A Second Chance

Chapters

Chapter 1: New Places, Bad first impressions
Chapter 2: Urgent matters, a new friend, and grim hopes (Edited 1/2/2021)
Chapter 3: A Fresh Start, Making New Friends
Chapter 5: Bigger Troubles, Simple Solutions
Chapter 6: Returning what was stolen, moving to a new place
Chapter 7: The Journey to Ponyville
Chapter 8: Discoveries, and the end of one journey
Chapter 9: A visit to Canterlot, and a fateful encounter
Chapter 10: A misunderstanding, and starting over (Edited 05\21\21)
Chapter 11: Discussions and New Acquaintances
Chapter 12: A good night's sleep and a new day
Chapter 13: A peaceful day, part 1
Chapter 14: A peaceful day, part 2
Chapter 0: Death and Rebirth
Chapter 4: Challenging Beginnings, New Troubles

Chapter 1: New Places, Bad first impressions

The first thing I see and feel when I open my eyes is the freezing cold temperature, and the pitch blackness of some kind of a cave or mine that I am in. I stay still and then think of how to find a way out, when I feel a cold breeze blow against my skin. I then think to myself, 'if there is a breeze, it means there is an opening that leads outside somewhere. I will find it by tracking where the breeze is coming from, hopefully there aren't any grizzly bears or wolves in this hole.' I then start crawling my way across the floor, using my hands and my senses to tell me what is in front of me.

It feels like I have been in this cave for hours as I keep following the breeze, as I then brush up against a wall and stand up. I stretch my body out, enjoying being able to stand up instead of crawling around like an alligator. I then return to the wall and then follow it, using my feet to feel the floor ahead of me. After running into a few sheer drops on the way, I finally see light shining on the floor up ahead and make my way towards it when I spot something laying on the floor in the light.

After reaching the point to where I can finally see where I am stepping, I pick the letter up and inspect it. I then see my name written on it and then open it, letting my curiosity guide me as I start reading it saying: "Hello Arthur, I am leaving you this letter to inform you of the new world you are in. You are in a world where some of the inhabitants are capable of speech, magic does exist here, and this world does have its own problems but war is not one of them anymore. Please enjoy your TRUE second chance, and I hope that you live a long and fruitful life. Your friend, Discord." I shake my head and scoff in disbelief saying, "Magic is real? Psh, give me a break. If magic is real then I suppose there are singing trees and talking horses, unicorns, and gryphons. No world can be without some kind of war going on, and just who is this Discord?" I then lay my hand at my side and then feel something hanging at my side and look down, and find out that it is my legendary satchel that Pearson crafted for me. I then fold the letter up and put it into my satchel and then follow the path as the light gets brighter and brighter, coming to a large hollowed out entrance. I then look around and see that one of the horses that I broke, trained, and named Lou is standing inside the entrance out of the raging snowstorm outside.

I then walk out into the entrance and say, "Hey there Lou, are you ready to go for a ride girl?" I then see my saddle and bridle laying in a pile and make my way over to it to saddle her up.

She then looks over to him and then sees him pick up the saddle, pad, and blanket and then sighs saying, "Here comes the Torture devices."

I then stop and hold the saddle and wonder who just said that and looks around, seeing nobody around I call out, "Who's there! I know I heard a voice, so step out into the light."

Lou then shakes her head in annoyance and says, "I'm right here, did you not hear what I said?" She then turns around and faces him.

I then shake my head and say, "Please tell me that it wasn't you that just spoke. Cus if you can speak, that would mean that I have to reconsider what I believe is real."

She then chuckles and says, "Alright then, I won't. Just so you know though, this is very strange for me as well. For once you can actually understand me, I have a few bones to pick with you. If you are going to continue riding me I demand that you at least feed me twice a day, or let me graze for a couple hours. I also want you to stop having me run all out just to get somewhere faster, as well as brush me down at the end of each day and take the saddle off when we stay in one location for awhile. If you can't do that much, I'm not going to let you ride me anymore."

I then sigh and lean my head back in frustration, then cave saying, "Alright, alright, I will do those things for you. This is going to take me some time to get used to, so try to bear with me until I can adjust okay? Can we saddle up and find out where we are right now?"

Lou then looks at him and says, "Yeah I can do that, can you see in a raging blizzard, because I can't. Though we do really need to find a town to do something about that bit on the headgear, it makes my mouth sore. When my mouth is sore, I tend to not like to listen."

I nod and then do a half chuckle saying, "Yeah, I have noticed that you become temperamental when you don't feel right. I have been through snowstorms before. I would like to stay here until it passes, but I hate being in caves. I would rather be in a shack that is falling apart than in a god forsaken cave with no sure way to escape, it makes me feel like a cornered rat. We'll head out in search of a town to do something about that bit, but first, let's have something to satisfy our hunger for awhile until we can find some sort of civilization to stock back up on rations. Let's see what's in the bags for food, shall we?" I then drop the gear on the ground and then dig into my satchel, reaching further and further in until I can't find the bottom and then look down and pull the bag in front of me and say, "What is going on with this damned satchel, I can't find the bottom of it!" I then lift it up and set one arm under it and then use my other arm and reach down into the bag, going up to my shoulder in it before feeling some items in the bottom and grab a can and then pull it out and examine it. I see the label and see that it is corn and then set it on the ground and then reach back into the bag in search for a can opener saying, "This is very strange, I wonder if this is that magic that traveler told me about."

She then shakes her body and then says, "If you could, can you find me an apple and an oat cake? That will sate my hunger until we can leave this cave and search for a town. I don't know, for all I know it might be. I would ask someone else about that just to be sure, you never know what you will find unless you ask about it. Who knows, this magic might prove useful."

I then find a can opener and an oat cake, then take them out and set the can opener on the can of corn, then place the oat cake in my hand that is holding up the bag. I then reach back in and then pull an apple out and then drop the bag, shifting it so it rests by my hip as I walk over to Lou to feed her the oat cake first. After she finishes eating the oat cake, I hold the apple out to her and watch as she takes a bite out of it and then chews on it for a bit. I rub her neck with my other hand and say, "We have been through some scrapes, haven't we girl?"

Lou then takes another bite of the apple, chews on it for a bit before swallowing it down then says, "Yes we have, I remember that day when we were with Bill and Javier robbing a stagecoach and got chased by twenty angry humans who turned out to be lawmen." She then takes the rest of the apple into her mouth and begins chewing on it.

I then shake my head at the memory of that big blunder, then drop my hand to my side and say, "I can't believe we survived through that ordeal." I then pat my side again, feeling for my gun belt and find that it is not around my waist. I then feel for my bandolier and find that it is not there and think, 'Before I leave here, I will search for my belts first. They could be in the saddlebags for some reason.'

She then chuckles a little and says, "Well, you did kill quite a few of them. I'm amazed that lawmen weren't afraid of your insane accuracy."

I then chuckle in return and start to say, "So am I, but lawmen seem to have had more guts than brains. I sure did kill a hell of a lo...." I am cut off by going into a coughing fit and raise my hand to my mouth, and collapse to the ground as my vision darkens quite a bit.

Lou then looks nervously at her rider and then worriedly says, "Are you okay Arthur? Maybe the people in this world can do something about that cough."

I then slowly regain my sight, followed by my breath returning to me. I move my hand in front of my face and see blood on my palm and then shake my head saying, "I ain't gonna trouble anyone with this, this is my problem, not theirs." I then wipe the hand on my pants leg and then go back to the canned corn, then pick up the can opener and then open the can of corn and then dump some of the contents into my mouth and chew it up a bit before swallowing it. I then think of what would make this a better meal and then remember the opened bottle of whiskey I have in my satchel bag, then set the can of corn down and stuff the can opener back into the bag and search for the opened whiskey. After spending a few minutes searching for it, I pull the bottle out and remove the cork with my open hand and take a couple swigs of it before replacing the cork. I then set it down and get the can of corn and eat some more of it, then pick the bottle up and pull the cork out with my teeth and spit it across the entrance. I drink the rest of the whiskey and then chuck the bottle against the wall, hearing it shatter and then finish off the can of corn and toss it against the wall as well and then belch out loudly and say, "That was a poor meal, but it will have to do for now. Well girl, shall we brave the storm together and try to find a town?"

She then sighs and then turns around to face the entrance, not looking forward to trudging through deep snow over unknown terrain and says, "I guess so, though I would much rather wait till the snow storm passes so I can see what is around me."

I then get up off the floor and head over to the pile of tack and then grab the blanket first and shake it so there is no debris stuck to it, then walk over to Lou's left side and then drape it across her back just behind her withers. I then make sure it is sitting right before getting the pad and set it on top of the blanket, making sure it is square before getting the saddle. I then walk over and pick up the saddle, then throw it over her back and onto the pad. I then shift it around a little before strapping it down onto her with the cinches and say, "Alright girl, you know what comes next so don't breathe in when I tighten these down or the saddle will fall off with me in it."

Lou rolls her eyes in annoyance and says, "Yes, I have learned that after you waited for me to exhale every time before pulling the straps tight against my barrel."

I then smile and then say, "Heh, this isn't so bad after all. After I tighten these down, I'm going to throw the stirrup down. So stay calm when it whacks your side, and try not to rear up or take off when it lands against your barrel."

She then sighs and then replies in annoyance, "Yes I know the process! So just hurry up and get this torture over with already, so we can get moving!"

I then chuckle and then tighten the cinches up and then take the stirrup off the silver eagle head shaped pommel and say, "Alright, here it comes. I'm sorry for annoying you, I need to work on adjusting my habits from when I couldn't understand your language." I then throw it over and then go get the bridle to put it on her, guiding the metal bit into her waiting mouth and then move the straps up past her ears and make sure they are not under them. I then buckle it down onto her head and then toss the leads across her neck and then say, "Okay girl, I'm gonna dig through the saddlebags for some warmer clothing and my belts."

Lou then shifts her weight a little and then says, "When we do find a town, please find something to keep me warm in cold climates. Fine, but hurry up. I get antsy when I am all saddled up and stand still for too long."

I then smirk and then pull out a set of winter clothes and then say, "Alright then, I will do that when we reach a town. How did you put up with being hitched to a post while I was taking care of a task for someone?" I then change clothes, and then put my other outfit into the bag. I then start to look through the bag for my hat, when I remember that I gave it to John before I bought him time to escape. I then wonder if it is there because I am alive again in a different world, and then start digging through the bag. I then find it buried under some other outfits and then pull it out and put it onto my head saying, "There it is, I feel naked without this hat. I then go back to digging through the bag and find my belts and pull them out, then set them in their place on my body and say, "Ahh, now I don't feel quite so vulnerable." I then look in my other saddlebag and search for my guns, finding them all stuffed into the small saddlebag somehow with magic. I then switch the dual pistols out for my two long barreled Schofield revolvers, then pull out the Bolt Action Rifle and sling it over my back. I then face the saddle and grab onto it, then pull myself up into the saddle and grab the reins saying, "Alright girl, out of the cave and into the storm we go, let's move." I then tap her barrel with my heels and feel her start walking out towards the raging storm.

Before she exits the shelter of the cave she then turns her head and looks back at Arthur and says, "I took the opportunity to nap until I smelled you outside. Don't you ever wear spurs when you sit on my back, if you ever forget that I will remind you by throwing you off my back."

I then listen and nod my head in agreement and say, "I got you loud and clear Lou. Lets warm you up a bit with walking before we go into a steady canter."

She then nods her head and then pushes out of the cave and into the blinding blizzard, trusting her partner to find the path to a town saying, "Here we go, brace for the strong winds!"

I then hold the reins in my gloved hands, tilting my hat into the wind to keep it from blowing off as my breath is stolen from me by the cold snowflakes striking my exposed skin. I then force myself to ignore it and focus on locating a path through this unknown terrain.

Meanwhile, in Ponyville at Twilight's Castle

Twilight is checking her list, making sure that the preparations for Hearth's Warming Eve are going as scheduled when her shoulder starts to tingle where her cutie mark is and then face palms herself saying, "I can't believe the friendship table is calling at a time like this, Hearth's Warming Eve is just one week away! UGH, SPIKE COME HERE PLEASE!!"

Spike runs down the hall and skids around the corner in a panic, screeches to a halt in front of her saying, "WHA-WHAT'S THE MATTER TWILIGHT!?"

She then sighs loudly and then says, "The Friendship Table is calling Spike, so I need you to take over the check lists for Hearth's Warming Eve to make sure everything goes as scheduled." She then holds the clipboard out towards him.

He takes the clipboard with shaking hands and then salutes her saying, "Yes Twilight, I will make sure everything stays on schedule, you can count on me!"

Twilight then chuckles lightly and says, "I know I can Spike, that is why you are my number one assistant." She then turns and runs off towards the Friendship Table Room. She arrives to see her five other friends heading towards their chairs and says, "I can't believe the table is calling us when it is this close to Hearth's Warming Eve! There are things on my checklist that I have to finish going through, making certain that everything stays on schedule."

Fluttershy smiles and then says, "Don't worry Twilight, it wouldn't have called us if it wasn't a important friendship problem. Everything will go as scheduled, I'm sure."

Rainbow dash then says, "Of course it will go as scheduled, we will get this friendship problem dealt with faster than you could say rainboom and get back here with time to spare!"

Applejack then sits in her chair and then says, "Ah agree wit' em Twi, we shall tackle this issue faster than Pinkie can eat a whole cake!"

All the girls laugh at hearing her say that and then sit in their chairs and watch the light show start, then makes all of their cutie marks form a rotating circle that starts moving around the map as Twilight watches and says, "I wonder where the map is going to send us all now?"

Rarity then watches the circle move to the Crystal Empire and stops, then a flashing red dot appears in the center of the circle and says, "Oh dear, what does that flashing red dot mean Twilight? I have never seen it do that before."

The other girls then nod and say the same thing as Twilight then cocks her head and says, "I am not sure what it means, but I think that the red circle may mean this mission is more dangerous than the others have ever been. So I advise that we approach this mission with extra caution. So let's gather what we might need and get going to the Crystal Empire." With that said, the girls all nod and then head out to gather what they need to travel to the Crystal Empire.

The Crystal Empire, one minute later

Princess Cadence is dealing with a few petitioners when a letter stamped with a wax seal depicting a Tree and opens the letter from her sister-in-law and reads it to herself saying: "Dear Sister-in-law Cadence, I am writing you this letter to inform you that the bearers of the Elements of Harmony are all making a journey to the Crystal Empire on a friendship mission that may be more dangerous than the others. I must kindly ask that you let us handle this mission ourselves out of concern for your subjects and guardsponies, but if you decide to provide us support, we shall accept your judgement and appreciate your efforts." She then folds the letter up and then puts it away saying to a guards pony, "Guard Crystal Flare, come here at once."

Crystal Flare trots her way to the Princess and says, "I am at your service, Your Majesty."

She then says in a low voice, "Come closer, I have a task for you to do that requires discretion."

The guard then leans in closer and turns her ear towards the Princess's lips and waits to hear the task.

Cadence then leans forward to her ear and whispers, "I need you to quietly increase the number of guards patrolling the Empire. And issue the order to observe and keep an eye on any potential threat, but to not act unless ordered to by the bearers of the Element of Harmony. Under no circumstance will I or Prince Shining Armor allow them to act on their own, violators will be sent to work in the mines for a year. You are now dismissed, you may begin your task."

Crystal Flare's eyes widen a bit at hearing the order and then nods her head and then turns around and then walks out of the throne room to begin increasing the guard and issuing the orders.

At the Crystal Empire's Train Station, two and a half hours later

Twilight and the girls exit the train and push their way through the snow towards the Crystal Empire, as she hears Rarity say out loud, "I don't mind visiting the Crystal Empire, but I do wish that they would move the train station inside the protective shield!"

Applejack then trudges on, following Twilight and says, "So do I Rare, but if they did that it would cause problems with the train as it would hit the shield and then derail. A lot of ponies would get hurt if that happened."

Rarity sighs and then crosses her arms across her chest and says, "I know that Applejack, but the least they could do is at least move the station a bit closer to the Crystal Empire."

Somewhere in the raging blizzard northwest of the Crystal Empire

Lou and I push on through the snow for what feels like several hours before I come across a set of railroad tracks and then shout over the howling winds to Lou, "Which way do you think we should go girl! I think we should follow this to the west, but what do you think!?"

Lou shakes the snow off her body, then looks to the west and then to the east and feels something pulling her towards the east and says, "Something tells me that we should follow it to the east, but it is your decision to make!"

I then look to the west and then to the east when something shiny catches my eye in the distance, and then make my decision and say, "We will follow the line to the east, something caught my eye in that direction! We do not want to be in this storm when night falls, the temperature will plummet and we both will freeze to death!" I then guide her to the left and then tap her twice with my heels to get her to go into a trot, then into a canter.

Three Hours Later, in the Crystal Empire

Rainbow reunites with the group after Twilight decided they should split up to see if they could get any hints of the problem, and finding nothing after three hours of talking with the locals gave her no leads. She then looks to Twilight and then says, "I have been walking and flying around asking any pony I came across if they knew of any major friendship troubles in the Empire and they all said no, have any of you had any luck in finding a lead?"

Rarity then says, "I solved a couple friendship problems, but nothing happened with my cutie mark after either of them was solved. So I then continued to ask around and got several new fashion ideas, but no leads on the problem I mentioned."

Pinkie then pipes up and says, "I asked around as well, but didn't find anything out. Maybe we jus..." She is then interrupted by her entire body suddenly begin shaking violently and then gets a pinchy knee.

Twilight sees the combination and says, "What is your Pinkie Sense telling you Pinkie? I don't recognize that combination, do you know that combination Pinkie?"

She then thinks on it for a moment before saying, "I haven't gotten that combination in a long while, it almost never happens. What that sign means is that something completely unexpected and scary is about to happen."

Fluttershy then asks, "What was it that you were trying to say before the sign Pinkie?"

Pinkie then thinks for a second and then says, "OH! I was just saying that maybe we could just wait and see if the problem comes to us?"

Thirty minutes later, a few miles outside of the Crystal Empire

I then catch glimpses of brightness and color through the raging storm, finally getting close to leaving this damned blizzard behind him and says excitedly, "We are a few miles away girl, soon we won't be in this blizzard anymore!"

She then shivers and then says, "It's about damned time, I have icicles hanging off of my chin, mane and tail!"

I watch as we get closer and closer to the break in the storm and then raise my hands to my mouth and then blow underneath the gloves to make my hands stop hurting from the cold. I then see something bright and green through the storm and smile at getting some relief from the bitter and vicious cold.

A few minutes pass by as we both pass through the storm and into a large area where the blizzard can't hit us anymore and pat her on the neck saying, "We made it Lou! We are finally through the storm, now we can find some place to get you warm and a good meal. You done a great job getting us here girl, now let me treat you real nice."

A crystal pegasi guard spots something moving at a faster than normal speed and then turns around to fetch a couple other guards to help them keep a close eye on the creature.

I then start to slowly stop shivering and then look around the grassy fields to see some really strange bipedal creatures with horse-like heads, manes, tails, and hooves. I can't believe my eyes as a few of them have horns, pairs of wings on their backs, or nothing at all and each of them having some kind of color to their bodies. One thing that I notice right away is that they all look at me in either wonder, shock, disgust, curiosity, fear, or anger.

Fluttershy then spots movement in the corner of her left eye and then turns to look at what it is and then freezes in place, unsure of what to do. She watches as it reaches the city outskirts as ponies all around stop and look at the strange creature, moving out of its way as it moves at a fast trot.

Applejack notices how Fluttershy is frozen in place and focuses on something in one direction and then follows her gaze and spots the creature that she is seeing, then walks beside her and then focuses on the creature. She takes notes as she makes out a few details on its appearance, getting more and more detail the closer it gets and then says, "Girls, I think you better check this out. We may have been brought here for that thing coming our way."

Rarity and the other girls gather around and look at the creature coming their way and examines it's appearance and then says, "Is it just me or does that seem like two creatures instead of just one?"

Twilight then focuses on it a bit closer and then says, "It is two creatures Rarity, and that is a human sitting on top of that four legged pony..." She is then interrupted by a blur flying past her towards the creature and then yells, "Hey stop! What do you think you're doing, get back here Rainbow!"

I see a crowd of six creatures gather around and look at me, then see a blur take off straight for me. I reach for my gun too slow and get the wind knocked out of me, knocking the hat off my head and instantly pissing me off at the unprovoked attack. I land on the ground, gasping for air when a blue fur coated creature with wings and a rainbow colored mane and tail gets into my face and starts yelling at me for some reason.

Rainbow then gets into the human's face and then yells, "What do you think you are doing to that pony! It is a crime to enslave one, even if they have four legs. Why don't you explain yourself monster! Huh! Huh, say something you criminal!"

I then narrow my eyes and stare right back at them as my anger builds, then warn them to their face saying, "Get off of me right now and I won't fucking hurt you."

She continues to stare right back at them, ignoring the intimidation she is starting to feel and then yanks their chest up by their clothes and slams them back down onto the ground saying, "EXPLAIN YOURSELF RIGHT NOW, YOU HEATHEN!"

Twilight is too slow to act as she the watches the scene unfold saying, "Rainbow, what in Celestia's name are you doing?"

I then let my building rage out by drawing my Schofield with my right hand and then aim it at her side and wing, using my ability to heighten my skills to make time appear to slow down, then loudly yell, "I SAID GET THE FUCKING HELL OFF OF ME NOW!" I then cock the hammer back quickly and then pull the trigger.

Everypony around jumps at the loud sound, followed by the pained scream of Rainbow as she then holds her side after she is shoved off of the creature. Who then gets up and then starts yelling at her in rage.

I then stand above the blue creature, aiming my barrel directly between it's eyes so it stares down the barrel that is in front of my face and shout, "HOW DARE YOU CALL ME A HEATHEN WHEN YOU ARE ACTING LIKE ONE RIGHT NOW, YOU DON'T KNOW JACK FUCKING SHIT ABOUT ME! YOU MAY BE RIGHT, I MAY BE A MONSTER AND A CRIMINAL. I CAN BE CIVIL UNTIL SOMEONE DOES SOMETHING TO PISS ME OFF, I START SHOOTING AFTER THAT! HOW DARE YOU ATTACK ME OUT OF NOWHERE LIKE THAT, WHAT DO YOU FUCKING HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF NOW!?"

Rainbow clutches her side in agony, shivering as her eyes are glued to the object that had caused her such pain. She trembles even more as she listens to every word that is said and then softly tries to speak saying, "I-I'm s...so...so..."

I then continue staring down at them and then yell again, "SPIT IT OUT STUTTER BRAIN, I DON'T HAVE ALL GOD DAMNED DAY!"

She then begins to shake and sob and then says, "I-I-I'm so...sorry," She then slowly bursts into tears and then exclaims, "I'M SORRY!" She then cries and then repeats herself over and over.

Applejack watches in disbelief at her friend being broken like this, making her vision slowly turn red as she starts to focus on making them pay for what they did to her friend. Without realizing it, she then begins to growl as her coat hair stands on end and charges the human suddenly and yells, "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY FRIEND!"

I notice movement from the corner of my eye after hearing someone yell and then use my ability and begin to reach for my other Schofield with my other hand. Turning my head slowly towards where I saw movement and then draw my revolver and point it in the direction of the movement, with my revolver completing the motion before my head can and cock it back.

Fluttershy watches on in horror, frozen in place as she watches Applejack charge the human and then frees herself as her courage rises quickly and screams at the top of her lungs, "EVERYPONY JUST STOOOOOP!!!"

Applejack hears Fluttershy scream at the top of her lungs and snaps out of it, skidding to a stop just inches away from the end of the object pointed directly at her head. Her breathing rapidly increases as she then says, "Uhm...what in tarnation just happened!"

She thinks of what she can do to ease the tension from this dangerous situation and then looks into the human's eyes when she starts to hear a song play, getting swept up into it and starts humming along with it.

I then stop my ability when I start hearing a very pretty voice start to hum a song. I then look around and see a yellow coated creature with wings and a light pink mane and tail looking directly into my eyes. I then continue to listen to her humming as it catches my full attention.

Rarity, Pinkie, and Twilight get drawn in by the music as well, matching up with Fluttershy as she begins to stride forward, moving the lock of mane that hides one eye as the humming picks up in volume before breaking into song.

I then listen to them sing the song, focusing only on the winged yellow creature's singing as I feel my rage slowly begin to dissipate. As the song continues, I then uncock the revolvers and then drop my hands to my sides while still focusing on the yellow creature with both of her eyes staring right into mine.

Fluttershy and the others stop three feet away from him as the song comes to a close, then gains control of herself again after the magical song took over their bodies. She then realizes that her lock is behind her ear instead of in front and then turns beet red and quickly replaces it and then hides behind Rarity.

Twilight then shakes her head clear of the effects of the magical song and then says to the human, "Did you inflict a mortal wound on my friend Human?"

I then hold onto my revolvers and then answer her saying, "I tried to avoid any major organs, but I don't know how bad the wing is."

She then sighs, feeling greatly relieved that her friend isn't seriously wounded and then looks at her with a frown on her face saying, "Rainbow Dash, we all have to talk to you later after we get you to the Hospital. I will be informing Celestia of your actions here today." She then turns and says to the guards around them, "Two of you please take her to the hospital while I have a chat with this human."

I then watch a couple guards carefully approach the crippled and crying Rainbow Dash, picking her up tenderly and start to carry her off. I then sheathe my guns and then rest my hands on my revolvers and say to her, "What exactly are you creatures, and what was with tha..." I am then cut off by another coughing fit, quickly putting my sleeve over my mouth as I then cough a second time. I then hunch forward and cough hard two more times before being left gasping for air, I then begin to cough again and again into my sleeve before passing out from the severe coughing fit.

Twilight watches the human fall to the ground, then looks at the arm it held against its mouth as it coughed. She then looks at it closely and sees that it is covered with what appears to be its own blood and then yells, "Guards, take them to the emergency room now, they are seriously injured!"

Chapter 2: Urgent matters, a new friend, and grim hopes (Edited 1/2/2021)

Fluttershy looks around Rarity and then watches a couple guards trot over and lift them up and rush them to the emergency room and then looks over to Twilight and says, "I wonder what Rainbow did to make them cough so hard like that, I hope they will be alright."

Twilight then looks at Applejack and says, "Hey Applejack, are you going to be alright there? Rainbow is going to be ok, she may not be flying for awhile though. Let's head to the hospital and find out what is wrong with her, you girls can stay with her while I go check on that extremely friendly human. I get the feeling that the coughing wasn't caused by Rainbow striking him with her hooves."

Applejack trembles a little bit from worrying about her friend and then says, "Ah don't really remember everything, but ah heard Rainbow scream and cry, ah then got really angry and yelled somethin and then zoned out."

She then looks over to Fluttershy and then cocks her head and asks, "Why were you so focused on his eyes Fluttershy? Did you see something in them that made you uncover your other eye?"

She then blushes and looks away before saying, "I uhm...saw something in his eyes?" She then remembers looking into his eyes before the song began and then says, "The only thing that I could see before the song took over was that they had a tough life."

Twilight then sighs at the bad start to the day and hopes it gets better and says, "I need to inform my sister-in-law and Celestia about this incident." She then starts heading to the Hospital to keep an eye on Rainbow Dash and the human, pulling out a quill and a piece of paper before starting a letter to Princess Celestia and Spike.

Fluttershy then sees the group start heading to the hospital as she follows after them when she hears somepony clear their throat twice and stops to see who it is.

Lou gets the yellow creature's attention and then hangs her head a little saying, "I hope your friend makes it through okay, Arthur hates to repeat himself. When he is really pissed off, he resorts to violence if he has to repeat himself. Could you pick his hat up and take it to him, he does not go anywhere without his favorite hat."

She then blinks twice and then slowly nods her head and says, "Thank you for showing your concern, you mean that the humans name is Arthur? Who and what are you, and why are you in Equestria?"

She introduces herself saying, "My name is Lou, I am a Thoroughbred Horse. I do not know why I am here, I remember being in the stable and the next thing I know, I find myself in the large entrance to a cave with a raging blizzard outside. What is your name miss?"

Fluttershy smiles and then says, "It is nice to meet you Lou, my name is Fluttershy and I am a Pegasi Pony. I can do that for you and take his hat to him, but only if you could tell me more about where you came from."

Lou chuckles and then sighs and says, "I can do that but I won't tell you about our lives, I will leave that for Arthur to tell when he is ready."

She then looks at the hat and walks over to it, picking it up and then says, "What was it like to live over there, is the land beautiful?"

The thoroughbred looks at her and smiles saying, "There are some breathtaking sights over there, yes. Life over there is...challenging for four legged animals like me, and sometimes even harder for the humans. When a wild horse like me becomes paired with a human, our lives change and are not always nice and peaceful." She says no more as she begins to walk in the direction the others are heading when her stomach growls and stops saying, "I need to find some food to eat, I am very hungry. The only things I had to eat today was an apple and an oat cake, but after pushing our way through that blizzard, my body needs food. Do you know where I can find something to eat?"

Fluttershy then cocks her head in curiosity and gets mixed emotions then says, "It must have been really hard for the both of you to go through a storm as bad as that one, are you feeling alright? I do know of a family run restaurant we can go to if that sounds good to you?"

Lou then shakes her body to throw some of the snow off of her coat and then says, "I am a bit cold, but this nice weather here will fix that. This ice and snow all over my body is irritating me, but will melt away as my body warms back up. It is more important to me right now to find some hay to eat and a water trough to get a drink. Whatever the cost is, my rider will pay what is owed."

She then cocks her head and then says, "What do you mean by a trough?"

The thoroughbred then chuckles and says, "Well you see, all horses where I come from don't have any way to grab things. Therefore, humans have come up with ways for us to get our food and water to survive. For those that are still wild and free of having a partner or rider, they get their food from fields of grass and the water from water sources. A water trough is basically a box without a lid on it so a horse can lower their mouth down to it and satisfy their thirst."

Fluttershy then feels sorry for the horses in that world and says, "Things are very different from where you two came from, it sounds like some ponies over there have to learn to trust humans if they become partnered with them."

Lou then looks at her and says, "Don't feel bad for the horses over there, that is just the way things are there."

She then look to Lou and then says, "Well Lou, are you ready to go get some food after I go check on my friend Rainbow Dash first?"

The thoroughbred nods and says, "Of course, I understand that you are worried about her. I shall go with you to get some food and water until Arthur calls for me to come to him. So please lead the way Fluttershy, but first could you throw those lines across my neck behind my withers so I don't step on them? The right line crosses over my neck to the left side, and the left one crosses over to the right."

Fluttershy then nods and grabs the two lines and then lays them over her neck and then says, "There you go, what are those for?" She then looks for her friends and sees they are a ways away from them and then says, "Oh my, we are falling behind, we need to catch up to them Lou." She then takes off at a jog and starts to catch up with her friends.

Lou then goes into a trot and follows after her easily and then says, "These lines are what he uses to tell me where he wants me to go, he was the one that caught me and taught me a lot of different signals and movements."

Rarity hears the conversation and then looks back saying, "You say he orders you around like a slave, how despicable!"

She then slows to a walk and looks at the white pony and says, "That's not gonna happen anytime soon because that is just the way things work where we came from. There, humans don't understand the language of the horses over there. That is why we form a partnership of trust with them, we allow them to sit on our backs and guide our movements when they need to. We allow them to see things from a new perspective as well, making the trade on the unspoken conditions they take care of our needs such as food and water, the care for our bodies with the option of letting us breed."

The fashionista then scoffs and says, "Oh how utterly barbaric darling, you should have freedom to do what you want and how you want!"

Lou then starts laughing and says, "Oh you remind me so much of a gathering of human women in Valentine demanding to have the same rights as men. This place is so much more different than where we came from, but he and I came from there and we will stick to the partnership we have now or I won't let him ride on my back at all until he listens."

Rarity then smiles at hearing that and then says, "Well at least you still have your dignity and pride as a pony darling. If you don't mind me asking, what is up with your equipment...it looks so...tacky and doesn't match your beautiful light brown coat at all! Don't get me wrong, the saddle color and the metal pieces on it are fine. The straps hanging down from the saddle are fine too, but those metal things and the rest of the equipment are just simply atrocious! You really should let me at least fix it!"

She then snickers and says, "My rider did what he could with what was available over there, but humans did not care that much about how something looks so much as how it would function. If you wish to do anything, I would recommend you talking it over with him as he would be the one to pay for it."

The fashionista then narrows her eyes and then says, "Oh believe me darling, I plan on doing exactly that. I will do that after speaking to him about what happened with our dear friend Rainbow Dash of course."

Lou looks her square in the eyes and says, "Okay but I warn you right now... Do not push for more when he gets really pissed, or you may wind up like your friend...or worse."

Rarity feels a cold shiver run up her spine when she hears that and decides to say, "What do you mean by that darling, can you please explain it better?"

She then sighs and says, "I'm sorry, but I can't. I promised him that I would keep our personal experiences in life secret. I already said more than I should, so I will let him tell you when he feels ready."

A few seconds later, at the Canterlot Castle

Celestia then wonders how the friendship mission in the Crystal Empire is doing when a letter pops up before her with Twilight's royal seal on it and takes it in her magic saying, "I apologize my little ponies, but I must look at this letter before tending to more requests." She then opens it and reads the contents of the letter saying: "Dear Princess Celestia, The six of us have arrived at the Crystal Empire with no incidents and combed the city for the friendship problem, but had no success after three hours of searching. Pinkie Pie then got a message through her Pinkie Sense, saying that something unexpected and scary was about to happen and then suggested that we should just wait for the problem to come to us. After waiting for a half hour, a creature then appeared. After it got close enough, I made the observation that it was in fact a human riding on top of a large pony. Immediately after saying that, Rainbow Dash then took off in the air and struck the human in the chest with her hooves. The strike then stole the air from the human's lungs, greatly angering them. After a heated exchange of words, the human then pulled something from their outfit and did something that caused a loud noise. Rainbow Dash then screamed in pain before being pushed off of the human and clutched her side in pain, while the human then stood up and pointed the object in her face and then harshly berrated her for her actions and words. A few moments later after the human finished talking, Rainbow Dash then started to sob and then struggled to say something when the human said something, calling her a stutter brain. After saying that, she broke down into tears and bawled out I'm sorry repeatedly. Applejack then saw this and got really mad, then yelled what are you doing to my friend without her usual accent and charged the human. The human then reacted super quickly and pointed an object similar to the one pointed in Rainbows face, there was a click as he finished pointing it at Applejack..." She then finishes the message and then gets up and folds the letter up saying, "I'm sorry my little ponies, but today's court session is over as an important matter has came up that requires attention. You will be notified when Day Court is being held." She then swiftly walks out of the room, leaving the petitioners behind with curious and shocked looks on their faces.

Luna is laying on her bed in her room reading a book called The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe when she looks at her clock saying that it is about 4:15pm and returns to where she left off, until her door is nearly pushed off of its hinges ten minutes later by her sister and screams in surprise. She then notices it is her sister and then scolds her saying, "How many times must we request that thou knock before coming in, thou gave us quite the fright Sister!" She then sees her face and then knows something is wrong and then says, "What hath happened Cece?"

She then closes the door with her magic saying, "I apologize for frightening you dear sister, but I received a letter from Twilight containing terrible news Lulu. This news concerns me greatly, so much that we must raise the sun and lower the moon early. We must then go to the Crystal Empire via teleportation, please read it for yourself and you will understand why I am so worried." She then holds the folded letter out to her sister to take and read as she then looks to the side and says, "You know about the mirror portals that are gathered in the portal room correct?"

She then nods and says, "Yes, I remember that thou showed it to us after our return. I remember when we found our first mirror portal, what does that hast to do with the terrible news and why does it hast thou so worried?"

Celestia then continues and says, "Well, after you were banished to the moon, I discovered another mirror portal and asked Star Swirl the Bearded to find a way to activate it. When he succeeded, I asked him to keep an eye on it while I went through it. When I went through, I opened my eyes to a new world. I was in that world for three years until I finally found my way back to the mirror I came through, when I got back to this world Star Swirl told me I was gone for thirteen years here. I learned a few things in that world that I wish I could forget about, such as what it feels like to be taken captive and then raped by a member of the human race, life there is harsh and cruel. A couple sad things about that world is that magic does not exist, and harmony does not exist there. Immediately after my return, I commanded Star Swirl to permanently seal that mirror. I then added a secret room hidden behind the mirror room, sealing that mirror I discovered within it.

The lunar princess places her bookmark back in the book and sets it on the nightstand and then gets off the bed, taking the letter from her sister's hand and then reads through it. Her eyes widen as she continues reading on, scooting to the edge of the bed before standing up and finishes the letter. She then folds it back up and returns it to her sister saying, "I wish that you never experienced such things, if you ever wish to talk about it more, I will always make time to listen. Okay, let's get started now. We will do it on my balcony instead of the Throne Room like we usually do." She then walks up to her sister and gives her a big comforting hug and then goes behind her dressing curtain and changes into her dress for traveling places, then gets into her royal regalia and silver decorative hoofshoes. She then steps out from behind the curtain and nods to her sister, then heads to the balcony and steps outside of it with her sister right next to her.

The Sun Princess then looks fondly at her sister as she says, "Thank you for always being there for me Lulu, I shall be there for you too if you ever wish to talk to me about sensitive things."

The two sisters look at each other first before turning to look into the sky, activating their magical ability and begin switching the day over to night.

Celestia then finishes her part and then slows down her magic, letting go of her hold on the sun's position and then looks to her sister saying, "Alright, let's go back inside and be on our way then Sister."

Luna nods and follows her inside and closes the balcony doors before taking her sister's hands and activate a long distance teleportation spell saying, "We are on our way to assist you girls, so please hold on."

In the Crystal Empire, at the Hospital an hour later

A doctor then finishes up dressing Rainbow Dash's injured wing and side wound saying, "I have seen arrow, crossbow, sword, axe, and spear wounds before, but these wounds are something I have never seen before in my life. I am curious as to what caused them, now where is this other patient that needs to be tended to?" He then starts setting it into a cast after carefully removing damaged feathers first.

The nurse beside him then says, "He is in the Emergency Room waiting for you, Princess Twilight said that they were seriously wounded. I must ask why you didn't listen and proceeded to treat Rainbow Dash first?"

He then sighs and looks at her saying, "I treated Rainbow Dash first because of two major reasons, one is that she is the Representative of one of the Elements of Harmony. Two is that she is a member of the Wonderbolts, so I treated her first because my career wouldn't be ruined if I treated the other one first and she died while I treated them. Nopony truly cares about a strange violent creature's life, so get off my back!" He then goes back to focusing on making the cast.

About fifteen minutes later, the nurse then waits for the cast to set and harden. She sighs and thinks of Rainbow Dash's friends and then says, "Since Rainbow Dash is going to the recovery wing after this hardens, what do I tell them?"

The doctor then stops and looks at her saying, "I will go tell Twilight myself, you go start on the other patient."

She then says, "Okay doctor." She then waits a few more minutes for the cast to finish hardening before watching the doctor leave, then takes Rainbow dash to a room in the Recovery Wing.

He then makes his way to the waiting room where the Representatives of Harmony are waiting to hear the news and then approaches Princess Twilight Sparkle and guides her to a corner and says, "I treated your friend Rainbow Dash first and here is what happened. A decently sized object passed through muscle and tissue on her left side, missing all major organs and arteries but fracturing a couple ribs. Her Ulna bone in her left wing was shattered in the center, and is held together by a spell. She won't be flying for three months at least. Luckily, the damage wasn't any worse than that or she would have completely lost the ability to fly, other than that she will make a full recovery and can go home tomorrow. She will have to keep the wrap on her lower chest for six weeks so her ribs can set properly, strictly no sports or strenuous activity that could cause her ribs to not heal correctly."

Twilight Sparkle lets out a sigh of relief at hearing that she will make a full recovery in about three months and then says, "That is good news doctor, but what about the human that was brought in? What is the status on them?"

He then looks at her and says, "I didn't feel that the human was in any immediate danger, so I am having my nurse start to work on him while I came to inform you about your friend being moved to the recovery wing. You may visit her once she wakes up in a few minutes, and the anesthesia wears off. I need to get going to the ER to look at this human now, so if you would excuse me Princess Twilight."

She doesn't get the chance to respond as the doctor then heads off towards the ER to treat the human patient when she then turns around to head back to her friends to tell them the news when she is shocked to see Princess Celestia and Luna in the waiting room heading straight for her and says, "Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, I wasn't expecting you to come to the Crystal Empire!"

Celestia then stops in front of Twilight and then says, "We are both concerned about what transpired recently, what have you learned just now?"

Three minutes later, in the Emergency Room

The nurse starts to use her magic to examine the patient, when they suddenly start moving and says, "Please don't move, you may have sustained injuries!"

I then continue to sit up and shake my head with a sigh saying, "Nah, I ain't seriously injured. I just am slowly dying with a disease I caught a few years ago. Where am..." I am cutoff again by a coughing fit and then raise my coat sleeve against my mouth and then cough hard into it a few times before gasping for air again and collapse back onto the cold, hard bed.

She then looks at them seriously and then quickly asks, "What disease do you have and do you remember how you got it?"

I then get my breathing back under control, then sigh and look at the creature harshly and say, "I will tell you if you swear to keep what I did quiet, am I clear?"

The nurse then sighs and nods saying, "Yes I understand, now please tell me what you have and how you got it so you can receive treatment for it."

I watch her closely and then say, "A doctor looked me over and said I had Tuberculosis, then said how long I have left depends if I take the medication to keep it from progressing any faster. I got it after I beat a sick man nearly to death to collect a debt when he then coughed some blood on me."

Her eyes widen at hearing that and then quickly goes into action and says, "Wait right here, I have to get another nurse to take some blood from you so we can run some tests to see if it can be treated. Don't you dare go anywhere or I will have a security team hunt you down and strap you to a table, some strains of that disease can be cured, while others are still being studied for a cure."

I then chuckle and say, "Well don't worry bout me, cause I don't wanna go back out into that god damned blizzard out there."

She then hurries out the door to grab a nurse to take some blood from them and then sighs thinking, 'I sure hope that the strain of TB they have can be cured, but they have my sympathy if it can't be cured. Wait a minute, they came into contact with Rainbow Dash. I need to get another nurse to prevent it from setting in once the strain is identified, today is turning out to be a bad day.'

I watch as the door closes behind her and hear a voice coming from somewhere saying, "My my my, you sure know how to make a great entrance and first impression Arthur Morgan." I then look around and see the traveler step into my line of sight from the side of the room.

The nurse then sees the doctor heading for the ER and stops him saying, "I'm sorry Doctor Van Colt, but the patient has TB and I need to get a nurse to take samples of their blood to identify what strain they have so we can determine what treatment to give them as well as which inoculation to administer to those that have come into close proximity of them to prevent the disease from taking hold."

Doctor Van Colt's eyes widen at hearing that and then says, "Thank you for stopping me Nurse, I sure hope that they don't have the strain that is resistant to magical and medical treatment. If they have that aggressive and untreatable magic and medicinal resistant strain, they don't have much time left to live. They would be lucky to survive six months at the most in the late early stages, I'm glad that a way was found to stop it from taking root within a few hours of being in close proximity to it. I shall return to my other duties until the lab results come in."

She then nods and then continues on her way to find a nurse to do the bloodwork and says, "I hope that they don't have that strain, because they may not last through tonight."

He turns to her and says, "Their case is that advanced?"

The nurse then stops momentarily and says, "Yes it is, they tried to sit up when a coughing attack struck. After the coughing fit stopped, they collapsed onto the table gasping for air. Before leaving the room, I saw that the sleeve of their garment was really wet with fresh blood." She then starts jogging down the hall, desperately looking for a nurse to start taking the blood from them.

Doctor Van Colt then looks at the floor and then says, "I really should have listened to the Princess and treated them first, they will be lucky if they live to see tomorrow." He then continues on down the hall to tend to a few more duties until the lab results come in.

Discord keeps his appearance the same as he last saw it and then moves his hands behind his back, turning to look at him saying, "You immediately respond with anger at being winded and knocked on your back by a girl, then shoot an unarmed assailant because they wouldn't get off of you. Then you verbally berate her and act on instinct when you notice something charging you, taking aim at yet another unarmed girl and nearly kill her. If it wasn't for that magical song getting your attention, you would have killed the representative for the Element of Honesty. If you had actually killed her, you most likely would have been hunted down and sent to Tartarus."

I then raise an eyebrow in confusion and then say, "I don't understand understand what you are saying Traveler, say that in words I can understand."

He then hangs his head and sighs and then lifts his head back up and says, "I can't explain it any clearer than that I'm afraid, but let me explain some things to you concerning this world after I properly introduce myself." He then bows like a gentleman and then extends his hand saying, "Can you do me a quick favor first, and pull my finger?" He then curls all of his fingers, leaving the forefinger on his right hand extended.

I then feel unsure about doing this and then reach out and say, "Sure I guess, what is the harm in that?" and then pull on his finger.

Discord then lets out a massive fart and drops the illusion, returning to normal and then says, "Please do excuse me for that, but I have been just dying for someone to fall for that prank for a thousand years. My name is Discord and I am the one that is responsible for bringing you here and returning you to life twice now. Welcome to the world known as Equus where war is practically nonexistent, and peace and harmony can be found in most towns and cities in Equestria."

I then wave my hand in front of me saying, "Christ that fucking stinks!" I then stop waving my hand as the smell goes away and then say, "This world sure sounds too good to be true, what is wrong with this world if everything is the way you say it is?" I then examine Discord's new look and say, "By the way, what the fuck kind of a creature are you?"

He then rolls his eyes and says, "Your manners leave a lot to be desired, but to answer your question...I am a creature called a Draconequus, and I am the spirit of chaos and disharmony."

I then shake my head and say, "Yeah, like I am going to just believe that right away. Tell me what you can about this strange new world I am now a part of."

Discord then sighs and says, "Very well, I will tell you what I can until someone arrives. After they leave, I will return and continue where I left off. Don't tell anyone that I was here, because if they find out I was involved with you being here, I would either be sent to Tartarus or turned back into a statue in the garden and may lose what friends I do have."

I then smile and chuckle at getting something I can use against him if the need arises and say, "Well, you will have me as a friend if I don't die first that is. Why couldn't you get rid of my TB when you brought me back to life the second time?"

He then looks at him and then says, "I do apologize for that, but the magic I used is strictly forbidden. It has conditions upon it's use, like when you were returned to life the first time. It allowed you to be alive and healthy again in that world you were in, at the cost of getting a non human body. When I brought you back to life here, the condition was that you still had your disease. The conditions change with each time it is used, and that is why it is forbidden."

I then look at them and say, "Well at least I am still living, that is what's more important right now. Therefore, I must thank you for doing that and bringing me here. Now, if you would so kindly tell me about this new world I am in."

Chapter 3: A Fresh Start, Making New Friends

Celestia waits in the room with Twilight and the other girls and says, "It is good news that she will be able to fly and didn't suffer more serious injuries than having a wing in a cast and two fractured ribs. She does need to be scolded for her brash actions against the human though, she may have caused some serious damage."

Twilight then nods and agrees with her when she sees a nurse making her way towards her and meets her halfway and asks, "Do you have any information about the Human that was brought in?"

The nurse then stops in front of the princesses Twilight, Celestia, and Luna then motions for the three princesses to follow her into the hallway, she then waits for them to gather and says, "There is good news and bad news, which one do you want to hear first?"

Twilight, Celestia, and Luna discuss it for a few moments before Twilight says, "Please tell us the good news first."

She then nods and then says, "The good news is that there are no major injuries or broken bones." She then sighs and then lowers her voice and says, "The bad news is that they likely have bacterial TB that is advanced. We are currently taking blood samples and are testing it now to find out which strain he has, so we can prevent it from taking root in anypony that have been within five feet of them. The doctor and I both hope that they do not have the magic and medicinal resistant strain. If they do have it, they may not live to see the sunrise. Can any of you tell me if there were any other ponies within five feet of the human, they need to be inoculated as soon as the blood test results come in."

Twilight then clears her throat and says, "The only other ponies that were that close to them was Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, me, and the two guards that carried the human in."

The nurse then nods and thanks her for the information she provided and then says, "I wish that this was a happier day Princesses Celestia, Luna and Twilight. My sympathy goes to the human for what they are suffering through."

She then sighs and then says, "I will ask my sister-in-law if she could send the two guards that carried the human to the hospital." She then brings out a quill and paper, then gets to work writing the letter. After a couple of minutes writing, she sends it to her through a teleportation spell and says, "There, the letter has been sent to Princess Cadence."

The grim news hits the princesses hard, leaving them speechless until Luna then sighs sadly and says, "How very sad for them if they do have that strain, but I truly do hope that they don't have it so they can enjoy seeing and experiencing Hearth's Warming Eve, as well as discover the wonderful world that we live in. It also wouldn't be so bad if they could make a new friend or two while they were here would it?"

Celestia feels a little sympathy for the suffering the human is enduring and says, "I agree that the news is indeed unfortunate for them, but I hope for their sake that they do not remain violent and apologize for their actions towards Rainbow Dash." She then thinks to herself, 'If this human turns out to be one from that world, I will send them back through that portal immediately after finding out how they got here.'

Twilight then sees a letter pop up in front of her, then opens and reads it and says, "The guards will be found and sent here in a few minutes."

Nurse Helping Hoof nods and then says, "Thank you very much for asking Princess Cadence to send them here to be treated, it is in everypony's best interest to prevent this terrible disease from spreading any further." She then turns around and takes her leave.

At the ER in the hospital

Discord hears hoofsteps outside of the door, snaps his fingers and then vanishes into thin air, avoiding being seen in the room as he watches the room through a painting on the wall thinking, 'I am curious as to how Fluttershy is doing, I think I will go check on her after leaving a copy of myself here to inform me when the pony finishes their work and leave the room.' He then snaps his fingers and appears by Fluttershy and her other friends and says, "Oh hey Fluttershy, I was visiting a friend close by and then noticed you and the other representatives of the Elements of Harmony were here. Is everything alright, why do you all have such long faces?"

Applejack rolls her eyes as she turns to look at the reformed Discord and says, "Because we're ponies Discord, who were you visiting?"

Fluttershy then smiles and says, "That was really kind of you, a human is here and Rainbow Dash was injured by the human when a loud noise was heard. We are waiting for Twilight to tell us what the doctor had told her earlier."

He then looks at her and then decides to tell her the truth and says, "I was visiting my friend Arthur Morgan, who has somehow found his way to this world from who knows where."

Celestia hears Discord in the waiting room and mention something about the human and then asks Luna and Twilight to follow her back inside to listen to the rest of the conversation between Discord and Applejack.

She looks at him suspiciously and then says, "Why are you trying to hide things from me Discord, you know that I can tell when somepony is trying to fool me. So come clean about it, what did you do."

Discord then hangs his head and then says, "I was watching somepony's life and thought that they might like it better here and cast a magic spell, unfortunately I cannot say any more details about it without him telling you first. Sorry Applejack, but my lips are sealed until he talks about it first."

Celestia then narrows her eyes at him and says, "I thought you were up to something Discord. After we find out from this Arthur Morgan what happened, depending on how bad you were, you may either be sent to Tartarus or returned to stone for a time as punishment."

Twilight then sighs and then says, "I was going to wait until I heard about the results from the tests they are running on the human to tell you what the doctor and the nurse told me."

He then looks at the three princesses and then says, "I already know what's going on, so I shall be returning to continue telling Arthur about this world. Please do give my best wishes to Rainbow when you see her, she really did get lucky today, toodles!" He then snaps his fingers and disappears into thin air with a pop, reappearing back in the room near Arthur and then says, "I'm back, now where did I leave off...Oh! I was getting to where Princess Celestia and Princess Luna found the Elements of Harmony, which the two of them used the elements to turn me to stone...in a literal sense. There are six elements in all, the five can't exist without the spark. They are Laughter, Honesty, Loyalty, Generosity, and Kindness. When the five are gathered, they create the spark that creates the Element of Magic..."

A half hour later, at the hospital

The lab tech gets the results back from the test and then hears the door to the lab open and looks over to see the nurse that brought the sample to the lab for him to test standing in the doorway and says, "You are just in time, the test just finished a few seconds ago. You better get them to Doctor Van Colt so he can look at them and inform the human of what the tests found out." He then watches her pick up the results and then make her way out of the room in a hurry to find the doctor.

Doctor Van Colt is walking down the hall when he sees the nurse quickly approach him and extend her hand towards him, holding a paper between her fingers and says, "What did you bring me now Nurse Helping Hoof?"

Nurse Helping Hoof takes a couple of breaths before saying, "I brought the human's blood test results as soon as they were finished, the results are good, but not the best. They say that he has Active Pulmonary TB, at least they will be able to get treatment for it. I am going to go inform the Elements of Harmony of the results, so please excuse me." She then takes her leave and heads for the waiting room.

He quickly takes them and looks them over and says, "Well, it isn't the best news we could hope for. At least this makes their life span maintainable until a cure is found for it, I am glad that it is just the medicinal resistant strain. Let's go inform the patient of the results and notify them about the treatment available for it."

In the ER with Discord and Arthur

Discord then says, "I wish I had more time to tell you more about Equestria Arthur, but it seems that our time has run out for now. So if you have anymore questions to ask, just say 'Discord, I need to talk to you.' and I will respond to you. If you wish to know more about Equestria, ask Princess Twilight Sparkle. Be sure to get her to simplify things because you are a human and don't speak nerd like her. If she starts to ramble on and doesn't hear you, just say or do something drastic to get her to listen. The doctor is here with the results of your blood test, so toodles!" He then pops out of existence and then returns to his realm to watch his two thousand inch flatscreen, keeping an eye on what is happening everywhere in Equestria at the same time saying, "I am so glad that I upgraded my package to the UDVR that can record an hour of events happening in a single location, and can track an unlimited number of locations! I am also glad that I have access to satellite channels and all of that other stuff for when I get bored of spying on Equestria, which never gets old!" He then selects a box and then watches what happens in the room with his new friend, Arthur Morgan.

Doctor Van Colt then enters the room after putting a face mask on to stop any airborne pathogens from getting into his body and then closes the door saying, "Well the bad news is that you have the medicinal resistant strain of Active Pulmonary Tuberculosis, the good news is that it is manageable. It has a treatment plan that requires you to visit a hospital to receive treatment every two weeks, this treatment will reduce the disease's progress a bit, and keep it from spreading to others via bodily fluids or through the air. Most hospitals in the major cities can provide the treatment you require, including the hospital in the town of Ponyville. If you take the proper treatments, it will allow you more time to enjoy Equestria until a cure is found or you succumb to your disease and pass on."

I then sigh and say, "I kind of guessed it wasn't just a cold by you walkin' in here with your face covered by cloth. It is a good thing to hear that you are positive about the treatment for it, how much does the treatment cost?"

He then smiles and says, "You are quite calm for receiving news like this human, I think we charge one hundred fifty for a treatment. Are you going to pay right away or in installments? If you choose installments, we will need to know your address so we can send you notices and reminders. How about this, I will make you a deal though since it's so close to Hearth's Warming Eve, the treatment will be free this time around."

I then smile and say, " Well thanks, I appreciate it and accept the kind offer. As you already know, I am not from around here. So could you tell me what is used here for money?"

Doctor Van Colt then looks at them, nods and says, "You are welcome, I hope you have a happy Hearth's Warming Eve. Yes, the currency that we use are called bits. I don't know much about what other currencies are acceptable in Equestria, but your best chance to find that out would be at the bank or attend day or night court and ask either Princess Celestia or Princess Luna, my name is Doctor Van Colt, what is your name human?"

I then start to say, "My name is Arthur Cal...I mean Arthur Morgan."

He then cocks an eyebrow at them and then says, "Ok, which name do you want me to use?"

I then look at him seriously and say, "I am used to having to use other names where I'm from, My name is actually Arthur Morgan, Doctor Van Colt. It would not be a good thing to tell anyone about that habit, I don't want or need the attention that it brings with it when my real name gets out." I then sit up on the edge of the bed and stand up off of it, walking towards him and look down into his eyes, narrowing mine and then say, "I am used to adapting to different situations as they happen, but the world I am used to is very different from yours. What I am saying is that I don't want to continue life in that manner, and neither do you... Do I make myself perfectly clear Doc?"

Doctor Van Colt's eyes shrink in size at the way Arthur is looking at him and says, "Y-Yes, yes I understand you perfectly. I won't tell a soul, I swear. I don't want any trouble, I just want to keep enjoying my peaceful pony life."

I then ease off and sit back down on the edge and then say, "Great, I'm glad we understand each other now. So let's go on and get this treatment over with then."

Doctor Van Colt then breathes easier and then says, "Unfortunately, I can't perform the treatment because I am an Earth pony. The treatment is really just a spell that is only available through Unicorn or Alicorn magic. Therefore, I am going to go get the nurse from earlier because she knows that complex spell."

I then smile and chuckle saying, "That is unfortunate, but that is how things seem to work. Don't worry about me doc, I ain't going anywhere for right now. So I will continue to wait here, slowly dying as my lungs slowly turn black."

He then sighs and then heads for the door and says, "I hope that a cure can be found for Active Pulmonary Tuberculosis. It is a rare disease here, but it is still a horrible disease for anypony to get. Have a Happy Hearth's Warming Eve, Arthur Morgan."

I then watch him walk through the door and say, "So do I Doc, so do I." I then grab my satchel and reach down into it, pulling out my journal and then start writing in it about recent events.

Inside Discord's realm of chaos

Discord watches as he has a few moments longer to chat with him and says, "I better go fill him in about Celestia and Luna's special abilities so he can adjust to it when he experiences it. I also can't forget about those changelings that still follow Queen Chrysalis, I wonder how he would react to seeing a clone of himself." He then snaps his fingers and then appears out of thin air and looks at Arthur and says, "I just thought that I should notify you that there are some creatures out there that do have the ability to talk, there are also a few other things I thought that I should inform you about so you don't react so violently when you see or experience them. There are four alicorn princesses in Equestria, there is Princess Celestia, who is white as snow with a multi colored flowing mane. She really cares for her subjects, but she can also hold a grudge if you get on her bad side. She has the power to raise and lower the sun and moon, though she prefers to share that with her sister. Princess Luna returned from her banishment to the moon three or four years ago, with help from the Elements of Harmony. She can only move the moon, but she can enter the Dream Realm while ponies are asleep. She takes her duty of keeping the dreams of her subjects free of nightmares seriously, so if you ever experience a nightmare, she will show up and make it go away. She doesn't get out in public that much, but she is trying to adjust to the changes that have occurred during her absence. Princess Cadence spreads love around to ponies that need to feel some love, she can also control crystals because she is distantly related to Princess Amore, the first unicorn to rule the Crystal Empire. She now rules the Crystal Empire beside her husband Shining Armor, and has an alicorn daughter named Flurry Heart. Lastly, there is the Princess Twilight Sparkle. She is the Princess of Friendship and has a crystal tree castle in Ponyville where the Table of Friendship is, the table has a map that shows friendship problems. It selects certain ponies to go places to solve a friendship problem, her special talent is being able to use any kind of magic." He then takes the opportunity to tell him a bit more about the history of Equestria, starting off by telling him about the elements and the ponies that represent them.

In the Waiting Room

Nurse Helping Hoof enters the Waiting Room and every eye in the group of seven ponies turns to look at her and she then stops in front of them and says, "We got the results back, and it is good news. The results say that the human has a medical resistant strain of Active Pulmonary Tuberculosis and it is treatable, but there is no cure at this time for it." She lowers her voice a little so that only the group can hear her and continues saying, "TB is uncommon these days, but it is still a very deadly disease with a low cure rate after the early stages. So Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Twilight, can you please follow me once the two guards we are waiting on to arrive, so we can give you inoculations to keep the disease from taking hold and progressing beyond cure."

Doctor Van Colt walks into the waiting room and says, "I spoke with the patient and they are ready to begin the treatment whenever you are ready to administer it. Is there anything that I can do to help you out Nurse Helping Hoof?"

She turns and then looks to him and then says, "Actually yes there is, could you please lead Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Twilight, and the two guards that should be arriving shortly to exam rooms, then inform the nurses station about the inoculations they are to receive while I go and inoculate Rainbow dash before I administer the treatment."

He then smiles and then says, "I can handle that. Since it is this close to Hearth's Warming Eve, I will be paying for the treatment as a gift to welcome them to Equestria."

Nurse Helping Hoof smiles at hearing that and says, "I think that is a great idea, I will tell the board of this after I finish their treatment."

Applejack doesn't hear what the nurse and doctor are talking about, as she thinks of how the human might feel after hearing that. She then feels Pinkie Pie give her a big hug suddenly and then asks, "Hey there Pinkie, what'cha doin'?"

Pinkie Pie then ends the hug and smiles softly then says, "I was just thinking about how the human must be feeling after hearing news like this, I think that he may need a few new friends. What do you think about that everypony?"

The others then start to smile one by one and nod in agreement and say a few things as Celestia then speaks up and says, "I think that would be a good idea, but they may want to find a way back to the world they came from."

Luna then sighs, looks to her sister and says, "What could we do if they do not, and would like to share this world with us instead? It never hurts to try to give an idea a chance to succeed, as you have seen time and time again with Twilight and her friends' exploits."

Celestia looks to her sister shocked that she would say that and then says, "Alright then, I don't see the harm in at least giving this human a chance to decide if they want to stay or return to their world."

The nurse then smiles and clears her throat saying, "I apologize, but we must act quickly to administer the cure. Will you girls please follow the doctor to the exam rooms to receive the inoculations once the two guards arrive. I will bring the human to the waiting room once I am finished with treating Rainbow Dash. I will have him back here in an hour after I tend to Rainbow Dash, so go ahead and feel free to visit her in room 132."

The girls nod and follow the doctor as he starts to exit the room when he sees the two guards arrive and follow after the five girls.

Celestia and the rest of the girls wait for fifteen minutes before making their way towards Rainbow Dash's room as Twilight says, "We're coming to see you Rainbow, the talk will wait until we get you back home."

Rainbow Dash's recovery room, ten minutes earlier

Rainbow slowly opens her eyes and sees a nurse standing beside her bed and then sighs and says, "Am I going to be okay? The human did something that made me scream out in pain, and making my left wing not feel right. He then yelled at me for what I did, I then...cried...after that. I...don't remember much else after that, can you tell me what happened to the human that injured me? Did I at least cause him pain?"

The nurse then sighs and shakes her head saying, "Yes you will be fine but you will be laid up for at least 3 months, you have two fractured ribs and a shattered Ulna in your wing. Your wing will be in a cast for most of that time, that wrap will have to remain on your lower chest until your ribs heal up in three to six weeks. You are to strictly avoid any sports or strenuous activity that could cause pain to your ribs or wing. You did not do much from what I could tell, but I couldn't finish the examination before they woke up and started moving. They then said they weren't seriously injured and had some kind of disease, after running some tests on the blood, we learned they had a type of Tuberculosis which is not curable at this time. Now Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Twilight, Applejack, you and two guards have to get inoculated to stop the TB from becoming incurable. So hold still while I use this syringe to inoculate you against the nasty disease."

She then nods and holds still, watching the nurse's actions and then says, "OWW!" as the needle goes in and injects the fluid into her shoulder. She then looks away and then sniffles saying, "I can't believe I can't do anything at all for three to six weeks, it is going to feel even longer not being able to fly for that long...I hope that human dies from that disease."

Nurse Helping Hoof then narrows her eyes at Rainbow and says in a raised tone, "Don't you dare say that, you have no idea how terrible and painful that disease is! He has Active Pulmonary Tuberculosis, a rare and aggressive disease that attacks the lungs and the other organs too. It is a slow and agonizing death that makes the pony suffer coughing attacks that cause them to cough up blood, causes them to limit their activity more and more as it progresses."

Rainbow then looks to her in shock and says, "I-I'm sorry, I just hate the fact that they injured me so badly. That really does sound like a terrible disease, I have never once heard of it in Equestria though."

She then nods and says, "Alright Rainbow Dash, I would stay with you longer, but I have to cast a complex spell that takes awhile to successfully cast. Your friends will be visiting soon, you will be able to go home tomorrow." She then exits the room and heads down the hall to the ER to administer the treatment to the human.

Thirty Five Minutes later, in the ER

I am sitting on the edge of the table, using my fingers to scratch my chin underneath this full beard of mine as I watch the nurse's horn emit some sort of light curiously and say, "Is that magic that you are using right now? What does it feel like to use magic?"

The nurse then focuses on the complex spell and then says, "Quiet, this requires concentration." She then finishes the last piece of the spell and then casts it on the patient and then takes a breath and then says, "In a little bit you should start to feel a tingling all over as well as itching that you can not satisfy, that would be the spell doing its job and making some repairs and keeping the disease from passing into the air and to others. Yes, that was magic you saw me perform with my horn. There is a sensation of warmth when a pony uses it, but it just feels natural to us. A creature escaped from Tartarus called Tirek and he took every unicorns' magic and nearly conquered Equestria, but he was defeated by Twilight and her friends."

I then drop my hand onto my knee and say, "Huh, I guess this world does has its dangers. If this world is as peaceful as my friend told me, it would be a damn sight better than where I came from. It is strange to see a mythical creature in my world doing something like that here."

Nurse Helping hoof then looks at him and says, "Who else was here, I have to give them an inoculation against the disease before it gets past the early stages."

Discord then sticks his head through the wall in her line of sight and says, "Oh that friend would be me, Nurse Helping Hoof. You don't need to worry, because I already took precautions when I was watching him from my realm. When he found his way here, I saw the events unfold and when he passed out. I then decided that if he was going to be here for a time, he may as well know some things about this world and I filled him in on what I could squeeze in when you or Doctor Van Colt were out of the room."

She then looks at him and narrows her eyes at him and says, "Oh it's you, Discord. I am surprised that you manage to keep out of Tartarus for so long with all the pranks you pull..."

I then raise an eyebrow and say, "It seems you two know each other pretty well, did you two involved for a time?"

They both turn to look at him and say, "Never in a million years!"

The Draconequus then says, "Oh please, as if I would ever date a pony that didn't have a sense of humor."

Nurse Helping Hoof then looks at Discord with a scowl on her face and then crosses her arms and says in annoyance, "You turned the doors in my home to taffy, I had to literally eat my way out of my home to get to work! That prank you pulled caused me to gain five pounds, it took me two weeks to get it off!"

Discord then rolls his eyes and then says, "I can't believe you are still mad about that, why can't you just accept my apology and forget about it?"

I then chuckle at the way they are acting and shake my head saying, "Oh yes, this world sure is peaceful alright. Do you think we can continue on with this so I can get out of here already, I do think that some ponies want to have words with me when I get done here."

She then says, "Of course, the treatment is done. So all that you need to do now is follow me to the front desk and we will sign you out so you can be on your way mister....."

I then stand up and then say, "My name is Arthur Morgan, Nurse Helping Hoof. Please lead the way nurse, I am right behind you."

Back in the Waiting Room ten minutes later

Fluttershy is in the Waiting room, waiting for the human to arrive so she can return his hat to him when she hears a deep resounding thunking noise coming from down the hall and watches the archway for who might be making the noise when she sees the tall human step into the Waiting room and then looks into his eyes and sees something in them that makes her feel sad for them and then quickly looks away and blushes saying, "I...uhm...I uhm...have your hat...I picked it up after Lou asked me to return it to you. So here you go..." She then holds her arms out in front of her and then waits for him to take it from her and maybe yell at her for something she did.

I then walk towards the shy pony and then take the hat from them and sigh happily saying, "Thank you very much, I feel naked without this hat. Sorry, I couldn't hear what you said at the end. What's your name kid?" I then turn the hat around and then push it down onto my head and then wait for them to answer me.

She then trembles lightly, nervous of being around the human that injured her friend earlier and then stammers and says a bit louder, "Uhm...all I said was that I picked it up after Lou asked me to return it to you, so here you go... My name is Fluttershy."

I then watch as she trembles and then try to calm her down and say, "I ain't gonna harm ya, so settle down. If you made me angry, I would definitely let you know it a few times before resorting to violence. How is the blue pony doing by the way, I was hoping to not kill them."

Fluttershy then calms down and then says, "She is going to live, but she won't be able to fly for awhile or do much, thanks to you. Her name is Rainbow Dash by the way. You can wait here for the others to return, I am going to go see how my friend is doing."

I then sigh and sit down in the corner of the Waiting Room while she then heads out to visit her friend and sigh thinking, 'I really know how to make an entrance, dont I?'

Chapter 5: Bigger Troubles, Simple Solutions

Rarity studies the bridle for a bit and then fiddles around with one of the straps and then succeeds in pulling it off and then says, "Aha, there we go. Now let's see what we can do here..." She then gets to work on making the adjustments while humming a tune to herself happily as she works with something new.

Applejack then says, "I dunno about this Arthur Morgan girls, he isn't tellin' us the whole truth. He lied about how he wound up here, I don't know what he's hidin' but I think that it would be wise for us to watch over him for awhile."

Celestia then looks to Applejack and then sighs saying, "I thought that was a lie, it is understandable though due to the lack of trust. If his life was a difficult one, that explains why he places so much value in telling personal things to those he trusts. We will have to try to earn his trust, until he decides to open up about what happened in that world he came from."

Cadence then says, "Well girls, shall we go get something to eat?"

Pinkie Pie then jumps up and says, "Oh we definitely should, Lou is hungry after braving that blizzard."

She then nods and lightly chuckles saying, "Alright then, let's head over there while Arthur deals with that stallion." She then turns and leads the group of girls to the restaurant.

A few minutes later, inside the Crystal Castle...

The guard then walks around the corner, hearing a couple screams come from up ahead and then says, "We are getting close now, so get ready."

I then draw my long barreled Schofield and then follow him down the hall and around another corner, seeing a skilled pony fighting another and defeats them and looks around for another opponent. I then clear my throat and then say, "That is quite some skill you have there, do you wish to test it against me?"

Clep then looks to the stranger behind him and then stretches his arms a little and bangs the back of both his swords together, then grins and says, "No pony in Equestria can defeat me, how do you hope to have any chance against me with that puny little thing?!" He then starts walking towards the new challenger.

The guard then shouts, "Every guard clear the hallway immediately!" and then watches as they scramble to pull the wounded out of the way.

The stallion then cocks his head and looks back saying, "Why are they pulling back now, did you finally understand that defeat is inevitable for you now?"

I then raise the revolver up and aim it at the pony and then say, "No, they pulled back because they know to be afraid."

Clep then looks back at the stranger and then says, "Of course they should be scared of my skill with dual swords, no others can hope to match my level!"

I then narrow my eyes at him and then cock the hammer back and then say, "No they are scared of me, and they should be for I am more dangerous than you."

He then gets a little nervous and then continues to creep forward and then says, "Why, what makes you so much more dangerous than me with that pitiful thing in your hands?"

I then blink and then place my finger on the trigger and say, "This is the reason why." I then aim at his horn and then squeeze the trigger, hearing the shot ring out and the horn break off and fall to the ground.

Clep then winces in pain as he watches his horn fall off his head and then looks at the stranger in rage and then starts charging him and says, "YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT, YOU BUCKER!"

I then sigh and say, "Many have tried, and many have died trying." I then activate my ability and then bring the revolver to my hip and rapidly shoot him in his hands, forcing him to drop the swords on the ground.

He then drops to the ground and yells, "My hands, what have you done to my hands!?"

I look over to the guard and then say, "You go check to see if the child's alright, I will stay here and keep him company."

The guard then nods and runs down the hall, rounding the corner and sees the Princess's door. He then continues running to it and thinks, 'Please still be there Princess Flurry Heart, this kingdom needs you.'

I then look at the defeated stallion and then say, "Why did you attack this place, why not just rob the shops in town. Certainly those are better targets that are less of a hassle?"

Clep then looks up at him and says, "I-I have no clue what you are talking about stranger, I attacked the castle because I wanted to test my skills against the guards of the Crystal Empire. Why are you here?"

I then chuckle and then shake my head saying, "I'd say by how you're dressed that you are an outlaw...like me. I am just here to get some shelter from the blizzard outside, get some food and a nice warm bed."

His eyes widen at hearing that and then says, "How, how'd you know, y-you're like me then. We could escape this place together, you and I. We could go someplace that we could be free forever, no longer hunted down like dogs."

I then sigh and shake my head again saying, "As tempting as that sounds, I have tried to chase that dream down. The world has a way of closing in around you, and claims you when there is no place left to run to."

The guard hurries back down the hall and stops in front of Arthur Morgan and then says, "The princess is not in her room, we must tell Her Majesty at once!" He then starts to head away from them but is stopped by Arthur Morgan.

I then look at the smirk that the stallion has and then say, "Hmmm...maybe this son of a bitch knows something, let's take him with us." I then pick up the unicorn's horn and put it into my satchel and then say, "This horn may make a fine grip for my revolver, thank you." I then rummage through my satchel and pull out a couple lengths of rope and then bind his arms behind his back and then his ankles. I then pick the pony up and throw them over my shoulder then follow the guard down the halls as other guards watch us go down the halls, giving foul looks to the criminal on my shoulder.

At the Restaurant several minutes later...

Princess Cadence takes another bite from her salad and then looks up to see the guard and Arthur Morgan make their way to them with the wounded stallion on his shoulder. She then looks to the girls and then says, "See girls, he brought him back alive. I told you that he would be able to do it, now my daughter will be safe."

The guard stops in front of Princess Cadence and then says, "Your Majesty, the criminal has been apprehended as you can see. Though there is a new development that I must inform you about in secret."

She then looks at the guard and then says, "Okay, well what is it. You can tell me what it is in front of the Representatives of the Elements of Harmony."

He then nods and then leans in close to her and whispers to her ear, "Your Majesty, I regret to inform you that this criminal must have had an accomplice. Your daughter is gone and cannot be found in her room or anywhere in the castle."

Princess Cadence's eyes widen at hearing that and then looks to Arthur Morgan and then says, "Arthur Morgan, I would like you to accompany the guard and find out everything this stallion knows."

I then look to the guard and then say, "Take us to a place where there are no eyes so we can interrogate him."

The guard then nods and leads the way saying, "There is a room in the prison where we conduct the interrogations, follow me please."

The girls all look at the exchange with worry on their faces as they look to Princess Cadence as Celestia says, "I think it would be wise of us to accompany them to the room to make sure that he doesn't cross the line with getting information."

She then sighs and nods saying, "I understand what you are saying Princess Celestia, but my daughter was just foalnapped and I don't care what has to be done to get her back. Let's go and see what information he can get from this stallion."

After a few minutes of walking, we arrive at the prison's interrogation room and I say to the guard, "We may need some strong twine, and a big bucket of water, go get some will you? While I ask this criminal some questions?"

He then nods and then leaves to go get some twine and thinks, "Why would he be asking for those things, what could he possibly use that for?"

I then look up to see a crystal beam with space between it and the ceiling and then dig around in my satchel, then pull a rope out and toss it through it and then pull it down to the ground and drop the rest of the rope on the floor. I look at the prisoner and then say, "Who else was with you, if you don't talk I'm gonna hang you upside down like a deer and tenderize your hide with my fists."

Clep then looks at the rope dangling from the beam and then glares at Arthur Morgan and says, "I won't tell you anything, go ahead and do your worst."

I then grin and then grab him by the ankles and use one end of the rope, running it between his legs first, then around them both. I then tie a knot in the rope and then say, "Since you don't want to talk, I will use my fists to get you to talk." I then pick up the rope and look at the wall, seeing a ring fastened to the wall and run the rope through it and haul his body up into the air so his face is at my level. I then tie it with a slipknot and then rummage through the bag for my black leather gloves and put them on and then say, "Alright then, let's have us some fun." I then bring my fist back and strike him on the right side of his face, sending him spinning away from me and swinging in the air.

Applejack then watches the violence for ten minutes as he beats the stallion for information and says, "This is so brutal, I can't stand to watch this." She then looks away and then tries to exit the room when Celestia stops her.

Celestia then looks at her with sympathy and says, "I understand your discomfort with this Applejack, compared to my experience in his world. This is not that bad, it could be much worse I promise you. Try to bear with it, maybe you all will learn something about him."

She then sighs and then nods and then continues to watch the ongoing violence and says, "I am not sure that we will learn anything about him aside from how he enjoys the pain of others."

I continue to beat him for a few more minutes and sees the guard return with the items and then say, "Alright, since you won't budge from me using my fists. It's time to switch tactics and do something else, let's see how you handle this method then." I go to the wall and pull the knot free and release the rope, watching as the criminal lands on the floor hard. Then I walk towards him and pull him over to the water bucket and then ask again, "Who else was with you, and where is the kid?"

Clep then chuckles and says, "I'm not telling you buck all!"

I then shake my head and say, "You are a really stubborn little shit aren't you, let's see how you like breathing underwater." I then lift their head up and then dunk it into the bucket until they struggle for a bit, then pull them out of it and repeat myself, "You better tell me who else was with you or you're going to drown in this damn bucket, or maybe I should castrate you first?"

He then sputters and tries to catch his breath and says, "I don't know, I don't know!" He then is dunked back into the bucket and continues to struggle for air.

I then pull him back up as he gasps for air again and say, "My patience is running out, you better talk now or I am going to cut off your balls and feed them to you! Now where is the child you stole you bastard!!?"

Clep then shudders and then says, "I don't...I don't kno..." but is then cut off and dunked back down into the water.

Cadence watches as the girls all start moving towards the door and then casts a barrier spell on it and then says, "He will not kill that stallion, he told me that he would keep to that one condition. So please continue to trust me and wait for him to get the information."

I then watch as the girls in the other room start to talk with each other and then rip his head out of the bucket and then say, "I have had enough of you bastards thinking that you can do whatever you fucking want and take children from their parents, what kind of monsters are you sons of bitches for doing something like that! A child was taken from us once, and we rained hell on the bastards that took him from us! We killed every fucking member of that god damned inbred family and burned their house to ash! You have no idea the hell that our 'family' has gone through, you really do not want to piss off the third in charge of our gang! Now talk or I am going to just chop your balls off and shove them down your god damned throat!"

The girls all blink at hearing that, too shocked for words. They then return to the window to watch what will happen next as Fluttershy then tears up and says, "What I saw in his eyes was pain and suffering. I-I don't know if I can take anymore of this brutality girls. Princess Cadence, can you please allow us to leave?"

She then sighs and nods her head and then asks, "Princess Celestia and Luna, can you two please stay behind and continue monitoring this interrogation?"

Clep's eyes begin watering as he then says, "I won...I won't t-tell you."

I then shout to the guard in the room, "Grab hold of him and pin him down while I castrate this son of a bitch!" I then grab some of the string and step in between his flailing legs and force them to stay apart and then begin to tightly tying off his ball sack.

Clep then feels his balls being tied off and then he screams, "ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT I WILL TELL YOU! JUST PLEASE DON'T TAKE MY BOYS, I WANT TO HAVE FOALS SOME DAY!"

I then look at him and then say, "If you want to have foals, then why do you take them from their parents! Now start talking or I will start cutting!"

Clep then breaks down and then coughs on his tears and then says, "A zebra is holding Flurry Heart, she makes her way west to our campsite in the forest. I-I was just following the boss's orders, she wants to hold the foal and then use her to take over the Crystal Empire..." He then continues to bawl like a foal and then says, "P-Please don't take my stallionhood from me..."

I then grumble and then say, "You're going to be in the care of the guards now, I'm done with you." I then remove the twine around his ball sack and then toss it onto the table, then remove my rope from around his ankles and hands. Then shove those into the satchel and make my way out of the room, slamming the door shut in agitation at remembering when Jack was taken from us.

Cadence then steps out into the hall and stops Arthur Morgan and says, "That went a little over the top didn't it Arthur Morgan? I am unhappy about the methods you used to get those answers, I am none to pleased with you right now. Go track down this zebra that has my daughter, and bring them both here. My daughter better not have been harmed in any way or there will be harsh punishment."

I then look at her and then nod my head and say, "I will be sure your daughter returns here safely, but as for her captor...they will get here alive. I do not forgive those that take children from their parents, as you may have heard." I then continue on down the hall to return to where the princess's room was to track down her kidnapper.

A guard outside the room then sees the human stranger come towards him and then says, "Halt, what is your business here?!"

I look at the guard and then say, "I am here to track down a kidnapper, please show me the room where the little girl stayed."

They nod and then show him the room and say, "This room is hers sir, just ask if you need anything else."

I then enter the room and then say, "All I need is to get a good look around the area to find anything out of the ordinary and then start hunting this zebra down."

The guard returns to standing outside the door and then says, "I wish you good luck in finding her sir, she is very dear to her mother and father and the Empire as well."

After searching around the room a bit and see nothing that stands out, so I look at the floor and spot a bit of dirt on the floor. I then examine it a bit closer and then activate my tracking ability and then follow the trail into the halls. I follow the trail that leads me outside of the castle, and out towards where I came in at.

Lou finishes drinking from the bucket and then sighs and says, "Ahh, now I am ready for an adventure..." when she hears a sharp whistle and then smiles and says, "Well speak of adventures, I wonder what he needs me for now?" She then turns around and canters towards where he is.

I watch her coming towards me and then walk to her and then say, "Well Lou, are you ready to go track down a kidnapper?"

She then nods her head and says, "Of course. I just finished eating and drinking, so I am ready to go chase down some criminals."

I climb up into the saddle and look at the ground and look for the track and then resume following it. I then say, "Alright girl, let's pick the pace up to a slow canter. That way I can still follow the trail that will lead me right to this zebra. Does your bridle feel much more comfortable now?"

Lou then takes off at a slow canter and then says, "Oh it feels much better, thank you for having her make the adjustment."

Somewhere in the raging blizzard outside the Crystal Empire...

The zebra gets a chill up her spine and looks back over her shoulder into the blizzard raging around her, only seeing nothing within her line of sight as she sighs and then says, "If I am being followed, they will not come this far out into this biting cold. To be sure though,we shall change our heading. After some time, we shall return to that cave that we were originally going. Queen Chrysalis and that strange pony called...what was his name, I think it it was Mr O'Driscoll. To his friends it was Colm he preferred, they will both be very pleased when they see we have succeeded."

Flurry Heart slowly stirs as she wakes up and sees nothing around her but hears a raging storm that is making her shiver uncomfortably and tries to speak but cant as she finds herself unable to kick her legs, flap her wings, use her magic or even hit her foalnapper with her fists. Not letting being tied up deter her, she struggles however she can to let someone hear her.

The zebra raises her voice and says to the struggling filly, "Either you stop your struggling right now, or you will lose your protection against the snow!"

She sighs and then stops struggling and then just relaxes as a tear runs from her eye down to her cheek, and then to her chin and falls away as she then thinks, 'Please come save me mommy, I want to go home...'

Just west of the Crystal Empire in the raging blizzard once more...

I continue to squint as I struggle to keep track of the zebra's tracks, even losing them completely for a bit. I find the trail once more and continue to follow it and then say, "Damn, this zebra is smart Lou. She covered her tracks and switched directions to throw me off, I am starting to actually enjoy tracking down a target for once."

Lou shakes her head free of the snow sticking to her neck fur and then says, "That is nice to hear, you never really enjoyed tracking targets. I sure hope we find this damn zebra soon, I am sick of freezing my tail off in this blinding storm!" She then continues to follow his hints along the near invisible trail, pushing further and further into the storm.

I then get a thought and then say, "Do you think that cave where the wagon is, is out here somewhere?"

She then thinks for a moment and then says, "It could be, it is hard to be sure of our heading with this storm being so bad. I do think that it was somewhere west of the Crystal Empire though, based on the distance we traveled."

Somewhere in the blizzard, a distance away from the cave...

The zebra spots the path she marked that would lead to the cave she searches for and then says, "We are almost to the cave, where we shall hand you off to the ones that targeted you." She then pushes on through the storm, looking forward to getting warm again in the cave.

A half hour passes by when Flurry Heart feels herself getting set down and then sniffles as she realizes she may never see home again and then thinks, 'Mommy, where are you?! Why are you taking so long to find me, do you even miss me at all? Did you let them take me because of the small pranks I play on you?'

Clack then looks to the zebra and says, "I'm gonna go tell the others that we are back, you stay here with the kid." He then casts a light spell on his horn to see where he is going and heads down the long tunnel.

The zebra then nods her head and gets started on making a fire to get warm and says, "A nice fire will be just the thing I need to keep warm, for very soon we will be away from harm."

I continue to follow the trail for what feels like an hour before I look up and spot some markings on some trees and then say, "Well girl, I think we may be getting close now. There are markings on these trees that I did not notice before, we should keep quiet now so we continue to go unnoticed." I then hop out of the saddle and then continue to follow the marked trees. I stop moving when I hear a crack, then a creak, and a groan followed by a loud crash symbolizing a tree being blown over by the winds. I breathe a sigh of relief and feel thankful that it didn't land on us and then think, 'God I hope that that tree didn't fall on them and hurt or kill the little filly.' I then hurry along the path, trying to get to where they lead when I spot a distant light up ahead and then softly say to Lou, "Looks like we may have caught up to em finally girl, I think it is time that I make my appearance and confront this criminal." I then stand up and draw my revolver from my holster while asking Lou to wait outside the cave til I deal with the criminal.

The zebra looks up to see something large and tall coming towards her and says, "So I was being followed it appears, I pray that it was difficult for you to follow me here. Since you tracked me to this cave, I cannot allow you to leave." She then tries to recognize the creature standing just inside the cave with her with something in its hand.

I then shake my head and then say, "I am admit that it was a little difficult to track you down, but it was fun to have a challenge for once. I am afraid though that it is the other way around, that I cannot allow you to leave here with that foal. So surrender now, I have no issues with killing criminals." I then raise the revolver and aim it directly between her eyes and wait for her response.

The zebra then stares at the object as it is pointed directly at her and then says, "Why would I do as you say, it is you that is at a disadvantage against my skills this day." She then gets into her fighting stance and then prepares to strike first and then lunges at him.

I sigh and then cock the hammer back and then use my skill, aiming to shoot her in the leg. I squeeze the trigger and hear the shot ring out of the cave and into the raging blizzard, then hear a thud as I watch her fall to the ground and then hear the zebra start sniffling in pain and make my way towards her to tie her up and then say, "You just had to make things difficult, didn't you zebra? Why do criminals always feel that they can beat my skill with a gun? Now sit tight while I go check on that foal you took from Princess Cadence." I then walk over to the thick sack and then open it saying, "Well let's see what we have here in this sack shall we?" I then pull the sack wide open and look inside to find a young filly all tied up and then say, "I don't forgive those that take children from their parents, normally I would just as soon kill ya without so much as batting an eye. Today is your lucky day zebra, Princess Cadence wishes for me to bring you back alive. I am going to do just that, more or less."

Flurry Heart's eyes widen in happiness as she hears her mother sent him and tries to wriggle her way out of the sack, getting halfway out when she is pulled the rest of the way out and set on her feet. She watches the stranger as they untie her binds, as soon as her mouth is free she rushes forth and hugs him tightly and says, "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you, Thank you for saving me from them kind creature. Are you taking me back to my mother now, what and who are you?"

I chuckle and then say, "Yes I am, but only after I find the wagon that is somewhere outside of this cave. I am a human from another world, and my name is Arthur Morgan little filly. I have a cover that I can throw over the top of it so you can stay out of the storm, I will be right back." I then head out of the cave and start looking for where Discord may have put that wagon.

Fifteen minutes pass by as Flurry heart hopes they find the wagon he is looking for, when she hears something coming from the dark tunnel and focuses her eyes on it. She then hears a hiss followed by chittering noises, realizing that the noise is coming from changelings and then yells, "Mister Arthur, there are changelings in here. Please come back right now!" She then watches as a few of them emerge from the tunnel and then screams as they rush towards her and ignore the zebra.

I hear the shrill scream and then rush back to the cave and then look around to see that the filly is gone. I look for tracks leaving the cave but find nothing, leaving the only way she could have gone was into the tunnel. I see the zebra is still tied up where I left her and say, looks like your friends left you high and dry. I'm gonna go get the filly back, so just keep waiting there and I will be back sooner than you think." I then start digging around in my satchel for the small lantern I have and then pull it out. I then set it down and light it, then attach it to my belt and draw my revolver and head down the tunnel in search for the filly.

The group of changelings hear the dull echo coming down the tunnel, dart off into a side passage and hold the filly's mouth shut then set up an ambush for whoever is following them. They watch as a tall figure wearing a strange outfit, a bushy beard and stash growing off the lower portion of its face. Unable to make out better details, they continue to watch the creature walk towards them as they quietly chitter to each other.

I see an intersecting path on either side of the tunnel I am walking down and stop when I hear a low chittering sound and then call out saying, "You should come out now while you still have a chance to leave here with your lives, otherwise I will be forced to act. Surely you seen what I've done to your friend back there, I can do much worse than that I assure you."

One of the changelings decides to step out of hiding and then says, "Impressssive for one sssuch as you to have ssssuch sssskill, it does not matter if you managed to sssseek usss out. You are going to be our food ssssoon enough, you are ssssuch a fool to follow us into the caves that we all call home." It then charges up its horn to cocoon the creature, aiming to take it to the queen and earn some praise.

I see its horn starting to light up and then cock the hammer back and then shoot its horn off, cancelling the spell and then say, "I won't say this again, so give up the filly and I promise I won't kill you."

A female changeling hears the loud noise and holds her ears, waiting for the ringing to go away and says, "I don't like how the air tastes right now, let's do as it says and just head back to the Queen and say that the zebra failed its task."

Another changeling looks at her with anger and then harshly says, "The air here always tastes wrong, don't pay any attention to it. We are stronger when we work together, we are not going to let this food get away from us!"

She nods her head and then sighs, thinking, 'It isn't the normal smell that has me worried, the air around that creature reeks of death...'

The changeling in the tunnel standing before the creature that took its horn gets angry and then says, "You are going to pay for that!" It then hisses and takes off flying towards them, eager to get some revenge for the damage it done to his horn.

I see it flying through the air at me and then use my skill again to raise the revolver quickly, bring the hammer back, and then shoot it in the head and then say, "Well, your friend is a corpse now. Come on out now and I won't kill the rest of you!"

The female quickly looks to the other changelings and then says, "That creature just took Frenzied Fangs from us, I don't want to end up like them! We should leave the filly here and then run back to tell the Queen about this thing, she will know what to do."

I get a little impatient at waiting for an answer and decide to take the next step and throw them off balance and put my revolver away and dig through my bag for a small bundle of dynamite and tie their fuses together, pulling a match out of my pocket and then say down the tunnel, "This is your last chance to come out before I march down there and lay waste to all of you with a shotgun!, come out now or die painfully!" I light the fuse and throw it down the tunnel as far as I can, then cover my own ears to protect them from the blast and brace myself against the wall.

The female then hears a noise closely similar to their hisses and then pokes her head around the corner as she watches one of the others across from them go check it out when a blast of air, dust and debris sends her against the wall behind her. She then hits her head against it and then falls to the ground unconscious.

The other changelings watch as the body of the changeling slides across the floor as a loud rumble and a crash come from where the object landed. The badly mangled body stops between the two pathways for both groups to look at, causing several to gag and then throw up onto the floor. They then rush out of the side tunnels and growl angrily at the creature and then start to charge it on hoof.

I count eight creatures charging me as I bring both of my revolvers up and quickly shoot the ones in the front that I can hit, wait a second for them to recover a little and then continue shooting them until they are all dead. I then put the revolvers away and then reload them one at a time and head to the intersection to look for the little filly, seeing her sitting against the wall near her own puke pile, staring wide eyed at the mangled corpse and holding her ears against her head. I sigh and then step in front of her and crouch down to block her view of the corpse and then say, "I'm sorry you had to see this kid, the world I come from is not very nice like this one is. I did find where my wagon is, so I can prepare it to take you home after I finish putting the cover on it."

Flurry Heart then jerks her head up to look at him and then sniffles and tears up, wiping her mouth with her t-shirt sleeve and then says, "Thank you again for stopping them from taking me to their hive, my hearing is a bit off."

I then nod my head and then pick her up, holding her up with my arm under her bottom and then say, "I know exactly what you are feeling kid, your ears are ringing, and you are feeling out of balance and dizzy. When a loud explosion like that goes off and you are not expecting it and are underground, that will happen to you and others as well. Wrap your arms around my neck as I stand up so you don't fall backwards."

She wraps her arms around his neck and sees the ground rise rapidly as he stands up, then walks past the bodies and towards the cave and then turns her head to him and says, "Why did you take their lives, surely you could have just beat them up and let them go?"

I continue walking towards the cave entrance and say, "I could have done that but they have the advantage over me without my guns. Life is not always sunshine and rainbows kid, it does get really hard sometimes and all you can do is struggle on through it. Friends and family do take some of the pain away and make it easier to deal with, so find some good friends that will stay with you through it all. If you should ever feel the need to cry, then cry if you need to. There is no shame in crying because you lost something that you loved dearly. Are you ready for me to take you back to your mother?"

Flurry Heart then looks at him in curiosity and then asks, "Have you ever cried because you lost something or someone you loved?"

I then lower my head a little and then say, "Y-Yes I have, about near 7 years ago I was helping a friend out and my companion that was with me for a long time got shot, so I had to leave him behind and finish seeing my friend through a tough spot. I still miss him terribly some days."

She then hangs her head a little bit and then says, "I'm sorry I asked you a question that caused you pain Mister Arthur Morgan." She watches on in silence as they continue to get closer to the cave entrance.

I then sniffle through my nose and then say, "I have some straight candy in my bag here if you want to get that sour taste out of your mouth."

Flurry Heart looks at him curiously and cocks her head saying, "What is straight candy, I've never had that before."

I then grin and then say, "Well kid as soon as I can get the wagon into the cave to put the top onto the wagon, I will dig out a stick for you to try ok?"

She then smiles and then nods her head and says, "Well Mister Arthur Morgan, my name isn't kid. My name is Princess Flurry Heart, but please call me Flurry Heart or Flurry."

Chapter 6: Returning what was stolen, moving to a new place

The two of us return to the cave and still see the zebra laying there sniffling, I then look over to her and then say, "By that sniffling I assume you are still alive over there zebra?"

The zebra then turns and looks at him and says, "Of course I am still alive, if you were a monster you wouldn't allow me to keep my life. I am still bleeding, could you maybe stop it and do something? My name is not Zebra, that is merely just what I am. My name however is Zahara, that is who I am."

I then look to her and then say, "Yeah I can at least stop the bleeding, but I can't fix it until I get you back to town. Just hold on a moment and I will get my wagon in here before it gets filled with snow." I then go to make my way outside and then hesitate for a moment and then sigh, turn around and walk up beside her and then begin to dress the wound. I pick up the leg and then feel the underside and then say, "Good news is that the bullet went clean through, but I need to either cauterize the wound or wrap it tight. It is your choice though, so decide what you want."

Zahara then thinks on it and then sighs and says, "I think I shall have you cauterize it, then my blood will no longer ooze from it."

I then nod and say, "That is the best choice that is available right now. If the bullet was still in the wound, I would only be able to tie cloth around it and take you to the closest doctor. Do you want me to use fire or a hot blade to cauterize the wound?"

She considers the options and then sighs and says, "I shall choose fire this time, hot metal scared me since I was nine."

I then smile and say, "Alright then, lets get that wound closed up." I then tear the fabric of her pants to expose the wound fully and then grab a few shotgun shells and a match, cut off the ends of the shells and dump the shot out onto the ground and dig out the cloth separator. I then pour the gunpowder into the wound and hold the leg tight to my body and then look at her and say, "This next part is going to hurt like hell, so do try to keep as still as you can so the fire can close this wound."

Zahara then nods and then braces for the pain and says, "Go ahead and start it, I am braced for the pain."

I then chuckle lightly and say, "You can brace all you like but I assure you, this will be a whole new level of pain." I then strike the match and then light the gunpowder and hear it burst into flames as she screams out in pain, continuing to hold onto her thrashing leg.

She catches her breath and stops thrashing and then glares at him and then says, "You bucker that hurts, that really bucking hurts!"

I then sigh and say, "I told you it would, are you ready to do the other side now?"

Zahara then grumbles under her breath and then nods saying, "Let's get this over with then, after this I can look forward to getting away from you as you hand me over to them."

I nod and then roll her over and then rip the back side of the fabric open and then repeat the process, finding another match and light it. I watch as she screams out in pain and tries to twist free, holding tightly to her so the flame can do its thing and then let go of her and then stand up saying, "Ok, I will return in a little bit with the wagon. Don't go anywhere you two or there will be hell to pay." I then head out of the cave to find where Lou had gone and see her taking shelter against a copse of pine trees that have grown up beside each other.

Lou watches as Arthur walks up to her and then says, "Is everything ok now, I heard a lot of noise come from inside?"

I walk up to her and then say, "Yeah girl everything's fine now, just some weird insect looking things tried to take the kid away down into the tunnel and didn't want to give her up. They tried to intimidate me with just one of them and after I shot off the horn of one of em, the thing rushed towards me so I killed it. After that I tossed a small bundle of dynamite a ways down the tunnel they were heading and collapsed it. Finally they all came out and tried to rush me, so I pulled my revolvers out and finished them off. That poor kid saw the mangled body in the tunnel and threw up at the sight of it, I wish she didn't see that. Aside from that experience, I found the wagon and it is over here a little ways hidden under some collapsed trees. Come with me and I will take that saddle off of you and try to find a harness in the wagon alright?"

She then nods and then sighs saying, "That is sad to hear, I feel sorry for the poor girl for being taken from her mother like that. Lead us to where that wagon is Arthur, then we can return to the Crystal Empire and warm up a bit before we go anywhere else."

I then nod and make my way towards the wagon, weaving through trees just to get to it and arrive a few minutes later then say, "Well, it seems like it is all here. Let's see if I can locate the harness for this wagon, normally each wagon has a harness set that stays with it so they don't get mixed up." After rummaging through a couple crates, I find the harnesses for this wagon underneath the seat inside of a box neatly arranged. I then pull it out and lay it out over the back of the seat and then look at the head harness and shake my head and say, "We will have to switch the leads out because this metal bit will cause your tongue to stick to it, so come here girl and I will get that saddle off you."

Lou makes her way closer to the wagon and notices that the wagon tongue is different and says, "That would definitely be a good idea because it is painful when that happens, something is different about the wagon though. That's not the draw bar that should be on there, that is a single horse bar. It seems like someone else made changes to it and tried to take it home with them."

I look at the bar again and then nod my head and say, "You're right Lou, that should be a two horse bar instead of a single. Let's get you hooked up and put this into the cave so I can check if anything is missing, now let me get that saddle off of you and into the wagon..." I then remove the saddle, blanket and pad then set it all in the back of the wagon. I then remove the leather reins that are buckled onto the rings of her bridle, coil them up and lay them over the saddle horn. I then reach for the harness and then ensure I have it the right way, then walk to the right side of Lou and toss it over her back and then begin fastening it together on her saying, "Alright girl, now I will just hook this all together and then I'll get you hooked up to the wagon, then we can find a path to the cave and back it in there."

She nods her head eagerly and says, "Alright then, hurry it up because if I stand still too long in cold weather, my body heat is sapped away faster."

A few minutes later I finally get her hooked up, after fiddling with the buckles and straps and cussing every time I dropped a strap because of my cold fingers. I then look to her and then say, "Alright girl, move into your spot and I will hook the bar up."

Lou moves in between the rails, lifting her legs up and over them and then waits for his signal to either move forward or back up a little bit. She then shakes her whole body to get the snow off of her fur and then says, "Could you hurry this up because I can feel icicles forming on my mane and tail. I wish this storm would go away soon, I want to be warm and out of the weather."

I then nod and lift up the bar then say, "I hear you Lou, I hate blizzards too. I prefer warm weather to cold, could you back up a little bit? The hookup point is just a little bit too far ahead for me to reach with this strap."

She then nods and backs up a couple steps and then looks back and says, "Is that far enough, Arthur?"

I then glance at her and say, "That is great girl, now just let me get the rest of these straps hooked up to you and I can start working on shoveling our way out of this damn place." I finish getting the straps hooked up on the right side and then move over to the left side to hook that up as well.

Lou then watches as he tightens one more strap and then walks towards the wagon to grab a shovel from the side of the wagon and then says, "Is that the last strap, are we ready to go now?"

I then grab a square shovel and then step out in front of her and say, "Yep girl, that was the last strap. Now I will head out in front of you and scoop the snow away so you won't have such a hard time pulling it." I then set the shovel down and then look for a set of better gloves to keep my hands a little warmer and then get started on scooping in front of Lou so she has a good spot to stand that is out of the deep snow.

Flurry Heart waits in the cave for over an hour and starts to get restless and impatient and then says, "Do you think that he got lost out there or got hurt?!?"

Zahara then sighs and says, "I don't know Princess, I don't really care. So don't talk to me, I'm having a very bad day."

She then sighs and then sits down on the ground with her knees under her chin and then says, "This is so boring, I can't wait to get home so I can continue reading that book about Daring Do's latest adventure."

I then keep guiding Lou backwards through yet another huge snowdrift as we get closer to the cave's entrance, I then look towards Lou and then shout, "Hold there while I dig further towards the cave, Lou."

Lou then stands there for a few minutes, looking back to see where Arthur is at and sees him continuing to dig towards the faint glow of the cave entrance when she hears a loud crack and a groan followed closely by a crash that sends a wave of snow against her body, blinding her momentarily as she then looks to the left where the noise came from and then barely sees the outline of a freshly fallen tree that was not there a few seconds ago.

I then make my way back towards Lou after clearing another fifteen feet, hearing a crack, and a groan followed by a crash signalling that a tree just fell close to where Lou is at. I then rush back to the wagon and then yell, "LOU LOU, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?! THAT CRASH SOUNDED TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT, WE NEED TO MOVE A BIT FASTER GIRL SO WE DON'T GET TRAPPED IN THIS FOREST."

She then looks back and then says, "YES ARTHUR, I'M FINE! THAT TREE JUST LANDED ABOUT TWENTY FEET AWAY FROM ME, I AGREE WITH YOU ON THAT SO LET'S TRY TO MOVE FASTER!"

I then shout to her, "ALRIGHT LOU, COME ON BACK! THE CAVE IS JUST A FEW MORE FEET!"

Lou then looks behind her and then continues to back up down the cleared path and then stops and says, "I will stay here until you finish the rest of the way to the cave Arthur, so get digging!"

I then take the shovel with me back to where I left off digging and then continue to throw it to the left or right, reaching the cave several minutes later after digging through one last snowdrift. I then return to Lou and then shout to her, "Alright Lou, bring it on back! I'm done digging finally, now lets get this into the cave so we can warm back up and I can do a quick inventory of what is in the wagon as well as put the cover on."

She then looks back and then continues to push the wagon backwards towards the cave's entrance, finally arriving after a few minutes. She then pushes the wagon into the cave and into an empty spot, then stops and rests for a little while to warm up a bit from the bitter cold wind outside.

Flurry Heart runs towards Arthur Morgan and wraps her arms around his waist and says, "I am so glad you are finally back, it has been two hours since you left. I was worried that you got lost in the blizzard or were injured from that loud crash we heard earlier."

I put the shovel back into its place and then get started digging the metal rods out for putting the top onto the wagon and say, "Yeah well, there are some really big snowdrifts out there kid and this here wagon is heavy. That crash you heard was from a tree that broke under the stress of the storm and landed twenty feet from her. Just look at how much Lou is sweating after moving it around by herself while I was digging through snow, that wagon is actually supposed to have two horses pulling it. I mean to say horses, not ponies. Lou is a four legged horse from where we both came from, thanks to Discord's help." I then continue to set the rods in place and bend them over to where they are supposed to go and set them into the other side. After setting the last one into place, I then dig out the rolled up canvas cover and then unroll and lay it over the top of two rods. I then adjust the canvas so it rests evenly over all four rods, then get off of the wagon and finish tying it down tight on both sides. I finally finish up and then tie the front closed tight and then look to the two girls and say, "Who's ready to go on a wagon trip to the Crystal Empire? It is going to be a long trip I assure you, but I promise that we will get there. Oh and be sure to not bounce around to much or bump the boxes too hard because there is a couple cases of dynamite in there somewhere, dynamite does not tolerate being shook to hard."

Flurry Heart cocks her head and then says, "What is that, I never heard of that name before."

I then look at her and then say, "It is something that explodes when a fuse is inserted into the casing and ignited."

She then gets a little nervous and then starts backing away and says, "Uhm...I think I would rather walk back instead of ride back with something that dangerous."

I then crouch down and then look at her and say, "I understand that you are scared of it, and you are correct in being so. However, someone has tampered with my wagon. I do not know who messed with it and tried to steal it, but this is one thing that I can't afford to leave behind. That means that you are going to have to ride inside of the wagon so you can stay warm, unless you are not bothered by the cold at all. If that is the case, you can sit on the seat while I walk in front of the wagon to make sure that it does not fall into a big hole or something and breaks a wheel or an axle. If that should happen, we would be stranded and left with one of us walking while the other two sat on Lou's back."

Flurry Heart then sighs and says, "Alright then, where can I sit that is not on the dangerous box of dynamite?"

I then nod to her and then say, "Any boxes at the front of the wagon are definitely not dynamite, and are not as dangerous as that one is." I then lower the back gate down and then bend over and pick her up in my arms and set her up there and let her find a spot to get comfy in for the long journey ahead. I then go over to Zahara and then pick her up the same way and then set her on the gate and then climb up onto it and move her onto some of the crates in the back of the wagon then look into her eyes and say, "If you want to stay alive, I wouldn't move much if I were you. If you cause me anymore trouble, I will toss you into a snowbank and leave you behind." I watch as she quickly nods her head up and down, then nod my head in acceptance and then say, "Good, now settle in for a slow trip." before tying the back tightly shut and then tap the side of the wagon and grab the shovel I used before and then say, "Alright Lou, are you ready to make our trip back to the Crystal Empire?"

Lou then turns her head towards Arthur and then nods saying, "I'm as ready as I will ever be boss, lead the way and I will follow you. Thank you for helping me find the way through the snow."

I then nod to her and say, "You're welcome girl. You know that if you get stuck, I get stuck along with you. I must take care of you or I may find myself stranded somewhere as a direct result of it, but I do care a lot for you and everything that you do for me. Thank you Lou, now let's find our way back to the Crystal Empire." I then push out of the cave and down the path that I shoveled clear, seeing that it is already starting to drift shut again and say, "Alright Lou, here we go girl."

She then blushes at his words and then follows him out with a slight smile on her face and then says, "Okay Arthur, I will keep an eye on you as you mark the path in front of me."

Meanwhile, at the Crystal Empire an hour later...

Cadence stands in her daughter's room pacing nervously and says to her husband, "It has been four hours since that Arthur Morgan has left, do you think that it is possible that he found our daughter by now and holds her hostage!? What do we do if he finds her and he never told us that he is a fillyfooler! Oh Celestia, what am I to do without my darling baby here!!!!" She then collapses onto her daughter's bed bawling her eyes out as her husband walks up next to her and gives her a tight hug.

Shining Armor then reassures her and says, "Don't worry Cady, from the description of how he fought and behaved around the guards, I think that she will be in good hands. One of the guards told me about how he got mad about how the criminal stole a child away from its mother, do you remember him saying that dear?"

She doesn't answer him for a little bit and then says in between cries, "Ye-Yeah, but that does not change the fact that she is not here right now-how..." before returning to bawling on her daughter's empty bed.

He then sighs and then continues hugging her tightly and reassuring her, trying to calm her down as best he can.

Twilight paces outside of her niece's room and then says, "Oh girls, why didn't we just go with him when he went to chase that zebra down! Now I am starting to worry even more because I didn't choose to go with him instead of just tagging along to make sure that everything went according to plan..."

Fluttershy then gets into her friend's face and then moves her lock out of her face and then stares into Twilight's eyes and then says, "Twilight, If you would just calm down a little and have a little trust in Arthur Morgan, you would not act like this. I saw that he is a good human Twilight, in his eyes I could see that he had a harder life than most that helped him become who he is today. Please believe me Twilight, and trust Arthur Morgan." She then backs away and returns the lock of hair and then says, "Uhm...are you feeling better now Twilight?"

She then takes a deep breath and then says, "Yes I am Fluttershy, thank you very much for that."

An hour later, somewhere outside of the Crystal Empire...

I then spot the railroad from earlier today and then shout to Lou, "IT'S THE RAILROAD TRACKS WE FOLLOWED EARLIER TODAY GIRL, WE ARE GOING THE RIGHT WAY!!" I then turn left and follow them east, continuing to use the handle of the shovel to check the depth of the snow and find out how the terrain was.

Lou then sighs in relief and then says in a normal voice, "That is good to hear that we are on the right path, before long we shall be back in the Crystal Empire."

Flurry Heart sits inside of the wagon, glancing towards the now sleeping Zahara and then thinks to herself, 'How long will I be inside of this wagon until I finally get home? I really miss my mommy, I want to get home...'

I then continue following the railroad tracks east for another half hour before seeing a faint glow in the east and then say with excitement, "We are almost there Lou, keep pushing on girl!"

She then looks into the distance and sees the same glow and then sighs happily and then says, "That is wonderful to hear because I want some water soon."

After an hour of following the tracks, I finally spot the barrier and then shout to Lou, "We are almost there girl, pick up the pace and we can then take our time and soak in the warmth!"

Lou then sees the barrier getting closer and then shouts back to him, "Hop into the seat where you belong Arthur, and I will canter the rest of the way into the barrier!"

I then hear her and then hurry back to the wagon, then jump into the seat and rest my arm across the back rest, then set my feet on the top of the front board of the wagon. I then watch as she eases into a canter and passes through the barrier, clearly eager to soak in the warmth beyond the barrier. I watch as we make our way towards the city when a couple guards come to the wagon and ask us to stop.

One of the crystal guards looks to the human on the large wagon and says, "What do you have inside that wagon sir?"

I look to them and then tell them the truth saying, "I am bringing back a criminal that kidnapped a filly in her room, I am also going to be returning her to her mother. So may I continue on my way now, her mother must be worried sick about her daughter by now?"

The guard then nods to him and then says, "Have a good day sir." and then starts to return to their duty when the human stops them.

I then look at them and say, "Why don't you go tell Princess Cadence to meet Arthur Morgan in front of the castle, I have something that belongs to her."

They nod and then hurry towards the castle to inform the princess of the news, arriving outside of the princess's daughter's room and knock on the door then say, "Princess Cadence, there is news about your daughter."

Princess Cadence jumps off her daughter's bed and rushes to the door and nearly pulls it off its hinges and then says, "Where, where is she?"

The guard then says, "Arthur Morgan is bringing her and the criminal to the castle as we speak Your Highness, he wants to meet you outside of the castle."

She rushes out the door, pushing them aside in her haste to hold her daughter once again saying, "Arthur found her and is bringing her home finally!"

I ask Lou to stop the wagon outside of the tall crystal castle and then get out of the seat, seeing Princess Cadence rush out the doors with her husband close behind her. Making my way towards the back of the wagon and then start to untie the back of the cover when I hear her approaching me hurriedly, breathing hard.

Cadence stops at the back of the large wagon and then catches her breath and says, "Where is my daughter at Arthur, give her to me now!"

I then drop the back gate and then hop up onto it and bring out the Criminal first and say, "This zebra requires medical attention. I stopped the bleeding, but she may need further care than what I could give her."

She calls forth a couple guards to take her away and then looks at him and then says angrily, "That is not my daughter Arthur, I want my daughter right now."

I then nod and say, "Of course Princess, have a little heart and show that you care about others will you? I got the criminal out first because she is injured." I then look for Flurry Heart in the back of the wagon and spot her underneath the seat and then say to her, "Hey kid, you're finally home. Do you want to see your mother now? Make your way back towards me and crawl carefully over the boxes so I can then set you down on the ground. Then you can finally return back to your mother and a nice warm home."

Flurry Heart starts sniffling and crawls over the boxes towards Arthur and says, "I'm back home, my mother is right outside!"

I then lift the kid up in my arms and then set her down on the ground, watching her as she runs back into her mothers hands saying momma repeatedly and feel a smile make its way across my face at seeing such a happy reunion. I then remember that I said I would give her a piece of stick candy when I got the wagon prepared to go, and then get to digging around through my bag for the paper bag with the stick candy in it and then say, "Before you two go, I said I would give you some stick candy." I then find the bag and then pull it out and then remove four long pieces from the sack and then hold them out to her and then say, "Sorry I didn't hand it to you when I said I would, there's two pieces for you as an apology for being late and one piece for both your parents."

She then looks to her mother and then asks, "Please can I have them momma?"

Cadence then sighs and then says, "Of course you can darling, as long as they aren't dangerous to your health." She then sniffs the air and then says, "Sweetie, why is your breath so foul right now?"

I then stop Flurry Heart from saying anything and say, "That is partly my fault because I captured the zebra and freed the kid, then tied the zebra up before leaving to go find the wagon when I heard a scream and returned to the cave to find that the kid was taken while the zebra was left behind. I gave chase and some insect creatures had taken her so a fight broke out and I shot its horn off its head, then killed it when it tried to charge me. I then asked the others to come out of the side tunnels and give up, but they didn't listen. So I tossed a small bundle of dynamite down the tunnel they were running and collapsed it, but one of them went after it and tried to inspect it when it blew up and sent the corpse skidding back across the floor. Unfortunately, the corpse stopped in between the two tunnels and the poor kid saw the mangled body and threw up onto the floor along with them. After that, they all came out and were pissed off, then I just killed them all and went to get the kid and then had a talk with her about how hard life can be where I am from. She won't be hungry for awhile, but I assure you that she will get over it. Some find it necessary to talk about bad experiences, others find their own way to deal with it. Each person is unique like that, they have their own special way to deal with their problems. This stick candy will help to get rid of the smell, and will satisfy her hunger for a little while." I then look directly at Flurry Heart and then say to her, "Hey Flurry Heart, I'm not the best example to follow when it comes to dealing with problems. If you ever do feel like you want to talk about it, let me know somehow or talk to your parents about it. They won't quite understand what trouble you are going through, but they are family. Family will never abandon you, so keep trying to deal with it the best you can. One day before you know it, you will get past it and your life will return to some sort of normal. Violence is not always the best answer to everything like on my world, always try to face a problem when one comes along. If the problem is too big to deal with, it is alright to step away from it to gather your thoughts and try again later. Don't run from a problem, because it will only hunt you down later."

She then glares at Arthur Morgan for allowing her daughter to see such ugly things and then says, "Thank you for trying to clean up your mistake, but I think it is best that you take your leave soon. If you do come back, we will keep an eye on you." She then takes the stick candy violently from his hand and throws a bag containing two hundred bits and then takes her daughter's hand and then says, "It wasn't mentioned, but there's your reward for saving my daughter from those changelings you described. You also brought the criminal back alive, as you agreed to do. Now pick up your reward and be on your way, good day Arthur Morgan."

I then sigh and nod my head towards her as I see Flurry Heart waving at me with a piece of stick candy in one hand, then wave back and then grab the bag of bits and set it inside my satchel before turning around to make my way back to the wagon to grab the reins for the harness and connect them to Lou's bridle. As I pull the reins from the headgear I hear someone clear their throat and turn back to see a purple horn stick up past the back gate and then say, "Hello, I will be on my way out of the city soon so piss off."

Twilight then sighs and then says, "My name is Princess Twilight Sparkle, and I am in charge of Ponyville. I am sorry that my sister in law behaved in that way towards you, she normally is not like that at all. If you give her a little time, I am positive that she will try to apologize to you."

I then continue to coil the reins up, I then make my way towards the back of the wagon carefully and then hop out of it. I then start to make my way to Lou so I can put the reins into their proper spot and then say, "She had every right to be angry with me for what her daughter saw, but I am used to others hating me for allowing their children to see bad things. It's just another perk of being a criminal I guess, maybe I can't change who I am deep down. You better go after your sister-in-law, I have to get heading out of here. I don't want to incur her wrath if I linger here for too long, see ya later princess."

She then sighs and starts heading towards the castle to go have a talk with her sister-in-law about the way she treated Arthur Morgan when she sees Celestia and Luna walking away from Cadence, who is currently hanging her head for some reason.

Celestia and Luna make their way towards Arthur Morgan as he is tending to his partner Lou, and then start to jog when they see him head to the front of the wagon and get up into the seat as Luna then shouts out to Arthur, "Sir Arthur, would thou halt for a moment to talk!?"

I then wait until they stop beside the wagon as Celestia speaks up and says, "Arthur Morgan, would you mind taking my sister and I to Ponyville please? We can then introduce you to the town so the residents will be more welcoming towards you."

Luna then speaks up and says, "We will also reward you with bits if you would do us this service, the spell we used to get here from Canterlot takes awhile to use again."

I think on their offer and then say, "Sure why not, what else could go wrong. Do you want to ride in the front with me or do you want to stay out of the blizzard and ride in the back where the dynamite is?"

Celestia then says, "I think I shall ride inside the wagon, although I do not wish to be anywhere near it. What are you going to do sister, will you share the back with me?"

Luna then sighs and says, "As much as I would love that, I think I shall ride in front with Arthur and keep him company. I also think it would be a good idea if one of us would show him the way to Ponyville since he is new to this world."

Cadence then continues hanging her head and berates herself for acting so harshly towards another and thinks, 'How could I allow my love for my daughter interfere with treating all ponies with love and respect... I need to find some way to make amends for my actions.'

Twilight then stops beside her and then says, "If you are going to try to make amends for your behavior Cadence, you better go do it now because he is leaving in a few seconds. If you miss this opportunity, you may never get another chance."

She then hears a loud snap and Arthur say 'Hyah' from where the wagon is and sees that it is starting to move away from the castle, taking off towards it to try to catch it and apologize to Arthur.

I then watch as Lou slowly gets into a trot when I hear someone say please wait and stop the wagon and wait for them to catch up to us, seeing that it is Cadence that said it and then sigh and say, "I'm on my way out of your city now, I can't move any faster than this with the dynamite in back. So just leave me alone and I will get out of your hair already, goodbye." I then snap the reins again and feel the wagon lurch forward once more.

Cadence then jogs forward once more and then yells, "NO WAIT! I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT I'M SORRY!"

I stop the wagon and then look at her and then say, "I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you. Could you say that again for me?"

She then hangs her head a little and then sighs and says, "I'm sorry I was so rude to you Arthur Morgan, I allowed my feelings for my daughter to get in the way of treating all other ponies the way that a princess should. Please forgive me and I hope you come visit the Crystal Empire again, you are the second hero of the Crystal Empire, Arthur Morgan. If you come back, we shall host a celebration of a second hero. Thank you very much for saving my daughter's life Arthur, may you have a good journey."

I then nod to her and then say, "I shall think on it and will let you know my decision when I come to it, I was only trying to do the right thing but you are welcome. I think I shall come visit this place again after I get settled in somewhere." I then smile at her and then say, "Have a good day princess, and I hope that you and your family enjoy the stick candy. I give them to Lou as a reward for doing something good, she just loves em." I then look to Lou and then say, "Alright girl, time to be on our way. Next stop is the town of Ponyville, Hyah!"

Cadence then smiles at his answer and then makes her way back over to Twilight to go spend some time with Flurry Heart for awhile.

Chapter 7: The Journey to Ponyville

Celestia tries to find a comfortable spot to lay as the wagon moves over the bumpy terrain, then looks towards the front of the wagon and calls to Arthur through the canvas, "Is there anything in here that can make this ride more bearable? I'm going to have bruises everywhere at this rate!"

I then laugh and say, "What did you expect princess? This is an ammo wagon, not a stagecoach. There may be a soft blanket in there somewhere, if I am right."

She looks around for it and sees a golden brown fuzzy rug and then pulls it out and unrolls it, she then makes herself comfortable on it until she smells something in the air and then sniffs the rug and then finally says, "Ugh, this rug stinks! When was the last time you washed this thing?"

I then chuckle and then answer, "That would be never Princess, and that is not a rug, it's a grizzly bear pelt. I had it turned into a blanket to use it for cold weather to stay warm under, we were forced to leave it in there when we moved locations and abandoned a few of the wagons when our troubles caught up to us."

She then screams out in disgust and fright from touching the soft fur and yells through the canvas, "THIS THING IS A PELT FROM AN ANIMAL!! YOU BARBARIAN, DID YOU EVER THINK TO CONSIDER HOW A PONY WOULD FEEL IF THEY KNEW YOU HAD THE PELT FROM A DEAD ANIMAL? YOU BETTER KEEP THIS AWAY FROM FLUTTERSHY OR SHE WOULD BE IN TEARS FOR A MONTH! SHE HAS A FRIEND THAT IS A GRIZZLY BEAR!"

I then sigh and say, "Well if I ever meet Fluttershy's friends, I will keep that in mind. I won't pester them if they don't pester me."

Luna sits closer to him to keep warm, not wanting to use any of her magic and says, "Hey sister, do you remember the last time we went on a trip like this?"

Celestia then thinks about it for a moment and then says, "Yes, it was when our father and mother took us to a new home. It was such a beautiful day, until Discord changed the weather from a light snowfall to making small marshmallows rain from chocolate clouds."

I then try not to pay attention as Luna snuggles up beside me for warmth and I watch where we are going and then ask, "I am still on the road, right? I can't see a damned thing past Lou's nose!"

She chuckles and then says, "Yes Arthur Morgan, you are still on the road. If the wagon gets stuck, my sister and I will use our magic to help keep it going."

I then nod and keep watching the road when the blizzard finally begins to lighten up and then say, "It's about damned time this blizzard clears up, I'm tired of the cold. I was in a bad storm when we passed through the grizzlies, we then took shelter in the remnants of a town called Colter. The storm kept on for a couple more days and finally passed, allowing us to continue on our way to a new spot near a town called Valentine."

Celestia's ears perk up at hearing the name and then says, "You stayed in Colter? I stayed there for a time when the civil war still raged, until I was captured by a band of miscreants and then was introduced to a terrible new experience. Thankfully, I was rescued from those cretins by some union soldiers and then returned to Colter. I then gave birth to a baby girl and I wanted to keep her, but I needed to return to Equestria. I couldn't take her with me because I didn't know if her body would take the form of a pony when we stepped through the portal whenever it opened back up, I didn't want to risk her body being torn apart by the portal if she couldn't take pony form. Therefore I named her Sadie and sent her to live with a family that had a small farm, but no children of their own due to the wife being unable to have them. Do you know whatever happened to her Arthur Morgan?"

I then look back at the canvas in surprise and then say, "I knew a girl named Sadie, does your daughter have dirty blonde hair, and brown eyes?"

She then nods her head eagerly and then says, "Yes she did, tell me what you know about her!"

I then sigh and then begin saying, "Well, after we set up camp in the destroyed town of Colter which only had three buildings for us to stay in. The others were all burned down, except for the stables and a couple homes in town. We then rode out to a small farm a short distance away to get supplies, when some of us took cover and discovered that there were dead bodies in the wagons and learned that bandits took over the farm. A shootout broke out when they tried to go around the house to capture the one talking to them, we killed the gang members and searched the house for provisions when a girl with blonde hair came out of the cellar and had a scuffle with one of the boys that knocked over a lantern. A fire started, so we took her with us back to Colter and learned that her name was Sadie Adler and the gang had killed her husband. She stayed with us for a good while and became a valuable member of the group, she had a strong will of her own." I then continue to tell her a bit more about her daughter and then hear a sniffling come from inside and then say, "I can't say if she is still alive or not, but she was lucky enough to not be considered one of us." I then sigh and then say to both of them, "Can both of you keep a big secret?"

Celestia and Luna both nod and then say, "Yes we can."

Luna then speaks again and says, "Why do you ask that, what is the secret that you want to tell us?"

I then look forward and then say, "The secret that I want to tell you two, is the truth of what happened to me when I found my way here. I had a fight with a person that I never liked very much when I found out they were a snitch, we were up on a mountain peak and I wrestled him off of the edge of the cliff and followed him down. We continued to fight with our fists and eventually, I crawled towards a gun that got tossed away towards a ledge. When I got to it, I was about to pick it up and kill him when a boot stepped on the gun. I looked up to see that it belonged to the closest thing I had for a father that I fought to protect and keep safe, we talked for a bit and I told him that the other one was a rat. I then watched as he walked away from the rat, and they went separate ways. After the other one left, I crawled my way over to the side and watched as the sun rose to start a new day. A traveler then showed up and started talking to me about a few things I did in the past, they eventually asked if I wanted a chance to make amends for my foul deeds in the past and if I wanted to be able to use magic. I said sure why not, thinking that they meant sleight of hand tricks like that, they disappeared after that and I watched the sun rise. After that, my vision darkened and went black."

They are both silent at hearing that when Luna then says, "So then what you are telling us, is that you died in your world and then returned to life here? That is just not possible unless..."

I then finish for her and say, "Unless a certain someone used a forbidden spell that brought me back to life, which I am very thankful they used it. They used that forbidden spell on me because they saw what my life was like, and wanted me to have another chance for a better life. I do want to make amends for my actions in the past, so I would appreciate it if you would keep to yourself the fact that I died."

Celestia sighs and then says, "I just knew he was up to something, but I shall let it go since you are happy that he did that. Fine, I guess I can agree with that. As long as you keep quiet about me having a daughter in another world, I will keep quiet about you knowing what death feels like."

Luna then continues to snuggle against him for warmth and then says, "You can count on me to keep your secret, Arthur Morgan." She then thinks to herself, 'My sister never told me that she had a daughter, I wonder what that experience is like...'

I then watch as the sky clears and becomes a beautiful blue, revealing that it is late in the day and then sigh and say, "Well, we have been traveling since mid morning and we're finally out of the blizzard Lou! We can go a little further if you want to, or we could stop and rest for awhile."

Lou looks back and then says, "I could use a break, how about we set up camp by that river up ahead Arthur?"

I then look at the river and say, "That looks like a good spot girl, lets set up camp close by so the girls can stretch their legs a bit before we settle down for some shuteye till dawn."

Celestia's eyes widen at hearing that and says, "Were going to be camping out here in the wild, not continuing to Ponyville?!"

I then sigh and say, "Not unless you want to be pulling this heavy wagon the rest of the way there, this wagon is originally supposed to be pulled by two horses, not one. Lou needs to regain her strength to continue on to Ponyville in the morning, so I suggest that you warm up to the idea fast or start walking or flying the rest of the way there."

She then scoffs at the idea and then says, "ME PULL A WAGON LIKE A FARM PONY, NEVER IN A THOUSAND YEARS! Ponies don't see very well at night, I guess there is no other choice than to rough it for a night...as long as nopony sees us out here."

I then pull the wagon to a nice spot with low grass about a hundred yards from the bank and then say, "Alright Lou, this here's as good a spot as any. There's water close by that you can drink, and there's plenty of tall grass around that you won't go hungry." I then stop the wagon and then hop off of it to open up the back of the canvas so that Celestia can get out, then unhitch Lou and get the harness off of her.

Celestia carefully climbs out of the wagon and then asks Arthur, "What do we do when we have to take care of our business?"

I then look at her as I am undoing the straps on the reins first and then say, "Well I suggest either finding a tree or a bush to use for when you have to go."

She glares at him and then says,"Don't you dare look or I will burn your eyes out of your head as punishment, you barbarian."

I then half chuckle at that and then remark, "As if I would want to watch you do your business princess, your coat color is blinding enough as it is without the sun hitting it."

Celestia then harrumphs and turns away abruptly and says, "Please come with me Luna, I am sure that after that rough ride, you have to take care of business too."

I then continue to remove the reins from Lou and then lay them on the wagon and get started on removing the harness saying, "She sure is a handful isn't she Lou? Her sister is quiet and more respectful, and attractive in a way if I dare say so."

The girls' ears both swivel back and hear that as Celestia's mane smokes lightly and Luna giggles lightly at her sister's expense and says, "Don't worry Cece, I am sure that you two will find a way to get along eventually."

A few minutes pass by and I then lay the harness over the back of the seat and then dig around in the box and pull out a couple poles and a square piece of canvas and start to set up the tent we will be staying in for the night. I then pull out a cot and then remove the wool bedroll I have on my saddle and then set the bedroll down and start setting up the cot and then lay the bedroll on the ground. I then start to look around for some wood to start a fire, then I see the girls on their way back and then say to them, "So girls, are you hungry?"

Luna and Celestia get closer to the camp and then say, "Yeah we are a bit hungry, what are you able to offer?"

Celestia then looks at Arthur with a hopeful expression on her face and asks, "Don't you dare offer me canned food, I ate so much of it during my visit that I got sick of it. Please tell me that you have cake at least?"

I then open up the satchel and say, "I can tell you right now that I won't have any fancy cake, just ordinary oatcakes in here. Are those suitable for you Princess Celestia? Other than that, I can offer a variety of canned goods, or a few vegetables."

She then sighs and says, "Yes those will do, can I get four of them please?"

I nod and then hand them to her saying, "There you go, now what would you like to eat Princess Luna?"

Princess Luna then thinks for a moment and then says, "Hmm, what are canned goods Arthur?"

I search through the bag and then say, "They are foods that have been cleaned and prepared prior to being placed into an empty metal can and then sealed for people to buy it and eat it either from the can or can cook it with something else to make a meal from it. I have canned vegetables, fruit, corned beef or salmon. For vegetables I have baked beans, kidney beans, peas, and sweetcorn. For fruit I have Apricots, Peaches, Pineapples, and Strawberries. I even have some Assorted Salted Offal, which are cooked and salted small animal organs."

The blue princess then smiles and says, "I think I will pass on the corned beef, the salmon and the Offal. May I have a can of Peaches, Strawberries, and a can of Peas please?"

I then nod and then pull out the cans and set them on the ground, then pull out the can opener and ask, "Do you want me to open these cans for you, Princess Luna?"

Luna looks at the cans and then nods her head saying, "If you would not mind, please do."

I then begin opening the cans, leaving the lids attached by a small piece and then fold the lid back, handing them to her one by one saying, "There you go Princess Luna, they're ready for consumption. Unless you would want me to heat them up first?"

She then chuckles lightly and then says, "No thank you, that is not necessary. How does one eat the contents from the can?

I then smile and pull out a can of baked beans, open it and fold the lid back and then say, "Well if you don't want to make a big mess, you can deform the can into an oval shape. Then the juices inside the can are forced into a smaller stream that runs into your mouth, rather than all over your face and down your chin as you empty the can of its contents. Let me show you what I mean." I then hold the can in both hands with the lid to one side where a bend is going to be and say, "Hold the can like this, with your fingers towards the top of the can. Be sure not to cut yourself on the sharp edges of the lid, because it is very sharp. The same goes with the inside of the can towards where the lid was cut. To deform the can, just apply pressure with your finger inwards." I then squeeze the can little by little until it is too narrow for my liking and say, "Squeeze the can until you are happy with the shape. If you squeeze it too much, just squeeze the long ends to return it to its original shape until you are satisfied." I then hold the can with one hand and then say, "When you wanna eat the contents, just raise the can up to your lips, then tilt your head and the can backwards until enough of the contents fall into your mouth and chew. Then just lower the can, eat and repeat like this." I then tilt the can of baked beans back until some fall into my mouth and chew, then lower the can and swallow. I then repeat the process one more time and then say, "Just do that until the can is empty and just discard the can when you're done." I then toss the can to the side and grab a can of sweetcorn and then start to open it to eat it.

Celestia then looks at Arthur and then scolds him saying, "Don't you leave cans or anything laying around that could hurt a pony's hooves Arthur Morgan, don't forget that this is not the world that you came from. So don't leave trash lay around in Equestria."

I then look over to her as Luna tilts the can back and lowers it and then say, "Alright then, I will pick it up before we set out tomorrow okay?"

She then squints her eyes and then says, "You better or I will burn that disgustingly long hair off your chin."

I then fondle my beard and then think, 'I think I could do with a good trim, maybe I will do that tonight when the girls are asleep.' I then bring out a bottle of Tennessee Whiskey, pull the cork and take a drink from it and see the girls both look at me. I then cork it and then offer it to them saying, "Would you two want some whiskey?"

Celestia then sighs and says, "I will take some of that, I have to wash down these dry oatcakes that don't want to go down my throat." She then takes the bottle and then removes the cork and then takes a big drink, puts the bottle down and then coughs saying, "I forgot how harsh the taste was with whiskey, it took me by surprise."

I then chuckle lightly and then say, "Go easy on that stuff or you will wind up too drunk to walk straight."

She then chuckles back and says, "Unlike you, we are ponies. Ponies have a higher tolerance for alcohol, I could drink this whole bottle in one go and would only get a slight buzz." She then takes one more drink, then corks it and hands it back to him.

I then raise my eyebrow in curiosity and then take the bottle and set it aside and say, "Alright then, let's see where I put that stuff at..." and dig around in the satchel for a ceramic jug and then say, "AHA, there it is! I got this stuff from a few fellers that loved to make it." I then pull it out and then offer it to her and then say, "Try this stuff on for size Miss High Tolerance." I then chuckle a bit, waiting to see her reaction to the strength of the stuff.

Celestia then takes the bottle and then removes the cork and then sniffs it and coughs asking, "What is this stuff Arthur, it smells awful."

I then smile and then say, "That there is moonshine, that is a lot stronger than this here Tennessee Whiskey. You should try some to see if you like it."

She then shrugs her shoulders and then says, "Okay then, I wonder what this tastes like." She then raises it to her lips and then takes a short drink before quickly setting the jug down coughing and then hoarsely says, "This stuff burns my throat, this is strong. It has a strong flavor, but I do like it."

I then look to Luna as she looks at the whiskey bottle curiously and then say to her, "Would you want to try some whiskey too?" I then pick the bottle up and hold it out for her to take.

Luna then takes the bottle and then says, "I never really tried anything but wine, but I think it would be a benefit to try new things. Thank you Arthur for this opportunity." She then tilts the bottle back like her sister did and takes a small drink, before bringing the bottle back down quickly and coughs saying, "The taste is smooth, but it is the intensity of the alcohol that causes the cough. It isn't that bad really, do you think that you could spare a bottle of this for me to drink?" She then takes another drink and then corks it, coughing a little as she hands it back.

I then nod my head and take the bottle back and then say, "Of course I can spare a bottle of whiskey. If you wander through the world like I did and have quite a few unpleasant encounters, you tend to pick up a few things on the way. I got a recipe from a guy one day because I handed him a health tonic when he got bit by a rattlesnake. He was very thankful for me doing so that he told me how to brew it, never really got around to trying it out. Since I am in Equestria, I might start to experiment with it." I set the bottle beside me and then start digging around for a full bottle of whiskey and pull it on out saying, "Here you go." I then hand it towards her to take.

Celestia looks in amazement at her sister drinking hard liquor and then thinks, 'I wonder why she is deciding to drink the hard stuff all of a sudden? Maybe she is just curious about what she has been missing since she came back from the moon four years ago.' She then continues to watch her sister as she takes another drink from the jug and then eats another one of the oatcakes.

Luna takes the bottle and then sets it aside before picking up one of the other cans she has yet to finish and says, "Thank you Arthur, you are very kind for a human."

I then pull out some salted beef and use my knife to cut off a piece of it and then eat it while looking around the horizon and then see a strange cloud off in the distance and then say, "That is a strange cloud, either we are going to get a storm before too long or it is just gathering its strength."

The two girls look at the mentioned cloud as Luna then says, "Oh don't worry about that, that is just the city of Cloudsdale. Cloudsdale is a city built out of clouds that only winged ponies can set foot up there, but there is a spell out there that can grant a pony temporary wings for a short time."

I look at them in disbelief and say, "That cloud is actually a city? That is very unusual, on my world, such a thing is only a fantasy as we humans have to live either in wood houses, tents, or brick homes on the ground. If someone is determined enough, they can even live in a cave or build a home out of dirt, mud and grass."

Luna watches as the three of them manage to strike a normal conversation, keeping it simple and talking about this new world Arthur is now in when she looks to the sky and then sees that it is getting close to the time for them to lower the sun and raise the moon and then looks to her sister and says, "Sister, it is time to lower the sun and raise the moon."

Celestia then looks up and then is shocked to see that it is indeed and then says, "Time sure can pass you by if you do not watch it closely, count yourself very fortunate to witness our power Arthur Morgan. Not many have had the chance to watch us as we both use our power to raise and lower the sun or moon, you are the first to watch this first hand."

I then sit back and then watch as the two of them work together to raise and lower the moon at the same time and say, "You two do that remarkably well, how long have you two been doing this?"

Celestia then looks back at me and then says, "Well, we started about a thousand years ago. A couple centuries after that though, we got into a argument that started a fight. That fight led to me banishing my little sister to the moon for a thousand years."

I then remember what Discord told me and then say, "Yeah Discord told me a little about the history of Equestria, I'm sorry to hear that you two had a bad fight. It is great to hear that she came back though, it would be really bad if she didn't come back at all. Be glad that you two have each other, family and friends are everything that count in the world."

The two then continue to move the sun and moon until it is night and finish when Celestia then says, "Goodnight dear sister, you too Arthur Morgan. Where will the two of us sleep for tonight?"

I then look at them and then say, "Well, the cot can squeeze two bodies onto it though it isn't the sturdiest. The thick bedroll on the ground can fit one inside, so you two take the cot and the bear blanket."

Luna then looks to her sister and says, "You take the cot sister, I shall stay up for awhile and watch over Equestria while its citizens sleep. Goodnight dear sister, you too Arthur Morgan. May you both have pleasant dreams, and be free of nightmares this night."

I then nod and say goodnight to Luna and then finish the bottle of whiskey off, watching Celestia finish off the jug of moonshine and wobble a little towards the cot and then grumble something about the foul smell coming from the bear blanket. I then slowly drift off to sleep and find myself back up on top of the mountain fighting Micah again, tumbling to the ground after trying to knock him out and then start crawling towards the gun, reaching it and quickly using it to shoot Micah. I then slowly get to my feet and then hear someone come up behind me and then whirl around to shoot them dead, until I see that it is Dutch and then wheeze out, "Dutch, Dutch is that you?"

Luna patrols the dream realm and senses a nightmare, then rushes to the door it is coming from and sees that it is a door built from wooden boards that are covered in bullet holes and stained with blood, then goes to open the door and enter the dream to stop it and then recalls what he said to her the other day. Remembering that causes her to hesitate for a moment before being sure that it is a nightmare that is happening and then enters it and sees a hilltop, she then makes her way towards the figures while keeping out of sight of the two humans talking.

Dutch then strides into the light and then says, "Yes Arthur it is, why did you kill poor Micah? What did he possibly do to deserve such a fate son?"

I then sigh and put the gun down and then point it at the body of Micah and then wheeze, "He's a rat. You know it, and I know it. I found out that he was working with the Pinkertons ever since Blackwater!"

Dutch then looks at the body of Micah and then shakes his head and then says, "You can't prove that Arthur, you don't have any evidence to prove it." He then draws his revolver and then says, "You have made me very mad with you son, why did you drive everyone away from me? Did I do something to offend you that much, or make you want to take over leadership?"

I then sigh and wheeze to him saying, "I heard it directly from the lips of Agent Milton, Dutch. I told everyone to leave because our enemies were closing in on us from all sides, it was only a matter of time before we got caught and share Colm's fate in the gallows! I thought that you would want everyone to have a chance to get a peaceful life, if I was wrong then shoot me right here and now Dutch. I gave everything I had to you and the family, you rescued me when I was a boy and lived on the streets of Blackwater."

Dutch then sighs and then says, "I remember that too son, I just wish that I could have thought of a way to get us all out of this mess we are in."

Luna then steps out from the shadows and then stomps her hoof hard and then says, "That's enough, begone nightmare shadow."

I then whirl around and then look to see Luna and then wheeze out, "Why are you here princess? Didn't I tell you to keep out of my dreams unless you want to be scarred for life?"

She then looks at Arthur and says, "I am here because you were suffering from a nightmare, I made sure to double check before entering your dream. Is this your world, where you came from Arthur Morgan?"

I then nod and turn around, seeing Dutch vanish before my eyes in a cloud of black smoke and then look back at Luna and then wheeze, "What was that thing if it wasn't Dutch?"

Luna then steps towards him saying, "That was a nightmare, they are creatures of the night that take forms familiar to the host and try to devour their hope and happiness. Are you ok Arthur, you sound sick. Do you need healing?"

I then look at her seriously and then say, "I wish that you wouldn't have to see this part of my life, but there is nothing you can do now but be here and watch over me when I go." I then turn away from her and see a nice spot to lean against the wall, then get down into a comfortable position and then watch as the sun continues to slowly rise into the sky above the horizon.

She then nods and then sits across from him and watches the sun rise and says, "That is a really beautiful sunrise for such a violent world." She then turns her eyes towards him, unsure what he meant when he said 'when I go' and waits for a response.

I then smile and look at her briefly and say, "Yes it is, even though it is the final sunrise of my life on this world. When I was here before, I was alone on this mountain top." I then look out towards the sunrise and then say, "At least this time is not so bad." I then take in one last breath and then let it out as my body relaxes and vision fades away, making myself appear a distance away from my own dead body. I then try to speak to Luna, only to find myself unable to say anything.

Luna then watches as his body slowly relaxes and doesn't move at all, worrying her a little and then gets up to check on him. She touches his face lightly saying, "Arthur, are you okay?" She then turns his face towards hers and then she is shocked when his eyes are relaxed and open, staring blankly into the distance behind her. She then taps him a few times to try to get a reaction and tears begin to form in her eyes as she then shakes him, hoping that he responds soon. She then begins to say his name, then scream it as he continues to stay silent and still until she starts to break down into tears as she then recalls him saying 'There is nothing you can do now but be here and watch over me when I go' things then fall into place as she then lays him back down and closes his eyes for him and then says, "So this is what you meant when you said that, I hope that I helped you find some peace." She then continues to sob after seeing him dead and then stands up and turns around with a start as she sees him standing there waving at her, saying something she can't hear. She then cocks her head in minor confusion as she then casts a spell to allow him to speak and then says, "Can you hear me Arthur?"

I then look at her and then finally say, "I don't know, can you hear me? Or am I still not making any sound?"

She then chuckles and then says, "Y-Yes, I can hear you now. H-How long were you standing there? A-Are you really there right now when your body is...there?"

I then sigh and say, "I'm glad we can both speak again, I hope that this didn't cause any permanent harm. Yes I am really here now, and I was standing here ever since I let out my final breath. This is what the last few moments of my life were like where I came from when I died. I remember everything that happened when I died, the sun rose for the last time on my life."

Luna then sighs in relief and sobs a little bit and then says, "It was painful when I found out what you meant when you said 'when I go', but it did not do any serious harm."

I then nod and then say, "That is good, but that is why I warned you to stay out of my dreams if you are not prepared to see some of the bad shit that I have done or has happened in my life. Unless you want to see more of my past, feel free to stay for awhile."

She then sighs and then says, "You did warn me, I am thankful that you have. I am curious but I think that I shall let you decide when you are ready to open up about your past to others, good night Arthur Morgan." She then turns around and opens a door against the side of the mountain and walks through it, closing it behind her as a final tear falls from her eye.

Chapter 8: Discoveries, and the end of one journey

I hear the door close when Luna leaves, then continue to think about what I have done in the past. Watching as the memories replay in front of my eyes, shaking my head in disappointment at some of my choices. I continue watch the memories until I feel tired, leaning up against the side of the cliff wall and tilt my hat forward over my eyes then drift off. I then wake up to see the two princesses raising the sun and lowering the moon already, then get out of my bag and make my way to the wagon and dig out my shaving kit.

Luna and Celestia finish raising the sun and lowering the moon and see Arthur pull something out from the wagon and set it up on the other side of the wagon. They then see him grab a pail and go to the river to fill it and return, then pour some of it into the basin.

I look in the mirror and see the girls watching me shave and then chuckle as they try to figure out what I am doing, then hang my hat off the edge of the stand and get started on cutting my chin hair about half an inch away from my skin. I then dump the water out onto the ground, refilling the basin with fresh water and wash my face off. I then wipe the excess water off my face and put my hat back on my head, then turn around and look at the girls saying, "Well Ladies, how do I look with a shorter beard?"

Luna then chuckles and then says, "I think you look quite handsome to be honest, when do you think we can start on our way towards Ponyville?"

Celestia then scoffs and says, "I think you look like you have a mangy rat stuck to your face, but you still look better than before Arthur."

I then smile and say, "Why thank you Princess Luna and um...Princess Celestia, we can be on our way again when I get the area cleaned up and get Lou harnessed and hooked up to the wagon. I think we can be on our way in about an hour or so, just give me a little time and we can continue on our way Ladies." I then get started on putting away the shaving kit, and carry the last piece to the wagon and start to put it away when I spot a unusually long box at the bottom of the wagon and get curious saying, "Excuse me, could one of you could help me somehow see in this wagon?"

She then crosses her arms and then says, "Why don't you just use your lantern to see and don't try to be so lazy Arthur."

Luna then giggles and then starts walking towards the wagon and then dramatically says, "I shall light your way in darkness." and then climbs up onto the wheel first, then steps onto the rear gate as her horn glows and illuminates the inside of the carriage for him.

I then say, "Thank you Princess Luna." I then raise my voice for Celestia to hear and say, "Normally, I would have no problem doing that. I would never dare to use a lantern to see inside this wagon, because it holds a lot of ammunition for the various guns we had where I came from." I then start moving boxes around carefully to see what is in it when I finally get to the box I am interested in, seeing a letter on top and grab it. I then open it and then hold it in the light coming from her horn and then read it and say, "I don't know what Discord means by 'Your favorite weapon of choice but I will soon find out when I open this case, you can read the letter for yourself if you wanna know what he wrote." I hand it to her then start to pry the lid open, struggling for a good couple minutes before it finally pops open. I inhale sharply and then say, "You just had to bring this damned thing to this peaceful world. What on Earth were you thinking, you god damned lunatic!"

Discord watches Arthur as he finds the present he placed in his wagon and ignores the name calling and rolls his eyes, throwing popcorn at the screen and says, "Oh don't be like that Arthur, this world would be so much more boring if you were not here. Besides, I think that you will thank me later when Queen Chrysalis discovers what you did to her beloved changelings."

She then shakes her head and sighs saying, "What did he do Arthur, what did he bring you?" She then looks into the box and sees a strange weapon inside the case and asks, "What is that Arthur and why are you upset that it is here, do you not like this weapon?"

I then look her in the eyes and then say, "It's not that I don't like it, but something like this does not belong in this world. You see Luna, this thing here is a Maxim gun that can fire a lot of bullets in a short amount of time. It can make short work of a few hundred men coming after you, this thing needs to be kept out of dangerous hands or it could cause a lot of misery. I hope that you two are strong enough to keep this dangerous weapon from falling into other hands?"

Celestia then walks up to the wagon and says, "We most certainly are Arthur Morgan, Alicorns are naturally the strongest with their magic and flying abilities. There are only five Alicorns in this world, they are Princess Cadence, Princess Flurry Heart, Princess Twilight, and lastly Princess Luna and I. Once we get back to Ponyville, we can get a chariot to take us and that thing to the vault in our castle."

I then sigh and shake my head then say, "I'm sorry Princess Celestia, but this gun ain't gonna leave my sight until I know for sure that it aint gonna cause any more grief."

She then looks at him and then says, "Fine then, you can ride in the chariot with us when we get back to Ponyville."

I then nod my head and say, "That sounds agreeable, now let's get back to preparing to leave." I then follow Luna out as she hops off the gate with her long flowing mane following after her. Hopping off the gate myself, I then resume with my task of picking the campsite up as I see Princess Luna gathering up the bottles and empty cans, setting them on the back gate. I then say, "Thank you for helping Princess Luna, there should be an empty box in there somewhere that you can put those in."

Luna then looks at him and then says, "We recycle various materials here, like metal and glass because it can be reused for other things."

I then pause a moment and then say, "That is mighty smart thinking, if only we thought of doing that on earth. Humans are pretty wasteful, and leave junk piled up where they put it." I then get started on getting Lou harnessed and then whistle sharply for her, seeing her make her way through the river towards us.

Lou reaches the bank and then trots towards Arthur and then says, "Morning Arthur, are we heading out soon?" she stops near the wagon tongue and then waits for him to answer.

I make my way towards the seat and then say, "Yeah girl, we gotta get to Ponyville today. I found out why the wagon is harder for you to pull than usual, Discord put a Maxim gun in this wagon. I'm also pretty sure there are a couple big boxes of ammo for it as well in here, so we have to be on the lookout for anyone that might want to take it from us. Alright girl, head into your spot and I will get you hooked up to the wagon."

She then walks to her spot and then waits for him to put the harness on her and says, "I thought that the wagon pulled a little harder than it used to. Hey Arthur, can I have a piece of stick candy?"

I then walk towards Lou and pull a piece of stick candy out and break it into two and then offer her one half first, then the other half and say, "Remember to use your tongue to suck on them, and don't bite them because they are very hard."

Lou then chuckles in amusement and says, "Well duh, I have learned that lesson after thinking it was soft and bit into it. It nearly broke a tooth because it was so hard, after they get smaller round though, you can actually chew em up."

I then pull the harness off the back of the seat and make sure to hold it right and then approach Lou saying, "Alright girl, here comes the harness over your rump." I then begin to pull the harness over her rump, then lay it on her back and get started on buckling the straps.

Luna then watches Arthur with interest on how he puts the harness on her and then says, "That sure looks complicated, do you want some help Arthur?"

I then smile and then say, "I appreciate the offer Princess Luna, but I can handle this. If you want to watch how I hook these straps up, you are welcome to watch."

She then walks towards Lou to get a better look and then watches how each strap goes to a certain location then thinks, 'How can she stand there while he tightens those straps around her body like that? That would annoy me to no end.'

I then finish tightening the straps and then put the yoke around her neck and attach it to the harness, then finally get the reins and then run them through their slots and attach them to her bridle. I then lean down and lift the bar up and then say, "Alright girl, back up a little bit, you are too far ahead."

Lou then nods and then slowly takes a few steps backwards and says, "Tell me when to stop Arthur, you know I don't see what is behind me very well without turning my head." She then returns to happily working on the stick candy that is still in her mouth

I then nod and then say, "I know that Lou, you are doing fine. Just a few inches more...and there you go, woah girl." I then connect the bar up to the harness and then go to the other side to do the same thing. I finish up and then say, "Well Lou, we are just about ready to go. All that is left to do is finish cleaning up the area and then we can go." I then turn around and then go to the bedroll I slept in last night, roll it up and return it to my saddle in the wagon. Finally I then make my way to the cot and roll the bear blanket up and place it under the seat so other ponies don't see it, then fold the cot up and set it somewhere inside the wagon and say to the two girls, "Alright, who wants to ride in the back today during the journey to Ponyville?"

Princess Luna then steps forth and says, "I shall ride in the back this time, I normally sleep during the day." She then holds a hand over her mouth as she yawns, then heads towards the back.

I then follow her to the back of the wagon and then say, "Allow me to assist you, Princess Luna." I then lean down and sweep her off her hooves and into a princess carry and then set her up on the back of the gate and say, "If you want a softer ride. The bear pelt is underneath the wagon seat or you could use the thick bedroll on the back of my saddle, it is your choice of which one you wish to use. Goodnight Princess Luna and pleasant dreams to you."

She then curtsies and then says, "Thank you very much Sir Arthur, for your kind assistance. I shall look forward to catching up on sleep that I have lost these past couple of days, good day to you both." She then turns around and heads inside to find the bedroll he mentioned, finds it and then unrolls it to lay on.

I then close the gate after her and tie the back shut, then head towards the front of the wagon and then see Princess Celestia waiting by the front seat and say, "Well Princess Celestia, are you ready to get a different view of things?"

Princess Celestia then rolls her eyes and scoffs saying, "I'm as ready as I will ever be to ride up front with you, can you help me up into the seat?"

I then nod and then get behind her and grab her just below the waist and then grab her firmly and then hoist her up, looking at her legs to know when to set her down and say, "There you go Princess Celestia, I must ask you a question."

She looks at me and then says, "It better not be about my form that you just got a good feel of or you are going to get a hoof to the eye!!!" squinting her eyes as she waits for the question to be asked.

Luna lays in back stifling a laugh at what she just heard happen outside and thinks, 'Oh those two are like oil and water, it will be very amusing if they ever date.'

I then chuckle and then say, "Don't worry, it is not. I just wanted to know why you two wear such fancy dresses if you can't move very well in it?"

Celestia cocks her head and says, "We wear these dresses to show to others that we are not on official business, these are our informal royalty clothes. Although our subjects still bow to us regardless of what we wear, we hope to get them to act more normal around us when we are not on official business someday."

I then walk to the wheel and then say, "Scoot on over Princess Celestia. If the people bow to you, I guess that is just their way of respecting you and how much power you hold as rulers. If you ask them to treat you like any other pony, how many years will it take until your world becomes like the one I came from? My advice to you...accept the way that they see you, but don't let it get into your head that you are above them or things will change for the worse. Keep proving to them that your subjects are more important to you, there are many paths to take in life that changes with each choice a pony makes. Be true to yourself and your subjects and fate may be kind to you, nothing in life is ever certain. So just make the best of what you are given." I then start to climb on up to get into the seat to start us on our journey to the town of Ponyville.

She then scoots over and then thinks on his words for a moment before saying, "You are wiser than your appearance suggests, Arthur Morgan."

I then snap the reins lightly and feel Lou start to pull the wagon and then use the reins to tell her to turn hard left back towards the road and say, "I have been known to be smart on occasion, but I am not a wise man princess."

Lou then turns towards the road and then begins to follow it south again and thinks, 'You are pretty smart for being a human, Arthur. You can fool others, but you will never be able to fool me.'

We travel along the road for awhile before I see a pale tan pony with a snow white mane and tail standing off the edge of the road with a walking stick and a cup, I then watch him a bit when he looks into our direction.

The blind earth pony tracks where the sound of hooves is coming from and then shakes his cup lightly and holds his walking stick lightly and then says, "Dear sir, can you spare two bits for a blind pony?"

Celestia then watches the old pony follow their approach, wondering what Arthur plans to do and watches the two of them curiously.

I then pull the wagon to a stop near him, then step off the wagon after seeing he is actually blind. I then dig into my bag, pulling two bits out and then say, "You are a long ways from civilization old pony, I can spare two bits for you. I would offer you a ride to a town, but I have a pressing business to take care of first. If you would like, I could return for you after I take care of my business?" I then drop the two bits into his cup and then wait for his answer.

The blind old earth pony then chuckles and responds, "I know I am sonny, but I will be fine. There's no need to worry about me, I have wandered all around Equestria and know places by smell. I can tell that you are new around here by your unique smell, I wish you well on where ever it is you are heading to. That is very kind of you sir, thank you very much." He then clears his throat and then says, "Enjoy a short reprieve from life sir, for fate is watching you closely. Do not brush off unpaid debts, for they may hunt you down and demand payment."

I then nod and say, "Well uh...thanks mister, I will keep that in mind. You have a good day old pony." I then make my way back to my seat and hop up into it and notice Celestia is staring at me suspiciously and then say, "What is your problem with me now?"

The old earth pony then smiles and says, "You should be on your way now sir, there is nothing more to say."

I then lightly snap the reins and say, "Alright girl, get us outta here."

Lou then moves forward and works into a trot, then into a slow canter to put a little distance between them and the old pony. Waiting till they are out of earshot and then says, "You never miss an opportunity to stop and give money to the less fortunate Arthur, you do have a heart of gold contrary to what some say."

I then laugh out loud and then answer, "I just know what it is like to be where they are, I don't give a rats ass of what people say about me. I let my actions speak for me rather than using words."

Celestia then glares at him and then says, "Why did you put us in danger like that, that could have been a changeling in disguise!"

I then look at her in confusion and then say, "What's a changeling?"

She then sighs in annoyance and then says, "A changeling is a creature that barely resembles a pony. Having a curved, black horn, greenish insect like wings, fangs, big bug-like eyes, have chitin covering part of their body, pitch black and have naturally occurring holes through various parts of their bodies. They also can use magic that is green in color, they can shapeshift and mimic any pony they study and capture. Despite being individually weak, they are formidable when following their Queen's orders. They attacked the city of Canterlot a few years ago and nearly succeeded in their Queen's plan to take over Equestria, but their plan was foiled by my student who is now Princess Twilight Sparkle."

I then look at her and then nod my head and say, "Oh so you mean those creatures I killed back in the cave were these changelings?"

Celestia then nods her head yes and then says, "Did they give you much trouble in the cave?"

I then laugh and then say, "Not really, they were rather annoying. They kept hidden and waited for me to walk into the ambush they had set up, but I heard noise in the tunnel and knew it was a trap. As for that old pony back there, I didn't feel the need to be wary around him."

She then rolls her eyes and then says, "Oh not another pony with 'Pinkie Sense'..."

I then chuckle and then say, "Pinkie Sense...what's that?"

Celestia then sighs and says, "The representative of the Element of Laughter, Pinkie Pie has this sense she calls Pinkie Sense. It is a series of random body part movements that warn her when something is about to happen."

I then laugh and then say, "Well, as strange as that sounds, I don't have that. This is more of a bodily sense that I have developed after being in the life I was in on the world where I came from, it is more like a gut feeling you have about something you should or shouldn't do."

She then nods and then says, "That is easier to understand and explain than Pinkie Pie's ability, but regardless of how it sounds...her sense is accurate."

I chuckle and then continue to lead us down the road towards the town of Ponyville, following the directions that Celestia is giving while looking around at the lands around us. I then see a mountain ahead of us a ways with twin peaks and say, "What is that mountain with a split peak over there?"

Celestia looks at the mountain and then says, "That is not a split peak, that is the city of Canterlot where our castle is. You should visit it one day when you get settled."

I then look at her and grin, "Are there any steep climbs up to the city?"

Luna then wakes up to hear that and then thinks, 'What are you thinking of doing Arthur?'

She then looks back at him and then says, "Not really, it is jut a winding road that works its way up part of the mountainside to the city, there may be a few short hills that can be steep. Why, what are you thinking?"

I then grin and then say, "Okay then. Since your destination is actually Canterlot and is closer than Ponyville, there's no better time to visit the city like the present. Get ready to make a big entrance Princess Celestia, we will be passing through the city in style!"

She is unable to hide her laughter anymore and then says, "You are so going to get it now sister when they see you pass through the city in a plain wagon!" she then bursts out laughing out loud at her sister's expense.

Celestia then glares back at the wagon and then says, "Luna, royal princesses shouldn't be seen on a rundown wagon like this! Do you know what kind of gossip this will stir up with the high class ponies?!?"

I then cut her off and then say, "Why not just tell them that you were just taking an old fashioned wagon trail ride through the beautiful lands of Equestria, making sure that they stay that way when you came across a visitor and their companion from another world that wish to stay and share this world with them."

She then goes silent and thinks on that and then says, "You know...that may actually work Arthur Morgan. Alright then, onward to Canterlot castle Arthur Morgan."

Lou then chuckles and then says, "Oh you have really done it now Arthur, I hope you like answering questions because you're gonna get a lot of them."

Luna then chuckles and then thinks, 'Oh that is the understatement of the millenium... I hope you can handle being the center of attention for a few months, Arthur Morgan.'

I then follow Celestia's directions to Canterlot, making our way up the side of the mountain and then look at her and say, "So Princess, I think it would be a good idea to get our story straight for the citizens. What are we going to tell them regarding how I got here?"

Celestia then looks at him and then says, "Well the truth of course, minus the fact of you being a monster and a criminal of course."

We then go over what we are going to tell them for the rest of the trip up the hill, stopping when we get to the city gates that has a couple guards bar our passage into the city. I then look at them and then ask, is there a problem mister?"

The guard then stands still and then says, "We see Princess Celestia riding a wagon with two strange creatures, she may be doing so against her will."

She then chuckles and then looks at the guard and then says, "Do not worry guard, if this human wished to harm me, he would be in a world of hurt. I am not held against my will either, this wagon is rather heavy for his female companion. They are both new to this world, so they have a working friendship where they came from. may we continue on our way to the castle?"

The two guards then part and allow them passage and bow to her saying, "Yes, of course you may continue on your way. Welcome back, Your Majesty. Welcome to the city of Canterlot, you two.

I then tip my hat to them and then say, "Good day to you two." and lightly snap the reins and then say to Lou, "Alright Lou, let's head on into the city so this princess can get back to ruling over her subjects."

Lou then nods her head and then moves forward and then says, "Alright Arthur, could you give my body a good brushing after we reach Ponyville?"

I then look at her as we pass through the gates and say, "Yeah girl I will do that for ya when we are done with this job, I will take care of you if you help to take care of me. We both look out for the other, that is how it is where we came from." I then look around at the different places around and then say, "Well Princess Celestia, you are almost home."

Celestia then watches as curious ponies then waves to a few of her subjects and then says, "Yes we are, after a long beautiful journey across Equestria, we are almost home."

I then watch as citizens come out of numerous shops and homes to watch us travel down the street towards the castle and then say, "We sure are drawing quite a lot of attention, coming directly to Canterlot with you riding shotgun with me is drawing more attention than I thought it would."

Luna continues to lay in the back as they travel through the streets of Canterlot, hearing excited chattering coming from behind them as she realizes that a mob of curious ponies is following them to the castle and then smiles and thinks, 'It looks like it is going to be an exciting month across Equestria, when the news makes its way around to the towns.'

I then see the Castle up ahead and then loosen up on the reins a little and then look at the canvas and then softly say, "Can you hear me alright?"

She then softly answers back, "Yes I can, what is it?"

I then whisper to her through the canvas, "The castle is up ahead of us. If you are using that other blanket, be sure to roll it up and hide it underneath the seat so others don't see it."

She then chuckles and scoots off of the bear blanket whispering, "Alright, thank you for the warning. I shall do that now, so let me know when you are going to open the canvas."

I then tell her, "I will be sure to do that." and then turn back around and continue down the road towards the castle that is getting closer and closer.

Lou climbs up one last hill with a little struggle, but arrives at the top of it and continues past a small wall. She then calls back to Arthur and asks, "How much farther until I can stop and rest, that last hill was a bit of a struggle for me? I also think that one of my shoes is loose, you need to have a blacksmith take a look."

Celestia then says, "Don't worry Lou, just another hundred yards further and then we will come to a stop." She then looks to Arthur and then says, "You can pull up alongside the stairs in front of those large double doors."

I then nod and use the reins to have Lou turn left so we can maneuver the wagon into place in front of the stairs, making a wide left circle through the grass and then say, "Sorry about the nice grass you have here Princess, but this wagon needs space to make this turn."

She then sighs and then nods saying, "Its quite alright, a little maintenance is all that it will take to repair it. The important thing is that we got here safe and sound without a single incident."

I then watch as we pull up near the stairs on the cobblestone path and then pull on the reins and say, "Alright Lou, you did a great job getting up those hills without another horse to help you with the burden." I then hear a few gasps from the crowd and then say to them, "That is what we call others that are like her, you call yourselves ponies and have two hooves. She is also a pony, but has four hooves. Where we are both from, humans call her kind a horse and most of us have working partnerships with her kind. Unfortunately, back there they are unable to speak like you are able to. When we came here, she could. Our partnership has improved greatly thanks to that strange discovery, though we do not know the exact reason for it. So before you all get offended by me referring to her as a horse, understand that is just the way things were back there." I then hear a few ponies in the crowd talk about it amongst themselves and then step down from the wagon and then turn around and then say, "Well Princess Celestia, are you ready to get down from there?" I then hold one hand up for her to hold while I help her get down from the wagon.

Celestia then nods and stands up and then says, "Indeed I am ready to get down from this wagon, I ache from the hard wood. You should get some padding for that seat, it would make the ride much more pleasant." She then takes his hand and then places her hoof on a small step on the side, holds her dress so that it doesn't catch and rip, and hops off the wagon. She then lands back on the ground safe and sound, then releases her dress and then says, "Thank you for helping me get down, now can you please go open the back and help my sister get out? I am sure she is eager to return to her quarters and resume her sleep."

I then hear the crowd start to talk louder to each other about The Lunar Princess being on the wagon as well, nod and then head to the back and say, "Well Princess Luna, are you ready to join us out here?"

Princess Luna then says, "Yes I am Arthur Morgan, the ride through the country in the back of the wagon was a little more comfortable when you let me use your bedroll as a cushion so I could catch some sleep for the journey."

I then start untying the back of the canvas and then smile and say, "You are welcome, Princess Luna. I hope you had a better time sleeping in the back than Celestia did the first half of the journey, I would have let her use the bedroll too if she had only asked." I then tie the back of the canvas to the sides of the wagon and then drop the back gate and then wait for her to make her way back towards me.

She then scoots to the back, carefully stands onto the gate and then bends at the knees using her hands to hold her dress against the back of her knees and then places her hands onto his shoulders and says, "I slept right through most of the journey, the ride isn't that bad when you have something soft to rest on. It was rather pleasant actually, okay I am ready to get off now."

I then nod and pick her up in my arms, then carefully set her down on the ground and then tip my hat to her saying, "There you go princess, you two are now safe and sound back at home."

Princess Celestia then looks to her fellow ponies and then begins to tell them about what had transpired during their sudden visit to the Crystal Empire. She tells them how he came to be in Equestria and Discord's roll in it, but keeps the information about him being a criminal and dying, secret. After she then informs them of Rainbow Dash's actions and that the matter has already been dealt with, so no further action is necessary.

I then shift slowly from side to side, waiting for Celestia to finish telling them the story when she finally gets close to the end and then think, 'Oh thank god she is almost done with her speech, I am ready to fall asleep on my feet.'

She then ends her speech by saying, "These two shall be sharing this wonderful new world with us, I wish them happiness where ever they may go. Welcome to Equestria, Arthur Morgan and Lou." She then looks out to the crowd and then says, "I am sure that you all are very curious to talk to them both, but that will have to wait until later. Thank you all for welcoming us back to Canterlot, our little ponies. You may return to what you were doing when we passed through town and interrupted you all." She then waits and watches as the citizens then leave, then says, "I need several strong guards to come towards the back of the wagon."

Princess Luna then begins heading towards the back of the wagon and watches Arthur get up in the back and then chuckles and says, "Well Arthur, I shall be retiring to my quarters for the rest of the day."

I then move boxes around to get at the long box, then turn to Luna and then say, "Alright princess, may you have a pleasant sleep." I then watch her as she walks by the back gate and looks at me.

Princess Luna then smiles and winks at him saying, "I wish you a good journey to Ponyville, Arthur Morgan. May you have a happy Hearth's Warming Eve this weekend."

I cock my head and then say to her, "I'm sorry, what did you say about this weekend?"

She then says, "You didn't know that this Friday is Hearth's Warming Eve for Equestria? Today is Wednesday, so there are two days until it is here, we hope that you have a happy Hearth's Warming Eve." She then turns and walks away from him, heading towards the double doors to return to her room.

I then wonder what this 'Hearth's Warming Eve' thing is and then think to myself, 'I will have to ask Princess Celestia what it is. I have heard and seen the celebrations that take place around December 25th, people have been calling it Christmas for a few years now. I wonder if Hearth's Warming Eve is anything like it...' I continue to pick up boxes and move them around as I hear some hooves behind the wagon, then look back to see about ten guards in armor standing back there in lines and then start to drag the very heavy box towards the back of the wagon and then hear Celestia come closer.

Princess Celestia casts a privacy shield and then says to the group of guards, "Now guards please listen up, there is a few heavy boxes that need to be placed in the secret royal vault. These items can cause a great deal of harm and misery if they were to fall into the wrong hands, so please handle them carefully and lock them away inside and have a guard on the vault." She then looks to the wagon and then says, "Arthur, please bring the boxes out now. The guards will take them to their new location in the secret vault, where we both will escort them there to make sure nothing happens and they go missing."

I then say, "Alright princess, here we go. Just so you all know, this first box will be the heaviest. It is not dangerous now because it is not loaded, but the boxes after it need to be handled with care. So whatever you do, don't drop those other boxes." I then grab the box with the Maxim gun in it and drag it onto the back gate and wait for the first guard to grab a handle and then say, "Two ponies per box please, it is too much for just one to handle alone." I then see another come up and take hold of the other handle and then pull it off the gate.

Chapter 9: A visit to Canterlot, and a fateful encounter

One guard at the end of the box huffs at the box's weight and then says, "Oh buck you weren't joking about the weight!" He then adjusts his hold and then nods to the other guard and they move off to the side and wait for the others to get their boxes.

I then move some more boxes around to get at the other long boxes and look inside them, making sure they are the belt ammo for the Maxim and close them back up. I then start to drag them out one by one for the guards to take, watching the last pair of guards take their box. I then move the boxes back to where the long boxes used to be and grab my double barrel shotgun from the saddlebag, and hop out of the back of the wagon and say to Celestia, "Well that was the last box, I'm ready if you are princess." I hold the shotgun with one hand and then wait for us to start moving.

Celestia then looks at Arthur and then asks, "What kind of weapon is that you have now?"

I then hold the shotgun with both hands and open the chamber, put two regular shells in and then say, "This here is a double barrelled shotgun, it opens up so you can reload it. It can shoot a variety of ammunition including slugs, and explosive ammunition." I then close it and hold the gun with both hands at a downward angle.

She then nods and says, "Alright guards, let's be on our way." She then turns and then leads the group towards the double doors while keeping the privacy bubble up that hides them from view.

I follow the princess down the maze of corridors and then say to her, "How do you not get lost in these halls, there are so many different corridors to travel down."

Celestia then chuckles lightly and then says, "Well it takes time to get to know the layout of the castle, if you ever get lost all you have to do is ask any guard for directions of what you are looking for. They will then lead you there unless they are on guard duty to one of the rooms, I hope you make a few new friends while visiting Canterlot."

I continue to hold the shotgun at a downward angle, keeping a sharp eye open for anyone that may try to get the weapon we are moving. We then finally arrive at the vault and I look away while she opens it up and say, "I will keep watch while you put that thing in there, whoever wants it is gonna have to make it past all these guards here."

She then uses her horn and draws a pattern into the door, then inserts her horn into a small circular hole and then rotates her head ninety degrees. She hears a click and then removes her horn and then spins the wheel to the left and pulls the heavy door open, instructing her guards to head on inside and says, "Put that into the hidden section of the vault please, once the boxes are placed in one of the spaces there, you may return."

I then look around at the spacious room and then ask, "This is a really big ballroom, how many parties get thrown here every year?"

Celestia then chuckles and says, "This is no ballroom, this is our throne room where mah sister and ah hold court during our day and night shifts. There is another building on the castle grounds that hosts a few of the parties, but a few do get hosted in this room though. We could give you a tour of the castle after we finish here, would you like that Arthur?"

I then nod my head and say, "That is a mighty fine idea but it will have to wait for another day, I have to get myself settled in by Ponyville first."

She watches the last of her guards exit the vault and then closes it, she then says to a couple of the guards, "I want this door guarded at all times by two guards, changing shifts and being relieved every six hours."

Two guards then salute her and then say, "Yes Your Highness!" and then take positions on either side, keeping a close eye on the whole room.

Celestia then looks to Arthur and then smiles softly and says, "Very well Arthur. If you need help finding the exit, one of these guards here will show you the way out. Please enjoy your visit to Canterlot, I must resume holding court."

I then look to her and then ask, "Do you know where I can locate a blacksmith that can look at Lou's shoes? I also wanted to know what this Hearth's Warming eve is about, is it similar to the Christmas from my world?"

She thinks for a moment and then says, "I can have the blacksmith meet you in front of the castle. As for if the two are similar, I have to say that the decorations are very similar. Though what ponies are celebrating is quite different, Hearth's Warming eve is the founding day of Equestria. If you want to know more about it, just ask Princess Twilight Sparkle to tell you the whole story of Hearth's Warming eve and prepare to hear a lecture."

I then tip my hat to her and then say, "Okay then, thanks Your Majesty for telling me. I shall leave you to your duties then, farewell princess." I then look to the guards and then ask, "Could one of you show me how to get out of this maze-like castle?"

One of the guards then steps forward and then says in her disguised appearance, her feminine voice sounding like a stallion's due to the enchanted armor saying, "I will show you to the doors sir, please follow me."

I then follow the pony towards the doors of the throne room and then say, "Why does every guard look identical, is magic used to make this possible?"

Celestia then chuckles and says, "It is indeed, a magical enchantment is placed on the armor to make them look indistinguishable from each other. It also changes their voice so they all sound the same, it helps them keep their identity secret when they are escorting me or my sister. These ponies are the Solar guard, they guard me and the castle during the hours of the day. My sister also has royal guards, they guard her and the castle at night. Their armor also has the same function, they are called the Lunar guard and are mostly comprised of Thestral ponies that thrive in the moonlight rather than the sunlight. They are nocturnal ponies that do have fangs, but do not drink the blood of the living. They consume the vitality of fruits to sustain themselves, so calling them vampires is frowned upon."

I then rub my chin with my hand and then say, "That is very interesting, I will have to try to see one some day. You have a good day princess, I will leave you now." I then follow the guard out of the room and down the halls, slinging my shotgun across my back and see maids make their way through the halls tending to their duties. I tip my hat to a few and then greet them with a couple words, briefly drawing their attention before going about their business.

Lou sees a strange creature wearing an apron filled with various tools, and then notices her owner coming out the doors of the castle and then says, "Welcome back Arthur, I think this may be the blacksmith for all the tools that they have with them."

I look at the strange creature and then walk down the steps and then greet them saying, "Afternoon, are you the blacksmith that the princess sent for?"

The griffon then turns and looks at the creature and then nods his head and says, "That be me, yes. What do ye need me to fix laddie?"

I then look at Lou and say, "I need you to have a look at my companions shoe, she says that it has come loose."

They walk a bit closer to the large creature and then says, "Alright then, pick up yer hoof so ah can take a closer look at it."

She then lifts the leg with the loose shoe and then says, "This is the leg that has the loose shoe, I think mister."

He then grabs the hoof and tries to wiggle the shoe with his other claw and then sighs saying, "Ya are correct, this is indeed the one with the loose shoe. Unfortunately, I can't fix this issue. Neither can I repair, or make these laddie. Do ya want me to remove them since I can't fix the issue?"

I then look at them and then sigh saying, "Yeah you may as well since you can't tighten them back up, how much will I owe ya for this?"

The griffon then nods and then says, "The issue is that these kinds of shoes have phased out of use a few hundred years ago, these are just an ancient type of shoe that aren't really popular anymore. Therefore, blacksmiths are not taught how to make them or even trained to put them on. Removing them is easy enough because we are told about how these were held to the bottom of the hoof using short nails driven into it, the fee to remove em is 20 bits. My name's Fierce Strike, and if ya didn't already know laddie, I am a griffon." He then begins to carefully pry the shoe and the nails out of the large hoof and then says, "These are a bit long, ya should pay a visit to a salon so they can trim them up."

I then nod my head and watch as he pulls the nails out of the other shoes and say, "My name is Arthur Morgan, I will be sure to do that when I head through town today on my way to Ponyville."

Fierce then finishes pulling the last few nails from the third shoe and then says, "I would suggest going to La Ti Da in Ponyville, or as others call it, The Ponyville Day Spa. It is primarily run and owned by the earth pony twin sisters Aloe Vera and Lotus Blossom, they provide the best care and treatments and are renowned throughout Equestria as a great place to get top notch care." He then sets the nails into a pocket of his apron and sets the old shoe in another pocket and begins removing the final shoe.

I then scratch my chin in thought and then say, "I will have to check that out when I get there, how does this recycling you ponies have work?"

He then pries out another nail and then puts it into his pocket and then says, "Did you see those large boxes between buildings around Canterlot?"

I then remember seeing a few of them and then say, "Yeah I have seen them here and there."

Fierce then pries out one more nail and then replies, "Okay, there are images painted on the front of those boxes that indicate what material goes in there. An ingot represents any metal goes into that box, a bottle indicates glass, a letter indicates paper, and a fabric roll indicates clothing material that can be disassembled. If you look in the boxes though, it will become clear what goes in there." He then removes the last nail and puts them into the pouch and puts the old shoe with the others. He then puts his tools away and then stands up and then turns around, holding out his claw saying, "There ya go laddie, that'll be 20 bits please."

I then nod and then rummage around in the satchel for the big sack of bits and pull out a handful, counting out ten and drop them into his claw before going back in for the rest. I then set the last ten bits into his claw and he closes it saying, "I hope you have a good day Fierce Strike, now I must return to my current task at hand."

He then smiles and nods to them "Thank ya for your business laddie, have a good day Arthur Morgan." He then places them into a bag and puts the bag back where he had it, then makes his way back into the castle.

I look to Lou and then smile saying, "Well girl, are ya ready to drop off some more junk so it can be recycled?"

Lou looks back at him and then nods her head and says, "Yes, I can't wait to see how much lighter this wagon is. Get up into your seat and let's get going!"

I hop up into the seat and take up the reins and snap them lightly saying, "Alright Lou, let's head back to the city to find those boxes he mentioned." I then feel the wagon lurch slightly as she takes off at a walk.

She then feels the difference and says, "Oh this is definitely much lighter now without that extra weight, do you want me to go a little faster Arthur?"

I then chuckle and then say, "It is up to you if you want to girl, we are in no hurry to get anywhere."

Lou then smiles and then quickens the pace to a quicker walk, observing the ponies that stop to look at her make her way down the street. She then spots a group of boxes to the side and then says, "There are a few boxes over to the right Arthur."

I then look over and then pull on the reigns lightly and say, "Woah girl, let's stop here and I will drop off a few things that are useless." I then hop down and head to the back of the wagon, then open the gate and start to look through the boxes. I grab the empty cans that are scattered throughout the wagon and place them into the proper box, then do the same with the other recyclable items. I then find a crate of alcohol and open it to find nothing but empty bottles and sigh, taking it over to the box and dump them in. I return the empty crate to the wagon to use it to hold other things in the future, I then close the back and return to the seat on the wagon and then take the reins and say, "Alright Lou, Ponyville here we come!" I snap the reins lightly and feel the wagon lurch forward again, heading towards the gate leading out of the city.

One day earlier, in the cave west of the Crystal Empire

The female changeling's eyes slowly flutter open, proving that she yet lives still. She then starts to stir and tries to push herself up to her hooves, but winces in pain as her head is struck by a migraine and falls to the ground sniffling.

A few minutes pass by when her senses fully return her to consciousness, looking around the tunnel and remembers what happened. She then looks down the tunnel as her blurry vision then clears up and becomes crystal clear again, showing the mangled corpse laying in front of the tunnel she is in. She gasps and then fights the urge to hurl but fails and empties her stomach into the cave, wipes her mouth clean and forces herself to forget about the body and find out what else happened after she was knocked out. She then tries to get up again, forcing herself to rise to her hooves despite the pain her head is in. She steadies herself and then follows the wall to the main tunnel and then looks in the direction the creature was in. Her eyes go wide in horror as she then sees that every single one of them is dead, she then looks past them to look for the creature. Sighing in relief at seeing that it is gone, along with the filly. She then sighs and says, "The queen and her friend are going to be very angry at hearing about this news, I need to find a way back to the hive." She turns her head around to look where the loud crash came from, seeing that the only way to get back to the hive will be to dig through the rubble. She then heads down the tunnel towards the pile to start to dig her way out as she then thinks, 'I don't like being sent on these kinds of missions, I prefer going on the scouting tasks the queen assigns.'

A few hours pass by as the changeling finally moves enough rubble to squeeze through the opening, she then resumes heading down the tunnel to the hive's location and tries reaching out to the hive mind and then thinks out to them, 'Can any of you hear me brothers and sisters?' After listening for a little bit receiving no reply, she then continues on down the tunnel.

She flies for what feels like hours when her stomach starts to rumble, signalling that she needs to feed on love soon. She then begins to fly down the tunnel at a faster pace, praying that she gets there soon.

Two more hours pass by when she finally hears the voices of other changelings and reaches a side chamber where some of the drones sleep. She slows down a bit and makes her way towards the queens chamber when she hears a soldier fly next to her chuckling. Annoyed by his company, she then says, "What do you want Razor Wing?"

Razor wing chuckles sinisterly and then says, "I don't see any filly or prey with you Stealthy Strike, the Queen will not be happy when she hears that you failed to bring Flurry Heart to her." He then continues on chuckling at the punishment she will no doubt receive for failing yet another mission.

Stealthy Strike then sighs and says, "Go away, I'm not in the mood for your crap today Razor so just buzz off and leave me alone."

He then drops the attitude and then says, "What happened with the others that were with you, are they still toying with Flurry Heart?"

She then snarls at him and then says, "I SAID SHUT IT! YOU WILL HEAR ABOUT IT WHEN I INFORM THE QUEEN WHAT HAS HAPPENED, NOW LEAVE ME ALONE!" She then leaves him in the dust and hurries to the queen's chamber.

Queen Chrysalis laughs at a few of the stories that her ally, Colm O'Driscoll is telling her and then says, "What did you do to the poor creature then Colm?"

Colm then laughs sadistically and then says, "Well I told her that if she screamed as loud as she could, I would set her free. Which she did and I just laughed and left her there on the tracks, with no coat covering her body and her hands and hooves tied together. I laughed even harder when I saw the train run her over and tear her body into tiny pieces and then returned to the hideout with all of her valuables."

She then senses one of her subjects approach her and then turns her attention in their direction and waits to see who it is, smiling when she sees that it is Stealthy Strike and says, "Ahh Stealthy Strike, we were wondering when you would return to us. Is the prisoner with the others? Did she put up much of a struggle? Did she scream and cry for her mommy to come get her?"

Stealthy Strike lands before the Queen and then kneels and bows before her saying, "I regret to inform you that Princess Flurry Heart is gone."

Chrysalis then stands up enraged and then yells, "HOW DID SHE GET AWAY? SHE IS JUST A TINY WEAK LITTLE FOAL! TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED RIGHT NOW!"

She sighs and then hangs her head low and then says, "We went down the tunnel and picked up the little princess and were coming back, until we heard something coming down the tunnel. We then hid on either side, waiting for whatever was following us to step into the ambush. But it must have somehow found out because it called out telling us to come out, Frenzied Fangs went out and faced whatever it was. Unfortunately he was not strong enough to defeat it, as the rest of us heard two loud noises that made our ears ring. The creature then called out to us, demanding we come out to face it or it was gonna lay waste to us all with a shotgun. It then sent something that hissed like us down the tunnel past us, Swift Wing then went to check it out when there was an even louder noise that sent dust and debris past us. It also sent me against the tunnel wall, causing me to fall unconscious. When I came to, my head was killing me. After I regained my senses, I looked around and there was the mangled body of Swift Wing laying in the main tunnel between where we were hiding. I couldn't keep my stomach down and threw up on the floor, I then forced myself to look past their body and then went into the tunnel to see if the creature was still there. The only thing that was there were the bodies of the other changelings in the group, all laying in a pile. I then looked back at the tunnel and then saw it had collapsed and then spent a long time clearing a path to crawl through to make my way back to inform you of what happened My Queen."

The queen squints her eyes at the insect before her and then says, "That is simply not possible! Do you have any information about whatever this creature was!?!"

Stealthy Strike then gulps and says, "Well the only thing that I could tell for sure was that the air around the creature reeked of death, and that it was clearly male."

Chrysalis then glares at her and then loudly says before yelling, "That information is basically useless! We changelings are the stealthiest beings in Equestria! YOU HAVE FAILED ME FOR THE LAST TIME STEALTHY STRIKE, I HEREBY BANISH YOU FROM THIS HIVE... GET OUT OF MY SIGHT AT ONCE YOU WORTHLESS INSECT!!!"

Her wings go slack as she hears all sound in the hive go dead silent, she then turns around and races towards the tunnel that will be the quickest way to get away from the hive. Tears form in her eyes as she feels herself be cut off from the hive completely, now finding herself all alone in the world with no reliable source of food. As she makes her way through the tunnel, avoiding the rocks thrown at her while thinking, "Where will I go now, I have no home, no family, and no hive..." Tears run down her face as she turns down another tunnel, hoping to get as far away from the hive as possible. She then forces her wings to function and then flies even faster down the tunnel when she starts to hear a hiss, knowing that they are now chasing after her to kill her.

Colm cocks his head in thought at hearing the description then says, "For some reason I do not know, I feel like I should know that description well. Give me some time to go through my thoughts Queen Chrysalis, that information is not completely useless. It is a good thing that you got rid of that miserable pathetic failure, how many times did she fail to gather any information on the missions you sent her on? Was it six times or was it twelve?"

She then looks at Colm and then squints her eyes and then says, "Very well Colm, search your thoughts and then inform me when you discover anything important. I do not tolerate repeat failures in my hive."

5 hours later, somewhere in the tunnels running through Equestria...

Stealthy Strike's wings can't carry her any further, causing her to land and then continue running down the tunnel. Thankful that the others have stopped chasing after her, she finally sees light and then pushes harder towards the exit. She finally exits the tunnel and then walks away from it, managing to walk a fair distance away from it before starting to lightly laugh at making it out of there and away from the hive with her life. Her happiness is short lived as she then quickly breaks down into tears and sobs as her legs finally give out from under her, causing her to fall to the ground next to a well traveled trail.

I travel down the road with Lou pulling the wagon down the road at a swift trot, whistling some song when Lou's ears begin to swivel. I then sense something amiss and pull the reins for her to stop and then say, "What do you hear girl, what's up?" I quickly set down the reins and then draw the shotgun from my back, ready for whatever may attack us.

Lou then finds the direction the noise came from and turns her head to the left with her ears focused forward and says, "I think I heard crying come from this direction, but it wasn't clear enough to make out. You should investigate it Arthur, you never know what you will find when investigating something strange. Take that weird tunnel system back where we came from, you found a few interesting things there."

I then remember when I first stumbled across that ancient structure and chuckle saying, "Yeah I remember that I found an old axe, a helmet, and a comb that survived the years down there." I then jump down off the wagon and then head in the direction where Lou heard the noise come from, holding my shotgun at the ready if anything tries to attack me. I walk about a hundred feet and then stop to listen for any sound, hearing a noise come a little further south of my position and then begin walking in that direction. I then walk another hundred feet and then stop to listen for any sound, hearing a faint crying noise south southwest of me and then start to head toward it. The crying gets louder as I get closer towards the source, I then walk slower as I start to expect it to be an ambush of some kind.

Stealthy Strike hears a twig snap, but pays it no mind as she hopes that she will be found and put out of her misery soon and continues crying.

I then walk a bit further until I see a dark figure in the grass beside a large boulder and then call out to them, "Umm, is everything okay over there? Do you need any help? I am armed and ready for whatever attack may come, so make yourself known." I then raise the shotgun and point it in the direction of the dark figure.

She instantly recognizes that voice and then stops crying, then quickly rolls to her back and scampers to the side of the boulder. She then says with tears in her eyes, "Have you came back to finish me off, is that it?! Are you going to end my life like a lowly pest!?"

I then stalk closer to the boulder, then make my way to one side of it to have them in sight. I then identify the voice as clearly being female and then say, "So you somehow survived that encounter in the cave. If you try to avenge your dead buddies, you will be joining them shortly. So far I haven't decided yet if you are a threat or not, so come on out so I can put a face to your voice."

Stealthy Strike then wipes her tears away and then stands up suddenly and says, "Why do you wish to see my face, there is nothing special about it."

I then look at the changeling and quickly raise my shotgun and close the distance between us and then cock the hammers back and say, "Turn and face me changeling, I am not the type that just kills indiscriminately. I only kill those that try to kill me, so turn around right now and look at me god dammit!"

She then quickly turns to face him and gasps when she sees a couple long tubes staring her in the face,. She watches intensely as they lower ever so slightly, permitting her a good look into the male creature's face. She stares into his eyes as a few tears run down her face to her chin, seeing in them that he has experienced many hard things in the past. She then sighs and looks down at the ground and then says in a meek voice, "If you are going to kill me, just do it already and stop toying with me."

I then stare at her for a little bit before raising the shotgun again and then say, "What happened that brings you to tears changeling, do you still wish to kidnap Princess Flurry Heart? You better answer me or I will beat the answers out of you like I did to the stallion that bought time for her captors to get away by being a distraction, tell me what I want to know or I will introduce you to a new world of pain."

Stealthy strike then softly sobs and then tells him what happened, after finishing her story she then says, "No I am no longer interested in Princess Flurry Heart, I have no hive, no home, no food, and no family. Go ahead and do whatever you wish with me, I don't care anymore."

I lower the barrel slightly, feeling that she needs help and somewhere to call 'home'. I then uncock the hammers and then return the shotgun to my back and then say to her in a softer tone, "Okay then, that is all I needed to hear kid. Come with me kid and I will take care of you until you are ready to be on your own alright?"

She is shocked to hear him say that and then sniffles and says, "My name is not kid, it's Stealthy Strike. Where is your home located?" Her stomach then growls from hunger, causing her to cover it futilely with an arm from embarrassment.

I then chuckle and then say, "My name is Arthur Morgan, now that I know your name. I have a question for you Stealthy, what do changelings eat? I only know what they look like and take the form of any creature they capture and study."

Stealthy then looks at him then says, "Changelings eat emotions, we can eat normal food but it doesn't sustain us very well."

I then cock my head and then say in mild surprise, "You eat emotions, how do you accomplish that? Do you use some sort of magic to collect the emotions?"

She then lightly chuckles and then says, "We do not use magic to eat them, we consume emotions by using our mouth to suck them from the ponies we capture and cocoon. The cocoons are used to just keep them from fighting against us."

I then smirk and then walk closer to her and say, "Alright then, I don't mind if you eat some of my emotions. Does it hurt or affect me at all when too much is consumed?"

Stealthy then blinks a couple times and says, "Oh I won't take that much from you, ponies aren't harmed at all. The most that happens is they pass out, the same thing happens when they use too much magic. They do come back after some time passes though, just so you know." She then looks away for a moment and returns her gaze to him and then steps a little closer and says, "T-Thank you for permitting me to take some of your emotions." She then places her hands on his shoulders, cocks her head a little and then opens her mouth slightly and then uses her ability to consume emotions.

I watch as she gets close to me and then tries to suck my emotions from me, not really seeing anything happen and then think, 'Since she uses her mouth to eat emotions, would it be more effective for our mouths to touch?' I then continue debating it and then watch as she continues to try to eat my emotions.

She then begins to taste some of the love that she is harvesting from him and then sucks a bit harder at how sweet it is, feeling her hunger slowly fade away. Her eyes then close as she then continues to consume some of the love that he has when she feels him hold her back, shocking her at how trusting he is being with a changeling like her.

I then decide to try to help her out, seeing as nothing is happening as she closes her eyes. I then lean down saying, "Here, allow me help you a little." then continue lowering my face towards her slightly open mouth and then part my lips and then give her a french kiss, hoping that this helps her satisfy her hunger better.

Chapter 10: A misunderstanding, and starting over (Edited 05\21\21)

Stealthy Strike's eyes fly open wide as she feels Arthur kiss her, then she feels an electric shock run through her body. Finding herself unable to focus on one thought due to the ten thousand other thoughts stampeding out of control through her brain and limiting her ability to think rationally. She begins to feel her body awaken and cause her to feel like she is starving for emotion, then switches to a different emotion that is plentiful. She quickly chooses anger next and begins to pull it out of him, trying to satisfy her hunger. She finally gets her thoughts under control, against her own will, she tears herself away from his mouth and then glares at him with a mild blush on her cheeks. She crosses her arms across her chest and then says, "What the buck are you thinking kissing a changeling that you don't even know! If I couldn't control my newly awakened body, I would have completely drained you of all emotion." She then continues staring at him as she thinks, 'How dare he steal my first kiss like that, he is not my lover!'

I then rest one hand on each of my revolver handles and switch my stance then say, "My apologies, I thought that you needed a little help. So I thought that if our mouths made contact, you might be able to eat my emotions better."

She calms down a bit at hearing that he wasn't trying to steal her first kiss, and says, "Can I continue eating now, I still am pretty hungry?"

I chuckle and then say, "It is up to you, you are the one who stopped. Eat as much as you like, I don't feel any different."

Stealthy is shocked to hear that he doesn't feel any different after the amount she consumed thinking, 'How are you not affected by the amount I just took from you? If any pony lost that amount of emotion, they would have passed out.' and says, "Okay, let's see how much more it will take to satisfy my hunger." She places her hands back on his shoulders, cocks her head and opens her mouth slightly to resume consuming his emotions.

I close the rest of the distance and return my lips to hers, resuming our kiss and hoping to give her the rest of what she needs to satisfy her hunger. I then place one hand behind her neck and move the other to her lower back and dip her slightly, trying to make it go faster so we can resume our journey.

She is taken by surprise when she feels herself being kissed, then cradled like a lover as love begins to flow into her body much faster. The flow continues to increase, causing her to lightly choke before relaxing her throat to just let it flow into her. As a strange new emotion flows into her mouth, she concentrates on it and identifies it as lust. Lust and love continue to flow into her body in higher amounts, causing her eyes to roll up into the back of her skull as her body becomes ravenous. Her hands find their way to his neck unconsciously as she sucks his emotions down harder, her tongue then joins his in a wrestling match of dominance. Just as her tongue starts to win, her body stops taking in emotion. She quickly pushes him away and breaks the kiss, looks away and covers her mouth quickly with her hand and belches loudly. The unexpected belch causes her to blush fiercely and quickly say, "E-Excuse me, you weren't supposed to hear that." She then clears her voice and then says, "I'm not hungry anymore, I'm ready to leave when you are."

I chuckle and start laughing while saying, "Okay then kid, you have some interesting manners for a girl you know. If I was anyone else, I would probably be offended by that belch." I turn around and then head towards the wagon and say, "The wagon's this way kid, follow me if you need a place to stay."

She looks at him and scowls, then follows after him when she lets out a smaller burp. Beginning to feel tired, she realizes that she has overeaten and then blames herself for wanting more food. She looks at the wagon and asks, "Is there anywhere that I can lay down to relax for awhile, I ate too much."

I nod and then drop the back gate down and get up into the back to search for an empty long box in the wagon, finding one and set it on the back gate. I open the lid and look to her and hear her let out a smaller belch saying excuse me and then say to her, "This is where you can relax and keep out of sight, from the way a few ponies talked about Changelings, it seems that they are not well liked. This box will be your home until I can get a house built to sleep in, so hop in and make yourself comfortable."

Stealthy wearily climbs up onto the gate and crams herself into the box, folding her wings down and lays on her left side and brings her knees up to her chest. Finding this position comfortable, she looks to Arthur and says, "Okay I'm ready, you can close the lid now."

I then nod and say, "While you are in that box and we are moving, it is best you just stay quiet until I knock 'shave and a haircut, two bits' on the box. You will then know it is okay to come out of there." I close the lid, lift the box and set it up on top of the dynamite, closing the back and returning to my seat and snap the reins lightly saying, "Alright girl, take us to our new home."

Lou starts moving forward, then picks up the pace to a gentle trot and says, "She survived the encounter you had in the cave, Arthur? I'm surprised because normally everyone that tries to harm you either ends up dead or pissing themselves out of fear."

I sigh and nod my head and say, "Yeah she said that when the dynamite bundle went off, she was sent flying into the wall and hit her head hard that caused her to fall unconscious. It was a good thing that happened to her, though I do feel bad for her waking up to see what the dynamite did to her friend. Well maybe now she can have a chance to turn over a new leaf and make amends for what she has done like I am trying to do." I then feel a coughing fit coming on and then set down the reins and cover my mouth with my coat sleeve. After the coughing fit passes, I look at my coat and see that it needs to be washed. I pick the reins back up and watch the road ahead of me, looking around at the snow on the ground and begin humming a tune that comes into my mind.

Meanwhile, at Rainbow Dash's room inside the hospital in the Crystal Empire...

Rainbow Dash sighs in relief at finally being able to go home to Ponyville, she looks to nurse Helping Hoof and says, "Thank you for treating my wounds, do you know how long it will take me to be able to fly again?

Nurse Helping Hoof then looks at her and sighs saying, "You won't be flying for three months, you need to keep the wrap on your lower chest for a month and a half or six weeks total. You are to abstain from any strenuous activity that may cause any of the injured bones to heal improperly, you got very lucky that the wing wasn't damaged any worse or you would have completely lost your ability to fly. Stick to our instructions and you will make a full recovery and be able to fly like you could before you were injured, do you understand what I just said to you?"

She rolls her eyes and says, "Yes I heard you the first dozen times, now can I please get out of this hospital?!"

The nurse nods and frowns at her and says, "Yes, you are now free to go. You do not need to worry about the bill, it has already been taken care of by the crown."

Rainbow huffs and walks out of the room in her sporty halter top and jogging pants, making her way down the halls to exit this prison of health. She arrives at the waiting room and sees her friends all there waiting for her and then says, "Hey everypony, are ya ready to make our way back home!?"

Pinkie is the first one to give her a light hug, avoiding her injured areas and then says, "We were worried about you Rainbow Dash, you will be just fine as long as you obey the doctor's orders. I know you will make a full recovery in no time at all, you will be able to do sonic rainbooms in two months for sure!"

Applejack approaches her next and hugs her lightly saying, "Pinkie is right sugarcube, if ya follow the doc's orders ah know that ya'll make a complete recovery in no tahm flat."

Fluttershy comes up and gives her a gentle hug and says to her, "We will all be here to support you, so don't you worry Rainbow Dash. You should consider yourself lucky that you haven't had a hard life like mister Arthur Morgan had, I only saw a little bit of what he suffered through. What I saw in his eyes, I cannot tell you because it is something that he needs to be able to trust us first to be able to tell us himself. So please just try to stay calm and take it easy for six weeks and let us all help take care of you."

She chokes up a little at hearing that and says, "I-I don't wanna be a burden to any of you all, so just stop it and leave me be..." She then begins to walk away out of guilt but is stopped by Twilight's magic and says, "Hey, let me go!"

Twilight then turns her around to face them and says, "Stop it Rainbow Dash, there is no need for you to feel guilty about being defeated by an opponent stronger than you. You always gain knowledge with every defeat, and that helps make you smarter. I admire you for never backing down from a fight, but sometimes it is wiser to observe them and wait for them to make the first move. Remember that we all once lost to Trixie, including me. With a little knowledge though, we turned the tide and won the battle! Don't forget that we are all friends, and friends protect each other and last forever."

Rainbow Dash's eyes then tear up and hugs her tightly and begins bawling out loud, relying on her friend to be there to lend her a shoulder to cry on.

The rest of the girls join in on a group hug, careful to avoid brushing against Rainbow's injuries. They continue to hold Rainbow Dash and be there for her until she stops crying and stands on her own two hooves again, then release her and back up a little bit with smiles on their faces.

Rarity then comes forth and says, "Well darling, are you ready to be on our way back to Ponyville? Do you know who you will be staying with during your recovery, there is no way we will let you stay home by yourself with injuries this severe."

She then sighs and says, "I would stay with Applejack, but there is always something that needs to be done on the farm. I would choose Rarity, but she is always busy with coming up with new designs for her outfits. I also would choose Pinkie Pie, but she is always doing something and isn't exactly the quietest pony in Ponyville."

Pinkie Pie then interjects saying, "Heyyy!" causing the other girls to giggle and laugh at the truth of it.

Rainbow then continues saying, "It is going to be either Fluttershy or Twilight, but I am thinking of going with Fluttershy. The reason being that I would most likely get more rest if I stayed with her, if I stayed with Twilight, I most likely wouldn't get much sleep at all due to her tendency to worry about every little detail. Aside from that, Hearth's Warming is right around the corner and she just wouldn't be able to have the time to care for me."

Twilight then smiles and nods saying, "Wise choice indeed Rainbow Dash, but I do not worry over every little detail..."

She then smirks and says, "Do too..."

Twilight narrows her eyes and says, "Do not..."

Rainbow says with a giggle, "Do too."

The girls all burst out laughing and head out of the waiting room together, making their way towards the train station when a crystal chariot arrives for the six of them.

The two guards stop in front of the Representative Elements of Harmony as one of them says, "Please allow us to take you all to the station at, courtesy of Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor."

They nod and tell them thank you and that they appreciate the gesture, hop in and let them carry them to the station.

Meanwhile, at the tunnel near the entrance to the cave...

Chrysalis walks down the tunnel with her ally Colm when a foul smell hits her nostrils, causing her to gag and pinch her nose and say, "What in Tartarus is that foul smell!"

Colm then sighs and says, "It is the smell of a corpse starting to rot Your Majesty, it is not as bad as it would be if we waited much longer."

She stops moving when she steps on something odd, causing her to illuminate her horn. She then sees the scattered body parts belonging to the changeling that Stealthy mentioned, looking around the walls to see dried or gooey green blood splattered all along the walls with changelings in a single pile a bit further ahead of the mangled remains of the other changeling. She fights down the urge to gag and then says, "What ever kind of creature is able to do this to my faithful children!? Whoever or whatever this thing is, will pay dearly for thisss..."

With the girls at Ponyville, a few hours later

The trip is long and uneventful as the girls finally arrive at Ponyville station, then disembark the train to return to their homes when the crusaders Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle both come running forth in excitement and start talking all at once.

Twilight then says, "GIRLS, GIRLS, calm down and speak one at a time please and tell us what happened."

10 minutes ago somewhere north of Ponyville...

Celestia dismisses court for the day and calls for a chariot to be brought out front for a short ride to Ponyville, then makes her way to the chariot and instructs the pegasi guards pulling it to fly above the road to Ponyville and keep an eye open for a large wagon heading there.

After a few minutes of flying low, one of the pegasi spot the large wagon and say, "Princess Celestia, the wagon you were looking for is down below. What are your orders, Your Highness?"

She then looks down and says, "Fly alongside it, so I can speak with it's driver."

I whistle a tune when I see Lou look around, then pull on the reins for her to stop and ask, "What is up Lou?"

Lou stops pulling and looks around and then spots a carriage in the sky above them with a white pony inside of it and two pegasi ponies pulling it wearing golden armor and says, "There is a sky carriage coming our way, with two ponies in golden armor pulling it and a white pony sitting inside of it."

I shake my head and then say, "It is probably just Princess Celestia coming to talk with me, continue on Lou I will talk to her while we move."

She resumes pulling the wagon and gets into a light trot saying, "Alright boss, we will be in Ponyville in about twenty minutes."

Celestia then pulls up alongside Arthur and says, "Good evening mister Arthur Morgan, has your day been eventful?"

I turn to look at her and then say, "About as eventful as that scenic ride through the countryside earlier, do you miss riding in this wagon already?" I then chuckle at the end just to annoy her.

She then scoffs and then says, "Oh please don't try to be funny Arthur Morgan, I would not want to ride in something so rough. I was coming to find you to inform you that I am on my way to Ponyville to inform them of two new visitors to our world from lands unknown, and have had a rough journey while trying to find a place to stay."

I nod and say, "Well thank you for thinking about us, we appreciate your efforts to make our lives easier."

Celestia nods and says, "You are quite welcome Arthur Morgan, may you enjoy a peaceful life in Equestria." She looks to the pegasi guards and then says, "Okay guards, I am finished here. Please resume our journey to Ponyville."

Presently, outside the train station with the girls

Apple Bloom then takes a breath and then says, "Well, you just missed Princess Celestia paying a visit to Ponyville."

Sweetie Belle then says, "Yeah, she told us of two new visitors to our world from lands unknown.

Scootaloo then takes a breath to say, "She also said that they have had a hard journey and were looking for a place to live!" She then looks at Rainbow Dash and asks, "What happened to Rainbow Dash, why is she badly injured!?!"

Rainbow steps forward before any of the other girls can tell them and says, "Well, I am badly injured because I made a wrong choice and attacked somepony I shouldn't have. That caused me to get injured in the process, but that issue has already been handled squirt. So you don't need to worry about that at all, because they won't hurt me anymore." She watches as the crusaders come up to her and then hug her, smiling as she hears them say that they would be there for her if she ever needs help, as well as wishing her a swift recovery.

Twilight then says to the group, "Well everypony, shall we wait to see who these new arrivals are and greet them?" She then looks to Rainbow and asks, "Rainbow, do you want to stay with us to greet them or are you going to go with Fluttershy to her house?"

She looks to her, softly smiling and says, "Yeah I think I can stay for a little bit and try to make a better introduction than last time. I think we all know who is going to be coming here Twilight, except for these three youngsters right here." She then uses her hand and digs it into Scootaloo's mane and roughs it up lightly while chuckling.

Apple Bloom cocks her head and then says, "Who is it that is on their way here?"

Twilight smiles slightly and then says, "It is somepony that we met during our friendship mission to the Crystal Empire, but you will meet them soon enough. Their appearance is unmissable."

A couple miles north of Ponyville...

I finally start to see some structures in the distance and say to Lou, "I think we are almost there Lou, just a bit further and we will be able to take it easy for awhile."

Lou continues at a light trot, breathing slightly heavier and says, "I am curious of what exactly a spa is, we will have to find out what exactly they do when we get there."

I look ahead and then say to her, "So am I girl, I am looking forward to a nice bath." I then look around for any potential ambushes, when I look at the horizon and watch as the sun sinks the rest of the way past the horizon. I look to the other side as a soft gentle light washes over the land in a wave that rushes away from us. I smile softly and say, "That signifies that Luna's watch has started, I have a feeling that this will be a relaxing night for once."

The citizens of Ponyville squint at the barely visible form on the road in the distance, unable to clearly make it out as one pony then says, "Can anypony make out any details of what they look like, I can't see much at that distance."

Another pony then says, "Neither can I, I wish that the sun would have stayed up a little longer. We would have been able to see the details much better then."

I continue to watch as we get within a couple hundred feet of the town when I see ponies gathered around, looking in our direction curiously. No doubt trying to see what we look like, I then chuckle and quietly say to Stealthy in the back, "Hey kid, make sure to stay quiet back there. We are almost to Ponyville, so if you hear me and agree just knock once for yes and two for no." I hear one knock and nod and watch as we head the rest of the way into the town, watching as they clear a path for us to continue on our way. I look around at the strange glowing lights and decorations on each and every building, including a few decorated pine trees scattered around the city.

Twilight watches as the citizens make a path for the incoming visitors, not saying a single word yet. She chuckles lightly and then says, "Well girls, it looks like our guests have finally arrived. From how the citizens are parting for them, I think they will stop here in a little bit."

Applebloom then climbs up onto her sisters back and then asks, "What kind of creatures are those, ah've never seen anything like them in my school books!?"

I continue to make my way down the path as ponies continue to guide me to my destination, they stand aside to make room for us to pass by. I look around and see that the path they are opening up leads around a building in the center, then winds around it and stops at what appears to be the train station. We finally reach the end of the path and I pull on the reins lightly and say, "Woah girl, this is far enough. I think we are in the town of Ponyville, can someone tell me what town this is?"

Twilight then says to Applebloom, "The one on top of the large wagon is called a Human, they are male and their name is Arthur Morgan. The large bodied one in front of the wagon is a four legged pony, but is called a horse where they are from and their name is Lou. They both will be sharing this world with us, as well as settling just outside of Ponyville." She then steps forward and says to Arthur, "You have arrived at Ponyville, mister Arthur Morgan. I hope you had a pleasant journey here, do you know where you would like to stay for the night?"

I then look at her and say, "I would like to stay the night at a hotel, does this town have one? I could even rent a spare room above a tavern, if one is available. This town looks really nice at night, I am sure that nighttime around this time of year is one of Luna's most enjoyable times of the day."

She then watches as several of the ponies then smile at hearing that and talk amongst themselves briefly, before going silent again to wait to hear more. She then smiles and says, "I have no doubt that it is one of them as well, unfortunately Ponyville does not have either one of those yet. There have been discussions about building them, but at the moment we are focusing on the coming holiday. I have a few spare rooms in my castle, if you would care to stay in one of them?"

I then think it over and say, "Alright then, I will take you up on that offer, a room in a castle beats a lean-to any day. Would one of you have a stable where my horse Lou can stay?" I hear a few gasps and turn to the crowd and say, "Before you get angry at the word I used, please understand that four legged ponies like my companion Lou are called horses by us humans where we came from. Unlike you, they are entirely earth ponies and cannot speak with words, fly or use magic. Our world is a cruel and harsh world where each day is a battle to survive, and we both would rather stay in this world rather than return to that one. Out of consideration for you all, I will try not to use the word around any pony okay?" I then see the crowd nod in agreement and say a few words amongst themselves, before turning back to the girls on the platform and say, "So would any of you have a place where my girl Lou can stay until a more permanent solution can be found, I will even pay for her stay."

Applejack then steps forward and says, "She can stay at our place with the cattle inside our barn if it is okay with her, ya don have to worry bout payin'. Yer new to our world and it wouldn't be right to have ya pay, yer wagon would have to stay outside though 'cause of its size."

I nod and look to Lou and then ask, "How does that sound to you Lou, do you have a problem with that?"

Lou smiles and then nods her head and says, "That sounds alright, I'm happy as long as I can keep warm, satisfy my hunger as well have a place to relieve myself. You humans are so spoiled and picky about that, you should be more like us and go wherever you please."

I then turn to her and then squint my eyes at her and say, "Hey I have tried that once. I remember having to go so bad that I forgot to look and then sat down on a cactus, I would prefer splinters than sharp needles in the rear any day."

Rarity frowns at the conversation between the two and then hears the crowd burst out laughing regardless of how improper the conversation is and then quietly mutters, "How revolting, I would never indulge in such a vulgar manner."

Twilight then gently smiles and lightly chuckles saying, "Okay then, I shall accompany you to Applejack's house and lead you to where my castle is, then show you where you will be staying for tonight."

I then look at her quickly and give her a serious look then say, "Actually, could we go to your place first? I have some important items that need to stay close to me, plus I would like to get to know you six a bit better if this is going to be my new home."

She cocks her head and nods saying, "Very well then, that is fine with me but let me ask the others if they can spare some time." She then looks to the others and looks at them seriously and says, "Will you girls be able to spare a few minutes getting to know our newest friends?" She then watches as they all look at her and nod and say yes, looking back to Arthur and says, "Alright then, please follow us to my castle and we will talk for a little while."

Rarity then turns to Sweetie Belle, smiles and asks, "Sweetie Belle Darling, could you head on home without me? I will be there as soon as I am done speaking with our newest friend Arthur Morgan."

Sweetie Belle then smiles and says, "Can't I go with you, to get to know him too? I have so many questions to ask him."

She looks to Arthur Morgan and then sees him slowly shake his head no, then looks back to Sweetie Belle and says, "I am sorry but I think that he needs to speak with us adult ponies right now, maybe tomorrow you might have a chance to talk with him and Lou alright?"

She then hangs her head and says, "Awwe...Alright sis, I will wait for you to come on home then." She then looks to her fellow crusaders and says, "I will see you all tomorrow so we can then have our chance to talk to the new visitors, goodnight fellow crusaders." She smiles and then hugs them all before turning around and heads for home.

Twilight watches as Applejack sends Applebloom home as well, then sees Rainbow Dash tell Scootaloo that since she won't be able to fly for awhile, she can stay with Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, or Pinkie Pie.

Scootaloo then looks at Rainbow Dash and asks, "Can I stay with Applebloom for a bit then stay with Sweetie Belle, and switch between them both from time to time?"

Rainbow then smile and says, "Of course you can scoots, just as long as it is okay with Rarity and Applejack first. We will arrange for your things to be brought from our home tomorrow, alright?"

Twilight smiles and chuckles lightly at the display, then watches as they both agree to the arrangement with Scootaloo choosing to stay with Applebloom for now. She then watches as the crowd then begins to disperse, still very curious about the newest visitor to Ponyville before looking to Arthur Morgan and then says, "Well mister Morgan, are you ready to follow us to my castle?"

I smile and nod saying, "Yep, I'm ready when ever you are Princess Twilight Sparkle. Just lead the way and we will be right behind you."

She looks to her friends and smiles saying, "Well girls, are you ready to head to my castle to talk with Arthur?"

Rainbow watches the girls all nod and say they are ready, then start to follow Twilight down the platform stairs to the road and thinks, 'Why does he have to talk to us all, is there something that he not want other ponies to know?'

I see Rainbow Dash make her way down the platform, wincing slightly and call out to her, "Hey Rainbow Dash, would you care to have a seat up here with me during our trip to the castle?"

She stops as the others look back and look at him and her with shock on their faces and takes a deep breath and sighs saying, "You'll really offer a seat next to you to a pony that attacked you with no good reason?"

I look back at her with a soft smile and say, "Why not, you are not planning on trying to kill me right, or get even?"

Rainbow then looks back at him in amazement and chuckles lightly and says, "Not at the moment I'm not, I'll accept your offer, so thank you." She makes her way towards him and looks at the thing he is in and asks, "So with my injuries, how do I get into this huge thing?"

I set the reins into the holder and turn to her and say, "Well getting up here is kinda like climbing up a wall. It is easy for me, but will be a bit tough for you because you are a bit shorter than I am. So either Twilight will have to use her magic, or I can just lift you up high enough so you can grab hold of the side of the seat and stand on the step to get onto the platform to sit on the seat. There are bars up here behind the seat back so be mindful of where your wings are."

She thinks about it for a moment and says, "Go ahead and lift me up there please, but be careful as I have a wrap around my lower ribcage."

I nod and then make my way down to the ground by simply hopping to the ground from the platform, landing with a thud. I make my way around the back of the wagon and step up behind Rainbow and then say, "Okay, I'm gonna grab you by the hips and then lift. So whatever you do, don't kick me or fart in my face."

Rainbow sniggers at hearing that and says, "Don't worry, my name is Rainbow Dash, not Rainbow Gas!"

I laugh as well and crouch down, grab her by the hips and lift her up high enough to reach the step and say, "Let me know when you are ready for me to let go."

She grabs onto the side of the seat and steps onto the step saying, "Okay I can get it from here, thank you." She carefully makes her way to the platform and scoots into the seat, making sure that her wings don't touch the metal bars behind the seat back. She holds onto the side of the seat with her right hand, and holds onto the seat back with her left as her hooves dangle in the air, too short to rest on the platform and says, "This thing is big, but I have seen things from even higher in the sky."

I go around the wagon and get back up into the seat, watching as Rainbow's hooves finally land on the platform and chuckle saying, "Damn your legs really are much shorter than mine." I watch as she blows a raspberry at me, I turn to look at Twilight and the others as they stare at me for some reason. I sigh and look to Rainbow and say, "Hey Rainbow Dash, I'm sorry for injuring you that badly. I hate being taken out of my saddle forcefully, back where I come from, some other humans will actually try to steal your pony from you while you are in the saddle by rushing you and yanking you from there. They will then jump into the saddle and ride off with the pony, it has happened to me quite a bit but I always got my pony back from them." I extend my hand to them to hopefully have them shake it back in acceptance and say, "Do you think we can be friends?"

Rainbow looks down for a bit and looks at the extended hand and looks back up and then to him saying, "Yeah we can be friends, I was wrong for acting so rashly like that. How did you get your pony back from them every time?" She then takes his hand and gives it a firm shake.

I look to her, shake it and lower my hand back to my side and say, "I used what I injured you,with only they were not as fortunate as you. I will tell all of you more about myself when I feel ready alright? I need time to adjust to the peaceful world you have here."

Chapter 11: Discussions and New Acquaintances

Rainbow quickly looks ahead and says in a solemn tone, "Oh...okay, sorry I asked."

I then look to Twilight and the others and say, "Alright, lead the way ladies." I then snap the reins lightly as they start to walk down the road to the castle. I look to Rainbow Dash as she is being rather quiet and say, "There is no problem in asking questions, just make sure that you are prepared for the answer if I decide to give one."

Rarity listens to the short conversation between the two and thinks, 'He is more intelligent than I first thought.' She then continues walking with her friends to Twilight's castle and asks, "So Twilight darling, why are you allowing this human to stay with you after what they did to Rainbow Dash?"

Twilight looks back at Rarity and says, "I know you aren't too happy with him, but he has nowhere warm to stay tonight, Hearth's Warming Eve is this Friday, and it is currently Wednesday night. Nights are colder in the winter, too cold for him to be sleeping in a tent. I just thought that it would improve our friendship if that we all could show him some kindness."

I listen to them talk, unable to hear what they are saying clearly. I get curious about their age and ask, "How old are you all?"

They all look back and Rarity speaks first saying, "Well Arthur darling, it is rather rude to ask a mare her age... but we all are 22 except for me and Applejack and the two of us are a year older. What is your age Arthur Morgan?"

I chuckle and then say, "Wow I am being shown around by a bunch of kids who are almost young enough to be my children. I was 36 when I..." I catch myself slip a little, correct it and clear my throat and continue, "I was 36 when I found myself here in a cave west of the Crystal Empire. So compared to you kids, I am an old fart."

Applejack catches a hint that suggests he was going to say something else, and thinks, 'I reckon that he actually was gonna say somethin else, ah'll have to pay attention when ah'm around him.'

Rainbow sniggers at hearing old fart and says, "You got that right Arthur, you are an old fart."

I chuckle at hearing her say that and continue to follow them to the castle as it comes into view finally, having many decorations on it reminding me of how the buildings looked in the city of Canterlot and say, "The decorations around town remind me of my visit to Canterlot when I went there to drop off Princess Celestia and Luna at their home. Your decorations look really nice as well."

Twilight and the others finally arrive at her castle and says, "Thank you, my friends helped to put them up. Let's head inside so we can talk and then get you settled in."

I pull on the reins, telling Lou to bring the wagon to a stop and look at Rainbow Dash, "I will be right there to help you get down from there, gimme one moment." I get down from the wagon and walk around the back as Rainbow gets onto the step, I then step up behind her and take hold of her hips and lift her off the step and crouch down to set her on the ground. I let go of her hips and say, "I gotta grab one box before we head in." I make my way to the back of the wagon and open the back gate, pulling out the crate with the changeling in it by holding it by the handles and finally set it on the ground. I close the back gate and pick the box up again and say to Twilight, "Alright, let's head inside to talk for a bit." I then call over my shoulder, "I will be back in a moment Lou after I take care of this."

Twilight opens the doors and enters her home saying, "Home at last." She watches her friends follow her in and closes the doors behind him and asks, "Okay Arthur, what is it that you wanted to talk to us about that you couldn't discuss in front of the citizens?"

I set the crate down, placing my foot on top of it and say, "I wanted to talk to you about someone I found near the road somewhere by Canterlot, they are in the same situation I am and I would like to know if they can stay with me for the night. From what I understand, I know that you don't really like them. When I show you who it is in this crate, can you swear to not attack them or freak out?"

Pinkie Pie is the first one to say, "Yes, I Pinkie Promise that I won't be mean or panic when I see whoever is in the box." She then goes through making a Pinkie Promise as the others follow suit after her.

I then watch as they make a promise in the strangest way and crouch down to unlock the crate and say, "This is connected to when I went to go rescue Princess Flurry Heart from that zebra called Zahara." I look down, unlock it and then say to the box, "Alright kid, just stay calm and trust me alright." I hear silence before a single rap against the box indicates their answer and then look back up to the girls and say, "I told her that she could come with me where I am headed and can decide what to do when we got to where I was going." I knock the signal onto the box and stand up to let her make her own appearance.

Twilight and the others gasp in shock as they watch the lid rises with a changeling standing up out of the box, then moves to stand behind Arthur out of fear. She sighs and says, "Hello, what is your name and can you tell us what happened?"

Stealthy Strike gulps nervously and says, "M-My name is Stealthy Strike and I was exiled from the hive for failing a mission given by Queen Chrysalis."

Rarity looks the changeling over and sees that she is beaten up all over and says, "Did Arthur do anything to you? What in Equestria happened to you that caused you to be that hurt?"

She shakes her head no and says, "No, he found me like this after I was exiled. Let me tell you what happened so you understand the situation..."

I watch and listen as she tells her tale of what happened, starting with the cave. I see looks of anger that turn into looks of fear and disgust as she continues to talk. I watch as Fluttershy makes the first move and hugs her and tells her everything will be okay.

Twilight and the others keep silent as they think about what happened as she says, "Queen Chrysalis sure has gotten meaner, maybe one day she will come to understand the wrongs she has done." She then says, "You captured a zebra named Zahara? I will have to ask Zecora if she recognizes the name, as for right now she can stay with you. I will have to inform Princess Celestia of the situation immediately so we can avoid a panic."

I look at Twilight and then ask, "Would you happen to have a room where I can store a few of my more dangerous items?"

She then gulps nervously and asks, "Wh-Why do you have dangerous items?"

I look at her and say, "I have them because they helped me to stay alive where I came from. They won't cause harm unless they come into contact with fire though, so that is a good thing."

Twilight sweats nervously and then says, "Y-Y-Yes, there is a storage room down below that is not being used. They can be placed there."

I look to Stealthy Strike and say, "You may return to your hiding spot when you are done talking with them okay kid?" I then see her nod and turn my head to look at the girls and say, "Okay, I will need a few of you who are strong to help me carry some boxes to the room below, the first one to go down is a red box that will have to be handled carefully."

Applejack then steps forward and sighs saying, "Alright then pardner, ah'll help ya carry that one down there."

I head outside through the doors as Twilight opens them for us, making my way to the back of the wagon and open up the gate. I then get into the back of it and call out to Twilight and ask, "Hey Twilight could you help me see in the back of this wagon, its too dark in here."

She smiles and then says, "I can handle that for you." She then approaches the wagon and illuminates her horn, stops behind it and sees quite a few boxes in the back and says, "Wow there are more in here than I expected to see, what is in all these boxes?"

I look around the wagon for the red box first, shifting some crates around to get at it. I find it and scoot it towards the back and say, "I will tell you once we are inside and behind closed doors." I look to Applejack and say, "Alright, here it comes. Grab hold of the handle and start to pull it out, but stop before it falls off the gate and lands on the ground. I will get out of the wagon to get the other handle once I slide it over."

Applejack takes hold of the box handle, being a thick strand of braided rope and starts to pull it backwards a little ways. She steps to the side as he moves it over to exit the wagon, then takes hold of the other handle and watches as he pulls it off the edge of the wagon. The weight is not as bad as she expected and says, "The weight isn't as bad as you led me to think."

I nod and then say, "That is true, but it is not the weight that concerns me. It is the contents of the box that makes me nervous to handle it too roughly. Let's turn so we can both face the same direction we walk." I then turn and start walking around and head towards the door as she follows my lead.

Twilight leads the way nervously and opens the cellar door for them, activating the crystal lights on the walls to guide the way down. She then goes down first saying, "Mind your step with these stairs, crystal is a smooth surface and can cause you to slip."

I then follow her down and take the lead going down the stairs saying, "Thank you for letting me know that, if we were to slip and drop this box. I doubt that you would not have much of a castle left to call home, this box is red because it carries several sticks of dynamite in it."

Applejack takes her sweet time in going down the stairs with the crate, sweating the whole way down. She then sighs in relief as they reach the bottom and set the box into a corner of the room and says, "Well that is one box down, ready to get another?

I nod and say, "Yep I am, let's get goin." I look to Twilight and then say, "These next few boxes are a tad bit heavier, but some can be carried by one person. They also are not as dangerous as that first one was, are you ready for some hard work Applejack?"

She then grins and nods saying, "Ah'm ready when you are pardner, let's git to work." She continues following him back up to where the wagon is.

It takes a few minutes, but with the help of Twilight and even Rarity carrying some of the light ones, all of the boxes are taken down into the cellar. I stand in the room and then say, "The stuff that is in those boxes we just carried down is ammunition for my weapons, some of it is pistol or revolver, rifle or repeater ammo, or even shotgun ammo. The rest is arrows, throwing knives, a few tomahawks. There's even a couple other types of weapons in there as well as my personal belongings."

Twilight looks at all of the stacked boxes in the cellar and looks back at him with wide eyes and screeches, "YOU TURNED MY CELLAR INTO AN ARMORY?!?"

I lightly smile and say, "I'm sorry princess, but this cellar would be a lot safer than just leaving it in the wagon outside unguarded isn't it?"

She sighs and facepalms herself, dragging her hand down her face with a groan, hesitantly saying, "UGH...I guess it is better, but this is only temporary until you get set up in ponyville. Wait a minute, where will you be staying in Ponyville?

I scratch the back of my neck and think for a moment saying, "Well umm...I was just gonna pitch a tent outside of town after I clear some snow off a spot and stay there. Why is there a problem with that?"

Applejack smiles and sighs saying, "Ah get that ya don't wanna inconvenience us ponies, but we just can't let ya brave the environment. It won't sit well with some pony folk, how bout ya let us help ya out?"

I look at her and say, "I'm not a very nice man, I am used to dealing with things on my own in the wild. It just seems that whenever I set up home near a city, the peace doesn't last to long before it turns into a damned bloodbath because of me."

Rarity steps forward and says, "I agree with what Applejack says darling, we just can't let you rough it outside the town without a solid roof above your head. So I think that it would be in your best interest to accept our offer."

I sigh and then say, "I appreciate that you are trying to do something good for me, I just don't want any of the trouble from my world to hurt you all."

Fluttershy narrows her eyes at him and steps forward and says, "I know you are trying to be thoughtful for us ponies, but there is no way in Equestria that we are going to let you call a tent home. I politely request that you just accept our gift already, and stop worrying so much about our safety. We can protect ourselves you know, we aren't just some completely helpless fillies that don't know what to do."

Twilight giggles lightly at hearing Fluttershy be so outspoken and nods saying, "That is right. I don't know what Discord told you of Equestria's history or what happens in Ponyville almost on a weekly basis, but time and time again we six girls have protected the town."

I rub my eyes with two fingers and grumble saying, "Oh...fine then. if your so set on doing that for me, then go ahead and do it. Hey Applejack, are you ready to head to your barn so I can unhitch Lou and take the harness off her?" I then look over to Twilight and say, "Can you show me which room I will be staying in when I get back, and can you take the box into where I will be staying in? I was wondering if there was a place that I could clean myself up?"

She then nods and says, "I certainly can do those for you, there is a shower or a bath that you can use here."

Applejack nods and says, "Alrighty then, I guess that is all the serious talk you needed to have with us? Just about those crates, right?"

I nod and then say, "Yeah, that is all I was concerned about. Shall we be on our way Applejack?"

She nods her head and makes her way out through the doors and says, "Goodnight girls, I shall see you all tomorrow!"

I follow her towards the door and see the lid on the box is down and say, "Alright Stealthy, I will be back. Twilight will be taking you to our room. So I will go ahead and lock the box up now for ya." I then hear a rap on the box and resume following Applejack out the door, closing the back gate and then say, "Say Applejack, would you want to ride with me to your farm?"

Applejack looks back and smiles and says, "Thanks for offerin', ah would indeed like a ride on that wagon. Would ya mind liftin' me up there pardner, it looks a bit tougher to get into than a chariot. We'll be turnin round and passin through town, then we'll turn right and start headin' south out of Ponyville.

I nod and grab her around the waist and heft her up with a slight grunt saying, "Alright, lets get you up there shall we?" I walk over to the step and then place her upon it, making sure that she has her footing before going around to the other side. I then get up into the wagon and into my seat, then pick up the reins and snap them lightly saying, "Hup. Alright Lou, we're goin' to where Applejack lives."

She looks around at a different view of things, guiding their path along the way and says, "Things look mighty different from up here, don't they?"

I smile and say, "Yeah it does give you a better look at what's around you, that's for sure. So what's your life like in this peaceful world, Applejack?"

Applejack looks at him and thinks for a moment and then chuckles saying, "Well for one, things are mostly peaceful around Ponyville. We finished our harvestin' a month before they brought the snow in a month ago, so now my family and ah are finishin' our preparations for Hearth's Warmin' Eve. Do ya have any family where ya came from Arthur?"

I take a breath and exhale it through my nose slowly, saying, "If you mean blood related family, the answer is no. I do have a few friends that were once like family, but we have been out of contact since I left that world and came here. I am going to try and make the best of my time here."

She drops her shoulders a little at feeling sad that he has no family, after an idea appears in her head she smiles and says, "Ah'm mighty sorry fer hearin' ya have no family here wit' ya, family is very important. Only family and friends will be there to have yer back when ya need help the most, Ah'd be lost if ah didn't have any family. If ya don't have plans fer Hearth's Warmin' Eve, ya can spend it wit us Apples at our farm if ya wish." She looks down the road to her family's farm and sees someone walk out on the front step then close the door, and wonders who it may be.

I smile lightly and look over to Applejack and say, "I appreciate the offer, I will give it some thought and shall let you know my decision by tomorrow sometime. Yeah, we were a interesting bunch of misfits with some drama in our pasts that occasionally found its way back into our lives, but we always did our damndest to help each other." I then turn my head back and look at the road ahead, seeing some pony standing in front of the house and lighting a lantern. I let out a frustrated sigh and shake my head saying, "Sometimes I wonder how different things would be if it wasn't for that Blackwater mess..." I look at the figure illuminated by the lantern's light and see it is an elder pony with a green coat and a white mane, also having a disapproving frown on her face.

Applejack swallows as she sees the look on Granny's face and hops off the wagon and quickly makes her way to her saying, "Ah'm so sorry fer bein' back so late Granny, but ah had to help a couple new arrivals to Ponyville and Equestria unpack their wagon."

Granny stares at Applejack sternly and says, "Applejack, do ya know what time it is! Ah understand ya went to the Crystal Empire on a mission, but ya could've let us know if ya were on yer way home little missy! Now who're the strangers that ya brought home, and what is that large contraption ya jumped out of?"

I pull the wagon to a stop with a light tug on the reins saying, "Whoa Lou, let's sit here and see what's goin on."

The young mare hangs her head a little and says, "Ah'm sorry ah didn't send a letter tellin' ya when ah was gettin' home, but the strangers ah brought here are mister Arthur Morgan and his partner is Lou. In Twilight's home, Arthur decided that he's gonna stay wit her fer a bit until he can get settled in town. His partner Lou is a four legged pony, and he needed someplace fer her to sleep so ah said that she could stay in the barn with the cows but his wagon is too large to fit in the barn. What do ya have to say Granny?"

She raises the lantern higher to get a better look at this Arthur Morgan, catching a better look at what he looks like when the light illuminates his features eliciting a sharp gasp from her. In fear, she grabs Applejack and despite her age, quickly yanks her behind her protectively saying, "He's an outlaw, git behind me Applejack!" She then glares angrily at Arthur and then shouts, "Ah can tell by yer eyes an' the air around ya that yer a dangerous one, young fella. What business brings ya here ta Ponyville? We Apples have been among the first families here since it was founded, it has enough troubles without ya bringin' yer troubles here."

I grin and hop off the seat and land on the ground with a thud, then straighten up saying, "You have sharp senses for an elder ma'am, to be able to tell that much about me. You are right though, I am a dangerous outlaw. One thing that I am trying to do though...is to change my life for the better and try to live my life in a peaceful manner ma'am." I then walk a bit closer so she can get a better look at me and stop well within the lanterns range, but out of arms reach.

Granny smith ignores Applejack's pleas to not suspect the stranger and says, "My eyes may not be as sharp as they once were, nor am ah as young as ah used ta be. Ah still see more detail that others miss, and ah appreciate yer honesty. Now that ah can see ya a might better, ah can tell ya've had a rough life with how ya look and carry yerself. Yer eyes also speak volumes ta me, yer a young'un that was forced to grow up too fast. Ah'll give ya the benefit of doubt and shall welcome ya ta Ponyville, ya can visit our farm anytime ya like sonny. As long as ya don't betray us Apples, ya will always be welcome as a friend and honored guest. So go on and care fer yer partner, git her set up in the barn and place yer wagon beside the barn and cover it so it don' fill up wit snow. If ya'd like, ah could make some coffee fer yer trip back ta Twilight's?" She lowers the lantern to waist high and waits for an answer.

I tip my hat to her with a smile and say, "Thank you for being so kind and accepting of my nature ma'am, it is a breath of fresh air compared to where I came from. I would like a some coffee, but it is too late at night and others are trying to sleep. I have had a very long few days and would like to get a decent bath, perhaps tomorrow shall let me meet a few of the inhabitants of this town."

She nods her head to him and then turns around to head back inside, walking around Applejack and stopping to look over her shoulder saying, "Whenever the weather's nice agin and ah'm on the porch in mah chair, stop on by and let's talk fer a bit. Goodnight mister Arthur Morgan, keep yerself outta trouble ya hear?"

I nod and say, "I will swing by whenever that is, and I will do my best to try. Take care ma'am, and goodnight." I then turn and watch Applejack as she leads the way to the barn, then turn my head to Lou and say, "C'mon girl, follow us to the barn and we'll get you out of that harness, after that I will give you a good brushing."

Applejack opens the barn door with a grunt saying, "Here ya go pardner, ah'm beat after moving those heavy boxes. Be sure ya don't let the cows out alright? Ah'm surprised that Granny was so outspoken when ya came here, but she is a very good judge of character. So ah gotta believe what she said bout ya, and don't hurt my friends anymore or ah'll never forgive ya. Goodnight mister Arthur Morgan, close up the barn when yer done so they stay nice and comfy." She then turns around and walks back to her home for some sleep.

I watch her leave with a slight sway in her hips and shake my head when her rear draws my attention, then turn my head and walk over to Lou to lead her to one side of the barn so I can unhitch her from the wagon. After getting the wagon into place, I then take her harness off step by step and then set the harness back inside the box. I unhitch her and close the canvas so the snow stays out of it, making sure that the string is tied tightly so it doesn't come undone in a strong wind. I then take Lou inside to give her a good brushing like I promised, brushing her down from her head to her rump and down to her hooves. I then pat her on the neck saying, "There you go girl, all clean and brushed down. Tomorrow we shall try to find out where this spa is and what it does, let's get ya into one of the pens here so you can get some sleep." I then put her into one of the pens and shut the gate saying, "Alright girl that does it for tonight, I shall see you tomorrow. Goodnight Lou, I will try to come to let you out in the morning. If one of the Apples shows up before I do, just ask them to let ya out and make your way to Twilight's. Use your hoof to lightly tap the door a few times and let whoever answers the door know to tell me that you are somewhere around Ponyville, and I will whistle for you if they have told me. If you want food, just let them know I will pay for it."

Lou looks at him as he makes his way towards the barns entrance and says, "Thank you Arthur, you really do take good care of me. I will keep all of that in mind, be sure you take a bath when you get to Twilight's. You really do smell worse than the manure in here, goodnight and I hope you have good dreams." I then leave the barn and close the door for the night, turn around and make my way back to Twilight's home. I reach the end of the driveway when I hear a wolf howling into the night sky, making me reach for my Schoffield. I pay close attention to the land around me for any indication of where the wolf pack is at, when I spot a pair of odd, glowing green eyes and say, "What the fuck kind of creature are you?"

The large Timberwolf prowls closer to its prey, curious as to what this new scent is. It examines the creature before it, seeing that it neither has a horn, wings, or even a fur coat. Having a rough looking face and skin that appears white in the moonlight, but seeing it change its stance gives it pause as a twinge of fear runs through it's body. Feeling uneasy about this creature, it uses a disembodied voice to say, "I am as nature made me, nothing more, nothing less. You, however, have a strangeness that surrounds you. You have the scent of being prey, but also the scent of being a predator. How do you explain something as impossible as that?"

I cock my head curiously and chuckle saying, "I have never met a talking wolf before, but to explain how that is possible will take a few words. I come from a different world that is more violent than this one is, and humans are the dominant species. However, the land that I come from is still somewhat wild and not completely tamed. The wilderness is a place where any predator can decide to attack any human or humans that pass through its area, usually humans are at the top of the food chain. If they are not prepared enough for the wilderness, they can quickly become prey. Does that answer your request, wolf?"

The Timberwolf continues circling the human with curiosity and responds, "With how careful that explanation was, you have indeed sated my curiosity. I can also sense that if we were to fight, it is likely I that would taste defeat. With that said, I shall leave you be...for now anyways." He then turns around and trots back towards the treeline with new information for the guardian spirit of Equestria.

I shake my head at the absurdness of a talking wolf before reminding myself, "I need to remember that I am not on Earth anymore, I am on Equus. Here there are talking flying ponies called Pegasi, and unicorns that do have magic, exist in reality. What a wonderful and strange world you find yourself in Arthur..." I then relax and return on my journey to Twilight's with nothing else happening on the way there. I head up the steps and knock on the door, seeing a pony I haven't seen before. Having a light pink coat, a purple mane and tail with blue streaks, moderate Persian blue eyes heavy lidded from tiredness. I then nod my head to her and say, "Sorry for waking you up at this hour miss, but I am a guest of Twilight Sparkles and I just came from Applejacks. My name is Arthur Morgan, who might you be miss?"

Starlight blinks a few times at the tall being and says, "Well if you are a guest of Twilight's Arthur Morgan, come on in out of the cold. My name is Starlight Glimmer and I am Princess Twilight's student, she is teaching me about friendship."

I walk in through the door and she closes it behind me and say to her, "Thank you Starlight, I do think that you will be able to learn quite a bit from her. Do you know where I can wash myself and do my...personal business?"

She blinks again and tries to understand what he means, waking up a little more and says, "The bathroom and shower are this way, please follow me." She then turns around and heads towards the bathroom so she can return to sleep.

I follow her down through the hall and tip my hat to her and say, "Thank you for showing me where this is miss Starlight, did Twilight happen to mention which room I will be staying in?"

Starlight tilts her head in thought, stopping at the door to the shower and bathroom then answers, "Ummm...yes, she said you will be staying in the room at the end of this hall. It is the last one on the right, and is across from Twilight's and next to mine. Is there anything else you will need?"

I look at her and shake my head saying, "Where might the towels be located and is there some bar soap somewhere?"

She looks at the door and replies, "There are fresh towels in the tall cabinet, and there should be a few bars of soap in the top drawer below the sink." She gets a better look at him as her eyes open a bit further, seeing the tall human that Twilight told her about. Having a dirty, black cowboy hat with a large blue coat with a fuzzy collar, dark blue pants and black cowboy boots. She then notices the darkened arm and realizes it is blood, causing her to fully wake up due to the rush of adrenaline starting to course through her system and says, "Where are you injured, let me see your wound so I can heal it!"

I shake my head and then sigh saying, "I ain't injured, I'm just slowly dying from Tuberculosis. I have been treated by a nurse in the Crystal Empire, so I won't get others sick when I cough."

Starlight slowly calms herself down and says, "Okay then, whew, you had me worried for a moment there. I thought that you had a fight with Applejack's brother Big Mac, and he hurt you."

I smile and tell her, "If we met and fought, you would see a lot more than this patch of blood on my sleeve, I assure you. Now I think I shall get a clean set of clothes and clean myself up after today's events, Thanks again miss Starlight and goodnight."

She nods and says, "Likewise, goodnight Arthur Morgan." then turns around and heads for her room, looking forward to return to sleep.

I enter the room and close the door behind me and look at the tall object on the far side of the room, with an odd shaped chair with a bowl in the seat and think to myself, 'I guess that this is the equivalent to an outhouse, but I wonder what a shower is...' I head to the tall object and turn one of the knobs on the left to see what it does, then watch as water starts coming out of the spout on the bottom. I watch as steam starts to come off of the water and and stick a few fingers in the water to feel it, pulling them back and shaking my hand that touched the very hot water. I then turn the knob the other direction to stop the water, and turn the other knob on. I watch the water start to come out and hesitantly stick a couple fingers into the water and sigh as it is cold saying, "Alright, I need to remember that the left one is hot and the right one is cold. Now I wonder how you get water to go to the spout up top..." I then look at the remaining levers and knobs, then try the one on the tub and watch as water starts to accumulate inside of it and flip it back down. I see the water slowly go down the hole and try the one on the lower spout, smiling as I see the water stop coming out of it and begin to come out of the one on top. I then strip out of my clothes and set them aside as I reach into my bag and pull out my every day outfit, having a light blue shirt with a pair of black pants and an optional vest with a red and black design on the front with a black back then set it on the counter. I then fold the other outfit up and set it back in the satchel to clean it later, I then look around in the top drawer for a bar of soap. I start to search for one I like, taking a liking to one called Irish Spring and pull the box out of the drawer and close it. I open the box and remove the bar of soap, setting the box on the counter next to my outfit and step into the shower. I then pull the curtain closed and begin washing a few days worth of grime off of my body, starting with my long hair.

Chapter 12: A good night's sleep and a new day

After bathing myself, I grab a towel to dry off and get dressed. I return to my room and see the box lying near the bed, I move the box to the end of the bed and say, "Do you want to come out of there kid?" I hear a knock and open the lid to let her out when she starts running past me, causing me to wonder and ask, "Where you off to?"

She whips her head around and says, "For your information, I need to use the little Changelings room if you don't mind." Resuming her mission to get to the bathroom, she hurries out the door and around the corner.

I chuckle and say, "Alright, sorry I asked." Without another word, I climb onto the bed, remove my boots, and pull the covers over me.

Stealthy Strike returns from doing her business, seeing that Arthur is in bed, and climbs in after him saying, "Hope you don't mind, but I am going to sleep beside you. That box is okay, but I want to be warm and feel protected." She then snuggles up beside him and pulls the covers back up, sighing happily at being warm.

In Canterlot that morning, in Celestia's room

Celestia wakes up to find a scroll lying next to her, she picks it up in her magic and reads it saying, "That is unfortunate to hear, at least that Changeling will be safe with Arthur. Now I think I shall go have breakfast with my sister before we raise the sun and lower the moon, perhaps I will have some pancakes instead of my normal cake this time."

Luna lays on the throne after a long night of fighting off nightmares when she sees her sister enter the room and says to her, "Good morning dear sister, did you sleep well?"

She looks at her with a smile on her face and says, "Yes I did Lulu, thank you. Would you care to have breakfast before we raise the sun and lower the moon?"

The tired princess nods her head and returns the smile replying, "Yes I would, thank you for offering sister."

The two then make their way out of the throne room and to the dining room to have breakfast, talking about the message that Twilight sent her sometime in the night.

Celestia chuckles lightly at how Twilight must feel at having dangerous items in her basement thinking, 'Oh Twilight, don't worry so much about those items. Ponies don't want items they don't have any use for, though they might be curious about what they are at first.' She turns to her sister and smiles saying, "Twilight still worries about things she can't control, Arthur has stored the ammunition for his weapons in her basement, and Twilight was not handling it well in the letter. Perhaps after breakfast and raising the sun, we could go pay a visit and have some tea at her home?

After their breakfast and raising the sun and lowering the moon, they teleport to Twilight's home as Arthur Morgan walks out into the map room and says, "Good morning Arthur, did you sleep well?"

I stretch and nod saying, "Yeah I did, although it feels weird having a changeling sleep next to you when they wrap their legs around you."

Stealthy Strike enters the room, blushes, and looks at him saying, "I got hungry in the night, sorry for startling you like that."

I chuckle and say, "It's alright kid, ya only gave me a light scare." I then look back at the princesses and ask, "So what are you two doing here?"

Celestia smiles and looks at Arthur, "Well, we are here to have tea with Twilight if you must know, and we are going to introduce Stealthy Strike to the town as well. Good morning to you Stealthy Strike, did you sleep well?"

She looks at the princesses and bows respectively, "Yes I did, thank you for asking Your Majesties."

I tip my hat towards the princesses and make my way towards the door, stopping before it opens and ask, "Do you know where I might be able to wash some of my dirty clothes?

Luna looks to Arthur and says, "Well I think that you could ask Aloe and Lotus if they could wash them for you, if there are stains on the clothes, you will have to take them to Rarity."

I smile and say, "That is great to hear, where can I find them in town?"

She smiles and tells him, "Well you can find it on the edge of the town square, with the town hall in the center of it. You can't miss it, because it is the tallest building in town."

I make my way through the door and look over my shoulder saying, "Behave yourself Stealthy, don't cause any mischief for the princesses now..." chuckling as I close the door behind me, then start looking around to locate the town. I spot the town and make my way towards it and whistle for Lou, watching for her when I locate her running towards me from Applejacks.

Lou smiles and comes to a trot near Arthur, slowing to a walk when she is close and says, "Good Morning Arthur what is the plan for today?"

I smile and look at her and say, "Well, I plan on finding Aloe and Lotus, I will then see if they can wash my dirty clothes for me. While we are there, I will also find out what a spa is."

Celestia and Luna watch Arthur head down the road to Ponyville, then turn around and see Twilight standing inside the room with a smile on her face as Luna says, "Hello Twilight, I am surprised at your idea in the letter. That would indeed be the best gift for Hearth's Warming eve, how shall we go about getting started?"

Twilight looks to her and says, "Well, I need help with gathering the required ponies that can help make it a reality. You are more familiar with the citizens of Ponyville, who do you think we should get to help us build our Hearth's Warming Eve gift?"

Celestia looks back at Twilight and says, "Okay Twilight, let's make a list. This is going to be a long one if we are going to get this gift built in one day, do you mind if I offer a design for the layout of the location?"

She smiles and shakes her head saying, "Not at all, I only tried to think of the best gift that he could receive and just thought of that, I didn't try to put any detail into the idea yet."

I arrive at the town square when I look around to find the building when I spot a sign that reads Ponyville Day Spa and see an open sign beside the door, knocking on it before walking in and seeing a small counter to the side of a small room. I walk up to the counter and see a pony with a blue coat and a blonde mane & tail at the counter with a smile on her face and say, "Hi, could you tell me what a spa is used for?"

She giggles lightly and smiles saying, "Hello, my name is Soft Touch. You have never heard of a spa before, have you? A spa is a place that provides various services and treatments to help your body relax."

I scratch my chin curiously and say, "My name is Arthur Morgan, so what services and treatments are available then?" I watch as she pulls out a list and sets it on the counter for me to look at, and read it.

Soft Touch smiles as he asks what each one is and describes them to him, as well as the package deals that include several treatments. She remembers about the special for today and tomorrow and says, "There is a two-day special going on for the Diamond Treatment, it includes a steam bath, a mud facial, a Swedish massage, a seaweed wrap, and hoof bath services. A few of our regulars recommend that treatment, so what can I do for you today?"

I consider the treatment and look up from the list to her and then ask, "I am interested in that Diamond Treatment, can I make changes to that list?"

She nods her head and giggles lightly saying, "Of course you can make changes to the list, we are determined to accommodate any pony or creature's desires. What would you like me to change on the list for you?"

I look at the list again and then say, "Instead of the Swedish massage, can I get the Mysofaca one as well as this Lymphatic massage?"

Soft Touch smiles and nods again, and says, "Yes you can, is that all you would like to get today mister?" She then brings out an empty schedule list to start writing it down.

I then nod my head and say, "That will be all for me, but my partner here would also be interested in a treatment"

She looks behind him and says, "I'm sorry, but there isn't anypony else behind you."

I scrunch my eyebrows together in confusion and turn my head to look and chuckle saying, "Oh, she is outside. That girl is not used to being let inside the house because of how large her body is, this room should be big enough for her body. One second, let me get the door for her."

Soft Touch frowns at how he treats a pony, feeling anger rise in her until she spots who his partner is. Seeing her size causes the anger to dissipate instantly and put a smile on her face again and say, "Hello there, I am Soft Touch and what services can I do for you today?"

Lou turns to her and smiles saying, "Hi, my name is Lou. What kind of services are available?" She listens to Arthur explain the treatments to her and says, "I would like the Diamond Treatment as well as a mane and tail bath, this lout never washed me before. He has, however, did a good job on keeping me brushed down."

She smiles and makes two schedules and walks out from behind the counter and into the room saying, "Wow your body sure is long and tall, please follow me into the next room and I will get you both set up."

I follow her into the next room and ask, "Are you able to clean clothes? I heard from a friend that you could."

Soft Touch nods her head and closes the door behind them saying, "Yes we do wash clothes for ponies, though we are unable to remove heavy stains. To get heavy stains removed, you will have to ask Rarity about that. Now if you would wait here Lou, I will take Arthur to his room to start on his schedule. When you are both done with your treatment schedule, you can pay at the counter."

Rarity looks up at hearing a familiar name, removing the cucumber slices on her eyes to see Arthur walking past her in a fancier outfit and waves at him saying, "Hello Arthur darling, what a surprise to see you here! What a happy coincidence that I decided to treat myself today."

I smile and tip my hat to her saying, "I heard about this place from a pony over in Canterlot, and thought that it would be a good gift for my partner Lou for Christmas this year. Well, I better keep on following miss Soft here to the room, I will see you later at your shop when I am finished here with mine and my partners' treatment."

She waves goodbye to him and replaces the cucumber slices on her eyes and returns to blissful relaxation softly saying, "Okay, I shall be seeing you then. Once you get a taste of how marvelous their treatments are darling, you will want to come here more often."

I follow her into a room as she instructs me to undress and set my clothes in a pile where they will be cleaned for me and nod saying, "May I set other clothes in a pile next to the pile with this outfit?"

Soft Touch nods and smiles saying, "Hmm? Oh yes, you can, just stack them neatly so we can keep them separate from the others that need to be thoroughly cleaned. Alright, the shower is in the corner. So just use it to remove the layer of filth coating your body currently, and then dry off. After you dry off, place the dirty towel in the bin over there and wrap a towel around your waist to keep your bits hidden. When you do that, press this button here, and one of our staff will come for you to begin your treatment. After your treatment is finished, your clothes will be inside a bag and your clean outfit will be ready for you in the dressing room we will bring you to."

I nod and then watch as she heads for the door and stop her by saying, "Oh, can you get something for me to cough into? I have TB and have received treatment to make it safe to be around others."

She gasps in shock and nods her head saying, "I am sorry to hear that you have that terrible disease, I shall find a cloth for you." She then exits the room to get a cloth for him, returning a few moments later with a plain white rag and hands it over to him with her magic.

I shrug and take the cloth saying, "Thank you, but I have gotten used to having it. I do hope that someday, a cure is found for this." I rest one of my hands on my holster and then chuckle saying, "One more thing, be sure not to wash my gunbelt or handle it too roughly alright?"

Soft Touch smiles softly at him and nods saying, "There is always a cure for something being discovered every day, just stay positive and believe the cure will be discovered soon. I will be sure to tell the staff that, I'll meet you at the counter once your treatments are over, see you in a few hours!" She then exits the room and closes the door, then goes to take his partner Lou to the shower room for larger creatures.

I set the cloth to the side and start to strip down, placing the dirty clothes in a pile on the bench along with a warmer pair of boots and my hat. I then step into the shower and see a similar setup to how Twilight's shower is, spending a few moments adjusting the temperature to my liking to remove the dirt and grime from my body.

I lose track of time as I use one of the small bars of soap that are available to scrub my body all over, then use up most of the small bottle of shampoo to try to get my hair really clean. I see a stick with a sponge on one end and wonder what that is for before I think of not being able to reach my back with my hands and say, "What a handy tool, let's see how well it works." I look at the slightly reddish water coming off of my body, chuckling as I say, "I shouldn't have left a mess in the shower last night, perhaps I could make it up to them and clean it up."

Over at Twilight's home

Starlight rolls out of bed and prepares for her morning shower as she blinks the crust away that keeps her eyes closed at night, closing the door behind her as she opens the door to the shower and sees the layer of dirt coating the sides of the shower. She groans in annoyance and makes her way towards the closet that holds the cleaning supplies while mumbling to herself, "How can someone lack all common sense and not clean up after themselves, were they raised to live like animals??"

Twilight hears Starlight in the hall grumbling something to herself and sees her walk past the entrance to the map room and asks, "Good morning Starlight, is something the matter?"

She looks over to Twilight and groans saying, "I'd say there was...someone showered last night and didn't bother to clean up after themselves. Thanks to them leaving their mess for me to find in the morning, I have to clean it up before I use it! It looks like somepony died in that shower, were buried, then dug back up and washed off in there! If poor Rarity saw the mess, she would faint from how gross it looks in there!" She then storms off down the hall towards the closet for the cleaning supplies she needs to get the job done.

Luna looks to her sister and Twilight, sighing as she says, "If it is that bad, perhaps we should take a look and see how bad it really is. What do you two say about it?"

The young mentor watches her pupil continues on her way, then looks to Luna and says, "I think that we should, Starlight does not get grossed out by much."

An hour later in massage room 1

I relax on the table as a muscle-bound behemoth enters the room, causing my eyes to go wide as I say, "Just who in the hell are you, and why are you in here?!"

Bulk Biceps enters the room with a cart of oils and towel on it under an arm and clears his throat then loudly says, "My name's Bulk Biceps and I am here to give you a Swedish Massage, YEAH!"

I gawk at the oversized pony and chuckle saying, "Well shit, if you tried to give me a massage with how strong as you appear to be, I don't think my body could survive it."

He then replies, "YEAH I am strong, but I have learned to control my strength with the help of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. I would not be allowed to work here if I was not able to control it and use it well, so trust me and you will not regret it."

I shake my head and sigh saying, "Oh alright then, let's get this done and over with."

Bulk then cracks his knuckles and stretches his arms, then strikes a pose and says, "YEAH, let's get started!" He then applies a few spots of oil to Arthur's back, taking note of the few circular marks and straight lines that are on his back and arms.

I then feel him get started as he asks me to let him know if he needs to go harder or softer with his hands and nod my head saying, "I will let you know, but if I feel a bone break I am going to find a way to kick your ass."

He gulps as he feels a bead of nervous sweat appear just above his brow, remembering that he needs to keep cool and relaxed and focus on what he is doing, and asks in a lower tone, "If I may ask, what are these odd marks on your back?"

I consider whether I should tell him the truth or not and take a breath before saying, "You don't get scars like these from living a peaceful life kid. You see...where I came from, each day is a fight to survive in the world. It is a very hard and cruel world, it kicks you when you're down and the only way to make it stop is to fight back even more. Enough about my history, tell me more about yours and this world. The princesses and Discord told me a bit about this world, but tell me about what you know and think about this world." I feel his hands around my shoulders and say, "You could go a bit harder on the shoulders and upper arms, they have been feeling rather stiff lately."

Bulk goes quiet for a bit and puts more strength into his hands as he feels numerous knots in the muscles saying, "Yeah I can tell, your muscles have knots that have knots in them. It's a wonder you are able to use your arms at all with how many there are."

I think back a little about what I have done in the past, feeling the guilt rise to the surface about the decisions I have made in my pursuit of a foolish hope when I should have chosen differently. As I continue to let the guilt rise, I slowly begin to feel myself wanting to start singing. Not wanting to let my desire get the better of me, I push it down deeper to deal with it after I get used to this new world. I then tell him, "Many of those wounds you see there should have been the end of me, but the situation at the moment demanded that I find a way to live to protect some people that were important to me. I don't wanna talk about me anymore now, is there a mare out there that you have your eye on, or perhaps you like stallions instead?"

He relaxes a bit after hearing Arthur ask who he might be interested in and smiles saying, "Yeah, her name is Octavia Melody. She is very talented with the cello, and I like her soft and gentle voice. You should listen to her play with the other musicians in the Grand Hall in Canterlot for their Hearth's Warming Eve celebration, I would go listen to her myself but I am helping out in the Ponyville play that tells the story of Hearth's Warming Eve."

I listen to him talk about the mare that has his eye and say, "If you like her so much, what would the harm be in asking her out?"

Bulk stops massaging him as he blushes nervously and says, "Uhh...I couldn't. She is so much smarter than me, and I am just a stallion with puny wings and more muscles than brains."

I chuckle and say, "Someone once said that a man...er stallion just needs the right female that will keep him in line and on his toes...er hooves. The worst thing that could happen is that she could say no, all it takes is a little bit of courage to take the necessary step to get her answer. If she does say no, you will always be brave for asking her out."

He calms down and smiles as he considers what he just said, resuming the massage saying, "Yeah I will definitely think about asking her out, thank you."

I then respond to him by saying, "Uh-huh, tell me more about this Hearth's Warming eve thing that everyone is stressing on about."

Bulk smiles and says, "Well it all started many years ago before this area was founded. Three tribes of ponies left their lands due to the foul weather forcing them to find a place where they could live..."

A half hour later, somewhere on the southside of town near the river

Twilight, Celestia, and Luna talk with Applejack about where the ideal spot for their Hearth's Warming Eve present to Arthur would be as Applejack says, "Ah think ya both have a right dandy idea, though construction will hafta wait 'til winter ends due to the ground being frozen. This spot is best if he wants to start a farm because the river is close and the soil is really good, and this hill could have a large cellar."

Celestia looks around and smiles at how nice the view is from the top of the hill and says, "This is a really good spot Applejack, it has a clear view of the area around it and has a few trees to offer some shade. With a porch on two sides of the home, he can either watch the sun or moon rise into the sky or set past the horizon."

Twilight pulls out a list and checks off another thing that they have to do and adds one thing to it saying, "Now that we have decided on a spot, we can start reviewing and refining the design that you have in mind Princess Celestia. We have until just after spring arrives to finalize the details, so shall we return to my castle and begin with our next task?"

Chapter 13: A peaceful day, part 1

Meanwhile, at the spa in Ponyville

"That was when they learned there could be harmony between each other, so they settled their differences and lived together in harmony, naming the land Equestria." Bulk then moves on to the last part of his body to start finishing up the first massage session before moving on to the next spa treatment.

I let out a half chuckle and say, "Well, at least they managed to get along with each other, wish I could say the same for where I came from. I might just try to make a trip to Canterlot to see the play for myself, any clue as to what time the play is?"

He then finishes the massage and says, "YEAH, THE PLAY IS TOMORROW AND STARTS AT 4:00. FOLLOW ME, WE WILL BE DOING THE STEAM BATH NEXT, YEAH!"

I smile and roll over, then sit up and stand up off the table. I then follow him while rolling my shoulders and say, "Damn my body feels good after that massage, I may have to come here again sometime."

Rarity relaxes on the table as she enjoys the luxurious treatment when she sees Bulk bring Arthur Morgan into the large bathing room where they do the various bath treatments, the seaweed wrap, and the facials. She follows him with her eyes, stunned at how toned his body is. Seeing a few scars on his chest and abdomen where previous injuries were at, and watches him walk through the room saying, "Hello Arthur darling, how are you?"

I turn my head to look over at Rarity and smile saying, "For once in my life, my body feels pretty good. I'm here because my curiosity got the better of me, there wasn't anything quite like this where I came from." I feel a coughing fit coming on and bring the cloth up to my mouth, then cough into it a few times before spitting out some blood that is in my mouth.

She watches Arthur follow Bulk to a side room where the steam bath is and smiles saying, "It is good to hear that you are feeling better darling, though it is sad to hear that your other world has not considered building a place where one could go to receive such marvelous treatment. It really is a shame, they are missing out on such luxurious services you know?"

I chuckle and smile back at her then say, "It kinda is. The reason for that is that there was a war in the land a century ago that was fought to gain freedom from a nation far away. After managing to win the war, the nation named itself the United States of America. The citizens of the young nation went into the unexplored land and made their homes there, eventually being recognized as territories. Those territories' populations increased and were eventually declared states by the government. Then several decades went by and another war broke out in the United States, splitting it into the Union and the Confederacy." I let the smile on my face turn into a frown as I look down for a moment, feeling a little upset about being reminded of my childhood through the years after the civil war. I then look back at her and continue saying, "I was two years old when that war ended with the Union claiming victory, leaving the soldiers to turn to being criminals or working for the railroad to make money to feed their families. To explain it in simpler terms miss is that people there are either crooked and rich, crooked politicians, crooked and just plain mean, honest and poor, honest and homeless, or honest and starving. The nation is full of people that have their own desires and are driven by greed, and there are many like them that hold power. They use that power to improve their own lives at the cost of other people's misery." I then sigh and change the subject saying, "That play about the founding of Equestria is in Canterlot tomorrow, right?"

Rarity realizes she has been staring at him and shakes her head clear, then looks at Arthur curiously before letting out a sigh and saying, "That is dreadful to hear darling, how in Equestria do they tolerate living such dreary lives? To answer your question darling, yes, it is tomorrow. It usually starts at 4 p.m, do you plan to attend it?"

I place the forefinger of my right hand on either side of my chin and say, "Hmm...I don't see why not, how much does a ticket cost to see it?"

She thinks for a moment before answering, "A train ticket costs 2 bits, and admission costs 2 bits per pony, which is free for foals 10 and younger. The train ride takes 2 hours to reach Canterlot, you are welcome to travel with the rest of us if you wish darling."

I then scratch my cheek a little bit and say, "I will think on your offer, and will have an answer for you by sunset today. Thank you for offering me the chance to accompany you all to the play, I do need to visit you at your shop for your services. Do you mind if I come by after finishing my treatments here?"

Rarity smiles at him, nodding her head saying, "Of course you may come by darling, I love getting new customers."

I then nod my head to her and say, "Alright then, I shall continue on with the upcoming steam bath and will see you at your shop later. Good day, Miss Rarity."

She then waves at him and says, "See you later darling, you will not regret coming to the spa today." She then returns her head to the pillow, letting the masseur resume the treatment wondering, 'I wonder which side of that dreadful war Arthur's father fought on...'

Bulk leads Arthur into the room and says, "SEE THE PIT IN THE CENTER WITH THE HOT ROCKS IN IT? TO INCREASE THE TEMPERATURE AND AMOUNT OF STEAM, USE THE LADLE TO ADD WATER TO THE ROCKS. HAVE A SEAT AROUND THE PIT AND RELAX FOR A HALF HOUR AND I WILL RETURN TO BRING YOU TO THE NEXT TREATMENT, YEAH!" He then turns around and goes to tend to another customer waiting for their treatment.

I watch as he closes the door behind him, then turn my head back around to look at the pit, then the bucket of water with a large ladle resting across the top of the bucket. I walk over to the bucket, then kneel down to pick up the spoon. I then use it to scoop some water out from the bucket and slowly pour it onto the pile of rocks, watching as steam rises from where the water lands. I add another four spoonfuls to the rocks and set the ladle back on the bucket to add some more later thinking, 'This place is quite relaxing, I wonder if I'm the only one here from our gang?'

[RARITY'S POV]

I hear my friend Aloe make her way over to my table and say, "Oh dear, is it time for the mani-pedi already?"

She giggles and smiles, then turns to her answering, "Yes it is miss Rarity, time moves quickly when you are enjoying something, no? follow me please and we will begin your final treatment."

I then rise up from the table and sigh blissfully, feeling very relaxed as I then slide my legs off the edge of the table and reach for a towel. As I start to wrap the towel around my chest, I look down at my b-cup breasts for a brief second before securing the towel around my middle and getting up off of the table and onto my hooves with a smile before answering her, "Indeed. It does when you're having fun. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here every week. I always plan a visit before Hearth's Warming, like a little present for myself."

Pausing for a moment, I gesture for her to go on. "Lead the way darling. Oh, have you met our newest resident yet? His style is completely different from the usual garments I work with. Though, I wonder how he'd look in something more formal."

She smiles back and starts leading her to the room where the manicures and the pedicures are done saying, "Unfortunately I haven't, it seems somepony is interested in the new resident. I wonder if it is because of their clothing, or perhaps you might like to make a new friend?"

I then smile back at her and say, "Perhaps I could talk with him for a bit when he comes by later. I wonder if he'll ask me to make a new outfit for him. Whyever would he visit me, if not for that?"

She giggles again and joyfully teases me a little saying, "Perhaps he'll offer you dinner. It's been years since your whole fiasco with Blueblood. You're overdue for some fun."

With a nervous chuckle I say, "Oh d-d-darling, don't taunt my imagination." while feeling my face flush red.

Third Person Pov, inside the Changeling Hive

Colm gets up out of bed and looks over to the changeling queen and smacks her rump firmly and says, "Me and the boys are gonna screw with the ponies' happiness tomorrah morning, we'll be back sometime around noon."

Chrysalis grunts at the firm slap to her rear, turning her head to the side and cracking open an eye to look at him saying, "How many times must I tell you I hate being spanked. If you do that again, I am going to cocoon you and treat your whole gang like food. Do I make myself clear?"

He smiles and walks over to the desk and puts his shirt on, then looks back at her saying with a grin, "Oh ya tolerate it just because I'm so manly, just admit that ya like it already."

She growls a little and says, "Don't push your luck. Don't be afraid of water, it will not kill you to bathe once in a while."

Colm takes his gunbelt off the corner post of the bedframe, then starts to fasten it around his waist as he answers, "And wash away all of this manliness I worked so hard on? Not in a hundred years. It wouldn't hurt you to have some of your changelings illuminate the inside of this hive, me boys keep bumping into things cause it is so dark."

Chrysalis has had enough of his irritating banter for now and reaches for a dagger she keeps near the bed, then throws it at his head loudly saying, "SHUT UP."

He ducks down and lets the dagger soar past his head and laughs off her attempt to kill him saying, "Oh how kind of ya, but it's too early for foreplay." The dagger strikes the hard wall with a clang and clatters to the floor as he pulls his suspenders over his shoulders, then starts looking for his jacket.

She groans in frustration and sits up, then strikes the pillow with her fist shouting, "GET OUT OF MY ROOM!"

Colm shakes his head and sighs saying, "Jesus yer crabby in the mornings, go back to sleep already." He then exits the room and closes the door behind him, feeling better already after annoying the changeling queen yet again.

After spending several minutes navigating his way through the tunnels that serve as passages to the various chambers many feet below the surface, managing to find where his gang has made camp. Halfway to the chambers, he passes by a mirror and pauses to look at his neck, focusing on the noose-shaped ring around his neck that he was born with and remembers that day he was hung by the neck. Frowning at that terrible memory, seeing that grin on his face after he killed the one that was supposed to shoot the rope. He makes a fist and punches the mirror, making a spiderweb of cracks appear in the glass then turns away and resumes his journey mumbling, "Where ever you are Arthur, I hope you suffer a slow and painful death and burn in hell for you sealing my fate."

He continues down the tunnel and then turns left into the chamber where his gang is staying and says, "Alright boys, tell me about this train that is going to Canterlot..."

Near the Town Square of Ponyville

Celestia makes her way toward the town square and looks around at all the ponies that are gathering, feeling thankful that Twilight was able to inform the citizens so quickly.

Making her way onto the platform, she looks to the changeling disguised as a grey pegasus, having a light pink mane and cerulean eyes with a white cloud for a cutie mark and clears her voice to get them to quiet down and says, "Thank you for gathering on such short notice my little ponies, there is somepony that I need to introduce to all of you. Before she makes herself known, I must tell you that she means to do no harm to any of you. Now if you would, please come up here and introduce yourself to everypony."

Stealthy gulps nervously as she makes her way to the platform as all eyes start to turn to her, feeling beads of sweat appear and drip down her face thinking, 'I sure hope that these ponies will accept me even though I'm a changeling, maybe I should tell them the circumstances of why I am here.'

The princess stands to the back of the platform as Stealthy stands up front and begins telling them her name and thinks, 'This is going okay so far, let's keep watching to see how the crowd reacts to her being a changeling.'

She closes her eyes and tries to calm her racing heart, and takes a deep breath. Feeling her heart slow a little bit, she then looks to the crowd and says, "My name is Stealthy Strike, and I am a changeling." She hears many ponies in the crowd gasp in surprise and fear, noticing a few scowls among the crowd.

Celestia hears the crowd get louder, causing Stealthy to start backing up, signaling that she needs to settle the crowd down. She steps forward and stands beside Stealthy, placing her left hand behind the changeling's back and halts her slow retreat. Turning her head towards the crowd, she speaks up above the din saying, "I know many of you remember when Canterlot was assaulted by Queen Chrysalis and her changelings, some of you were there when it happened. Please quiet down and be kind enough to listen to what Stealthy Strike has to say."

Stealthy watches the crowd hesitantly calm down to let her speak as she gathers the courage to continue speaking, then takes a breath and starts to tell them her story, saying, "The story I am going to tell to you takes place in the Crystal Empire when a small group of renegades was tasked with kidnapping Princess Flurry Heart."

Celestia raises her voice a little and cuts her off, quickly adding, "She has been returned to her mother and father, so do not worry my little ponies because the ones responsible for the heinous act have been punished rather severely." She turns to Stealthy and apologizes for interrupting her saying, "I am sorry for interrupting you, but I needed to keep the crowd calm. You may continue sharing your story with them."

She nods her head saying, "Thank you, Princess Celestia." and looks back to the crowd, noticing a few young foals among the crowd, and decides to leave out several details before resuming her story, "I took a group of changelings to meet the renegades and bring Princess Flurry Heart to Queen Chrysalis..."

The crowd stays quiet and listens as she tells the story of how Arthur Morgan risked his life to fight off a large group of highly skilled changelings and was knocked out at the start of the fight, then woke up and dug her way through the collapsed tunnel and went to inform the queen about what had happened. They watch as she begins to look down in sadness with tears trailing down her face as she continues the story of how she was exiled, cut off from the hive, and then chased out of the hive for her failures.

Stealthy finishes her story and softly sobs over losing the only home she ever knew, no longer paying attention to her surroundings as her sobbing gets worse. She is startled when she feels someone wrap their arms around her, trying to comfort her

Celestia continues to hold her as her own eyes moisten at hearing her story saying, "Fear not little one, for you are safe here away from those that wish you harm."

Mrs. Cake feels sympathy for the poor changeling and makes her way towards the crying changeling. She arrives at the platform and walks up the three steps, then walks up to the pair and wraps her arms around the changeling and says, "It is sad you have lost your home, but you are now free from her tyranny and can do what you want to do with your life. I have not met him yet, but he seems like a good friend to have in difficult times."

Three hours later, after Arthur's treatments

I get dressed in my casual, semi-warm outfit and make my way to the front of the building. When I get to the counter at the front of the building by the entrance, I stop to pay the pony behind the counter when I glance up to see Soft Touch sitting behind it and ask, "How much do I owe you for the treatments that my partner and I got?"

Soft Touch then looks at the rate list for the treatments and sums up the amount owed and says, "The Diamond Treatment your partner got is 250 bits, and since you made a few slight changes to the Diamond Treatment you got, the price is slightly higher."

I nod my head, understanding what she means, and say, "Alright then, what's the price?" I then look down and dig into my satchel for my bag of bits to pay her.

She calculates the difference in price and says, "The price for your treatment is 300 bits, then there are the two suits you had that needed to be dry cleaned...and that brings the total up to 650 bits."

I find the bag of bits and pull it out, then set it on the counter and begin counting out the amount owed. After counting out 650, I count out an extra fifty for their services and say, "Here is seven hundred, there's an extra fifty as a tip for your excellent services provided." and drop the bits onto the counter.

Soft Touch takes the bits as a wide smile crosses her face saying, "We are glad that you enjoyed your treatments so much, your partner is outside waiting for you. Thank you for visiting Ponyville Day Spa, please enjoy your day and come again."

I tip my hat to her as she waves to me, then make my way towards the door and exit the building saying, "Have a good day as well miss." I look up at the bright blue sky above me and sigh blissfully, feeling better than I have for a long time. My reverie is ruined by a short cough, making me grab a kerchief to cough into. Once the coughing fit has passed, I look around the town to see everypony looking at me with concern on many of their face and put the kerchief in my pocket, and then briefly wave to them. I then start heading for Rarity's shop to see her about removing some stains from my clothes.

Lou walks beside him feeling relaxed and refreshed, prancing in place giddily saying, "Wow do I feel good... Hey boss, think you could afford to let me go there each week?"

I chuckle and shake my head saying, "Not with how pricey that treatment is, perhaps I could if the treatment had a lower fee. That sound fair to you?"

She stops prancing for a moment and walks beside him normally, then says, "Alright boss, that's fair. Where are we off to now?"

I then continue walking and say, "Well, we are off to Rarity's next so I can ask her bout her ability to remove stains. Might even get another warm coat for winter, and one for you too."

Lou smiles and walks across the snowy ground, the gentle crunching of the snow under her hooves as she follows him to their destination saying, "Thank you for showing that you do care about me."

I see Rarity's shop to the right and head towards the door, looking around at the decorations and lights the ponies have decorating their yards and houses. A smile makes its way to my face as I say, "Of course I care about you, I remember when I first found you and tried to tame you. It was lightly snowing out and when I finally managed to get on your back, I expected you to go nuts but you didn't. You played coy to get me to let my guard down, then you went absolutely berserk. Took me through trees, even dropped to your side to knock me off."

She giggles and laughs saying, "I remember that too, you landed on your back in a pile of crap the first time! I laughed at that and took off running again, but you got right back to chasing me."

I then chuckle along at remembering our first meeting and say, "Yeah, after I caught you once more and got on, you took off like a bullet and jumped across a river, knocking me off and dumping me into it."

Lou then looks away with a smile saying, "Well do you blame me, you smelled like a skunk!"

I then pat her on the neck saying, "Naw, I won't blame you. Though that didn't help with the smell at all, because when I caught you once more, you dumped me beside a frightened skunk!"

She drops her head and laughs a little harder saying, "THAT'S why you smelled even worse the next time you caught me?! You got sprayed again?!"

I then punch her lightly in the shoulder and chuckle saying, "Only because you scared the thing half to death jumping over that fallen dead tree! Oh we had a few good times, didn't we girl?" I then look around with a smile on my face then say, "We would've never seen anything like this back home Lou."

Rarity is at her boutique when she hears someone knock at the door and looks over her shoulder at it saying, "Come on in, I'm still open!"

I then walk into the doorway, looking around the room to see where Rarity might be at. I see her working away at a sewing machine and ask, "Greetings miss Rarity, do you mind if my companion Lou comes in?"

A broad smile crosses her face when she sees that it is Arthur and gestures for him to enter with her hand saying, "Of course I don't mind darling, come on in out of the cold. What can I do for you on this fine day?"

Lou waits for him to leave enough room for her to enter and follows him in saying, "Thank you for letting a large being like me come into your shop, miss Rarity."

I look around at the room, seeing strips and pieces of fabric lying everywhere, and ask, "What's with all the pieces everywhere? It looks like a stick of dynamite blew a pile of dresses to literal pieces."

Rarity gasps and then says, "Don't touch a single piece...it is organized chaos! Every piece lying around is a part of some client's order."

I nod my head and grin saying, "I wasn't intending to miss Rarity, the reason I came here was to inquire about your skill with removing stains from clothes?"

She narrows her eyes and scowls saying, "I absolutely...LOATHE STAINS! Which is why I make it my life's goal to get every single one out. Please show me what has the stains...so I can begin to obliterate them."

I pat my satchel hanging at my side and chuckle saying, "I hope you have a big enough table for me to put the stained clothes...because I have quite a few of them."

Rarity rises from her seat in front of the sewing machine and looks around for a big table, finding one with a pony-shaped mannequin on it with pieces of cloth scattered around the top of it. She then turns her attention to the scattered fabric pieces and begins sorting through them for the scrap pieces, tossing them into the scrap box and shifting the leftover pieces into groups to clear a space.

I watch as she moves the pieces around, managing to clear up a good-sized area on the floor saying, "Wow, you work quickly when you have magic at your disposal."

She then continues to move things around, not really focusing on him at all and says, "I will agree with you on that, it does make things easier. Please go ahead and start placing your clothing on the floor in the cleared area. If you could, please sort them in piles with one outfit per pile." and moves on to sorting through another pile.

I then sigh and begin pulling out the outfits I have, saying, "Alright then, let's see if I remember which outfits should be together..." I then glance up at Rarity and walk towards the very back of the area ahead of me saying, "Well, I'm gonna set the different hats I have out first at the top."

Lou watches with amusement as she notices how Rarity subtly looks back at him out of the corner of her eye while swishing her tail back and forth slowly, giggling quietly to herself as their eyes make contact. She forces herself to keep quiet as Rarity blushes and stops swishing her tail and turns her attention to Arthur saying, "That is one thing I never understood about you boss. Why did you collect so many things such as saddles, weapons, and various clothing apparel?

I continue setting out hats and chuckle saying, "Well I...I don't know. Shit, perhaps I just tend to enjoy collecting unique things. As for the weapons I collected, they were vital to keeping everyone safe when the shit hit the fan and those goddamned Pinkertons kept showing up."

Rarity pauses in her concentration on sorting the pieces out and nervously looks back at him while moving a lock of hair out of her eyes and asks, "U-Uhm...A-Arthur, are you going to be okay darling?"

I lift my head up from the floor and look at the worried expression on her face, making me sigh and say, "I'll be fine, I'm just thinking back on the past and regretting the choices we made."

She then sees him pull out a handkerchief and cough into it a few times, then returns it to a pocket. She sees his long, dark hair hanging past his shoulders and the trimmed beard on his face, finding herself lost in a brief fantasy where he rescues her from villains.

I then dig around in my satchel for the clothing that is in it and begin pulling out pieces of clothing then start setting them into piles when I hear her sigh strangely. I look up at her to see her holding her chin and gazing somewhere with a grin on her face as if in a dream and chuckle asking, "Having a good daydream miss Rarity?"

Rarity is yanked out of her fantasy and blushes fiercely at being caught in one and returns to moving bits of fabric around saying, "I was enjoying it until somepony tore me from it."

I grin and then say, "Don't be embarrassed, a few adults like us tend to do that from time to time." then resume pulling out clothing and putting them into piles.

She finishes moving fabric pieces around and sees the area filling up with somewhat neat piles and gawks at them all saying with shock on her face, "Darling, how on Equestria can that satchel hold so many clothes?"

I chuckle and continue piling them up saying, "Well Discord had something to do with some of my bags holding so much when I came over, but I don't know what exactly he did. I am sure that Twilight would love to figure it out though with how curious she is about everything."

Rarity giggles at that and nods her head saying, "Oh I am sure she would also."

I then remember that I was going to ask her about a new outfit for Lou and me, then look up at her and ask, "I was also wondering if you would be able to make a warm outfit for my companion and me? I have a couple to choose from, but Lou has nothing to help keep her warm. You saw her when we came out of that storm at the Crystal Empire, poor girl had ice hanging from her mane and tail with snow on her neck. Could you be able to make something for her so that it can help her stay warm?"

She then smiles and says, "Of course I can, darling. Just let me grab my measuring tape so I can take her measurements." She then pulls out her glasses and sets them on her nose, grabs her rolled-up tape, and heads over to where Lou is standing, saying, "Now let's see what I can do..."

Chapter 14: A peaceful day, part 2

After Rarity finishes taking the measurements from Lou and Arthur, she writes each down on a separate piece of paper for later saying, "Alright darling, let's see what we can do about removing the stains from these clothes. Why on Equestria do you have so many outfits?"

I chuckle and then think something up quickly saying, "Well if you live the life I had as a bounty hunter, you earn the wrath of their friends and always have to change your look so that they can't hunt you down for revenge."

She then smiles and says, "Well since you are in our world now, you don't have to worry about that anymore. What do you plan to do with your life now?"

I turn my head and look outside and think it over saying, "Well...uh...I don't know yet, but I look forward to a long time of peace without always running from serious troubles."

Rarity looks the outfits over and finds some rather hideous outfits and then holds one up to find it badly worn asking, "Um, Arthur darling... Would you want me to repair the worn out...pieces of clothing?"

I look over at what she is holding and sees one of the simple worker's outfits with a hole in one of the elbows and chuckle saying, "I forgot I had those ugly things, you can go ahead and scrap that outfit. Let me take another look at what else I can get rid of."

She lets out a sigh of relief at hearing him call it ugly and says, "Oh thank heavens you also consider this ugly, I was worried for a moment there. I shall set this outfit to the side so you can sort through what you want to keep and discard."

After spending a few minutes sorting through my clothes and discarding the ones I don't want anymore, then sort through a few of the hats I've collected from my travels before moving on to the boot and shoe collection saying, "I find it hard to believe that I have collected this much in clothing alone, I'm glad that I didn't collect saddles as well because we would be here for much longer sorting through them."

Rarity's eyebrow lifts up at hearing that and says, "We also have saddles darling, but they are mostly just fashion accessories and aren't made of leather."

I then walk to the side of the piles of outfits and says, "Yeah, well I guess that is just a human trend then. Uhm...how long do you think it will take to get this heavy blue waistcoat cleaned? I've lost track of how many ponies flip out and start to worry about this blood-soaked sleeve."

She then looks at him and asks, "Would you mind taking it off for me so I can examine it?"

I then nod my head saying, "Not at all miss." then unbutton it and take it off, then hold it out for her to take with her magic or her hand.

Rarity walks over to him and takes the outfit with her hand, using her magic to hold it up so she can look it over. It takes her a few seconds to examine it completely before saying, "Well, it will take me a few minutes due to the blood-soaked sleeve. Would you care to have a seat while I work on it?"

I then smile and nod my head saying, "Of course, miss, lead the way."

She makes her way to a back door where her kitchen is and says, "My kitchen is right through here darling, would you care for something to drink while I work my magic on this?"

After following her into the kitchen and sitting down at the table I ask, "Sure, what do you have available?"

Rarity sets the coat down then makes her way to the fridge, and pulls open the door with a gentle huff saying, "Well let's see... There's grapefruit juice, milk, orange juice, and guava juice in the fridge." she then looks over her shoulder at him and says, "Then there's tea or coffee I can brew, what would you like?"

I think about it for a moment and say, "I think I will have some orange juice if you don't mind."

She then smiles and pulls the orange juice out, closes the door, and then heads to the counter saying, "Oh I don't mind this at all. Forgive my curiosity, but would you feel comfortable with me asking a few questions?"

I watch as she grabs a glass and fills it, then shake my head gently saying, "Of course, what would you like to know?"

Rarity brings the bottle over with the glass, then sets it in front of him and asks, "Darling, back in the spa, you mentioned the civil war between the Union and the Confederacy. I couldn't help but notice how your mood soured for a bit, do you mind if I ask why that happened?"

I grab the glass and take a drink, then let out a half chuckle and set it down with a sigh saying, "Well it's not a happy story, but what happened was that I thought back to how bad my childhood was without my mother around to help raise me. You see, she passed shortly after I turned two, which left my father to raise me by himself once he came back from fighting the Union. With work being so hard to find and a mouth to feed at home, he turned to stealing things from stores or people in order to put food on the table. When I turned five, I followed my father and watched from the corners as he stole things from them. So, I took after him and stole things too, however, he found out and started to beat me for it."

She stares at him with wide eyes as they start to fill with tears and looks away sadly while wringing her hands together saying, "I'm sorry to ask you such a question, I didn't know that it would cause you such pain."

I then raise my right hand up to her face and place my forefinger under her chin, then gently lift it and turn her towards my face saying, "Don't feel sorry for being curious, I'm already over the shit that has happened in my past."

Rarity looks at him with a stunned expression on her face as she blinks the tears away, then smiles sadly and says, "O-Okay, so...what happened after that?"

I then return my hand to my side and sit back in my chair saying, "Well my dad and I continued to steal, though he would still beat me for it. When I was around eleven, he was arrested for larceny, which I watched the no-good bastard hang for it. After taking his hat and losing my home, I wandered around a bit from place to place. But that is about all I will say about my past for right now, alright?"

Unable to help herself, she rushes in and throws her arms around him in a tight hug sobbing while saying, "Oh you poor dear...that is just so absolutely horrible!"

I sigh and hug her back, patting her gently between the shoulder blades saying, "It was definitely not something to be happy about, but I'm over it now so there is no need for you to cry about it for me."

After getting herself back under control, she straightens herself up saying with a slight sniffle, "Sorry about losing control for a moment darling, I cannot even fathom to think of how hard your life was after that happened."

I gently pat her shoulder saying, "Well, to put it mildly, there were hard times and fun times. Would it cheer you up if I asked you to sit on my knee?"

She stiffens up straighter than a board with a fierce blush on her face and stammers, "I-I am not a little filly a-anymore!" then lets out an undignified huff as she then picks up the heavy blue waistcoat and starts working on it.

I chuckle as she works, watching her flick her tail from side to side occasionally while she concentrates on the stain. I then get lost in my own thoughts, thinking, 'I wonder what happened after I died...' With nothing else to do but wait, I move my chair a bit and then lean back against the wall behind me while reaching up with my hand to tilt my hat forward over my eyes to take a little rest while she works.

Rarity can't help but check Arthur out discretely over her shoulder while she takes a moment to focus on the spell to remove the stubborn stain on it while thinking, 'If he goes with us to Canterlot, I should probably think of a way to let him know I fancy him so he asks me out...'

An hour later...

As she lets Arthur sleep, she glances over her shoulder at him and giggles softly at how he snores lightly while he has his hands placed behind his head. Turning back to the fancy black tuxedo jacket, she looks it over closely to find a few discolored spots on it and fights against her body wanting to gag when her nose tells her it is dried blood and lets herself gag mentally thinking, 'Ick! Why oh why does nearly every piece of clothing of yours have blood on it!? Just how much of a bad boy were you? UGH...at least you have some nice outfits to pick from when we go to Canterlot's Grand Theater tomorrow.'

I slowly wake from my nap with a yawn, arching my back to push myself off the wall. The chair's legs return to the floor with a wooden clunk as I then straighten my hat and move my hands back to my thighs, then lean forward a little and move my left forearm over both my thighs and place my right hand over the top of my left wrist. I then watch Rarity continue working on the black tuxedo with a white undershirt and a silver vest over it saying, "Yeah, I bet you were surprised to see that I do have fancy outfits lady Rarity."

Startled from her thoughts, she says, "AH!" as the base of her tail hikes up into the air but manages to keep it from moving to either side and turns her whole body around to face him with a moderate blush on her cheeks saying, "Oh I most definitely was surprised to see your collection of Fancy outfits, perhaps you might consider wearing one of them to the theater. Just so you know darling, there are rooms on the train where you can change clothes if you need to."

I let out a sigh of relief at hearing that and say, "Well that is really great to hear, I can't stand to be in a fancy get-up for over 6 hours. What time will the train be leaving the station here?"

Rarity smiles at him and says, "It will be departing at eleven in the morning darling, though we plan to be at the station by ten thirty while meeting up at Twilight's around ten."

I then run a hand along my chin and idly scratch at it for a moment asking, "Alright then, I will have to be sure to wake up and take a good bath before I leave with you all. How is the stain removal going, are there many outfits left?"

She gasps briefly before saying, "Oh I am on the last outfit now, I was examining this jacket closely and discovered that there is dried blood on it. Just give me ten more minutes and I shall be done." then promptly turns around and begins channeling her magic into her horn to remove the stains.

I then watch her curiously, watching how her horn emanates a light blue aura around it. As I watch her work, I catch her turning her head slightly from time to time occasionally to glance at me from the corner of her eye, then casually flicking her mane. Realizing what she is doing, I chuckle and look around the shop saying, "I have courted a few women in my day, but it never worked out in the end. Each of them did pretty much the same thing you are doing now, though you are a little more skillful in trying to hide it."

Rarity smiles as he noticed her signal and forces herself to keep focused saying, "Well thank you for the compliment, but attraction requires more than just one pony to set things in motion. Don't you agree, Arthur darling?"

I gently smile back at her, shaking my head saying, "I do agree with what you say, and I do find you quite the lady...but perhaps we should wait for the drama from the past fiasco to settle down and for your friend to heal up before we travel down that particular path?"

She lets out a small sigh and finishes the jacket before moving onto the vest, seeing blood splashed over part of the front and groans out loud saying, "Good grief darling, is there any clothing you own that doesn't have blood stains on it?!" while shooting him a stern glare.

Scratching my neck idly with my left hand, I let out a soft half-chuckle saying, "Not really because no matter where I went, trouble wasn't too far behind..."

Rarity channels her magic into her horn to begin casting her spell, hemming and hawing a little bit before asking in a low, serious tone, "With how you speak about the past, your skill with those two weapons, and the appearance of your outfits...am I to surmise that you were a bit of a bad pony?"

I continue leaning forward in my chair with my forearm across my thigh and chuckle deeply with a smug smirk on my face, narrowing my eyes ever so slightly in amusement as I say, "Hmm...yeah, I guess you could say I was a bit on the bad side of society."

She continues working on the stains saying, "I thought you might, because I may not be a doctor, but my eye for details is keen. I noticed several stains that did not look like they came from somepony coughing. Due to how our friendship started off badly dear, I want to improve it by keeping your...troubled past to myself."

I relax my facial muscles and then smile at her genuinely saying, "I greatly appreciate that, if anyone asks or you talk about me, only mention that my past is a troubled and harsh one. If I am going to make the best of my life here, I need people to know and see my current self before they learn about my past and form their opinion around that. No matter how hard you might try, but if the knowledge of one's past such as I got out... It would make it difficult to change their opinion due to them being afraid or hating me. No offense, but with ponies having a herd-like mentality...it would be even harder to change their view of me."

A sad sigh escapes Rarity's lips as she moves on to the white shirt saying, "That is all quite true, and I will be sure to remember and do just that out of respect for you and the sake of our friendship."

I nod, saying, "Thank you, it shows that you are a lady and the Element of Generosity."

She smiles and cheers up while working through the last couple of articles of clothing before moving on to the collection of leather boots saying with a light giggle, "You have quite a shoe collection here darling, however, mine dwarfs yours by a mile."

I look at all the different boots and chuckle saying, "That means that I have too many, let me sort through them real quick." and push myself up out of the chair using my legs, then walk toward the long row of footwear.

After picking through the veritable hoard of shoes, I set a few pairs aside and say, "These ones are what I am wanting to keep, the others I will donate to you as material for any designs you may use them for."

Rarity looks at the several remaining pairs of shoes as her eye twitches in dislike at the mere suggestion of her using leather in any of her outfits, saying with a forced smile, "Why thank you for being so...thoughtful." then makes her way towards the separate group of shoes to begin cleaning them.

I then head back toward the chair to let her resume cleaning and grin mischievously, saying, "You're welcome, I didn't want to be wasteful and just throw them away when someone might find some use for them."

She then starts to clean them with her magic asking, "Sorry for not asking this earlier dear, but how do you feel after going to the spa?"

I smile at her as I sit down in the chair and happily say, "Oh just wonderful, I feel ten years younger and I can't believe how relaxed my muscles and body feels."

Rarity finishes cleaning the shoes, even including the ones he has given to her and then uses her magic to pick them all up and sets them in an empty corner of her boutique. After moving them, she turns to ask Lou how she enjoyed the massage but giggles softly as she notices that she is asleep, then turns to Arthur saying softly, "Poor Lou must be so tuckered and relaxed after her massage, she fell asleep on her hooves. Do all ponies from your world sleep like that, standing up?"

I look over at my companion and grin, lowering my voice and answering, "Many do, though they are able to lie down as well to rest their legs."

A little after sunset

After asking Rarity what is going on in town, I listen to the latest gossip which leads her to tell me how many mares are still hunting for a special somepony. I then wait for her to finish speaking a moment and say, "I am surprised about how the males are so outnumbered here in this town, is it like this all over Equestria?"

She finishes the last pair of shoes and then heads toward the other chair by Arthur saying, "There, finally finished. I can't believe how much I had to clean, it's left me utterly exhausted. Unfortunately, many towns are like this. I was curious one day and asked Twilight about it, but she did not know why. She then said she would do a little research about it, and she got back to me about a month later with the results. When Twilight says she is going to do research, she goes all-out with it because loves learning that much. Anyway, the results she came up with were extremely detailed, however, I only understood bits and pieces. So what I got from that has something to do with certain genes being stronger than others, and after that, she started talking about how she would like to experiment with trying to balance it out to help mares find their special somepony. After hearing her say that, I told her that she shouldn't interfere and leave it to Princess Cadence."

I cock my head curiously, saying, "What do you mean, what does Princess Cadence have to do with any of that?"

Rarity's eyebrows rise as she is honestly surprised and then says, "Oh you don't know? Well, let me tell you then. You know that each pony has something that is special about them, so Princess Cadence's talent is for helping to create couples. She also has a special magic that no other pony can use, the magic of love."

I straighten my head as my eyebrow rises in scrutiny and chuckle, then make a joke saying, "Yeah, Twilight could find a way to balance the female-heavy population and leave the matchmaking to the love doctor."

She then grins at him and jokes back, "You best be careful or the love doctor will try to match you with somepony."

I laugh gently at that and say, "Heh, well I do just fine on my own and make my own choices, so no one will ever control what I do. How much do I owe you lady Rarity?"

Rarity looks around at the clothes and then says, "Well, for how much I had to use my magic I would say about 700 bits, however, since it is so close to Hearth's Warming I shall give you a bargain and ask for 300 bits instead."

I then nod my head and dig into my satchel for the bag of bits and say, "Alright then, well thank you for being so kind." while counting out the amount and handing it over.

She accepts the bits and summons her own pouch, then puts them into it saying, "You are welcome, I will let you know when I have them ready. I would like to make a template for her large shape, would you mind helping me in holding the paper up?"

I stand up out of my chair and say, "I don't mind at all, lead the way."

Rarity then looks around the room, seeing the many piles of cleaned outfits on the floor, and says, "Before we begin, would you mind collecting your things so there is space to work?"

I head over to the boots first saying, "Alright." and start to shove them into my satchel pair by pair, eventually moving on to the clothing first.

As he picks up his clothing, she heads over to her shelves holding many rolls of materials, and starts to look for the one she uses to create a template for. Finding it a few moments later, she grabs a pair of scissors and makes her way toward an open space as more and more piles are collected and returned to the bag.

I spend quite a few minutes picking up my outfits and shoving them back into the bag and saying, "Finally, that is all finished. Now what?"

Rarity makes her way to one side of the open area and asks, "Could you please bring Lou to the center so I have plenty of room to work?"

Making my way to my companion, I stand on her left side while raising my hand to her warm neck. As I start to gently rub her neck, I softly raise my voice saying, "C'mon girl, time to wake up."

Lou slowly opens her eyes saying groggily, "Huh...wha?" As she begins to wake up fully, she sees Arthur standing beside her saying, "What did you need sir? Are we traveling somewhere?"

I continue to rub her neck and shake my head while chuckling, "We aren't leaving town yet girl, I just need you to head to the center of the open space so Rarity can make a template for you."

She then blinks a couple of times sleepily before starting to walk forward saying, "Oh okay."

Rarity watches Lou walk toward the center and smiles saying, "That will be just fine darling, I will be unrolling a length of paper and then making a general design template from paper for the outfit I will be making for your body."

Lou watches as she starts to unroll the paper saying, "Alright then, is it okay if I go back to sleep?"

She holds the paper against Lou's body, then makes it a bit longer than necessary before cutting it off saying, "Go right ahead, it will take me a bit to get the shape right. Before you return to sleep, would you mind turning your head and neck as far to the left and right as you can so I know your range of movement?"

I watch as Lou does as she asks, then make my way toward Rarity, then stand a little distance from her to watch her work. Whenever she asks me to assist her with holding the paper up, I step forth and assist her.

It takes Rarity some time, but she manages to finish making her design template saying, "There we go, finally finished with it. Now that I know what shape your outfit needs to be, I can start coming up with ideas to make it." She then lifts the completed template off of Lou's body and sets it aside to make a mannequin for it to sit on later.

I look outside a window to see that it is getting fairly dark out and say, "Crap, it's dark already?" I then turn to look at Rarity and chuckle saying, "I need to get Lou to the Apple family's barn and get something for us both to eat."

She chuckles and says, "It always surprises me how time seems to fly by when you are busy with something and don't pay attention to anything else. Well darling, since there is no more time today, perhaps you could stop by sometime after Hearth's Warming and New Year's Eve so I can get the shape of your body as well? After all, you are a bit different from us ponies."

I smile and then tip my hat to her saying, "I will be sure to do that, lady Rarity. Take care of yourself now, there's a ruffian in town."

Rarity chuckles at hearing that and waves goodbye with a smile on her face saying, "I will, though I need not fear the ruffian because they are my friend and will not harm me or any of mine again."

I rub the side of Lou's neck saying, "Alright girl, it's time to wake up."

Lou wakes up again and looks at her owner with a sleepy yawn saying, "Okay, what do you need this time Arthur?"

I return my hand to my side and say, "Come along with me girl. I need to get you back to the Apples' farm, get you fed and find something for myself to eat." then turn around and make my way to the door.

After leaving Rarity's boutique, Lou follows me through the quiet town of Ponyville as I look at how each home has some sort of decoration on the house and then think, 'I wonder how it would feel if I had a home for myself...' A few moments pass in silence as I smile at how peaceful it is at this time and recall something that I heard a group of nuns sing during Christmas called Silent Night. Unable to recall the words to it, I begin to hum the melody.

A few minutes later, Lou and I are outside of town when I turn my head to her and ask, "Hey Lou, do you want to come with us to Canterlot to watch a play about the founding of Equestria?"

She looks at him curiously and says, "Sure, I wouldn't mind seeing that."

I then continue walking towards the Apple family's farm and dig into my satchel for an apple then pull it out, and hold it in my palm toward her saying, "Here you go girl, I know it won't satisfy your hunger completely, but I want to at least make sure you have something to tie your hunger over until we get back there alright?"

Lou looks at the apple and perks up a little, saying, "Thank you so much, sir." then trots forward and takes a big bite out of the apple with a loud crunch.

A few minutes later, at the Apple's farm

I walk up to the house and then knock on the door, taking a step back from the door and feel a coughing fit coming on. Pulling out my bloody handkerchief and start coughing into it. I see the door open a few moments later as the coughing fit subsides and look up to see who it is and see that it is a big red pony just a bit shorter than I am, but has way more muscle than I do and ask, "Hello, I'm sorry to bother you at this hour, but would Applejack happen to be here?"

Big Mac stands in the door, looking at the human his younger sister Applejack told him about, and says, "Eeyup." He then sees something in his hand and sees it stained with blood, recalling that he heard coughing earlier, he asks, "Ya alright?"

I then smile and say, "Yeah, I'm alright. Just suffering from a disease that has a treatment, but no cure." I put the rag into my pocket and ask, "Think I could speak to Applejack?"

He then looks the human up and down, then says with a neutral tone, "Eeyup, wait a moment." then closes the door gently to get his sister. Heading back to the dining room table, he takes his seat while looking at Applejack saying, "Applejack, somepony's here to see ya."

Finishing chewing the food in her mouth, she swallows it and says, "Ah wonder who it could be at this hour... Please excuse me a moment, everypony." then gets up from the table and heads for the front door, grabbing her hat as she passes by it and puts it on her head. As she reaches it, she opens it to find her friend Arthur outside and smiles saying, "Howdy Arthur, what brings ya out here at this time of day?"

I then smile at her saying, "Well, I just got back from lady Rarity's boutique after requesting her services to remove some stains on my outfits. Thanks to her spell, I was able to wear this heavy coat without having to worry about ponies seeing the blood and freaking out. However, I do feel bad about causing her to become so exhausted from how much I asked her to clean. Anyway, the reason I'm here is to return Lou to the barn and get her some food. I don't want to burden you by coming at this time of the day, so I can pay you and then feed her myself to save you the trouble."

Applejack smiles at hearing that and says, "It's nice to know that yer tryin' to adjust to things in a different world, but it is no burden on me at all because ah'm just doin' what ah can to help ya get back on yer hooves, er...feet in yer case so don't worry about payin' me. Ah'll be right back, gonna tell the others about this, and then ah'll come over to the barn to feed yer companion awright?" She then grabs the door and waits for his response.

I then nod my head and say, "Are you sure bout that, I'm willing to compensate you for what my companion consumes."

She nods her head and keeps smiling, saying, "Eeyup, ah'm sure. Ah'll be there to feed Lou in a moment."

I then smile and turn toward the barn, but look at Applejack saying, "Alright, I'll go on and put her in one of the pens and start brushing her down. See you in a bit."

Applejack then nods and closes the door gently, then turns around and heads for the dining room. She stands near the table and says in a clear voice, "Ah'll be back in a moment to finish eatin' everypony, ah need to feed Lou, Arthur's companion that he just brought back from a visit to Rarity's. Ah was wonderin' if any of yall would mind if I asked Arthur to join us fer dinner?"

Applebloom and Scootaloo both smile and say simultaneously, "Not at all!" as the former continues, "Ah would like the chance to get to know him better."

Big Mac then looks at his sister and shakes his head saying, "Nnope."

Granny Smith then smiles and thinks it over a moment before saying, "Well ah don't mind as long as he minds his manners and behaves."

She then smiles and says, "Thank yall fer givin' him a chance."

The elderly pony nods her head gently and says, "Everypony deserves a chance, now git goin' before yer food gits too cold."

Applejack then turns around and heads to the door, grabbing her winter coat and throwing it over her shoulders just before zipping it up. Prepared for the cold weather, she pulls the door open and then steps outside while closing the door behind her.

I stand on the left side of Lou as I begin brushing her mane out to remove any tangles when I hear the barn door open and then close, causing me to pause in my brushing as I turn my head to look and see Applejack close the door behind her. I then greet her and say, "Pretty cold out there, ain't it Applejack?"

She smiles and heads toward the cellar door in the back to grab a pail of apples saying, "Darn tootin' it is, even wearing this warm getup in the Crystal Empire can't keep me warm fer long before ah start shiverin'."

I chuckle as I understand that all too well and say, "I know how you feel, I've been through a few snowstorms in my time, and one of them was a little worse than the one just outside of the Crystal Empire."

Applejack pulls the cellar door up and looks over her shoulder at Arthur as he brushes Lou's mane out saying, "Really? Ya've been in one that was worse than that?"

I grin and nod my head while looking at her big eyes saying, "Yep, it lasted for a whole week."

She blinks a couple of times in shock and says, "That's crazy. Ah'm glad that the snowstorms here only last a day or two at most, it would be a big problem if they continued on for much longer."

I spend a few minutes brushing out the tangles in her mane before moving on to her body, starting at brushing down her foreleg first when I hear a door shut with a soft bang. I look over there to see Applejack returning with a bucket of apples when she opens the gate and walks through it, then closes it behind her.

Applejack makes her way toward Arthur and Lou, weaving around the sleeping cows in the pen and being careful not to startle them. As she gets over to them, she sets the wooden bucket within reach of Lou's mouth and asks, Hey Arthur, how dangerous were ya as an outlaw?" while using her right hoof to push around a piece of dirt.

As I start brushing her barrel down, I look to my left to see Applejack looking at the ground while kicking around a piece of dirt idly and sigh saying, "Well since you already know that much, I won't try to hide anything. I was normally cold and always resorted to violence to deal with things, I simply didn't care about killing. At my worst, I was absolutely ruthless and totally unsympathetic to those I hurt. One good thing is that I believed revenge to be a fruitless pursuit, and I still believe that. Even when I resort to violence, it has its reasons to serve a purpose."

Seeing Arthur a little differently, she stops fidgeting with the dirt and looks up at him with a curious but worried expression and then begins to ask while wringing her hands together, "A-A-Arthur...how many..."

Cutting her off I quickly look into her eyes and say, "Don't ask that because I won't tell you, all you need to know is that I've killed quite a few during the pursuit of an impossible dream. I've done so many bad things that my bounty became so high the reward was no longer listed, and instead it was wanted, captured dead or alive. One person told me many years ago that it was 5,000 dollars, which I almost considered turning myself in for it."

Applejack sighs and looks down at the ground, feeling upset about asking that and asks with a worried tone in her voice, "A-Are ya done with bein' that way Arthur, or will ya ruin our friendship and force us to go after ya?"

I sigh and return to brushing Lou's side saying, "I've grown tired of that life. What I want now is to have a peaceful life without having to run away and change locations when past problems catch up. Perhaps one day...god willing, I might get to have a family again one day."

She looks up at him with honest curiosity and feels a hint of happiness, then asks, "Speakin' of family, would ya care to have dinner with us? There's plenty left if yer hungry?"

I then open my mouth to turn down her offer saying, "I'm sure that the food you all have is really good, however, I should finish up here and..." when my stomach cuts me off by growling loudly, making me glance down and then groan saying, "It's a real problem when your own body betrays you... Alright, I will take you up on the offer once I finish brushing Lou down."

Applejack smiles and says, "Okay then, ah'll wait for ya by the barn door when yer finished." then turns around and heads for the gate to exit the pen.

As I return to brushing Lou down, I ask, "Since we're talking about family, do you have a big one or a small one?"

She stops near the door and leans on one of the rails with a smile saying, "The Apple family is so large, we fellow Apples call it the Apple clan." She wants to ask him if he has any family, but decides to save it for a later time.

I finish with my companion and then put the brush into the satchel saying, "Well I'm happy for you then, perhaps someday I will get to see just how large your clan is."

Applejack watches him as he exits the pen and walks toward her, saying with a smile, "Ya'll get to meet another tonight and have a chance to get to know them a little after dinner." then opens the door and walks out, and waits for Arthur to leave as he extinguishes the lantern's flame.

When I put out the last lantern's light, I look over at Lou and say, "Goodnight Lou, I will see you tomorrow." then join Applejack outside and prepare to close the door.

Lou looks at the open door and says, "Goodnight sir, I look forward to it." then returns to her meal as the door creaks while it is shut.

Chapter 0: Death and Rebirth

I lay here on the rock struggling to breathe as I look over at the rising sun and think to myself, 'This sunsrise is the first one that I've ever actually watched, it is actually quite peaceful and beautiful. What awaits me beyond this life I wonder, is it heaven, or is it hell?' My thoughts are interrupted by a stranger in a really fine tailored black suit complete with a tall black top hat standing by the edge of the cliff watching the sun go down as I find enough breath to say, "Are you here to save me or kill me stranger? If it's the latter, I'm afraid that you are too late unfortunately. As I think that my end has finally came."

The stranger chuckles and then continues looking at the sunrise and says, "I am not here to kill you Arthur Morgan, you are correct though, you are going to die soon. Before you pass on into the next life, I wish to talk for a moment. I hope you don't mind a little bit of conversation before you die?"

I cough and shake my head slightly and say, "As long as you don't take forever to get to the point, I don't mind at all. How do you know my name when..."

He turns around and looks at Arthur and completes his sentence saying, "When you haven't said it to me? I have known you for most of your life, I was there when you watched your father hang. I was also there when you fell in with Dutch and his gang, I know about every crime that you committed, and every man, woman, or child you killed. I know everything about you Arthur Morgan, and I am quite impressed with how you started to try to make up for the bad things you've done. But you started too late in life to balance things out, therefore you still have a ways to go if you wish to continue to even things out."

I struggle to understand how he is doing this and say, "I don't know who the hell you are, but you don't know anything about my life at all mister, so just get lost and let me die in peace."

The Stranger then sighs and scowls at him then says, "I have many names that people call me, but in truth I am but a traveling collector. You may simply call me The Traveler or Trav if you wish, you disappoint and annoy me Arthur Morgan. You are the worst in your gang for keeping me very busy." He then turns around to face the sunset and continues saying, "You really are stubborn Arthur, you had so many opportunities to leave the gang behind and have a semi happy life with Mary. Your overwhelming sense of duty to Dutch and the gang kept you from pursuing happiness, I remember watching you beat a sick man to death for a few dollars to collect a debt for that wretched Strauss. I do have a question for you though, do you regret anything that you did?"

I cough up a bit of blood as my vision begins to blur, making it difficult to make out details on his face and say, "There are a few things I did that I do wish did not happen. So my answer to you is, yes there is. Is that all you have to say? If so, get lost."

He then crosses his arms behind his back, then turns to face Arthur once more, cocking an eyebrow at him and says, "Interesting, there are a couple more things that I wish to say before I leave you. I have one last question for you, do you wish for another chance at life?"

My eyes widen with brief curiosity and then say to him, "Are you seriously asking me that question, there is no way that you know what awaits a person after they die."

The stranger smiles and then steps closer saying, "Well, you are correct. I don't really know what awaits, but hypothetically speaking. If there was a way that a person could live again, would you want that chance?"

I sigh in annoyance and answer, "I think it might be nice to have a peaceful life for once."

He claps his hands in front of him once and smiles saying, "That is good to hear, I have enjoyed our little chat immensely. Unfortunately, I have several other things to tend to today so I shall see you again some other day. Goodbye Arthur Morgan." He then vanishes into thin air when Arthur blinks his eyes.

I feel my eyes drift shut, not sure of what I saw as I suddenly feel very tired and in need of sleep. I take a few more breaths before everything turns completely black. I then wonder to myself if I am going to wake up the next day when my eyes slowly flutter open to reveal a doe lying in front of me. I look around in a disoriented state, trying to figure out what happened. I continue to look around in confusion until I hear a female voice say, "Is everything alright, my son?"

Norah looks at her son with adoration as she chuckles at how he seems to be confused and then says, "I am right here, son, I am your mother."

I turn to look at the doe that just spoke to me and blink a couple of times, before remembering what the stranger asked me. I then look at my surroundings and take notice of my very different body with light brown fur that is soaking wet with white spots mixed in among the fur, I get the idea that I must be a deer. I mentally curse that stranger for giving me a new life as an animal that is hunted by humans and then think, 'If this is the new life that he promised me, I may as well make the best of it. I wonder how I'm going to stand in this new form, I have watched my horse get up after a fall. I have also watched how a pronghorn gets up onto its feet, so let's give this a try shall we?' I then lay my forelegs out before me shakily as I test their strength for a little bit, feeling unsure at how this is going to work out.

She looks at her baby and gives him a nudge with the side of my head and sweetly say, "Try to stand up little one, it is time you learn to stand on your own four legs. You won't be able to survive in this world by just laying down, hoping that things come to you."

I try to push myself upright with my front legs, only to fall to my side as I push to hard with one leg. I then pull myself back onto my chest, feeling a bit more determined to do this simple feat and slowly push my chest off of the ground successfully. I then smile at this goal I have accomplished and drag my back legs under me and slowly try to push myself upward, my backside slowly and shakily rises off the ground and evens out.

Norah watches in amazement at how quickly her son stands up and says, "That is good, now try to take a few steps. Should you fall down, just get back up and try to walk again until you succeed."

I then think of how a deer should walk and then move my left leg in front of me, gradually putting more weight on it and then take another step. I then try to step again with my left leg and then slip and fall down onto the floor. I then huff in annoyance at forgetting that I have four legs, not two. I then get back up and take a few shaky steps, reminding myself to use my back legs as well. I then keep on walking, using my muscles to help steady me and keep me from falling down. I then take a better look at my surroundings, and notice that I am inside of a cave. I then start hearing birds chirping and singing outside of the cave. I also see many large pines in the distance, covered with snow. I then take a few steps towards the opening, but my path is blocked suddenly by my mother.

She then looks at her son and then stares at him and says, "Hold it right there, Scoot. You are going nowhere on your own for a long while. If you wish to see the outside of this cave, you are going to have to stick to my side like stink on a skunk until I find you a form to hide in."

I then nod and then walk to her side, eager to see where we are at as she makes her way towards the opening. I anxiously look around at what I can see beyond the opening, the brightness of the snow-covered ground blinds me as we exit the cave. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust to the brightness as I then see nothing but snow, snow, and more snow.

Norah then looks at her fawn and says, "We will be moving to a better location for your forms, so stay close to me you two."

I cock my head to the side and then feel something brush up against me, making me turn my head to look at it when I hit my head against something hard and then see another fawn beside me and realize that I have a sibling.

The mother of the two fawns pokes her head out of the cave and looks for dangers outside before stepping out of the cave completely, and starts leading the fawns to a new location where their forms will be located saying, "Okay, the area is clear of dangers. Stick close to me, lets go."

One month later I lay in this patch of tall grass mother has put me in, feeling rather bored of staying in this one spot. I then hear something making their way towards me, making me wonder if it is time yet to leave this spot. I watch with curiosity as my mother pokes her head through the bush and says, "Come on Scoot, it is time for us to get moving."

I then stand up and exit the bush growing in the tall grass, eager to be able to follow my mother where ever she goes. I then see my sister getting breakfast from mother and decide to get some as well.

Six months slowly go by as mother teaches Nola and I how to find food and survive in the wild around us. I am in the meadow playing with my sister as we pass by a few structures that used to be the town of Colter when I hear howling coming from a distance away and then say to my sister quietly, "There are wolves out here, lets return to mother."

Nola looks at her brother nervously and says, "I agree with you bro, I don't know why you enjoy playing near these old structures. This place gives me the willies, it feels like something awful happened here."

I then smile at my sister and then say to her, "I like playing here because it is nice and quiet here, there aren't too many things that we have to worry about trying to kill us here." I then start to sniff the air and catch a wolves scent that is getting closer, raising my tail in alarm and say, "C'mon, we need to move now. They are onto us, and we need to get back to mother. I am sure that she is worried about us." I then turn and start running through the forest as quiet as I can, looking back to make sure that my sister is close to me.

She then turns her ears around to listen for noise around them as she catches the sound of a twig snapping with growls and barks following it and says, "They've got our trail, we need to get away from them!"

I then glance to her and say, "Panicking about it isn't going to make it better, so calm down and use your head knucklehead. We will use the river to cover our tracks, then follow it for a ways before getting out and heading back to find mother. Just trust me sis, and I will get us back to mother safely."

Nola looks at her brother and nods her head, then forces herself to calm down and says, "How can you stay so calm when there is danger all around us?"

We finally reach the river and enter it, then trot up it when I half lie to her and say, "I don't know why, I just am. I have always been like this, and you know that. We need to stay quiet now, so hush and focus on not leaving our scent behind."

She nods in agreement and keeps quiet and thinks to herself, 'If we make it back to mother safely, I will be grateful for your quick thinking.'

After about 10 minutes of trotting up river, I finally say, "I think it is safe to leave this stream behind sis, let's start heading back to find mother." I then make my way out of the river with my sister following behind me.

Nola then sighs happily and says, "Good because I can't feel my hooves anymore." She then shakes her body to remove any debris that may have gotten on her coat.

I watch as my sister shakes herself clean and then chuckle saying, "Why do you insist on staying so clean at all times? That is the third time today that you have done that, and it isn't even dinnertime yet."

She turns her nose up at him and replies, "Hmph! I am a girl you know, and as you should know, girls do like to be clean. We are nothing like you boys, who are happy to just walk around covered in deer knows what and stinking like a skunk."

I glare back at her and say, "HEY, I was curious at what was living in that super small hole alright! How was I supposed to know that a skunk made its home there? It took me a month of rolling in a variety of herbs to get rid of that damned smell." I then catch a bare hint of mom's scent and begin following it back to her.

Nola catches the scent too and follows after her brother, poking him one more time saying, "Okay stinky, whatever you say. How many times has mother scolded you for poking your nose where it doesn't belong?"

I then focus on the scent and trot after it, trying to get back to mother before noon and say, "I have lost count how many times she has scolded me."

She then chuckles and then trots after her brother thinking, 'You are so fun to annoy bro.'

After a half hour of tracking down mom's scent finally gets us a bit closer as I catch a whiff of something that is new to this area and say, "Hey sis, I don't recognize this scent. Do you know it?" I continue following after my mother's scent, waiting for my sister to answer me.

Nola then raises her tail in worry and says, "No I don't, I don't like how eerily quiet it is here. Come on, lets get back to mother already."

Another half hour passes by as the scent grows much stronger than before, then I start hearing a strange crunching and snapping sound coming from somewhere in the woods. I follow it for a little ways further before I see something large, brown, and furry on top of something smaller than it with a smooth brown coat. I get a pit in my stomach and turn to my sister and then say quietly, "Wait right here and don't move...at all, something is wrong up ahead that I need to check out."

She feels her pulse quicken at hearing that, causing her senses to heighten as her tail goes three quarters upright and says, "W-What is it bro, what is the matter? We are so close to mother now, let's get back to her so we can be safe again." She then looks all around nervously and sees the large furry brown creature next to something and freezes in place.

I then step to the side silently to get a better look and immediately wish I hadn't, because my eyes capture the image of the bear chomp down on mother's neck and take a big bite out of it and starts to chew. I am frozen in my place when my sister walks up behind me and looks at the scene before her and screams.

Nola's mind sees the bear turn to look at them hungrily, unable to handle what is happening to her mother right now she says, "Why did you kill our mother? We still need her to survive, so why did you take her from us!"

The grizzly bear looks at the fawn that screamed and says in a deep voice, "How dare you interrupt my meal, you have made me very angry! I am going to add you to my lunch as deserts!" Just then he hears wolves howl and gets even madder and then roars out in anger and stands on his back legs.

I look around and see six wolves running towards us and scream at my sister, "Run Nola, we have to take care of ourselves from now on!" I then take off away from the bear and the charging wolves with my sister at my heels.

The grizzly sees the charging wolves and grins and yells, "Oh you think you can take my food from me you pathetic weaklings, bring it on!" and then falls back down to the ground, roaring in defiance and rage. He then charges the wolves yelling, "My name is one that should strike fear in weaklings like you, now cower before the mighty Gris!"

She flags her tail and follows her brother at a dead run as tears run down her face, remembering the horrifying sight of Gris actually eating their mother. She cries and continues following her brother through the woods saying, "Where will we go?"

I ignore the sounds of an all out fight between a pack of wolves and a very pissed off grizzly bear as I see a log bridge across a raging river and quickly run to it saying, "We will head south to where it is warmer, and there are no wolves."

Nola looks behind her and sees the wolves catching up to them quickly and jumps onto the log, then hears a deep sounding crack as the log turns out to be rotten on one end. She then races to the other end and jumps off the log right before it cracks again and falls into the river beneath her, she then safely lands on the other side and breathes a sigh of relief at the wolves not going to be able to reach them here. She then looks to her brother with a smile on her face and says, "We made it, we are safe now! How did that creature catch mom, she was surely faster than it?"

I then back up slowly towards the edge, looking at the woods in the distance when I hear the wolves squealing in agony. The squealing of the wolves is then followed by a dead silence broken by one victorious roar, I then feel a bit nervous at what might be coming this way and say, "Not quite safe yet sis, we are officially trapped between wolves ahead of us and the raging river below us. That grizzly bear wouldn't have caught her if it wasn't for the bear trap she got caught in."

She then looks at her brother strangely and says, "How do you know what that creature was, and what is a bear trap?" She then notices the wolves closing in on them from the front and backs up to the edge of the cliff and begins to shake in fear.

I watch the wolves stop a few feet away from us drooling at their potential meal and whisper very softly into my sisters ear, "If you want to live and not get eaten by wolves, follow me by jumping into the river. I don't know about you, but I would rather drown than feel the pain of being torn to pieces by ravenous wolves."

Nola hears what her brother says and nods her head, understanding what he said and agrees to follow him into the river. She then looks nervously between the wolves as they close in further, hoping that her brother says jump soon. She waits a few more seconds before hearing him yell, "JUMP!" She quickly turns and begins to follow her brother over the edge when her hoof slips, causing her to fall and land on the ground. To her horror, she tries to pull herself over the edge and looks back to see a pair of jaws clamp down on her leg and start pulling her back away from the edge screaming, "Brother!!!"

Just before my head goes under the water, I hear my sister scream for me and think, 'I hope she made it into the river after me.' I come to the surface of the raging water and hear blood curdling screams of terror mixed with sounds of a wolf pack tearing into my sister and yell out, "Nola!!!" before getting sucked down the stream.

A couple days later, further down the stream...

I wake up and open my eyes to see that I am on the bank of the river I jumped in. When I think back about my sisters final moments, I lay my forehooves over my eyes and begin to cry when I hear a few heavy steps in front of me and a heavy exhale and say, "If you are going to eat me, then so do it already."

The tall creature looks down at the young fawn and sighs sadly saying in a male voice, "As appetizing as you look, I don't eat meat young one."

I remove my forelegs from over my eyes and look at the creature in front of me, seeing only a pair of legs before me. I follow the legs up higher and higher into the sky when I find myself looking at a large and majestic looking bull elk and gulp saying, "I didn't realize that I was so small, you seem like a giant from down here."

The elk looks down at the very young buck and says, "What happened to you? Where is your mother, why is she not with you?"

I then sob and say, "She was running from a grizzly bear and got caught in a bear trap, then the bear caught up to her and ate her. I had my sister with me when we returned to find her laying on the ground as the bear took a chunk out of her neck, my sister saw that and screamed. I then saw the wolves charging down the hill toward us and we both started running away from the wolves and the bear, we crossed a log across a raging river that collapsed under my sister when she jumped towards the cliff. She made the jump, but then we were trapped with two choices to make. To either let the wolves coming from the woods catch and eat us, or jump into the river and hope to survive it. I jumped into the river after telling her to jump, but she got caught by the wolves. I can still hear her screaming from them tearing into her, I will never forget what I heard a few days ago before getting pulled down the raging river."

He feels great sympathy for his tragic loss, but then stiffens up and says, "Get your crying out of your system now young one, because you are a survivor. That means you have to now fight to survive in this world, the only one you can count on to take care of you is yourself when you have no one else to depend on. So get up on your feet young one, it is time for you to learn to live on your own. You will be with me until I deem you ready to be on your own, so come on and follow me lad."

I then shakily get up onto my feet, fighting for strength through the tears. I hang my head low in sadness as I start to follow after the bull elk and sniffle as I ask, "Who are you and why are you being so kind to me?"

The elk then stops and looks back at the young one and says, "My name is Dorn, and I have had an experience similar to yours. What is your name young one?"

I lift my head up to look at Dorn and say, "My name is Scoot, it is nice to meet you sir."

Dorn nods and continues walking back into the forest and says, "Likewise Scoot, now try to keep up because I cannot walk any slower than this."

I then follow after him at a trot, still sniffling a bit and then think to myself, 'I swear this to you sister, I will get even with those wolves for taking your life from me.'

Seven months later...

I look at Dorn and say, "Thank you for taking care of me these past few months, I owe you a lot for teaching me everything you did."

He then nods and then says, "You are welcome Scoot, but now you are old enough to be on your own. So hurry up and get on with your life, and out of my territory."

I then nod my head at him and then turn around and start running off to find an area to stay in for a while and think to myself, 'Now that I am on my own, I can start working on making myself stronger.' I then continue on down through the forest, deciding to head towards a nice meadow over by Horseshoe Overlook.

I run by a pond on my way to Horseshoe Overlook and stop to take a drink as I look at the top of my head and see a couple sticks poking up out of my head covered in velvet and say to myself, "At least my antlers are finally starting to come in now." I then hear a feminine giggle come from somewhere around me, causing me to stop and look around for who it is that made it and see nothing and then say, "Anybody there? I know I heard a giggle from somewhere, so come on out and say hello."

The female fawn pokes her head out of a thick bunch of cattails and smirks saying, "Hello, I was drinking water here and didn't recognize you. I was curious as to who you were, so I hid in these cattails here and waited to see if you were dangerous or not."

I look at the face of the female that poked her head out and roll my eyes at her and then say, "Well, do I look dangerous to you?"

She cocks her head to the side at hearing his speech pattern, swearing it sounds familiar from somewhere. Unable to place it, she then ignores it and then rights her head and says, "No you don't look dangerous at all." She then giggles at his expense and then says, "My name is Talia, what is your name?"

I sigh and then shake my head and get a strange feeling like we have met before, but can't place where and then say, "My name's Scoot, I'm just passing through here while I make my way over to a meadow by Horseshoe Overlook." I mentally slap myself for letting something like that slip.

Talia gets another small hint of having met him before from the way he pronounces words, deciding to watch him more closely she says, "I have never heard of that place before, do you go there all the time?"

I then try to shake off the feeling of familiarity and tell her a lie, "I have been there once or twice with my mother."

She catches him in a lie and stares at him hard and then says, "Did you just lie to me just now?"

I stay calm and then say, "No, I'm telling you the truth. My mother, sister and I passed through there once when I was a few months old alright?"

Talia catches another lie and exits the cattails, irritated that he lied to her a second time and slowly approaches him with a scowl on her face. She stops right in front of him and says, "I'm sorry, do you care to try that again. I saw you coming down from the highlands to the northwest of here, so please try to fool me...again."

I slowly start backing away from her and say, "I mean it, my mother, sister and I really did pass through there around winter time."

She starts to stalk towards him with a scowl on her face as she angrily says, "Mister, you better start telling me the truth or I'm gonna chase ya wherever you go until you tell me the truth. So start talkin'!"

I think about my time with Jenny before the boat disaster and then sigh and let my rump fall to the ground and look around for anyone else that might listen in and say, "Okay, okay already. Stop pestering me and I will tell you on the promise that you don't repeat what you hear from me to anyone or anything, do we have a deal?"

Talia then smiles and sits down on her rump and says, "Yes, I promise to not tell a single soul what you tell me. Now spill the truth mister, ya made a deal."

I then look down at the ground and begin by saying, "I used to have a mother and sister, but the truth is that I haven't been there with them at all." I then look into her eyes, waiting for her to respond to that before saying anything else.

She cocks her head and then says, "How did you get all the way there on your own then, did you run away from your mother a few times?"

I then sigh again as she doesn't quite catch my meaning and then give her another clue and say, "I didn't go there alone, I went with some friends that I was very close to. We were like family, though not actually related to each other." I then wait for her to respond to that new information.

Talia struggles to piece together the new clues he gave her and then says, "You were there with others that you considered family..." She ponders on that for a bit before thinking back on what she remembers of her other life and then she says, "So am I to guess that you have been there in another life?"

I then smirk as she then catches on to the hints and then decide to tell her more and say, "Yep, I remember being with a gang of humans."

Her eyes widen with wonder as she then blurts out, "Really, who were ya with?" She then realizes what she said and then quiets down and waits for him to say something.

I chuckle and then try to throw her for a loop and say, "So I guess that you are like me then, I think I was with the O' Driscolls. Do you remember who you used to run with?"

Talia scowls at him harder, falling for his lie and says, "You're a damn O' Driscoll boy, ohhh you are so lucky that we never met or I woulda killed you. Your damn straight I know who I used to run with, and it was Dutch Van Der Linde!"

I start to laugh and smile and mess with her a bit more and say, "Yeah, I'm sure you would have tried. I was really good with my guns, and just loved to use dynamite. So miss, I'm sorry but I woulda killed you instead."

She then starts to fume as she lets her anger get the better of her when she hears how he laughs and then sighs, realizing that he is messing with her and says, "Are you really an O' Driscoll? I am getting the feeling that I have met you before, I just can't remember who or where."

I drop the joke and chuckle a few times before slowly getting serious and then say, "Of course I am not a damned O' Driscoll, but I had you going for a second there. The gang I was a part of was led by Dutch Van Der Linde, my name was Arthur Morgan. So, what was your name then?"

Talia freezes as she hears a familiar name and then starts to tear up a bit and says, "Wait....you are Arthur?" She then begins to fidget with her forehooves nervously, awaiting for his answer to confirm it.

I nod my head and then say, "Yep I am, so who are you and how do I know you?" Just then I watch as her eyes open wide and she gasps in surprise.

She then jumps towards him, knocking him onto his side. She happily nuzzles against his neck and says in his ear, "My name was Jenny Kirk, it is nice to meet a past close friend." She then breathes in his scent and then backs off of him and waits for his response.

I then rise to my hooves again and then say, "It is really good to see you once again Jenny, the gang buried you north of Colter. We have a lot to catch up on, why don't you come with me."

Talia then smiles and says, "Of course, I would love to catch up on everything that has happened after I died. First things first though, I need to tell my mother that I have decided to strike out on my own and see what else this world has to offer. So can you wait here for me until I come back?"

I then smile and nod saying, "Sure I will wait for you here, just don't take too long okay? This is coyote territory after all."

She then nods and gets up onto her feet and then hurries off to find her mother to tell her what she wants to do from now on. She races through the strip of trees and into the meadow where she is eating some flowers, coming to a stop by her and then says, "Hey mom, I have decided to strike out on my own and see what else I can find in this world. Thank you for teaching me everything you can to prepare me for surviving on my own, I am grateful for you raising me.

Her mother then finishes chewing on a flower she plucked from the grass and then smiles and walks over to her, then nuzzles her neck against hers and says, "Alright my dear, you are indeed old enough to go out into the world and fend for yourself. I am so proud of how you grew up so well, so go on and enjoy your life while it lasts. Goodbye my dear daughter, may you have a happy life."

Talia then smiles and then turns around and runs back towards the river she left Scoot at, arriving a few minutes later with a smile on her face as she sees him snoozing by the bank. She then crosses the river silently and then stands beside him and says, "Are you ready to start our new adventure Arthur? I a so looking forward to this, as well as catching up on past events."

I then raise my head up and then open my eyes and say to her, "Please call me Scoot if there is anyone around that can hear us talking, okay?"

She then nods and then says, "I'm sorry, I am just so excited to go exploring without anyone chasing after us. You need to relax a bit, and not be so worried all the time."

I then sigh and get up onto my hooves and say, "Look Jenny, things only got worse after the Blackwater mess. The gang is gone now, we made too much noise where we went and brought trouble down upon us. It got so bad to the point that I just got fed up with it all and told everybody to leave and start their own lives, Micah Bell once told me that you were carrying his child. Is that true, were you carrying Micah Bell the fourth?"

Talia then frowns for a moment before scowling at Arthur saying, "That really is sad to hear that things only got worse, can you tell me more about it on the way to the Overlook? I can't believe you would believe such an obvious lie, I never slept with him. However, I was carrying a child but it was most definitely not his. Let's get going already, the day isn't getting any younger!"

I then get moving in the direction of Horseshoe Overlook and say, "Well if it wasn't his, then whose was it?"

She follows him closely and then says, "I'm not going to tell you that, because it is only important for me to know." She then smiles and then thinks to herself, 'I can't tell him that it was either his or Javier's child, can I? No, it is better to just leave him guessing.'

Six years later, some time around September

I stand here at the place where my sister was killed with two terrified fawns behind me, chased by a hungry pack of wolves until I intervened. I listen to their barks and snarls as they then charge at me, eager for a meal. I then lower my antlers in threat to them, unafraid of them and their claws because I have fought wolf packs before. With each wolf I kill, it brings me peace of mind. I then watch as a wolf tries to latch onto my neck, so I tilt my head and swing it towards the wolf. Hoping to kill it, I can feel the added weight as I lift the squealing wolf up and throw him off my antlers and over the ravine into the raging river.

The wolves back off nervously as they watch the deer they heard rumors about from other wolf packs, speaking of a male deer that started to hunt down wolves for some unknown reason. One of the younger wolves yips and whines nervously to the Alpha, feeling unsure about continuing to attempt bringing this beast down.

The alpha snarls back angrily, making his point clear that they will bring down this defiant deer that doesn't respect the law of nature. He then charges in towards the deer, snapping at one of his forelegs as a diversion. Hoping that he swings his head so he can get at the underside of his neck.

I rear up on my back legs as the wolf snaps at my front legs, knowing that he is cunning and has intelligence. I then notice a large rock with a rather sharp edge sticking out towards me, and come up with an idea to kill this Alpha wolf. I then lower my head and charge the leader, hoping he falls for the only opening I am giving him.

The alpha barely dodges the charging buck and sees his chance to bring it down, then jumps onto its back and latches onto the back of its neck. He digs his claws in as the deer takes off running around in circles, then begins to clamp down on his neck. Using his powerful jaws to try to crush his neck, he feels the deer start moving sideways. Thinking that he is winning, he pays no attention to the sharp edge of the rock rapidly making its way towards him. He suddenly hears a scared couple of yips and yowls from one of his members and looks around with his eyes and then finally sees what has them so worried, but is too late to catch it as he feels a brief sharp pain before his vision goes black.

I hold myself against the boulder as the increasing pressure around my neck vanishes, and the alpha wolf falls off my back lifeless. I watch as the remaining wolves' jaws go slack in shock, then they turn tail and take off running, yelping and yowling the whole way back to where they came from. I then stand up straight and then turn my head to the young fawns as I hear the wolf's head hit the stone with a thump and then say, "What are you two doing this far away from your mother?"

The young male fawn says, "We were just over in the meadow by the ruined structure playing when we heard howling wolves, I told my sister to follow me to the river. I led her to the river and saw a large rock jutting out over the ravine, so we both jumped over the river. The rock fell into the river after my sister jumped off of it, but we kept running away into the trees, but then we heard howling again and were chased by the wolves from the woods when you showed up and stopped them when they were just about to kill us. Y-You're him aren't you mister?"

I cock my head in wonder and say, "Him who?"

The young female then starts speaking to him, "The Guardian of the Forest mister, you must be him mister."

I then shake my body to calm it down and say, "I have no idea what you are saying, youngster. Let's get you back to your mother." I then turn to pick up the leader with my antlers and drop him onto my back, sighing at the loss of the one I threw over the edge. I then start heading down stream to find their mother, when the young male speaks up again.

The young male then starts following beside him and says, "You haven't heard about the legend of the forest? We heard about him from our grandmother. She told us that when she was a young doe four years ago, she was playing with her sister in the meadow when she heard wolves howling. She went to go investigate it with her sister after she started hearing the wolves yelp and squeal a few times, once she got there she saw a young buck fighting a pack of four wolves. He succeeded in killing the whole pack, but got a few nasty gashes in the process. She then was about to go out to speak to him but she looked at his face when he turned her way, she saw something in his eyes that signaled her to be wary of him. So she stayed where she was and watched him go on his way, eating a few certain plants that he was searching for. After he finished eating the plants, he then used his antlers to lift up one of the dead wolves and took off somewhere. She then returned to her mom and told her what they saw. Some time later that day, she heard noise coming from the direction where the fight took place and then told her mother about it. Her mother then took them with her to investigate. When they got there, the bodies of the wolves were all gone. After investigating the area, the only evidence of a fight were a few bloodstains, and a set of really deep deer tracks. A year later when she had young, she heard the same thing again. So she hid her young and then went to investigate it and saw the same signs again, and then returned to looking for food for her young. When they were old enough, she told them the story of what she saw and that is how the Guardian of the Forest legend got started."

I continue walking and listen to the tale he tells and chuckle a bit at it and say, "So they call me The Guardian huh? It sure feels nice to be called such a thing when in truth, I am nothing of the sort."

FLASHBACK

I then think back on my second year of life when I first started to try to strengthen myself by fighting against other bucks my age. One day I fought against a buck a year younger than I was, and accidentally killed him. I thought to myself, 'It would be a waste to just leave him here to rot.' So I then tried to pick him up a few times, but he was too heavy for me to lift up with my teeth or my antlers. So I looked around for something to use and saw a rock that might work to help get him onto my back, after several minutes I succeeded in dragging him onto it. I then stood by the rock and used my antlers to grab onto his neck and dragged his carcass onto my back, nearly causing my legs to buckle under the sudden increase in weight. After some time of adjusting to the weight, I started to slowly walk towards the place where I know the human trapper sets up shop in the woods. I arrive sometime in the night at his camp, I check to see that he is still asleep but his horse is looking at me with his head cocked at an angle and nickers at me in amusement. I then shake my head side to side, ignoring the horse and shuffle my body around to make the buck on my back fall off. I hear the buck fall to the ground with a heavy thud, waking the trapper up and making him reach for his double barreled shotgun.

The trapper hears a noise in his sleep and reaches for his shotgun, then holds it at the ready as he stands up and looks around to find a male deer standing next to a dead one. He then cocks his head and raises his eyebrows at the strange sight and chuckles saying, "This is the strangest thing I have ever seen before in my life."

I then see the shotgun aimed at me which doesn't phase me at all, and then I turn around to leave the dead buck behind. I then start to trot off into the woods, away from his campsite to let him return to sleep.

The trapper watches the buck trot off to the woods amazed that it was brave enough to come this close to his camp and scratches his head saying, "You sure are a strange one..." He then looks down and sees the dead buck laying a short distance away and then his eyes widen in surprise, realizing that the buck wasn't there when he fell asleep and says, "Wait a minute...did you drop this here? Why would you do something like this?" He struggles to understand why that a buck would drop another buck off near a human campsite and then shrugs his shoulders and gives up saying, "Well, I better get to work on cleaning this deer up before it goes to waste. People at the bar aren't going to believe this story when I head back to Saint Dennis tomorrow."

A few days later the trapper returns to his shop in Saint Dennis with the goods that customers brought him to make items from. After dropping off his supply, he heads towards the bar to tell his friends the story.

An hour later...

One of the friends doesn't believe the story that the trapper told him and finishes his drink, then slams it down onto the table and says in disbelief, "There's no way that a buck would ever come near a campsite with humans near it, that is just not in their nature! You have to be lying about the buck it dropped off too, that is just absolutely absurd! They are skittish and run away at the sight of us getting close to them, there is no way in hell that a deer has intelligence and the courage to enter a camp, drop off a dead deer, and then just exit the camp with no fear at all of you aiming a shotgun at it! That is just beyond absurd, there is just no way for us to believe something like that can actually happen!"

The trapper takes another drink from his beer bottle and then says, "If you don't believe me, how 'bout we make a bet then? How about this, you ride with me out to my spot Northwest of here. If we don't see that deer I told you about in a month, I will pay you two hundred dollars upon sunrise of the last day? Does that sound agreeable to you Mac?"

Mac considers the bet for a bit and scratches his chin in thought, hearing other hunters cheer him on saying things like, "Take it, it's easy money!C'mon man, do it!We gotta know if he is tellin' tha truth, so do it so we can find out if he tells the truth!"

He then extends his hand out to accept the bet and answers him, "You have yourself a deal there James, when do we head out?"

James smirks and replies, "We can leave in about a week once I get my wagon offloaded and prep the hides for leather."

A week and a few days later...

James and mac arrive at the spot just off of the road near a steep mountain side, then get started on setting up camp when Mac sets up a couple tents for the two of them and says, "You're serious about this buck? To me it sounds more like a tall tale."

James starts setting up his stall and looks at his lifelong friend Mac then says, "Have you ever known me to ever tell a lie Mac?"

His friend sighs and continues to unhitch the wagon and tie up the horses saying, "No James, not even a small one. But you have to understand that if another person cannot back the story up, people won't take it seriously."

He then sighs and says, "I do understand that, and I swear to you that this buck is real. You will see it for yourself before the month is out, I swear to you. If we happen to see him again Mac, let's watch him awhile and learn more about this buck instead of just killing it for the meat and hide. For some reason, this buck just gives me the feeling that there is more to him than what meets the eye."

Mac raises an eyebrow and then shrugs saying, "Sure, why not? We have to see him first to see if he really does exist though."

Two weeks later

It is just before sunset and I carry two dead wolves on my back, making my way towards the trappers favored spot in the wilderness south of Colter. When I get within visual distance of it, it is getting dark out. I then dump the wolves next to a large boulder, then turn around to go get the last two from the fight with them earlier.

James sits by the campfire, eating a chunk of meat from the deer that Mac had shot earlier today and says, "You're a pretty good shot until you get surprised and rush."

His friend then sighs and then says, "How long are you going to continue to remind of that accident?"

He finishes the piece up and says, "I got shot in the ass because the Confederates rushed our lines one day, you grabbed your gun, cocked in a hurry before running for the barricade and then tripped on your own two feet. The gun went off and I got hit, I had to fight through the pain to fight off the bastards."

Mac then shakes his head and says, "How many times do I have to apologize to you before you let that go?"

James then squints his eyes at him and then says, "Until the day I die or my ass stops telling me when the weather's gonna change."

He then sighs in defeat and throws up his hands in frustration saying, "Gah...whatever. I am gonna get some sleep, wake me up in a few hours."

It takes me a couple hours to return to where I left the first two wolves, then continue on through the barren ground towards the camp. As I get close enough, I spot two tents instead of one and the trapper sitting beside the fire looking into the fire. I then decide to continue on towards the camp, keeping an eye on him and the two tents.

James stares into the fire, remembering the battles between the Union and the Confederates when he hears something approaching the camp. He then looks around to find the source of the noise when he sees a pair of eyes reflecting light back at him, he then focuses a little harder on the vague shape in the distance and then calls out quietly, "Mac, Mac! Wake your ass up, he's here!"

Mac slowly stirs at his friend calling him and slowly crawls his way out of the tent saying, "What, who is here?"

He grins and looks at his friend and says, "The one I told you about, keep still and just look to your left and you will see who I mean."

His friend grumbles and turns his head to the left and fully wakes up as he sees a buck making its way towards the camp and loudly whispers, "Holy shit James, you weren't kidding! What's that he's carrying on his back?"

I continue to walk through the trees towards the camp as I hear them talking to each other quietly and watch me with curious eyes.

James's eyes widen a bit as he can see the buck a bit better the closer he gets and then says, "Those things on his back are wolves I believe, now don't reach for your gun and let's study him. If he leaves, we will track him down in the morning and observe him for awhile."

Mac then nods in disbelief at what he is seeing and says, "Uh huh, we definitely need to learn more about this buck. This will make people believe your story, no doubt about that."

I then step into the edge of the camp and then shift my body around until the wolves fall off of my back, then turn around and trot off to get the last two wolves before going to look for some healing herbs.

Two days later, late evening

Mac is keeping an eye on the buck that visited them last night, dropping off four dead wolves with gore marks in the hides. Still finding it hard to believe that this buck fought and killed four wolves and survived, he watches the buck protect a fawn from a couple of wolves that tried to kill and eat it. He then follows after the buck after picking the dead wolves up with his antlers and dropping them onto his back, then leads the adventurous fawn back to it's mother before going on his way back towards their camp.

I ignore the curious human following me and continue towards the trappers camp to drop these two wolves off before finding a place to rest for awhile, arriving a little distance away from the road a couple hours later when I spot a cougar start stalking its way down through the small dip on the right side of where he has his stall set up. I then fold my back legs under me, quickly ditching the wolves for the moment to go after the cougar saying, "Not happening today you damn cat!" I then take off on a dead run as I see it begin to pick up speed, dropping my head after avoiding a collision with a couple of trees.

James suddenly hears the call of a cougar, then turns his head to the left in the direction it came from. He then spots the cougar running at him full speed, then reaches for his shotgun and brings it up and clicks the safety off when a blur to his right slams right into the cougar. He then hears something hit the wagon hard, and the cougar yowling in pain before falling silent. He wonders what the hell that was and goes to check it out, seeing something that shocks him. He sees that it was the buck from last night had apparently charged into the side of the cougar, and into the side of the wagon.

I then attempt to pull myself free, only to find that I have driven my antlers through the side of the wagon and then say, "God dammit, I can't get myself free!"

Mac then reaches the camp gasping for breath and says in between breaths, "JAMES...ARE YOU...OKAY! I chased after the buck after it took off running, I ran harder when I heard a cougar near the camp." He then looks at the wagon, then notices the buck standing next to it acting strangely for some reason and says, "What the hell's the matter with him, and where's the cougar at?"

James then looks at mac with wide eyes and shaking a little bit from surprise and says, "I think that buck just saved my life. Somehow, he managed to ram his antlers into the side of the cougar. He must have tried to throw the cougar, because he lifted his head a bit then ran into the side of the wagon and got himself stuck real good. Grab a mallet and help me get him free Mac, I owe him my life for saving me."

He then nods his head and gets into the back of wagon and retrieves his mallet to hit the points that are sticking through the wood, then starts to tap on the tips saying, "Damn he has a big rack, has some long points too. We will have a couple new stories to tell about this guy when we return to Saint Dennis."

I then sigh in annoyance of their chit chat about my rack and say, "Just shut up and get me free already, I don't want to be stuck here any longer." I then feel him tap on my points, trying to drive them through far enough where I can pull them free myself. I then watch the trapper walk around me to the backside of the cougar and then looks at my antlers and then counts the points on them, then lifts up my cheek to see my teeth.

The trapper looks at the teeth of the buck after forcing his mouth open and says, "This buck is around five or six years old and has seven points on each side, I am surprised that he hasn't been killed by a hunter yet."

I roll my eyes at them and feel my antlers slowly start to come loose and try to pull myself out of the wagon with a few tugs, succeeding after three strong pulls against the wagon and landing on my ass. I then shake my head, happy to be free from the wagon and then rise to my feet before trotting off to get the two wolves I dumped back there.

Mac then watches the buck leave and says to James, "He is going back for the two wolves he ditched back there to catch this cougar. We should head back to Saint Dennis and tell the others about this Guardian, this is a story worth telling."

James then watches the buck trot away and says, "We will head back once we get this cougar cleaned up and wrap the meat up to smoke it, hand over that two hundred you owe me already."

I then return the two wolves to my back and then head back to the camp, arriving in time to watch the other human place the cougar carcass onto a table, then get a knife to start removing the meat. I then look at the trapper as he spots me heading towards them and hear him say, "Damn you, don't bring shit when I'm preparing to leave!" I then laugh and then dump the bodies in front of the stall and snatch a couple bundles of Alaskan Ginseng and Indian Tobacco, then run off as he runs around the corner of his stall and throws a rock at me saying, "Get outta here ya damn varmint!"

He then shakes his head and returns to the stall as Mac laughs at what happened and comments, "He seems to really like you for some reason."

James then looks to his friend and sighs saying, "I don't know why but he reminds me of a talented man I knew ten years ago, I think his name was Arthur Morgan." He then looks at the two wolves and says, "Now we have even more to clean and prep before we can leave here."

Two years later, around mid winter...

I hook one wolf with my right antler and tear its throat out then focus on the last surviving wolf and then kick it as it tries to get behind me, sending it yelping away in pain. I then watch the wolf run away with its tail between its legs happily. I then go to pick up the two wolves I had killed, when a shot rings out and hits me behind my rib cage. I then forget about the wolf and take off at a dead run saying, "God dammit, I wasn't keeping an eye out for hunters! I am not about to let those worthless bastards claim me, there is only one that would show me any respect!"

The hunter then says, "I finally found this 'Guardian Deer' that I have been hearing about in stories by a few fellow hunters that heard those stories from a trapper. My pa would be so proud of me for tracking down the biggest buck that kills wolves and cougars! I only wish that he didn't get shot like a dog by that damned Agent Ross and his henchmen, I wonder where he's at nowadays? It's gonna be dark in a little while, so I better git started on tracking it down." He then whistles for his horse to follow after him as he starts to follow the blood trail.

A half hour passes by as Jack loses the trail completely and says, "Dammit all, I was looking forward to showing its hide to a few hunter friends of mine. Well I need to get back home, no venison tonight it seems." He then mounts up and puts his rifle away and takes off for their home in Beecher's Hope.

I begin to feel myself getting weaker as I reach the road by the trappers favorite spot, I then slow down to a walk to try to catch my breath. I start to cough as it gets tougher to breathe normally, I then hope that he is here today so my body won't go to waste.

The trapper hears a coughing and looks to see where it is coming from and spots a buck coming towards him and notices the scar on its face saying, "I know that scar anywhere, I haven't seen you in a couple weeks. You don't have anything for me this time, so why are you here?"

I then make my way in front of the stall and then cough again as I struggle to lay down on the ground, then just lay myself flat on my side and then just wait for him to get the hint already and think, "I never thought that I would be dropping myself off to him, I wonder how long it will take him to catch what I am doing."

He then watches as the deer continues to lay down in front of his stall and then slowly catches what is going on and then grabs his knife and walks around the stall and kneels down next to the buck and places a hand on his neck and then says, "Don't worry friend, I won't waste any of your meat. I will be sending your pelt to Miss L. Hobbs to put on display for others to see that you did exist." He then plunges the knife into his chest, stabbing the heart and ending his suffering.

I feel the knife plunge through my chest and hit my heart, feeling only brief pain before slowly closing my eyes and find myself standing in front of the Trapper. I examine myself and see that I am back to my human form and then say, "What in the hell is going on now in this Godforsaken world!"

The traveler steps up beside him and then chuckles saying, "How did you like your second chance at life? Did you do enough good deeds to even out the scales?"

I then jump a little and turn my head to the left to see the traveler there and answer, "My second chance at life was somewhat peaceful I admit, but there is no way that I could have done enough good deeds to outweigh the bad! I need another chance sir if I am going to have any hope of making up for my past action."

He then chuckles a bit more and says, "This was not your second chance really, just your second life. This was just a way for me to get even for you annoying me so much. So, now that we are now even for the excessive amount of work you made me do while you were alive, I shall now send you to your real second chance. Do you have any last requests before I send you on to your third and final life?"

I then sigh and think a moment and say, "I would like to at least be human in it, and have my stuff back."

The traveler then nods and then holds his chin with two fingers and says, "In your next life, would you care to be able to use magic at all?"

I raise my arms to be behind my neck for a moment and say, "You mean like sleight of hand stuff, right?"

He then keeps calm and then answers, "Yeah, we'll go with that. Would you like to be able to use it?"

I then exhale and then say, "Sure, why not? I guess it would be nice to know how to do something like card tricks and stuff like that."

The traveler then smiles and then says, "Alright then, that is acceptable. I will send you on your way now, Toodles!" He then snaps his fingers and then sends him to his new life in a completely new world and then says, "I better return to Equestria before Celestia throws a fit for me being out of her sight for too long, she is such a control freak." He then snaps his fingers and then appears in the Canterlot castle.

Celestia walks down the hallway leading to the library and calls out, "Discord, where in Tartarus are you! I have something for you to do, if I find out that you have been causing chaos somewhere, you are going back into stone forever!"

Chapter 4: Challenging Beginnings, New Troubles

Fifteen minutes later after Fluttershy left the Waiting Room

I sit here in the corner, leaning against the wall with my hands behind my head. I think on the things I have done in the past, until I see some ponies enter the Waiting Room and then watch them for a bit until they start heading my way and say, "Evenin' folks."

Celestia stops in front of the human and looks at them with indifference and says, "Hello human, I have some questions to ask you. So rise to your feet and show respect."

I sigh in agitation at seeing how this day is going to turn out and then stand up slowly, tilting my hat downward until I fully rise to my feet. I then tilt my head back slightly and shift my eyes up to look at her face and then say, "I don't show respect to anyone that is rude to me, if you continue to be rude, I will resort to violence."

Fluttershy then taps Celestia's shoulder as she sees the look in his eyes and says, "Please don't talk to him like that, they have a short temper towards rudeness."

She then continues to look at the human with distrust and mild anger and then says, "Not now Fluttershy, I am busy with deciding if this human is a threat to Equestria or not." She then addresses the human in front of her and then says, I am not scared of you Human. If you threaten me like that again, you will find yourself in Tartarus next to Tirek. How did you find your way to Equestria, Human? What strange magic did you use to injure Rainbow Dash with?"

I then look at her and then say, "I am not going to tell you personal things like that because you aren't showing me respect right now, and that wasn't magic. It is simple mechanics that uses chemistry to make life easier where I am from."

Celestia then continues and says, "You will change your tune after spending some time in Tartarus!" She then begins to power up her horn to send them there.

I then see her horn start to glow and then use my ability and draw my revolver quickly, then point it directly at her face between her eyes where her horn just happens to be and then cock the hammer back saying, "Go ahead and try it pony, by the time you finish that spell I can pull the trigger and end your life. Do you really want to do things this way, leave this world behind as your friends and loved ones mourn your death?"

She then blinks twice and then thinks to herself, 'That was too fast, but I can not let this human get the better of me! I am a co-ruler of Equestria, how can they treat me so rudely!'

Twilight then steps in between them and slaps her former mentor's horn saying, "Princess Celestia, this is not how a princess should act! The Human did not make the first mistake, you did. The human gave you two warnings and said that if you want to be respected, you should show them respect in return. Friendship is about the balance between give and take, they reacted violently towards Rainbow Dash because she attacked first. You need to apologize to them as well as Fluttershy or this friendship mission we are currently on may fail, and I do not accept failure when it comes to making a new friend!"

I watch as the lavender alicorn stands in between us, her horn sticking up above my gun barrel in my line of sight. Her head is a few inches below the bottom of the barrel as I then think to myself, ' Fucking christ, does this pony have a death wish?'

Her spell fizzles out after her horn is slapped by her own former student, causing her to freeze in shock as what she said sinks in and then hangs her head and sighs as tears slowly come to her eyes before saying, "I-I am sorry for acting so rudely towards you, Human. I had a bad experience when I visited your world a long time ago, but I do not wish to talk about it." She then looks at her former student and then drops down to one knee and says, "Princess Twilight Sparkle, I am sorry that my actions have endangered the mission you all are on. If you wish me to, I can return to Canterlot so you can finish the mission successfully." She then turns to Fluttershy and then says, "Fluttershy, I am very sorry I ignored what you said."

She then looks to her and then says, "You can stay, but you need to be respectful to others if you want to be respected in turn." She then steps aside and returns to where she was standing.

Celestia then stands back up and clears her throat saying, "I am sorry for my rude behavior Human, can you please tell me how you came to be in our peaceful world? Uhm, could you please lower your weapon now?"

I then uncock the revolver and then return it to its holster, then sigh and say to her, "One moment princess, it would be best if the pony responsible was here as well." I then take a breath and then say, "Discord, please come here for this part?"

She then cocks her head to the side and then says, "Why is Discord responsible for this, what did he do?!"

I then say, "Just wait for him to arrive and I will tell you about it."

Discord then pops up out of the ground beside Celestia and then looks at Arthur Morgan in disbelief and says, "Are you seriously going to tell her about what happened?! Do you want me to be turned back into stone or sent to Tartarus so that you can just get rid of me!?"

I then look to him and then say, "Don't worry my friend, you won't be going anywhere. Not after I tell them how you saved me from an ugly death."

They are all shocked to hear that including Discord, who then tries to figure out what he is trying to pull. After examining his face, he catches a sly smirk and then he gets what he is doing and says, "Okay Arthur, I will trust your judgement then."

I watch as all eyes turn to me, waiting for my explanation. I then clear my throat and then start by saying, "Well, before I got here I was sitting in a jail cell, waiting to be hanged for murdering several gang members that were plaguing a town. I then went to the sheriff of the town, when I got there he and a few men hit me over the head and threw me into a cell. When I came to, they told me that I was going to be hanged for killing those innocent people in a few days. A few hours from my hanging, this stranger shows up dressed all in black and in fancy clothes and started to talk to me about different things in my past. As the time continued to grow shorter, he then asked me if I regret my actions in the past and wish to get a second chance to try to make amends. So I then said sure, not really believing what he said when he snapped his fingers and I wound up here. I woke up in a pitch black cave, with only the smell of fresh air coming from somewhere to guide me to the exit. I eventually found my way to it and then found this letter..."I then reach into my satchel and nearly get up to my elbow in the bag before finding the letter, noticing that the lavender alicorn is looking at my bag with interest and then hold out the letter for the white alicorn to take and look at. I then look at Discord and take my hat off and then say with sincerity, "I thank you for bringing me to this world, Discord. Hanging is the worst way to die in the wild west, I owe you my life my friend."

They all turn to look at Discord who has tears of joy coming from his eyes as Celestia takes the letter and reads it, then hands it to her sister to read after saying something to her. He then smiles and then wipes a tear from his eye and says, "Thank you for considering me a friend, Arthur."

I then smile and then say in return, "Don't get me wrong, you really can be annoying. But even then, you are still my friend. Unfortunately those are in very short supply nowadays..."

Discord then nods and sighs, knowing the loneliness he must be feeling right now and then says with a big smile, "Don't worry, you shall make new friends as you explore and experience what this world has to offer!"

Luna then hands the letter back and then asks, "What does it mean by your TRUE second chance?"

I return my hat to my head then take the letter and return it to the satchel and then say, "There was a prank he pulled to get even for me annoying him in the past, but that is a story for a different day. So what happens now, is there somewhere that I can stay or at least set up a campsite?"

Celestia, Luna and Twilight all look at each other and talk about it for a few minutes before deciding, as Celestia says, "After some consideration, we have decided that you can set up camp outside the town of Ponyville. You can travel with Luna and I there when we head back to Ponyville through a long distance teleport spell, or you can head back with the girls when they complete their mission."

I then look to her and say, "Thank you very much, I think I will travel there myself after I take care of my partner I came here with. Can you tell me where it is so I may find it after I return to that cave I was in to see if anything else was left there that I couldn't see due to the blizzard, and could one of you tell me if paper money has any value here?"

Celestia then steps forth and says, "Very well then, the town of Ponyville is just straight South of the Crystal Empire and a little bit to the West. If you cross the second pair of tracks about 100 miles from here, you will see the mountain that Canterlot is built on. Unfortunately, cash is not used here. We can however, use magic to determine the value and exchange rate and give you bits instead if you wish."

The girls all look to their rumps and see their cutie marks flashing as Twilight smiles and says, "I guess this means that the friendship mission is complete."

I look at their flashing images that Discord told me were 'cutie marks', and symbolizes their unique talent. I then look to the White Alicorn and then say to her, "I will accept your offer, no sense in holding onto something that you can't use." I then start digging around in my satchel for the cash I have on me, finding it after going shoulder deep into the satchel. I then say, "Could one of you find something for me to set this on?" I then start to pull out two stacks in my hands as the dark blue Alicorn smiles sweetly at me, holding a large platter in her hands.

Luna then holds onto the platter she wanted to find some sort of use for and then asks, "Will this work?"

I then smile and say, "I think it will work just fine, just keep holding that plate miss while I set the rest on here."

Celestia then says, "How much more of that do you have?"

I then half chuckle and set them on the platter side by side and then say, "I'd say about fifteen thousand dollars more. I did say before that I may be a criminal and a monster, but I am trying to change my ways for the better."

Her jaw falls open and then she closes it, she looks at them with wide eyes and says, "That is a lot of money to have in your world, you are lucky you weren't robbed or killed for that kind of money."

I then reach back into the satchel and pull another two stacks out and then sigh saying, "People have tried to rob me, but they died as the result. My world is a cruel, harsh place where you have to fight to survive. The wild west won't exist much longer though, because it is slowly being tamed by humans."

Luna then watches as he continues to pull the money out and lines them up on the platter, making it a little heavier with each stack added and then uses her horn to help hold the platter as it is getting tougher for her to hold in her hands. She then looks at it and says, "That is unfortunate for those that live there, is there nothing to keep watch over the suffering of the other humans there?"

I then say, "Unfortunately, there is not. Magic does not exist in that world and neither do the Elements of Harmony like you have here, the closest thing to magic there is electricity."

Twilight watches how many bundles they are removing from the bag and then says, "How can that bag hold so much, there is just no natural way for it to hold that many bundles. What kind of magic is that bag using?"

I then finish pulling the last few stacks of cash and then say, "You got me, because I don't know. The bag didn't have this much cash in it to begin with." I then look at Discord and say, "Did you have something to do with this Discord?"

He then smirks and twiddles his thumbs and says, "Well of course I did. After all, you just wouldn't be you without that hat of yours. So I just used a little magic to bring everything that you owned with you here, I even brought your wagon here and everything that would not quite get into that bag of yours. Unfortunately though, you will have to talk to your partner about pulling it to Ponyville. Speaking of your partner, she is hungry and you need to tend to her needs."

I then look at the ground and say "Thanks frien. Any of y'all know where I can feed my partner?"

Princess Cadence then enters the Waiting Room and says, "I know of a place that has good food, it isn't far from here in fact."

I then turn to the new pony and see a pink Alicorn and then say, "Do you think you could lead my partner and I to it? I am sure she must be really hungry now after pushing our way through that god-awful blizzard several hours ago."

She then nods and then says, "My name is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, I rule the Crystal Empire alongside my husband Shining Armor. My friends call me Cadence, what is your name?"

I then look to her and then introduce myself saying, "Princess Cadence, it is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Arthur Morgan and I am new to this world.

The others are shocked beyond words that Princess Cadence is in the room as Twilight then approaches her and then says, "Hi Cadence I had planned on coming to visit when this mission was over, but things changed and I was delayed."

She then looks at her sister-in-law and says, "That is quite alright Twilight, sometimes things do happen that force us to change our schedules. Such as this accident for example, but we all must move on past it and try to make the best of it." She then looks to the human and says, "So then, what brings you to visit the Crystal Empire Arthur Morgan?"

I then look to her and say, "Well Princess, I had just arrived in this world in a cave. I found my way to the entrance and then noticed that a blizzard was raging outside, so I put on some warm clothes and then braved the storm to find somewhere warmer as well as some food for the both of us. I didn't come here to cause problems, I just came for food and shelter from the storm until it passed."

Princess Cadence then feels herself relax a bit hearing that and says, "It is a relief to hear that, I came to see what the commotion was about earlier for myself. You are free to wander the city, but we will be keeping an eye on you. Good day, Arthur Morgan."

Outside Flurry Heart's room, At the crystal castle

A couple of guards stand outside of Flurry Heart's room when a noise to their left catches their attention and look in that direction, when something hard hits them both over the head and knocks them both out.

A male pony searches the guards for anything useful they might have on them and says, "Ooh this one's got some bits on 'em, now let's see what the other one's got on it..."

Another male pony looks at the other one and hits him over the head and says, "How many times do I have to tell ya to not do that Clep."

Clep then looks at his friend and rubs the back of his head saying, "Ow that hurt Clack, I rob whatever I can so the gang can get outta this freezing country. I am tired of nearly losing my tail when we go outside the hideout."

Clack then sighs and nods saying "I feel ya partner, c'mon. Let's grab this foal and then disappear for awhile before we make our grand appearance and then take over the Crystal Empire."

A female zebra then steps around the corner and says, "It is time to go inside, if we draw too much attention, the boss shall have our hide!" She then walks up to the pair and says, "I shall go first, for if either of you should go, I shall fear the worst." She then opens the door and steps inside, then closes it behind her.

Flurry Heart looks at the strange pony that just entered her room and says, "Hi there, my name is Flurry Heart. I don't recognize you, are you a new foalsitter? I hardly get visitors, but my parents tell me they may let me attend my Auntie Twilight's School this year!" She then watches the zebra continue to approach her with a smile.

The zebra gets really close to her and then says, "Hello there, I am going to be your foal napper. You will feel nothing when you fall asleep, that way you won't suffer when we travel." She then raises her hands and then prepares to hit her in the back of the neck to knock her unconscious.

She looks at her in confusion, feeling a little worried at hearing that and says, "I-I don't like what you are saying, I think you should leave now." She then begins to back up and raises her arms in defense of herself, screaming for a brief moment before falling silent and collapses to the floor unconscious.

The zebra then picks up the unconscious foal and puts her into a grain sack with a hole for her to breathe, then ties it shut and puts it onto her shoulder then makes her way out the door.

Clack then watches the door open and says, "That scream may have been heard by the guards, we need to leave now before they come to investigate."

She then looks to him and says, "That action was unforeseen indeed. If the sound was heard, a distraction is what we will need to escape. If they find us with the foal here, we shall be in dungeons for many a year."

Clep then smirks and tosses his bag of bits to Clack and says, "I will keep 'em busy while you two escape with the foal, so you better get going."

Clack catches the bag and then stares at him and then says, "No, either we all get out or none of us get out. We are like family, and family sticks together."

Clep nods and then says, "Yes it does, but family members protect each other when there is danger. Let me be the one to protect you all this time."

The zebra then stops Clack from saying something else by placing her free hand on his shoulder and says, "This is displeasing to hear, but he is correct in what he says. We must get this foal out of this castle and put this empire behind us a ways."

Clack then sighs and nods sadly then says, "Just make damn sure ya make it out of here somehow, okay bro?"

Clep hears hurried hoofsteps coming down the hall a ways and then says, "Don't worry baby bro, there is no pony alive that can match my dual short sword skills. Goodbye bro, you two better hurry up and scram because they are coming in a hurry."

The two then move quickly and quietly down the corridor and around a corner as Clack looks back with a tear in his eye and says, "Please make it back somehow big bro, you are the only actual family I have left." He then catches up to her and follows her closely through the halls.

Ten minutes later, Somewhere in the Crystal Empire

Cadence leads the group of girls to a restaurant she likes and says, "The place we are going to is not really all that fancy or expensive, but I can promise that the food they serve is very good."

I then look around and don't see Lou anywhere and then whistle sharply to call her to me when I see the girls look at me in a squinting manner as they rub their ears and chuckle lightly and say, "Sorry about that ladies, that is how I let my partner know when I need her."

They grumble a little and then continue on towards the restaurant when Twilight slows down and walks beside him and then asks, "Would you mind telling me a bit more about what your life was like over there Arthur Morgan?"

I stop for a brief second before continuing to follow the girls and then look at her with a serious look in my eyes and then say, "Not right now kid, I need to be able to trust you before I can tell you things like that." Which one of you is Princess Luna that watches over dreams?"

Luna stops and then walks beside him too and then says, "That would be me Arthur, why do you ask?"

I then look at the blue Alicorn and then kindly say, "I ask because I wish to kindly request you to not enter my dreams if you can help it, some of the things I have done in my past may scar your mind if you should learn of them before you are prepared for that knowledge."

She sighs sadly at hearing that and then says, "I shall stay out of your dreams until I sense you are having a nightmare, I have to fulfill my duty in watching over my subjects. This includes those that are not from this world originally, can you agree to those terms?"

I spot Lou coming from a ways away, her Perlino coat and tall stature standing out from the other ponies that clear out of her way and then answer Luna saying, "Yeah that sounds fine to me, just make sure that I am having a nightmare before you enter alright?"

Lou makes her way to her partner at a slow canter and then circles around the group and slows to a walk as she follows them and says, "Hi Arthur, are we going somewhere to get some food now because I am so hungry I could eat a horse."

Pinkie Pie erupts into a fit of laughter and gigglesnorts, then catches enough breath to say, "Oh that was extremely funny because you are a pony, my name is Pinkie Pie. What is your name?"

She then smiles and says, "I wasn't trying to be funny really, but my name is Lou. It is nice to meet you Pinkie Pie."

I then see her moving her bit around in her mouth and then look to the other girls and then say, "Would any of you girls be able to make some alterations to Lou's bridle? She needs to have the bit removed because it is bothering her too much. I promised her I would find someone to do that for her, so I will pay what it would cost to fix it."

Rarity quickly approaches them and then smiles saying, "That would be moi darling, can you tell me a few other details so I can get a better idea of what you need changed?"

I then look at her and say, "The only thing that needs to be changed really is the piece of metal that is in her mouth right now, that piece needs to be removed. There do need to be rings on the side so the bridle still functions, the long leather straps that are fastened to the saddle also need to be attached or I won't be able to communicate with her through them using the signals we use to function as a team."

She places a finger on her cheek and her elbow on her arm and thinks for a moment before saying, "Alright, I can do that. Using leather is a little risque for us ponies because we are ponies after all, and we have evolved from four legged animals after a great many years. We still feel somewhat related to our very, very distant ancestors. Since you aren't asking me to make something out of leather, I will be able to make adjustments to what is already there. Darling, can you take it off so I can look at the way it is fashioned?"

A guard then approaches Princess Cadence at a fast jog, bows to her and leans into her ear whispering, "Princess, I must inform you that there is a skilled enemy unicorn stallion fighting guards near your daughter's room. We are doing what we can, but he is better than the other guards that he fought. Most have suffered incapacitating wounds, while others he has outright killed. Your husband, Prince Shining Armor is among those incapacitated and is thankfully just unconscious. What are your orders Princess?"

Princess Cadence's eyes widen with fear, causing her to stop in her tracks and then says, "How did they get that far into the castle, are the guards not taking their jobs that seriously?! I must find a pony that matches my Shiny's strength at least, if only I knew of some...pony." An idea comes to her out of desperation to protect her daughter and looks to the human currently talking to Rarity about something and says, "Arthur Morgan, I wish to ask you for aid in dealing with this enemy unicorn that is in the castle too close to my child's room. I shall reward you handsomely if you agree to handle this task at once!"

Everypony in the group stops and stares at her in shock as I then say, "Alright, a couple questions first then. Do the horns grow back if they are broken or damaged? Last question...Do you want the pony alive or dead Princess Cadence?"

She watches as the whole group is shocked beyond words at what they just heard and answers him, "They do grow back, but it takes a year for it to completely grow back. For the last question, my answer is that I want him alive. I could never wish for any pony to be killed for their actions in this empire, do you agree to help me with that one condition?"

Twilight breathes a sigh of relief at hearing her say to not kill him, but still is very shocked at how an enemy got into the Crystal Castle in the first place.

I then nod my head and say, "Alright then, I'll get to it immediately. Sorry Rarity, but you will have to take it off yourself. There is someone I need to stop, please try to get the changes done as quickly as you are able." I then look to Lou and say, "Please help her out if she needs to know how that goes on Lou."

Lou then looks to him and says, "You got it boss, be careful."

Cadence then looks to the guard and then says, "Guard, please lead Arthur Morgan to where the fighting is taking place so he can deal with the troublesome pony."

The guard then nods, looks at the human and says, "Sir, please come with me immediately."

I then nod and say, "Lead the way." then start jogging after them and think to myself, 'I sure hope I can turn things around for myself in this world, I...I just don't want to run away from the problems anymore. I'm tired of that destructive cycle, it would really feel nice to stay in a place for a year or two before moving on to a different location.'

The guard jogs towards the large double doors of the castle's entrance and says, "I will be keeping my eyes on you sir, I saw what you did to Rainbow Dash and I do not trust you."

I chuckle and then follow him saying, "I think that is wise of you to not trust me, I would not blame others for not trusting me right away for being a stranger in their world. When we get there, I want anyone that is not the enemy to move out of the way so my guns don't hit them accidentally."

The guard then nods and pushes the doors open and then says, "Remember that the Princess wants him alive, so do NOT kill him."