't here, then why are you?" All the mares, aside Twilight, were quite ashamed of themselves then. They didn't think of her role there, they just thought of what they wanted to. "I do understand that while those two traits can be hard to come by, I would have thought that all of you would have more of it."
Applejack was silent for a moment, before going to Heaross, speaking to Twilight, "A'm sorry Twi. Ah wasn't thinking of your feelings or how important you were." Rainbow Dash went and said a similar line, but the feeling was there. At the least, she swallowed her pride and admitted she was wrong.
Heaross nodded his approval, yet Twilight took a moment more to calm down. Despite the fact that she was emotionally fragile, they didn't have time to waste. Thinking slightly evilly, he whispered, "Twilight, do you want to tell them about us? I won't force you, but now does seem a good time."
To his surprise, Twilight nodded. "Yeah, I don't want to have to hide secrets from them."
"Alright, if you want to, look at me." Twilight did, though with a slightly somber look. That changed quickly though, when Heaross surprised her with a kiss. The other Elements looked on in amazement, aside from Pinkie Pie, who was making some sort of cake. The kiss ended after a second, though the effects were felt for minutes. Despite the sudden shock, AJ handed a smiling Rarity a few bits, and so did Rainbow to Fluttershy. "Does that explain everything?" A smirking Heaross said to everypony.
Fluttershy spoke up then, still quietly, "I'm happy for you 2, though isn't there some custom against inter-species dating?"
"Unless there is one here," Heaross answered, "then not that I know of. In my world, dating someone from a different species isn't prohibited in the slightest. Some may think of you as strange, but they cannot legally speak out against you. My friend Warlic, I know that he has dated 4 people who weren't humans."
Rarity looked confused for a bit, asking, "What about how Twilight is a Princess? Wouldn't that make you a Prince?"
Heaross had another answer ready, "Royalty dating non-royalty always causes problems. The problem for me is that a Guardian cannot be royalty. Twilight and I have talked about this for a time, and we've made it official. Even if we were to wed, I would not be considered a Prince. I have papers signed from both of us about this, as much as it does hurt to."
There were a few more questions, "Have you 2 slept together?" "How long has it been?" "How much are you willing to do for each other?" and plenty more. Heaross took it in stride, literally and figuratively, as he started walking when they asked miscellaneous questions. "Yes, but not in that way." "Since the Princess summit." "I'm a Guardian, so literally anything." His fast pace certainly did get the mares the short distance they had left to the castle, where he halted their questions and finally put Twilight down.
When they got to the clearing in front of the castle, Luna and Celestia finally rejoined them. Quite interestingly, Celestia handed Luna about 20 bits. "Sunset still isn't gonna last 3 months." "Oh, she will." Heaross cleared his throat loudly, attracting the attention of the 2 gambling alicorns.
"If you 2 would mind not betting on whether me and Twilight are dating, we have a bit of an emergency right now." Celestia looked sheepish, but Luna was smirking while they came over. He did a once over of the castle and the surrounding areas with his magic sense, and while the source of the vines was certainly there, he couldn't pinpoint it. "The vine's source is here, but its magic is covering the entire castle and the surrounding areas. We'll have to search everywhere to find it, so let's split up."
"Luna and I will search in the castle," Celestia said, "Rainbow Dash, fly above the castle and search from there. Rarity and Fluttershy, you two search around the back of the castle, Applejack and Pinkie Pie, you search the sides and the woods, while Heaross and Twilight will search the canyon and the outer reaches of the forest."
"If ya find somethin', don't try and fix it by yerself," AJ advised, "get the rest of us so we can tackle it all at once."
With that, everyone broke into their respective positions to search for the cause of the thorny vines. Heaross jumped down into the canyon, throwing up a plume of dust on landing, while Twilight used her wings to glide down much slower. "Remember, use your primaries to change direction, and your secondaries to change your angle!" Heaross shouted to her.
Taking the time, Twilight steered herself to him, landing in his arms. "Thanks for the tips, Heaross." Jumping down, "Where should we go first?"
Heaross did another scan over the castle and areas, "This way, the signal gets stronger over here." The couple moved towards the source, deep in the canyon around the castle. "It shouldn't be too far ahead." True to his word, Heaross and Twilight encountered a cave riddled with the vines that attacked Celestia and Luna.
"Let's go back and get the others," Twilight said, "we'll need the Elements of Harmony, as well as Celestia and Luna would want to know about all this."
"Actually," Heaross interjected, "I have a way to get everyone's attention." Drawing the Blade of Awe, Heaross charged the magic in the blade for a moment, causing it to glow with energy. With a wide flourish, Heaross pointed the tip to the sky, unleashing the magic. "AWE BLAST!" A massive beam of pure mana flowed out of the Blade of Awe, illuminating the night sky and causing a small shock wave to spread out, blasting a few close by trees with heavy force.
Twilight was awed by the sheer force of the Awe Blast, shocking her motionless for a few seconds even after the magic dissipated. Heaross maintained his pose for moments more after the blast ended, then finally dropped it, seeing Twilight staring at him in complete enrapturement. "How- I me- wha- why di-" Twilight took a moment to compose herself, before asking her warrior, "Is there nothing beyond you?!"
Heaross laughed, knowing the effects of seeing the Awe Blast the first time. He picked Twilight up, giving her a small kiss before answering, "There are a great many things I am unable to do. I am unable to create something from nothing, I cannot defy physics themselves, and even I cannot cheat Death when he comes to collect. The things I can do greatly outnumber the things I cannot, for I am always pushing myself. A lesson for you to learn, is that no matter what you may do, there is always someone stronger, faster, smarter. Always push yourself to do better, even by just a little bit. Run the extra mile, push the extra weight, pull yourself just that one bit farther and say 'I did it.'" Heaross gave another kiss, this time with just a bit more passion. "I know I certainly did."
Twilight had a few tears in her eyes, smiling greatly. "I will, Heaross. Can you make a promise to me though?"
"Was is it?"
"Teach me to be like you. I want to be a hero for everypony who needs one." Twilight's morals certainly weren't in question.
Heaross thought for a moment before finally, "No."
Twilight was quite understandably taken aback. "No? Why?"
Heaross smiled then. "Because I'm going to teach you to be you. I am me, and there is no one like me, just as there is no pony like you. I can teach you what I know, but that doesn't mean you're going to be me. I don't want you to anyways, I want you to be you ."
Twilight had more tears in her eyes, before kissing Heaross quite fervently. A promise was made, and an oath was kept. Also, 7 ponies got quite a view of a human and a pony kissing. Hearing a wolf whistle, Heaross threw up a rude gesture at the onlookers before moving the hand back to its original position.
Celestia called out, "Encore, please!" Luna concurred, as did the other 5 who were going to tease Twilight later. A few minutes later, and a ton of laughter too, the 7 onlookers were calmed down enough to be serious. "What was that giant beam of magic?" Celestia asked.
"Just something to get your attention." Heaross answered jovially. "The reason why I did it is because we found the source. It's in this cave." True to his word, the ponies found a vine filled cave strangling some crystal tree.
"The... the Tree of Harmony..." Celestia breathed out.
"So this is what powers the Elements?" Heaross inquired.
"Yes, Heaross." Luna answered. "How did this happen? What vines could do something like this?" Realizing Heaross didn't know much about the ancient growth, "The Tree of Harmony is where the Elements of Harmony came from. They are what give the Elements their power, as well as providing the land with magic and peace."
"So don't hurt the tree." Heaross inferred. "Give me 5 minutes."
5 minutes later, the cave floor was a maze of cut vines and thorns. A weird, foul-smelling sap also formed in the vines, leaving puddles of ooze on the ground. The Tree of Harmony also was free of vines, and was glowing slightly. Heaross stepped away from the cave, covered in ooze. "I need a shower..."
"When we get back to Ponyville, you're getting more than that, mister." Twilight warned him.
"Should I be worried or excited?" Heaross joked.
"Both."
Heaross Reference Sheet
Heaross, Grandmaster Warrior of the Guardians, Wielder of the Blade of Awe, and Legendary Adventurer.
Height: 6'6
Pets:
Armor Sets:
Extra Armors (Armors used in story, but too situational for common use):