Chapter Twenty Eight: Mount Aris

I had indeed walked through town in my naked human form up to Twilight's castle. And I thoroughly enjoyed it, Ember did too. She had a smile on her face as she walked arm in arm beside me with a possessive wing around me. There was at least one wolf whistle that I was certain came from Rainbow and another one from the massage twins. The fun didn't end there because right after walking into her castle, I bumped into Crystal Moon. She's the pegasus that sexually assaulted me while the two unicorn mares held me in their magic when I accidentally appeared in their shower a while back. It wasn't a hard bump but just enough to have her backpedaling a couple of steps. "Sorry about that," I apologized and moved to the side to let her by as it appeared that she was going to work. "Didn't see you there."

Her eyes immediately went south to my crotch with a heavy blush on her face. A couple of seconds later, she shook her head, said an embarrassed apology, and quickly left. So, with a smile on my face and a chuckle in my throat, we went to find Twilight. And wouldn't you know it, we found her in the library with Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow along with their sisters Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo respectively.

As soon as they spotted us, Rainbow wolf-whistled at me as the rest of them gave me varying degrees of looks ranging from amused to mildly disapproving. "I thought that was you that whistled at me," I said to Rainbow as we walked up to them as they sat around a library table in the middle of the large library room.

Rainbow just grinned at me while her eyes lustfully roamed over my naked body as Twilight shook her head, "I can't believe you walked through town completely naked."

I simply shrugged with an amused smile at that.

"I don't mind," Rainbow commented while licking her lips at me. "He can stay that way all throughout our camping trip in my opinion."

"Sadly, I, nor Ember, nor Twilight will be able to come with you," I informed them.

"Me? I won't?" Twilight questioned, looking over at me with curious interest.

"Nope turns out that Tia has been writing Queen Novo of the Hippogriffs for a long time and hasn't received a letter from her in a long while. Therefore, she wants you and me to do a wellness check on her. Ember has been told, by her father, about her father's past dealings with the hippogriffs, so she's coming along too."

"Political mission," she nodded, "got it."

^_^

It was early in the morning as I laid on my back in the basket of the charter balloon type ship. Twilight said that we would be at Mount Aris by morning, so she packed us a large plush quilt blanket with some pillows and other supplies to get us there and back again. Right now, the sun was just peeking above the horizon as Twilight and Ember lay against me as I held them in my arms. There was a long tubular balloon strapped to the large basket we were in above us, so we couldn't watch the stars at night directly over our heads. Although, from my perspective, I still had a good view of the sunrise. Night was yielding to day as the morning sun started painting its rays across the sky. It was a beautiful and peaceful morning while watching the sunrise with the gentle breaths of Ember and Twilight on my chest. With one hand gently stroking Twilight back between her wings and the other doing to same to Ember, I was a man in content right now.

Twilight woke up first a little bit later as we neared the shores of Mount Aris. Her tongue stuck out in the cutest way as she woke up with a big morning yawn. So, I kissed her good morning just when she finished yawning. It took her a second to register what was happening before she returned with a gentle morning kiss of her own. "Good morning," I whispered to her after we broke while continuing to rub up and down her back.

She hummed contently while looking up at me with love in her eyes. "Good morning," she replied softly with a happy smile on her face. "Last night was simply...magical," she teased, whispering to me, with a smirk as my mind returned to last night. "I never know what to expect when my magic goes off like that. Certainly not expecting Ember and I to see, hear, and feel each other during sex. She felt everything I did both physically and emotionally and I felt everything she did." She turned her head to look over at Ember that was still sleeping, snoring actually, peacefully away. Then smiled as she whispered thoughtfully, "I felt her true joy as she slowly made love to you."

"That explains how you were encouraging her last night," I whispered back, bringing up my head to her head and gently scratching behind an ear.

She tilted her head into my hand with a soft acknowledging hum, "Yes. She actually let me speak for her, so she could concentrate on loving you. Luckily, I was of sound mind enough to put up a protective barrier around the balloon last night."

"Yeah," I agreed with a chuckle. "We would be worse off if her fire burst that thing above us."

"Knowing how she feels about you through feeling them myself gave me a unique perspective about how she feels about you." She faced me again with a wide bedroom-eyed smile on her face while lifting a hoof to gently stroke again my cheek. Then rolled away from me just enough to run her hoof slowly down to my chest, rubbing lightly. "And she was right," she whispered as her hoof lightly rubbed down my chest toward my stomach. "I just never noticed before but she was right and I'm so happy that she showed me."

Now that got me curious. "Showed you what?"

She looked up at me and blinked slowly before shaking her head with a smirk to tease me, "Not my place to say."

"Tease," said to her, playfully sticking out my tongue at her.

"A few more minutes," Ember's voice was slow and slurred as she quietly complained about us talking. Then wiggled to get more comfortable against me as she put an arm and a wing over me, resting her head against my chest.

Turning my head, I gave her a gentle kiss, "That's about all we have because we are almost there."

Twilight stood up with a cat-like stretch, "Then I better start guiding us down then."

^_^

"Even as we were landing I could tell that this whole place was deserted," was my comment as we started walking up the side of the mountain. "Even more so, now that I've gotten a closer look at it."

"Not seeing any hippogriffs around is rather concerning," Ember threw in her two cents as she walked in front of me.

"I agree with both of you," Twilight said from in front of Ember. I didn't mind being in the back of the line because it gave me a good view of their butts. The gentle sway of their butts in front of me drew my eyes as we walked up the side of the mountain. "When you said that Celestia wanted us to check up on Queen Novo, I wasn't expecting it to look deserted. I thought that maybe she was simply too busy with something. However, this is much more ominous."

"When my father spoke of his experience with the hippogriffs, he spoke of them as isolationists. Prideful, boastful, and arrogant." As she spoke we had to keep walking in a line instead of side by side because of the narrow dirt path that wound its way up the side of Mount Aris. The way was slow going because of how precarious it was or at least that was my excuse when they asked to fly up. I just used that as an excuse so I could watch their butts as they walked. "So, it was surprising to me to see none of them around."

"And we would find out more a lot quicker if we could just fly up there," Twilight complained down at me from higher up the path that she turned the corner around.

I rolled my eyes up at her, "Sure you two can but I can't fly."

"No, but you can use that dash ability of yours to follow us quickly up." Stopping where she was, she looked back at Ember clearly annoyed at me at this point. "What do you say Ember? Fly up there and leave him to chase after us?"

After one look down at me, she gave a short firm nod in agreement. "Our mate is quick and strong. He will have no trouble making quick work of the long path above us."

And with that my beautiful view of their swaying butts flew off toward the top of the mountain with Twilight shouting down at me, "See you at the top."

After watching them fly off, I let out a disappointed sigh before starting to dash my way up Mount Aris. Being as tall as it was up the mountain, I had to take some breaks a couple of times to rest but eventually, I made it all the way up.

^_^

I was a little winded by the time I finally got to the top of the mountain and caught up with them. And while I was happy to be seeing the lovely view of their butts again, that left my mind when my eyes caught the same thing they did. My eyes went wide upon seeing the same sights that had also made them speechless as I walked up between them. At the very top of the very long staircase were two giant eagle heads that were pointed down toward each other to make a giant arch entrance. On either side of the entrance were two large stone cages as if to house a bird. Guard houses more than likely. What got us staring up at them and to the city just beyond was the damage to everything around. "What the heck happened here?"

"A battle happened," Ember commented softly but with a somber tone to her voice.

"I think you're right, Ember," Twilight agreed and watched me walk over to one of the large stone cages.

"I agree completely," I said, reaching my paw up and pressing it against a burned and cracked portion. I only had a second of warning before the rest of that side of the stone cage crumbled under its own weight. The sound of the cage crumbling echoed slightly among the battle scarred ruins as if an echo of the battle that came before. "The way the stone's surface is scarred, I'd almost swear that they used some sort of bomb."

"I don't think that's all they used," Ember commented as she pointed toward a hippogriff statue that was standing in the way just beyond the entryway. When she pointed that out, something felt off about that statue as I ran up to them as they started walking through the entryway.

"That's an odd statue to put right in the middle of the road." Twilight walked up to it and started walking around it, eyeing it carefully. "It appears to be a statue of a hippogriff guard. But normally they would be standing in a standing ready position. Not with his spear pointing forward as if he was fighting something."

"Twilight?" I asked rhetorically to get her attention as I stood next to Ember. "Remember those weird chicken things that turn ponies to stone by staring at them?"

"Cockatrice? Yeah," she gave me a nod then looked at the statue again as I motioned toward it with a nod of my own. She shook her head, dismissing my idea. "But I don't think that there's any Cockatrice's here." But lit up her horn then lowered it toward the statue anyway and began scanning it. A second later, she stopped scanning as her eyes went wide. "I don't believe it," she gasped in shock and took a couple of steps away from it. "That's a real hippogriff guard that's been turned to stone." Ember and I walked up closer as Twilight lit up her horn again for another scan. Another couple of seconds later, she stopped scanning, lifted her head up, and looked at us with clear confusion written on her face. "I don't get it. This is clearly a hippogriff guard that's been turned to stone in like manner to the Cockatrice. However, the magic used to turn him to stone isn't something that I've ever come across before. It's similar though as if somepony studied the cockatrice in order to use it as a base for their own magical means somehow."

"Then let's be on our guard then as we go further in," I warned. Twilight agreed with a nod of her head as she rejoined walking beside us as we walked away from the hippogriff stone mystery. We met more of the same the further we ventured into the battle-torn small town.

"They use a birdcage architecture for the roof of their houses instead of a gabled roof," Twilight commented then flew up to the closest one for a better look. "Interesting."

"Careful Twilight," I cautioned after watching her fly up to closely study the top of the residential buildings beside the road, "we don't know if the attackers are still here."

"She's never had to think strategically has she?" Ember asked softly from beside me as Twilight's horn lit up with what I assumed was a basic scanning spell.

Shaking my head, I whispered back to her, "Nope. And if she finds something interesting or educational, she goes to it like a moth to a flame. It's what makes her so adorkable."

"I heard that," she glared at us while fluttering down to land in front of us. Then snorted out an unamused huff, almost like Rarity would do, even turned her head slightly to the side as if offended, "And besides, there's only one other creature here besides us. And they are at the very end of this road toward the back of the town." She pointed toward what appeared to be the side of a cliff at the end of the road.

"So that's where we go then." And there we started walking while keeping an eye out anyway for anything. What we saw of the rest of the town was more battle-torn buildings and fountains. But that wasn't all, we also saw other facets of normal life scattered around like pieces of furniture, cutlery, pieces of fabric like clothes, drapes, and even clothes scattered about torn and burnt. "There was definitely a battle here." My comment was almost whisper quiet with a somber tone as if I feared whoever attacked would return again.

"There's another guard turned to stone," Ember pointed out off to the side in front of a building.

"Looks like that one was caught by surprise," I said, looking at the guard that was pointed toward one of the houses with his front claw-like hand to his beak as if calling out to the house. "I wonder where they all went. Surely the citizens had someplace else to go."

Unfortunately, that was answered a few minutes later as we reached the face of the cliff. Two large eagle heads were carved into the face of the cliff, again pointing down toward each other. The arch itself was also carved into the stone face but in an intricate ornate fashion that I know Rarity would get inspiration from. The arch was closed shut with a stone slab but what made us gasp in shock was the two stone figures in front of it. One was a guard with his side facing us. Spear in a claw-like hand pointed in our direction with an angry look on his face. The wing on the other side of him was stretched out and angled downward in an effort to protect one of the younger ones. Without success. A younger hippogriff was turned to stone as he or she cowered in fear behind the guard.

"Oh no, the poor thing," Twilight lamented as she trotted up to the young hippogriff turned to stone. Ember actually went over and knelt down on the other side of the young stone hippogriff with not only sadness on her face but anger as well. While they remorsed over the young hippogriff, I stepped up to the closed stone archway. After taking a good long look at it, I didn't see any obvious way in. There was no button to press, nor magical orb that would receive any magic, nothing of that sort of thing. Just plain ordinary stone. "Who would do this to the hippogriffs?"

"I don't know but I'd bet they went through this stone door to somewhere safe," I told, and looked back, at them before motioning toward the closed stone doorway.

"Even dragons have a place to retreat," Ember agreed as she walked over. Then smirked down at me in a teasing manner, "Though we've never had to use it."

"Seems like the hippogriffs had to, though," Twilight commented then ignited her horn to scan the door after she walked over to stand beside me. After a few seconds, she looked up at us, "This is definitely a magically activated door. However, it appears that whatever activates it, is external because there's nothing in or around the door itself that will activate it."

"Then it looks like the only way forward is to ask one of the guards or the young hippogriff." I looked over to the two stone figures, "Think you can do it, Twilight?"

Twilight looked over to them with a sad look on her face and a sigh, "I'm not sure." Then slowly walked over to the guard first, "I can try. Though, I'll try the guard first before trying the young hippogriff just in case something goes wrong. After my encounter with the cockatrice and after Fluttershy stared one down, I started looking into some magical means of reversing it. This could take a while." She went silent, closed her eyes, and ignited her horn to begin scanning the guard. While we waited, I wrapped a couple of tails around Ember while my mind couldn't help but think of the family of this young hippogriff. Being a father myself, I could barely imagine what he or she's father and mother feels right now. Knowing that they won't ever speak to their child again but also knowing that he or she isn't dead either.

"It's similar to the cockatrice," Twilight whispered aloud as she concentrated. "Yet slightly different enough... I wonder if Celestia can help."

A few minutes later, after conversing with Tia telepathically, Twilight opened her eyes and ignited her horn once again. "Alright, let's see if this works." Ember and I watched the guard's body start to glow with magic. Slowly the guard's body began to reverse itself and return to normal. I just hoped that he wouldn't attack us right off after returning to normal. The guard was almost fully returned to normal when Twilight opened her eyes, dissipated her magic, and looked up at the guard. "It worked, it really worked," she sat down, clapping her hooves together as we watched the guard completely return. But I was at the ready, just in case.

The hippogriff guard had a light blue coat and deep brilliantly purple mane and tail with a helmet, breastplate, and leg guards completed him. As he came to, he blinked a few times and when his mind fully awakened from his stone slumber, immediately turned his spear directly to us as if he was still in battle. "I WILL DEFEND HER TO MY DEATH!"

Using my telekinesis, I lifted both Twilight and Ember and pulled them back as I jumped back away from the now conscious guard. Twilight complained with a loud, "Hey!" I had other concerns as I placed both Ember and Twilight on either side of me and called out to him. "We are not your enemy."

Ember stood ready to fight as she lowered herself for better stance while Twilight saw his anger and tried to assuage his anger. "We aren't here to harm you," Twilight pleaded and I could tell that she wanted to step closer but thankfully kept her distance. "You were trapped into stone but I was able to free you."

"A likely story," he growled out to us, thrusting his spear at us, and then shouted back. "I'll protect you Silverstream, go through the-"

"IDIOT!" I interrupted then pointed a paw behind him. "THE BATTLE IS LOST, THE CITY IS LOST, LOOK AROUND YOU, AND THEN LOOK BEHIND YOU. WE ARE NOT YOUR ENEMY. PRINCESS TWILIGHT OF EQUESTRIA JUST FREED YOU FROM YOUR STONE PRISON. USE YOUR HEAD FOR SOMETHING OTHER THAN A HELMET RACK."

Luckily for us, my little outburst brought him out of it and he started to really look around. Even though he kept his spear pointed in our direction, he did start looking around. It was only when his eyes spotted the young hippogriff, which I assumed was this Silverstream he spoke of, in stone did he lower his spear to the ground in despair.

Upon watching the guard lower his spear, and his head, in despair, that's when Twilight started slowly walking toward him. "I was able to restore you," she said gently, still ready for anything, "let me help her too. My name is Twilight from Equestria." Both Ember and I also walked slowly behind Twilight as she started to ignite her horn to free Silverstream.

"My wife, Princess Celestia, sent us to check up on Queen Novo, who she's been writing to, because she hasn't been receiving letters from her," I said gently to him, while watching him intently as Twilight lowered her head toward the young hippogriff. "I think we know why now but we don't know who and or what attacked you?"

His eyes never looked away from Silverstream as Twilight's magic started taking hold as he began speaking softly with his voice filled with despair and failure. "I don't know who they were. They came at us suddenly with heavy weapons that exploded. We tried out best to get every hippogriff out of the city and to the sea down below. But a purple pony with a red mane and tail and a broken horn kicked some green glowing ball at me. I was guarding Silverstream which was the last of the group to retreat when I was hit. That's the last I remember until just now." Silverstream's body was almost done returning to normal as he finished telling us what happened to him.

"That should do it," Twilight said a little tiredly as she took a couple of steps back toward Ember and I. Ember and I moved to stand on either side of her as Silverstream's body glowed and slowly returned to normal.

"No...please..." Silverstream shook and pleaded, still curled up on the ground, after Twilight's magic finished working. She was pink with a two-toned like blue mane and tail to her.

The guard was quick to reassure her and knelt down beside her, put his wing over her, and held her to him, "Lady Silverstream. It's alright now, it's alright now. The enemy is gone and-"

He was interrupted when the stone door of the archway in front of us suddenly opened. Then about a dozen or so guards began screaming and shouting out of the door. Spears in claw, they came out prepared for war. Thinking quickly, I put my tails around Ember and Twilight to hold them against me as I put up my shield around us. Ember's body tensed as she prepared to jump into action but I held her fast against me with a couple of tails. "Wait," I told her as the guards started to surround us, the newly renewed guard, and Silverstream.

"You DARE surround us after we help you?" Ember shouted out in frustration as I was literally holding her back from attacking the group.

The guard stood up from Silverstream and quickly held up his spear in a horizontal position. "HOLD! HOLD I SAY!" After they had surrounded us all, luckily, they did. They didn't do anything else but hold their position with the spears pointed at us. "Why are you-"

"Silverstream?" came a female's voice from the now open stone archway.

Upon hearing her name, Silverstream's ears perked up before her head popped up and looked back at the doorway. Then instantly went running toward the light yellow and light blue hippogriff, "Skystar! Cousin!"

When the rest of the guards saw the two girls hug and cry for one another, they started lowering their spears. One of the guards from the circle, stepped forward, "Sargeant?"

"Yes, sir," our newly returned to normal Sargeant saluted. "Did everyone get out safely?"

"All but you, two other guards, and Lady Silverstream," the other guard replied and saluted. "But how were you and Lady Silverstream returned to normal?"

"Yes, how did that happen?" asked Skystar as she and Silverstream walked back over to us. "I never thought that I would speak to my cousin again."

Seeing that they weren't going to attack us, I lowered my shield so Twilight could step forward and explain, "I was the one that was able to return them to normal. The magic that was used to turn them to stone was similar to a creature called the cockatrice that lives in the Everfree Forest in Equestria. With Princess Celestia's help, I was able to prepare a counter for it."

Twilight wasn't prepared for Skystar to rush forward and give her a big thank you hug saying, "Thank you," over and over again. She tensed up at first but then relaxed and returned the hug. The guards didn't say or do anything as Silverstream also rushed up to hug Twilight also saying, "Thank you," over and over again. It brought a smile to my face and a good feeling in my spirit to see the two friends and family reunited once more.

"Can you do it again for the other two?" our Sargeant asked of Twilight when the two hippogriff girls let her go.

"I can just not for a while," Twilight said to him with a smile that looked tired. "The spell I used took a lot out of me, so I can only do it twice in one day. So, yes, I can but it will have to wait until tomorrow when my magic returns to normal."

"Then there is hope and you have our thanks," said the guard that addressed our Sargeant. At least now there was a wide hopeful, and thankful, smile on his face. "Why are you here? We feared the worst for the world when our city fell to the Storm King's forces."

"Storm King?" I asked, now very curious. I looked over to Ember in a silent question if she has heard of him but she just shrugged and shook her head. So, I stepped forward to address the question. "My wife, Princess Celestia, has been writing Queen Novo until she never replied. So, she sent us here for a wellness check political mission to see if she was still alright. Unfortunately, we have found out why she stopped writing."

Skystar squealed with delight as she sat down and clapped her front claw-like hands together happily. "She's married? My mother is Queen Novo and she said something about Princess Celestia meeting a fox creature right before the Storm King attacked."

I bowed politely to her with a wide smile, "That would be me, yes. Emmit Knight, at your service. We are happily married with a delightfully beautiful daughter named Solar Flame." Motioning to Twilight, I added, "Twilight is also in my herd," I paused to look at Ember, "as well as Ember of the dragon lands."

"As well as Princess Luna and my friends, Applejack and her sister Apple Bloom, Rarity and her sister Sweetie Belle, Rainbow Dash and her adoptive sister Scootaloo, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy," Twilight added with an amused smile. Then finished with, "One big happy herd." It was ego-boosting for me to watch the reactions of the guards which had a mixture of disbelief to respect to envious. I didn't have to say anything because Twilight spoke for me. "It's true and all of us are happy to be with him. I'm planning on getting pregnant this coming heat season."

"That's later for me," Ember added.

Finally, after a few seconds, the one in charge of the current guards around us, shook his head as if to clear it then smiled warmly. "Then come and see our Queen Novo as honored guests."

"Oh yes, you've got to come down to Seaquestria and talk to my mother," Skystar suddenly quickly hugged Twilight again before trotting away toward the archway.

"But I don't think that they can breathe underwater, cousin," Silverstream commented as she looked over at us.

"Seaquestria?" questioned Twilight, now curious.

"I'm worried at trying to breathe underwater," was my soft comment while watching the guard in charge walk over and started conversing with Silverstream and Skystar.

"Oh ok, here's what we're going to do," Skystar turned around to face us along with, Silverstream, and the Sargeant, looking excited. "Since you don't have a sea creature form, we are all going to go into the water pool chamber, close the door just in case the bad soldiers come back, and I'll tell the great news to my mother. She'll know of a way to give you sea forms, either temporary or permanent." She then hugged Silverstream to her again excitedly and practically dancing with joy, "Come on, let's tell everyone the good news." And then promptly proceeded to drag her cousin through the archway where they disappeared inside.

The Sargeant then looked back at us with a wide happy and thankful smile. "Come then," was all he said where we then followed them through the archway and into a narrow tunnel. The tunnel was barely four ponies wide, so we were following half of the guards in front of us with the rest of them behind us.

"I'm happy that we were able to help Silverstream and you Sargeant return to normal," Twilight told the Sargeant as we heard the stone door close behind us with a thud that reverberated down the tunnel. "Unfortunate to hear that you were attacked and see the devastation."

"I am as well, Princess Twilight," he looked back at us, smiling wide as orb lanterns ignited after everything went dark and painted the hallway in a pleasant soft blue glow. "And happy that you have volunteered to help the other two."

"I'm happy to help," Twilight said happily.

"And even though my heart goes out to you all for what you've gone through," I began, my voice taking on a more somber tone, "I'm glad that we have found out about it. It might be possible that this Storm King to attack Equestria, or the dragon lands, or Griffonstone." The hallway wasn't that long as we were already seeing a light at the end as I spoke. "It would do us well to find out as much as we can about it from your Queen if she permits it."

"I agree...um..."

"Oh sorry," I chuckled embarrassingly, "my name's Emmit."

"I agree because if they can take us by surprise and force us to retreat then it's possible for them to do that to other nations," he said as we reached the end of the tunnel into the water pool room that Skystar spoke of. While the front guards spread out around the pool that was in the center, Twilight, Ember, and I couldn't help but stop at the edge of the steps that lowered into the pool. And looked around in wonder.

"Reminds me of the bath beneath Canterlot that I bathed you in, Twilight," I said aloud with my voice carrying a tone of awe.

"It's beautiful," Twilight whispered as she looked around as well. "Beautiful domed ceiling and architecture. The eagle heads that look down seem to be a recurring theme. They are pointed down on either side of the pool like they are outside."

"Yeah it is beautiful," I commented right before I morphed into my human form and quickly walked down the steps before diving into the water with a carefree and gleeful "wee." I wanted to test the water, so I jumped in. I expected cold frigid water that would make my dick shrivel up in self-defense. However, what I felt was warm water instead of shivering cold. Felt nice. Not hot tub nice but at least it wasn't cold. And when I looked down expecting a floor, there wasn't a floor but a shaft underneath me that led straight down. So far down that, I couldn't see the bottom of it. Is that where Skystar and Silverstream went down? After coming up for air, I looked over at Twilight giving me a "Really?" look. Ember had an amused smile on her face. "Come on in, the water's fine. Pretty warm actually." Then looked over to the Sargeant, "Did Skystar and Silverstream go down that shaft I saw?"

"Yes, they did," the Sargeant walked up to the edge of the pool with a smile as some type of shard around his neck started glowing. "That is the way down to Seaquestria." After his whole body began glowing, he jumped up into the air toward the pool. I watched as his body morphed and shifted before a big splash into the water nearby. A second later when he emerged, he came up with a different body. It was as if someone combined a pony with a mermaid or merman to create this seapony creature.

"Oh," I blinked at him and then looked back at the door as to how they escaped now made sense. "That explains how you all were able to escape to a safe haven. Going underwater is a sure way to keep them from following you."

"Can't fight if they drown," Ember commented with a smile that told me that she liked the strategic method these hippogriffs employed. "We dragons like lava, so we surround ourselves with it. Whoever decides to invade they have to avoid the lava. Can't fight if they burn to death first."

"And that's if they can get through the stone door," Twilight agreed with a nod then started walking down the steps and into the pool. Once at the bottom of the stairs, she didn't drop down far into the pool. It was as if she was still standing on a floor under the water. Seeing that there was a shallow lip or seat around the edge of the pool, I swam over, sat down on the edge of the pool, then pulled Twilight against me when she got near me. Twilight rolled her eyes and with amusement on her face, she leaned into me as I put an arm around her.

"Come on down, Ember," I called out to her while looking back at her with my other arm extended. It did my heart good to watch her walk down the steps, sit down beside me, and lean into me before I put my arm around her as well.

^_^

While waiting for either one of the hippogriff girls to return, we and the guards were simply talking to pass the time. However, it was mostly Twilight asking questions about their kingdom, how they transform between forms, how they came to be, and any other questions that she could think of. While Ember and I sat and listened. Only to be interrupted by Skystar in her seapony type form a little bit later.

"Hi there," her head popped up suddenly enough to startle us, "my mother is really interested...in..." She paused when she spotted me and blinked a couple of times, "Who are you?"

"This is the other form of Emmit, the multitailed creature you saw before, Princess Skystar," the Sargeant said to her.

"Oh ok! My mother is so excited to meet you," she exclaimed happily, clapping her claws together. I noticed that she had three of those same glowing orbs on strings on her arm that the guards, and her, were wearing. She held up the orbs that were hanging on her arm toward us, "These will give you a sea form so you can breathe underwater. At least as long as you wear them." Then swam toward us while holding out one of the orbs dangling from some string, which proved to be some sort of seaweed after taking a closer look when she swam closer. She swam up to me first and to my surprise, she crawled up into my lap and leaned against me while she put one of the orbs around my neck. "I think this handsome guy can go first." While I appreciated the compliment, I also could see the disapproving looks from Twilight and Ember from my peripheral vision.

Skystar saw it too because she looked at them both with a confused look on her face, "What? Did I do something wrong?"

Before I could say anything, I felt a sudden rush of magical energy surrounding my body. My eyes closed with a gasp as it began to overwhelm me. Then I felt two things happen. Not only did I feel my lower body begin shifting but I also felt the stone start to bury itself into my chest. Then I heard Red's voice in my head.

There is nothing to fear, my Emmit. For this is my gift to you. A permanent means for you to morph between your human form and your seahuman form anytime you wish. It's something that you will need in the near future.

By the time she was done speaking to me in my head, my transformation was done and the stone was fused to the center of my chest. With a calming breath, I opened my eyes to examine myself. My upper half remained the same except for some gills around my neck. However, my lower half from the waist down was one large merman tail fin with brilliantly bright golden scales that seemed to glow slightly with an inner light. The others around me were shocked and dumbstruck by what happened. "Well this is new," was my soft comment as Skystar pulled back away from me with her front flippers to her mouth.

"I'm sorry that wasn't supposed to happen," she gasped out in shock before scooting back off of my lap, fear in her eyes that she did something wrong. "That wasn't...Mother said that as long as they hung around your necks then you would be safe. It wasn't supposed to do that."

"It doesn't even happen to the rest of us hippogriffs," the Sargeant said as he swam up next to Skystar and put a flipper, fin, whatever around her to comfort her.

"So how come it happened to you?" Twilight asked as she started looking me over.

I looked over at Twilight and said to her, "Tia's and Luna's Mother happened." Then wiggled myself off of the stone lip to start swimming over to Skystar. She was almost hysterical with worry about what happened, so it was a good idea to assuage her of that. "Skystar," I called out to her as she watched me swim over to her with worry and fear in her eyes looking like she was about to start crying. "It's not your fault and it wasn't your doing."

"It wasn't?" she asked while I gently took her arms in my hands, looking down into her eyes.

"No, it wasn't," I told her gently. "Princess Celestia's and Princess Luna's mother, the Empress is the one who did this to me. The only thing she said to me was that it was her gift to me as a permanent means to shift to this form from that other form you saw because I would need it in the future."

"I don't understand," she queried. Even though she looked confused at least she didn't look like she was about to start crying anymore. Looks like I was successful in assuaging her fears that it was her fault.

"I don't fully understand either," I said while gently taking the other two orbs from her, "but apparently it's more important to speak with your mother, Queen Novo, than I thought." Then turned around and swam back toward Twilight and Ember. The looks on their faces told me that they feared the same happening to them. However, with a smile, I held up the orbs to them to take. "Not to worry, what happened was just for me for some reason. Maybe we'll get some answered down below."

With some hesitancy, both of them took an orb and placed them around their necks. While both of their bodies glowed and changed neither of their orbs attached to them permanently as mine did to me. Twilight changed into a seapony with a seapony tail and flippers while retaining her horn. However, her wings change to a transparent flexible type of fin material. Ember had a similar change to Twilight as both also retained their body color. While they looked over their body changes, I looked over to the Sargeant, "With your permission, I think we're ready."

"Uh...of course," he said with a slight shake of his head as if to clear it before turning to the guard that addressed him from before with a sharp salute. "Permission to lead them down, sir?"

His superior granted it with a quick nod of his head before his body started to glow and morph into his seapony form. After he transformed and jumped into the pool, the rest of the guards followed and jumped in as well. That's when I turned to Twilight and Ember, holding my hands out to them, "Shall we venture down into the deep blue sea?"

^_^

The swim down was a long one. The way down was through a tube-like tunnel that was lined with what looked to be a type of glowing seaweed that hung on the walls like vines on a brick wall. At the end of the tunnel was another stone that retracted to the side. All in all, I could see why they would retreat back down here. It was practically impossible to invade with the way it was designed. The sight that we saw after emerging from the tunnel had us looking around in awe. We swam down into a large cavern that was at least three times the size of Canterlot throne room. How they dug it out or carved it out, I'll never know. It was a beautifully carved out room with ornately carved stone pillars. Hippogriffs legs and torso were carved into the pillars with the upper half carved from the pillar into the stone ceiling above. And the extended wings of each carved into the stone ceiling as if in protection.

The whole in the ceiling was in the middle of the room. And from my position, the throne itself which was comprised of what appeared to be coral was behind me. With table coral acting like steps up to the throne itself. And a giant jellyfish looking thing as a chandelier above her throne giving out a soft light blue glow. The floor of the throne room looked to be hard-packed earth that was covered in a type of glowing moss that painted the room in a soothing soft blue light. The same light-giving seaweed that lined the tunnel also lined the walls of the room.

As soon as the guards spread out from in front of us, the seaponies below caught sight of us with a soft murmuring that began to spread through the crowd. Seaponies were of mixed colors just like Equestrian ponies. And all eyes were on us as we slowly descended to the glowing moss-covered ground below. As the crowd started to part for us as we approached the throne, with the obvious Queen Novo sitting in it, the first seaponies to approach us were, Obviously, Silverstream's parents. Obvious because Silverstream was with between them as they swam up to us. The mother, a light yellow and pink mane and tailed seapony that reminded me of Twilight, quickly swam up and took Twilight in her arms giving her a big thankful hug. She cried as Twilight returned the hug with a happy smile that was contagious and brought a smile to my own face. It does a heart good seeing a family together again. Silverstream and her father, with a light blue body and white mane and tail, also hugged her in a big group hug. That's when the crowd started to cheer and applaud. Although, applauding with flippers sounded more like wet slapping than claps.

Meanwhile, I watched our Sargeant friend swim up to Queen Novo giving her a bow first before a quick salute. She returned it and my ears were actually able to pick up her saying how happy she was that he has returned. Then got up from her throne and swam in our direction with the Sargeant following behind her. Twilight was still in the group hug when Queen Novo swam up to us.

"I am Queen Novo," she called out to us both to get our attention and to quieten the crowd. A wide thankful smile was on her face as she approached with arms out wide in welcome. "Silverstream is my niece and I can't thank you enough for-" She stopped instantly, dead where she swam when her eyes spotted me and specifically the orb that was now permanently attached to my chest. There was only a split second of confusion until that was replaced with anger before she quickly swam up to me nearly putting her nose against mine. "That is not yours to keep," she growled out while glaring death daggers at me. "Whatever you have done, you will undo it or I will carve it out of your chest."

As amusing as it would be to quickly kiss her for a laugh, I was more inclined to live, so I didn't. Instead, I put a finger gently against her nose and slowly backed away from her. "Whoa! Simmer down there queeny. This wasn't my doing but Celestia's and Luna's mother the Empress herself that did this to me." The crowd that went silent as Queen Novo approached now whispered and murmured quietly at that bit of news as Queen Novo slapped my hand away from her face. "All she said to me, during the transformation, was that it was a gift to me and that I would need it in the future. So, if you want this undone I'm afraid you'll have to take it up with her because I hold no power to do this."

I don't think she believed me because she looked mad enough to spit nails. And opened her mouth to say something but Twilight spoke up first as she extradited herself from the group hug. "If I may Queen Novo," she said gently as if to disarm Queen Novo's heated emotions, "I can attest that Emmit, doesn't have any sort of magic or ability that is capable of doing something like that. And the Empress has done things like this to him before." When Novo didn't immediately say anything but look between Twilight and I with curiosity starting to grow in her eyes, Twilight continued as she swam over and took my arm in hers. "His name is Emmit Knight and the Tree of Harmony brought him here almost a couple of years ago now. At first, only my friend Fluttershy could understand him. Until the Empress gave him the ability to speak to us and change to and from his original form. Since then she continued to change him in subtle ways."

Ember also took my other arm but remained silent. "My wife, Princess Celestia, hasn't received any letters from you since shortly after I arrived in this world. She also told me that she told you about me. So, she sent us here to check up on you. And I think we can see why you haven't written to her in a while. I just wasn't expecting this little wellness check trip to get quite so involved," I said to her then waited for her response.

It seemed that her anger had dissipated somewhat as she looked between us three. "Yes, she told me about a mysterious fox creature with your name," she confirmed with a slow nod, still with suspicion in her eyes. "That his name was Emmit and that the Tree of Harmony supposedly brought him here. She told me that she thought that he wasn't dangerous. I disagreed and told her to be careful." She then harumphed in annoyance before crossing her arms over her chest, "It appears that she didn't listen to me." After a second pause to sigh and roll her eyes, her voice took on a slightly annoyed tone to it, "It seems to be a recurring theme around here lately."

We and the crowd were quiet as Queen Novo looked between us three while appearing to think things over for a few minutes. Until she looked at me directly while straightening herself up in a regal commanding fashion. "Very well, considering Princess Twilight's willingness and ability to restore my beloved niece and guards from stone. I will reserve my judgment of you, Mister Emmit while you tell me everything about yourself, what's been happening, and about how you know the Empress, and why the Empress has taken an interest in you enough to steal an orb from the Hippogriff kingdom." Then turned toward one side of the large throne room with a firm, "Follow me," command.

^_^

We followed her into her private chambers, passing by the two seapony guards standing guard just outside. Although down here there wasn't a physical door to go through. Instead, the "door" was lots of glowing seaweed that hung from the top of the arched doorway like strings of beads from the hippy era. After passing through the veil, we weren't surprised that her chambers were lavish. Just as lavish as Tia's or Luna's rooms are. Just done up from sea elements instead of wood and or stone. The room was, while lavish, more simple that I expected. It was not much more than a bed to sleep in on the right side of the room and a place to "freshen up" on the left. The only thing that appeared to be non-sea related was the mirror that stood on the desk on the opposite side of the room. The desk itself and the mirror's frame was made from coral. For light, there was a chandelier that hung from the ceiling that looked to be a giant jellyfish that glowed a soft blue glow that illuminated the room.

While Novo laid down on her bed with her back resting against the headboard then motioned us to some cushioned seats in front of the desk. Taking a seat, I noticed that the cushion was made from what appeared to be large sea type leaves with soft moss as the foam. After taking a seat with Twilight sitting on one side and Ember on the other, I began my tale from the beginning. And believe me, that took a while. Because Queen Novo was so angry about the Empress outright giving me the hippogriff shifting orb, I went into more detail about my interaction with the Empress and the changes she made to me. Which also connected to my fight with the Shadow Organization. Leaving out the more intimate details, naturally.

About halfway through explaining everything she commented that she just wanted to hear what was directly related to the Empress. Which meant that personal stuff about herd events she just wasn't interested in. What concerned me was that Novo was angry enough to kill me outright in order to get the orb back. She viewed the Empress' actions as interfering in her kingdom and she was going to judge me for what Red did. That would not end well at all. After we said everything that appeared to be relevant, I steered the topic toward her judging me.

"Now that we've told you everything that you want to know about my past and my relationship with the Empress," I began while keeping a close eye on her, "why do you feel like it's fair to punish an innocent person, myself, for something that was totally out of my control?" All throughout our explanation, I was watching her emotions by the look on her face. She sat on her bed as she would on her throne with both her arms outstretched on either side of her while glaring at mostly me the whole time. Even after asking her that question, she still was glaring at me.

"Because no matter who gave it to you, it wasn't hers to give away and it isn't yours to keep." And she said my demise with a scowl on her face and a growl in her voice as she continued to glare at me.

"You would still do that after..." Twilight was positively livid as she nearly shouted her protest at Novo

"How DARE YOU TRY AND MURDER OUR MATE..." Ember stood up, swam up, from her seat, and up to the bed.

Meanwhile, I got up from my own seat, and with a short intense glare at Novo, I started swimming out of her personal bedroom and back into the throne room. Even as I left her room, Twilight and Ember were still shouting in heated protest. The shouting and my exit from Queen Novo's chambers definitely drew the crowd as at least half of the crowd was still there awaiting me. Every eye that looked over at me was wondering what was going on as their soft murmuring of what-ifs hit my ears. Instead of letting them wonder, I decided just to tell them. "Attention seaponies! You have heard how we came here at the request of my wife Princess Celestia out of concern. Out of that concern and friendship for this kingdom, we have aided Lady Silverstream and the Sargeant in returning them to normal. And still wish to do so for the other two guards above."

My words were not only heard in the throne room but in Novo's chambers because she, Twilight, and Ember came rushing out of it. Twilight and Ember quickly swam to stand on either side of me while Novo hovered off to the side with a look of "what is he up to?" look on her face.

"And even though this orb is now a part of me, it was not I that has done this but the Empress herself. But apparently, your queen has decided that the good deeds we have already done and still wish to do, are not enough for your queen as she has decided that I must die for something that is completely out of my control." It was satisfying to see the shocked faces on the seaponies around me. And started talking in a tone of disbelief which is exactly what I wanted. Taking a quick glances around at the seapony guards also showed looks of shock and disbelief. Then I turned around to face Queen Novo and clasped my hands behind my back as if a prisoner. "So then Queen Novo, if you truly wish to commit murder and spark an international incident after we came out of concern for you, then pick a guard to murder me here and now in front of your constituents."

I had thrown down the gauntlet at her fin and called her out in front of everypony present right in her own throne room. She might have been angry before but she was livid now. From where she was at the throne, Skystar started frantically swimming up to her mother. "Mom! Mom! Mom! Please don't do this," she started pleading frantically at her mother with her front fins on her mother's chest. "They rescued Silverstream, they're good ponies." She also had a bit of news that surprised me a little and cautioned her mother when her mother turned her head to glare at her. "From what I've heard about this Empress, if she really does favor this creature then it's best if we leave him alone."

"I am the queen, daughter," Novo almost growled at her daughter, "not you. Not yet."

Skystar turned away from her mother and addressed me, "What does the Empress look like?"

"As a pony she stands just a tad taller than Celestia and Luna, white coat, and a red mane and tail," I informed her.

Skystar gasped, suddenly putting her fins to her lips before turning back to her mother, "Remember the legend? A grand being, just like how he described the Empress, birthed our race. And he perfectly described her." For some reason, this too didn't persuade Novo from her actions. Without another word and just a split second glare toward me, she started swimming to her throne. Skystar followed her while still pleading, "Mother, please listen. If his Empress is the creator from our own legend..."

"Sargeant?!" Novo's voice shouted out suddenly, startling poor Skystar.

The Sargeant was looking at me with a look of horror and disbelief as he replied with a timid voice, "Yes, your highness?"

"Carve our orb from his chest and take the others from our guest!" She shouted out the command to the Sargeant and the stunned crowd as she continued to glare death daggers at me. The poor Sargeant didn't know what to do, bless him. And jumped when he heard Queen Novo shout out, "NOW!" But the Sargeant didn't have an opportunity because a second later the whole throne room and the surrounding area began to shake when a loud bellowing reverberated. It sounded like a whale song to me and it shocked everypony present including Novo. As Novo got up from her throne, and while everypony else, including me, was looking around, fish and other sea animals began pouring into the throne room. Four dolphins swam in with their cries and quickly started to slowly circle around Twilight, Ember, and I as if creating a living shield.

"What's going on?" Twilight asked as she pressed up against me as I put my arm around her and Ember.

That question was answered a couple of seconds later as Red herself, now as a white seapony still with red flowing hair billowing behind her, appeared in front of us. All the guards and the crowd immediately bowed as the Empress slowly started swimming up to Novo and Red didn't look happy. Novo herself looked absolutely terrified. She was now practically shaking in abstract terror as Red swam, more like glided, up to her with her wide eyes quickly trying to look for an exit.

"Something is off," I whispered as Skystar backed away, also with wide eyes but more of awe than fear.

"That's the look of cornered prey," Ember said softly with her voice filled with satisfaction and a look to match.

What was totally unexpected was what happened when Red reached out toward Novo. Everypony there was shocked with gasps and murmuring when Novo's body was engulfed in a bright green glow and then turned into a changeling with some type of a bubble around its head. The terrified changeling tried getting away but didn't get far before multiple strands of seaweed shot out from the walls, like tentacles, to surround and capture the changeling.

"Where's my mother?" Skystar cried out at the captured changeling.

"A changeling that still not transformed? What's he or she doing here? And where is Queen Novo then?" Twilight questioned as the dolphins and other sea life began to leave the throne room.

"That's a good question, Twilight," Red commented as I started swimming over to them. "Just where is Queen Novo?"

The changeling looked up with a defiant grin as the crowd started getting angry and demand answers to the same question. "And what are you going to do if I don't answer? Kill me?"

After swimming up next to Red, I saw a slow smirk creep up on her face. At the same time, she reached up and lightly stroked the fragile bubble the changeling's head was in. "All I have to do is pop this bubble and you'll drown."

The changeling laughed at her, "Then you'll never find out where we've taken her."

"That's where you're wrong," I put in with a smirk of my own. "Not that long ago, some friends and I infiltrated Chrysalis' hive, captured her, and freed the changelings. Thanks to Thorax, they are all free and living peacefully in Equestria because he gave love instead of taking it. We also have Chrysalis down in Canterlot dungeon."

"IMPOSSIBLE!" he cried out, struggling in his seaweed bonds.

With a roll of my eyes, I crossed my arms over my chest and grinned at him. "The changeling hive is located in the badlands, the north part of it. Chrysalis' throne was comprised of a magic stealing material but it was no match for the whole hive giving all their love to it. It was overpowered and destroyed. That left Thorax in charge after his body changed to a more colorful pallet. And in case you still don't believe me, Chrysalis told me that the changeling race was born from a rotten acord that dropped into a magical pool of water. She believes, therefore, that she's a plant." It was satisfying to see the shocked look on his face as he realized that I was telling the truth. He was looking at me with wide eyes and his mouth hanging open. "So all we have to do is dig into Chrysalis' mind for the information. It's just quicker if you tell us and the benefit for you is that you get to live."

^_^

(???)

I had to get out. They've got Chrysalis? He's going to squeal for sure and I don't want to die. Luckily for me, I was able to get an orb for myself. So, while they were concentrating on my now doomed partner, I secretly swam up for the exit. But with Chrysalis now captured and the hive now under the goody goody Thorax's rule, there was only one other place I could go to have a chance at freeing Chrysalis.

The Storm King.