The Changeling of Illusions

Forge waits outside the Ponyville Library, along with quite a few others in Ponyville while Pinkie ushers them inside for the surprise welcome party meant for Twilight.

"To think just a week ago I had a similar treatment, ah, garbage fire and all. Just wait until Twilight drinks the hotsauce. I wonder if anyone, or anypony else has had a similar experience during their special Pinkie Pie welcome party. I'll ask later. Wait, why should I stop using 'body' and 'one' in place of 'pony' anyway? Better to cement those in, because using 'creature' is just plain retarded." Forge thinks to himself as he steps into the library. "I wonder if this counts as breaking and entering."

Once Pinkie turns out the light, everyone in the library waits in silence. Soon, they all can hear the hoofsteps of Twilight and Fluttershy, and the conversation abruptly turning into an excuse for Twilight to ditch Fluttershy. Fluttershy opens the door, carrying the dragon and setting him down, all without bumping anyone who's hidden. Then Twilight rushes in and shoves Fluttershy out of the house, promptly finishing the conversation with a goodnight before slamming the door in Fluttershy's face.

"Rude much." Spike says with clear disapproval in his voice.

"Sorry Spike, but I have to convince the princess that Nightmare Moon is coming and we're running out of time."

"That's what she said." Forge quietly thinks to himself, trying his best to redirect his attention from the cacophony of sheer excitement and anticipation everyone else in the room is practically radiating. "Wait, how come nobody else caught that she said that? We're ALL here hiding in the dark!"

"I just need to be alone so I can study without a bunch of crazy ponies trying to make friends all the time. Now where's the light?" As soon as Twilight says those words, Pinkie turns the lights on.

"Surprise!" Forge yells along with the others in the room, and one blows on a party whistle while the party canon shoots confetti.

Forge simply walks over to the table while he sees his chance, turning the hotsauce bottle so the label isn't immediately visible. As Pinkie talks at Twilight in her usual ~~meth induced~~ hyperactive manner, Twilight pours the hotsauce into a cup and starts drinking through a straw. How she doesn't notice the hotsauce's taste immediately is anyone's guess.

"And now you have lots and lots of friends!" Pinkie finishes.

Twilight turns around, face red and sweating. Applejack asks if she's alright, until Twilight evolves into Rapidash briefly before going up to her room. Forge laughs a good distance away from the crime scene, and continues after Pinkie eats the hotsauce cupcake she makes. Rainbow Dash flies over to Forge, looking at him quite suspiciously.

"What's so funny?" Rainbow asks in a mistrusting tone.

"Did you see her face right then? That, was priceless." Forge says, and resumes laughing his ass off. Rainbow smirks knowingly.

"So you pulled a prank on the newbie this time, how did you get her to drink that? I need to know." Rainbow says.

"All I did was turn the label on the hotsauce around, and I can't believe that worked!" Forge says in the middle of laughing. Rainbow laughs too, until Pinkie shoves herself between the two.

"Ooh, what are we laughing about?" Pinkie asks, excited as ever.

"Forge turned the label on the hotsauce around, and Twilight drank it! How did she fall for that?" Rainbow explains, laughing at the absurdity of how the prank worked. Pinkie starts laughing too, occasionally snorting.

"How WOULD she fall for that, couldn't she taste the hotsauce as soon as she started drinking it?" Pinkie says while laughing with Forge and Rainbow. Curiously, Forge wasn't feeling too hungry at that moment. He made a mental note to check on that later.

-<>~--*--~<>-<

Later that night, ponies flock to the town hall for the summer sun celebration. Forge stands in his previously chosen spot, waiting for his chance to see this chain of events firsthand, er, hoof. Fluttershy's birds start singing, and the spotlights move down to Mayor Mare. During this, Forge stares up at the balcony, tuning out her speech before the curtains part. Once parted with no princess behind them, Forge feels a massive wave of worry and panic, only increased when Rarity says the princess is gone, and escalated even further at the nebulous gas forming into Nightmare Moon.

"Oh my beloved subjects. It's been so long since I've seen your precious little, sun loving faces." Nightmare Moon says, addressing the entire town hall.

"What did you do with our princess?" Rainbow asks accusingly, before Applejack grabs her by the tail to prevent Rainbow from making a stupid mistake.

"How was it being alone on the moon for a millennium!? Was that a long enough time out!?" Forge yells, promptly looking around afterwards like the ponies around him.

Nightmare Moon looks around with narrowed eyes. "WHO DARES TO SPEAKETH SUCH INSULTING THINGS!?" Lightning strikes to punctuate her anger. She then calms herself, clearing her throat and resuming her speech.

"Am I not royal enough for you, don't you know who I am?" Nightmare finishes with a bit of venom in her tone.

Pinkie starts to guess names, until Applejack silences her with an apple in the muzzle. Forge breathes a sigh of relief.

"Does my crown no longer count now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years? Did you not recall the legend? Did you not see the signs?" Nightmare says while addressing various ponies, miffed that she was mostly forgotten.

"I did, and I know who you are. You're the mare in the moon, Nightmare Moon." Twilight says confidently, eliciting a gasp and more fear in the rest of the town hall.

"Well well well, somepony else who remembers me. Then you also know why I'm here." Nightmare says harshly to Twilight.

Twilight seems to have lost her courage, unable to respond with the answer. That is, until Forge pipes up again, having moved to another spot in the town hall.

"To use a half baked plan for eternal nighttime that will kill all the crops and starve everypony to death until you're the ruler of a barren wasteland? I thought you'd be smarter than that since you've had a thousand years to plan!" Forge yells, hoping to anger Nightmare and shatter her cool and collected manner again. It works too well. Nightmare Moon spots Forge this time, yanking him up close with her magic, eyes white with anger as she yells olden obscenities in his face using her royal Canterlot voice, rendering Forge temporarily deaf and blurring his vision. Despite this, he keeps a stupid grin.

"If you wanted to get intimate, you could've just asked." Forge says like a smartass.

He's unceremoniously tossed toward the ground, caught in Rarity's magic as Nightmare is distracted by the guards, and escapes in a nebulous trail. Forge is set down, shaking his head and running out of the town hall along with Twilight and the others.

-<>~--*--~<>-<

Forge follows the rest of the element bearers into Twilight's new library tree-house, just as he hears Applejack stop Rainbow Dash from accusing Twilight of being a spy. Rainbow Dash grabs Forge and throws him right next to Twilight.

"Then how do they both know what's happening? They both moved here in a week of each-other. Isn't THAT suspicious?" Rainbow says, now staring both Twilight and Forge down.

"I read all about the prediction of Nightmare Moon. Some mysterious objects called the elements of harmony are the only things that can stop her. But I don't know where they are, where to find them, I don't even know what they do!" Twilight explains.

"The elements of harmony, a reference guide." Pinkie says while reading the title of the shelved book in question.

Twilight rushes over, shoving Pinkie out of the way. "How did you find that!?" Twilight exclaims.

"It was under Eeee~." Pinkie says as she hops back to the rest of the group.

"That explains how Twilight knew, but not YOU Forge." Rainbow continues to accuse.

"I also read about it, just like Twilight did. Now will you please stop accusing me of spying for somebody who was trapped on the fucking moon for a thousand years that I have no way of contacting?" Forge says, deflecting Rainbow's accusations with logic.

The ponies in the room are taken aback by the use of foul language.

"I, uh, well..." Rainbow tries to refute, failing and going quiet.

Twilight starts reading the book once the argument stops. "There are six elements of harmony, but only five are known. Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Honesty, and Loyalty. The sixth, is a complete mystery."

Forge looks out the window at the spying Nightmare puff cloud, and bleps at it while Twilight reads to the other five.

"It is said the last known location of the five elements, was in the ancient castle of the royal pony sisters." Twilight continues.

Nightmare's cloud seems to pull back a little, as if in shock, and flies off.

"It is located in." As Twilight tries to finish, the other five all say simultaneously "The Everfree Forest!" Dread evident in their voices.

They all head out of the library towards the Everfree Forest, Rainbow walking beside Forge for a moment.

"Hey Forge, sorry for accusing you of being a spy back there." Rainbow apologizes, looking slightly embarrassed.

"It's alright, you had every reason to be suspicious back there Rainbow. Next time though, don't throw me. Okay? Or at least not too hard." Forge says playfully.

Rainbow snickers. "I'll keep that in mind." She says in an equally playful tone, and flying back over to the front of the group.

Shortly after, they arrive to the entrance of the Everfree.

"Whee! Let's go!" Pinkie says happily.

"Not so fast." Twilight says, stopping Pinkie from going. "Look, I appreciate the offer. But I'd really rather do this on my own." Twilight finishes.

"No can do sugarcube. We sure ain't lettin' any friend of ours go into that creepy place alone. We're stickin' to you like caramel on a candy apple." Applejack says, leading Rarity, Rainbow, and Fluttershy into the forest.

"Especially if there's candy apples in there." Pinkie says, receiving a look from Twilight. "What? Those things are good!" Pinkie says before following the rest into the forest.

"Well, no turning back now, we've got a demigoddess to defeat. Say, how do you think she survived up there for that long anyway?" Forge says as he walks beside Twilight into the forest.

"She was sealed IN the moon, not ON the moon. So it was probably an elaborate sealing spell only the elements of harmony have enough magic to perform." Twilight replies.

"Oh, that could actually explain a LOT. No need to eat or drink when magically imprisoned inside a solid object." Forge says.

"So, none of you have been in here before?" Twilight asks nervously.

"Oh heavens no. Just look at it, it's dreadful!" Rarity says, horrified.

"And it ain't natural. Folks say it don't work the same as Equestria." Applejack says.

"I've been here. Plenty of times actually, mentally mapped a route to the castle." Forge says, eliciting gasps from the rest of the group.

"Why would you come here on PURPOSE darling?" Rarity asks in shock.

"And you know where the castle is!? Why didn't you say anything before!?" Twilight asks.

"You hadn't asked. And besides, where else would I sleep when I'm homeless?" Forge says.

Just as he finishes talking, the ground underneath the group collapses, the Nightmare cloud flying off as Rainbow and Fluttershy hover above the spot.

"Fluttershy, quick!" Rainbow yells as she dives for the falling ponies and not pony.

"Oh my goodness, oh my goodness!" Fluttershy exclaims softly, following after Rainbow.

Rainbow lifts Pinkie, and Fluttershy lifts Rarity. Meanwhile, Applejack is sliding down to Twilight, as Forge begins hopping down a series of ledges. When he arrives back down, Rainbow and Fluttershy set Twilight on the ground safely. Applejack is following the series of ledges Forge had hopped down.

"Up next on the list, manticore. It's been hell avoiding it for the last week, but now's the time where I'll have to see it awake." Forge thinks as the group continues moving.

"Good thing I saw you goin' down those ledges, I had no idea how I was gettin' down from there." Applejack says to Forge.

"Don't thank me for that, you would've been able to find them without me." Forge replies, only now tuning in Rainbow's conversation.

"And then once Pinkie and Rarity were safe, Fluttershy and I looped a loop around then WHAM, caught you right in the nick of time." Rainbow finishes.

"Yes Rainbow, I was there. And I'm very grateful, but we gotta- A manticore!" Twilight says when she spots the angry looking manticore.

"Well shit." Forge blurts when the manticore finishes roaring.

"We've gotta get past it." Twilight says firmly.

Rarity kicks the manticore daintily in the face. "Take that you ruffian!" She says confidently, until the manticore roars in her face, ruining her mane. "My hair!" Rarity exclaims, before remembering that there's a manticore in front of her and booking it.

"Wait." Fluttershy practically mumbles.

Applejack jumps onto the manticore's back. "Yeehaw! Get along little doggy!" She says while trying to hold onto the angry manticore.

"Wait." Fluttershy barely says again.

Applejack is flung off of the manticore. "All yours partner." She says as she flies past Rainbow.

"I'm on it." Rainbow says, saluting before charging towards the manticore.

"Wait." Fluttershy tries to say again, to no avail.

All the while, Forge just stands there, calmly looking on with a smirk.

Rainbow circles the manticore like a tornado, until she's hit out of it by the blunt part of manticore's tail. She lands in front of the group. The mares and manticore get ready to charge at one another, only for Fluttershy to get in front of them.

"Wait!" Fluttershy yells desperately, stopping the mares and manticore. Forge just casually walks over.

Fluttershy walks up to the manticore, which is ready to strike. The rest of the group minus Forge wince.

"Shh, it's okay." Fluttershy says calmly, nuzzling the manticore's hurting paw. The manticore reveals the purple Nightmare thorn.

"Aww, you poor, poor little baby." Fluttershy says.

"Little?" Rainbow says in disbelief.

"Now this might hurt for just a second." Fluttershy says.

Fluttershy pulls the thorn from the manticore's paw. When she does, it picks her up and it roars.

"Fluttershy!" Everypony but Forge says in unison, though he can feel the mass worry from them hit him as subtly as a brick to the skull.

Forge picks up and stares at the thorn briefly, narrowing his eyes and whispering to it. "So you were a thorn in someone else's side for once, or paw. Honestly, I thought pricking was my thing." He tosses her aside. Meanwhile, the manticore purrs and licks Fluttershy affectionately.

"Aww you're just a little old baby kitty, aren't you? Yes you are, yes you are." Fluttershy says as the group slips past the manticore. Forge continues past while Twilight and Fluttershy catch up.

"Ugh, my eyes need rest from all this icky muck." Rarity complains as the group enters a dark area within the forest. "Well I didn't mean that literally."

"That ancient ruin could be right in front of our faces and we wouldn't even know it!" Twilight says.

"We're far from there, trust me." Forge replies.

As the group argues, Forge stares blankly at a spooky looking tree in front of him. He carries on while the others in the group freak out, just until Pinkie starts singing. At that point, Forge has deafened himself. He opts to act like he knows what Pinkie was singing, which he kind of does anyway. Once the number ends, and they were all on the ground laughing, Forge un-deafens himself. As they continued forward laughing, they come to the river, where Pinkie stops and causes a conga of bumping.

"How are we gonna cross that?" Pinkie asks nobody in particular.

As they hear crying, the group looked through a bush, and Forge spots exactly who he was expecting. A bawling Steven Magnet.

"Excuse me sir, why are you crying?" Twilight asks the distraught sea serpent.

"Well I don't know. I was just sitting here, minding my own business, when this tacky little cloud of purple smoke just whisked past me, and took half of my beloved mustache clean off. And now, I look simply horrid!" Steven says before flopping in the river and crying again.

Forge steps back from the splash zone, while the others get soaked in the cold river water. If there was one thing he hated, it was being drenched in cold ass water. Warm bathing water was much more preferable.

"Oh gimme a break." Rainbow mutters under her breath.

"That's what all the fuss is about?" Applejack asks rhetorically.

"Why of course it is! How CAN you be so insensitive?" Rarity says incredulously. "Oh just look at him, such lovely luminescent scales." She continues.

"I know." Steven replies.

"And your expertly quaffed mane." Rarity says.

"Oh I know, I know." Steven says.

"Your fabulous manicure." Rarity says.

"It's so true." Steven says.

"All ruined without your beautiful mustache." Rarity concludes.

"It's true, I'm hideous!" Steven replies.

"I simply cannot let a crime against such fabulousity go uncorrected!" Rarity exclaims.

She bites one of Steven's scales, and rips it off.

"Ow! What did you do that for?" Steven asks, hurt.

Rarity holds the scale up, and before Twilight can fully interject, she slices her own tail off. Steven faints from seeing this. Rarity levitates her cut tail over to Steven's face, tying it to the short end of his mustache, fixing it.

"My mustache! How wonderful!" Steven says.

"You look smashing." Rarity says. Meanwhile, Forge has to shove the image of a particular meme out of his mind.

"Oh Rarity, your beautiful tail." Twilight says, concerned.

"Oh." Rarity turns around. "It's fine my dear, short tails are in this season. Besides, it'll grow back." She says while looking at her tail.

"So, with the mustache." Rainbow not so subtly reminds Twilight.

"We can cross now, let's go- ah!" Twilight says, as she's taken off guard by Steven forming a path for them to hop across.

"Allow me." He says, waiting for the seven to cross the river.

After a small walk, they reach the bridge and can see the castle in the distance.

"There it is! The ruin that holds the elements of harmony, we made it!" Twilight exclaims happily.

"Twilight, wait for us!" Applejack yells as she and the others chase after Twilight, who is sprinting towards the castle.

"We're almost there!" She says excitedly.

Just after, she nearly falls where the unfastened bridge is. Rainbow tugs Twilight back by her tail.

"What's with you and falling off cliffs today?" Rainbow asks jokingly, met with a glare from Twilight.

"Now what?" Pinkie says.

"Duh." Rainbow retorts, fluttering her wings for effect.

"Oh yeah." Pinkie says, realizing her silliness.

Rainbow swoops down, grabbing the end of the rope bridge to re-tie it on the other side.

"I could've sworn that bridge was fine when I left this morning. Guess the old thing finally gave out." Forge remarks.

"Wait, you crossed an unstable bridge like that, just regularly!? You're lucky you didn't fall through it, or worse!" Twilight scolds, berating the intentional crossing of a structurally unstable bridge over a large gap.

"That, or it was sabotaged. Haven't you noticed everything impeding our path just happens seemingly by chance? And this often? What plants out here have purple thorns? What was the purple smoke that sheared Steven's 'stache? And now the bridge just collapses without anyone around to see it despite being regularly crossed for a whole week? No, someone's doing this, and I think you know who it is too Twinkle Sprinkle." Forge elaborates, turning his attention back across the foggy chasm. "Come to think of it, there usually isn't this much fog here either."

"That... makes sense. But, this is taking too long..." Twilight remarks back. "Rainbow, what's taking so long?" She ask yells across the gap, before spotting the shadowbolts. "Oh no. Rainbow!" Twilight continues.

The fog around the area is condensed by Nightmare in an effort to stop Rainbow from hearing her new friends.

"Don't listen to them!" Twilight sighs when the fog stops her from saying anything else.

"Don't worry, she's got this. I can feel it." Forge says reassuringly. In actuality, he DOES feel it.

Shortly after, Rainbow returns while parting the fog.

"Told you so." Forge said playfully, Twilight rolls her eyes grumpily in response.

"See, I'd never leave my friends hangin'." Rainbow says, flying past the group on the bridge.

The group enters the ruin together, all focusing on the element podium in the center of the room.

"Woah, isn't this what you've been waitin' for Twilight?" Applejack asks.

"The elements of harmony, we found them!" Twilight says.

Rainbow and Fluttershy pick up one of the stones each, setting them down and getting the rest.

"Careful." Twilight says.

"One, two, three, four, there's only five." Pinkie says.

"Where's the sixth?" Rainbow asks.

"The book said, when the five elements are present a spark will cause the sixth element to be revealed." Twilight explains.

"What in the hay is that supposed to mean?" Applejack asks incredulously.

"I'm not sure, but I have an idea. Stand back, I don't know what will happen." Twilight says, igniting her horn.

"Come on now y'all, she needs to concentrate." Applejack says, leading the other mares out. Applejack peeks back in, and looks at Forge. "You too, come on."

Forge sighs, walking out of the building with the rest of them.

"I wasn't going to disturb her, being still and unnoticed is one of my specialties." Forge complains, having wanted to stay and watch.

"Ah!" Twilight yelps in surprise.

"Twilight!" Everyone but Forge says, as they all rush to the door only to be met with an empty room.

"Follow me, I know where they went." Forge says, leading the frantic mares deeper into the castle towards the towers.

"So, you've been livin' here for a week?" Applejack asks.

"Yeah, gave me plenty of time to memorize the layout. I saw which tower they reappeared in through a window, I can get us there shortly." Forge replies.

"That's awful Forge, why didn't you tell any of us you were homeless?" Fluttershy asks, concerned.

"I didn't even think to, I just assumed this would be the easiest, least bothersome solution." Forge explains.

"Oh heavens no darling, that's not true at all." Rarity interjects.

"Rarity's right, you know what they say about assumin'." Applejack says.

"We can talk about this later, right now we need to focus on preventing eternal night and starvation. Honestly, you'd think someone who's practically a deity would have the sense to know that plants need photosynthesis. From the sun. Guessing she failed science class, am I right?" Forge deflects, continuing to the tower he was looking for, receiving giggles in response. They ascend the staircase as Twilight is talking.

"Because the spirits of the elements of harmony, are right here!" Twilight says confidently.

"What?" Nightmare says, confused as he shattered pieces of the elements start to glow and float.

"Applejack, who reassured me when I was in doubt represents the spirit of, Honesty! Fluttershy, who tamed the manticore with her compassion represents the spirit of, Kindness! Pinkie Pie, who banished fear by giggling in the face of danger represents the spirit of, Laughter! Rarity, who calmed a sorrowful serpent with a meaningful gift represents the spirit of, Generosity! And Rainbow Dash, who could not abandon her friends for her own heart's desire represents the spirit of, Loyalty! The spirits of these five ponies got us through every challenge you threw at us!" Twilight explains confidently.

"And I'm just here." Forge interjects, an intentionally dumb smile on his face.

"You still don't have the sixth element, the spark didn't work! And it can't possibly be... that one, is it?" Nightmare yells, worry reeking from her.

"Not him, no. But it did, a different kind of spark. I felt it the very moment I realized how happy I was to hear you. to see you. How much I cared about you." Twilight says, looking to her new friends, although not Forge. "The spark ignited inside me, when I realized that you all, are my friends!" Twilight continues, turning back to face Nightmare.

At that moment, the sixth element of magic appears and descends towards Twilight, glowing brightly.

"You see Nightmare Moon, when those elements are ignited by the... the spark, that resides in the heart of us all, it creates the sixth element. The element of, Magic!" Twilight finishes, causing the element to glow even brighter.

In the flash, each of the shattered elements forms into a necklace on their wielders, and the element of magic forms a tiara on Twilight. The magic coursing between the six mares concentrates into the harmonizing rainbow laser of friendship, shooting towards and spiraling around a panicking Nightmare Moon.

"Taste the rainbow motherfucker!" Forge yells out, fulfilling a desire he's had for quite a long time.

Once the magical blast subsides, the group starts complimenting each-other's elements, and Rarity's newly regrown tail.

"Gee Twilight, I thought you were just spouting a lot of hooey. But I reckon, we really do represent the elements of friendship." Applejack says to Twilight.

"Indeed you do." Celestia says, as she makes quite the entrance.

The ponies in the room bow to her, including Forge, but not Twilight.

"Princess Celestia!" She says happily, rushing over to her mentor.

"Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student." Celestia acknowledges as she horse hugs Twilight. "I knew you could do it." She finishes.

"But, you told me it was all an old pony tale." Twilight says, confused.

"I told you that you needed to make some friends, nothing more. I saw the signs of Nightmare Moon's return, and I knew it was you who had the magic inside to defeat her. That you could not unleash it until you had let true friendship into your heart. Now if only another will as well. Princess Luna." Celestia says, looking over to Luna and the shattered armor around her.

Luna opens her eyes in shock, and Forge can sense the cacophony of mixed emotions emanating from Luna as Celestia approaches.

"It has been a thousand years since I have seen you like this." Celestia says, leaning down in front of Luna. "Time to put our differences behind us, we were meant to rule together little sister." Celestia says, eliciting surprise from the others in the room. "Will you accept my friendship?" Celestia asks, now standing again.

Everyone waits in anticipation, and Pinkie falls over.

"I'm so sorry!" Luna says, running up to Celestia. "I missed you so much big sister." She finishes.

"I missed you too." Celestia says in joyous relief.

Pinkie Pie cries cartoonishly, though the emotion behind it is genuine. She abruptly stops, the complete shift in mood startling Forge.

"Hey, you know what this calls for?" Pinkie asks happy as ever. "A PARTY!" She exclaims.

As they all head to the stairs, Forge levitates the shattered armor fragments, following them down. He stows it away in one of the secret compartments he discovered previously as they head out to Ponyville.

-<>~--*--~<>-<

Everypony in Ponyville enjoys the party Pinkie threw together, though Forge leans against a tree while sitting a little bit away from the celebration. Once Celestia announces that Twilight will be staying in Ponyville, he smiles.

Kept it all on course, despite being the anomaly myself. But, maybe that isn't always going to be the case... For their safety, I need to move again, somewhere I won't be able to change the timeline by mistake. Forge thinks to himself, not noticing Celestia walking over to him.

"You seem troubled. What's on your mind?" Celestia asks Forge, startling him.

"Sorry princess, I uh... I'm not sure I really can. I might have to let everyone down in a little bit." Forge says wearily, looking at the ground. "I can't stay here."

Celestia puts a hoof on his shoulder. "Why can't you stay? I don't see any issue with you being here." Celestia says comfortingly.

"But, I honestly think I would be a problem here. If, if I'm right, you already know why I think this. I'm an anomaly here, and what if I screw up what's supposed to happen?" Forge retorts, scared of his own chance at failure.

"Well, maybe that could happen. But you don't know for sure that's the case. Maybe you're guiding us to a brighter future? You certainly stopped Nightmare Moon from taking over." Celestia says in response.

The mane six all walk up to them, Luna in tow. It looks like Fluttershy has something on her mind too, until Twilight steps forward.

"Princess, there's something we wanted to ask about. I was told by Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash that Turner Forge here is homeless, and has been sleeping in the castle ruin for the past week." Twilight explains.

Celestia looks back to Forge, as does everypony else.

"Why didn't you say anything about that?" Celestia asks.

"Now's a good a time as any to explain yourself." Applejack adds, referring to Forge's deflection in the castle just a while ago.

Forge sighs. "I didn't say anything because I didn't think I needed to, it wasn't important. I wasn't important in the entire adventure to save the world from eternal night and the following starvation, at all." Forge explains.

"You were plenty of help though, I only saw those ledges to hop down from because of you, AND you guided us to the tower Nightmare and Twilight were in." Applejack rebuttals.

"AND you entered the Everfree Forest along with us, the only ponies brave enough to enter it. You risked your life out there like we did." Rainbow adds.

"You would've found both of those regardless, I just sped it up by a few seconds in all honesty. Plus, I couldn't do anything to aid you six in using the elements either." Forge denies.

"Just because you don't have an element doesn't make you unimportant." Fluttershy offers.

"Here goes nothing..." "But that's not the reason I wasn't important. In fact, the reason I'm not is because I've been having visions of the near future that don't involve me in the slightest. The six of you are integral, my own interference risks changing things for the worse if I stay!" Forge says, covering his mouth afterwards. They eye him suspiciously.

"You mean you KNEW what was goin' on the whole time, and lied to us!?" Applejack asks, bewildered and slightly miffed.

"Okay, I let that slip by accident, but yes. I'm sorry for not saying anything about that. The best course of action I see from here is removing myself from the equation. I'll have to move to another town." Forge concludes. "Please buy it please buy it please buy it!"

"But, why?" Pinkie asks, adorably being sad.

"I... Just have to." Forge says.

"Nonsense, is there any way you can stay in Ponyville with us?" Rarity asks.

"I don't know. But do you know what's at stake if I stay? The world could be doomed if I let my emotions get the better of me, and end up changing how things are supposed to happen." Forge says.

"I will offer you a choice, then. Either I can get you a home here in Ponyville, or you can stay with Luna and I at the castle until you decide where you want to go." Celestia says.

The others nod in unison.

"I... I can't accept either offer your highness. I want to afford a home on my own, and I also can't just mooch off of you either." Forge says.

"What is your talent?" Celestia asks, eyebrow raised.

"Uh, mostly metalworking. Why?" Forge asks.

"I can keep you at the castle as a royal smith, your work will allow you to live on the premises and give you employment benefits. That way you will be working for your home. Does that sound like a reasonable compromise?" Celestia asks, waiting for Forge's response.

Forge mulls it over. "I guess that can work... Okay Princess, I accept your offer." Forge says, standing up and extending his hoof, promptly hoofshaking with Celestia.

"Then it's settled." Celestia says in affirmation.

Pinkie hugs Forge, prompting the others to as well.

"Promise you'll visit? Please? Prettyprettyprettyplease?" Pinkie asks.

"I will visit when I feel like I can, I promise." Forge says, eliciting a squee from Pinkie.

"You'd better Forge, I want to go pull some pranks with you sometime. Your whole vision thing could be useful for that." Rainbow says.

"And make sure to come around for cider season, you won't wanna miss that!" Applejack says.

"Do visit the boutique every so often, I have few willing male models to try outfits and designs on." Rarity says.

"And make sure you come by the library, I want to know how your visions work." Twilight says.

"Okay, okay. I said I will already." Forge says, a little embarrassed.

Forge heads towards the Everfree once more.

"Where are you going?" Pinkie asks.

"To go get my few things from the old castle, and after I'm gonna collect my paycheck and resign from the local hayburger." Forge says, heading into the tree line.

-<>~--*--~<>-<

Soon, Forge returns with his saddlebags full of his belongings. When he does, Celestia pats the other spot next to her, while Luna gives him an odd look. Forge hesitantly sits there.

"Are you sure this is alright?" He asks in disbelief.

Celestia nods. "I'm sure, am I really that intimidating?" She asks.

"It's not intimidation really, just unexpected and odd considering you're royalty and all." Forge replies.

"No need to be so nervous, then. Besides, we'd be waiting a while if I had to call another chariot." Celestia says, as they lift off, heading for Canterlot castle.

"Excuse me, Princess Luna." Forge says, as Luna looks over at him.

"Yes, subject?" She asks hesitantly.

"I'm sorry for angering you at town hall before, it was wrong of me to say those things. Even if you WERE Nightmare Moon at the time." Forge apologizes.

"Apology accepted." Luna replies, looking ahead again. He could tell it wasn't quite genuine.

Celestia looks at Forge curiously. "What exactly did you say to her, if I may ask?" Celestia asks.

"I kind of rubbed in the whole thousand year imprisonment thing and compared it to a time out, and then I called her plan for eternal night half baked, and then said something REALLY inappropriate when she pulled me close with magic..." Forge says sheepishly. Luna looks away with a slight blush, embarrassed. "I was trying to shatter Nightmare's cool and calm appearance, which in hindsight was a stupid and pointless thing to do." Forge finishes.

"Well, as long as you acknowledge your mistake in doing that, and don't do it again everything will be fine. But anger me or my sister intentionally again, and you won't like what happens." Celestia warns.

"I understand your highness." Forge says, looking away in shame.